Honghuang: My understanding is beyond belief. I am the first immortal of Jiejiao.

In just a short while, the thin membrane that had troubled her for so long was easily pierced, and her cultivation level directly advanced from the early stage of the Great Luo Golden Immortal to the perfect Great Luo Golden Immortal realm!

The whole process was incredibly smooth, without even causing any major celestial phenomena; it was as if everything had fallen into place naturally.

Once her breathing had stabilized, Fairy Ni Chang opened her beautiful eyes, which shone with an inner light, adding to her charm.

She looked at Lin Zhu, her eyes filled with even more tenderness. Just as she was about to say something, Lin Zhu gently pressed his finger to her lips.

"Between you and me, there is no need to say thank you."

Lin Zhu smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Consolidate your cultivation level."

Having said that, he ignored the person next to him who was still flapping his wings and squawking, "Boss! I want some too! Leave me a bite!"

Bifang, with a flicker of his figure, had already left the Star Palace.

As soon as they stepped out of the palace gate, they saw Venus already waiting outside. Upon seeing Lin Zhu, he immediately greeted her with a beaming smile.

"Oh my, my Lord Lin, you've finally come out! His Majesty has decreed that all officials be summoned to the Lingxiao Palace for the morning court session. This is a momentous occasion, and you and all the meritorious officials of the Nine Heavens Prison will be richly rewarded!"

Lin Zhu raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? What will His Majesty the Jade Emperor bestow this time?"

Venus leaned closer, lowered his voice, and looked on with a mixture of mystery and envy.

"I've heard that this reward is a priceless treasure, rarely seen in the Three Realms! Even many Quasi-Saints and Great Powers dream of possessing it! Your Majesty is rewarding you for your illustrious campaign against the forces of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in the Underworld, where you achieved a great victory! Quickly follow this old minister; let's not keep Your Majesty and the immortals waiting!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu smiled noncommittally and then followed Venus on a cloud to the Lingxiao Palace.

Upon entering the solemn and magnificent palace, Lin Zhu was slightly surprised by the scene before her.

On both sides of the hall, civil and military officials and gods from all sides were lined up neatly. As soon as he entered, everyone’s eyes were focused on him. Their eyes were filled with awe, admiration, and even a hint of flattery.
As he stepped forward, the immortals in front of him spontaneously parted to the sides like a tide, making way for him with wide passages. Each of them wore an almost fawning smile and greeted him with clasped hands.

"Greetings, Lord Prison God!"

"Congratulations on your triumphant return, Lord Prison God!"

"Your Majesty's power is truly awe-inspiring!"

If that were not in the Heavenly Court, someone would probably have knelt down and paid their respects on the spot.

This was a stark contrast to the previous attitude of the immortals who, despite his fearsome reputation, mostly held him in awe and distance. Clearly, the battle in the underworld, where he directly confronted Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva and achieved victory, elevated his prestige and status in the Heavenly Court to an unprecedented height.

Lin Zhu remained calm, casually cupping his hands in return, and continued walking straight to the center of the main hall without stopping.

The Jade Emperor, seated high on his Nine Dragons Incense Carriage, was all smiles and radiant with health today. Upon seeing Lin Zhu, he burst into laughter, his voice echoing throughout the palace.

"Hahaha! My beloved minister! My trusted advisor, the pillar of the three realms! You have arrived!"

The Jade Emperor's voice was filled with undisguised praise and joy.

"Look! All the immortals show such respect to you, my dear minister. This is something you have earned through your strength and achievements! Your humility and composure are truly a blessing for me and for the Heavenly Court!"

He paused, his gaze falling on Lin Zhu. He sensed her carefully, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, before his smile widened.

"Oh? I heard that you had a fortuitous encounter in the underworld and have already advanced to the level of a half-step Quasi-Saint? Excellent! Very good! So young and promising, your future is limitless! Today, I will bestow upon you a fine gift to reward your tremendous achievement!"

With that, the Jade Emperor waved his hand!
Hanging above the central dome of the Lingxiao Palace, a treasure bottle radiating seven-colored glazed light and surrounded by Daoist charm slowly descended!
The treasure bottle was crystal clear, with what seemed like a swirling galaxy inside, radiating auspiciousness and light that illuminated the entire hall, instantly attracting the attention of all the immortals!

Countless fervent, envious, and even greedy gazes were fixed on the seven-colored glass bottle! Everyone could sense that the treasure contained within was absolutely extraordinary! It was a supreme treasure that even a quasi-saint would covet!
The Jade Emperor looked at the treasure bottle with pride on his face and announced loudly.

"This is the essence of the 'Eight Treasures Merit Pool Water' that I have treasured! Although it is not as inexhaustible as the merit pool water in the Western Paradise, this bottle still contains eight thousand merits! Today, I bestow it upon you, my beloved minister, to help you advance in your cultivation..."

The Jade Emperor's words came to an abrupt halt!

His gaze inadvertently swept over the drab, even somewhat worn-out, purple-gold gourd that Lin Zhu casually carried at his waist.

At first, the Jade Emperor did not pay attention to it and regarded it as an ordinary container.

But just as he was about to continue announcing the rewards, with his peak Quasi-Saint cultivation and keen senses, he suddenly realized that from the dilapidated gourd, there was a faint, unimaginably surging aura of merit and vow power that made even him tremble!
The smile on the Jade Emperor's face froze instantly, and his pupils contracted almost imperceptibly.

He focused his mind and cautiously reached for the broken gourd again...

This time, he perceived it much more clearly!

The merit and vows contained in that gourd were not only astonishingly vast in quantity, but their purity far surpassed that of the carefully refined Eight Treasures Merit Pool water in his hand! It seemed to be the most primordial, pure merit, untouched by any incense smoke or distracting thoughts!

The Jade Emperor's expression changed. He suppressed the turmoil in his heart and asked tentatively in a tone that was as calm as possible but with a slight, imperceptible tremor.

"Minister Lin... what is inside that gourd at your waist?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Zhu looked down at the gourd hanging casually on his hand, a look of composure on his face, and answered in a very relaxed manner.

"Oh, this is the Merit Water. I was in a hurry to leave and couldn't find a decent bottle to put it in, so I'll just use this."

"Merit... Merit Water?!"

Lin Zhu's words were not loud, but they were like a bolt from the blue, instantly exploding throughout the entire Lingxiao Palace!

The immortals, who were still immersed in the precious light of the seven-colored glass bottle, were first stunned, and then their faces showed extreme shock and disbelief!
"What...what did he say? Merit Water?!"

"How is that possible?! Isn't the Divine Water of Merit a specialty of the Merit Pool in the Western Paradise?"

"He begged the Heavenly Court for several eons and only received a meager amount. How...how could he have so much? And why is he using a broken gourd to contain it?!" "Could it be...that he stole the Merit Pool from the Western Paradise?!"

This...this is too awesome!

Exclamations, doubts, and gasps filled the air! All the immortals felt their understanding had been overturned!
The Divine Water of Merit is one of the foundations of the Western Paradise's religion. It is extremely precious. The Western Paradise would rather hand over a large number of Buddhist soldiers than give up even a little bit of it easily!
Now Lin Zhu is so casually hanging it on his waist? And with a broken gourd?!

The Jade Emperor was also taken aback by Lin Zhu's nonchalant attitude. He took a deep breath and pressed for an answer.

"My dear minister...do you know how precious the Divine Water of Merit is? How much of it do you have in this gourd?"

Lin Zhu scratched his head, seemingly a little embarrassed.

"As Your Majesty knows, my family is poor and we don't have any decent containers. In this gourd... well, there's probably about 32,000 left? I didn't count it exactly."

"Thirty...thirty-two thousand?!"

This caused not only the immortals to nearly fall off their dragon carriage, but even the Jade Emperor himself!
Thirty-two thousand?! Is the unit doing this through merit?!
Or is it the purest merit water, comparable to or even surpassing the water of the Merit Pool in the Western Paradise?!
The Heavenly Court has gone to great lengths, expending countless resources and favors. After several Yuanhui (a unit of time), the total amount of merit water in its reserves probably doesn't even equal this amount!

Lin Zhu, in just five hundred years, where did he get so much bamboo?!
Still acting like a Versailles, claiming "the family is poor" and "the accounts aren't detailed"?!

The entire Lingxiao Palace fell into an eerie, extreme silence.

All the immortals stared blankly at Lin Zhu and the broken gourd at his waist, feeling that their views on immortality and values ​​had been impacted like never before!
Many immortals even began to doubt what they had been working so hard and scheming in the Heavenly Court for all these years.
Looking at Lin Zhu's nonchalant expression that said "this thing is very ordinary," and feeling the surging merit and vow power in the old gourd that far surpassed the "treasure" in his own hand, the Jade Emperor felt a tightness in his chest and his vision blurred.

He had meticulously prepared to surprise Lin Zhu with this seven-colored glass bottle containing eight thousand merits, showcasing the grace of the Heavenly Court and his own generosity. But now it seemed to have become a huge joke!

Am I seeing things? Or am I still half asleep?

Is that tattered gourd really filled with holy water of merit? And so much of it?!

The Jade Emperor fell into deep self-doubt and contemplation. He had originally thought that eight thousand merits was a generous reward, enough to make any immortal grateful, but compared to the "belongings" that Lin Zhu casually carried... this was practically throwing money at a beggar!
If this reward were actually given out, where would the Jade Emperor's face be?
Just then, Lin Zhu seemed to realize something, looked up at the Jade Emperor, and asked in confusion.

"Your Majesty, you just said you would bestow upon me... what was it again?"

His question immediately drew everyone's attention back to the glass bottle in the Jade Emperor's hand, which still radiated a seven-colored glow.

The immortals now looked at the glass bottle with subtle and complex expressions. If it weren't for the contrast with Lin Zhu's broken gourd, this eight thousand merits of divine water was indeed an extraordinary reward.

But now... why does it feel a bit... unpresentable?
Sensing the subtle, questioning gazes below, the Jade Emperor could barely maintain his stiff smile.

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the frustration and shock in his heart, and let out a louder laugh, but with a hint of guilt.

"Hahaha! My dear minister, you misunderstand! What I said just now was merely a joke! How could a mere eight thousand merits of divine water be worthy of your illustrious achievements in the expedition to the Netherworld and your defeat of Ksitigarbha?! If I were to reward you with this, wouldn't it make the Heavenly Court appear too stingy and disgrace your merits?!"

As he spoke, he suppressed his heartache and gave instructions to Venus, who was standing beside him.

"Venus! Quickly go to the treasury and fetch... fetch 40,000 units of Merit Water! I will bestow them upon Minister Lin as a reward!"

When the number "forty thousand" was mentioned, the Jade Emperor's eyes twitched uncontrollably, and even a few glistening tears welled up in them!

That's 40,000 merits! That's practically the Heavenly Court's most treasured reserve!
His heart was bleeding after giving it away! He had practically bankrupted himself!
Upon hearing this, Venus was also greatly surprised, but seeing the Jade Emperor's expression, he dared not ask any further questions and quickly bowed in response.

"This old minister... obeys the imperial decree!"

It then transformed into a streak of white light and hurriedly headed towards the treasure vault.

Lin Zhu frowned as he looked at the Jade Emperor's "passionate" yet subtly pained expression and heard that he would be rewarded with 40,000 units of merit water.

He wasn't ungrateful; he just felt some things were unnecessary.

He took a step forward and bowed.

"Your Majesty's kindness is appreciated. However, I am unworthy of such a generous reward. Your Majesty's gesture just now is more than enough for me. I believe that those who cultivate should become wealthy through diligence and acquire resources through their own efforts. This is the right path. How can they rely solely on the Heavenly Court's rewards?"

He genuinely declined, feeling that the Heavenly Court was not well-off and that he had the stable output of the Chaos Green Lotus, so there was no need for him to take so much of the Heavenly Court's "hard-earned money".

But his words had a completely different meaning to the Jade Emperor and the other immortals!

When the Jade Emperor saw that Lin Zhu actually declined, he felt a mix of emotions. On the one hand, he thought that this kid was quite sensible, but on the other hand, he felt that his idea of ​​"getting rich through hard work" coupled with his bulging, broken gourd was a silent mockery of him and the other immortals!
If the Jade Emperor could "get rich through hard work" and obtain so much merit-based divine water, would he need to be so stingy?

"My dear minister, you are mistaken!"

The Jade Emperor steeled himself; in order to preserve his last shred of dignity and the honor of Heaven, he had to act even more generously!

He waved his hand dramatically, his voice carrying a tragic sense of "I'm going all out."

"The reward I just bestowed is utterly paltry compared to your merits, my dear minister! How can it possibly reflect the grace of Heaven and my own heart?!"

He casually picked up a cup of fine wine from the tray of a celestial servant beside him, raised it high, and addressed the entire hall of immortals in a loud voice.

"Come! My beloved ministers, let us raise our glasses together to congratulate Minister Lin on his advancement to the half-step Quasi-Saint, adding another pillar to our Heavenly Court! Cheers!"

Having said that, he tilted his head back and drank the usually sweet and mellow imperial wine in one gulp! But as the wine slid down his throat, for some reason, it carried an indescribable bitterness that made his eyes burn. Two complex tears finally slipped down his cheeks uncontrollably.

Those tears contained the helplessness and heartache deeply affected by Lin Zhu's "simple and unpretentious" family background, as well as the pain and bitterness of having to bleed money for a face-saving project.

Lin Zhu watched as the Jade Emperor tilted his head back to drink wine, tears streaming down his face, and became even more puzzled, muttering to himself.

"What's wrong with the Jade Emperor? He can even cry from drinking? Is the wine too strong? But wait, isn't the imperial wine in Heaven quite mild?"

He truly couldn't understand the deep-seated value that the Jade Emperor and all the immortals held for the Divine Water of Merit. (End of Chapter)