Chapter 200
"Well, we can't compare to Brother Yan," Chu Tianque said. "I wonder how the Divine Hall makes its judgments. Brother Yan has actually received the Silver Register and is in charge of five thousand li of fief."
Yan Wushuang smiled a bit proudly but waved his hand dismissively. "It's all about luck. Besides, it's just the initial grant. You two can accumulate your heavenly merit in the future and expand your fief as well."
"That's not quite right," Xue Zhenchuan scoffed, shaking his head. "The initial fief is large, so the heavenly merit accumulates quickly. Otherwise, how could Brother Yan always be at the top of the heavenly merit leaderboard?"
Everyone nodded in agreement, looking at Yan Wushuang with envy written all over their faces.
"Silver... Silver Register!"
One person who had been staring at Zheng Fa suddenly shouted. The crowd turned in shock, only to find that the document in front of Zheng Fa was indeed made of silver, its brilliance plunging everyone into silence.
"...Is this why Old Han values him so much?"
Even Yan Wushuang was momentarily stunned, murmuring to himself.
---
**Chapter 195: Heavenly Merit**
Zheng Fa reached out and took the Silver Register floating in front of him. He noticed that the cover had a red frame, but the inside was blank, as if waiting for him to write something.
He tried to flip through the pages, but they seemed stuck together, no matter how hard he pulled.
When he attempted to channel his consciousness into it, there was no response.
"Brother Zheng, you need to use your consciousness to write your name on the cover for the Divine Register to recognize its master," Yan Wushuang's voice came from behind him.
Following his advice, Zheng Fa wrote his name with his consciousness, and indeed, his mind felt a connection forming with the register.
With a thought, the previously unyielding Divine Register obediently opened up.
The first page contained a rough map, so vague that it was hard to discern directions.
It really tested one's imagination.
The second page had two characters: Heavenly Merit, followed by a zero.
From the third page onward, the content began to change.
The third page detailed that at a certain time and place tomorrow, there would be several bolts of heavenly thunder, specifying their size down to inches and feet.
The fourth page indicated the expected rainfall for the day after, with measurements down to the millimeter.
There were about ten pages filled with similar information.
After that, Zheng Fa found it increasingly difficult to understand.
"The front is a schedule of events, and the back contains spells—well, unfinished spells," Yan Wushuang explained as he and the others gathered around Zheng Fa, his expression a bit pained. "This is why I said the Heavenly Tablet world drives us crazy."
Zheng Fa looked at them, sensing a change in their attitude towards him.
Yan Wushuang couldn't tell, but Chu Tianque and the others, including the newcomers, seemed to regard him differently.
Noticing Zheng Fa's puzzled expression, Yan Wushuang smiled. "Brother Zheng, the initial grant is indeed five thousand li of fief, which truly astonishes us."
Zheng Fa glanced at the Silver Register in his hand, a realization dawning on him.
"And you all are...?"
"In the Heavenly Tablet realm, those who receive an initial grant are given five thousand li of fief. I only know about myself," Yan Wushuang said with a smile. "Of course, I don't know everyone who enters the Heavenly Tablet, but... judging by my position at the top of the heavenly merit leaderboard, there can't be too many others who start with a Silver Register."
"Silver Register..." Zheng Fa clasped his hands together and asked, "What exactly are these fiefs and heavenly merits?"
"That's something you'll find out sooner or later, Brother Zheng," Yan Wushuang sighed. "It's something we gradually figured out over the past few days."
"When we first entered the Heavenly Tablet realm, we were just as confused. Later, we realized—these gods are like officials in a mundane dynasty. The fief represents our territory, and our duty is to govern our own lands."
Zheng Fa nodded; he could understand that.
"That's not too bad. We have plenty of people who have experience in governance in the mundane world," Yan Wushuang said softly. "The trouble is, in this realm, aside from thunder spells, we can't use any magical symbols or even magical treasures."
"Yes, I noticed that as soon as I entered this world."
"Because of this, heavenly merit becomes troublesome," Zheng Fa heard Yan Wushuang continue. "We still haven't figured out how to measure heavenly merit."
"But from what we see now, using those spells to punish evil and promote good, to enforce laws, can earn heavenly merit."
"According to this schedule, controlling heavenly thunder, managing rain, and even promoting agriculture can also earn heavenly merit."
"Of course, the reproduction of the populace can earn heavenly merit as well."
"And heavenly merit can expand the area of your fief and can be exchanged for spiritual materials in the Treasure Pavilion."
"This... is all about governing the people?" Zheng Fa began to understand. "It doesn't sound too difficult?"
Yan Wushuang forced a smile. "We thought it wouldn't be hard at first, but... Brother Zheng, you'll understand why we say it's difficult once you see the fief."
"Huh?"
"Brother Zheng, we have a theory... to accomplish everything in this schedule, one must master the thunder spells to a divine level."
"Divine level?"
"That is... a level of thunder spell mastery that no one in the Xuanwei realm has achieved, and no one can perfect those seemingly impossible spells."
...
Seeing that he still seemed confused, Yan Wushuang pointed at the Divine Register and said, "Brother Zheng, if you flip through it, you'll see that the thunder spells in this register are actually divided into three main categories."
"Three categories?"
"The first category is the most common: the Thunder of Tribulation," Yan Wushuang explained. "This is used to punish evil and promote good. Most of us accumulate heavenly merit through this thunder spell, but we still haven't figured out how to control the power of the tribulation thunder."
"The second category is much more difficult, called the Rain Thunder."
"Rain Thunder?"
"It involves controlling rain with heavenly thunder..." Yan Wushuang's face showed some helplessness. "This is what is referred to as harmonizing rain during the granting of divinity. It's a bit harder than the tribulation thunder. Just look at the schedule; the rainfall must be precise down to the millimeter. Not to mention the relationship between thunder spells and rain, just getting the measurements right is impossible..."
Zheng Fa was taken aback—wasn't this about using electromagnetic forces to achieve and control rainfall?
Seeing his expression, Yan Wushuang seemed to think he had grasped the difficulty and lamented, "This is already hard enough, but the most difficult is the third category—using thunder spells to promote the growth of plants."
"Does that... have anything to do with it?" Zheng Fa was now completely baffled.
"This matter... we also spent a lot of effort figuring it out later," Yan Wushuang explained. "Eventually, we learned in the Xuanwei realm that cultivating spiritual plants actually relies heavily on thunder. Many sects skilled in cultivating spiritual plants believe that heavenly thunder contains vitality..."
"Vitality?"
"Yes, for example, the spring thunder during the awakening of insects can promote the growth of spiritual plants," Yan Wushuang explained. "But if we try to use thunder spells to simulate this spring thunder, we are utterly at a loss—those spells in the Divine Register seem to be of little help."
"…"
Suddenly, Zheng Fa recalled the issues with modern spiritual plant cultivation—Teacher Tian mentioned the lack of a certain environment. If what Yan Wushuang said was true...
Then this environment seems to be related to a certain type of heavenly thunder?
The evidence for this hypothesis was rather flimsy, and Zheng Fa found it hard to determine its truth.
But Yan Wushuang spoke with such conviction that his interest in the Heavenly Tablet grew.
"Although we can't accomplish these things, accumulating some heavenly merit to exchange for suitable spiritual materials in the Treasure Pavilion isn't too difficult," Yan Wushuang continued. "This Heavenly Tablet realm isn't dangerous, so we come here once a month."
"Can heavenly merit only be exchanged for spiritual materials?"
Zheng Fa asked.
"Of course not. Accumulating heavenly merit allows us to expand our fief and also exchange for some thunder spells—these basic thunder spells in the Divine Register are just the beginning. There are other thunder spells in the Treasure Pavilion that we can exchange for using heavenly merit."
"That's why, Brother Zheng, having five thousand li of fief from the start is so enviable," Yan Wushuang smiled. "The more land you have, the more people there are, and the faster you can accumulate heavenly merit."
After chatting with Zheng Fa for a while, Yan Wushuang seemed eager to accumulate heavenly merit himself and took his leave.
Following Yan Wushuang's instructions, Zheng Fa infused his spiritual power into the Divine Register.
After absorbing his spiritual power, the Divine Register suddenly slammed against his forehead, and Zheng Fa's entire being turned ethereal, his consciousness following the Divine Register to a place between heaven and earth.
Before he could take in his surroundings, he was captivated by the scene above.
It was as if he saw a thunder pool overturned in the sky, bolts of heavenly thunder recklessly roaming the expanse.
The sky was dim and gloomy, as if it had never seen a clear day.
In such weather, rain was inevitable, and the torrential downpour before him seemed unending.
The ground beneath his feet was less like solid earth and more like a swamp, a sticky mire of mud.
Was this really his five thousand li of fief?
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