Chapter 97: Merit and Karma, Adoration and Resentment

Chapter 97: Merit and Karma, Adoration and Resentment

"What is happening here?"

Not indulging in the satisfaction of his victory, Lu Sheng observed his merit and karma statistics, lost in thought. He was certain that he had not killed any living creature during the fight. So, where did this surplus of merit and karma come from?

"Received adoration from Luo Liheng, gained 260 points of merit."
"Received adoration from Lu Yunxi, gained 132 points of merit."
"Received adoration from Lu Yunjie, gained 114 points of merit."
...

Calling up the records of merit from the Ruyi, the sources of these points instantly unfolded before his eyes. As he reviewed them, Lu Sheng quickly grasped the reason for the fluctuation in his data:

"So, it is because of this duel that I have gained the adoration of others—and thus, I have reaped this merit!"

Long ago, after gaining karma from the resentment of living beings, Lu Sheng had hypothesized that when a person feels positive emotions toward him, such as gratitude or reverence, he could harvest merit. However, since arriving in this world, he had interacted with very few people, and he had never received such merit before—until this moment, when the theory was finally confirmed.

"So, merit can truly be obtained in this way!"

His perspective suddenly broadened. Lu Sheng immediately understood how to acquire vast amounts of merit in the densely populated Yujing City. As long as he could instantly inspire adoration in others—especially those martial artists with strong destinies—a torrent of humanitarian merit would flow toward him. This was clearly much more to his liking than being a butcher.

"And, this also harvests karma!"

Where there is adoration, there is inevitably aversion. Lu Sheng pulled up the karma records and quickly verified his conjecture:

"Received resentment from Lu Yunwei, gained 92 points of karma."
"Received resentment from Lu Yunfei, gained 49 points of karma."
"Received resentment from Lu Yunchui, gained 32 points of karma."
...

A list of names appeared for this as well. However, perhaps because his performance in the fight was so exceptional, those who felt resentment were far fewer than those who felt adoration. Furthermore, the one with the most resentment was surprisingly not Lu Yunfei.

"This Lu Yunfei is quite magnanimous. Despite being beaten so badly by me, he only harbors this much resentment. Come to think of it, I was the one who lost my temper unnecessarily!"

With his anger dissipated, Lu Sheng looked at Lu Yunfei, who was bruised and battered, and actually felt a twinge of embarrassment. After all, Lu Yunfei had truly suffered an unprovoked disaster. If he had harbored genuine, deep-seated resentment, Lu Sheng estimated he would have gained over a thousand points of karma. Compared to that, the mere 49 points he received were negligible, and most of that had come from the malice inherent in the combat itself.

"This man is worth befriending."

With this thought, Lu Sheng signaled his goodwill toward Lu Yunfei according to the customs of this world. Although Lu Yunfei was black and blue, he endured his pain and returned the gesture. Seeing their interaction, Lu Hongjin nodded slightly. He stepped onto the arena, deactivated the protective barrier, and announced loudly:

"The winner of this match is Lu Sheng. Witness, Lu Hongjin!"

As his voice faded, the martial arena erupted in cheers. Lu Sheng felt his merit increase by another thousand points.

"A tournament that can instantly ignite emotions and stimulate adoration is truly a fantastic way to acquire merit. When I reached the Ranking of Talents in the past, I never received any merit."

Two years ago, when he made the Ranking of Talents, Lu Sheng had still been inside the body of the Dragon-Whale Beast. Although he had gained a scattering of karma back then, he had been too preoccupied to trace its origins. In hindsight, that karma had clearly come from those who were jealous of his acquisition of the dragon corpse or who resented him for killing Wan Guxiao and the others. However, as he had remained out of the public eye, those unstable sources of karma had naturally dissipated.

"I wonder how much merit and karma I will receive once my information on the Ranking of Talents is updated."

Formal duels with witnesses were naturally recognized by the Spring and Autumn Pavilion, which compiled the Ranking of Talents. Although the list was published annually, supplementary revisions were released several times a year. Once the Pavilion confirmed Lu Sheng’s victory over Shi Ying and Lu Yunfei, the news would be disseminated. Thinking of the potential merit and karma this might bring, Lu Sheng also became interested in the talk of the "Central Plains Martial Assembly" he had overheard earlier.

"If I can shine at the Central Plains Martial Assembly, or even take the top spot—and become the number one on the Ranking of Talents—surely the merit I harvest will be even greater than this."

"Therefore, I must participate in this Central Plains Martial Assembly!"

As he contemplated this, Lu Sheng was about to ask for more information about the assembly when he heard Lu Hongjin, after arranging for Lu Yunfei’s medical treatment, say to him:

"Lu Sheng, you are the most outstanding young man of our Lu family in decades. In the future, you must be sure to unite with your peers and not use your martial prowess to bully others!"

Although Lu Hongjin did not know much about Lu Sheng, he could not help but admire the young man. Especially after seeing the rapid progress of Lu Sheng’s fist techniques on the arena, he knew that their generation of the Lu family had likely produced a peerless genius.

"Yes, thank you for your guidance, Uncle-Grandmaster!"

Lu Sheng bowed respectfully. Although he did not yet know Lu Hongjin’s identity, since the name contained the character "Hong," he was a thirty-fourth-generation descendant of Emperor Jing. Compared to Lu Sheng, a thirty-sixth-generation descendant, he was exactly two generations his senior. Thus, Lu Sheng addressed him accordingly.

This title clearly pleased Lu Hongjin, who laughed heartily and said:

"Since you have called me 'Uncle-Grandmaster,' if you run into any trouble in the Martial Academy in the future, you can come to me. Uncle Yuan Wang is getting on in years and is single-mindedly pursuing the Dao of Heaven and Man. Most matters in the Martial Academy are now managed by me!"

Lu Chunyuan was the Dean of the Martial Academy, and naturally, all affairs fell under his purview. However, because he had spent these years pursuing the path of a Grandmaster, Lu Hongjin, as the Vice-Dean, handled most of the daily operations. Consequently, Lu Hongjin held considerable authority and was kept quite busy. He had only served as a witness today because he happened to be inspecting the martial arena. If he wanted to show some favor to the number one young talent of the Great Jing Lu clan, no one could object.

However, since Lu Sheng now had someone of even higher standing watching over him, it was not his place to offer protection:

"Little Hongjin, are you saying I am neglecting my duties? Do you want me to hand over the position of Dean to you right now?"