Infinite Professions

Chapter 335 - 176: Recruiting Soldiers (2)

Only then will your wish power transform into a strand of merit.

But what if you’re not dead, just imprisoned by someone?

Can you, in gratitude, offer your entire livelihood, even your life, in return?

Most people wouldn’t; even if they would, it mostly wouldn’t be sincere.

Simply put, it’s the "I genuinely have a cow" dilemma. Anyone can say nice things, but actually doing them is quite difficult.

Thus, while Human Path Merits are easier to obtain than Celestial Dao Merits, they’re still extremely challenging to acquire.

Correspondingly, the power of merit is incredibly potent.

Even ordinary people with merit are impervious to spirits, ghosts must beware, or they will suffer backlash.

Moreover, meritorious individuals can become gods, whether alive or deceased, if they have merit, there will be a place for them in the Divine Dao.

It is even said that the power of merit can influence life and reincarnation, and those with great merit, even if not Yin Spirits, are reborn into noble households or even the Human Emperor.

Previously, Shen Hex utilized the merits of ghost-slaying to enhance his divine power, changing his aura from white to blue, illustrating this principle.

Whereas ordinary incense offerings are akin to silver coins, merit is like gold and jade, non-exchangeable, with extraordinary effects on both humans and gods.

Yet this essence is challenging to obtain, as evil ghosts aren’t ubiquitous, and even when present, they don’t always contribute merit.

After all, the human heart is unpredictable. Not everyone will be grateful for your life-saving deeds; some scoundrel might even resent you, questioning why you couldn’t arrive sooner or rescue more.

Yet now Shen Hex holds the position of Lord Merit and Virtue; he doesn’t need others to profoundly express gratitude, just simple faith offerings, and a hint of Blessings and Merits accompanies the incense.

This Blessings and Merits can also consolidate into a Blessed Golden Body, granting fortune from misfortune, turning calamity into blessing, and repelling evil demons. Whether Underworld spirits or mortal beings, anyone thinking of harming him must ponder whether they can break through his Blessed Golden Body and withstand the ensuing backlash.

With this golden body, his safety rating significantly increases, and the difficulty of advancing within the Divine Dao decreases. Even small town gods prefer not to clash with someone with great merit, let alone Fourth Grade Prefecture City Gods or Third Grade beyond.

Therefore, upon achieving the Blessed Golden Body, his post in the Divine Dao will surely rise more smoothly.

So in this way...

"Job transfer successful!"

"Obtained Tier Two Profession—Lord Merit and Virtue!"

"Obtained Professional Talent—Blessed Golden Body!"

Song Xiang (Shen Hex)

Profession: Lord Merit and Virtue.

Professional Rank: Tier Two Level One.

Professional Talents: Divine Dao Food Fragrance, Blessed Golden Body.

Professional Skills: Dream-Entering Technique, Fertile Land Technique, Earth Escape Technique, Spirit Capturing Technique, Enlightenment Technique...

Job transfer successful, the professional panel shifted once again.

Though the change wasn’t much, it was a tangible result.

"Divine Monarch!"

The promotion had just concluded when a Yin Soul, resembling a middle-aged scholar, entered the temple: "The ghosts outside the village have fed on incense, all willing to enter the village as Land Tax Collectors."

"Hmm!"

Shen Hex nodded, glanced outside the temple, noticing the banquet was at its end. Only a few burly men remained, drinking and playing fists, while children and women packed their food and left. There was nothing to worry about, so he commanded, "Bring them all in."

"Yes!"

The scholar bowed, then exited the temple.

Divine Dao achievements, gathered from the masses.

These masses include both the mortal world and the Underworld.

Whether villages or counties, Divine Beings cannot stand alone; they must have a group of subordinates to handle various matters.

Previously in Cai Family Village, Land God Chen Yi had two hunters as constables, and those hunters were survivors; there had been over ten constables before, but they were slain by evil ghosts.

After Shen Hex took over, he began assembling his own Divine Dao contingent.

This contingent is generally formed from family members and villagers transformed post-mortem, with ancestral tablets placed in the temple to enjoy offerings alongside Divine Beings, serving as both temple and ancestral hall.

But the Song Family had just arrived, Little Huang Village was newly reconstructed, with no recent deaths. The previous ancestors’ Yin lifespans had expired, reincarnation awaited.

This left Shen Hex momentarily in a bind with no one to utilize.

Yet this world lacks many things except for people and ghosts. As long as there is money, food, and incense, one doesn’t need to worry about finding people to employ.

During this period, Shen Hex recruited some ownerless wandering souls around Little Huang Village to serve as constables in his temple. Among them was this scholar, a child student not yet a full scholar, but literate enough to be useful. Shen Hex thus appointed him as a documentary clerk in the temple.

Village land gods are merely Civil Gods, lacking military power, able to recruit only constables.

But like many things, this task also holds room for maneuver. With ample incense offerings, constables can function as shadow soldiers, and no one will criticize; similar to those military leaders treating household servants as private troops, according to national law, you mustn’t raise private soldiers, but you can treat household servants as such.

Shen Hex now intends to do the same, recruiting documentary clerks and private soldiers with abundant incense to form his Divine Dao contingent, awaiting the opportune moment to sweep clean and eliminate evil ghosts and demons around Little Huang Village, Qinghe Town, and Qinghe County, even competing with other Divine Beings for incense faith and territorial claims.

All of this requires the application of force!

Though capable, Shen Hex can’t manage everything personally; recruiting soldiers is imperative.