Chapter 22: Apostle Square, Cultivation Chamber

"Newcomer, do you want to learn about the Paradise? It only costs 100 Paradise Points."

As Chu Danqing stepped out of his room with Dabao and arrived at the Apostle Square, a warm, inviting voice reached his ears.

"Not that much. How about 10?" Chu Danqing slashed the price by a decimal place immediately.

He had worked himself to the bone for that A-rank evaluation, which only netted him 5,000 Paradise Points. Giving away one-fiftieth of his reward right off the bat felt like a bad deal to him.

"That shouldn't be right. Even those who coasted through should have at least..." The speaker, a plump middle-aged woman, trailed off as she caught sight of Dabao following behind Chu Danqing.

She understood instantly; it wasn't that Chu Danqing didn't have the points, but that he was haggling. To obtain such an impressive summon during the probationary trial, one had to have at least a C-rank evaluation.

"10 points isn't even enough to cover my wholesale cost," she muttered, before adding, "Let's call it a favor between friends: 30 points."

"Fine. But you have to tell me: how could you tell I was a newcomer?" Chu Danqing asked. He already knew how to trade Paradise Points—all it took was his Apostle authority.

"This is the default entry zone for probationary Apostles visiting the Square for the first time. Everyone appearing here has just finished their first trial." As she spoke, she initiated a trade with Chu Danqing. The item was a Type-I Information Data Chip.

Its attributes were visible directly from the trade interface, complete with the notarization of the Dimensional Paradise.

"I see," Chu Danqing nodded and confirmed the trade.

The chip was a consumable. Once used, it would provide him with a data packet containing various summaries and experiences related to the Paradise. This was definitely not information a probationary Apostle should have access to; it was clearly permitted and supported by the Dimensional Paradise, otherwise, it couldn't spread on such a large scale.

The content was extensive, but Chu Danqing absorbed it quickly. As for the middle-aged woman, she had already moved on to solicit other probationary Apostles who had just emerged.

*Before becoming a formal Apostle, the highest one can get is an A-rank evaluation? Then what about that 'Falling Flower' woman? Was I being reckless?* Chu Danqing felt the information might not be entirely accurate.

Still, it made sense. Those who could reach A-rank in a probationary trial were the cream of the crop. According to the statistics, most Dimensional Apostles hovered around D to C-rank. They couldn't reach high levels, but as long as one didn't slack off, it was impossible to end up with E or F-rank evaluations.

Furthermore, Chu Danqing finally understood why his *Basic Summoning Theory* and *Basic Summoning Arts* skills were so valuable.

These two skills were the foundation of his system. Improving them would grant him comprehensive systemic knowledge. Once a basic skill reached Level 10, it could be advanced to a "Proficiency" skill, granting further knowledge inheritance and enhanced effects. It was essentially a massive, complete library of knowledge that also functioned as a powerful skill.

The downside, however, was that improvement was incredibly difficult. It either required special resources and a high amount of Paradise Points, or one had to go to the Paradise’s training rooms, trading evaluations and points for time—how much one gained depended entirely on the individual.

The information clearly stated the costs and evaluations: an A-rank evaluation plus 5,000 Paradise Points would grant 10 days of training time, including corresponding guidance. Of course, this didn't just apply to basic skills; other skills could be improved this way too, though whether it was worth it was up to the individual, especially since skills could be improved in the skill pods using points alone.

Additionally, the guide suggested enabling pain suppression when strengthening attributes in the attribute pods. While disabling it might yield slightly better results, the process was excruciatingly painful.

Chu Danqing finished reading the content bit by bit. There was plenty of useful information that would certainly save him from making mistakes. What interested him most was that besides the Dimensional Paradise, there were four other factions: the Fantasy City, the Nightmare Space, the War Territory, and the Death Kingdom.

Just as Chu Danqing had initially suspected, the Dimensional Paradise wasn't the type to execute people on a whim or kill them for failing a mission. Most penalties involved deducting Paradise Points. Even if the balance went negative, the Paradise would simply confiscate points earned in future trials to settle the debt; gear and skills would never be repossessed. If someone were truly hopeless yet still alive, they would just be demoted to a "Life Apostle" to continue being useful.

The most severe mission penalties were actually attribute deductions. However, the other four factions were different. Their missions were more intense, and their penalties were far harsher—they started by deducting percentages of attributes. Mission failures there often resulted in "erasure" or mandatory execution. Therefore, in terms of combat prowess, the Dimensional Paradise was at the bottom. But because the pressure was lower, the atmosphere was far better than in those other four factions.

Chu Danqing was currently only a probationary Apostle and couldn't access those four factions; he would have to advance to a First-Order Apostle to be eligible. Probationary meant he was just an intern.

Speaking of becoming a First-Order Dimensional Apostle, it was simple: once any one of his five core attributes reached 10 points, he could trigger the rank-up trial. However, there were tiers to these trials; there was a significant difference between breaking through with one attribute versus five.

"Let's go to the training room. I desperately need someone to guide me through the fog," Chu Danqing decided. He didn't choose to use his attribute points or convert his gear into resources yet. For him, the priority was to solidify his foundation. Besides, the items were on him and wouldn't go anywhere.

To go from a person living in a peaceful, modern city to a qualified summoning-type Apostle, having a mentor was best. For example, regarding the order of his future attribute growth or what resources he should trade his unneeded gear for to patch his weaknesses—having a qualified guide to provide a plan was far better than fumbling in the dark.

Chu Danqing knew where to go. It didn't take long for him to arrive at the training room with Dabao, buying a high-capacity recorder, paper, and pens along the way for 10 Paradise Points.

A "Life Apostle" received him, acting as a guide. The information provided didn't differ much from what he had already purchased, which indirectly verified the authenticity of the data.

[Optional Tier]
[A-Rank Training Room: Please select the skills you wish to improve.]

"The evaluation and the rewarded Paradise Points are exactly enough for one session. The Paradise encourages growth through this method." The evaluation from the settlement was the real value; the points and attribute points were just the icing on the cake.

Chu Danqing selected *Basic Summoning Theory* and *Basic Summoning Arts*. Then, noticing an option for Dabao appeared, he selected that as well.

[Current Training Duration: 10 days. The probationary Apostle's remaining rest time has not been exceeded. Commencing generation of A-rank basic skill instructor...]
[Generation complete. A-rank basic skill instructor: Saint of the Qingyun Holy Land (Projection)]

"Wait, is the age of this 'Saint' projection correct...?" Chu Danqing stared at the Saint of the Qingyun Holy Land, his expression turning inexplicably strange.