Chapter 39, Rich Rewards

Translator: Raznick

 

Awards are mainly given to the top three in the elite group and the top three in the young group, as these awards are fixed.

 

Rewards for those like Zhou Chun ranking who finished from fourth to tenth could choose according to their personal preferences.

 

The rewards for the top three spots were indeed extremely tempting.

 

For example, Zhou Zhengkang of the Zhou Clan, who won first place in the youth group, received as his reward a superior first-grade artifact known as the Silver Shield, three vials that enhance one’s cultivation of spiritual power called the Jade Ginseng Pill, a second-grade talisman, and five hundred spirit coins.

 

If these rewards wre calculated as spirit coins, they amounted to nearly two thousand; even an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator would look envious upon seeing them.

 

The cultivator who took first place in the elite group received as their prize a single Foundation Establishment Pill that boosts the success rate for reaching Foundation Establishment by 30%.

 

“The five clans really spared no expense. They even used the precious Foundation Establishment Pills as prizes for the martial competition. That was truly extravagant of them!”

 

Among the audience was a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had come to watch the ceremony. As he watched the awards presentation unfold on stage, he couldn’t help but sigh with a mix of emotions.

 

When he spoke, it immediately stirred some of the attending Foundation Establishment cultivators to begin commenting and discussing.

 

”Indeed, that’s true enough. That’s the Foundation Establishment Pill! Each one is worth thousands of spirit coins, and often couldn’t be purchased due to high demand.”

 

“Alas, back in the day, I too wanted to purchase a Foundation Establishment Pill. Unfortunately, after managing to save up over the past decade and a half, I could gather only a bit under a thousand spirit coins. In the end, I had no choice but to take an extreme risk attempting the Foundation Establishment ritual. Luckily, it worked out.”

 

“To buy a Foundation Establishment Pill on your own is just unrealistic. Without a clan or a sect to support you, a Qi Refining cultivator wanting to earn several thousand spirit coins is practically impossible, even if they turned to banditry and started robbing.”

 

“I really envy the younger generations of the five clans. They don’t have to fight with demon beasts outside, nor do they have to compete with bandits. They can have the opportunity to win the Foundation Establishment Pill through this kind of martial competition. It’s such a great honor!”

 

One by one, the Foundation Establishment cultivators recalled their own arduous experiences before achieving the Foundation Establishment Stage. At this moment, they couldn’t help but feel envious of that fortunate individual who had obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill on the stage.

 

Even though they had already outgrown the need for Foundation Establishment Pills, it did not stop them from envying those cultivators who possessed such precious elixirs.

 

Beyond mere envy, there might be other thoughts—only they themselves could know for sure.

 

Following the distribution of the rewards, the five Clan Leaders expressed their gratitude to all the attending cultivators and proclaimed that this martial competition had officially concluded.

 

Then, like Zhou Chun and his group, those who had made it into the top ten of their group had all been summoned individually to pick their own rewards from a list.

 

The list included artifacts, talismans, pills, and various other items, including demon beast eggs. Each item was priced roughly between two hundred to four hundred spirit coins.

 

And Zhou Chun had already decided what he should select as a reward.

 

He merely glanced at the list before immediately opting for two vials of Jade Ginseng Pills.

 

This Jade Ginseng Pill was a type of pills that was the specialty of Red Herb Valley’s Wang Clan. It was said to be made from Yellow Ginseng that was at least a century old, and it has a mild nature that maked it easy to refine. Its effectiveness was significantly stronger than Zhou Clan’s Spring Sun Pill.

 

Usually, such pills from the Wang Clan were hardly ever sold; they were either used among clan members for exchange or traded for specialty items from other clans and sects.

 

Zhou Chun had also seen the Zhou Clan’s specialty, the Beast Spirit Pill, on the list.

 

When all the rewards had been selected, the Zhou Clan and the other three cultivating clans’ cultivators were escorted out of Red Herb Valley by the Wang Clan cultivators.

 

In their departure, Zhou Daoyi’s Sky Cloud Python had once again proudly boosted their reputation.

 

At that time, seeing the Zhou Clan members ride on a python and ascend into the sky in a carefree manner, every cultivator there was left speechless, their eyes filled with admiration and yearning.

 

Despite hearing about it from some Zhou Clan cultivators beforehand, they could not conceal their astonishment and envy now that they had seen it firsthand.

 

Only you esteemed Foundation Establishment cultivators, having seen much and being well-informed, can still maintain your composure and not lose face entirely.

 

In this manner, after riding on a Sky Cloud Python through the air for over an hour, Zhou Chun and the others smoothly returned to Nine PeaksZhou Clan.

 

“Your performances were all very commendable in the competiotion. The achievements you’ve made also please both me and the clan.

 

“Especially Zengkang won first place in the youth group, greatly boosting my clan’s reputation; he certainly deserves a big reward!

 

“Jiacheng, Jiapeng, Zhengtao, and Zhengchun, all successfully made it into the top ten of their group, earning honor for my clan and should be rewarded handsomely!

 

“As for the other clan members who were not selected, although they did not manage to rank in the top ten, their performance was commendable; they nonetheless made significant contributions through both merit and toil.”

 

Pagoda Peak’s Central Palace.

 

Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi stood there, watching the twenty Zhou Clan Qi Refining cultivators in the hall. His face was filled with satisfaction and joy as he delivered his concluding remarks for the martial competition event.

 

After hearing his words, the Zhou Clan cultivators in the hall also sighed with relief.

 

Those cultivators who hadn’t made it into the top ten were already worried and felt uneasy, fearing they would be reprimanded by the Clan Leader.

 

Yet what came when he waited was not criticism but commendation.

 

This situation, completely opposite to what they had worried about, instantly filled them with great surprise. The disappointment and frustration from being overlooked instantly vanished.

 

At that moment, after pondering for a moment while looking at all the clan members, Clan Leader Zhou Daoyi proclaimed in a serious tone his reward to all.

 

“I have received the trust of Grand Elder and all clan members to serve as Zhou Clan Clan Leader. In all matters, I always adhere to rewarding merit and punishing demerit among our clansfolk.”

 

“On this occasion, Zhengkang secured first place in the youth group. His accomplishments were immense; even promoting him to core clan member status is insufficient as a reward for his achievements. Therefore, I will consult with other Elders and inform the Grand Elder. I will arrange for him to be trained as a clan Foundation Establishment seed, enabling him to prioritize the acquisition of Foundation Establishment Pills and other foundational spiritual resources in the future.

 

“Jiacheng and Jiapeng, the two of you have in the past served the clan with distinction. This time, you have brought honor to the clan’s name, and through your accumulated merits, will also be promoted to core clan members.

 

“Zhengtao and Zhengchun, the two of you are still young, are granted rewards for enhancing the clan’s reputation and honor. As such, each will be given an opportunity to select a secret art. If woul could achieve further feats of merit in the future, you’ll be promoted to core clan members through accumulated service.

 

“For the others, according to their performance, will also receive rewards with amounts proportional to clan merits.”

 

After Zhou Daoyi spoke about the clan’s rewards, the Zhou Clan cultivators inside the hall immediately all displayed incredibly vivid expressions on their faces.

 

Like Zhou Zhengkang and others who had received special rewards from their clan, they were naturally filled with extreme joy, finding great satisfaction in this gift.

 

Even as they rejoiced, two individuals like Zhou Zhengtao and Zhou Chun—those who couldn’t be directly promoted to core clan members—were left with a sense of regret.

 

However, Zhou Jiacheng and Zhou Jiapeng, who were able to directly advance and become core clan members, should have been very pleased and satisfied indeed.

 

However, thinking of Zhou Zhengkang’s reward for this clan’s youth, their excitement was significantly dampened.

 

As for those cultivators who didn’t make it into the top ten of their groups, they were now looking at the five individuals with envious eyes, and especially Zhou Zhengkang, their emotions were incredibly complicated.

 

He had observed everything in detail and even knew exactly what the Zhou Clan cultivators were thinking at that moment.

 

But since he had made up his mind, he didn’t care what the others thought.

 

Given that resources are limited, it went without saying that it was impossible to attend to everyone.

 

“If you truly envied others’ resources, then make contributions and strive for honor for the clan yourself!”

 

Soon after, he waved his hand and said, “Alright, regarding the clan’s rewards, we’ll settle it for now. You’ve all been exhausted these days; just go back and get some proper rest.”

 

“Yes.”

 

The group of Zhou Clan cultivators, regardless of what emotions they felt at that moment, all quickly responded in unison and then exited the Central Palace, leaving Pagota Peak.

 

Zhou Chun and Zhou Zhengyong both lived at Ganoderma Peak, naturally returning together.

 

The two traveled in silence, each lost in their own thoughts. Their minds were burdened with emotions they did not share, and heavy-hearted, they reached Zhou Chun’s residence at last.

 

Zhou Zhengyong spoke with a complex expression: “It turns out Clan Leader would designate Seventh Brother as a Foundation Establishment seed. Once this spreads, it’s likely that the clan’s seniors will have their hands full!”

 

Zhou Chun naturally understood his meaning.

 

The Zhou Clan now had many Seniors at the Twelfth Layer of Qi Refining Stage cultivation, and also quite a few at the Eleventh Layer.

 

These cultivators, who were about to establish their foundation and were several dozen years older than Zhou Zhengkang, had not been selected as clan’s Foundation Establishment seeds and thus did not receive the clan’s focused cultivation resources.

 

Now, Zhou Zhengkang, a junior at the Tenth Layer of Qi Refining cultivation, had received this honor. How could that make those people accept it?

 

The Zhou Clan, after all, was a cultivating clan bound by blood ties. Many of the Seniors were related to the Clan Leaders and Elders. Some were even direct descendants in close proximity to a particular Elder.

 

If they were to start making trouble, the Zhou Clan’s internal affairs could stand to be thrown into turmoil.

 

However, Zhou Chun had no desire to dwell on the matter. But regardless, Zhou Chun was destined to never become a Foundation Establishment seed of the clan. There was little point in troubling himself over it.

 

He immediately shook his head and said softly, “We should stay out of the Elders’ affairs. Since Clan Leader has decided to do this, he must have his considerations.”

 

Having heard these words from him, Zhou Zhengyong’s expression shifted perceptibly as he nodded thoughtfully and replied, “Indeed, given the wisdom of Clan Leader, I can think of nothing he would not foresee. He must already have a flawless plan in place!”

 

After that, he bowed to Zhou Chun and said, “Then I won’t disturb you, Thirteenth Brother. I will go back and have a good sleep first.”

 

“Brother Yong, take care.”

 

Zhou Chun answered watched as Zhou Zhengyong walk away before stepping into the courtyard.