Chapter 562: Chapter 344: Reward

Xu Yang bought some jewelry and clothes for Xu Qing. By the time he returned to the Purple Sun Sect’s residence, he found that everyone else had already come back.

"Junior Brother Xu, where did you go?" Sun Tao stood up and waved.

Xu Yang walked over and sat down. "I bought some things and want to ask the Peak Master to help bring them back to Xu Qing."

Sun Tao knew the two had depended on each other since childhood. Xu Yang was both an older brother and a ’father’ figure to her, so it was no surprise he bought things for Xu Qing.

"The final trial has ended. In three days, the final version of the Lingyun List will be published, and then we will be able to enter the Celestial Strategy Academy," Sun Tao said.

"Thank you for letting me know, Senior Brother." Xu Yang cupped his hands. He then looked across at Qi Xuancheng, who looked frustrated, and asked curiously, "Senior Brother Qi, why do you look so gloomy?"

Qi Xuancheng looked up, his eyes practically spitting fire, but he didn’t speak.

Sun Tao gloated, "He was eliminated. Since he couldn’t get into the Celestial Strategy Academy, he’s naturally gloomy."

He knew Xu Yang was being passive-aggressive. In the past, Qi Xuancheng and Zhang Hanzhou had never missed a chance to make snide remarks at him and Xu Yang. Naturally, they wouldn’t let this opportunity to mock them slip by.

"Eliminated? With Senior Brother Qi’s talent, how is that possible?" Xu Yang put on a look of surprise.

"You..." Qi Xuancheng fumed. He wanted to spit out some harsh words, but remembering the talent the two had displayed, he forced himself to hold back.

His former status might have surpassed Sun Tao and Xu Yang, but now, let alone him, even his grandfather Qi Tai wouldn’t be enough to match them.

Seeing this, Xu Yang couldn’t be bothered to mock Qi Xuancheng anymore. He turned to Ye Qiuling and asked, "What about Senior Sister Ye?"

"I barely passed!" Ye Qiuling laughed. It truly was a stroke of luck; she was one of the last few to comprehend the Baji Mountain-Shattering Fist, narrowly avoiding failure.

Zhang Hanzhou remained silent on the side, his heart filled with indignation. His talent was better than Ye Qiuling’s and Qi Xuancheng’s. If someone had helped him through the Heart Spirit trial, he would have been confident in passing the latter two trials. Unfortunately, his hesitation and fear had ultimately caused him to miss out on the help of his two genius fellow disciples, Xu Yang and Sun Tao.

"Congratulations!" Xu Yang was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected this deeply calculating woman to actually make it into the Celestial Strategy Academy.

On the path of the Martial Dao, luck was sometimes truly important. Had Chu Nanguai not recklessly intervened and eliminated so many geniuses, Ye Qiuling wouldn’t have stood a chance.

That evening, to celebrate Ye Qiuling’s successful Secondary Dragon Ascension, Bai Shaoling booked a banquet at a restaurant and invited everyone to dine together.

Both he and Yue Zhong were highly spirited. After all, counting Ye Qiuling, the Purple Sun Sect had five disciples successfully entering the Celestial Strategy Academy this time. Among them, Xu Yang, Sun Tao, Li Chuyang, and Jiang Fan were even entering as Lingyun List geniuses.

It could be said that in the several hundred years since the Purple Sun Sect’s founding, this was the first time they had experienced such glory. To have four Lingyun List disciples emerge at once, with Sun Tao even having a high chance of breaking into the top ten of the Lingyun List—once they brought this news back, the entire Purple Sun Sect would celebrate.

After the meal, everyone was slightly tipsy from drinking Spirit Wine. Upon returning to the Purple Sun Sect’s residence, Yue Zhong and Bai Shaoling called everyone into the main hall. Then, Bai Shaoling took out a coin purse and began counting.

"Our Purple Sun Sect isn’t a massive estate, but we do reward outstanding disciples. Anyone who enters the Celestial Strategy Academy will be given fifty Spirit Coins as a reward. It’s not a lot, but it represents the Sect’s goodwill. Here is the share for the five of you." Bai Shaoling handed the counted Spirit Coins to Xu Yang and the others one by one.

"Thank you, Young Sect Leader." Xu Yang and the rest didn’t stand on ceremony; they accepted the coins and cupped their fists in thanks.

Bai Shaoling shook his head. "No need to thank me. This is a Sect reward; everyone gets it. I only hope that when you achieve success in your studies at the Celestial Strategy Academy, you won’t forget the Sect’s cultivation in times of crisis..."

At this point, he felt a bit disheartened. Five years ago, he had said the same thing to Han Yingjie and the others, but what was the result? He had sent multiple letters to the Celestial Strategy Academy, yet Han Yingjie still avoided him.

"Rest assured, Young Sect Leader, we won’t forget the Sect’s great grace."

"If the Sect faces any crisis, we definitely won’t stand by and watch."

The disciples cupped their fists in unison, unaware that Bai Shaoling was currently wondering if they would become like Han Yingjie in a few years’ time.

Qi Xuancheng and Zhang Hanzhou watched with envy. Fifty Spirit Coins was by no means a small sum to them; it was equivalent to a Spiritual Soldier. Unfortunately, both had failed their Dragon Ascension and were unqualified to receive this reward.

Sun Tao and Xu Yang both had smiles on their faces. For them, fifty Spirit Coins was not a small amount either, representing a significant pool of resources.

Ye Qiuling was equally delighted. Li Chuyang and Jiang Fan, however, reacted plainly. Fifty Spirit Coins was merely a minor bonus to them, nothing much.

"Now that the dust has settled, will you two be returning to the Sect with Peak Master Yue and me, or will you stay here to venture out?" Bai Shaoling looked at Qi Xuancheng and Zhang Hanzhou. Such genius disciples had promising futures even if they failed the Dragon Ascension. The Purple Sun Sect wouldn’t restrict them, nor could it afford to support too many Celestial Essence Martial Artists.

"I’d like to stay here. Please help pass the message to my grandfather, Young Sect Leader," Qi Xuancheng cupped his hands. They were all proud and arrogant geniuses. Even though they had failed their Secondary Dragon Ascension, they hadn’t lost their drive. Naturally, they wanted to make a name for themselves in a place like Yunzhou City, where geniuses gathered. In such a place, let alone the abundant resources and opportunities, just living here would allow their Cultivation to progress faster than staying in the Purple Sun Sect.

Bai Shaoling nodded and looked at Zhang Hanzhou.

"I also wish to stay here and gain some experience," Zhang Hanzhou cupped his hands, similarly unwilling to return. The Purple Sun Sect’s resources were prioritized for the Elders and Peak Masters of each peak. If he went back, he wouldn’t receive much, having to rely solely on absorbing Spiritual Qi himself to cultivate.

"This is the Sect’s sponsorship for you. For the rest, you can only rely on yourselves." Bai Shaoling took out some more Spirit Coins, giving twenty each to Qi Xuancheng and Zhang Hanzhou. The two hadn’t expected to get a share and hurriedly cupped their hands in thanks.

"Although Yunzhou City has many resources and opportunities, it is also more dangerous. When you act here, remember to be careful and cautious," Bai Shaoling advised. All the major factions of Yun Province were gathered in Yunzhou City, along with young geniuses and older experts. The resources and opportunities here were beyond comparison with other places, but similarly, the level of danger far exceeded anywhere else. In Fufeng County, a Celestial Essence First Layer cultivator would be a clan’s patriarch, but here, they were merely thugs recruited by top factions.

It would be incredibly difficult for Zhang Hanzhou and Qi Xuancheng to make a name for themselves here, as they probably wouldn’t be the only ones staying. Most of the other eliminated geniuses would also choose to stay and try their luck.

"The same goes for you, Xu Yang and Sun Tao. Don’t think you’re perfectly safe just because you got into the Celestial Strategy Academy. The Demon Sect loves nothing more than to assassinate the Academy’s geniuses. Neither of you has a background or the backing of a major faction, so it’s equally perilous." Bai Shaoling turned to look at the two.

They nodded, and Xu Yang asked, "When will you and the Peak Master return to the Sect, Young Sect Leader?"

"We will leave once the final version of the Lingyun List is published. The Sect doesn’t know yet that you killed Yellow Maple Valley’s Lin Jingyu, so we need to hurry back and inform the Sect Leader," Bai Shaoling replied.

After exchanging a few Han Xuans, the group dispersed.

Xu Yang returned to his room, retrieved the items he had bought for Xu Qing and a letter he had written, and packed the Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pills he had looted from Xie Jin. He sought out Yue Zhong again and entrusted him to deliver these things to Xu Qing.

The letter mainly explained to Xu Qing that he had provoked some enemies, telling her not to leave the Purple Sun Sect and to cultivate there with peace of mind.

Yue Zhong accepted the items. "Rest assured, I’ll hand them to your sister personally."

"I’ll leave it to you, Peak Master." Xu Yang quickly took his leave.

"With these Dragon Tiger Great Golden Pills, it should be enough for the little girl to cultivate to Marrow Cleansing Perfection."

Having prepared all the Marrow Cleansing resources for Xu Qing, he could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

However, given Xu Qing’s talent, reaching Marrow Cleansing Perfection within a year or two wouldn’t be difficult. But breaking through to the Celestial Essence Realm was another matter entirely. It wasn’t impossible, but doing so before the next Secondary Dragon Ascension began was basically impossible, let alone entering the Celestial Strategy Academy.

He thought to himself, "In a year or two, I should be able to get my hands on a Celestial Spirit Pill."

The Celestial Spirit Pill could increase the chances of breaking through to the Celestial Essence Realm. Legend had it that Ye Qiuling had consumed a Celestial Spirit Pill to easily break through to the Celestial Essence Realm, but this kind of Elixir was very rare and hard to come by.

Xu Yang had inquired about it at Wu Family Castle, but no one there sold this type of Elixir. It was reportedly also very rare on the open market, basically monopolized by major families and not sold to outsiders. In a year or two, once his Cultivation leveled up, getting a Celestial Spirit Pill would be much simpler.

With a Celestial Spirit Pill, and considering he had already enhanced Xu Qing’s talent, breaking through to the Celestial Essence Realm smoothly shouldn’t be difficult. Once she broke through to Celestial Essence, her lifespan would reach two hundred years, and he could take his time looking for Elixirs that could elevate her talent.

He didn’t want to live forever alone.

That night, Bai Shaoling and Yue Zhong sat facing each other.

"Xu Yang bought some things and asked me to bring them back to his sister," Yue Zhong spoke up.

Bai Shaoling paused slightly, then smiled. "That’s quite thoughtful of him."

Yue Zhong took a sip of tea. Seeing that Bai Shaoling hadn’t grasped his main point, he added, "I see that this boy values relationships highly and is very protective of his sister. After we go back, you had better report this to the Sect Leader so we can prioritize Xu Qing. As long as she is safe in the Purple Sun Sect, he will forever remain a disciple of our Purple Sun Sect."

In his eyes, Xu Yang asking him to bring gifts back wasn’t just about the items themselves. It was a message that he treated his sister very well, and they had better protect her for him.

Bai Shaoling caught on. "Is Elder Yue worried someone might target Xu Yang’s sister?"

Yue Zhong nodded. "We must be on guard. Once Xu Yang enters the Celestial Strategy Academy, enemies from the Cold Water Sect, Iron Sword Sect, and Yellow Maple Valley won’t be able to touch him. They might very well strike at his sister instead. Furthermore, if anyone wants to control him, they’ll likely start with her too."

Bai Shaoling nodded. "We definitely need to prevent that. I will inform my master once we return. We should make arrangements for Sun Tao’s family as well."

This was the first time the Purple Sun Sect had produced disciples with such extraordinary talent. They lacked experience in many aspects, and as the Young Sect Leader, it was inevitable that he wouldn’t consider everything thoroughly.

However, thanks to Yue Zhong’s reminder, he planned to protect Sun Tao’s family too. Geniuses of this caliber were more than enough to attract the covetous eyes of the Jianghu’s assorted unsavory characters.

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