Generous Rewards

Chapter 39 Generous Rewards

The awards are mainly given to the top three in the elite group and the top three in the youth group, because these awards are fixed.

For those ranked fourth to tenth, like Zhou Chun, the rewards can be chosen according to their own wishes.

The prizes for the top three are indeed very tempting.

For example, Zhou Zhengkang from the Zhou family won first place in the youth group. His reward was a first-grade high-quality magic weapon, the Silver Cloud Shield, three bottles of Jade Ginseng Pills that could improve one's cultivation and magic power, a second-grade magic talisman, and five hundred spirit coins.

If these rewards were calculated in spirit coins, they would add up to nearly two thousand, enough to make even an ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivator envious.

The cultivator who wins first place in the elite group will be rewarded with a Foundation Establishment Pill that can increase the success rate of Foundation Establishment by 30%!

"The five great families are really generous! They're even offering Foundation Establishment Pills, such precious items, as rewards for their martial arts contests. They're incredibly lavish!"

In the audience, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who came to watch the ceremony sighed with emotion after seeing the award ceremony on stage.

His words immediately drew discussion from some of the Foundation Establishment cultivators who had come to witness the ceremony.

"Isn't that right? Those are Foundation Establishment Pills! Each one is worth thousands of spirit coins, and often even if you have the money, it's hard to buy them!"

"Sigh, back then, I also wanted to buy Foundation Establishment Pills, but after scraping together more than ten years, I only managed to gather less than a thousand spirit coins. In the end, I had to risk my life to force myself to establish my foundation. Luckily, I was fortunate enough to succeed by sheer luck!"

"Buying Foundation Establishment Pills on your own is too unrealistic. Without the support of a family or sect, a Qi Refining cultivator couldn't earn several thousand spirit coins even by robbing!"

"So I really envy the younger generation of these five great families. They don't have to go out and fight to the death with demonic beasts, or outwit and outmaneuver those bandit cultivators. They have the opportunity to obtain Foundation Establishment Pills through this kind of martial arts competition. How fortunate they are!"

One by one, the Foundation Establishment cultivators recalled their bitter experiences before reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, and at this moment, they were all filled with envy for the lucky one on the stage who had obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill.

Even though they no longer needed Foundation Establishment Pills, it didn't stop them from feeling envious of cultivators who possessed such precious elixirs.

Of course, whether they had any other thoughts besides envy is something only they themselves know.

At this point, after awarding the prizes, the patriarchs of the five major cultivation families thanked all the cultivators who had come to witness the ceremony and then announced the end of the martial arts competition.

Then, cultivators like Zhou Chun who achieved the top ten in their group were all called together separately to choose their rewards from a list.

The list includes various items such as magical artifacts, talismans, pills, and monster eggs, with each item valued at approximately two to four hundred spirit coins.

Zhou Chun had already decided what to choose as a reward.

Therefore, he only glanced at the list briefly before immediately choosing two bottles of [Jade Ginseng Pills] to gain the upper hand.

This [Jade Ginseng Pill] is a specialty of the Wang family in Red Medicine Valley. It is said to be made primarily from yellow jade ginseng that is over a hundred years old. It is mild in nature and easy to refine, and its medicinal power is much stronger than the Zhou family's [Spring Sun Pill].

The Wang family rarely sells these kinds of pills; they are usually either exchanged among clansmen or used to trade for special spiritual items from other families and sects.

Just like how Zhou Chun also saw the Zhou family's specialty, the "Beast Spirit Pill," on the list this time.

After all the rewards had been selected, the cultivators from the four cultivation families, including the Zhou family, left Red Medicine Valley, escorted by the Wang family cultivators.

When Zhou Daoyi left, his Azure Cloud Python undoubtedly brought great honor to the Zhou family once again.

When they saw the Zhou family members riding the python into the sky and flying away in a carefree manner, every cultivator from every family was stunned, their eyes filled with envy and longing.

Although they had heard about this from some Zhou family cultivators before, they still couldn't hide their shock and envy after seeing it with their own eyes.

Only those Foundation Establishment cultivators, with their extensive knowledge and experience, were able to maintain their composure and not lose too much of their composure.

After flying through the air for more than an hour on the Azure Cloud Python, Zhou Chun and the others returned smoothly to the Zhou family in Jiufeng Ridge.

"You all performed very well in this martial arts competition among the five major families, and the results you achieved have satisfied me and your families."

"Especially Zheng Kang, who won first place in the youth group, greatly enhancing the prestige of our Zhou family. He deserves a generous reward!"

"Furthermore, Jiacheng, Jiapeng, Zhengtao, and Zhengchun have all successfully made it into the top ten of their groups, bringing honor to the Zhou family. They deserve a generous reward!"

"As for the other clansmen who were not selected, although they did not make it into the top ten, they still performed admirably and deserve credit for their hard work and contributions."

Inside the Zhongping Hall on Pagoda Peak, Clan Chief Zhou Daoyi looked at the twenty Qi Refining stage cultivators of the Zhou family in the hall, his face full of satisfaction and joy as he delivered a concluding speech on the martial arts competition.

Upon hearing his words, most of the Zhou family cultivators in the hall breathed a sigh of relief.

Those cultivators who failed to make it into the top ten were initially anxious, fearing a reprimand from the clan leader.

But what I received in return was praise.

This situation, completely contrary to their worries, immediately filled them with joy, and the disappointment and frustration caused by their failure to be selected vanished in an instant.

At this moment, after gazing at the group of clansmen and pondering for a moment, clan chief Zhou Daoyi announced the rewards for everyone in a deep voice.

"I have been entrusted with the trust of the Supreme Elder and all the clansmen to serve as the head of the Zhou clan. In dealing with the merits and demerits of the clansmen, I have always adhered to the principle of rewarding those who have made merits and punishing those who have made mistakes."

"Zheng Kang's achievement in winning first place in the youth group is immense. Simply promoting him to a core clan member is insufficient to reward his contributions. Therefore, I will discuss this with the other elders and inform the Supreme Elder to cultivate him as a foundation-building seed for the family, granting him priority access to foundation-building pills and other spiritual items in the future!"

"Jiacheng and Jiapeng have made great contributions to the family in the past, and this time they have brought honor and glory to the family. Their accumulated merits will lead to their promotion to core family members."

"Zhengtao and Zhengchun, though young, deserve reward for bringing honor and glory to the family. They will each be granted an opportunity to choose a secret technique to cultivate. If they achieve further merit in the future, they can accumulate merit and be promoted to core clan members!"

"The rest of the members also received family merit rewards based on their performance!"

Wow!!!

As soon as Zhou Daoyi finished speaking about the clan's rewards, the expressions of the Zhou family cultivators in the hall became extremely interesting.

The five people, including Zhou Zhengkang, who received special rewards from the clan, were naturally overjoyed and very satisfied with these rewards.

However, while they were overjoyed, Zhou Zhengtao and Zhou Chun, who failed to be directly promoted to core clan members, couldn't help but feel a little regretful.

Zhou Jiacheng and Zhou Jiapeng, who were directly promoted to core clan members, should have been very happy and satisfied.

However, the thought of Zhou Zhengkang, a younger member of the family, receiving the reward diminished their joy considerably.

As for those cultivators who failed to make it into the top ten of their groups, they were all looking at the five with envious eyes, especially Zhou Zhengkang, whose feelings were extremely complicated.

Zhou Daoyi saw all of this, and he even knew what those Zhou family cultivators were thinking at that moment.

But now that he has made this decision, he will not care what other members of his tribe think.

With limited resources, it's impossible to take care of everyone.

If you really envy the resources others have, then you should also strive to earn them for your family!

Therefore, he quickly waved his hand and said, "Alright, the rewards for the clan are settled for now. You've all been working hard these past few days, so go back and get some rest!"

"Yes, this junior will take his leave."

Regardless of their feelings at that moment, all the Zhou family cultivators quickly responded in unison, then withdrew from the "Zhongping Hall" and left Pagoda Peak.

Zhou Chun and Zhou Zhengyong both lived on Baozhi Peak, so they naturally went back together.

The two were preoccupied with their own thoughts and did not exchange any words until they arrived at Zhou Chun's residence.

Zhou Zhengyong then spoke with a complicated expression, "I never expected the clan leader to designate Seventh Brother as a Foundation Establishment seed for cultivation. Once this gets out, I'm afraid the elders of the clan will be in for a good time!"

Zhou Chun naturally understood what he meant.

The Zhou family currently has quite a few elders of the "Jia" generation with cultivation levels at the twelfth level of the Qi Refining stage, and there are also quite a few with cultivation levels at the eleventh level of the Qi Refining stage.

These people who were about to establish their foundation, and who were decades older than Zhou Zhengkang, failed to become the family's foundation-building seeds and receive preferential treatment from the family's resources.

Now that Zhou Zhengkang, a junior with only ten levels of Qi Refining cultivation, has received this honor, how can those people be easily convinced?

The Zhou family is, after all, a cultivation family bound by blood ties. Many of the elders have intricate blood ties with the clan leader and elders, and some are even close relatives of a certain elder.

If they start making a scene, it will likely cause some turmoil within the Zhou family.

However, Zhou Chun did not want to discuss this matter further. In any case, it was not his turn to be the Foundation Establishment Seed of the family, so why bother himself?

He immediately shook his head and said softly, "We should not meddle in the affairs of our elders. Since the clan leader has decided to do this, he must have his reasons."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zhengyong's expression shifted, and he nodded thoughtfully, saying, "Indeed, with the wisdom of the clan chief, how could he not have thought of something that I could have considered? He must already have a foolproof plan!"

After saying that, he cupped his hands in a respectful gesture to Zhou Chun and said, "Then I won't disturb your rest any longer, Thirteenth Brother. I'll go back and get a good night's sleep first."

"Take care, Yong-ge."

Zhou Chun responded and, after watching Zhou Zhengyong walk away, stepped into the courtyard.

(End of this chapter)