Chapter 866
Grand Competition Rewards
As soon as Yi Tianzheng spoke, the entire room fell silent, and everyone's eyes turned to him.
Although Wanxiang Palace emerged victorious in the Five Academies Grand Competition, the rewards for the participants have not been announced since Ling Xiao and the others returned.
Everyone was a little surprised, thinking that the reward would be given in private, but they never expected that it was given in anticipation of the return of Song Changsheng, the great hero.
This caused a delay of several months, and this treatment was absolutely unprecedented, yet Ling Xiao and the others had no objections.
Yi Tianzheng took out a jade tablet from his sleeve, opened it, and read aloud to the crowd: "In this Five Academies Tournament, all the disciples of our academy fought to the death, fought fiercely in several battles, and swept away all enemies. We won first place in both the A and B rounds, making us the leader of the Five Academies and setting a precedent for the first time."
Disciples participating in the second round: Hua Yan, Li Dongshan, Chen Yuhua...
The above ten individuals will each receive 500,000 academy contribution points, two top-grade magic treasures of their choice from their sect, exemption from academy tasks for sixty years, one spot in the next Heavenly Body Tempering round, and priority allocation for Golden Core formation.
"Thank you for the Palace Master's gift. It is our duty to serve our sect." Hua Yan and the others stood up together and bowed in response.
The ten of them jointly obtained a [Earth Infant Fruit]. Because it was a collective contribution, everyone received the same reward. However, any cultivator who had witnessed or carefully learned about the course of that battle knew very well that Hua Yan's dedication and sacrifice were indispensable to achieving such outstanding results in the second arena.
Yi Tianzheng would naturally not mistreat a meritorious person. After the collective awards were read out, he gestured for Hua Yan to step forward and said, "Hua Yan performed outstandingly in the Five Academies Grand Competition. She is hereby granted the position of Honorary Elder of the Academy as a reward."
These words caused an uproar. In the Wanxiang Branch, both instructors and elders have always been Golden Core cultivators, without exception, even those holding honorary positions.
But now, Yi Tianzheng has broken this rule for her, becoming the only honorary elder of the Purple Mansion stage in the history of the Wanxiang Branch.
Everyone present knew that Hua Yan would no longer face any obstacles on her path forward. For a cultivator from an outer sect, reaching this point was truly more difficult than climbing to heaven.
With her unique talent of the Nine Yin Body, within sixty years, the Myriad Manifestations Palace will surely add another dazzling new star to its list.
After announcing the results for the second round, Yi Tianzheng took out another jade tablet and announced loudly: "The disciples participating in the first round are Ling Xiao, Baili Yuntu, Gu Xueying, Cai Die, and Liu Yunxuan."
The disciples worked together with one heart and one mind, fearless of death, clearing away numerous obstacles on the road ahead and laying a solid foundation for victory.
Each academy will now be awarded one million contribution points, and can choose three treasures from the sect's treasury to be granted the position of academy elder. The elder will also have the right to consult with me and the two Grand Elders five times individually.
The importance of contribution points is self-evident. The title of "elder" in the academy does not carry the word "honor" but is a position with real power. It is equivalent to officially entering the core management of the academy. Both the personal status and authority and the number of recommendations each quarter are far beyond what the academy mentors can match.
Choosing any three treasures is incredibly valuable. The Myriad Manifestations Palace has a long history and countless treasures, including many that greatly promote breakthroughs to the Nascent Soul stage. With proper allocation, these treasures can not only significantly improve cultivation and understanding of laws, but also increase the chances of a breakthrough in a limited but effective way.
In contrast, Ling Xiao and the others remained very calm, while Liu Yunxuan was filled with surprise.
He was just a substitute and didn't play at all, yet he received the same treatment, which was a pleasant surprise. He won without even lifting a finger, something that had never happened before.
"We thank the Palace Master for the reward!" Led by Ling Xiao, everyone bowed in unison.
That wasn't all. Yi Tianzheng then took out a jade tablet from his sleeve, involuntarily attracting the attention of everyone present.
Currently, only one person's reward has not yet been announced, and this person deserves a separate imperial edict.
"Song Changsheng, the honorary mentor of the academy, overwhelmed all the heroes in the Five Academies Competition, and won first place in the preliminary round, semi-finals and finals with his extraordinary skills."
Extraordinary people achieve extraordinary things.
After careful deliberation by the elders, it was decided to reward him with three million academy contribution points, allowing him to choose five treasures from the sect's treasury, and granting him a pass token, enabling him to freely enter and exit the Myriad Manifestations Palace and directly face me and the two Supreme Elders.
In addition, it can also fulfill two of your requests that are within the capabilities of the Myriad Palace and are not excessive.
"Song Zixu, do you have any requests?" The Celestial Phenomenon True Lord's gaze shifted downwards, landing on Song Changsheng, his deep, bright eyes seeming to see right through him.
"True Lord, may I have the opportunity to consider this further?" Song Changsheng said respectfully.
“Alright.” Celestial True Lord nodded slightly, and with a wave of his hand, a pure white jade-like waist token landed in front of him.
This was the waist token that allowed him to move freely within the Myriad Phenomena Palace. It also recorded the three million academy contribution points promised to him by the Myriad Phenomena Palace, as well as the two million universal contribution points jointly awarded by the five academies after he won first place in the Five Academies Grand Competition.
In other words, in addition to being able to enter the Myriad Phenomena Palace to select five treasures, he also possessed a total of five million contribution points, which was no small amount.
When he agreed to participate in the competition with Celestial Phenomenon True Lord, the other party only gave him 100,000 contribution points, which was enough to meet his initial needs.
Compared to spirit stones, contribution points have an astonishing purchasing power.
It should be noted that as an honorary mentor of the Wanxiang Branch, he only received a subsidy of 3,000 points a year. Even now, having been granted the title of honorary elder of the Five Academies, he still only receives less than 25,000 contribution points a year.
Five million—that's his salary for two hundred years!
Even so, it wasn't to the point where he didn't know how to spend the money. He had already considered it countless times on the way back, so there wouldn't be much difference.
The main reason was that his request was not convenient to make public at the moment; he wanted to discuss it with Yi Tianzheng privately at another time.
However, in addition to the conditions agreed upon at the beginning, there were some unexpected gains today, such as one promise turning into two.
Don't underestimate this small change; in crucial moments, nothing is more practical than it, no matter how precious it may be.
The day after the celebration banquet, Song Changsheng took the initiative to approach Tianxiang Zhenjun.
"This junior greets the Palace Master."
"You've made up your mind so quickly?" Celestial True Monarch waved his sleeve to shield those around him, took his seat at the head of the table, and looked at Song Changsheng with a smile that held an ambiguous meaning.
"Actually, I had already thought about it on the way back, but the occasion yesterday was not very convenient, so I am taking the liberty of requesting an audience today."
"Feel free to speak your mind here, but don't be too greedy," Yi Tianzheng said, gesturing for Song Changsheng to sit down.
"My first request is that no matter how the conflict between my clan and the Embroidered Banner develops in the future, please turn a blind eye to it."
The Wangyue Song Clan and the Jinxiu Banner have long been at odds. While the two families have not yet reached the point of irreconcilable conflict, their relationship with Song Daoling and Song Wuji is absolutely one of mortal enmity.
Almost all the conflicts and disputes stemmed from them; the two of them, along with their henchmen, were already on his kill list. It had been like this for a long time, but he hadn't had the strength to completely resolve the issue before, which led to the current situation.
Now, after countless trials, apart from some prodigies and old monsters whose cultivation levels are above his, few people in the Golden Core stage can rival him.
Song Wuji is not a threat. Even if Song Daoling and Song Tianyuan were at their peak, they wouldn't be qualified to fight him.
The only variable is Song Minghuang, who has been in seclusion for many years. As a veteran Golden Core cultivator who is only one step away from the Nascent Soul stage, no one can be sure of his strength before the actual battle.
It is precisely because of this factor that the grudges with the [Brocade Banner] should be resolved as soon as possible. If Song Minghuang really breaks through that step, things will become troublesome.
Therefore, it is foreseeable that a war between the two races is inevitable in the near future.
The Palace of Myriad Images, ironically, became the biggest obstacle.
The reason why the cultivation world of the Great Qian Dynasty is so prosperous today is because the Myriad Manifestations Palace is there to mediate and regulate the situation. There are very few violent conflicts between forces, and everyone is focusing their efforts on the East Sea Clan.
If it's just a minor skirmish, Wanxiang Palace will certainly not intervene because of his contributions. However, if it's a full-scale war, it would violate Wanxiang Palace's long-standing principles, and they would definitely intervene, which would create a very awkward situation.
If you don't want to see that kind of situation, you have to make arrangements in advance, even if it means wasting a rare opportunity.
"You want to destroy the [Splendid Banner]?" Celestial True Monarch narrowed his eyes. He believed that Song Changsheng now possessed such ability, but doing so would affect the overall interests of the Great Qian cultivation world.
The sea race's power is growing stronger, and they've even gotten involved with evil sects like the Blood Soul Demon Sect, so a fierce battle is inevitable in the future.
Although the Embroidered Banner was not very effective this time, it is still an important part of the maritime defense line of the Great Qian Cultivation World. Once it is destroyed, a gap will appear in the defense line.
Besides, he was more worried about the impact on the order that the Great Qian Dynasty had painstakingly built up over the years. If this kind of thing happened once, it would happen again. If everyone followed suit, the Great Qian Dynasty would be in chaos.
Since Song Changsheng dared to bring it up in person, he must have considered everything thoroughly. He stood up and said respectfully, "True Lord, you misunderstand. There are grudges between the two races, but it has not reached the point of extinction. Most people are still innocent."
It's less about annihilation and more about annexation. I'm not a bloodthirsty demon; I only punish the ringleaders. As long as the rest don't seek death, I won't touch them.
There will definitely be unrest, but I can assure you that it will absolutely not affect the stability of the surrounding area.
After we annex them, I, the younger generation, will naturally assume the corresponding responsibilities and will absolutely not allow the sea creatures any opportunity to take advantage of us.”
He considered everything very comprehensively, and his plan is highly feasible.
Although the [Jinxiuqi] forces are numerous, the main line and branches are outwardly united but inwardly divided. As long as these branches are removed, the rotten and withered main trunk can be seen.
Even within the main branch, there is no monolithic entity; there are numerous factions.
As long as we divide and weaken them, and eliminate the factions of Song Wuji and Song Daoling, the scale of the conflict will not be large, and the impact can be minimized.
After that, they could support Song Yuqing to take the throne and become the new clan leader of the [Jinxiu Banner].
Song Yuqing's performance over the years has earned his approval. He is a smart man who can see the situation clearly, which is crucial and will prevent unnecessary bloodshed.
He is a Dharma Protector Elder and has willingly served as a hostage for his family. Now he enjoys a very high reputation in the [Splendid Banner], so there will certainly be few people who oppose his rise to power.
Then we can subtly annex the [Jinxiu Banner], and once these generations have completely passed away, the hatred will gradually fade away.
To be honest, these hatreds have nothing to do with them, because he wouldn't spare a single one of them.
What affects them is nothing more than their sense of family honor, but these are all the fault of Song Daoling and others. When that group of stubborn old fogies pass away, and the so-called main lineage and branch lineages are integrated, most of the new generation will understand the truth.
Perhaps in the next few hundred years, this force will be fully utilized by the Song family.
After pondering for a moment, Celestial True Lord nodded and said, "As long as you can control the scale of the conflict, you can resolve these grudges yourselves. Myriad Phenomena Palace will not take sides."
"I agree to this. Now you may state your second request."
Song Changsheng smiled and bowed, saying, "I haven't decided on the second junior yet. Would it be possible to temporarily accommodate him?"
"Your plan is quite clever. Fine, do as you please."
Have you decided what treasure you want?
His little scheme naturally didn't escape Yi Tianzheng's notice, but Yi Tianzheng didn't care.
Song Changsheng hurriedly took out the [Heavenly Snow Lotus], [Jade Marrow Spirit Fruit], and the [Golden Core Pill] materials he had obtained from Chen Tianxing, saying, "This junior would like to ask the masters in the palace to refine a few batches of pills."
That is, the [Shangqing Body Shaping Pill], [Tianqing Jade Marrow Pill], and [Golden Elixir], could a minimum of 50% be guaranteed by using precious items as collateral? (See pages 165 and 166 of this volume for details)
He originally planned to refine the Jade Longevity Pill at the same time, but that would expose too much, so he decided to leave it for the future.
Celestial True Lord took the spiritual materials from him, glanced at them, and a strange light flashed in his eyes. He chuckled and said, "It seems you have gained quite a lot on this trip."
"No problem. A fourth-tier top-grade alchemy master can refine three batches of pills, guaranteeing at least 50% success. I'll deduct one treasure from that price."
"Thank you, Palace Master."
His expectations were twofold.
"May I ask, Palace Master, is there any [Deep Sea Celestial Crystal] left in the treasury?"
"There are still some Deep Sea Crystals left. How many do you want?"
“One piece is enough. As for the other three, I would like to choose them myself from the treasure vault.”
Although Song Changsheng had already prepared his plan in his mind, the opportunity was too rare. What if there were other treasures in the Wanxiang Palace's treasury? It would be a pity to miss them. He wanted to see them with his own eyes before making a decision...
...(End of chapter)