Zhu Zhuqing Successfully Signs the Contract, an Unexpected Reward Unlocked

Zhao Wuji's face was livid. Standing there with his towering, iron-tower-like frame, he was an imposing sight.

Gone was his usual amiable manner, replaced by an icy gaze that swept repeatedly over everyone's faces.

Damn it, I only stepped out for a moment, and these brats started stirring up trouble!

He could speak pleasantly and joke freely with his students on ordinary days, but out here, he would never allow them to run wild!

The might of a level 76 Battle Soul Saint was on full display. His pressure enveloped everyone, and they all fell silent as one.

Dai Mubai was still indignant. He shot Zhu Zhuqing a fierce glare and continued defending himself:

"Teacher Zhao, you don't understand what happened. It's all their fault for standing here watching the show. That's why we..."

"Enough!"

Zhao Wuji coldly cut Dai Mubai off, his expression turning even uglier.

"When you fail, you blame your classmates? Mubai, is that what I've been teaching you?"

A trace of Soul Power infused his words, making them rumble like thunder and lending them tremendous force.

Dai Mubai looked resentful, but he dared not speak again. For all his usual swagger, in front of Teacher Zhao, he went from a tiger to a kitten in an instant.

"Failure isn't shameful. What's shameful is failing and then, instead of actively looking for the cause and reviewing what happened, doing nothing but blaming others and fighting among yourselves!"

"Mubai, you've disappointed me terribly!"

Zhao Wuji's harsh words struck Dai Mubai like sharp arrows. His face turned pale, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead.

Damn Ning Rongrong, and Jiang Qin too.

And that bitch Zhu Zhuqing. If I didn't need her to seize the throne, I'd have kicked her to the curb long ago.

Damn them!

Sooner or later, I'll kill every one of you!

Dai Mubai's thoughts were vicious, but he dared not show it on his face. He listened to Zhao Wuji's scolding in silence.

"That's enough! Get back to your rooms, all of you!"

"Cause any more trouble, and you're all going back! I'm not taking you Soul Hunting!"

Zhao Wuji's ferocity was on full display, his voice rumbling like thunder.

Only then did everyone leave, returning to their respective rooms.

Two hours later.

Jiang Qin lay comfortably on the bed, his eyes closed and a smile of pleasure on his face.

The quilt over his lower body rose and fell, faintly revealing a fair-skinned figure beneath it.

"Why aren't you done yet?"

"Almost. A little faster..."

After a long while, a little head emerged from under the quilt. Strands of hair fell disheveled across her forehead, the corners of her mouth, and her earlobes. Her face was flushed, and there was a faint hint of desire in her eyes.

Zhu Zhuqing gave Jiang Qin a somewhat reproachful look, then leaned against his chest. "Satisfied now?"

It was plain to see that her annoyance was feigned, but her affection was real.

Jiang Qin held her contentedly in his arms and teased, "With a beauty like my Zhu Zhuqing keeping me company, what could I possibly be dissatisfied with?"

Zhu Zhuqing could no longer keep up her pretense of anger. She lightly thumped Jiang Qin with her fair, delicate hand and said shyly, "Jiang Qin, you're awful."

Yet the look she gave him was full of affection and satisfaction.

Jiang Qin couldn't help marveling that, just a few days ago, she had been half yielding and quite unwilling, but afterward she had grown increasingly attached and proactive.

Today, she had even agreed to help him...

Dai Mubai, sometimes I really do have to thank you, Jiang Qin thought smugly.

As it happened, Zhu Zhuqing was leaning against his chest and began complaining to him about Dai Mubai, even showing a faint trace of hatred.

"I originally thought he would turn over a new leaf. I came looking for him determined to succeed or die trying, but who would have thought he'd become like this..."

Zhu Zhuqing was filled with disappointment and resentment. By now, she had completely lost heart with Dai Mubai.

The figure in her memories seemed to be growing ever more distant.

By contrast, the man before her was so considerate and mysterious...

Most importantly, he was so handsome...

Zhu Zhuqing's little fist softened into a caress, and the look she gave Jiang Qin was filled with tenderness that could not be dispelled.

Jiang Qin seized the opportunity. "Zhu Zhuqing, would you be willing to enter into a marriage contract with me?"

The seemingly casual question sent countless ripples through Zhu Zhuqing's heart.

Get engaged to Jiang Qin?

Her heart fell into a momentary flutter. Perhaps it would be quite nice to ignore those dynastic struggles and simply be together with Jiang Qin.

She could not muster even the slightest thought of resistance, and she nodded gently.

Although she knew that Ning Rongrong and Jiang Qin's relationship was no ordinary one either, she didn't care in the least.

How could an outstanding man have only one woman by his side?

Unable to conceal his excitement, Jiang Qin immediately produced the marriage contract. Before long, they completed the signing ceremony, Zhu Zhuqing's face as red as if it might drip blood.

[Ding. Congratulations, host, on successfully signing a contract with Zhu Zhuqing. Please claim your rewards!]

Jiang Qin opened the "claim" option, and three reward choices appeared again. He examined them one by one.

[Reward one: Congratulations, host, on obtaining a hundred-thousand-year-old skull, "Emperor Spirit"!]

A golden skull then appeared before him. Jiang Qin examined it carefully and, certain that it should enhance the mind and soul, put it into the system space.

[Reward two: Congratulations, host, on obtaining "Spirit Binding and General Dispatch"!]

In an instant, just as before, two inheritance imprints appeared. Jiang Qin immediately drew them into his mind, and a vast jumble of knowledge flooded in!

A few seconds later, Jiang Qin had fully absorbed how this technique functioned on the Douluo Continent.

As everyone knew, research into souls was rudimentary in the world of the Douluo Continent. At most, there were some records concerning Soul Shock.

Soul Masters who studied or cultivated power in this field were even rarer than phoenix feathers and qilin horns. Gui Mei barely counted as one, and even he had acquired it by chance through a fortuitous encounter.

Spirit Binding and General Dispatch had very particular functions. First, the so-called "Soul Shock" would no longer have even the slightest effect on him, and the fragile remnant souls of Soul Beasts could be manipulated at will.

Second, it was also a powerful means of attack. A soul attack! The Soul Masters of the Douluo Continent simply did not cultivate soul power, and he might even be able to pull an opponent's soul out!

This move did consume a considerable amount of his own soul power, but compared with its strength, that small flaw hardly mattered.

Jiang Qin could hardly conceal his delight and couldn't help clicking his tongue in wonder.

Next, he opened the final reward, the grand finale. He was eager to find out what it was this time.

The color of this option was also different from before. Most of the previous option boxes had been plain and colorless, but this one was a mysterious purple-black.

Could it be gold? Jiang Qin wondered.

He selected the option. A beam of golden light shot out, and then the system's voice rang out:

[Congratulations, host, on obtaining the mysterious grand prize! "Laborer's Strength Exhausted"!]

Jiang Qin froze. He repeated the words several times under his breath, but he simply couldn't understand what they meant, so he hurriedly asked:

"System, can you explain what this 'Laborer's Strength Exhausted' means?"

The system put away its cool, emotionless voice, and its tone became playful instead:

"Because the host creatively exploited a loophole in the system to transfer a loan, this mysterious reward is the following rule..."

"In short, 'Laborer's Strength Exhausted' means that 70% of the Soul Power paid each month by the person who signed the loan agreement will be transferred to the male party in the marriage contract—that is, to you, host!"

"In other words, the harder the loan agreement's signatory works, the stronger you'll become, host. An endless stream of Soul Power is waiting for you~"

"Good grief, that's a bit too much of a twisted joke, isn't it?" Jiang Qin couldn't help remarking, then chuckled twice.

Only then did he understand the meaning of the words "Laborer's Strength Exhausted."

And since the loan was automatically deducted as a percentage at the end of each month, it would create the following situation:

The harder they worked, the more they paid toward the loan; the more they paid, the more they would feel their strength wasn't growing, forcing them to work even harder.

That would create a virtuous cycle-er, virtuous for Jiang Qin...

As the days and months accumulated, Jiang Qin wouldn't even need to cultivate himself. His Soul Power would keep shooting up...

No wonder it was the grand-finale reward. It truly deserved top billing.

In high spirits, Jiang Qin planted a sudden kiss on Zhu Zhuqing and, while he was at it, passed the inheritance imprint for Spirit Binding and General Dispatch to her as well.

Zhu Zhuqing was overjoyed. She hurriedly closed her eyes and carefully sensed the technique.

Then Jiang Qin pulled Zhu Zhuqing into his arms, gently blew on her earlobe, and asked with a wicked chuckle:

"Zhu Zhuqing, do you want revenge?"