Receiving Rewards (Large Chapter, Requesting Recommendations)

Su Yu and Chen Hao were dividing the spoils.

In the teaching office.

Bai Feng seemed a little bored, sitting on a small chair in the teaching office and watching the few people argue endlessly. When they had mostly finished, he chimed in, "Uncle-master, are we still picking up the probationary students from Nanyuan Academy?"

"Pick them up for what? They'll be living in Great Xia Prefecture, don't they need funding?"

Liu Wenyan shot back. Bai Feng looked helpless. You were the ones who said you wanted to send them before. I was just asking.

"Then, Uncle-master, have you made any progress on refining your physical body? Does Nanyuan have any powerful essence blood or Yuan Qi pills to offer you?"

As soon as he said this, the old Academy Head faltered and chuckled dryly, "Well... Researcher Bai, you see... Civilization Academy..."

"No need to beg them!"

Liu Wenyan said indifferently, "We can refine it slowly. My will has already materialized, so there's no rush."

Bai Feng quickly replied, "Uncle-master, you can't say that. Without powerful essence blood to aid in body refinement, your physical body might not reach the level of ordinary Soaring Realm body cultivators. It will have a significant impact later on."

"The stronger the essence blood, the greater the help to you. If you could temper your foundation with the essence blood of a Soaring Realm divine demon, with your powerful will, you might even have a chance to forge the foundation of the third level of Soaring Realm instantly."

The cultivation of the Will Path doesn't emphasize the physical body in the early stages.

But once one reaches the Soaring Realm, it's crucial to pay attention to it, as it's the beginning of physical body foundation building.

The stronger the divine demon blood used at this moment, the more robust the foundation forged.

Liu Wenyan pretended not to hear. Divine demon blood?

Soaring Realm divine demon blood!

Where would he find that!

Killing a divine demon on the Battlefields of the Heavens is difficult, let alone the fact that most divine demons on the Battlefields of the Heavens are above the Soaring Realm. Those that are too powerful are unsuitable, and the weak ones are also not good enough. Ideally, they should be of the Soaring Realm.

Liu Wenyan had never considered forging his foundation with divine demon blood. Even within Civilization Academy, only a few people a year could do so.

It was too rare!

Seeing that Liu Wenyan was ignoring him, Bai Feng thought for a moment, "My teacher seems to have a few drops of essence blood from a Soaring Realm Sky-Soaring Tiger. The Sky-Soaring Tiger is also very strong, with a powerful physique. How about Uncle-master asking my teacher about it..."

"Scram!"

Just as Liu Wenyan finished cursing, the old Academy Head exclaimed excitedly, "Sky-Soaring Tiger? Essence blood of the Sky-Soaring Tiger, ranked 32nd among the Myriad Races?"

"Yes."

"Old Liu!"

The Academy Head was excited. "Stop being so proud! Relying on yourself, relying on us at Nanyuan, where are you going to find essence blood from a race ranked in the top hundred of the Myriad Races list! Even if the Sky-Soaring Tiger isn't as good as a divine demon, the difference isn't that big. With a physical body foundation built from it, you could directly achieve the second or even third level of Soaring Realm. You're already old, are you going to waste several years in the early Soaring Realm?"

Without a strong essence blood to build his foundation, forging the physical body of the first level of Soaring Realm would take Liu Wenyan at least five years, perhaps ten, to reach the third level, even with his powerful willpower.

He was already over seventy, how much time did he have to waste?

Beside them, Xia Bing, the captain of the Dragon Martial Guard, opened his mouth slightly, wanting to speak but hesitating. After considering, he quietly said, "Instructor Liu, the Sky-Soaring Tiger essence blood is indeed very strong. I think it would be better to ask Civilization Academy for a few drops to build your foundation. With the Ten Thousand Races Cult entering Great Xia Prefecture now, Nanyuan's strength is limited... and we will need Instructor Liu's continued support."

With the Sky-Soaring Tiger essence blood for foundation building, one might reach the second level of Soaring Realm with bad luck, or the third level with good luck, and have a solid foundation. Breaking through to the mid-stage might only take a few years.

In a few years, Nanyuan would have another mid-stage Soaring Realm expert, and wouldn't be as hard-pressed to defend itself as it was now.

Liu Wenyan ignored them and looked at Bai Feng, frowning, "You don't need to worry about these things. Bai Feng, how many people is Civilization Academy planning to recruit in Nanyuan this time?"

"Around 10."

Bai Feng smiled, "Uncle-master, are you planning to squeeze in a few more?"

Liu Wenyan didn't answer and asked again, "How many people are being recruited in total?"

"Around 2,000. However, 500 spots are for other prefectures, and the rest are for Great Xia Prefecture. Great Xia Prefecture will recruit about 1,500 people in total. According to the proportion, the prefecture city will have about 1,000 people annually, and the remaining will be for the 28 cities."

Among the 28 cities, Nanyuan was the smallest and weakest, so it had the fewest recruitment slots.

Around 10 people, that was the number of people Great Xia Civilization Academy recruited in Nanyuan each year.

"We need to add a few this year!"

Liu Wenyan said, "At least two!"

"Uncle-master, I can't make that decision..."

"There are at least two spots for assistant researchers. Since you happened to kill a fourth-level Soaring Realm cultivator, use those spots as a trade."

"Uncle-master, aren't you being unreasonable? I killed the person, and if I hadn't come, you wouldn't have been able to kill them..."

"Yes, I'm being unreasonable!"

Liu Wenyan decided to be unreasonable. "Nanyuan lost more than ten students this time, and the students are currently in low spirits. This is Nanyuan's responsibility, and also Great Xia Prefecture's responsibility. Great Xia Prefecture did not provide timely assistance, which is wrong!"

"By increasing a few spots, we can help the students overcome their low spirits as soon as possible. Isn't that right?"

Bai Feng opened his mouth, feeling a bit helpless.

Although these two spots of his weren't particularly useful, giving them away was still a significant favor.

Forget it. Bai Feng said helplessly, "Alright, Uncle-master. Nanyuan will get two additional spots, but the prerequisite is that they must meet the basic requirements. Otherwise, it won't work, and they'll be kicked out even if they get in."

Liu Wenyan finally showed a smile. "Of course! These two basic spots are for Su Yu and Liu Yue!"

"..."

Everyone looked at him. What a sly old fox!

These two were almost guaranteed spots. If you gave them the slots, it would be a sure thing.

After they were admitted, they wouldn't take up Nanyuan's original quotas. This way, Nanyuan could send two more people to Daxia Civilization Academy this year.

Bai Feng clearly knew about this. The academy also had the list of those people. He couldn't help but laugh and cry when he heard this. "Whatever you say. That's good too. If these two get into the academy and achieve something, it'll count as my credit."

This was also quite good. He wouldn't have to be embarrassed. If their grades were really bad and they were kicked out of the academy later, it would be a loss of face.

Liu Wenyan smiled and said, "That's good. Also, since these two are using your slots to get in, to prevent them from failing, you should go guide them. Don't let anything go wrong, or they might not pass the assessment. I won't let you off if that happens!"

"Uncle-Master, this..."

Bai Feng looked depressed. "I'm a researcher, and they are students from a mid-tier academy..."

The gap was huge!

Did he really need to guide them?

"Assistant Researcher!"

Liu Wenyan emphasized, "Assistant is primary, researcher is secondary. Understand?"

"Alright, alright. Since Uncle-Master said so, there's no problem. Have them come find me later. I'll stay here for two or three days before leaving. I'm a bit tired from the journey anyway."

Liu Wenyan was happy now. He waved his hand impatiently, dismissing Bai Feng.

"Crossing the river and tearing down the bridge!"

Bai Feng muttered, feeling a bit helpless, and left.

After he left, the old Academy Head couldn't help but laugh, "Old Liu still has a lot of influence. The academy will get two more talents!"

Beside him, Xia Bing seemed a bit straightforward. He said in a low voice, "It's Senior Researcher Hong's influence."

"What did you say?"

Liu Wenyan glared at him, and Xia Bing immediately shut his mouth.

That's the truth, though. Can't I say it?

If it weren't for that, Bai Feng wouldn't have given you face. Even if you reached the Manifestation stage, Bai Feng wouldn't have cared.

Though he thought this, Xia Bing didn't continue. He changed the subject, "Someone just reported that two members of the Ten Thousand Races Cult were killed near the cafeteria. One died from a practical combat knife from the academy, and the other had his heart crushed by claw techniques. There were no instructors, city guards, or Jifeng Hall members nearby at the time."

Liu Wenyan looked at him and frowned. "So what if there weren't? Do you need a permit to kill members of the Ten Thousand Races Cult?"

"Instructor Liu, don't misunderstand. I'm worried that someone might be lurking in the academy."

He added, "However, their strength probably wasn't too great. There was an element of surprise. It's more likely they were in the Qianjun Realm."

"Did anyone report their achievements?"

"Not yet. They're still compiling the statistics."

The old Academy Head thought for a moment. "If they were in the Qianjun Realm, it's hard to find them. Even if there are hidden Qianjun Realm cultivators, it's not a big deal. The academy can still handle Qianjun Realm cultivators. Old Liu, you've broken through. The Wanshi Realm isn't that significant anymore."

"No need to investigate for now, and don't pay too much attention to it. Perhaps it was a parent who came in and killed them. It's hard to say."

The Academy Head didn't pay much attention to it either. It was possible that some parent, worried about their child, had come and killed the cultists.

Now that the matter was over, trespassing into the academy wasn't something to brag about. It wasn't strange that they had sneaked away quietly.

"That makes sense."

Xia Bing responded and smiled. "Let's see later. See if anyone claims credit. I'm worried about students claiming credit. Falsely claiming credit is very troublesome. After all, it's the assessment period for the War Academy. Once discovered, it will have a significant impact on the students."

"Which student would be so foolish as to dare to claim credit falsely!"

The old Academy Head was dismissive. If a parent had killed someone and let their child falsely claim credit, especially when it involved a spot in the War Academy, they would be held responsible if discovered.

Liu Wenyan said impatiently, "Don't be so absolute. It's not impossible for someone to get lucky and kill one. Of course, if someone reports it, we'll investigate. There's no need to make a fuss."

The few of them didn't dwell on the matter. The old Academy Head felt that no student would claim credit. In reality, a certain student was currently lurking around the scene, waiting for the bodies to be cremated before reporting their achievements.

After the matter was handled, it was already evening.

Su Yu didn't go home with Liu Wenyan this time. Liu Wenyan was very busy, and Su Yu didn't want to disturb him. Once the alert was lifted, Su Yu returned home.

Back home, after not being there for a few days, the house was a bit dusty.

Only when he returned home did Su Yu let out a long sigh of relief.

Today, he had killed two people.

He hadn't shown any abnormality in front of Chen Hao. In reality, his emotions had been quite turbulent. He wasn't a warrior, just an ordinary student from a mid-tier academy. It was his first time killing someone, so how could he not be affected?

"I was lucky. If I had been a little less lucky, I would have been killed today."

Especially with the first guy, Su Yu had almost believed that a teacher had come to find them. If he had truly believed it, he and Chen Hao would be dead by now.

"Although I can unleash an attack power equivalent to the Qianjun Seventh Level, the gap between me and the Qianjun Realm is still too large. As long as the opponent reacts, I'm dead for sure."

"My strength is still not enough. Only the strong can decide the outcome of a battle."

"If Instructor Liu doesn't break through, then Nanyuan Academy is finished this time. No, Bai Feng has also arrived, but all of this shows that only the strong can decide the direction of war..."

He had many feelings today. The ones who actually decided the course of the battle back then were those experts in the Soaring Realm.

Once City Lord Wu Wenhai and Dragon Martial Guard Squad Leader Xia Bing were killed, Nanyuan would have no way to fight.

Just like those few experts from the Ten Thousand Races Cult in the Soaring Realm, after one of them was killed, the enemy's forces collapsed instantly. One person decided the direction of the entire battle, leading to the complete annihilation of the Ten Thousand Races Cult.

"So... Dad was really just cannon fodder on the battlefield."

Su Yu was a little worried. Today was just a small local war in Nanyuan, but his father was involved in a super battlefield involving the myriad races of the heavens.

That was no small skirmish!

"Even in the Soaring Realm, one isn't much over there. Nanyuan alone had 7 experts in the Soaring Realm fighting today. Not to mention the Battlefields of the Heavens, where perhaps dozens or even hundreds of Soaring Realm experts might participate in any given battle."

"I thought too simply before. Even if I get a chance to intern at the War Academy, I probably won't be able to do anything. What can someone in the Qianjun Realm or Wanshi Realm do?"

"At least one needs to be in the Soaring Realm. Only then do you have mobility, and you can be considered a mid-tier force on the Battlefields of the Heavens."

Su Yu thought a lot and concluded that he still needed strength, and the sooner the better, the stronger the better.

"I have to keep using essence blood to cultivate!"

At this moment, he had 5 drops of essence blood in his hand. 3 drops were captured spoils, and 2 drops were exchanged before the battle.

"260,000 Anping Coins, 10 gold coins, 5 drops of essence blood, 5 Body Refining Pills, 7 merit points, one secret manual, one martial skill manual..."

This was all of Su Yu's current assets.

He didn't need the Body Refining Pills now; they were for the Qianjun Realm, and their value wasn't low. The Xia Family Merchant Guild sold them for about 30,000 each.

"The two drops of Iron Winged Bird essence blood will both be used for cultivation. I'll go exchange for a few more drops later... No, I'll buy a few drops. I can't use all my merit points; I'll save them for self-defense."

He kept a few drops for self-defense, just in case. After all, they didn't know if anyone from the Ten Thousand Races Cult was still lurking around.

"Continue cultivating!"

Su Yu deeply felt his own weakness, not even qualifying as cannon fodder. He didn't hesitate any longer.

For the past few days, he hadn't dared to use essence blood to cultivate under Liu Wenyan. Now that he was back, he had no qualms.

He swallowed a drop of essence blood, and as before, the surrounding Yuan Qi quickly gathered.

His nine acupoints emitted a faint glow, and the acupoint in his right ear vibrated and churned, showing signs of opening.

Last time, Su Yu had spent less than half of the hour allocated for cultivation.

This time, the duration was longer.

The Essence Gathering Art was used by the Iron Winged Bird clan for foundation building. The speed at which it absorbed Yuan Qi wasn't fast, which was precisely why it was suitable for Su Yu at this stage.

About 40 minutes later, Su Yu stopped cultivating.

The acupoint in his right ear didn't open this time, but Su Yu felt that with one more attempt, he would have a chance to open his right ear acupoint and reach the Kaiyuan Fifth Level.

However, his body was a bit overloaded, and it was probably not suitable for further cultivation today.

"I'll continue taking essence blood tomorrow. Tomorrow, I'll have a chance to reach the Kaiyuan Fifth Level!"

Su Yu was overjoyed. Kaiyuan Fifth Level!

The Kaiyuan stage was not obvious; most people could hardly detect it. There were students in Nanyuan Academy who were in the Kaiyuan Fourth Level. He wasn't sure if there were any in the Kaiyuan Fifth Level; some guys liked to hide their strength and surprise everyone during assessments.

Anyway, at this stage, there was no one in Nanyuan Academy who had reached the Kaiyuan Fifth Level, as far as he knew.

After finishing his cultivation, Su Yu finally had time to study the 3 drops of essence blood and the cultivation technique manual he had acquired.

Just as Su Yu was studying these items.

In Nanyuan Academy, the sky had already turned dark.

In the instructor's office.

Chen Hao was brought in!

This guy hadn't left and had been waiting. As soon as the bodies were cremated, he immediately ran off to report his merits, and as a result... he was escorted to the instructor's office.

The old Academy Head and Liu Wenyan personally interrogated him!

The old Academy Head was furious, his nose practically crooked. He said sternly, "You killed them?"

"Yes!"

"Reporting merits falsely is a serious offense, do you know that?"

"I know!"

Chen Hao nodded. He knew this, but since Ah Yu killed them... it was as good as him killing them, so he didn't have any psychological pressure.

Besides, Ah Yu had taken his private savings to exchange for them.

If Ah Yu didn't want this merit, it would be a waste. He had spent over ten years of his private savings to exchange for them, so didn't that count as his merit?

Therefore, at this moment, Chen Hao was very forthright.

I didn't claim credit!

I also helped Yu attract the attention of the enemy, so I deserve credit too. I attracted the attention of two people, so it's fair to say I killed one person.

The old Academy Head looked at Liu Wenyan, who was tugging at his beard, almost pulling it out.

He felt… he wasn't lying!

The old Academy Head understood and was a bit stunned. He didn't see it?

Was Chen Hao a deep thinker?

That didn't seem like him!

A kid in his teens, where would he get such deep schemes?

"Tell me, how did you kill him?"

"Yu and I were hiding in the mess hall. Someone suddenly came in pretending to be a teacher. Yu saw through him and tricked him into thinking there were others hiding. That guy foolishly followed Yu, and I cut him down from behind…"

Chen Hao explained it simply because Su Yu had told him to keep it simple. He was afraid this guy would forget if it was too complicated and make a mistake.

"Su Yu?"

Liu Wenyan asked.

"Mm."

"You two were together?"

"Mm."

"Why were you carrying a knife? The practical combat instructors said you borrowed the combat knives long ago…"

"Yu said he had broken through to Kaiyuan Fourth Level. I didn't believe him, so I went with him to the combat room for a spar. He said he wanted to keep a low profile, so we came out to find a place to practice…"

"Kaiyuan Fourth Level?"

The old Academy Head exclaimed in surprise, "He's at Kaiyuan Fourth Level?"

"Mm, he's been cultivating very diligently lately. It probably has something to do with going to the Battlefields of the Heavens with Uncle Su."

The old Academy Head nodded. He kind of understood now and wasn't too surprised. Breaking through from the third to the fourth level was normal with a bit of luck these days.

Su Yu was sharp. He probably hadn't cultivated diligently before, so reaching the third level wasn't slow either.

Liu Wenyan thought for a moment and then asked, "How did you cut him at the time?"

"I just cut him like this!"

Chen Hao gestured. He had seen how Su Yu cut at the time, and as an eyewitness, he naturally knew the situation.

Xia Bing, who had been silent beside them, nodded slightly. As a Soaring Realm Dragon Martial Guard, he could tell that the way the person was killed with the knife at the time was roughly like this.

Liu Wenyan then asked, "There was another person killed outside the mess hall. Was that you two?"

"What?"

Chen Hao pretended not to understand. He couldn't admit to that. Yu had said that killing one was a coincidence, but if he killed two, he'd be taken away for research.

Liu Wenyan chuckled, "You only killed one?"

"Mm."

"You killed that guy with one strike. Do you know how strong he was?"

"I don't know. I didn't have time to ask when I was cutting him."

"…"

The old Academy Head almost laughed out loud, and said with a hint of annoyance, "Then why are you coming to claim credit now? Why didn't you come earlier?"

"I was scared."

Chen Hao replied honestly with a look of simple honesty. "It was my first time killing someone, and I was a bit scared. I almost wet myself and haven't recovered since… But I didn't wet myself, really!"

The old Academy Head ignored him and glanced at him. He saw some faint bloodstains on him and frowned slightly. Did this kid really kill him?

"Where is Su Yu?"

"He went home. Yu said that as long as he gets the merit points, it's fine. The credit for the kill is mine, but he also provided the strategy, so he wants a share of the merit points."

"That kid!" Liu Wenyan couldn't help but smile. "So you get the credit, he gets the merit points, you get extra points for War Academy, and he gets the practical benefits?"

"Mm."

Liu Wenyan looked at the old Academy Head and then at Xia Bing. The old Academy Head didn't know what to say at this moment.

Xia Bing considered for a moment and then asked, "Have you practiced claw techniques?"

"No."

"When you struck with the knife, what did it feel like?"

"It didn't feel like much. I was too scared at the time, and it was a bit stuck. The neck was really tough!"

"The knife?"

"I just returned it to the practical combat department."

"Did your father come to the academy?"

"No, I just contacted him. Dad said he was working overtime at the department. The deputy director of the Traffic Supervision Department is my dad."

Xia Bing said in a deep voice, "Someone, go investigate his father's whereabouts!"

"Yes!"

The Dragon Martial Guard outside responded. After about three to four minutes, someone reported back, "Chen Qinghe has been at the Traffic Supervision Department the entire time and hasn't left. When the battle occurred, he was directing operations at the department, maintaining traffic order in Nanyuan."

"Understood."

Xia Bing glanced at Chen Hao, who grinned sheepishly. Xia Bing considered for a moment, then looked at the old academy head and Liu Wenyan and said, "The academy and the Dragon Martial Guard will jointly sign a document confirming he was the one who killed them. Killing a Ten Thousand Races Cult member at the Qianjun Seventh Level during wartime will earn the student 30 bonus points and 3 merit points."

He then looked at Chen Hao and said, "Additionally, another person died near the cafeteria. If you killed that one too, you'll get 60 bonus points and 6 merit points. With 60 bonus points, you'll definitely get into the War Academy if you're not an idiot."

"Ah, there was another one?"

Chen Hao said regretfully, "Can that count towards me? No one's claiming credit? How about... I don't want merit points, just give me the 60 bonus points, okay?"

Xia Bing was speechless.

The old academy head and Liu Wenyan also looked speechless. What was he thinking?

Chen Hao and his group had killed the person at the cafeteria, but who killed the one outside?

Liu Wenyan shook his head slightly. Forget it, it's not a big deal. However, Chen Hao killing a Ten Thousand Races Cult member at the Qianjun Seventh Level was a bit unexpected.

"I'll ask Su Yu about it tomorrow," Liu Wenyan thought. He nodded and said, "Let's sign the certificate. The time, location, and situation description all match, and the spoils of war have been handed in. The saber is also here. Unless someone claims credit later, there's no need for further investigation."

Xia Bing nodded. Killing one Qianjun wasn't a big deal. The three of them attaching importance to it was because the killer was a student.

Otherwise, it wouldn't matter who claimed the credit.

This matter was considered closed.

After Chen Hao left happily, the old academy head suddenly said, "Old Liu, do you believe it?"

Liu Wenyan said indifferently, "It doesn't matter whether I believe it or not. Whether he's a genius or mediocre will be known when he gets to the War Academy. If a mediocre person insists on going in, don't blame anyone if they die. Besides, Su Yu was present at the time. He's sharp-minded; perhaps he tricked that guy to his death. There's no need to investigate this matter further."

"That's true. There's no need to publicize this either. Be wary of retaliation from the Ten Thousand Races Cult. Also, don't let other students learn from this; it's very dangerous behavior."

The old academy head said with a smile, "Speaking of which, your student is quite like you, very calculating. He doesn't want bonus points but wants merit points. Anyway, he's aiming for the Civilization Academy, so he doesn't need bonus points."

Liu Wenyan smiled, then quickly cursed, "That's also because he's capable. Can you, at the Kaiyuan Realm, kill a Qianjun?"

"..."

The old academy head was speechless. The two of them soon smiled. There was no need to investigate further. Anyway, the academy might have one more student in the War Academy this year. Xia Bing approved, and that was enough.

The Dragon Martial Guard had a lot of say. If you wanted to bribe the Dragon Martial Guard, it would be better to spend the money directly to grease the wheels at the War Academy. After all, there were always people who sponsored huge sums of money into the academy every year.

Xia Bing, standing aside, ignored the two of them. He signed the document and turned to leave.

As he reached the doorway, he paused and then said, "I believe he was involved, but whether he was the one who killed them, I'm not sure. If it wasn't him, then it was that Su Yu. Since Su Yu didn't come to claim credit, we'll attribute it to him. However, without the talent and strength, forcing oneself into the War Academy might not be a good thing. I hope you two can make that clear to him."

"We will."

Xia Bing didn't say anything more. There were still many doubts about this matter, such as who killed the person outside. But as the academy head and Liu Wenyan said, it wasn't too important.

The path was chosen by oneself; as long as they didn't regret it in the end, that was fine.