Distribution of Spoils and the Nascent Divine Skill

As the first ray of purple energy at dawn on the second day pierced through the clouds, scattering like golden divine radiance upon the tranquil purple bamboo forest, an aura far more terrifying and condensed than yesterday, like an ancient dragon that had slumbered for eons, finally and slowly opened its majestic dragon eyes, capable of overlooking all living beings, soaring into the sky from the top floor of the ancient and elegant bamboo building!

"Rumble!"

The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy above Tingzhu Pavilion erupted into violent turmoil at that very instant!

The dense Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy, which had been flowing gently like a docile sheep, almost solidifying, seemed to have been summoned by an supreme divine might from a higher-level life form. It transformed into a massive, visible spiritual energy vortex!

At the center of the vortex was the exquisite, ancient bamboo building!

Endless pure spiritual energy was forcefully drawn from every inch of Tingzhu Pavilion's space by the irresistible, terrifying suction, then surged like a hundred rivers converging into the sea, pouring into the storm's origin that everyone knew!

"This... this is... the aura of a breakthrough?!"

"My heavens! Such a terrifying spiritual energy surge! Who... who exactly is breaking through?!"

Inside the bamboo building, the members of the "Rebel Mortal" class, who were still immersed in deep healing and recovery, were instantly startled awake by this terrifying commotion that could make heaven and earth change color!

One by one, they could no longer bother with the lingering pain of their horrific injuries. Like mortals witnessing a divine miracle, they scrambled out of their rooms and gathered on the spacious white jade plaza outside the bamboo building!

Then, with a dazed gaze filled with boundless shock and fervent adoration, they stared fixedly at the slender figure sitting cross-legged on the stargazing platform atop the bamboo building, completely enveloped by a cocoon of boundless spiritual energy!

It's the Chief Instructor!

Besides him, who else could create such a world-shattering, terrifying spectacle when breaking through?!

"Gulp."

Shi Lei swallowed with difficulty, his honest face filled with a sense of shock that was almost like a "sleep-talking" utterance!

"Didn't the Chief Instructor just go through a life-and-death battle that could have completely drained him? How... how is it that after just one night, not only are his injuries fully recovered, but he... he actually broke through?!"

No one could answer his question.

Because everything that was happening before them had completely overturned all their understanding and common sense of "cultivation" established over the past decade!

This was no longer something that could be simply described by the word "genius"!

This was a complete monster that should not exist in this world!

A prodigy born solely to crush them, the so-called "mortals"!

Lin Xiao had long since ignored the huge commotion he had ignited outside.

At this moment, he was immersed in an unprecedentedly profound state!

He could clearly feel his body undergoing a tremendous, earth-shattering transformation!

The terrifying torrent of energy, converted from thirteen thousand experience points and over a dozen bottles of third-tier upper-grade cultivation elixirs, had already shattered the impregnable barrier of his Body Refinement Eighth Level!

Streams of new spiritual energy, several times purer and more condensed than before, surged and roared like a boundless Yangtze River within his tough meridians, which had already been widened by more than double!

Every cycle cleansed every corner of his body, bringing him an extreme pleasure akin to being reborn!

His physical body became even tougher under the nourishment of this pure spiritual energy!

His divine soul became even more condensed under the impact of this powerful energy!

And his understanding of the "Martial Dao" soared like a rocket, bolstered by that sliver of extremely precious martial insight gained from the life-and-death struggle with Wu Tianxiong, a half-step Spirit Movement realm expert!

Body Refinement Ninth Level!

This was the ultimate peak of cultivation that all disciples in the outer court of Cloud Creek Academy could reach!

It was also the final, solid threshold from "mortal" to "immortal"!

Once this realm was crossed, one could attempt to draw Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy into the body, condense a spiritual energy vortex in the dantian, and truly step into the Spirit Movement Realm, where one could fly freely and have an extended lifespan!

Becoming a true transcendent cultivator!

"Hoo..."

After an unknown amount of time.

When the massive spiritual energy vortex that had enveloped Tingzhu Pavilion finally slowly dissipated.

Lin Xiao, who was sitting cross-legged on the stargazing platform, finally exhaled a long breath of white, condensed turbid air like an arrow!

He slowly opened his bright eyes, which seemed to contain billions of stars being born and extinguished in cycles!

"Crack! Crack!"

He simply stood up from the ground casually.

An unparalleled, explosive sense of power instantly filled his limbs and bones!

He could even clearly hear a series of crisp popping sounds within his body, like popping beans, caused by the surge of power!

"This... is Body Refinement Ninth Level?"

Lin Xiao slowly opened his palm, feeling the terrifying power that could easily shatter mountains and break the earth with every movement. A genuine smile of satisfaction finally appeared on his face, which had always been as calm as a still lake.

He knew.

From this day forward, in the outer court of Cloud Creek Academy, no one would be able to contend with him in terms of pure strength!

Even if Wu Tianxiong, who had recovered to his full strength, stood before him again, he had absolute confidence in defeating him head-on without resorting to forbidden moves like "Reversing the Mortal World," which harmed the enemy by a thousand and himself by eight hundred!

This is the absolute confidence that comes with strength!

He slowly leaped down from the Star Gazing Platform.

The entire process was silent, graceful, and ethereal, as if his body had lost all weight.

When he landed steadily before the twenty-nine companions who had been waiting for a long time, he was met with twenty-nine pairs of complex eyes filled with endless fervor and adoration.

"Congratulations, Chief Instructor, on your great advancement in cultivation!"

Someone, not sure who, was the first to react, bowing respectfully in a voice filled with genuine excitement and awe.

Immediately, the rest followed suit.

"Congratulations, Chief Instructor!"

A unified voice, filled with endless respect, echoed for a long time in the tranquil purple bamboo forest.

"Alright," Lin Xiao waved his hand, signaling for everyone to dispense with the formalities. His deep eyes slowly swept across the twenty-nine faces before him, which, although still somewhat youthful, had already been thoroughly tempered by iron and battle. A gentle smile appeared on his face.

"We live and die together; we are already a family."

"Let's do away with these tedious formalities from now on."

With that, he cut straight to the chase, without any further preamble, and got down to today's main business!

-- The Spoils Distribution Meeting!

"Whoosh--!"

Lin Xiao waved his large sleeve.

The next moment, a scene that made everyone present gasp and go completely wild appeared!

The clean white plaza, paved with warm, smooth jade, was instantly filled with a colossal treasure mountain formed by countless spirit stones, pills, weapons, and cultivation techniques radiating brilliant light!

The majestic spiritual energy fluctuations and the refreshing medicinal fragrance emanating from the treasure mountain instantly enveloped the entire Tingzhu Pavilion!

The concentration of spiritual energy here, on top of its original level, was forcefully raised by another notch!

"This… this… this…"

Even core members like Shi Lei and Monkey, who had already witnessed Lin Xiao's terrifying "spendthrift" financial power, couldn't help but drool involuntarily when they saw the dreamlike scene before them, which was like something out of a myth or legend.

Not to mention the ordinary team members who were seeing such a grand spectacle for the first time!

Each of them stood frozen, as if petrified by the gaze of Queen Medusa herself, their minds blank, completely unable to think!

"These are all the spoils from our trip to the Black Wind Mountain Range."

Lin Xiao spoke calmly, his voice like an invisible giant hammer smashing into everyone's hearts, forcefully jolting them awake from the dreamlike, illusory shock!

"Now, I will distribute these resources uniformly based on each person's contribution in this battle and their respective cultivation attributes!"

"First!"

Lin Xiao, without any delay, took out thirty exquisite jade bottles, which he had prepared long ago, from the colossal treasure mountain.

"These bottles contain the third-tier upper-grade healing sacred medicine 'Nine Revolutions Jade Dew' and the third-tier middle-grade foundational strengthening pill 'Dragon Tiger Golden Pill'!"

"Their medicinal effects are sufficient to completely eradicate all hidden injuries and latent dangers left from the life-and-death battle! They can also further temper your physical bodies and solidify your foundations!"

"Everyone step forward and receive a bottle now!"

Upon hearing this, everyone could no longer hold back and let out a huge cheer filled with boundless excitement!

Each of them, like the most devout believers, lined up in an orderly queue, their faces flushed, and received the life-saving divine medicine from Lin Xiao's hands, which was enough to drive any outer court disciple into a frenzy!

Next, Lin Xiao took out the more than fifty thousand middle-grade spirit stones plundered from Wu Tianxiong's storage ring from the treasure mountain!

He divided them into thirty portions!

Among them, Shi Lei, Su Yue, and Monkey, who performed the most outstandingly and made the greatest contributions in this battle, each received three thousand!

The remaining twenty-six team members received enormous rewards ranging from one thousand to two thousand, based on their respective battle merits!

After doing all this, Lin Xiao turned his gaze to the mountains of Profound Grade weapons and top-grade Yellow Grade standard armor!

"Shi Lei!"

"Here!"

"You are the first shield of our team! The previous Profound Iron Heavy Shield is no longer suitable for use!"

Lin Xiao waved his large sleeve, and a massive tower shield, forged entirely from some unknown black divine iron and carved with a lifelike ancient savage bull totem, landed heavily before Shi Lei with a "boom"!

"This shield is named 'Savage Bull.' It is a top-tier defensive magic treasure of Profound Grade Middle Rank! Its sturdiness is enough to withstand the full-force strike of a Spirit Movement Realm expert! Today, I bestow it upon you! I hope you will not disappoint me in the future and will hold up an unyielding iron sky for our 'Rebel Mortal'!"

"I… I…"

Shi Lei looked at the supreme treasure shield before him, which exuded a terrifying aura that made him tremble. The seven-foot-tall, iron-blooded tough guy couldn't help but his eyes reddened, and his voice became choked with emotion.

"Thank… thank you, Chief Instructor!"

"Su Yue!"

Before Shi Lei could finish, Lin Xiao's gaze had already fallen on Su Yue.

He flicked his finger.

A sword, its entire body a deep azure like autumn water, thin as a cicada's wing, and inscribed with countless mysterious wind-element runes, hovered silently before Su Yue like a blue lightning bolt!

"This sword is named 'Flowing Wind,' also a top-tier Profound Grade Middle Rank magical treasure! Its sharpness is enough to shave hair with a breath and cut through iron like mud! It can also amplify wind-attribute Spiritual Energy by thirty percent! It's a perfect match for the 'Star Mark Sword Art' you cultivate!"

"Monkey!"

"..."

For a time, the entire White Jade Plaza was filled with soaring treasure light and surging Spiritual Energy!

A treasure distribution—no! A bestowal ceremony, the most extravagant and envy-inducing in Cloud Creek Academy's history, officially began!

Half an hour later.

When everyone present had undergone a complete transformation, from head to toe clad in top-tier equipment that would make any Heaven Class genius green with envy.

Lin Xiao finally brought out the last and most precious super gift he had prepared for everyone!

—Cultivation Techniques!

"I know that what you are all cultivating now are merely the Yellow Grade cultivation techniques uniformly distributed by the academy," Lin Xiao said, his gaze slowly sweeping over the twenty-nine young faces filled with endless excitement and anticipation, speaking calmly.

"Cultivation techniques are the foundation of the Martial Dao. If the foundation is unstable, the whole structure will collapse."

"Therefore, starting today, all of you must discard all the trash cultivation techniques you've been practicing before!"

"Switch to cultivating the brand-new ultimate techniques I've tailor-made for each of you!"

With that, he no longer hesitated, transforming his vast spiritual power, which had long since become as immense as a boundless sea from absorbing over a thousand martial arts secret manuals, into twenty-nine streams of information filled with endless True Meaning of Martial Dao!

Like a sudden enlightenment, these streams fiercely imprinted themselves into the center of each person's brow present!

"Boom—!"

Shi Lei felt his brain buzz, going blank!

Immediately after, an profound and mysterious technique filled with boundless weight and domineering aura was deeply branded into the deepest part of his soul, like a divine inheritance lost for billions of years!

—Great Earth Savage Bull Strength!

This was precisely Lin Xiao's creation for Shi Lei's "Earth Spirit Body," a top-tier Body Refinement divine technique whose grade was infinitely close to Profound Grade Middle Rank, created by completely fusing and refining over a dozen Yellow Grade top-tier Body Refinement techniques and three Profound Grade Lower Tier earth-attribute techniques!

And on the other side.

A peerless sword art filled with boundless lightness and ethereal aura also appeared in Su Yue's mind!

—Star Mark Phantom Sword!

In Monkey's mind was an assassination manual filled with endless mystery and killing intent!

—Ghost Shadow Maze Steps!

For a time, the entire Tingzhu Pavilion was filled with flowing Dao Charm and soaring divine light!