On Dragon Soul Star, in the Half-Dragonfolk settlement, the priest Xi the Sixth was leading his people in a grand sacrificial rite.
The rite was held both to welcome Chi the Sixth and the others home from battle and celebrate their victories in the Heavenly Emperor's name, and to bury and commemorate the clansfolk who had died in the fighting.
North of the Half-Dragonfolk settlement, they had carved out a cemetery in the hills. All the clansfolk killed or wounded in battle were buried there.
At the center of the cemetery stood a Hall of Heroes.
"...The Heavenly Emperor opened the Netherworld..."
"...The heroes who died fighting for the Heavenly Emperor shall be immortal in the Netherworld..."
Amid the grand rite, Xi the Sixth chanted in a mysterious, mystic voice, praising the Heavenly Emperor and the heroes who had fallen in battle.
Behind him, the Half-Dragonfolk were caught up in a frenzy.
As the rite reached its climax, Xi the Sixth raised his voice. "Brave warriors returned from battle, bring forth your spoils and receive the Heavenly Emperor's reward!"
Chi the Sixth led the fewer than a hundred returning Half-Dragonfolk warriors into formation before the Hall of Heroes. In their hands, they held Spirit Roots, Spirit Seeds, Spirit Stones, and other treasures gained in the Trial Grounds. The Cuscuta Spirit Root they had acquired earlier was among them.
The next moment, stars appeared in the daytime sky above Dragon Soul Star. A vast expanse of starlight became a shower of light, raining down over the Half-Dragonfolk settlement.
Chi the Sixth and the warriors raised their spoils high, bathing in the shower of light.
"This is the Heavenly Emperor's reward!"
"Those who fight for the Heavenly Emperor shall surely receive his reward!"
Xi the Sixth led the way, bowing to the ground and crying out fervently:
"Thank you for the Heavenly Emperor's reward!"
Behind him, the Half-Dragonfolk of the settlement also bowed to the ground. Their fervor rose ever higher as they cried out in unison:
"Thank you for the Heavenly Emperor's reward!"
As the shower of light fell on Chi the Sixth and the warriors, the wounds they had suffered in battle healed rapidly. Their bodies grew stronger, their scales harder, and their strength increased.
The Half-Dragonfolk bowed on the ground and also benefited greatly from the light. Several hundred Zero-Rank Half-Dragonfolk awakened and advanced directly to First Rank. The number of First-Rank Half-Dragonfolk, which had been severely depleted, thus climbed past a thousand—exceeding even their numbers before the expedition.
The light also fell across the surrounding settlement. The Half-Dragonfolk's Spirit Plants and Spirit Medicines quickly sprouted and flourished, while their livestock, fish, and shrimp grew strong and healthy.
This Starlight Rain was the essence of starlight, bestowed through the Star Alliance's use of the Xiantian Spiritual Treasure, the Star Formation Diagram. It greatly benefited the cultivation of a Star Lord's Natal Star and Vassals.
Beyond it were Moonlight Rain, Sunlight Rain, and the Three Lights Spirit Rain, among others.
Within the Star Alliance, these resources and benefits were allocated in fixed amounts according to strength, rank, position, and other factors. Star Lords who wanted more had to exchange their Star Alliance merits for them.
The high schools in the Star Alliance also received fixed amounts of resources each year, to reward and cultivate their senior-year Star Lord students.
With this Trial now over, the school had begun awarding prizes based on how each Star Lord student's Vassals had performed.
Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk Vassals had performed among the very best in the Trial. They had especially distinguished themselves in the final battle against the demonized Feathered Serpentfolk, earning the greatest credit. As a result, their reward was the highest: one hour of Starlight Rain, with a rainfall of twenty-five millimeters.
For the Vassals on a planet, a reward of Starlight Rain like this was a divine miracle. Naturally, it had to be revealed at a crucial moment to further deepen their devotion to the Heavenly Emperor.
So Liang Ji had Xi the Sixth hold a grand sacrificial rite to celebrate victory and commemorate the dead, then reveal the divine miracle of Starlight Rain.
The Starlight Rain also washed over the spoils held by Chi the Sixth and the other warriors, ensuring no hidden dangers remained among them.
In Second High School's Star Lord Class, Liang Ji withdrew his gaze from Dragon Soul Star and looked toward the lectern.
Teacher Du stood at the lectern. "Your scores and evaluations for this Trial have all been sent to you and added to your records."
"Overall, your performance was unsatisfactory. I'm very disappointed."
"The reasons are in your evaluations. Read them yourselves."
"I've also sent you recommendations for cultivating your Vassals. Take a look, then come to me to collect your bloodline inheritance and skills."
"Of course, the bloodline inheritances and skills provided by the school are all fairly common. If you have a better choice, you can choose something else."
"But remember what I said: whatever inheritance or skills you choose, you must know exactly where they came from. Don't make the same mistake as Chen Yuan from Fifth High School!"
"After you collect your inheritances and skills, spend the next month cultivating your Vassals. The school will hold its first mock exam in a month."
"I hope your performance will satisfy me then. That way, I can give you better scores and write more praise in your records, making it easier for you to get into the academy of your choice."
Liang Ji had already opened the Vassal cultivation plan his teacher had sent. It listed in detail the strengths and weaknesses his Half-Dragonfolk Vassals had displayed in the Trial, then offered recommendations for bloodline inheritances and skills.
The recommended bloodline inheritance was the Snake Barbarian Scripture. The plan briefly introduced it: more than six thousand years ago, Heavenly Snake Academy had developed this bloodline inheritance method for the Half-Demon Snake People. It allowed them to cultivate a Barbarian Body, granting them armor-like defenses impervious to blades and spears, along with unmatched brute strength!
The Snake Barbarian Scripture was usually cultivated by a special Vassal race among the Half-Demon Snake People: the Python People. When Sky Snake Mansion first developed the Pan Barbarian Scripture, it had used the Python People as its research subjects.
However, Liang Ji's Half-Dragonfolk Vassals were no worse than the Python People in any fundamental respect, so the school had directly recommended that they cultivate the Snake Barbarian Scripture and forge a Barbarian Body.
Below the Snake Barbarian Scripture's bloodline inheritance were three recommended skills: Mountain Splitting Axe, Flying Snake Spear, and Bedrock Shield.
They covered close combat, ranged attacks, and defense—a complete set. The recommended skills were all based on the Half-Dragonfolk Vassals' performance in the Trial, and leaned toward strength, maximizing their advantages while compensating for their weaknesses.
Though all three were merely ordinary skills, when paired with the Barbarian Body bloodline cultivation method and the Half-Dragonfolk's innate advantages, they could still produce top-tier Vassals, according to the plan's conclusion.
If Liang Ji could also provide them with Rune Master and Alchemist skill inheritances, and equip these Half-Dragonfolk Vassals with enough gear and tools, they would be able to contend with the very best Vassals.
Unfortunately, inheritances such as those for Rune Masters and Alchemists were not among the free inheritances and skills provided by the school.
If Liang Ji wanted to train Rune Masters, alchemists, and the like among his Vassals, he would either have to spend Spirit Stones to buy the inheritances himself, or hope to score well in the upcoming mock exam and obtain them as a school reward.
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