The Principal's Attitude
Yan Boyuan was tall and over eighty years old, but he did not look old at all, and his appearance was similar to that of a person in his fifties in the Common Era.
"Bai Xiaowen, you have brought great honor to the school this time. On behalf of the school, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you." After taking his seat, Yan Boyuan said with a smile.
"Principal, you flatter me. This is the result of everyone's hard work."
"You're not arrogant in victory, nor discouraged in defeat; you have a very stable mindset," Yan Boyuan smiled. "However, you've brought honor to the school, so you deserve a reward. After deliberation, the school has decided to award the University Team a total of 100,000 Honor Points. Do you have any suggestions on how these Honor Points should be allocated?"
100,000 honors?!
Li Shuyi looked surprised; this was no small sum.
To reiterate, Jinghai University's Honor Points are different from "points." They can be used to redeem access to the Trial Space, and after clearing it, you can get generous rewards, including Spirit Realm Ticket.
Honor Points are only awarded to students who bring honor to the school, and they cannot be traded; they are much more valuable than points.
"I have no further comments. Let the school decide how to allocate the funds," Bai Xiaowen said.
Yan Xiaoxin said, "According to the distribution of rewards based on contributions in the competition, you contributed the most and are the captain, so you can receive half of the total reward, 50,000 Honor Points. The other four main members of the University Team will each receive 10,000 Honor Points. And the five substitute members will each receive 2,000 Honor Points."
The price for purchasing Trial Space access with Honor Points increases in tiers: 200 for the first time, 500 for the second, 1000 for the third, and so on down to Honor Points, 3000, 4000, and so on.
What does 50,000 honor points mean? Even at the tiered pricing, Bai Xiaowen could personally buy fourteen or fifteen Trial Space access permissions, which is equivalent to more than a dozen free Spirit Realm Ticket! Not to mention, entering the Trial Space itself provides experience points and proficiency growth, as well as additional treasure chest rewards.
"The rewards are indeed very generous... It's just a pity that I graduated early, so these Honor Points will probably go to waste," Bai Xiaowen said, shaking his head.
Bai Xiaowen decided to graduate early, leaving him with only about two months left at the school. He had more than a dozen Spirit Realm Ticket, which he couldn't possibly use all. Once he graduated and handed in his Student Card, the extra Honor Points couldn't be traded and would simply go to waste.
Yan Boyuan said with a smile, "I've also heard from Teacher Yan that you're graduating early. Bai Xiaowen, I think you're still young, just eighteen years old, there's no need to rush into graduation."
Yan Xiaoxin chimed in, "Yes, outstanding Awakened individuals from other universities, like Qi Ruifeng and Lin Haoyang, have never considered graduating early. If delaying graduation also qualifies them to participate in the CUAA league, they would most likely choose to complete their fifth or even sixth year..."
The Spirit Realm Rules are very strict regarding eligibility for CUAA participation; participants can be up to their senior year of college.
There were once outstanding students who reached an agreement with the school to delay their graduation and participated in the CUAA league in their fifth year, but were ultimately deemed to have cheated by the Spirit Realm Rules.
The school that the student attended that year won second place but received no reward. Moreover, the rewards for the champion and third-place teams were also significantly reduced.
The attitude of the Spirit Realm Rules determined the official attitude. From then on, the official stance was to disqualify any awakened student who delayed graduation from CUAA competitions.
It's perfectly normal for outstanding students to want to stay in the University League for two more years.
On the one hand, there's the mentality of "better to be a big fish in a small pond than a small fish in a big pond." While they might dominate in University League, they inevitably fade into obscurity in Professional League. This psychological gap is not something everyone can accept with a calm mind.
On the other hand, the top three teams in the league can receive rewards from the Spirit Realm Rules, and their chances of winning the championship in the CUAA league are very high. However, the difficulty of winning the championship in the Professional League is many times greater.
Yan Xiaoxin continued, "Bai Xiaowen, I suggest you study at university for two more years... at least one more year. This way, your Honor Points and Trial Space access will not be wasted. The school will provide you with the best growth environment and will not hinder you in any way."
Bai Xiaowen understood that the 50,000 Honor Points were both a reward and a "bait" the school wanted him to stay.
Li Shuyi was somewhat tempted. Through the Team Channel, she whispered to Bai Xiaowen, "Xiao Wen, this is a rare opportunity... Why don't you reconsider? I know you want to help the guild rise again, but you can't let this affect your growth."
All eyes were fixed on Bai Xiaowen, awaiting his answer.
"I'm sorry, I still can't stay at school."
Bai Xiaowen said apologetically, "For me, the CUAA league is no longer challenging... Participating in CUAA again in my sophomore year would be a waste of my time and wouldn't help my combat experience at all. I want to enter a higher-level Professional League and compete against stronger opponents."
A scene flashed through Bai Xiaowen's mind: Li Beihai's dejected figure walking away from the competition venue without looking back, amidst Wu Chonglian's mockery.
Before that, Bai Xiaowen had no intention of graduating early. But after watching that match, Bai Xiaowen had already made up her mind.
Defeating the long-established Master Tier Yanda University to win the CUAA championship was his farewell performance in his college career this year, and it was worth the various preferential conditions Jinghai University used to recruit him into the school.
"All right."
Yan Boyuan gently patted Yan Xiaoxin's shoulder, stopping her from continuing to persuade him, and said with a smile, "As a genius who comes along only once in ten years, it's normal to have such thoughts. Graduating early and going to a bigger stage to face the challenges is a good thing, the school won't stop you."
"Thank you, Principal," Bai Xiaowen said.
"No need to thank me. If anyone should be thanking you, it should be the school," Yan Boyuan sighed. "Jinghai University's ranking in the CUAA league has never been high. In the year you've been here, you've helped the school transform from barely making it to the knockout stage to becoming the CUAA champion. Your contribution to the school is immense. Compared to a CUAA championship trophy, what Jinghai University has invested in you is negligible."
After a pause, Yan Boyuan continued, "Don't worry about Honor Points. Even if you graduate early, the school can make an exception and retain your Student Card without canceling it. You can enter the school's Trial Space whenever you want."
Bai Xiaowen was somewhat moved and stood up, saying, "Thank you so much, Principal."
Li Shuyi also stood up to express her gratitude.
"Please sit down..." Yan Boyuan smiled and glanced at Li Shuyi. "You're also graduating early, right? Your Student Card will be processed the same way as Bai Xiaowen's; keep it for now."
Next, Yan Xiaoxin brought up the issue of item compensation for the semi-finals and finals, stating that the items used by the University Team members would be converted into Psionic Points and reissued. This was compensation agreed upon beforehand and needed no further explanation.
After chatting for a while, Yan Boyuan got up to take his leave.
Bai Xiaowen and Li Shuyi escorted the two of them all the way to the outside of Taoran Residence.
"Bai Xiaowen... well, in two months, I won't be able to call you Bai anymore," Yan Xiaoxin smiled back, "Don't forget the University Team. When you become Great Ming in the Professional League, you're welcome to come and give us your guidance!"
A bead of cold sweat appeared on Bai Xiaowen's forehead. "Definitely, definitely..."
"Okay, no more joking around," Yan Xiaoxin's expression became much more serious. "Let's keep in touch often, and if you have any difficulties, contact your alma mater."
"Yes." Bai Xiaowen nodded.
Watching Yan Boyuan and Yan Xiaoxin's car drive away, Li Shuyi sighed, "This is the best outcome. The school really cares about you; the principal is a good person."
"I generally prefer to analyze things from a rational perspective," Bai Xiaowen said with a smile, pointing to his nose. "I've already demonstrated my investment value, so it's quite normal for the school to make this exception to some extent... Consider this a favor. If Teacher Yan encounters any trouble in the future, as long as she comes to me, I will do my best to help her."
"Can you stop being so materialistic..." Li Shuyi said. "The school could have simply not kept our Student Card. Honor Points can't be traded, and we won't be able to use them all by graduation. Wouldn't the school have just made tens of thousands of Honor Points for free? Just a dozen or so Spirit Realm Ticket are a huge sum of money."
Bai Xiaowen shook his head and said, "No, the fact that Honor Points cannot be traded doesn't mean that the tickets obtained from the Trial Space's final treasure chest cannot be traded. If the school doesn't keep our Student Card, we can still frantically exchange for admission permissions in the last two months to spend all our Honor Points and collect a dozen or so tickets. We might not have time to use them ourselves, but we can sell them or give them away. For the school, the result is the same."
Li Shuyi thought about it carefully and realized that it was indeed true.
"That's true, but I'm still very grateful for the convenience the school has provided," Bai Xiaowen said with a smile. "In the next two years, with the tickets we might get through the popularity lottery, we shouldn't have to worry about Spirit Realm Ticket."
"I was worried about how to spend my Honor Points in the last two months, but now I don't have to worry anymore," Li Shuyi said. "I plan to use my league title to improve my special skills and abilities so I can catch up with my level as soon as possible."
Bai Xiaowen agreed, saying, "That's my thought too... We really should take some time to reflect. Although our Battle Specialty and skill levels have improved during the league, there's still a considerable gap between us and our professional level."
Bai Xiaowen's Overwhelming Domination and Li Shuyi's Warrior's Star can both rapidly increase skill and specialty proficiency.
The repercussions of the CUAA league are far from over.
Sister Zheng collected Bai Xiaowen's competition videos and produced a long video compilation, which sparked a viewing frenzy online.
Bai Xiaowen updated his template data in a timely manner, Virtual Battle Company cooperated in a wave of publicity, and the title of "Strongest Intermediate Awakened" spread like wildfire.
By comparing the template data updated by Bai Xiaowen, players discovered that, in terms of pure raw strength alone, Bai Xiaowen completely Overwhelming Crush Hero Class of the same period, represented by Ouyang Heng.
In addition, the Virtual Battle Company has a new plan to create a new skin for Bai Xiaowen: Jinghai University Captain, to commemorate Bai Xiaowen's championship victory in his first appearance in the CUAA league.
This skin is said to be inspired by Bai Xiaowen's new equipment: the Commander’s Cloak. This mysterious full-body cloak exudes a strong BOSS aura and is even more domineering than the original classic skin. At Bai Xiaowen's request, there is also an enlarged Jinghai University emblem on the back of the cloak.
Li Shuyi's outstanding performance in the CUAA league has earned her a signing invitation from Virtual Battle Company, where she will be featured as Elite Template character on the Virtual Battle Platform.
As Bai Xiaowen's girlfriend, Li Shuyi will also receive a skin, also from the "Jinghai University Team" series.
The new skin and Li Shuyi's character will be implemented in the next version update and are not available for purchase now. This is normal, as it is currently the first quarter after the release of Version 97, and Bai Xiaowen has signed a landmark performance-based agreement with the Virtual Battle Company. If the revenue of the Spirit Channeling Prince character explodes, Bai Xiaowen's share of the profits will increase, which is detrimental to the Virtual Battle Company.
Releasing the skin now with a patch is certainly not as good as waiting until the betting agreement ends and the revenue sharing is finalized.
Of course, the Virtual Battle Company will still try its best to cooperate in making the money it deserves. After the data update, the price of Bai Xiaowen's Spirit Channeling Prince character template has increased to 15,800 points - equivalent to 158 RMB.
Players who have already unlocked the character are mainly Bai Xiaowen fans and those who appreciate good looks, so they've definitely gotten a great deal. Although the character is complex to control, the updated Spirit Channeling Prince character is incredibly powerful...
Most players who are not very familiar with the controls basically bind Life Sharing to the Stitched Monster Fatty. With 720 Life Value and amazing damage reduction, Fatty combined with Life Sharing is incredibly powerful, even stronger than tank Hero Class of the same level, and its survivability rivals that of high-level tank Boss Tier.
If the enemy cannot kill the Spirit Channeling Prince's true form through Decapitation tactics, they can summon an army of creatures led by Rageclaw to overwhelm him, and almost no one can withstand it.
Some high-end players who pursue maximum output and a sense of control will learn from Bai Xiaowen and bind their Life Sharing ability to the Rageclaw, while practicing their multi-tasking skills. Although such players are not as powerful as the former type in the short term, their potential for growth will definitely be greater over time as their skills improve.
Despite the price increase, sales of the Spirit Channeling Prince template still surged. Within three days of Bai Xiaowen winning the CUAA championship, there were over 100,000 new sales, generating over 20 million in revenue.
Including previous sales figures, this already exceeds the Milestone B contract, according to which Bai Xiaowen will receive 30% of the revenue. This is the treatment that a near-top-tier star can enjoy.
However, there is still about a month left before the end of the first quarter's performance-based agreement.
Although it's impossible to maintain such explosive growth in new user numbers indefinitely due to declining popularity and market saturation, reaching the next milestone—100 million in total sales—is not impossible in the coming month.