The First Match Ends, Rewards Are Distributed

Inside the control hall, the moment the rankings locked in, the golden patterns along the edges of the screen began to flicker with increasing speed.

Yi Chen raised his hand and swiped lightly across the screen. The original data interface faded, replaced by a new line of system prompts:

[S1-DEMO-001 Settlement in progress...]

[Match nature detected: Demonstration Match · First Official Eight-Player Game]

[Reward multiplier: Demonstration Match bonus · Enabled]

[Settlement targets: Top four players]

Ning Rongrong was still buzzing with excitement over her first-place finish, but she froze when she saw the prompt. "...There are rewards?"

"What did you think the season system was for? Decoration?" Yi Chen didn't even turn his head, his fingertips dancing across the screen to input a series of commands.

"One of the core mechanics of the S1 season is rank rewards. Although this was just a placement match and your ranks aren't officially locked yet, the first demonstration match carries an extra bonus. The system issues a one-time 'First Battle' reward based on your current ranking."

He paused, turning his head to glance at the four young women. "And, it's being broadcast to the entire continent."

Ning Rongrong's smile stiffened. "...Broadcast to the entire continent?!"

"Yes." Yi Chen's tone was as casual as if he were commenting on the weather.

"For the first official match after the S1 season begins, the rewards for the top four are synchronized via the Sky Screen System to the terminal screens at every Golden Spatula Pavilion. Players at every branch in Spirit City, Heaven Dou City, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Star Luo City will see it."

Xiao Wu swallowed hard. "Doesn't that mean the whole continent knows how we performed in that match?"

"They know the rankings and the rewards, but they don't know your specific team compositions or tactical details," Yi Chen corrected. "The system only publishes the results, not the process."

As he spoke, the golden patterns on the screen flared brilliantly. A pillar of light erupted from the center of the control hall, piercing through the roof and shooting straight into the clouds.

Immediately after, the terminal screens at every Golden Spatula Pavilion in Spirit City, Heaven Dou City, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect, and Star Luo City switched simultaneously. The original match lists were replaced by bold, hot-gold characters:

[S1 Season · First Demonstration Match Settlement Announcement]

The content of the Sky Screen broadcast began to scroll line by line.

First Place: Ning Rongrong

Affiliation: Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect / Shrek Academy

Rewards: All spirit ring ages increased by 10,000 years, one 100,000-year mental head spirit bone, spirit power increased by three levels.

The moment this information popped up, a deafening cheer erupted inside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect branch.

Ning Fengzhi was drinking tea on the second floor of the pavilion. Hearing the commotion below, he set down his cup and walked to the railing to look down. Players in the lobby were crowding around the terminal screen; some were shouting the Young Lady's name, others were clapping wildly, and some had already begun debating the value of that 100,000-year spirit bone.

Ning Fengzhi's hand, still holding the teacup, paused for a moment before he slowly set it down, a faint, imperceptible smile touching the corners of his lips.

In the Heaven Dou City branch, Dugu Bo stood in the center of the lobby, hands behind his back, looking up at the announcement on the screen.

When he saw Dugu Yan ranked in fourth place, he curled his lip, but upon seeing the rewards, he gave a reluctant nod. "A 3,000-year spirit ring increase for fourth place isn't bad. Not embarrassing at all."

Back in the control hall at Shrek Academy, Ning Rongrong stared at the line detailing her own rewards. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but she couldn't manage to form a complete sentence.

A 100,000-year spirit bone, all spirit rings increased by 10,000 years, and three levels of spirit power—these three rewards combined were enough to make any spirit master soar. And she was only level thirty-seven.

"...Master." Her voice trembled slightly. "Are these rewards... are they really being given now?"

"Now." Yi Chen raised his hand, and a soft golden orb of light drifted out from the screen, hovering gently before Ning Rongrong.

Within the orb, the faint, crystalline phantom of a skull was visible, radiating vast fluctuations of mental energy. "The spirit ring age increase will automatically apply to all your existing rings; no extra action is needed. The spirit power boost will be released gradually once this energy integrates into your body, which will take about three days to fully absorb. As for the spirit bone, you can find a time to fuse with it yourself."

Ning Rongrong reached out to take the orb. The moment her fingertips touched the light, a warm, vast energy surged through her arm and flowed into her limbs and bones.

She could clearly feel the ages of the spirit rings within her being stretched, reinforced, and elevated by an invisible force. The sensation was even clearer and more solid than when she had consumed the Silk Tulip.

The announcement on the Sky Screen continued to scroll.

Second Place: Ye Lingling

Affiliation: Heaven Dou Empire / Ye Family

Rewards: All spirit ring ages increased by 5,000 years, removal of the Nine Heart Begonia's single-lineage curse (members of the same generation can coexist, and inheritance no longer requires the death of the predecessor), spirit evolution into Sacred Heart Begonia (retains the pure healing essence, adds "Begonia Flower Seed" which can attach to allies to provide minor elemental resistance buffs without breaking the pure healing core).

The moment these words appeared, Ye Lingling's fingers, hanging at her sides, clenched tightly into the fabric of her skirt until her knuckles turned white.

The single-lineage curse of the Nine Heart Begonia was a taboo she had heard about since childhood.

Only one Nine Heart Begonia spirit master could survive in each generation of the Ye Family; if two were born in the same generation, one was destined to die.

Furthermore, the rules of inheritance were incredibly harsh: the previous generation's spirit master had to die before the next Nine Heart Begonia could even be born.

She remembered her grandmother clutching her hand on her deathbed, coughing up blood as she whispered, "The Ye Family's begonia blooms in solitude every generation." She had carried those words for over a decade. Until now, she had never dared to imagine that this death curse, which had haunted the Ye Family for centuries, could ever be broken.

"...Members of the same generation can coexist?" she whispered, repeating the words. A faint shimmer of moisture welled up in her silver-gray eyes, which she quickly suppressed, though her lowered eyelashes trembled violently.

A verdant green orb of light drifted from the screen and hovered before her.

Within the orb, the faint black curse marks that had previously rimmed the petals of the Nine Heart Begonia were dissipating at a visible rate. The edges of the petals were turning a faint gold, and warm, holy light swirled within the pistil, where tiny, faint phantoms of flower seeds drifted in the halo.

Ye Lingling reached out with both hands and gently cradled the orb. As the energy merged into her palms, she could clearly feel the shackles that had pressed down on the origin of her spirit shattering. From now on, the Ye Family would no longer have to suffer deaths; she and any future Nine Heart Begonias of her generation could coexist, and she would no longer have to die for the next generation to inherit the spirit. This was far more important than a 5,000-year spirit ring increase.

She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, a hint of redness remained at the corners, but her expression had returned to its usual cold composure, even if her fingertips were still trembling slightly.

The Sky Screen continued to scroll.

Third Place: Xiao Wu

Affiliation: Shrek Academy

Rewards: All spirit ring ages increased by 5,000 years, spirit power increased by two levels.

A pink orb of light descended before her. The moment it merged into her body, she narrowed her eyes in comfort, looking like a cat basking in the sun.

Fourth Place: Dugu Yan

Affiliation: Heaven Dou Empire / Dugu Family

Rewards: All spirit ring ages increased by 3,000 years, spirit power increased by one level.

When Dugu Yan received that ink-green halo, her expression remained composed, but the slight upward curve of her lips betrayed her mood.

A 3,000-year spirit ring age increase plus one level of spirit power was exactly what she needed, having just broken through to the Spirit Ancestor realm; it would help her consolidate her foundation and pave the way for her future cultivation.

After the fourth piece of information was displayed, the Sky Screen slowly retracted, eventually condensing into a brief closing statement:

[S1 Season: First demonstration match concluded.]

[The ranking system will unlock after ten official matches have been completed this season.]

[We wish all players good fortune in their battles.]

The terminal screens in the pavilions across the land returned to their normal match-list interfaces, but the fervor in the halls did not cool down.

Players who had witnessed the Sky Screen's announcement were frantically discussing the reward details.

"All spirit ring ages increased by 10,000 years? Isn't that a feat only gods could perform?"

"A 100,000-year spirit bone! That's a 100,000-year spirit bone! There are only a few of those in the entire continent!"

"The curse on the Nine Heart Begonia user in second place has been broken? The Ye Family is about to take off!"

"If I had known the rewards for the first demonstration match were this insane, I would have registered sooner..."

Inside the main control hall, Yi Chen withdrew his hand from the screen and turned to look at the four young women.

They were each immersed in the rewards they had just received, their expressions varied. Ning Rongrong was still giggling, Xiao Wu was stretching her limbs to feel the changes in her spirit power, Ye Lingling had her eyes closed to sense the transformation of her martial soul—her fingertips still holding the creases from where she had gripped her clothes—and Dugu Yan was looking down to inspect the state of her spirit rings.

"The rewards have been distributed, but I must remind you of one thing," Yi Chen said, his tone more serious than before.

"The rewards for the first demonstration match were an extra bonus provided by the system, intended to show the first batch of players the sincerity of the S1 Season. From the next match onward, rewards will be distributed strictly according to the ranking system. The higher the rank, the better the rewards; the lower the rank, the more basic they will be."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the four of them. "Your rankings and rewards for this match have been announced to the entire continent. From now on, the four of you are the most prominent signboards for the Battle of the Golden Spatula on this continent. Some will want to challenge you, some will want to imitate your team compositions, and others will want to study your strategies."

"The signboard is up. Whether you can keep it standing depends on yourselves."

Ning Rongrong clenched her fists, her eyes shining with a bright light. "Don't worry, Master. I won't let the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Sect lose face."

Xiao Wu nodded in agreement. "Next time, I'll definitely take first place!"

Ye Lingling opened her eyes, her silver-gray pupils now holding a trace of determination that hadn't been there before—not just for herself, but because the centuries-old curse on the Ye Family had finally been lifted. She didn't speak, merely nodding gently.

Dugu Yan retracted her spirit rings, stood up, and flexed her wrists. "When does the next match start?"

Yi Chen glanced at her, the corner of his mouth twitching imperceptibly. "Tomorrow. Digest your rewards today; the second match will start promptly at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

The four women replied in unison, "Yes, Master/Senior!"

On the screen, the data for this match had been archived, waiting quietly for the start of the next game.

Meanwhile, in the Golden Spatula Pavilions across the continent, players who had just finished watching the Sky Screen were scrambling toward the terminals, eager to begin their own first ranked matches.