Claiming the Rewards! Earth-Rank Cultivation Technique-"Mountainous Body"!

Yu Xuerou's surrender echoed across the Martial Arts Arena, leaving everyone stunned.

"Holy shit, did I hear that right? Yu Xuerou surrendered?"

"Two losses in a row? What kind of day is this?"

"She's a Ninth Rank Martial Master. First she lost to Li Yao, then to Wang Lei. Talk about humiliating."

Yu Xuerou stood on the platform, listening to the whispers below. Her face flushed, then went pale.

She felt countless eyes on her, their stares cutting like knives.

Biting her lip, she endured the searing pain in her body and turned away.

She walked fast, almost as if she were fleeing.

Li Yao watched her go but said nothing.

She had it rough, sure, but once she stepped onto the platform, she was a competitor. There was no one to blame.

"All right, break it up!"

Shi Jian stepped out of the crowd and waved a hand.

"The top three are Li Yao, Ye Xiao, and Wang Lei. Come with me."

The three followed Shi Jian out.

As they walked, Li Yao kept wondering where Shi Jian was taking them.

The school library? Or the Treasure Pavilion?

After a winding walk, Shi Jian brought them to his Principal's Office.

The office was small but tidy. A calligraphy scroll hung on the wall, bearing four large characters: "Protect the Nation, Defend the Homeland."

Shi Jian went to his desk, opened a drawer, and took out three cultivation manuals.

He laid them on the desk one by one.

"The champion gets an Earth-Rank Cultivation Technique, ten thousand Spirit Stones, and a Special Operations Bureau recommendation slot."

He picked up the first manual and handed it to Li Yao.

"This one's yours."

Li Yao looked at its cover. Four large characters read: Mountainous Body.

"This technique focuses on strengthening the body. Master it, and your body will rival a Spirit Artifact. Calling you a human tank wouldn't be an exaggeration."

Shi Jian explained.

"Holy shit, it's that powerful?"

Li Yao's eyes lit up.

"The runner-up gets a Profound-Rank Cultivation Technique, nine thousand Spirit Stones, and ten days in the school's cultivation rooms."

Shi Jian handed the second manual to Ye Xiao.

Ye Xiao took it and nodded without expression.

"Third place gets a Yellow-Rank Cultivation Technique, eight thousand Spirit Stones, and three days in the school's cultivation rooms."

Shi Jian handed the last manual to Wang Lei.

Wang Lei accepted it and said respectfully, "Thank you, Principal."

Shi Jian nodded, then pulled a thin metal token from his pocket and handed it to Li Yao.

"This is for you too."

Li Yao took the token and turned it over in his hands.

It was thin, with "Special Operations" engraved on it.

"What's this?" Li Yao asked.

"A token for your Special Operations Bureau recommendation slot," Shi Jian said.

Delighted, Li Yao said, "Thank you, Principal!"

Shi Jian waved it off.

"As for your rewards, I'll have your advisors add the cultivation-room days to your Student IDs. Swipe your ID whenever you want to use them."

He was addressing Ye Xiao and Wang Lei.

"All right, you've received your rewards. You can go."

With the rewards handed out, Shi Jian dismissed them.

The three left the Principal's Office.

Li Yao walked ahead, studying Mountainous Body as he went.

"An Earth-Rank Cultivation Technique focused on the body..." he muttered. "It's good, but it doesn't really suit me."

For one thing, I already have Nine-Turn Profound Art. For another, this only strengthens the body. It wouldn't do much for me.

The further he progressed in Nine-Turn Profound Art, the stronger it would become.

Besides, he had already maxed out his progress in Nine-Turn Profound Art.

Switching to Mountainous Body simply wasn't worth it.

"Ding! Host, you can give this technique to someone else. This system has also added it to the panel, so you can use it later if you need it!"

The system's voice sounded in Li Yao's mind.

He hurriedly opened the system panel and, sure enough, found Mountainous Body there.

He even spotted Ye Xiao's Myriad Forms Return to Origin!

"System? When did you get Myriad Forms Return to Origin?"

Li Yao was baffled. What else had this old system been hiding from him?

"Hehe, I got it while you were helping Ye Xiao regulate his blood and qi, Host."

Something suddenly occurred to Li Yao.

"System, those two techniques came to you through me, right? How come I got nothing out of it?"

"Say something, System!"

Silence. As if it had a guilty conscience, the system refused to answer no matter how Li Yao called out to it.

"You corrupt system! You took everything and gave me nothing!"

It took him a while to calm down.

Then he thought for a moment, stopped, and turned to Wang Lei.

"Wang Lei."

Wang Lei blinked. "What?"

"Here. This is for you."

Li Yao held out Mountainous Body.

Wang Lei's eyes widened. "Are you serious?"

"Of course. Would I joke about this?"

Li Yao said, "This technique focuses on strengthening the body. It's practically made for you. And since you've accepted me as your boss, I can't shortchange you, right?"

Wang Lei stared at the manual in Li Yao's hand and fell silent for a few seconds.

"Li Yao, this is too valuable."

He shook his head. "It's an Earth-Rank Cultivation Technique. I can't take it."

"Why stand on ceremony with me?"

Li Yao shoved the manual into his hands. "Take it. Consider it a gift from me."

Wang Lei froze.

He looked at Mountainous Body in his hands, then at Li Yao, his expression conflicted.

"Li Yao, I..."

"Quit hemming and hawing, or I'll take it back. And call me Boss from now on."

Li Yao waved a hand.

Wang Lei took a deep breath and nodded. "B-Boss."

"That's more like it."

Li Yao patted his shoulder. "Train hard. Stick with me, and you'll live like a king."

Ye Xiao stood nearby watching, the corner of his mouth twitching.

"You're generous. Giving away an Earth-Rank Cultivation Technique just like that."

"Of course. Loyalty means everything to me."

Li Yao grinned. "What, you want one too? I could get you a manual."

"No thanks. Myriad Forms Return to Origin is enough for me."

Ye Xiao shook his head and walked away.

"Hey, don't go. Want to grab a meal together?"

Li Yao called after him.

"I'm busy."

Ye Xiao kept walking without looking back.

Watching him leave, Li Yao shook his head. "Still as aloof as ever."

Wang Lei stood beside him, holding Mountainous Body with a conflicted look on his face.

"B-Boss, I really don't know what to say..."

"Then don't say anything."

Li Yao patted his shoulder. "Come on, let's eat. My treat."

"Sounds good!" The two walked off side by side.

"System, quit playing dead. How much Background Value do I have now?"

"Ding! Host's current Background Value: 60,000 points."

"Only sixty thousand? That's a long way from a million."

"You took two cultivation techniques. At least give me something for them!"

"Ding! Background Value +12,000 points."

Li Yao rolled his eyes. One Heaven-Tier technique and one Earth-Rank technique, and all he got was twelve thousand points? This system was a rip-off.

Buying even one from the shop would cost fifty thousand.

"Oh, right, Host. It's your cumulative Background Value that counts, not your current balance."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?!"