Bountiful Rewards

The awards were mainly presented to the top three in the Elite Group and the top three in the Youth Group, since those prizes were fixed.

As for those ranked fourth through tenth, like Zhou Chun and the others, they could later choose different rewards according to their own preferences.

The prizes for the top three, however, were truly enough to make anyone drool with envy.

For instance, Zhou Zhengkang of the Zhou Family, who had taken first place in the Youth Group, received a First-grade High-tier magic tool, the Silver Mist Shield; three bottles of Jade Ginseng Pills to advance his cultivation and magical power; one second-rank talisman; and five hundred Spirit Coins.

Calculated in Spirit Coins, those rewards totaled nearly two thousand. Even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would turn green with envy at the sight.

The cultivator who won first place in the Elite Group received an even greater prize: a Foundation Establishment Pill capable of increasing the chance of successful Foundation Establishment by thirty percent!

"The Five Great Cultivation Families are truly willing to spend! They even took out something as precious as a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward for a Daoist martial arts competition. What lavish generosity!"

In the spectator stands, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had come to observe the ceremony sighed with deep emotion upon seeing the awards being presented on the platform.

The moment he spoke, several other Foundation Establishment cultivators who had also come to observe began discussing it in turn.

"Exactly! That is a Foundation Establishment Pill. A single one is worth several thousand Spirit Coins, and often, even if you have the money, you still cannot buy one!"

"Ah, back then, I wanted to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill too. Unfortunately, after scraping together funds for over a decade, I had gathered fewer than a thousand Spirit Coins. In the end, I could only risk my life in a desperate attempt at Foundation Establishment. Thankfully, my luck was decent, and I succeeded by sheer good fortune!"

"Buying a Foundation Establishment Pill on your own is far too unrealistic. Without support from a family or sect, for a Qi Refining cultivator to earn several thousand Spirit Coins—there is no way they could manage it, even if they became bandit cultivators and robbed others!"

"That is why I truly envy these juniors from the Five Great Families. They do not have to venture outside and fight demonic beasts to the death, nor do they have to outwit and battle bandit cultivators. Yet they have a chance to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill through a Daoist martial arts competition like this. What extraordinary fortune!"

As one Foundation Establishment cultivator after another recalled the bitter hardships before their own Foundation Establishment, they were incomparably envious of the lucky winners on the stage who had obtained Foundation Establishment Pills.

Even though they no longer had any use for Foundation Establishment Pills, that did not stop them from envying cultivators who could possess such precious medicinal pills.

Of course, whether there were any other thoughts beneath that envy was known only to themselves.

After the awards had been distributed, the patriarchs of the Five Great Cultivation Families thanked the cultivators who had come to observe the event once more, then announced that this Daoist martial arts competition had officially concluded.

Afterward, cultivators like Zhou Chun who had placed in the top ten of their respective groups were gathered separately and allowed to choose their rewards from a list.

The list included magic tools, talismans, medicinal pills, Demonic Beast Eggs, and all sorts of other items, each worth roughly two hundred to four hundred Spirit Coins.

Zhou Chun had long since decided what he would choose as his reward.

Thus, after merely sweeping his gaze over the list, he immediately seized the initiative and chose two bottles of Jade Ginseng Pills.

The Jade Ginseng Pill was a specialty medicinal pill of the Wang Family of Red Medicine Valley. It was said to be refined with Yellow Jade Ginseng that was over a hundred years old as its main ingredient. Its medicinal nature was mild and easily refined, while its efficacy was considerably stronger than the Zhou Family's Spring Sun Pill.

Normally, the Wang Family rarely sold this kind of pill outside. It was either exchanged by their own clansmen or used to trade for specialty spiritual items from other families and sects.

Just as Zhou Chun had also seen the Zhou Family's specialty Beast Spirit Pills on the list this time.

Once everyone had selected their rewards, the cultivators of the Zhou Family and the other four Cultivation Families left Red Medicine Valley under the escort of Wang Family cultivators.

As they departed, Zhou Daoyi's Azure Cloud Python undoubtedly brought great glory to the Zhou Family once more.

When the cultivators of each family watched the Zhou Family members ride the python into the sky and drift away in carefree splendor, every last one of them was stunned, their eyes filled with envy and yearning.

Although they had heard some Zhou Family cultivators mention it beforehand, seeing it with their own eyes still left them unable to suppress their shock and envy.

Only the Foundation Establishment cultivators, with their broad experience and knowledge, managed to retain their composure without losing face too badly.

After riding the Azure Cloud Python through the air for over two hours, Zhou Chun and the others returned to the Zhou Family of Nine Peaks Ridge with the wind at their backs.

"During this Daoist martial arts competition among the Five Great Families, all of you performed very well. Your results have satisfied both this seat and the Lineage."

"Zhengkang in particular took first place in the Youth Group, greatly enhancing the prestige of our Zhou Family. He deserves a generous reward!"

"Jiacheng, Jiapeng, Zhengtao, and Zheng Chun also all successfully entered the top ten of their groups, winning honor for our Zhou Family. They too deserve rich rewards!"

"As for the other clansmen who were not selected, although you did not make the top ten, your performances were still commendable. You have both merit and hardship to your credit."

Within Zhongping Hall on Pagoda Peak, Patriarch Zhou Daoyi looked upon the twenty Qi Refining cultivators of the Zhou Family gathered in the hall. His face was full of gratified joy as he delivered a concluding speech on this Daoist martial arts competition.

Upon hearing his words, most of the Zhou Family cultivators in the hall breathed sighs of relief.

Those cultivators who had failed to enter the top ten had originally been anxious, fearing that they would be reprimanded by the patriarch.

Yet what awaited them instead was praise.

This outcome, the complete opposite of what they had feared, filled them with delight. The disappointment and dejection from failing to qualify vanished in an instant.

After studying the gathered clansmen in silence for a moment, Patriarch Zhou Daoyi solemnly announced the rewards to be granted to everyone.

"This seat has been entrusted by the Grand Elder and all clansmen to serve as Patriarch of the Zhou Family. In matters of rewards and punishments for clansmen's merits and faults, I have always upheld the principle that merit must be rewarded and wrongdoing must be punished."

"This time, Zhengkang took first place in the Youth Group, rendering an immense service. Merely promoting him to Core Clansman status is no longer sufficient to reward such merit. Therefore, this seat will discuss the matter with the other elders and report it to the Grand Elder, recommending that he be cultivated as a Foundation Establishment seed of the Lineage. In the future, he shall enjoy priority in using Foundation Establishment Pills and other Foundation Establishment spiritual items!"

"Jiacheng and Jiapeng have repeatedly rendered service to the Lineage in the past, and this time they have again brought honor and prestige to the Lineage. In recognition of their accumulated merit, they shall also be promoted to Core Clansmen."

"Zhengtao and Zheng Chun are young, but their contributions in winning honor for the Lineage cannot go unrewarded. Each shall first be granted one opportunity to choose a secret art for cultivation. Should they render further service in the future, they may accumulate merit and be promoted to Core Clansmen!"

"The rest of you shall also receive corresponding amounts of Lineage Merit Points according to your performances!"

Rumble!!!

The moment Zhou Daoyi finished speaking of the Lineage's rewards, the expressions of the Zhou Family cultivators in the hall became extraordinarily varied.

For the five people who had received special rewards from the Lineage, such as Zhou Zhengkang, there was naturally boundless joy in their hearts, and they were extremely satisfied with these rewards.

Yet amid that joy, Zhou Zhengtao and Zhou Chun, who had not been directly promoted to Core Clansmen, could not help feeling some regret.

Zhou Cheng and Zhou Jiapeng, on the other hand, had been directly promoted to Core Clansmen and should have been overjoyed and satisfied.

But when they thought of the reward granted to Zhou Zhengkang, a junior of the Lineage, much of their happiness was forcibly shaved away.

As for the cultivators who had failed to enter the top ten of their groups, they were now watching the five with eyes full of envy—especially Zhou Zhengkang—and their feelings were incomparably complicated.

Zhou Daoyi saw all of this clearly. He even knew what those Zhou Family cultivators were thinking at that moment.

But since he had made this decision, he would not care what the other clansmen thought.

Resources were limited. Trying to take care of everyone was impossible to begin with.

If they truly envied the resources others had obtained, then they could render service to the Lineage and fight for them themselves!

Thus, he soon waved a hand and said, "Enough. The Lineage's rewards shall be decided thus for now. You have all been tired these past few days, so go back and rest well first."

"Yes, this junior takes his leave."

No matter what they were feeling inside, the Zhou Family cultivators promptly responded in unison, then filed out of Zhongping Hall and departed Pagoda Peak.

Zhou Chun and Zhou Zhengyong both lived on Precious Lingzhi Peak, so they naturally headed back together.

Each harbored his own thoughts along the way, and neither spoke until they arrived outside Zhou Chun's residence.

Only then did Zhou Zhengyong speak with a complicated expression. "I never expected the patriarch to designate Seventh Brother as a Foundation Establishment seed. Once this matter spreads, I fear the elders of the Lineage will be in for quite a lively time!"

Zhou Chun naturally understood what he meant.

There were quite a few elders of the "Jia" generation in the Zhou Family who were now at Layer 12 Qi Refining, as well as quite a number at Level 11 Qi Refining Stage.

These people were on the verge of Foundation Establishment, and they were several decades older than Zhou Zhengkang, yet none of them had become Foundation Establishment seeds of the Lineage or received preferential cultivation through the Lineage's resources.

Now, a junior like Zhou Zhengkang, who was merely at Layer 10 Qi Refining, had received this honor. How could those people possibly accept it so easily?

After all, the Zhou Family was a Cultivation Family bound together by blood. Many of those elders had countless threads of blood kinship tying them to the patriarch and elders, and some were even direct blood descendants of certain elders.

If they stirred up trouble, the Zhou Family would likely face a wave of unrest within its own ranks.

However, Zhou Chun did not wish to discuss the matter further. No matter who became the Lineage's Foundation Establishment seed, it would not be him, so why seek trouble for himself?

He shook his head and said softly, "We should involve ourselves less in the affairs of our elders. Since the patriarch has decided to do this, he naturally has his own considerations."

Hearing this, Zhou Zhengyong's expression shifted. He nodded thoughtfully and said, "True. With the wisdom of the patriarch, how could he fail to think of something even I can think of? He must already have a foolproof plan!"

After saying that, he cupped his hands toward Zhou Chun. "Then I will not disturb Thirteenth Brother's rest. I will head back and get a good night's sleep first."

"Take care, Brother Yong."

Zhou Chun answered. After watching Zhou Zhengyong depart into the distance, he too stepped into the courtyard.