Rich Rewards

The awards ceremony mainly honored the top three contestants in the Elite Group and the top three in the Youth Group, since those rewards were fixed.

As for rewards for contestants like Zhou Chun, who placed fourth through tenth, they could later choose different rewards according to their own preferences.

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

Take Zhou Zhengkang of the Zhou Family, for example. As the first-place winner of the Youth Group, he received a First-grade High-tier magic tool—the Silver Mist Shield—three bottles of Jade Ginseng Pills that could improve his cultivation and magical power, one Second Rank talisman, and five hundred Spirit Coins.

If these rewards were calculated in Spirit Coins, their total would be close to two thousand. Even ordinary Foundation Establishment cultivators would turn green with envy at the sight of them.

As for the cultivator who took first place in the Elite Group, his reward was even more astonishing: a Foundation Establishment Pill capable of increasing the success rate of Foundation Establishment by thirty percent!

"The Five Great Families are truly willing to spend! They can even bring out such a precious treasure as a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward for a Daoist martial arts competition. What staggering generosity!"

In the audience stands, a Foundation Establishment cultivator who had come to witness the ceremony saw the awards being presented onstage and immediately sighed with deep emotion.

The moment he said this, he also prompted several other Foundation Establishment cultivators who had come to watch the ceremony to voice their opinions.

"Isn't that the truth? That's a Foundation Establishment Pill we're talking about! A single one is worth several thousand Spirit Coins, and most of the time, you can't even buy one when you have the money!"

"Ah, back then, I also wanted to buy a Foundation Establishment Pill. Unfortunately, after scraping together every last bit of money for over a decade, I had gathered less than a thousand Spirit Coins. In the end, I could only risk a narrow escape from death and forcefully attempt Foundation Establishment. Fortunately, my luck was good, and I managed to succeed by sheer chance!"

"Buying a Foundation Establishment Pill on your own is far too unrealistic. Without the support of a family or sect, even if a Qi Refining cultivator became a bandit cultivator and robbed people, there'd be no way to earn several thousand Spirit Coins!"

"So I truly envy these younger members of the Five Great Families. They don't need to venture outside and fight Demonic Beasts to the death, nor do they need to match wits with bandit cultivators. They have a chance to obtain a Foundation Establishment Pill through a Daoist martial arts competition like this. What extraordinary fortune!"

One Foundation Establishment cultivator after another recalled the bitter experiences they had endured before Foundation Establishment, and at that moment, all of them were filled with envy toward the lucky ones who had obtained Foundation Establishment Pills onstage.

Even though they could no longer use Foundation Establishment Pills, that still did not stop them from feeling envious of cultivators who possessed such precious pills.

Of course, whether they had any other thoughts besides envy was something only they themselves knew.

At this time, after the awards had been presented, the patriarchs of the Five Great Cultivation Families once again thanked all the cultivators who had come to witness the ceremony before announcing that the Daoist martial arts competition had officially ended.

Then, the cultivators who, like Zhou Chun, had placed in the top ten of their respective groups were all summoned together to choose their rewards from a list.

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

Zhou Chun had decided long ago what he wanted to choose as his reward.

Thus, he merely swept his eyes over the list before immediately taking the initiative and selecting two bottles of Jade Ginseng Pills.

The Jade Ginseng Pill was a specialty pill of the Wang Family of Red Medicine Valley. It was said to be refined primarily from Yellow Jade Ginseng that had grown for over a century. Its medicinal nature was gentle and easy to refine, while its medicinal power was considerably stronger than the Zhou Family's Spring Sun Pill.

Normally, the Wang Family rarely sold pills like this. They either supplied them for their clansmen to exchange for, or used them to trade for specialty spiritual items from other families and sects.

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

After everyone had finished choosing their rewards, the cultivators from the Zhou Family and the other three Cultivation Families left Red Medicine Valley under the Wang Family cultivators' escort.

When they departed, Zhou Daoyi's Azure Cloud Python undoubtedly brought the Zhou Family another tremendous surge of prestige.

At the time, as they watched the Zhou Family members ride the python into the sky and leave in such carefree fashion, every cultivator from the various families was left staring blankly, their eyes filled with envy and longing.

Although they had already heard some Zhou Family cultivators speak of this beforehand, witnessing it with their own eyes still left them unable to conceal their shock and envy.

Only the various Foundation Establishment cultivators, who had seen much of the world, were able to maintain their composure without losing face too badly.

After riding the Azure Cloud Python through the sky for another hour or so, Zhou Chun and the others returned safely to the Zhou Family of Nine Peaks Ridge.

"Your performances in this Daoist martial arts competition among the Five Great Families were all excellent, and the results you achieved have satisfied both me and the family."

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

"And Jiacheng, Jiapeng, Zhengtao, and Zheng Chun—all four of you successfully entered the top ten of your respective groups, winning honor for our Zhou Family. You also deserve generous rewards!"

"As for the other clansmen who failed to qualify, although you did not enter the top ten, you still performed commendably. You all have merits and hardships to your credit."

Inside Zhongping Hall on Pagoda Peak, Patriarch Zhou Daoyi looked at the twenty Zhou Family Qi Refining cultivators in the hall, his face full of gratification and delight as he delivered his concluding speech on the Daoist martial arts competition.

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

Those who had failed to enter the top ten had been feeling uneasy, worried that the patriarch would reprimand them.

They had never expected praise instead.

This outcome, completely contrary to their fears, filled them with immense pleasant surprise. The disappointment and dejection caused by their failure to qualify vanished in an instant.

At this moment, Patriarch Zhou Daoyi gazed at the gathered clansmen and pondered for a while before solemnly announcing his rewards for them.

"I have been entrusted by the Grand Elder and all our clansmen with the position of Zhou Family Patriarch. When it comes to rewarding merit and punishing wrongdoing among our clansmen, I have always upheld the principle that merit must be rewarded and offenses must be punished."

"Zhengkang took first place in the Youth Group this time and rendered tremendous service. Simply promoting him to Core Clansman would no longer be enough to reward his merit. Therefore, I will discuss this with the other elders and report it to the Grand Elder, so that he may be cultivated as the family's Foundation Establishment seed. In the future, he will have the right to receive priority when using Foundation Establishment Pills and other Foundation Establishment spiritual items!"

"Jiacheng and Jiapeng have repeatedly rendered service to the family in the past, and this time they once again brought fame and honor to the family. With their accumulated merit, they will also be promoted to Core Clansmen."

"Zhengtao and Zheng Chun are both young, but their contributions in bringing fame and honor to the family cannot go unrewarded. For now, each of them will be rewarded with one opportunity to choose a secret art to cultivate. If they render further service in the future, they can accumulate enough merit to be promoted to Core Clansmen!"

"As for everyone else, based on your performances, you will all receive corresponding amounts of family Merit Points!"

A commotion erupted!!!

As soon as Zhou Daoyi finished speaking about the family's rewards, the expressions of the Zhou Family cultivators in the hall became extraordinarily vivid.

The five people who had received special rewards from the family, such as Zhou Zhengkang, were naturally overjoyed and extremely satisfied with their rewards.

Yet even amid their happiness, Zhou Zhengtao and Zhou Chun, who had not been directly promoted to Core Clansmen, could not help feeling somewhat disappointed.

As for Zhou Cheng and Zhou Jiapeng, who had been directly promoted to Core Clansmen, they should have been extremely happy and satisfied.

But the moment they thought of the reward given to the younger generation member Zhou Zhengkang, much of the joy in their hearts was forcibly cut away.

As for those cultivators who had failed to enter the top ten of their respective groups, they now watched the five with eyes full of envy, especially Zhou Zhengkang, their feelings extraordinarily complicated.

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

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

Resources were limited. It was impossible to take care of everyone.

If they truly envied the resources others had received, then they could render service to the family and strive for them themselves!

Thus, he soon waved his hand and said, "All right, the family's rewards will be settled for now. You've all been tired these past few days, so go back and get a good rest!"

"Yes, this junior takes his leave."

Regardless of what they were feeling at that moment, the Zhou Family cultivators quickly answered in unison before withdrawing from Zhongping Hall and leaving Pagoda Peak.

Zhou Chun and Brother Yong both lived on Precious Lingzhi Peak, so naturally, they headed back together along the same route.

The two of them each carried their own thoughts along the way and did not exchange a word until they reached the area outside Zhou Chun's residence.

Only then did Brother Yong speak with a complicated expression. "I never imagined the patriarch would designate Seventh Brother as a Foundation Establishment seed. Once word spreads, I'm afraid those family elders are going to make quite a scene!"

Zhou Chun naturally understood what he meant.

There were quite a few elders of the "Jia" generation in the Zhou Family who had reached Layer 12 Qi Refining, and there were also several who had reached Level 11 Qi Refining.

These people were on the verge of Foundation Establishment and were also decades older than Zhou Zhengkang. Yet none of them had become the family's Foundation Establishment seed or received the family's preferential allocation of resources for cultivation.

Now, Zhou Zhengkang—a junior with only Level 10 Qi Refining cultivation—had received this honor. How could those people submit so easily?

The Zhou Family was, after all, a Cultivation Family bound together by bloodline ties. Many of those elders had intricate blood relations with the patriarch and elders; some were even close-bloodline descendants of particular elders.

If they stirred up trouble, the Zhou Family's internal affairs were likely to be thrown into turmoil.

Zhou Chun, however, did not want to discuss the matter further. Whoever became the family's Foundation Establishment seed, it would never be his turn, so why trouble himself for nothing?

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

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

After saying this, he cupped his hands toward Zhou Chun and said, "Then I won't disturb your rest, Thirteenth Brother. I'll head back and get a good night's sleep."

"Take care, Brother Yong."

Zhou Chun replied, and after watching Zhou Zhengyong disappear into the distance, he also stepped into the courtyard.