Collecting the Rewards (August's Outstanding Chapters Are All Paid Off!)

Because of Kuang Liuting's words, Sect Leader Kang Da stayed in Xuanwei City for a few more days. During this time Sima Fei also brought a physician to treat his injuries and administer medicine.

Only after ten days had passed did a close attendant present him with eight characters personally written by Kuang Liuting as a reward.

"Possesses some talent and is courageous and self-motivated."

Objectively speaking, these eight words are not exactly a compliment; at best, they can only be described as neither praise nor criticism.

Fortunately, Kang Dabao didn't care about these things at all. Lord Kuang Liuting was a respectable man, and he certainly wouldn't just give Sect Leader Kang Da these inedible and useless things.

On this very day, the day the eight characters of the Earl of Nan'an were written, Sima Fei appeared before Sect Leader Kang Da for the first time since his last court hearing.

Holding a long imperial edict, he spoke eloquently in classical Chinese prose, finally reciting the details of the bestowals and rewards that Kang Dabao was most interested in:

"One Foundation Establishment Pill, one of each of the Five Elements Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects, three bottles of Clear Eyes Treasured Liquid; one Second Tier Spirit Artifact, ten First Tier Law Artifact; ten Hong Grade Cultivation Method with detailed explanations and annotations, which can be cultivated to the Golden Core realm. Also, ten thousand Spirit Stone, and First Tier spirit mine within Pingrong County."

Fei Nanying sighed as he looked at Kang Dabao, who seemed somewhat stunned. He rolled up the imperial edict and handed it to the latter, then continued, "The Lord instructed that you should choose a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill. Ordinary Foundation Establishment Pill only increase the probability by about 30%, while high-grade ones can reach 40%."

The Five Elements Foundation Establishment Spiritual Objects are specially selected for your family, such as the Six Harmonies True Yang Jujube. You can choose any low-grade Second Tier Spirit Artifact, and there are no restrictions on Law Artifact. The Marquis of Zhou personally selected ten good Hong Grade Cultivation Method for your family. If you want to change them after you have looked at them, you can do so.

"I'll exchange all 10,000 Spirit Stone for mid-grade spirit Spirit Stone. You can choose any spirit mine in Pingrong County. If it's already taken, just have them move it somewhere else."

After saying this, Sima Fei gave Sect Leader Kang Da a meaningful look and said softly, "You should know what this means, right?"

"Your Excellency's kindness is profound, and I will forever remember it," Kang Dabao immediately bowed and said respectfully.

"Alright, I'll take that as you understand." Sima Fei shook his head, saying nothing more, then added, "Later, Tie Xishui will take you to the state treasury to retrieve these items. He's been appointed as the Treasury Keeper by the Earl, and I've heard you two had some past acquaintance, so don't be distant."

"Yes," Kang Dabao replied earnestly. Sima Fei opened his mouth, as if he wanted to say something, but the words got stuck in his throat and he held them back.

"Ahem," Sima Fei coughed lightly before speaking again, "Luo Heng is dead. The Earl prefers you to be the Pingrong County, and you will be in charge of the county and Double Brightness Trade Market. The appointment will be issued soon. If Deng Baichuan doesn't get along with you, you should talk to Gun Shilu and have him transferred back to another post."

"Yes, I understand." Kang Dabao knew he had no right to refuse, so he simply bowed his head in agreement.

"Sigh, be careful on your way back. If anything happens, you can have Shuhe send a message." After saying this, Sima Fei did not wait for Kang Dabao's reaction and rode on his auspicious cloud Law Artifact towards the Sima Office.

When Kang Dabao heard Sima Fei talk about Fei Shuhe, he remembered the scene a while ago when Fei Shuhe brought Nanny Sun to visit him.

Sect Leader Kang Da of the state court, knew many people, but apart from his sworn brother Qin Sufu, the only person who came to see him during this period was his legal wife Fei Shuhe.

As always, the couple were at a loss, sitting awkwardly for half an hour with a two-foot gap between them, unable to utter a single complete sentence.

After Sima Fei left, Tie Xishui arrived quickly. He greeted Kang Dabao with a smile, cupping his hands and saying, "Congratulations, my worthy brother! You've received another commendation from the Earl, your name is now known throughout the prefecture!"

"Senior is too kind. I have heard that you have been promoted to the position of Director of the Treasury and have gained the trust of the Earl. It is I who should be congratulating you," said Sect Leader Kang Da immediately.

"Let's not flatter each other, we're brothers. Come, let's go to the treasury first," Tie Xishui said with a faint smile, leading Kang Dabao to the state treasury.

"Acting Sima Gun has returned from suppressing the rebellion, the treasury is a little messy. If you have trouble finding anything suitable, just tell me. All the First Tier items are here, and the Second Tier items are on the second floor. Keep this token safe, show it to the Silver Puppet guarding the stairs, and you can go up."

But my dear brother, you must remember that once you go up to the second floor, you only have three hours to choose between Spirit Artifact and Hong Grade Cultivation Method. If you exceed the time limit, the puppet will have to choose randomly for you.

All the spiritual items are labeled on the shelf; you can view them in detail by pouring spiritual energy into the red wooden plaque underneath. Once you've chosen yours, come find me.

"The Foundation Establishment Pill, the Five Elements Foundation Establishment Spiritual Object, and the Clear Eyes Treasured Liquid— the Lord has already instructed someone to carefully select and store these three items with me. You can take them with you when you leave the storehouse."

Kang Dabao expressed his gratitude and thanked Tie Xishui, who then clasped his hands in a fist salute and left.

It is said that the state government has not yet been able to count how many families in Cloud Horn Prefecture have been incited to rebel by the Two Instruments Sect, but just by looking at the full shelves of magical Law Artifact, Sect Leader Kang Da knows that there must be quite a few.

You must understand, this is the state treasury; how could ordinary Law Artifact possibly get in?

The shelves are mostly filled with First-Tier Supreme-Grade Law Artifact. The few First-Tier Superior-Grade Law Artifact that are there are also outstanding works of the same grade, which is why they are fortunate enough to be listed here.

The first floor certainly has more than just Law Artifact; it also has everything from Desolate Tier Cultivation Method, Heavenly Thunder Seed, puppets, array plates, pills, and spirit beasts.

However, the decree from the Marquis of Earl of Nan'an only bestowed Law Artifact upon Sect Leader Kang Da; he could only look on with envy at the other good things.

The various Law Artifact almost dazzled Sect Leader Kang Da. There were at least a thousand Law Artifact in total, and each one had a detailed explanation written in a thousand words by a newly qualified Law Artifact refiner. So, it didn't take Kang Dabao much effort to choose.

However, he was still thinking about things at home and was eager to return. After quickly looking at a few items, he found that they were all of excellent quality, so he simply picked up four offensive magic Law Artifact, four defensive Law Artifact, and two top-quality magic Law Artifact to assist in cultivation.

Just as he was about to leave the first floor, Kang Dabao spotted an object on a shelf displaying spiritual items and immediately exclaimed in surprise.

"Jade pendant, so there's one here too!"

After obtaining the two jade pendants, Sect Leader Kang Da made great progress in his study of the Dao and his understanding of the Dao. He thought he had collected all the jade pendants, but he did not expect that there was still one here.

Suppressing his excitement, Kang Dabao walked to the shelf and examined the detailed explanation on the wooden plaque beneath it.

The description of this jade pendant is quite different from other Law Artifact and spiritual objects. Even the appraisers of the state court could not find out the wonderful uses of this jade pendant, and dismissed it with only eight words: "The material is extraordinary, but the function is unknown".

If he could exchange them, Kang Dabao would definitely take out the Spirit Artifact and Law Artifact that had been promised to him to exchange for this jade pendant without hesitation.

However, Kuang Liuting did not give Sect Leader Kang Da the opportunity to choose a spiritual item this time, so no matter how much he coveted it, he had to give up.

Just two jade pendants were enough to provide him with such great help in his cultivation; if he could collect another one, then...

The Sect Leader Kang Da, began to daydream, and even his initial excitement about going upstairs to select Spirit Artifact and Cultivation Method faded considerably.

Sect Leader Kang Da pondered when he could come again. He walked to the end of the first floor, lit up his token, and the four or five-zhang-tall silver puppet's stone eyes lit up. Then it moved aside, revealing the wooden ladder behind it.

Kang Dabao went up the wooden stairs to the second floor. Perhaps because the Foundation Establishment forces that had been wiped out by Acting Sima Gun could not find many high-quality Second Tier items, the second floor was much more spacious than the first floor, which was the same size.

The shelves of Spirit Artifact were not only much emptier, but their quality had also declined.

However, this is not bad. You should know that even a major sect like Zi Maple Valley, which Foundation Establishment for many years, has its sect leader Shen Ang treating that low-grade Spirit Artifact flying sword as a treasure of the sect.

The Chongming Sect doesn't even have a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator right now, yet Kang Dabao is able to take a Spirit Artifact back with him.

Such treatment alone would be enough to make most of the forces in Cloud Horn Prefecture envious.

As for which Spirit Artifact to choose, Kang Dabao had an idea as soon as he went upstairs.

He cultivated the Vast-Tier Lower-Grade Cultivation Method "Azure Wood Treasured Light Guide," and his spiritual power was already much more abundant than that of others of the same level. Later, he also comprehended the "Long Breath Art" with the help of the jade pendant.

Although he felt his cultivation level was not high, his spiritual energy was so abundant that it could be compared with those at the Peak Qi Refinement, or even those newly promoted to Foundation Establishment with weaker Cultivation Method.

Once Sect Leader Kang Da has finished refining these three bottles of Clear Eyes Treasured Liquid, the Delusion-Breaking Golden Eyes will be able to reach another level.

If his cultivation level were to rise to the Peak Qi Refinement Refining, Kang Dabao's strength would be quite terrifying among Qi Refinement cultivators, at least enough to rival Tie Xishui, who wielded Spirit Artifact back then.

In this way, when it comes to magical combat, Sect Leader Kang Da appears to be more offensive than defensive.

Although the beast-shaped cauldron was of a high grade, it had already been refined into a natal magic Law Artifact and could not unleash its full power.

Therefore, the first choice for Sect Leader Kang Da should be a defensive Spirit Artifact, followed by a Spirit Artifact that combines offense and defense. If there is still no suitable one, then he can choose an offensive Spirit Artifact.

However, the quality of this Spirit Artifact cannot be too high; it can only be a mid-to-low grade of the Second Tier at most.

If a high-grade Spirit Artifact were chosen, the spiritual power of Sect Leader Kang Da, which was considered quite abundant among Qi Refinement cultivators, would probably be completely drained in one fell swoop.

After much deliberation, Sect Leader Kang Da selected a large black banner at first glance. This item was called the "Ink Abyss Flag," Second-Tier Middle-Grade Spirit Artifact.

The flag is made from the hide of Second-Tier Upper-Grade spirit beast, the Mountain-Tusked Boar, while the flagpole is forged from two Second-Tier Middle-Grade spirit ores, Wind-Cold Iron and Glazed Steel, and is covered with eleven layers of secret spirit patterns.

This Ink Abyss Flag is both offensive and defensive, and its power is considerable.

The flagpole top had been soaked in the venom glands of Third-Tier Lower-Grade Cloud Python for several years by the weapon maker, and it still retains the effect of poison attack.

Kang Dabao was quite satisfied. His fighting methods were originally limited, but now that he had chosen the Ink Abyss Flag, it had many uses, which suited his needs perfectly.

After selecting his Spirit Artifact, Sect Leader Kang Da moved to the Cultivation Method area, where the Cultivation Method chosen for him by Kuang Liuting were already neatly arranged.

After examining them one by one, Sect Leader Kang Da took them all away.

This Earl's discerning eye is probably unmatched by anyone in the entire Cloud Horn Prefecture. The Cultivation Method he carefully selected are so flawed that Kang Dabao, a mere novice, could hardly spot any mistakes.

Sect Leader Kang Da was truly worried about his small, dilapidated sect, so even though there was still time and this place was so difficult to enter, Kang Dabao had no intention of lingering.

He hurriedly went down to the second floor, only glancing back at the jade pendant as he passed by, before taking the chosen spiritual item to Tie Xishui to register it.

Tie Xishui was having a pleasant conversation with a tall and burly cultivator when the latter saw Kang Dabao come out and stopped talking to greet him.

"Sect Leader Kang, how have you been?"

"Lord Xu, your charm remains undiminished."

When Xu Yingshi met Kang Dabao this time, he did not show any resentment. He simply greeted the latter calmly, took the token that Kang Dabao had returned from Tie Xishui, and went into the state treasury.

"Magistrate Xu has rendered meritorious service in breaking the formation this time, leading nearly a hundred cultivators from Jin County to besiege and kill a seriously injured Foundation Establishment from Auspicious Brocade Gate Sect. True Cultivator, the Earl has also granted him the privilege of selecting spiritual items from the treasury. Of course, the quantity and quality cannot compare to those of my worthy brother."

After Xu Yingshi left, Tie Xishui explained to Kang Dabao.

Sect Leader Kang Da knew that Xu Yingshi must have been unhappy when he was driven out of Double Brightness Trade Market by the Acting Sima Gun and sent to Jin County, the poorest county in the world, to become the county magistrate.

Although Kang Dabao himself did not intervene in this matter, after Xu Yingshi left, the benefits of the patrol team were truly reaped by Sect Leader Kang Da.

Based on what Sect Leader Kang Da knew about Xu Yingshi in the past, he was not exactly magnanimous and had probably already taken his anger out on him and held a grudge against him.

However, people always change. After being shaped over the years, Xu Yingshi no longer had the straightforward personality he once had.

Even if he were to meet Sect Leader Kang Da face to face today, he could still manage a Xu Yingshi, something unimaginable in the past.

He was, after all, born into a prominent family, though from a collateral branch. He always considered himself superior to others and would never have bothered to feign politeness with a bumpkin like Sect Leader Kang Da.

Seemingly noticing the hint of apprehension in Sect Leader Kang Da's eyes, Tie Xishui spoke up again, reminding him, "I heard that the Earl will soon recall him for his service and transfer him back to the state court."

Among the items the Earl bestowed upon him this time was a Foundation Establishment spiritual artifact suitable for his use. Judging from your foolish observation, Magistrate Xu's foundation is quite solid; the probability of success is probably not low. My dear brother, you must be careful."

"Senior, you flatter me. I served in the same court as Magistrate Xu and we have always been close." Sect Leader Kang Da now speaks ill-intentioned words without any restraint.

Tie Xishui simply smiled and remained silent after hearing this. He carefully packed all of Sect Leader Kang Da's belongings into a spirit box and presented it to him. At this moment, a squad of state court guards were already lined up at the door.

This detachment of elite troops was sent by Sima Fei. With so many good things obtained by the Sect Leader Kang Da, it's hard to guarantee that some desperate Foundation Establishment won't try anything funny.

If no one is sent to escort them, it's a minor concern that Kang Dabao's life and the spirit item might be in danger, but a major concern is that it would also embarrass the Marquis of Earl of Nan'an.

The Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, was clad in bright armor and exuded an imposing aura. Kang Dabao had never seen him before, so he only gave him a cautious greeting.

The Foundation Establishment leading the group made no attempt to exchange pleasantries with Sect Leader Kang Da. After a brief exchange of names and a bow from Sect Leader Kang Da, the group boarded a Second Tier spirit boat adorned with dragon-shaped patterns and headed towards the Chongming Sect.

As Kang Dabao watched the treasury and pavilion behind him gradually fade into the distance, he felt incredibly relieved.

"We're back, finally back." There's no place like home.

Thanks to Momo and Shanbianyezhai for their Extended Net Moon.

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