King of Creation
Chapter 169 - 167: Rewards of the Sect Grand Competition

Chapter 169: Chapter 167: Rewards of the Sect Grand Competition

"The rankings of this Sect Competition are as follows, the first place is held by the undefeated record-holder of the entire Sect Competition, Ye Zhen, who won all nine battles in the ranking competition, placing first with eighteen points!"

When Elder Zhong announced Ye Zhen’s first-place victory, the applause thundered throughout the venue.

Following Elder Zhong’s voice, the glow of the Heavenly List atop the Heaven and Earth Cliff shifted dramatically. Ye Zhen, who originally occupied the tenth spot, ascended directly to the top of the list, while the former number one, Qu Zhanqian, moved down to second place.

After the applause gradually subsided, Elder Zhong continued to announce the rankings.

"Second place, Qu Zhanqian, who won eight out of nine battles in the ranking competition, earned sixteen points and placed second!"

In contrast to the applause for Ye Zhen, the announcement of Qu Zhanqian’s ranking was met with no clapping but countless sighs of regret.

Qu Zhanqian, with his Spirit Transformation Realm cultivation, already drew numerous criticisms for participating in the Sect Competition, and after being severely injured by Ye Zhen in the final battle, his prospects became uncertain, causing his popularity to plummet to rock bottom.

It seems that from now on, the title of ’Senior Brother Qu’ among the Inner and Outer Sect Disciples will disappear forever, and the new Senior Brother will be Ye Zhen!

"Third place, Gao Xinglie, who won seven out of nine battles in the ranking competition, accumulating fourteen points!"

There was applause, although somewhat sparse; after all, Ye Zhen had completely overshadowed everyone in this Sect Competition.

"Fourth place, Han Shi, who won six out of nine battles in the ranking competition, earning twelve points!"

Han Shi should be considered another dark horse of this ranking competition; surprisingly, he defeated the widely famed Changsun Ran.

The announcement left Han Shi jubilant, while Changsun Ran’s face turned dark.

The gap between reality and expectations was too great. Changsun Ran originally thought to secure the third spot, or at least vie for second, but unexpectedly, he fell to the fifth place.

"Fifth place, Changsun Ran, who won five out of nine battles in the ranking competition, accumulating ten points. Sixth place, Ren Xihua, who won four out of nine battles, earning eight points.

Seventh place, Wu Ge, who won three out of nine battles, accumulating six points. Eighth place, Yue Hui, who won two out of nine battles, earning four points. Ninth place, Cao Luo, who won one out of nine battles, earning two points. Tenth place, Meng Xiaoyue, with nine battles and no wins, accumulating zero points!"

As Elder Zhong’s words concluded, the Heavenly List shone brightly, and the rankings of the top ten underwent a dramatic transformation.

"Next, the awards will be given!"

Upon hearing this, the ears of many disciples perked up; while the rewards were not for them, their curiosity was undiminished.

"Seventh to tenth places will each receive one hundred Low Grade Spirit Crystals and one Lower-grade Earth Level Demon Spirit Essence Elixir! Fourth to sixth places will each receive three hundred Low Grade Spirit Crystals and one Lower-grade Earth Level Demon Spirit Essence Elixir!

The second and third places will each receive five hundred Low Grade Spirit Crystals and one Lower-grade Earth Level Demon Spirit Essence Elixir!"

At this point, Elder Zhong’s voice paused momentarily before continuing, "First place will be awarded one thousand Low Grade Spirit Crystals, one Mid-grade Earth Level Demon Spirit Essence Elixir, and one Lower-grade Earth Level Secret Manual!"

Wow!

A buzz of discussion broke out instantly, and Ye Zhen narrowed his eyes, chuckling to himself.

The first prize awarded by the Sect was indeed astonishing, almost amounting to half of Ye Zhen’s current wealth.

One thousand Low Grade Spirit Crystals was unquestionably valuable.

Ye Zhen had broken through to the Late-stage Spirit Summoning Realm three months ago, and initially, he would consume eight Low Grade Spirit Crystals per day. As his cultivation reached the middle late phases of the Spirit Summoning Realm and after cultivating the Fifth Transition Nourishing Essence Skill, his daily consumption of Low Grade Spirit Crystals doubled.

Within three months, Ye Zhen’s cultivation had soared to the Late-stage Spirit Summoning Realm, thanks to a comprehensive effort involving pills, Spirit Crystals, and Demon Cores, among others.

In just under three months, Ye Zhen had consumed twelve hundred Low Grade Spirit Crystals, reducing his reserve to two thousand.

Now with the reward of one thousand Low Grade Spirit Crystals, plus his existing stock, Ye Zhen wouldn’t have to worry about the Spirit Crystals needed for cultivation for at least half a year.

The Mid-grade Earth Level Demon Spirit Essence Elixir’s value goes without saying; at the Black Water Pill King’s, just the crafting fee for a Mid-grade Earth Level Demon Spirit Essence Elixir required two hundred Low Grade Spirit Crystals, not to mention the value of the Demon Core itself.

Ye Zhen, who had obtained the status of a Quasi True Inheritor early on, was not too keen on the Lower-grade Earth Level Secret Manual.

However, even in the Qiyun Sect, a Lower-grade Earth Level Secret Manual would require one hundred thousand Sect Contribution Points, valued at one million Silver, another substantial fortune.

While Ye Zhen grinned from ear to ear, True Disciples such as Luv Xin, Mei Yuanju, and Wuw Mingda unconsciously smacked their lips, looking enviously at the rewards.

Qu Zhanqian, on the brink of becoming a True Disciple with his impending Spirit Transformation, had entered the Sect Competition to settle scores with Ye Zhen and for the reward as well.

Low Grade Spirit Crystals are precious, and even for a True Disciple, under normal circumstances, only five Low Grade Spirit Crystals can be received from the Sect per month, making a total of only sixty a year.

Now, in one go, Ye Zhen had won one thousand.

It is said that the reason for such high rewards for this Sect Competition, apart from coinciding with the five-year period, is largely due to the Fifth Elder, Hong Banjiang, who pushed through the decision to double the first-place prize against opposition.

Originally, Hong Banjiang had planned this for his disciple, Qu Zhanqian, but in the end, it was Ye Zhen who benefited.

While everyone was green with envy over the reward, Elder Zhong’s voice didn’t stop.

"Additionally, as this is the quintennial event, in one month’s time, Ye Zhen, the Sect’s first-place holder, will represent the Qiyun Sect at the Five Countries Conference!"

"The Five Countries Conference?"

"What’s the Five Countries Conference?"

"In the Black Dragon Domain, aren’t there only four countries? Where did the fifth come from?"

For a time, the place was abuzz with conversation, and Ye Zhen was also filled with curiosity.

However, among the guests, the family heads of the major clans and the sect masters of the smaller sects nodded when they heard the announcement, and the looks they gave Ye Zhen also brimmed with eagerness.

"It seems that only those with a certain level of cultivation and status are privy to such unusual and secret news."

There and then, Ye Zhen wasn’t in a hurry, since the sect had already decided to let him represent Qiyun Sect at the Five Countries Conference, so naturally, they would let Ye Zhen know in due course.

While Ye Zhen remained calm, the disciples who had been arguing with Golden Yuanbao and even made bets were not so composed.

Just now, their attention was entirely caught by the awards being presented on stage, and they hadn’t taken notice, but now, seeing each storage ring piled in front of Golden Yuanbao, their hearts felt like they were plummeting into an abyss, sinking endlessly down.

Within those storage rings was their entire wealth.

At the time of Ye Zhen’s decisive battle with Qu Zhanqian, driven by Golden Yuanbao’s stubbornness, they bet all their wealth on Ye Zhen. In the heat of the moment, they wagered all they had.

Apart from the clash of pride, most of them wanted to take this opportunity to fiercely trap Golden Yuanbao because Golden Yuanbao’s wealth was substantial, and at that time, there was no chance for Qu Zhanqian to lose. But now, they had trapped themselves.

If this got out, their efforts for half a year, even a year, would have been in vain.

In the cultivation of martial arts, resources are of utmost importance. This loss would be a colossal setback, and the time they would fall behind would be far more than just half a year.

"Ha ha, see, didn’t I say so? Ye Zhen won!"

"Ye Zhen was bound to win, you guys didn’t believe it, now you’re shocked, aren’t you!"

Watching Ye Zhen stand on the awards platform, Golden Yuanbao laughed heartily, even more joyful than if he had won first place himself.

Amid his laughter, Golden Yuanbao grabbed nearly a hundred storage rings from the little table in front of him, all belonging to wealthy Inner Sect Disciples; the treasures inside were definitely not few.

Seeing Golden Yuanbao’s demeanor, the nearly a hundred Inner Sect Disciples who had bet all their wealth had their eyes turn red instantly.

That was their entire fortune.

If possible, they even wanted to recklessly snatch it back.

But, Golden Yuanbao’s good brother Ye Zhen had just won the sect’s grand competition’s first place and was still on the Martial Combat Platform, so even if they wanted to snatch it back, they didn’t have the guts.

For a time, nearly a hundred Inner Sect Disciples’ eyes bulged like rabbits, and their teeth clenched so tightly they could crack, but all they could do was watch helplessly as Golden Yuanbao took all their wealth in his hand!

"How does it feel, does it hurt, really hurt?"

"Ha ha, it should hurt!"

While the many Inner Sect Disciples were burning with rage due to Golden Yuanbao’s smug look, he tossed his hand, and nearly a hundred storage rings were scattered.

"Here, take them back!"

"I didn’t bet with you to win your wealth; it was just to prove that my brother would definitely make it!"

Amidst his roaring laughter, Golden Yuanbao walked away with his hands behind his back, laughing up to the sky. As he was leaving, he didn’t forget to wave to Ye Zhen, "Old Ye, let’s drink together tonight!"

Hearing the nickname ’Old Ye,’ Elder Zhong, still on the stage, was momentarily speechless. At such a young age, they were already calling each other Old Ye, Old Jin...

The Inner Sect Disciples who snatched back their storage rings, however, were stunned.

...

The Qiyun Sect’s grand competition that tugged at countless hearts thus concluded, and the hustle and bustle of Qiyun Sect’s three hundred peaks inside and out quieted down once again. The only change was that the Inner and Outer Disciples now had even more to talk about during their leisure time.

After the grand competition ended, with the departure of the family heads, sect masters, and the nobility of the Black Water Kingdom who had come to watch, the name Ye Zhen spread throughout the martial artist community of the Black Water Kingdom in just a few days.

Especially the heads of the major and minor families, who repeatedly warned their own disciples that when traveling through Jianghu, they must never offend Ye Zhen. If they encountered Ye Zhen, they had to treat him with due respect, and if there was an opportunity to make friends, they must not let it slip by.

In no time at all, Ye Zhen’s reputation spread inside and outside the Black Water Kingdom, his name known far and wide!

All of this, Ye Zhen, who was still at Qiyun Sect, did not know.

On this day, Steward Hee Miao from Chaotic Cloud Peak suddenly stepped onto Fairy Peak. Guided by the maids of Fairy Peak, he came to the Silent Chamber where Ye Zhen cultivated.

"Senior Brother Ye, you have a family letter. I’ve specially brought it to you."

"A family letter, let me see it quickly!"

Ye Zhen exclaimed with great joy! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, please visit qidian.com to vote for it with a recommendation ticket or monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please read at m.qidian.com.)