Translator: CinderTL
Inside the main villa, Jiang Ye carefully opened the black-gold treasure chest before him.
Beep! Fingerprint and iris verification successful.
Click!
The black-gold metal lid slowly opened, releasing a plume of white vapor.
Inside the chest were three recessed compartments.
A pale blue soft jade, a translucent metal bottle radiating a strange starlight, and a crystal-clear crimson fruit.
"Genius Cup Champion Reward: 300 million federal currency, one Enlightenment Jade, one Extreme Sea Primordial Liquid, and one Martial Bone Opportunity."
"This must be the Martial Bone Opportunity," Jiang Ye thought, picking up the crimson fruit.
"I don't think I've ever seen this before," he murmured, examining it closely, genuinely surprised.
"That's a Dragon Saliva Fruit," Bai Gui's voice echoed in his mind. "A common resource in the cosmos, used to enhance physique."
"Dragon Saliva Fruit? Enhances physique?" Jiang Ye nodded in understanding.
Without hesitation, he opened his mouth and swallowed the crimson fruit whole.
Glug~ It melted in his mouth.
As soon as he swallowed it,
Whoosh! Jiang Ye felt a surge of invigorating energy rise from his abdomen, shooting straight to the crown of his head and sending a tremor through his entire body.
"So refreshing," he murmured.
"It's somewhat similar to Penglai's Gift," Jiang Ye mused, closing his eyes to savor the sensation. "But the effect is probably weaker."
This didn't surprise him.
Penglai's Gift was only granted once per major realm breakthrough.
This Martial Bone Opportunity, likely a type of Cultivation Spirit Item, was undoubtedly valuable, but it couldn't compare to Penglai's Gift.
After a moment,
Swish! Jiang Ye slowly opened his eyes.
"My life level has increased by nearly ten percent again," he thought to himself. "I'm even closer to the late-second breakthrough stage."
"Moreover, my physique seems to have improved as well."
"It's a subtle, gradual transformation," Jiang Ye noted, sensing the changes within himself.
Since achieving his second breakthrough, his awareness of his own body had become sharper.
Every incremental improvement was now more noticeable.
"The champion's reward this time is truly remarkable."
Jiang Ye turned his gaze back to the treasure chest.
"Enlightenment Jade and Extreme Sea Primordial Liquid?" Jiang Ye picked up the remaining two treasures, pondering aloud, "I already have the Enlightenment Divine Jade, and Teacher Qiu gifted me an Enlightenment Jade before."
He paused, deep in thought.
Whoosh! Jiang Ye rose to his feet, Enlightenment Jade in hand, and strode out the door.
Earth-Tier Zone, Villa 101.
Ding-dong! The doorbell rang.
A moment later...
Swish! The door swung open, revealing a pair of snow-white legs belonging to the figure standing in the doorway.
"Jiang Ye?" Zhao Qingli stared in surprise at the young man before her.
"Class monitor, I have something for you," Jiang Ye said bluntly. "May I come in?"
"Ah? Something for me?" Zhao Qingli didn't hesitate. "Come in."
The girl turned and walked into the villa.
In the villa's grand hall, Jiang Ye produced the Enlightenment Jade with a smile. "This is Enlightenment Jade. It can help you accelerate your cultivation speed."
Zhao Qingli's eyes lit up.
"This must be your championship reward, right?" she exclaimed excitedly. "I've heard of this stuff—it's incredibly rare!"
"Mm-hmm, I have one for myself too," Jiang Ye nodded. "You should take this."
"Okay." Zhao Qingli didn't argue, tucking the blue jade into her pocket.
"You need to keep it in your mouth while cultivating," Jiang Ye reminded her instinctively.
"Of course I know that. Did you think I wouldn't?" Zhao Qingli huffed, her tone haughty.
Jiang Ye shook his head and smiled.
Since their dinner together a few months ago, Jiang Ye and Zhao Qingli's relationship had grown closer. In his presence, she occasionally revealed a hint of her pampered young miss persona.
This was perfectly normal.
Jiang Ye knew that Zhao Qingli's father held a high position within the Zhao Family, while her mother came from an even more extraordinary background, rumored to be a descendant of some transcendent family.
Zhao Qingli had been showered with affection since childhood.
With parents like hers, it was only a matter of time before she achieved her fourth or even fifth breakthrough.
Just recently, Jiang Ye had heard that Zhao Qingli had obtained a "Cultivation Spirit Item" from her parents, which had left him stunned for quite some time.
"Why aren't you surprised that I won the championship?" Jiang Ye asked curiously.
"Of course I'm surprised."
"But considering it's you," Zhao Qingli smiled, "it's not that surprising anymore."
"You have that much faith in me?" Jiang Ye chuckled.
"You've already obtained a Heaven-Tier High-Grade Inheritance," Zhao Qingli said, looking at him. "It would be stranger if you didn't win."
"That's true," Jiang Ye nodded.
"By the way—"
Zhao Qingli suddenly asked, "Will you be free during the Federal Memorial Day?"
"Why?"
"My mother wants to meet you," Zhao Qingli said hesitantly.
"Your mom wants to meet me?" A strange expression crossed Jiang Ye's face.
Meeting the parents already? Isn't this a bit fast?
"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Zhao Qingli quickly pinched him, a faint blush rising on her cheeks. "My mother is the Star Practitioner Executive Officer for the Ancheng Region. She wants to discuss Star Practitioner matters with you."
"Oh, right." Jiang Ye scratched his head and chuckled. "I thought it was a 'meet the parents' thing."
"What 'meet the parents'? Don't talk nonsense!" Zhao Qingli glared at him, adopting the haughty expression of a young lady.
But a hint of nervousness soon flickered in her eyes.
"Anyway, will you be free?"
"Of course," Jiang Ye replied immediately. Even if he were busy, he'd make time for this.
"Good." Zhao Qingli hummed with a smile, the blush on her face fading. "Remember to bring a gift. Don't show up empty-handed."
"A gift?" Jiang Ye blinked. Why does this sound even more like meeting the parents now?
"What does your mother like?" he asked.
"Just get something small," Zhao Qingli said. "It's the thought that counts."
"That won't do. What if you buy something unlucky or something your mom doesn't like?"
"Ugh, why are you worrying about such trivial things?"
"Fine, I'll take you shopping myself then," Zhao Qingli said helplessly. "Just follow my lead."
"You said you'd let me decide what we do for this holiday," Zhao Qingli reminded him, blinking her eyes.
"Alright, this holiday belongs to the class monitor," Jiang Ye grinned. "The class monitor will take me to the mall."
"You..." Zhao Qingli rolled her beautiful eyes at him.
What are you saying? Why does it sound like a couple's date?
The thought brought a faint blush to Zhao Qingli's delicate face.
"Class monitor, why are you always blushing?" Jiang Ye asked, puzzled. "Are you feeling unwell?"
"You—!" Zhao Qingli glared at him. "I need to cultivate now. Go home."
"Alright, I'm off then," Jiang Ye chuckled, stretching lazily as he stood up and headed for the door.
This guy... Zhao Qingli stared in disbelief. I told you to leave, and you're actually leaving?
Just as Jiang Ye reached the doorway, he paused. "Class monitor."
"What?" Zhao Qingli looked at him, puzzled.
"Don't miss me," Jiang Ye grinned before leaping out the door.
"Who's going to miss you?" Zhao Qingli's face flushed crimson as she glared fiercely at his retreating figure.
Back at the villa, Jiang Ye sat cross-legged in the training room.
"For the next few days, I'll focus entirely on refining the spiritual essence within my body," he thought to himself. "I need to seize this opportunity to advance my cultivation realm."
"After the Federal Memorial Day holiday, I might be heading to the Cosmic Void Passage."
"A B-Tier Opportunity—this is a perfect chance for advancement, one I must seize." Jiang Ye planned his next steps. "I'll strive to achieve my third breakthrough as soon as possible, unlocking the fifth layer of the Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder."
The Martial Dao Heavenly Ladder was currently Jiang Ye's most effective method for enhancing his potential.
Of course, competitions also served as a means to improve his innate talent.
"I wonder when the system will finally settle the rewards for the Genius Cup," Jiang Ye mused inwardly.
As of now, there were no new achievement notifications from the system.
This was likely due to the lingering impact of the competition still spreading.
It would probably take a few more days, until the commotion subsided, before the system began processing the rewards.
Buzz!
Just as Jiang Ye was deep in thought, his phone suddenly vibrated.
"Director Chen Kang?" Jiang Ye's expression shifted, immediately realizing what this meant.
Chen Kang was the director of the Star Practitioner Center's Penglai District branch.
Jiang Ye had previously signed an endorsement contract with Chen Kang.
Beep! The call connected.
A holographic projection of a handsome man in black appeared—Chen Kang himself.
"Jiang Ye!" Chen Kang smiled. "Congratulations on winning the Twenty-Five School Alliance Championship! On behalf of the Star Practitioner Center, I extend my sincerest congratulations."
"Good to see you, Director Chen," Jiang Ye replied with a slight smile.
"Jiang Ye, I must apologize," Chen Kang said apologetically. "I underestimated you last time."
"You truly deserve our highest-tier endorsement contract." Chen Kang shook his head with a rueful smile. "As compensation, I'm personally adding an extra thirty million federal currency to the base contract value."
"An additional bonus?" Jiang Ye's expression shifted.
The highest-tier endorsement contract was worth one hundred million federal currency.
Another thirty million? That was an enormous sum.
"This is a personal gesture of apology," Chen Kang explained with a smile. "I hope you won't refuse."
Jiang Ye hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Thank you for your generosity, Director Chen."
There was no reason to refuse.
After all, Chen Kang had already gone this far.
Out of caution, Jiang Ye still inquired whether the arrangement complied with regulations.
After receiving a definitive assurance, Jiang Ye nodded in agreement.
He hung up the call.
Just minutes later, two notifications arrived:
Your account xxxxx5679 has received 100 million federal currency.
Your account xxxxx5679 has received 30 million federal currency.
"It seems even the Star Practitioner Center values the title of champion highly," Jiang Ye murmured, a sudden smile spreading across his face as he read the notifications.
Chen Kang, the Director-General of the Federal Star Practitioner Center's Penglai District, held a position nearly as prestigious as Elder Bai's. Yet his demeanor during the call had been remarkably cordial, even deferential.
Why this drastic shift in attitude?
Undoubtedly, it stemmed from Jiang Ye's demonstrated strength and potential.
Winning the Twenty-Five School Championship had invisibly elevated Jiang Ye's status and influence.
"External circumstances can change in an instant," Jiang Ye mused. "Only one's own strength remains constant, truly belonging to oneself." This realization deepened within him.
He stilled his mind and began refining the spiritual substance within his body.
Time flowed like a river, day after day.
The commotion surrounding the Twenty-Five School Genius Cup gradually subsided.
News about Jiang Ye also faded from public attention, overshadowed by a constant stream of new trending topics.
The Genius Cup's influence was ultimately limited.
Maintaining its buzz for several days was already remarkable.
It couldn't possibly sustain the weeks, months, or even half a year of attention that the Great Stellar War had commanded.
Fortunately, Jiang Ye never cared about such fleeting fame. He continued his cultivation as usual.
Before he knew it, several days had passed.
April 28th.
In the training room, Jiang Ye sat cross-legged, as he always did, diligently refining the spiritual substance within his body.
On the surface, he appeared completely calm.
But if a fourth breakthrough or higher-level expert were to envelop Jiang Ye with their Martial Will Perception, they would be astonished to discover that his life level was steadily ascending toward new heights. Though the progress was slow, it was constant, growing moment by moment.
If the progress from the second breakthrough to the third breakthrough were represented by a 100% progress bar, it would show:
87%
88%
89%
Whoosh!
Jiang Ye's eyes snapped open, and his Martial Dao Aura erupted with sudden force.
This aura clearly surpassed the late-second breakthrough realm, approaching the peak-second breakthrough!
"Finally!"
"After several days of effort," Jiang Ye murmured, "I've fully refined the opportunity I obtained last time, making it entirely my own."
Whoosh!
Jiang Ye's aura receded into his body like a receding tide.
The next moment...
Buzz... buzz!
Stellar River Veins materialized across Jiang Ye's skin.
One, three, six...
In an instant, eleven Star Meridians fully manifested.
He could even see the prototype of a twelfth Star Meridian, though it remained unlit.
"What a pity," Jiang Ye murmured, his voice tinged with regret. "Just one step away from reaching peak-second breakthrough."
Still, he was content.
His journey to the Genius Cup had propelled him from mid-second breakthrough to near peak-second breakthrough—advancing nearly two minor realms!
Such rapid progress in cultivation was truly remarkable.
"With the next cosmic tempering, I should be able to break through to peak-second breakthrough," Jiang Ye speculated inwardly.
As he pondered, a notification suddenly appeared before him:
[You have achieved a new achievement: Securing first place in the Sect Grand Tournament, your strength has been recognized by tens of millions.]
[Unlocked title: Renowned Throughout the World]
[Reward: Talent Reconstruction]
Lines of text quietly materialized before Jiang Ye.
"It's here!" Jiang Ye's eyes lit up.
Several days had passed, the commotion had subsided, and the system's new achievement had finally arrived as promised.
Jiang Ye waited patiently.
A moment later, the system's text reappeared.
[Ten million people have extracted World Power.]
[Talent Reconstruction!]
(End of the Chapter)
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