Chapter 95: Yin Spirits

“This time, we’ve reaped a great harvest.”

Liu Tiezhu’s face remained extremely pale.

“145 pieces of yin energy crystals.”

“Most importantly, we killed a mountain ghost.”

“That’s something far beyond the difficulty threshold.”

“Clearing such an outrageous obstacle should earn us plenty of credits.”

As Liu Tiezhu spoke,

Shan Ye had already sent the communication.

Li Lu arrived with staff members, hurrying over.

The moment she arrived, her first glance went to Yin Yin.

Seeing Yin Yin say nothing,

Li Lu exhaled in relief and asked, “What did you just report in your communication?”

“Killed a mountain ghost?”

Li Lu tore her attention away from Yin Yin and reread the message.

Only then did she finally register it—her pupils shrank sharply, her face filled with utter horror!

“What? You killed a mountain ghost?!”

“That’s impossible!”

Li Lu’s face was full of disbelief; she shook her head like a rattle drum.

Shan Ye found it absurd and said nothing, simply transmitting the video.

A few minutes later.

Li Lu finished watching the video, her expression numb.

She lowered her gaze, staring at the pile of yin energy crystals, feeling not a trace of greed.

“A mountain ghost is a spirit monster nearing the Gushing Spring realm!”

She repeated this to herself over and over in her mind.

But the reality before her forced her to believe it.

These first-year students had actually slain a mountain ghost.

“Since we cleared such a major threat for the Prefectural Office, what reward do we get?”

Yin Yin asked.

Li Lu still dared not look at her; after a brief hesitation, she said, “Normally, discovering a mountain ghost should be reported to the Cleansing Team or third-year students at the Divine Grant University.”

She turned her head, scanning the group, “But you actually killed it outright!”

“You’ve wastefully destroyed an incredibly valuable, near-Gushing-Spring-level ghost energy core!”

Li Lu gritted her teeth, “You probably don’t realize how precious such a thing is—it’s worth more than ten million Alliance Coins.”

Yin Yin said coldly, “If we hadn’t killed it, we’d be dead right here.”

Li Lu stood there, lost in her own grief for a long while, then finally spoke: “Alright, I’ll report this to the Prefectural Office immediately.”

A few minutes later.

“Done.”

Li Lu tore her gaze from her identity device and exhaled in relief, “Your learning mission is now concluded.”

“Base reward: 10,000 credits.”

“Additional reward: 7,000 credits.”

Li Lu paused, then continued, “For clearing one mountain ghost, an extra 15,000 credits will be allocated by the Prefectural Office.”

“However...”

Liu Tiezhu asked, “What’s the catch?”

Li Lu said, “The yin energy crystals are rightfully yours.”

“But the spirit ashes from earlier must be handed over to the Prefectural Office—we’ll pay you in Alliance Coins.”

Hearing this,

Liu Tiezhu glanced at Jiang Jian.

Jiang Jian sat on a rock, meditating to restore his Shenque qi.

Sensing Liu Tiezhu’s gaze,

Jiang Jian gave a slight nod: “The spirit ashes are messy to collect—give them all to them.”

Li Lu secretly rejoiced and said, “We’ll pay you 200,000 Alliance Coins per person for these spirit ashes—how’s that?”

Spirit ashes were of ordinary value.

The spirit ashes on the Dark River formed a thick layer, valuable only for their sheer quantity.

“Fine.”

Jiang Jian nodded.

As Li Lu and the staff departed,

Shan Ye said, “Those spirit ashes are worth at least several million Alliance Coins.”

Liu Tiezhu waved his hand: “Look at her expression—if we refused, they’d probably stall our credit disbursement.”

He stared at the pile of yin energy crystals, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

“Let’s divide these—145 pieces, 29 each—how’s that?”

Jiang Jian nodded: “I have no objections.”

Yin Yin and Shan Ye exchanged glances and both gave slight nods.

“I object.”

Shi Xuan, who had been silent for a long while, suddenly stood up: “I don’t want any yin energy crystals.”

His expression was strange.

Liu Tiezhu looked up and asked, “Shi Xuan, what’s wrong?”

Shi Xuan hesitated for several seconds, then said, “I’m not continuing with this learning mission.”

He packed his belongings and walked toward the cave’s exit.

“Shi Xuan.”

Yin Yin asked, “What’s going on? Aren’t we a learning squad?”

Shi Xuan stopped walking but didn’t turn around: “I need to train alone for a while.”

With that,

he walked straight along the Dark River, leaving the cave branch.

Liu Tiezhu and Shan Ye exchanged glances, both falling silent.

A few seconds later.

Shan Ye asked, “The Two Prefectures Martial Contest requires squad registration—we’re one person short now. How are we supposed to compete?”

No one spoke.

Jiang Jian was restoring his Shenque qi.

Liu Tiezhu was staring at his identity device.

Even Yin Yin had gone to the side of the plant spirit, helping the brown bear demon recover from its injuries.

“He’s abandoning his rare pet too?”

Yin Yin sighed, “This guardian demon is kind of pitiful.”

Liu Tiezhu suddenly spoke: “I’ll take it back for him.”

He looked at the pile of yin energy crystals: “He doesn’t want them, but we can’t withhold his share—29 each, that’s how we divide them.”

As he spoke,

a chime sounded on each of their identity devices.

Jiang Jian paused his meditation, opened his device, and checked the messages.

Two transfer notifications arrived in quick succession.

“You received a transfer: 2,400,000 Alliance Coins.”

“You received a transfer: 200,000 Alliance Coins.”

“Your balance: 2,987,609 Alliance Coins.”

Jiang Jian glanced at them and dismissed the messages.

The 2.4 million Alliance Coins were from Shi Xuan, for selling six pieces of refined iron on his behalf.

The 200,000 Alliance Coins were from Li Lu, payment for the spirit ashes.

As he pondered,

his identity device received another message.

“You gained 6,400 credits.”

“Your remaining credits: 6,450.”

Beside him,

Liu Tiezhu handed over a cloth bundle.

“Jiang Jian, your 29 yin energy crystals.”

Jiang Jian took the cloth bundle: “Alright.”

Shan Ye stood up, his expression filled with emotion, and said: “We finished a twenty-day mission in half a day.”

“Others rest for half a day after every few hundred meters, repeating this cycle slowly forward.”

“This ensures safety, with no risk of failure.”

“But we didn’t rest at all from start to finish.”

“In a few hours, we covered seven kilometers.”

Shan Ye packed up his things and let out a long breath.

The brown bear demon had recovered somewhat and stood in the corner, head hung low in dejection.

Liu Tiezhu glanced at it and said: “Come back to school with us.”

The brown bear demon nodded, its voice dull: “Alright.”

As they spoke, the group began their return.

Less than half an hour later, they exited the vein branch.

“Jiang Jian, are we still competing in the squad martial contest?”

Liu Tiezhu walked up beside Jiang Jian and asked quietly.

Jiang Jian thought for a moment and said: “If Shi Xuan comes back, we fight; if he doesn’t, we don’t.”

“Team martial contest versus individual martial contest.”

“The titles differ.”

“But resource rewards can only be claimed in one type, based on the higher rank—no stacking.”

Jiang Jian said, “I’m here for the resources; I’ll join either one.”

The interzone shuttle hovered in midair and lowered its gangway.

Liu Tiezhu gave a bitter smile and said: “Team martial contest participation is assumed. If you decide not to join, we must apply to the department head in advance.”

Jiang Jian nodded: “There’s still time before the Two Provinces Martial Contest—we can apply then.”

Liu Tiezhu replied: “Alright.”

(End of Chapter)