Chapter 517: Rewards

After receiving their orders, Cheng Feng and Wang Ji were led into the side hall of the main platform to collect their respective rewards.

Wang Ji received a low-grade Sword Xuan Weapon, named "Qingyuan."

The sword body was as pale blue as a winter morning stream, and the scabbard was carved with extremely fine landscape patterns; one look told you it was no ordinary item.

Her long sandalwood box was carried out by two Immortal officials; inside the box were also ten Yangqi Pills, sealed in a jade bottle, plus a Green Jade Token.

That Green Jade Token was warm and moist throughout, with a faint flowing light wandering within the jade, like a wisp of moonlight wrapped inside green bamboo.

Cheng Feng's side did not have so many complexities. A half-old wooden box contained three Tuiti Xuan Pills, sealed tightly with wax.

Beside them was a thin, old manual of cultivation techniques, with the five characters "Black Turtle Sinking Water Art" written in ancient seal script on the cover.

Resting on the very top was that Black Iron Token; the surface of the iron token was rough, and the edges were somewhat worn, clearly an old object that had passed through countless hands.

Yet this inconspicuous Black Iron Token was the proof of identity for an Outer Disciple of the Shangqing Sect.

The items were not heavy, but when Cheng Feng took the wooden box, his hand exerted a slight force.

"I have heard of this 'Black Turtle Sinking Water Art'," Wang Ji said softly from the side. "Mysterious-grade low-tier, thick-armor type, similar to your hard-training style. The Shangqing Sect giving you this is likely because they see that your body can still be tempered further."

Cheng Feng rolled up the technique manual and put it away, hid the Black Iron Token close to his body, and then opened the jade bottle to pour out one Tuiti Xuan Pill to look at it.

The pill was only the size of a longan, dark and heavy, with several extremely fine golden patterns on the surface; getting close, one could smell a very faint, fishy fragrance.

It was as if it were refined from the blood marrow of some kind of beast in the sea. He was in no rush to eat it and put the pill away: "We'll talk about it after we go back."

The two came out of the side hall, and Huo Luan and the others were still waiting outside. Huo Luan already had a gold-embroidered pouch in her hand, filled with exchange notes for a thousand taels of gold.

She tossed the pouch high into the air and caught it again: "Alright, from now on you are going to be Immortals. After I finish collecting my benefits at the Martial Academy, I'll take this money back south to open a blade hall, specifically to teach people how to hack others."

Liu Yu was not as frivolous as her, only cupping his hands: "Congratulations."

Cheng Feng glanced at him: "What are your plans for the future?"

"First, heal my injuries. Once healed, I'll see what the Martial Academy can give me," Liu Yu said. "If possible, I will move upward."

"I might not be able to enter the Immortal Gate, but I cannot fall too far behind either."

Gu Niangzi leaned against a stone pillar, looking at Wang Ji and Cheng Feng, and suddenly said: "That chest of mine, can you help me carry it back south later? I need to make a trip to the Southern Border; there are some things I must retrieve from my sect."

"You aren't coming back to Lan Yuan with us?" Wang Ji asked.

"I am. I'll leave tomorrow." Gu Niangzi smiled, rarely not being sarcastic, "We've been through life and death together, after all; we must have a drink tonight."

The people of the Immortal Sect are very carefree in their dealings.

Once your business here is finished, the rest has nothing to do with you.

Whether you leave or stay is entirely up to you.

That night, wine was served at Lan Yuan; there were no outside guests, just the five of them.

The dishes were ordered by Wang Ji from a restaurant outside, filling the table, with plenty of yellow rice wine.

Huo Luan drank the most fiercely; if she lost at finger-guessing, she would curse, and if she won, she would pour drinks for others.

Liu Yu drank extremely slowly, holding a cup of wine in his hand for half a long time.

Gu Niangzi drank a few cups, her face flushed, and her speech lost its usual sharpness; she actually pulled on Wang Ji's sleeve and called her "Sister."

Wang Ji was not annoyed, letting her lean against her, while she herself still sat upright, though the corners of her eyes were a few degrees softer than usual.

Cheng Feng was forced to drink quite a bit by Huo Luan; as the wine went to his head, he became more talkative.

He patted Huo Luan's shoulder: "That blade hall of yours, don't open it in the south. That territory is small; no one can afford your price."

"Then where do you say I should open it?" Huo Luan asked with a thick tongue.

"Open it in Tianqi City," Cheng Feng said. "Once I have established a firm footing in the Shangqing Sect, I will send you a plaque."

Huo Luan was startled, then laughed out loud, laughing until tears came out: "You must remember what you said today."

"I remember," Cheng Feng said.

The moon rose to the center of the sky before the banquet dispersed.

Huo Luan was half-carried, half-dragged back to her room by Liu Yu.

Gu Niangzi was heavily drunk, and Wang Ji personally sent her back to her room.

This is also a good point about hard-training Martial Artists: they have a high tolerance for alcohol.

Cheng Feng remained alone in the courtyard, sitting on the stone steps, looking at the moon over Tianqi City.

That moon was larger than the one in Qingxi County, and also colder, like a white token hanging on a black curtain.

He took out the Black Iron Token, held it in his hand, and looked at it for a long time by the moonlight.

The character "Qing" was extremely small, yet carved extremely deep, as if it wanted to brand this character into the iron, and also into the fate of everyone who held the token.

Once one enters the Shangqing Sect, one is no longer a mortal guest.

Cheng Feng put the iron token back into his bosom and stood up to return to his room.

He sat cross-legged on the couch and circulated the Dragon Snake Nine Transformations once. Blood Qi surged in his meridians like a dragon that had caught the scent of the sea breeze.

On the Panmian, the proficiency of the first transformation had already stopped at seven hundred and ninety, just a thin line away from eight hundred.

He had originally wanted to suppress it further, but his body refused to stop, as if something was stirring deep inside, wanting to come out.

The Blood Qi circulated faster and faster; the Snake Coil Seal on his chest grew slightly hot, and black scales spread from his shoulders all the way to his arms.

Cheng Feng only felt his spinal joints being pulled apart one by one, both hot and numb.

He gritted his teeth and endured, not letting himself make a sound. After an unknown amount of time, a "crack" sound came from within his body, as if some lock had snapped.

A surge of newborn Blood Qi exploded from his dantian, then suddenly retracted, obediently coiling within his sea of Qi.

Cheng Feng was drenched in sweat; he opened his eyes, and a golden light flashed deep within his pupils before vanishing.

He slowly raised his hand; the scale patterns on his skin faded bit by bit, but that strength did not recede.

Dragon Snake Nine Transformations, second transformation, achieved.

The current him, Organ Refining Peak; if he continues, True Qi is within reach.

He lowered his head and looked at himself—his clothes were more than half soaked through with sweat, sticking to his body, emitting a faint fishy smell.

That was the impurity expelled from the meridians during the breakthrough of the second transformation, carrying the scorching aura of Dragon Snake Blood Qi.

Cheng Feng panted softly.

"Another step forward."

He immediately got up to take a cold shower, washed up simply, and went to sleep.

The next day.

Cheng Feng was startled awake by a burst of urgent knocking on the door.

When he opened his eyes, it was already broad daylight; sunlight filtered in through the window paper, spreading a warm patch of light across the blue brick floor.

He got up and stretched his limbs, his joints emitting fine, crisp cracks, as if his entire skeleton were re-aligning.

The changes brought by the second transformation were more obvious than the first—his perception seemed to have sharpened a bit more; through the door panel, he could hear the rustling of a broom sweeping the ground in the courtyard, as well as the clatter of pots and pans in the kitchen further away.

As a Martial Artist at Organ Refining Peak, his five senses were already stronger than an ordinary person's, but now he felt as if he had shed an old shell, and the entire world had become a notch clearer.

"Cheng Feng, are you up?" Huo Luan's voice came from outside the door, full of vigor, with no trace of last night's hangover.

As a scout from the Zhennan Army, her tolerance for alcohol was not ordinary.

Cheng Feng casually threw on an outer garment to open the door. Huo Luan stood outside, already changed into clean clothes, with a saber slung at her waist.

Her hair was tied up high, and she looked as sharp as if she were going to the drill ground to muster troops.

"Wang Ji is calling for you." She looked Cheng Feng up and down.

"She said there is something to discuss, and wants you to go over now." Huo Luan turned to leave, but after two steps, she turned back to add,

"I remember the plaque you promised me last night. If you make a name for yourself in the Shangqing Sect in the future, don't forget which city I opened mine in."

"I remember... Tianqi City," Cheng Feng said.

Huo Luan nodded with satisfaction and strode away.

Cheng Feng washed his face simply in the room, dug out the only decent set of dark gray martial attire from his luggage to change into, and placed the Black Iron token and the scroll of "Mysterious Turtle Sinking Water Art" into his Storage Ring.

He then checked the three Tuiti Xuan Pills in the wooden box again.

The pills were intact, and the wax seals were tight. He hesitated for a moment, but didn't touch them; he closed the box, placed it into the Storage Ring as well, and then went out.

Wang Ji lived in the east wing of Lan Yuan; when Cheng Feng arrived, the courtyard gate was left ajar.

He pushed the door open and entered, seeing that Wang Ji was already sitting by the stone table in the courtyard waiting for him.

She was dressed plainly today in a pale green, narrow-sleeved long robe, her hair held up by a wooden hairpin, and a pot of tea with two cups was set on the table.

"Sit." She pointed to the stone stool opposite her.

Cheng Feng walked over and sat down. Wang Ji poured him a cup of tea; the tea soup was clear and bright, steaming, and smelled like some kind of bitter herb.

He picked up the cup and took a sip; it was slightly bitter, with a very long-lasting sweet aftertaste.

"The Great Zhou Martial Arts Tournament has ended, and the Immortal Sect has finished selecting people.

First, naturally, are the Immortal Seeds, whose combat power is extremely strong.

Second are the various Different Bodies, which have infinite potential.

Then there are those aged 20 and under who have reached the True Qi Initial Stage; in total, 30 people were selected.

After receiving their tokens and rewards, they are to prepare to be picked up by the Immortal Sect in the capital in three months' time." Wang Ji did not beat around the bush, her tone calm.

"In other words, if you have matters at home, it is best to make plans early.

In the future, in pursuit of Immortal Fate, who knows how long it will be before you return!"

Cheng Feng cupped his hands: "Understood, I will prepare to set off for home today."

Wang Ji nodded: "Coincidentally, I have business to return for as well; we can travel together."

"Thank you, Wang Ji."