Chapter 351: Rewards for Advancing to the Finals (Third Update, for Wo Shi Yi)

"The burden on my shoulders can finally be set down!" Looking at Li Zhangsheng, who was still on the stage, Senior Miao Yinfeng revealed a gratified smile.

As the only Fourth Rank student of Yuanling Academy, heavy pressure had shrouded him for this past year, leaving him unable to sleep at night, often waking up in the middle of the night in a panic, fearing he would fail the Academy's cultivation and expectations.

Even after defeating Yecheng Academy to advance to the top four, Miao Yinfeng still had not set down the heavy burden in his heart, because retaining their ranking was the most basic goal of this trip; he wanted to go one step further, as only then could they be more 'secure'—after all, fourth place was always on the edge of danger, easily pulled down by other elite Academies.

Now that Yuanling Academy had advanced to the Finals, it even exceeded Miao Yinfeng's expectations; his mind relaxed, and he felt that the very air around him was sweet. The pressure that had made him unable to breathe finally vanished, and he could have a good night's sleep.

Like Miao Yinfeng, the fourth-year seniors such as Ding Dangmao were also relieved; next summer, they could graduate without any burdens!

Unlike Yuanling Academy, the rest area of Tiandu Academy fell into dead silence; they were either painfully lowering their heads, clenching their fists tightly, or silently shedding tears.

The Vice Principal of Tiandu Academy stood quietly in place; he could not accept such an outcome. He subconsciously stared at Li Zhangsheng, who was about to leave the stage, his eyes filled with a bit more brutality.

If not for Li Zhangsheng, their Tiandu Academy would not have been defeated!

"Sigh, I really am getting more muddled as I age!" As soon as the bad thought surfaced, the Vice Principal of Tiandu Academy immediately cut it off, then painfully closed his eyes.

Some thoughts must not be acted upon, and some people are likewise not to be touched.

Although Li Zhangsheng was born into a small family, after this Exchange Tournament, his reputation in Langya Kingdom was bound to soar, and he would gain the unanimous support of everyone in Yuanling Academy.

Before moving against Li Zhangsheng, one must first weigh the influence of Yuanling Academy. Moreover, such dirty business was prohibited on the surface; once he truly did this, the other Academies would inevitably stand on the side of Yuanling Academy. By that time, Tiandu Academy would become a target for everyone to attack; at the very least, it would suffer a major blow to its vitality, and it might even be unable to recover.

The one in Tiandu Academy who was most pained was naturally Shen Haofei; he carried the hopes of the entire Academy, yet he lost, which dealt him a huge blow.

Slap—slap—

Just after stepping off the stage, Li Zhangsheng faintly heard the sound of slaps. He turned his head and saw two clear palm prints on Shen Haofei's face.

Li Zhangsheng shook his head and returned to the Yuanling Academy rest area.

In such a competition, such actions by Shen Haofei were quite normal; Li Zhangsheng alone had seen several similar scenes.

Actually, this was still considered good, as at least one could feel a bit better inside. What was most feared were those who could not afford to lose; they would harbor hatred toward the winner and wait for an opportunity to take revenge.

Of course, such people were the exception!

After Li Zhangsheng returned to the Yuanling Academy rest area, they immediately found a channel to vent the joy in their hearts. Led by seniors Miao Yinfeng and Ding Dangmao, the students immediately lifted Li Zhangsheng up and threw him into the air with force.

Li Zhangsheng was thrown high up, then caught by them, and immediately thrown up again. He could only close his eyes and occasionally pretend to scream and struggle to satisfy their vanity, which instead made them throw him even more happily.

This match was Li Zhangsheng's most glorious moment; even if he were to do it again, it was not certain he could replicate it, as the five opponents he faced were none other than the Stronger, and among them were even two Fourth Rank Stronger.

Even for Senior Miao Yinfeng, his limelight was steadily suppressed by Li Zhangsheng; he was the student recognized as having made the greatest contribution in this battle.

Soon, they stopped cheering, because an attendant was holding a tray and had arrived at the Yuanling Academy rest area.

The attendant who came this time was different from before. Li Zhangsheng had seen him once during the opening ceremony; he had been following by the side of Emperor Dou Zhangsheng, so his status could be imagined.

The attendant immediately offered congratulations to Vice Principal Xu: "Principal Xu, and all you talented youths, congratulations to Yuanling Academy for advancing to the Finals! This is the reward for advancing to the Finals—an Advanced Secret Technique Certificate. You may use this to enter the third floor of the Secret Technique Pavilion and select one Advanced Secret Technique!"

"Thank you, Attendant Wu!" Vice Principal Xu did not neglect him, not only because Attendant Wu was a close attendant of Emperor Dou Zhangsheng, but also because of his strength; this was a Monster Tamer who had reached the Sixth Rank.

"Not at all, not at all, this is simply my duty! Principal Xu, then I shall take my leave!"

After Attendant Wu issued the certificates on the tray to the 12 starting students, he bid farewell to Vice Principal Xu and left.

This time it was the reward for advancing to the Finals; after the top four rankings were determined, there would be another round of rewards, distributed according to the rankings of the top four.

Not long after, Li Zhangsheng followed Vice Principal Xu and the others out of the arena and returned to the courtyard where they were staying.

At the first opportunity, Li Zhangsheng released the Fire Bird. Well, it was still a golden-red giant egg, but this giant egg was trembling, beating like a heart.

If it were a true phoenix, it would not take long to be reborn, but the Fire Bird was not; it only possessed the Phoenix Bloodline and had luckily utilized a Heavenly Material and Earthly Treasure to gain the Rebirth from Fire trait. To complete this process, it would likely take hours to calculate.

Of course, as the Fire Bird's rank and Phoenix Bloodline improved, the process of rebirth would also accelerate.

By nightfall, the giant egg that the Fire Bird had turned into finally showed a reaction. A long crack appeared on the giant egg, and accompanied by a burst of red clouds rising, the Fire Bird broke out of its shell.

Chirp—

The Fire Bird chirped in high spirits; the Rebirth from Fire had allowed all its injuries to be fully recovered.

"Fire Bird, you've worked hard!" Li Zhangsheng stroked the Fire Bird's lowered head. This time, it was no exaggeration to say that the Fire Bird had performed a great service; at the very least, its contribution was no less than Aixi's.

The Fire Bird narrowed its eyes. Suddenly, its Bird Beak became sharp, and it immediately looked toward the direction of the window.

Knock knock—

At this moment, the tightly closed wooden window made a sound, and at the same time, a faint bird chirping came through.

Li Zhangsheng subconsciously became vigilant, then immediately shook his head and laughed. This was the base of Yuanling Academy, with Vice Principal Xu and many lead Instructors sitting in command; unless the one coming to the door was an Emperor Rank, there would be no danger at all.

However, was that possible?

Li Zhangsheng opened the window with a shove. He saw a petite lark; this was a Lower Rank lark, and there was a Temporary Contract Mark on its forehead. The only special thing was a note tied to its leg.

After Li Zhangsheng untied the note, the lark looked at the Fire Bird with fear and flew away in a panic.

Li Zhangsheng glanced at the note. The content on it was very simple; the other party did not know through what channel they had learned that Li Zhangsheng possessed a Fire Element Crystal, and their goal was to reach a deal with Li Zhangsheng. The meeting place was not far from here.

(End of this chapter)