Chapter 518: Discussing Merit and Bestowing Rewards; The Monarch Gives Instruction

Yan Shanshan calling Zhou You aside was not because he wanted to have a private exchange with him.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Zhou You walked up to Yan Shan, cupped his fists to salute, and was immediately grabbed by the shoulder.

Boom! Air currents rose from the ground, and Yan Shan and Zhou You instantly shot out, creating a massive ripple in the air before disappearing from everyone's sight.

Qin Lie, Yang Kuoqiong, and the others regained their senses and did not forget to comfort Zuo Lv and the other, "It's nothing, perhaps they are just having a talk!"

Yan Wanjun watched their retreating backs, his fingers gripping the pole turning white.

Having lost face in front of everyone, he did not resent his master, Yan Shan, but instead directed his hatred toward Zhou You.

The speed of a Strong Martial level exceeded the speed of sound; the wind whistled in his ears, and the scenery distorted into colorful patches.

Zhou You couldn't help but think that with his own attainments in Lightness Skill, after breaking through to Intermediate Martial Master, he could barely reach the threshold of the speed of sound; to match Yan Shan's speed, he would at least need to advance to a Senior Martial Master.

Hmm, he rarely felt any discomfort, nor did he feel the urge to vomit under the extreme weightlessness of high speed.

"Good lad, that you can withstand my speed means your Lightness Skill and Hard Qigong are not of the ordinary sort."

Yan Shan's voice rang in Zhou You's ears, "I seem to have guessed why the Monarch wants to see you!"

What, the Monarch wants to see me?

Just as he wanted to open his mouth to ask, there was a sudden, sharp brake—they had arrived.

"Monarch, Zhou You has been brought here."

After Zhou You landed, his Qi and blood flowed rapidly through his limbs, restoring the flexibility and agility of his hands and feet.

He discovered there were quite a few people around; Liu Fengji was there, as well as his brother-in-law Yang Wuji and other scions of noble families.

Hmm, several disciples from Dayin Mountain and Wanxiu Mountain had come; they all appeared to be Fierce Generals and elites. The Jueguang Sect was a sect of noble families, and its members overlapped heavily with the noble families, so it was impossible to distinguish them at this moment.

Hmm, Zhou You's gaze swept over one person, and he was slightly startled.

He did not know this person, but Lu Zhigang did; it was Fu Manlun, who had escorted the Doll Gu, the leading Senior Brother of the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop.

The people from the Ten Thousand Poisons Secret Workshop had also come; could it be that the Monarch was rewarding merit after the battle? As he was pondering this, the rumbling sound of a carriage approached rapidly from not far away and stopped when it reached them.

A person descended from the bronze carriage, turned, knelt, and saluted, "Cao Wudang pays respects to the Monarch."

Without needing a prefix, everyone knew this person was Cao Wudang of Weinan Cheng; the bronze carriage he drove was the Calamity Charm treasure, the Underworld River Carriage.

This person was also a legendary figure, having killed a Witch Strong Martial with the status of a Martial Master, though unfortunately, his limelight had been overshadowed by Yan Shan.

Fist Martial values strength and realm above all; his killing of a Strong Martial relied on external objects, which ultimately could not compare to the true gold and silver of the Strong Martial realm.

Immediately following, several more groups arrived one after another.

There were also many talents among the Hundred Crafts; there were Craftsman Martial Masters wearing bulky wooden armor, Beast Tamer Martial Masters who had subdued exotic beasts, and so on.

Finally, the female Martial Master of the Liu family, also the most famous female Martial Master in Fucheng, Liu Jinguo, arrived with a blind old man.

Many people cast their gazes toward the blind old man; this person was a person of the Golden Immortal Dao with a clear identity.

"Everyone has arrived."

The Monarch spoke slowly, "Having repelled the allied forces of the three Witch tribes this time, you all have merit, and it is time to reward merit."

He raised a finger and counted, "Yan Shan of Fucheng, Cao Wudang of Weinan Cheng, for your merit in slaying a Strong Martial, you may listen to my instruction under my seat for one month."

Once these words were spoken, a brilliant light erupted in the eyes of Yan Shan and Cao Wudang.

The Monarch was the number one powerhouse of Fucheng, a Grandmaster above the Strong Martial realm; being able to receive guidance in his presence could be called a heaven-sent fortune.

Especially since Yan Shan had just broken through to Strong Martial and was worrying about his future direction; one must know that the Vajra Mountain heritage he carried had long since declined, and without a predecessor's guidance, he could only cross the river by feeling the stones. If he had the Monarch's guidance, how many detours could he avoid, and how much could he gain? Beside him, Cao Wudang was somewhat dejected after his initial joy; since it was the same instruction, a Strong Martial would certainly gain ten or a hundred times more than a Senior Martial Master. He had fallen a step behind and was destined to be left in the dust by Yan Shan.

The other Martial Masters' gazes were full of envy.

"You all also know that the Witch Gu-Dao strong armies, besides being taught by Great Witches, are kept by the side of Witch leaders like the Gaoyang Clan during wartime, and every one of them is a top-tier powerhouse."

The Monarch said indifferently, "I am not stingy about imitating good things."

"You two have top-tier merit; next are those of the second rank."

"Liu Fengji, Yan Baihu... Zhou You, step forward."

Zhou You had initially held a spectator's attitude when he heard Liu Fengji's name, but when he heard his own name, he trembled slightly and stepped forward quickly.

"You all have achieved kills of prodigies and Gu-Dao strong armies; you are promising talents among the young generation of Martial Masters."

"Hmm, you are permitted to follow me and listen to instruction for three days."

Although it could not compare to Yan Shan's thirty days—shrinking by ten times—the Martial Masters who heard this reward were all invigorated.

In the crowd, Yan Baihu suddenly cupped his hands, "Monarch, may I exchange for a different reward?"

The surroundings suddenly went quiet, and everyone looked at him askance; had this Fierce General of Dayin Mountain gone mad? To not want such a heaven-sent opportunity?

"I heard that a Martial Master suspected to be a Fierce General appeared on the battlefield, capable of aerial combat, skilled with a staff, and able to detach his Tiger Servant; such methods are unheard of to me in Dayin Mountain."

"Dayin Mountain does not have this person; if the Monarch knows the situation of this person, could you tell me?"

Upon hearing this, the Monarch chuckled, "We shall speak of this matter later; you may converse with him privately."

Zhou You's heart skipped a beat, feeling that things were not looking good; could the Monarch know it was him? Yan Baihu did not say anything more and retreated into the crowd; since the Monarch had agreed, the matter was settled.

After the second rank, the merit was not as astonishing, and the number of people receiving merit increased twofold.

At this time, the Monarch did not need to call names one by one; there were people by his side who brought out the roster.

"No one who has performed meritorious service will be overlooked; it will be reported by their respective guilds and sects, and the rewards will be conveyed."

Below the second rank, there was no preferential treatment of the Monarch's instruction; many people wrung their hands in regret, lamenting that they hadn't put in more effort and had missed the opportunity.

However, the Monarch also had compensation; some who performed particularly well could obtain the qualification for guidance from a Strong Martial.

For example, Liu Jinguo, who killed a Ten Prodigy, was still some distance away from the second rank, but because of this, she could receive ten days of one-on-one guidance from a Strong Martial of the Jueguang Sect.

Zhou You had thought that being able to be personally instructed by the Monarch was the entirety of the battle merit reward.

It turned out there was more; the material rewards were still to come.

The specific calculation of merit and material rewards would have to wait until they returned to Fucheng, where they would be allocated from the Fucheng warehouse and then distributed.

Listening to the whispering around him, Zhou You realized this was the case, which was also an unexpected joy.

In his view, being able to be instructed by the Monarch for 3 days was already worth the price of admission.

After the rewarding of merits concluded, the Monarch left amidst the respectful send-off of the crowd, and the remaining martial artists departed one after another.

Before leaving, Zhou You sensed a gaze, and without looking, he knew it came from the direction of Yan Baihu.

The matter he had been worried about had indeed happened; the Monarch had given him the answer, and that person was none other than Zhou You himself.

It was strange; he had always been careful and cautious in his actions, never once revealing his methods before the Monarch, so how had he been exposed?

(End of chapter)