Chapter 286: Filial Devotion and Shares (Requesting Double Monthly Votes)

After seeing off Immortal Zuiyue, Xu Jin went to the residence of the Mountain Head, Dong Zhao.

When Xu Jin arrived, Han Qing, Liu Qingzhu, and Tang Hui were all already there.

Each of them looked spirited and full of energy.

This was another benefit of Wenmeng.

The combat teams from other star regions, upon returning, simply went straight to their quarters and collapsed into deep sleep.

Each had dark circles under their eyes, clearly exhausted to the extreme.

During those seven days and nights, most members who participated in the Lougong War, even when resting, managed no more than one or two hours of light sleep.

Now that they were back, they needed to sleep a full day and night.

But Han Qing, Tang Hui, Liu Qingzhu, and Dong Zhao—who had fought alongside Xu Jin—though they too had slept only one or two hours, had fully recovered thanks to Wenmeng's aid.

At this point, they needed no extra rest and could begin their meeting immediately.

After breaking through Huoniu City in the Fifth-Rank Spirit Weapon Star Region, time had been too tight to distribute many spoils; on the way back, they encountered scattered Fifth- and Sixth-Rank alien races, easily slew them, and gained additional loot.

Naturally, it was time to divide the spoils.

After distribution, Dong Zhao would turn over all remaining gains to the Guodao Academy.

"I have a proposal: we give only half of Shen Wei's share of the spoils. Shen Wei is currently the strongest expert of the Shen family; if he dies and the family suddenly acquires such a vast fortune, it may not be a good thing."

Shen Wei left no descendants, but his younger brother has one son and one daughter, both with cultivation potential—one yet to forge a Star, the other at the Second Layer of Star Refining.

We will allocate a portion each year to support their cultivation.

Help them rapidly break through to the Fourth Rank.

Then the Shen family will have someone to uphold its name," said Dong Zhao.

Naturally, no one objected to this proposal.

Shen Wei died in battle; the Guodao Academy itself would grant substantial compensation, and combined with the spoils distributed to them, this would be a fortune beyond ordinary people's dreams.

With the Guodao Academy's protection, outsiders dare not seize it by force—but within the family, chaos would surely erupt.

Hence, Dong Zhao proposed managing part of it on their behalf.

The proposal passed unanimously.

Dong Zhao would manage it, with others overseeing.

Once Shen Wei's two nephews and niece break through to the Fourth Rank, the remainder will be given to them.

With this settled, the distribution of spoils proceeded smoothly.

Xu Jin's contributions were obvious to all.

Without Xu Jin, without the many Sixth-Rank Rune Tablets in his possession, none of them would have had any chance of capturing Huoniu City.

Thus, the greatest spoils from Huoniu City—the two low-grade Huoniu Horns—were awarded to Xu Jin.

Xu Jin took the lion's share; the rest was for the others to choose from.

Still, Xu Jin was satisfied—he outright relinquished his right to claim the vast quantities of Star Jade Tablets and Fifth-Rank Huoniu hides.

In the end, he received eight Sixth-Rank Star Cores.

Two of them were Sixth-Rank Fire-Spirit Star Cores, taken from the Huoniu King.

As for the other Sixth-Rank Huoniu Horns and the scales of the Sixth-Rank Golden Snake Clan, they must first be submitted to Dong Zhao, then handed over to the Guodao Academy for master artisans to forge into finished artifacts before distribution.

After Dong Zhao finished distributing the spoils, Xu Jin did not leave—he stayed behind alone.

"Hmm? You have something else?" Dong Zhao looked at Xu Jin, surprised.

Xu Jin said nothing more; instead, he pushed forward the Star Jade Tablet he had long ago set aside, containing half a percent of the Divine Soul Force harvested from the Star God statue in Huoyun Star Region.

"Mountain Head, this Star Jade Tablet holds Divine Soul Force equivalent to roughly sixty Longgui Duanpo Pills."

"You may use it to enhance your Divine Soul Force, or to break through a bottleneck—but it cannot be stored too long," said Xu Jin.

At these words, Dong Zhao was stunned.

"Sixty Longgui Duanpo Pills' worth of power?"

"That much?"

"This is far too valuable!"

"Your support for me, your rescue of my sister Jiang Er—I have never repaid you.

This time, by chance, I gained this. I hope it may aid you. Please accept it." Xu Jin smiled.

Dong Zhao pondered for a few breaths, then did not refuse—he accepted it on the spot.

"This can rapidly boost combat power—I'll take it!

Today, you and I are comrades-in-arms; so too will we be in the future.

When the chance arises, let us help each other succeed.

If you need anything, just call me—I'm still the same Mountain Head I've always been," said Dong Zhao.

"I know."

Xu Jin bowed, then left, heading straight for Liu Qingzhu's courtyard.

"Huh? Jin'er, what brings you here?" Liu Qingzhu was surprised.

"Master, can those several Wanshui Lingdan pills help you break through?" Xu Jin asked.

"In two or three years, once my Divine Soul cultivation reaches the right level, the Wanshui Lingdan should allow me to break through to the Sixth Rank," said Liu Qingzhu.

"This, however, should propel your Divine Soul cultivation directly to the point of immediate breakthrough."

As he spoke, Xu Jin handed over another Star Jade Tablet sealed with half a percent of Divine Soul Force, explaining its nature.

"Sixty Longgui Duanpo Pills' worth of power!"

Liu Qingzhu was astonished. "How much Divine Soul cultivation would that raise?! You should keep this for yourself—your master is stuck here; two or three years won't matter. And right now, you're the one in the most danger—you need to boost your strength quickly."

As she spoke, Liu Qingzhu pushed the Star Jade Tablet back toward Xu Jin.

Xu Jin was stunned, then laughed. "Master, I have more—I have even more than what I gave you. This is just a token of my filial devotion. Please accept it.

Besides, if my master grows stronger, doesn't that give me more confidence as a disciple?"

"You really have more?" Liu Qingzhu didn't believe it—such treasures, even one, if leaked, could spark bloodbaths across the cultivation world.

How could Xu Jin possibly have more?

"I truly do!"

If Liu Qingzhu still refused to believe, Xu Jin was ready to reveal his Divine Soul cultivation level and give her a good shock.

"Since you have more, then your master will accept this—for now, I may break through within the next day or two," Liu Qingzhu smiled.

"Then I wish my master a smooth breakthrough to the Sixth Rank and the great success of your divine art!"

"Stop being silly!"

After leaving Liu Qingzhu, Xu Jin paused, then turned straight back to Zhaixing Tower. With a thought, he contacted the Star Spirit and entered the Star Dome Secret Realm.

He had not yet used his November Star Dome Secret Realm meditation time.

This Lougong War had lasted seven straight days—he had seen too many Star Arts and used too many.

Many things he had previously struggled to understand suddenly became clear.

Especially the Earth and Fire Star Arts he had used most—he gained much insight, and now was the perfect time to convert them.

Yet Xu Jin did not immediately activate the Star Dome Secret Realm's meditation time—he began his own contemplation first.

Xu Jin first prepared to contemplate the Seventh-Rank Below Earth Source Rune he had obtained from the Grand Master.

In actual combat, Earth Star Arts were extremely practical.

Especially for defense.

Moreover, in several battles, Xu Jin realized his Star Art repertoire was still too limited.

Fire Star Arts were powerful, but when facing opponents who countered fire or environments where fire could not manifest, he struggled.

Because he had no other Star Arts with comparable power to fire.

Among the Star Arts he currently cultivated, the Thunder Art lacked even the Lei Yuanxing Rune—he had no way to strengthen it.

Only Earth remained.

If he could independently contemplate the Seventh-Rank Below Earth Source Rune, and then use several Golden Stars, he might even evolve it to Seventh-Rank Above or Eighth-Rank Below.

That would fill this gap.

Then, not only would his defense greatly improve, but his Star Art versatility would also increase.

Now that his cultivation had broken through to the Fourth Rank, he had ample space to inscribe Earth Runes—he was ready to learn new Earth Star Arts.

Yet before contemplating the Seventh-Rank Below Earth Source Rune, Xu Jin took from his Numinous Space the Star Official Seal he had seized in Huoyun Star Region.

As Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao had said, the Star Official Seal must never be refined in the mortal world.

If removed from the mortal world, the Star Official Seal would instantly return to its original body.

Outside the Star Region, the Star Dome Secret Realm was the best place for refinement.

The moment Xu Jin took out the Star Official Seal, it immediately glowed brightly, spinning rapidly, desperate to escape the Star Dome Secret Realm—but found no exit.

The next instant, his Thunder Star Force and Divine Soul Force surged into the Star Official Seal.

First, he used Thunder Star Force to destroy the previous refinement imprint.

Then he began the refinement!

As the Lougong War neared its end, one after another streak of starlight descended upon the Star River Marshal's Secret Realm.

This time, Wei Xu, the Grand Marshal of the Star River Battlefield, arrived first, followed immediately by the Left and Right Marshals. Soon after, the Cangming Star Lord and the Great Chu Emperor arrived together.

But both their expressions were grim.

Just moments ago, the nine temporary star-gates opened within the main tower of the Cangming Star Palace's Zhaixing Tower had closed, their time expired.

Yet disciples from other star regions had gradually returned—even those injured had come back.

Only the disciples from the third-rank Purple Wind Star Domain failed to return.

This means all disciples from the third-rank Purple Wind Star Domain were annihilated.

The losses were severe.

The Cangming Star Hall had already lost a group of True Disciples earlier; now, the True Disciples Wang Zheng and Tan Jueming, sent into the third-rank Purple Wind Star Domain, were among this year's top True Disciples—sent in specifically to earn merit.

The third-rank Purple Wind Star Domain had been attacked multiple times before and should have been the easiest to conquer, yet unexpectedly, all its entrants were wiped out.

Their score was already third-place, and now five True Disciples in a single squad were killed.

With this, more than half of Cangming Star Hall's True Disciples this year have perished.

The losses are too great.

Soon after, the Zhen'e Star Jun, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao of Chen Guo, and the Da Hong Emperor Jun all arrived.

Only the Tianyang Star Jun had not arrived.

"Gentlemen, the Tianyang Star Jun has not yet arrived—let us wait a moment longer," said Marshal Wei Xu with a smile, glancing at the Da Hong Emperor Jun but detecting nothing unusual.

Inside the Tianyang Star Hall's main hall, Grand Elder Wang Kan handed the Tianyang Star Jun a piece of intelligence, instantly freezing the Star Jun's expression.

"True?"

"Did you verify it?"

"Your Highness, after receiving intelligence from Xumi Palace's Yan, I immediately mobilized our intelligence network to investigate Chen Guo personnel.

We now have confirmed information: Xu Jin, the autumn examination champion of Chen Guo's Dao Academy, has returned alive and has appeared in public.

Four of the five members from Chen Guo's Dao Academy who entered the fifth-rank Lingwu Star Domain have returned; only Deputy Academician Shen Wei has not returned—he likely died in combat," reported Grand Elder Wang Kan of the Tianyang Star Hall.

The Tianyang Star Jun's expression turned icy. "Grand Elder, you mean we sent six fifth-rank ninth-layer peak cultivators, eight sixth-rank rune tablets, and even summoned the Blood Immortal Son of the Lingwu Star Domain to assist?

And in the end, we only killed one Deputy Academician from Chen Guo's Dao Academy, while everyone else—including the primary target, Xu Jin—returned unharmed?

This force… even if not for a fifth-rank domain, what about—?"

Grand Elder Wang Kan's forehead was slick with sweat. "Your Highness, our intelligence is still limited—no further results yet. I've urgently contacted the Blood Immortal Son several times, but he has not responded at all. His current status is unknown."

"No response from the Blood Immortal Son?"

The Tianyang Star Jun's brow furrowed again. "The Blood Immortal Son himself is a sixth-rank ninth-layer peak cultivator, practicing the Blood Secret Art—extremely difficult to kill. Add to that his control over the Fire Ox and Golden Snake clans' power—even sending in a seventh-rank cultivator wouldn't guarantee his death!

How could the Blood Immortal Son go missing?"

"Perhaps he's simply too occupied to respond."

"Impossible! Neither the Blood Immortal Son nor you or I would make such a mistake—even during battle, a simple reply takes only a thought."

"Could it be… the Blood Immortal Son truly met with an accident?" The Tianyang Star Jun's brow locked tight.

"Investigate!"

"Deploy all intelligence resources—find out the truth! I must know what happened inside the Lingwu Star Domain!

Until I do, I cannot rest." The Tianyang Star Jun commanded.

"Your Highness, I will act immediately."

In the secret realm of the Star River Marshal's headquarters, the Tianyang Star Jun descended like a streak of starlight, his face grim, causing every person present to feel a subtle tremor.

For the Tianyang Star Jun to show such an expression, the Tianyang Star Hall's losses must have been substantial.

"Everyone is present—then let us reveal the final scores and rankings of this Lousong War! Should anyone have objections, you may ask the Star Spirit directly. Otherwise, this ranking will serve as the basis for tribute allocations over the next three years," said Marshal Wei Xu.

All present agreed. Seeing this, Wei Xu gave a soft command: "Star Spirit, display the final rankings and scores."

In the next instant, starlight flickered rapidly into view.

【First Place, Chen Empire, Score: 59, 60】

【Second Place, Da Hong Empire, Score: 27, 35】

【Third Place, Da Chu Empire, Score: 25, 86】

【Fourth Place, Zhen'e Star Hall, Score: 25, 96】

The scores and rankings appeared.

Even though all the present great powers had already known the result, when it was finally displayed, every heart tightened.

Chen Empire in first!

Chen Empire has turned the tide this year!

Not only turned the tide—they've firmly ridden atop the Tianyang Star Hall.

Especially the score—it's double that of Da Hong Empire.

Fortunately, it hasn't reached triple the score of third and fourth places; otherwise, Da Chu and Zhen'e Star Hall would be weeping.

The most grim expressions belonged to the Tianyang Star Jun and the Da Hong Emperor Jun.

They had insisted on punishing the last-place faction, and only under Cheng Yuexiao's insistence had the penalty been modified—they'd hoped to trap Chen Empire.

Instead, the trap snapped shut on themselves.

Marshal Wei Xu of the Star River was also surprised.

Chen Empire's score was too high.

What none of them knew was that only Cheng Yuexiao breathed a silent sigh of relief.

He was grateful he had issued the order to cap scores early.

Otherwise, if Xu Jin and the others had claimed all the points—slaying the Fire Ox King, the Golden Snake King, gaining the fifth-rank star domain's celestial will, and killing sixth- and fifth-rank cultivators—the score would have surged another twenty to thirty thousand.

Then the score would have been over triple that of Cangming Star Hall and Zhen'e Star Hall.

The penalty would have fallen on both of them.

Chen Empire would have enjoyed its victory, but immediately faced a world united against it.

Now, only the Tianyang Star Hall suffers—everything remains within manageable limits.

"Gentlemen, if there are no objections, based on this Lousong War's final ranking: Chen Empire bears one and a half percent of the tribute, Da Hong Empire two percent, Da Chu Empire two and a half percent, Zhen'e Star Hall three percent, and my Star River War Marshal's Office bears one percent.

Additionally, per your pre-war agreement: if the score of the higher-ranked faction exceeds the lower-ranked one by double, the lower-ranked faction must pay half a percent of the higher's tribute.

Chen Empire's score now exceeds Da Hong Empire's by more than double.

The condition is met.

Therefore, the final arrangement is: Chen Empire bears one percent of the tribute, Da Hong Empire two and a half percent, Da Chu Empire two and a half percent, Zhen'e Star Hall three percent, and my Star River War Marshal's Office bears a fixed one percent," announced Marshal Wei Xu of the Star River War Theater.

After several breaths, all present great powers declared their agreement.

On such matters, the great powers still upheld their honor—no one would cheat.

Even if someone had used underhanded tactics or cheated during the process, the final ranking stood—unchangeable unless ironclad proof of cheating was produced.

Otherwise, one would lose face!

"Good. Since all agree, then the terms are settled.

Star Spirit, record this: for the next three years, tribute shares shall be allocated as such.

Before each New Year's Day, send each house its required tribute amount!

Those who pay in full need not be reminded; those who fail to pay shall be dealt with according to the Star-Picking Tower's rules," said Wei Xu.

The Star Spirit bowed in acceptance.

"Star Spirit, I have a question—please answer," suddenly spoke the Da Chu Emperor Jun.

"My Da Chu's True Disciples Wang Zheng, Tan Jueming, and their group of five entered the third-rank Purple Wind Star Domain. Until the temporary star gate closed, none returned—they are currently unaccounted for, and the situation is highly suspicious.

Each of these five carries a Star-Picking Token bearing your imprint. Please tell us: are they dead or alive? What is their condition?" said the Da Chu Emperor Jun.

"According to my perception, all five have perished," replied the Star Spirit—obliged to answer when questioned by these power-holders.

"Perished? May I ask by whose hand?" asked the Da Chu Emperor Jun.

"I do not know the killer, but I have recorded several scenes."

As he spoke, starlight shimmered above them, revealing scenes.

They showed Xu Jin, disguised as a Purple Wing Royal, slaying Wang Zheng and Tan Jueming.

"Purple Wing Royal?"

This answer stunned the Da Chu Emperor Jun.

It was a native of the third-rank domain.

But not impossible!

After all, the Purple Wing Royals were fourth-rank!

Beside him, the Tianyang Star Jun also wanted to ask the Star Spirit about Liu Meng and the others—but he could not ask.

Even if he did, it would be useless: Liu Meng and the others' Star-Picking Tokens bore no Star Spirit imprint, so no records could be retrieved.

"Gentlemen, any further objections or comments?" asked Marshal Wei Xu of the Star River War Theater.

All shook their heads.

Other factions had suffered losses, but all within normal limits.

"Gentlemen, then this year's Lousong War is concluded! In three days, the Nine-Star Tide approaches—prepare for battle!"

"Meeting adjourned."

(End of Chapter)