Chapter 78: Redeeming Rewards

【July Harvest First Place: Xu Jin, 16,974 taels】

【July Harvest Second Place: Wang Weisheng, 11,763 taels】

【July Harvest Third Place: Yu Xianghua, 10,359 taels】

The huge light screen projected by the star light cast the harvest rankings from first to fiftieth place onto both sides of the Martial Arts Hall.

Sounds of shock and uproar rang out in succession.

Many disciples subconsciously looked at First Senior Brother Wang Weisheng.

Even Yu Xianghua, Zhang Ming, Zhang Han, and others had expressions of surprise. No one had expected that First Senior Brother Wang Weisheng's golden body of first-place harvest would be broken just like that.

Broken by a newly promoted disciple who had succeeded in star-pointing for less than a month.

Following this was questioning.

It was endless doubt.

Xu Jin's harvest volume was too terrifying.

Because this harvest volume not only broke the First Senior Brother's golden body of seven consecutive months of first-place harvest, but also set a new record for the Dao Academy in the last ten years.

Even in the Dao Academy's hundred-year harvest records, it ranked in the top ten.

Too impressive.

More importantly, this harvest volume was obtained by Xu Jin, a newly promoted disciple at the Meal of Mist Fifth Layer.

If this harvest volume had been created by Wang Weisheng, or old-school genius disciples like Zhang Han, Yu Xianghua, or Zhang Ming, no one would question it.

Many people had doubts in their hearts.

But most people only questioned it in their hearts.

No one would stand up at this time to question the authenticity of Xu Jin's harvest volume.

This was announced personally by Mountain Master Dong Zhao.

Which meant that this matter had already been confirmed by Mountain Master Dong Zhao.

If this were truly the case, wouldn't that mean Xu Jin was very monstrous?

Even if it wasn't personal strength, then other aspects must also be monstrous, such as the emblems he possessed, and so on.

At the same time the Mountain Master stood up, to go and question a monstrous guy like Xu Jin, wouldn't that be stupid?

So most people were very doubtful, but no one stood up to ask.

In the end, First Senior Brother Wang Weisheng, whose golden body of first-place harvest had been broken, couldn't hold back.

He had to ask and get it clear, otherwise his heart would never feel smooth.

"Mountain Master, esteemed teachers, when I was at the Outer Academy, I heard Instructor Zheng count Xu Jin's total harvest volume this time as 10,974 taels. How did it become 16,974 taels just now? This disciple is a bit puzzled," First Senior Brother Wang Weisheng stood up and asked.

He did not question the authenticity of the harvest volume, but directly presented the factual doubt.

He still had the bearing of a First Senior Brother.

Other disciples were also puzzled, and some even voiced their agreement.

They had the same doubts.

On the high platform of the Martial Arts Hall, Mountain Master Dong Zhao glanced at Commandant Tian Zhang.

Commandant Tian Zhang stepped forward and said sonorously, "During the July mountain harvest, a large number of Blood God Sect demons appeared, causing casualties among our Dao Academy disciples. During this period, Xu Jin slew one Meal of Mist Seventh Layer and one Sixth Layer Blood God Sect demon, and captured one Meal of Mist Seventh Layer Blood God Sect demon alive."

"According to Xu Jin's wishes, it was not counted as merit but included in the special harvest. Slaying one Meal of Mist Seventh Layer Blood God Sect demon counts as 1,400 taels of special harvest; slaying one Meal of Mist Sixth Layer Blood God Sect demon counts as 1,200 taels of special harvest; capturing one Meal of Mist Seventh Layer Blood God Sect demon alive counts as 3,400 taels of special harvest, totaling an increase of 6,000 taels in special harvest."

As soon as Commandant Tian Zhang finished speaking, all the disciples' gazes shifted, and they focused on Xu Jin in a *whoosh*.

There were all kinds of gazes.

There was envy, jealousy, and even more, worship.

Wang Weisheng, Yu Xianghua, and others also looked at Xu Jin, some with envy, and some with helplessness.

In their view, Xu Jin's luck was too good.

If they encountered Blood God Sect demons, they could also slay them; they were only Meal of Mist Sixth or Seventh Layer, who hadn't killed them before?

It was just that they hadn't encountered Blood God Sect demons.

But among the crowd, only Second Senior Brother Zhang Han did not think so.

Only by encountering Blood God Sect demons could one understand the cunning, deceit, and cruelty of the Blood God Sect demons.

Otherwise, they wouldn't be called Blood God Sect demons.

He, Zhang Han, was an example. With his strength, if a Meal of Mist Seventh Layer Blood God Sect demon came, he could kill one if one came, and even kill two if two came.

But the fact was, if not for Xu Jin's intervention, he would have lost his life.

Blood God Sect demons are not as simple as their cultivation realm; he must be extremely vigilant in the future.

"Do you all have any questions regarding this mountain harvest?

If you do, ask now, and I, the Mountain Master, will answer them one by one!

The mountain harvest is one of the foundations of our Jinshan Dao Academy's survival, based on fairness and justice. If there are doubts, they must be answered," Mountain Master Dong Zhao said loudly.

All the disciples shook their heads; there were no more.

The harvest volume of the Jinshan Dao Academy is all calculated using Star-Plucking Tokens, and problems rarely occur.

"If there are no doubts, then disperse. You have all worked hard. You may go to the External Affairs Hall to hand over and redeem your rewards."

"Also, tomorrow is a day off!"

After speaking, Mountain Master Dong Zhao stepped on star light and left through the air.

Below the platform, Xu Jin was overjoyed.

He had just been thinking about finding Ning Yuchan tonight to ask for leave. Tomorrow, July 14th, was the day his younger sister Jiang Er would return home after working for a full month; he had to go home.

He hadn't expected tomorrow to be a day off, which was just perfect. After the dismissal, the senior brothers from previous years all returned directly to rest and were not in a hurry to redeem their rewards.

Only the disciples from this spring's Star-Pointing Season ran one after another to the External Affairs Hall to redeem their rewards.

For no other reason—they were poor!

The consumption for cultivation was too great. The monthly stipend issued by the Dao Academy was very much for ordinary people, but for cultivation, it was far from enough.

If not compared with Xu Jin, most people's harvest was still quite good.

For example, Qiao Ruonan, whose harvest volume was 1,063 taels; after deducting the Dao Academy's basic requirements and commission, she could also have a harvest of over 400 taels.

Fang Zhixing, Hong Gang, Sha Youtian, Song Ye—the members of Xu's team—had harvest volumes mostly between 1,000 and 1,500 taels. After redeeming their rewards, their cultivation could also improve rapidly for a period of time.

What surprised Xu Jin was that Qian Xiaohu actually obtained a harvest of 2,673 taels.

This harvest volume was almost enough to break into the top 100 harvest volumes.

"Little Tiger, how is your harvest volume so high this time? Did you hit a jackpot?" On the way, Song Ye asked while walking.

"Where would I get a jackpot? I'm just bold, not afraid of dirt, and not very afraid of insects. I specifically run into mountain crevices or swamps. Anyway, wherever it's dirty and scary, I go there."

"Especially those places with many beast corpses, which are smelly and have many insects and ants; no one goes there, but I do, and the harvest is quite good." Qian Xiaohu laughed honestly.

Hearing this, Xu Jin smiled.

Everyone has their own ideas and fortunes.

Qian Xiaohu could be considered capable of enduring hardship, and this hardship was not something ordinary people could choose.

Xu Jin calculated that Qian Xiaohu had obtained at least 1,400-plus taels this time, which could be considered a huge income, enough for Qian Xiaohu to cultivate rapidly for a period of time.

There were many people at the External Affairs Hall, but those in the front were settled very quickly. Soon, it was Xu Jin's turn.

As soon as the manager heard it was Xu Jin, he directly invited Xu Jin into the inner hall of the External Affairs Hall, saying that Xu Jin should wait a moment, and Xu Jin's rewards would be calculated and issued by the Hall Master personally.

Not long after, a middle-aged fat man with a bulky build walked into the inner hall like a whirlwind.

Xu Jin hurriedly bowed and saluted. "I have met Hall Master Zeng."

The External Affairs Hall Master's surname was Zeng, given name Shuo. Xu Jin had only seen him once before.

At first, he didn't pay attention, but now, as Xu Jin's understanding of the Jinshan Dao Academy deepened, he realized that this External Affairs Hall Master, Zeng Shuo, if placed in his previous life, wouldn't he be the head of the city/county finance bureau?

That must absolutely be Mountain Master Dong Zhao's confidant.

This person, although not famous, should have quite a high influence within the Jinshan Dao Academy.

"Whoa, truly a talent, heroic and extraordinary!"

Zeng Shuo laughed before speaking, and started praising as soon as he opened his mouth. "Historically, anyone who can get first place in a single month's harvest is a top genius of our Jinshan Dao Academy and will surely be a pillar of our Great Chen in the future."

"And you, at the Meal of Mist Fifth Layer, were able to slay Blood God Sect demons; your combat strength is even more extraordinary."

"You can be called sharp and decisive..."

Xu Jin felt that his own forced smiles were becoming numb.

The person in front of him was too good at praising people; over a dozen sentences in a row, each one different.

He praised Xu Jin so much that Xu Jin didn't know how to speak.

"Hall Master Zeng, you overpraise me..."

"Hahahaha..."

Zeng Shuo laughed loudly, pulling Xu Jin with his bulky (fat) palm to the side table. "Come, your rewards, let me calculate them for you properly."

"Good, I'll trouble Hall Master Zeng." It was finally the main topic, and Xu Jin wanted to wash his hands.

"Your total harvest volume this time is 16,974 taels. First, subtract 2,000 taels. Of these 2,000 taels, deduct the Dao Academy's basic requirement of 200 taels; for the remaining 1,800 taels, the Dao Academy takes 50%, so you can get 900 taels."

"For the remaining 14,974 taels, the Dao Academy takes 20%, so you can get a total of 11,980 taels. Adding the previous 900 taels, the harvest silver to be issued to you is 12,880 taels. If there are no problems, just put your thumbprint on it," Zeng Shuo said.

"No problem."

"Do you want silver notes or calculated in Star-Plucking Tower star light?" Zeng Shuo asked again.

"You should still have a One-Star Star-Plucking Token. Silver taels can be used to purchase star light, 100 taels for one strand of Star-Plucking star light," Zeng Shuo said.

"Then let's have silver notes."

"Good, has your Star-Plucking Token been activated?" Zeng Shuo asked.

"Meal of Mist Fifth Layer, not yet activated," Xu Jin said.

Xu Jin had already asked Ning Yuchan before; information in the public area of the Star-Plucking Token, except for personal information, was unknown to anyone.

But if one chose to enter a main tower, then the information within the main tower could be seen by those with higher authority.

In other words, if Xu Jin chose to enter the Great Chen Dao Academy, the information within the Great Chen Dao Academy could be seen by someone, but the information in the public area, unless Xu Jin informed them, would still be unknown to anyone.

"Hmm, not activated, so it can't be directly transferred within the Dao Academy. It requires you to use your Star-Plucking Token to transfer it to me."

Subsequently, Xu Jin handed the Star-Plucking Token to Zeng Shuo. He saw star light flash from Zeng Shuo's Star-Plucking Token, and Zeng Shuo returned Xu Jin's Star-Plucking Token.

"Done."

"Counting the star light you were rewarded with before, after you activate the Star-Plucking Token, there should be 150 strands of star light in your Star-Plucking Token."

"Also, after activating the Star-Plucking Token, it is best to enter the Great Chen Dao Academy at the first opportunity, report the information record, and then come to the External Affairs Hall once," Zeng Shuo was very patient.

A minute later, Zeng Shuo handed Xu Jin a thick stack of silver notes, some 1,000-tael notes, and some 100-tael notes.

In an instant, Xu Jin felt a great sense of security.

He had silver now.

After finishing the handover of the silver notes, Zeng Shuo wiped his finger across the Star-Plucking Token, and star light flashed, projecting a light screen for Xu Jin.

"Xu Jin, you are first in the harvest, you can freely choose one piece of First Tier star equipment!"

"Star equipment is divided into five major categories: weapons, footwear, armor, shields, and special. The quantity of items under each category varies. There are a total of twenty-six items in five categories, all here. You can freely choose one."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 79 =====

"Star weapons are divided into five major categories: weapons, footwear, armor, shields, and special items. Each category contains a varying number of types, totaling twenty-six items across all five categories. They are all here; you may choose any one of them."

(End of chapter)