Chapter 79 78: Reward
In the tournament arena, tens of thousands of people were cheering.
The battle with Liu Ming had brought Ling Fei endless glory.
But at this moment, Ling Fei remained calm, simply watching the cheering crowd before him.
He knew that if he were ever defeated, the object of their cheers would change just as quickly.
Therefore, even when showered with glory, his conviction remained unshaken.
Seeing Ling Fei's calm expression, devoid of pride or complacency, Dean Han, who stood beside him, nodded slightly.
Then, with a shift of his gaze, he gestured with his hand.
The cheering crowd immediately fell silent.
"This year's new student tournament has come to a successful conclusion. Ling Fei, Liu Ming, Pang Fei, Zhou Feng, and Shangguan Yurou all performed exceptionally well. The rest of you should take them as your role models and train diligently. At the same time, they will receive their corresponding rewards. All of you, come up to the stage and accept your prizes!" Dean Han's deep voice echoed throughout the arena. He then looked toward the talented students, a smile in his eyes.
As his voice faded, Liu Ming, Pang Fei, Zhou Feng, and Shangguan Yurou walked toward the tournament stage together.
"Those people are the paragons of our year!" Seeing the talented students, the spectating disciples' eyes filled with admiration.
They had only been enrolled for three months, yet they had already stepped into the Innate Realm.
Not only that, but they all had extraordinary attainments in Martial Arts, their talent far surpassing others.
Such geniuses were destined to become figures admired by countless people in the future.
Liu Ming, Shangguan Yurou, and the others ascended the tournament stage one by one.
The group stood in a line alongside Ling Fei.
However, Liu Ming was expressionless at this moment. His eyes were dull, and he looked completely listless.
It seemed he had suffered a tremendous blow from this tournament.
Originally, he hadn't even given Pang Fei and the others a second thought. He only sparred with Shangguan Yurou because they were old acquaintances.
He had only acted to indulge Shangguan Yurou's wish.
But who would have thought that Ling Fei, who had appeared out of nowhere, would defeat Liu Ming so easily?
It was so decisive; a complete rout.
In the end, even after Liu Ming activated his Bloodline Eye Technique, he was still defeated.
It wasn't hard to imagine what a devastating blow this battle had been for Liu Ming.
"I wonder what rewards the academy will give out this time?" As the five of them stood side-by-side on the stage, the people in the distance looked on with anticipation.
At this moment, several slender and beautiful women were already walking onto the stage, each carrying a jade disc.
The jade discs were covered with silk veils.
An object was clearly placed upon each one.
'What could it be?' Ling Fei couldn't help but glance at the jade disc.
Before the tournament, both Instructor Ruo Huan and Zhou Xiaoyu had said there would be a reward for those who stood out!
The five long-legged beauties walked up to each of the five new students.
Then, another beautiful woman appeared beside each of them. These women reached out with their fair hands and whisked away the light veils.
Immediately, exquisite Treasure Swords appeared before everyone's eyes.
"A sword!" Ling Fei's eyes flickered.
"These are Profound Tier Treasure Swords forged from Celestial River Pure Gold. They are incredibly sharp and can withstand the circulation of Gang Qi, making them rare treasures!" Dean Han said with a smile. "Perhaps you will obtain even better swords after you become powerful experts in the future, but consider this a memento of the new student tournament."
Then, the five women presented the Treasure Swords to the five geniuses.
Ling Fei and the others accepted the swords.
The swords were exquisite, their hilts engraved with the name "Celestial River."
"In addition, you will be granted the opportunity to enter the Celestial River Sword Tomb and comprehend the Celestial River Sword Technique!" Dean Han said, stroking his beard.
'Comprehend the Celestial River Sword Technique?' Ling Fei's brow arched.
Beside him, Shangguan Yurou's eyes lit up. She whispered to Ling Fei, "The Celestial River Sword Tomb contains the complete Celestial River Sword Technique. Ordinary people can't enter at all. For us to be able to go inside and comprehend the Sword Technique is a rare opportunity!" This was the very reason Shangguan Yurou had come to Celestial River Academy.
"The complete Celestial River Sword Technique!" Hearing this, Ling Fei's eyes also lit up.
The Celestial River Sword Technique was divided into three parts: upper, middle, and lower.
He had currently learned the upper and middle parts.
The more he learned, the more he sensed how extraordinary this Sword Technique was.
The complete Sword Technique definitely surpassed Profound Level Martial Arts. At the very least, it was a Spirit Level Martial Art!
Now that he had the chance to comprehend the complete Celestial River Sword Technique, he was naturally overjoyed.
"Shangguan Yurou and Zhou Feng will each receive one opportunity to enter the Sword Tomb and comprehend the Celestial River Sword Technique!" Dean Han announced. "Pang Fei and Liu Ming will each receive two opportunities!"
"And Ling Fei will receive three opportunities to enter the Sword Tomb and comprehend the Celestial River Sword Technique!"
The top five ranks received a different number of opportunities to comprehend the Celestial River Sword Technique.
This was the reward for genius!
'Three chances!' Ling Fei was delighted.
This way, his chances of completely mastering the Celestial River Sword Technique would be much greater.
'This really is a pleasant surprise.' Ling Fei was now in a great mood.
Initially, when Zhou Xiaoyu and Instructor Ruo Huan told him there would be a reward, he hadn't paid it much mind.
But now it seemed the reward was truly significant!
Shangguan Yurou and the others, however, seemed to have already known something about this.
Afterward, each of them was issued a Sword Token for entering and exiting the Celestial River Sword Tomb.
Everyone accepted their Sword Tokens, and with that, the tournament finally came to a true conclusion.
"The future belongs to you. Train hard. The glory of Celestial River Academy rests on your shoulders!" After handing out the prizes, Dean Han smiled. His gaze swept over Ling Fei and the others, but it lingered on Ling Fei, his eyes filled with expectation.
"We will certainly not disappoint you, Dean!"
Ling Fei and the others said in unison.
At this moment, they too were filled with anticipation for the future.
"Good!" Dean Han nodded, then continued, "Of course, the path of cultivation is long and arduous. A single success or failure is not worth dwelling on. What's important is to have a heart that strives upward, a Martial Arts Heart. Only then can you walk farther down this path. Otherwise, you will only be led astray by your own obsessions." As he said this, he glanced toward Liu Ming.
It seemed he was specifically instructing Liu Ming.
Liu Ming's gaze flickered slightly, but he said nothing.
However, his expression gradually became peaceful.
At this point, he had no choice but to accept the fact that he had been defeated.
"We will remember the Dean's teachings!" Ling Fei, Shangguan Yurou, and the others replied.
"Good. In that case, you should all go and rest," Dean Han said with a smile, stroking his beard. "Remember, in seven days, the Celestial River Sword Tomb will open. When the time comes, don't forget to bring your Sword Tokens to the Sword Tomb to comprehend the Celestial River Sword Technique."
"Yes!" everyone nodded.
After that, Ling Fei and the others walked off the tournament stage.
"Brother Fei!" As Ling Fei came down, Wu Dapang and the others immediately crowded around him.
"Not bad, kid. You actually managed to earn the right to enter the Celestial River Sword Tomb and comprehend the Celestial River Sword Technique!" Huang Xiaoman walked over, raising an eyebrow with the air of a bossy big sister. She was happy for him, knowing that if Ling Fei completely comprehended the full Sword Technique, he would surely make great achievements in the Sword Dao.
At that time, his combat power would soar.
"Xiaoman, that's no way to act!" Huang Xiaoman had barely spoken when a senior sister beside them interjected, "Junior Brother Ling Fei, look, Xiaoman is like a tigress. She's not gentle at all! Does she even act like a woman? Why don't you break up with her and look at me? I'm so much prettier and gentler!"
"What the hell, who says I'm not gentle? Gu Xiaomi, you dare try to steal my man?! I'll kill you!" Hearing this, Huang Xiaoman flew into a rage.
She then postured, baring her teeth and claws as if ready to fight Gu Xiaomi to the bitter end.
"Um... Big Sis really is like a tigress. If this keeps up, are the other senior sisters going to steal Ling Fei away?" Huang Liang watched from the side, her face full of worry. She felt her sister was in a very bad spot, because more and more beautiful women were crowding around them.
And her sister, it seemed, didn't have much of an advantage at all!
