C17 Reward

The Outer Sect competition concluded with an unexpected twist: Hua Hsing emerged as the champion. No one could call him a failure anymore; he was undeniably the top disciple of the Outer Sect.

After the competition, it was time to distribute the rewards. Re Yunzheng, defeated by Hua Hsing, was seething with anger, wishing he could take revenge. However, he knew he was no match for Hua Hsing now.

Of course, no one was happier than the Ninth Elder about Hua Hsing's victory. Among all the elders present, he was the only one who noticed that Hua Hsing used the fourth move of the Golden Light Sword Arts to defeat Re Yunzheng. Although he didn't understand how Hua Hsing mastered this advanced technique, he was thrilled for him nonetheless.

"The third place in this Outer Sect competition receives a reward of one thousand low-grade spirit stones and a piece of basic weaponry."

Hearing about the weapon, all the disciples were astounded. The rewards were incredibly generous this time, even including a basic weapon.

On the Ancient Sword Continent, there exists a prestigious profession known as the Artifact Refining Master. These masters can craft powerful weapons, which play a significant role in high-level duels.

Apprentices in this craft can create ordinary weapons, which are the most common and least valuable on the market. True Artifact Refining Masters, however, can forge basic weapons of great worth.

In the realm of weaponry, ordinary weapons have surpassed the usual standards, boasting incredible power. If they possess such weapons, their strength would significantly increase. Of course, above ordinary weapons are the essence weapons crafted by artifact refining masters, and even spirit weapons forged by grandmasters.

All weapons are categorized into four sub-levels: low, mid, high, and top tier. This time, the reward includes a low-tier ordinary weapon, highlighting the Azure Edge Sword Sect's regard for its top disciples in the Outer Sect. It's worth noting that there are only a few essence weapons in the entire sect, making ordinary weapons quite valuable.

Upon hearing this, Hua Hsing's face lit up with joy. Owning an ordinary weapon would greatly enhance his strength.

"The second-place reward is 2,000 spirit stones and one low-tier ordinary weapon."

Despite the generous reward, Re Yunzheng wasn't pleased. His expression was grim, fists clenched. This was a humiliation. As the top disciple of the Outer Sect, he had been defeated by someone once considered a failure.

However, no one paid attention to Re Yunzheng's expression at this moment. They were all eagerly awaiting the announcement of the first-place reward.

"The first-place reward is 5,000 spirit stones, one low-tier ordinary weapon, and an hour in the training room."

When the judge announced the first-place reward, all the disciples were filled with envy. Not only would Hua Hsing receive 5,000 spirit stones, but he would also gain a low-tier ordinary weapon.

Of course, the most important thing is that he can train in the cultivation room for an hour. In the Azure Edge Sword Sect, Outer Sect disciples aren't allowed to use the cultivation room; only Inner Sect disciples have that privilege. The room is rich with cosmic spiritual energy, which is incredibly beneficial for training.

"Alright, this concludes the Outer Sect disciples' competition. Later, you can collect your rewards at the administration hall," the judge announced.

As the competition wrapped up, all the disciples gradually left the training grounds, and the elders also departed. Everyone was buzzing about one thing: Hua Hsing claiming the top spot in the Outer Sect.

Hua Hsing was about to leave when the Ninth Elder called him over. On a mountain peak within the Outer Sect, the Ninth Elder stood quietly, with Hua Hsing behind him.

"Hua Hsing, how did you come across the fourth move of the Golden Light Sword Arts?" the Ninth Elder asked directly.

"Master, while exploring the Black Wind Mountain Range, I stumbled upon a cultivation site. It seemed to be a place where Qih Nantian from our Azure Edge Sword Sect once trained. There, I found the last four moves of the Golden Light Sword Arts," Hua Hsing replied honestly.

Hearing this, the Ninth Elder nodded. "Hua Hsing, as my disciple, you must train diligently and aim to join the Inner Sect soon," the Ninth Elder advised. Then, he left.

News of Hua Hsing defeating Re Yunzheng quickly spread throughout the Azure Edge Sword Sect, with countless disciples discussing the event.

As usual, Hua Hsing walked down the main road, ready to claim his reward.

At the Task Hall, Hua Hsing encountered Ouyang Haofeng and Re Yunzheng. Ouyang greeted him, but Re Yunzheng glared at him with anger.

"Here are your rewards," the elder of the Task Hall said, distributing them to the three.

Hua Hsing collected his things and left immediately. Just as he stepped out, Re Yunzheng caught up with him.

"Hua Hsing, one day, I'll defeat you," Re Yunzheng declared coldly.

Hua Hsing noticed a flicker of hostility in Re Yunzheng's eyes and responded with a smirk, "I'll be waiting."

With that, Hua Hsing continued on his way to the Training Tower.

The Training Tower was located in the Inner Sect area, a place typically off-limits to Outer Sect members. However, as the top contender in the Outer Sect competition, Hua Hsing earned the privilege of using a training room for an hour.

Upon reaching the Inner Sect entrance, Hua Hsing gave his name and was allowed inside. Before entering the training room, he saw the towering structure of the Training Tower reaching into the clouds.

Inside the tower were numerous training rooms, each varying in quality. The better rooms were filled with denser cosmic spiritual energy, making training more effective.

The effectiveness of a poor training room is significantly lacking.

Hua Hsing entered the training tower and noticed many figures inside. His presence was quickly spotted by the Inner Sect disciples.

"Hmm? What's an Outer Sect disciple doing here?" one disciple asked, puzzled.

"Could he have snuck in to use the training tower?" another disciple speculated.

While the disciples were still questioning, Hua Hsing chose a training room and went in, closing the door behind him to begin his training.

Seeing this, some of the Inner Sect disciples outside the training room were taken aback, then sneered.

"This fool actually dared to take Room Eight. He's asking for trouble."

"Yeah, Room Eight is Mr. Mao's personal training room. No one dares to use it."

"Quick, go inform Mr. Mao."

Soon, a man dressed in gold appeared outside the training room, clearly upset.

"Who dares to occupy my training room?" Zhang Bofeng asked coldly.

"Mr. Mao, he seems to be a newcomer. We don't know him," a disciple replied, trying to curry favor.

"You dare to take my training room? You're courting disaster," Zhang Bofeng said sternly.

He then waited outside the training room, as once the door was closed, even Zhang Bofeng couldn't open it. He had no choice but to wait.

Time ticked by, and the longer it went on, the more Zhang Bofeng's expression darkened. He was simmering with anger.

Meanwhile, inside the training room, Hua Hsing sat cross-legged. "The spiritual energy here is so dense. Training here for an hour is at least equivalent to a whole day outside. This place is incredible," Hua Hsing remarked, glancing around.

No wonder so many people want to get into the training room. Usually, if they want to train here, they need to pay some spirit stones. Of course, for regular inner sect disciples, spirit stones are still quite scarce.

"I need to quickly reach Qi Refining Stage Level Four and enter the inner sect," Hua Hsing resolved. Only by entering the inner sect could he access better resources and rapidly improve his skills.

Hua Hsing began absorbing the cosmic spiritual energy, refining his body. Unconsciously, an hour passed. When the time was up, Hua Hsing suddenly opened his eyes. "In just an hour of training, I've reached the mid-stage of Qi Refining Stage Level Three. That's impressive," he marveled.

Outside training room number eight, Zhang Bofeng was waiting. Suddenly, a beautiful woman in a red dress appeared, catching the eyes of many disciples.

"Senior Brother Zhang, what are you doing here?" a clear voice rang out.

"Hey, Xue, what brings you here?" Zhang Bofeng managed a slight smile as he saw Jiaang Xue.

"I wanted to spend some time in the training room," Jiaang Xue replied. "What about you, Senior Brother Zhang?"

"A newcomer has taken over my training room." Although Zhang Bofeng spoke calmly, Jiaang Xue could sense his anger.

"Who would dare take your training room?" Jiaang Xue asked, but then she remembered Hua Hsing. Could it be him?

"It's a newbie, someone nobody knows," Zhang Bofeng explained.

"Senior Brother Zhang, if my guess is right, that newbie must be Hua Hsing, the top of the Outer Sect," Jiaang Xue said.

"Oh? You know him?" Zhang Bofeng asked.

"He's ruthless, harming his fellow members. It's a shame I'm not in the Outer Sect anymore; otherwise, I'd definitely teach him a lesson in the next competition," Jiaang Xue said, her face full of anger.

"Do you have a grudge against him?" Zhang Bofeng wondered, recalling that many in the Inner Sect knew he was pursuing Jiaang Xue. Hearing her words, he already had an idea.

"Don't worry, Jiaang Xue. I'll personally make sure he learns his lesson," Zhang Bofeng assured her.

Jiaang Xue laughed at his words. "He's really asking for it, daring to take your training room. You must give him a lesson he won't forget."

"Sure, I'll show him what I'm made of," Zhang Bofeng said confidently.

Jiaang Xue couldn't help but feel a secret thrill at Zhang Bofeng's words. Although she wasn't particularly fond of him, she didn't mind using Zhang Bofeng to deal with Hua Hsing.

Re Yunzheng had already failed. She sensed the threat Hua Hsing posed, so she was determined to eliminate him by any means necessary.

As the two spoke, the door to the training room swung open.