Chapter 35: Generous Rewards

The successful conversion of Qi into Astral Qi in his first Martial Vein provided Ling Xiao with invaluable experience.

Consequently, when it came time to condense his second Martial Vein, the process became much smoother and more fluid.

Another three hours passed, and he not only successfully condensed the second Martial Vein but also completely stabilized the Astral Qi of the first.

However, he encountered a slight problem when it came to the third Martial Vein.

Because once the third Martial Vein successfully converted Qi into Astral Qi, it would mean a breakthrough to the fourth stage of the Martial Vein realm.

Thus, the difficulty increased significantly.

"It just so happens that I haven't used the Howling Moon Wolf yet. Using it to exchange for a few Astral Qi Pills shouldn't be a problem. Once I have them, breaking through will definitely become easier."

Ling Xiao was not one to dwell on dead ends. After all, the Annual Grand Competition was drawing closer; every bit of strength gained increased his certainty of securing a ranking.

Simply immersing himself in cultivation right now wouldn't yield much progress; Astral Qi Pills were a necessity.

These Astral Qi Pills were far more expensive than Breakthrough Pills or Qi Gathering Pills, typically used only by martial artists who had already condensed Astral Qi.

Furthermore, the refining materials had to come from demonic beasts of the fourth rank or higher that possessed Astral Qi.

He happened to have exactly what he needed.

With this thought, he stood up and walked out of the cultivation room.

However, just as he was about to leave, a thought suddenly occurred to him.

His successful conversion of Qi into Astral Qi was his trump card for securing a high ranking in the Annual Grand Competition; he absolutely could not allow it to be easily exposed.

He had to do something to mask his Astral Qi.

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, his Mountain and River Martial Soul responded.

A list appeared within the Mountain and River Map, containing templates to be displayed to others.

They ranged from the first stage to the ninth stage of the Martial Vein realm.

Ling Xiao couldn't help but feel a surge of joy. This meant he wouldn't have to worry about others seeing through his true strength.

He hadn't expected the Mountain and River Martial Soul to have such a thoughtful function.

After a moment of thought, he selected the "Third Stage Martial Vein, No Astral Qi" template.

He was currently at the peak of the third stage of the Martial Vein realm, a martial artist possessing the Astral Qi of two Martial Veins.

By appearing much weaker to outsiders, he could deceive many people. In critical moments, this would surely yield extraordinary results.

One must understand that in the world of martial artists, hiding one's true strength is an incredibly difficult feat.

Although there were many martial arts techniques designed to conceal strength, they were not easy to cultivate, and their effects were quite limited.

The martial artist templates provided by the Mountain and River Martial Soul, however, bypassed these concerns entirely.

There was no need for cultivation; one only needed to make a selection, and the displayed strength would be exactly what the template intended to show the world.

Moreover, as the level of the Mountain and River Map increased, the concealment effect would become even better.

Generally, it could hide a martial artist's strength up to four realms higher than Ling Xiao's actual level.

For example, since he was currently at the peak of the third stage, martial artists below the peak of the seventh stage would be unable to see through the true strength behind his template.

This was more than enough.

After adjusting his template, Ling Xiao headed to the Medicine Hall.

Sure enough, his Martial Uncle at the Medicine Hall truly failed to notice that he had already condensed Astral Qi.

One had to realize that this Martial Uncle's strength was at least around the sixth stage of the Martial Vein realm.

If even he couldn't tell, then none of the disciples in the Elite Hall would be able to.

"We don't have any Astral Qi Pills in stock. You'll have to wait a few days for them to be refined."

"No problem, Martial Uncle. How many Astral Qi Pills can I exchange this Howling Moon Wolf for?"

"At most, probably three or four. You must realize that a single Astral Qi Pill costs at least ten thousand taels of silver."

"Alright, I'll leave it to you then, Martial Uncle. I'll come back to collect them in a few days."

Ling Xiao knew that rushing would be useless. It seemed he would have to participate in the Annual Grand Competition first. With his current strength, breaking into the top five shouldn't be a problem.

After leaving the Medicine Hall, Ling Xiao returned to consolidate his cultivation.

A day later, he received the registration notice for the Annual Grand Competition.

"I never thought it, child. Your grandfather was worried whether you'd even be qualified to participate in this year's competition. After all, the Annual Grand Competition requires a cultivation of at least the second stage of the Martial Vein realm. I didn't expect you to already be a third-stage martial artist."

Hong Qi looked at Ling Xiao with excitement.

He had watched this child grow up, and seeing him becoming more and more successful naturally made him happy.

"Don't worry, Grandpa. I am definitely going to secure a ranking this time."

"Don't put too much pressure on yourself. There are many disciples at the third stage. Simply becoming a disciple of the Elite Hall is enough. Once you enter the Elite Hall, there will be hope for the future."

Hong Qi was always reluctant to place too much pressure on Ling Xiao.

"Grandpa, if I don't get into the top three this time, I really won't be satisfied."

Ling Xiao stuck out his tongue, made a face, and then ran off.

This was his true thought. The strengths of Ling Yixue and that Ling Yihang were somewhat mysterious, so he didn't dare say he was a guaranteed winner, but as for anyone else, he truly wasn't afraid.

If he possessed Astral Qi and had reached the peak of the third stage but still couldn't handle someone like Ling Feng, it would be quite embarrassing.

There were many disciples coming to register for the Annual Grand Competition; there were likely thousands, if not ten thousand, all of whom were martial artists at the second stage or above.

By the time Ling Xiao reached the registration area, it was already a sea of people, with many standing around discussing the event.

Their faces were all filled with excitement.

The Annual Grand Competition could be described as the best opportunity for low-level disciples to "leap over the dragon gate."

If one could secure a ranking in the Annual Grand Competition, it was equivalent to having the same opportunities as the direct descendants of the clan.

"Hehe, because the Ling family expanded its personnel last year, the number of participants in this year's competition far exceeds previous years!"

"More people, but the rewards are even more bountiful!"

"Have the rewards been announced publicly? Why didn't I know?"

"Stupid, Senior Brother Ming is a disciple of the Genius Hall; he's even a specially invited judge this time. Naturally, he knows the rewards."

Senior Brother Ming?

A disciple of the Genius Hall?

Ling Xiao moved closer; he also wanted to know what kind of rewards this Annual Grand Competition would offer.

After all, this concerned his future.

Disciples of the Genius Hall were generally under twenty years old, with a cultivation reaching the peak of the third stage of the Martial Vein realm or higher, and possessing condensed Astral Qi.

Clearly, this Senior Brother Ming was such a person.

Meanwhile, disciples of the Elite Hall were under twenty years old with a cultivation reaching the third stage of the Martial Vein realm.

Generally speaking, even the weakest disciple in the Genius Hall was stronger than the best disciple in the Elite Hall.

However, occasionally, "little monsters" would appear in the Elite Hall as well.

Someone like Ling Yihang, for instance.

"Senior Brother Ming, what exactly are the rewards? Give us a hint!"

That Senior Brother Ming smiled and said, "In this Elite Hall Annual Grand Competition, anyone who can make it into the top one hundred will receive one hundred Qi Gathering Pills as a reward!"

"Those who enter the top fifty can enter the third floor of the Library Pavilion to choose one high-grade martial arts technique! Additionally, they will receive one Breakthrough Pill, one Heart-Protecting Pill, and one Pulse-Protecting Pill!"

"Those who enter the top twenty, in addition to the previous rewards, will get an extra opportunity to choose a high-grade martial arts technique, and they will receive an additional Breakthrough Pill, Heart-Protecting Pill, and Pulse-Protecting Pill!"

Hearing this, many people could no longer suppress their excitement.

"That's too extravagant! Just making the top one hundred earns you one hundred Qi Gathering Pills!"

"It would be even better if you could make the top twenty—two sets of high-grade martial arts and two sets of breakthrough pills!"

"Yeah, these are treasures that many Elite Hall and low-ranking disciples wouldn't even dare to dream of."

(End of Chapter)