Chapter 307: Everyone Gets a Reward

Song Jiulai fell silent.

It wasn’t that she hadn’t met good Cultivators before.

After all, the Cultivators of the Feique Sect were quite decent.

But this was the first time a stranger had made such a great sacrifice to save her out here.

Everyone here was a competitor.

Sure enough, after the white-robed female cultivator finished speaking, the gray-robed female cultivator beside them picked up a flag.

She sneered, "We’re all at the Early Stage of Qi Refining, gathered here to fight for a single spot. By saving her, you’ve just saved a competitor. What good does that do you? What a phony."

Song Jiulai frowned. ’Judge the action, not the intent. In any case, I was indeed saved by her.’

Looking at the gray-robed female cultivator, she retorted bluntly, "None of your damn business."

"You!" The gray-robed female cultivator stared at Song Jiulai, her rage turning into a derisive laugh. "A good-for-nothing who only passed because someone else saved her dares to run her mouth in front of me! Just wait until the final round. I’ll beat you so badly you’ll be looking for your teeth on the ground."

"..."

System: "Ah, the nostalgia! This is the feeling, this is the plot! This was the original script I had planned for you! Too bad summoning those players messed up all my plans."

"..."

Song Jiulai had been about to say something, but the system’s comment just made her want to laugh.

So, instead of arguing with the gray-robed female cultivator, she looked down at the one in white and helped her up. "Thank you, fellow Daoist. My name is Jiushong."

She had made up the name on the spot, just rearranging the characters of her real name.

With a bit removed from the beginning and end, no one would ever guess.

"My name is Lian Mi," the white-robed female cultivator said.

Song Jiulai finished helping Lian Mi up and handed her a flag. "You helped me in this round, fellow Daoist. If there’s anything I can do to help you later, I will do everything in my power."

Lian Mi shook her head. "That’s not why I saved you."

She had seen Song Jiulai try to save someone, a sign of a kind heart, and she didn’t want to see her eliminated from this round with regrets.

If she were to say this out loud, it would sound rather ridiculous.

In the Cultivation World, how could there be anyone who was truly kind?

Still, Song Jiulai nodded. "Thank you for your help, fellow Daoist."

She took a flag for herself as well.

The gray-robed female cultivator saw this and looked like she was about to say something else, but a resonant voice from the sky interrupted them.

"This round is now over for the three of you. The secret to the next round lies within the flags in your hands."

All three of them looked down at the flags in their hands.

"Wait for three days until all selections are complete. At that time, you will rendezvous with the other Early Stage Qi Refining Cultivators who have made it to the second round. The flags will then activate on their own, and the third round will officially begin. For now, rest for two days."

As the voice finished speaking, the scene before them vanished once more.

In its place was no longer the small island, but a place filled with the songs of birds and the fragrance of flowers.

Surprisingly, they were surrounded by mortals.

The air was thick with the bustling energy of the mortal world.

Song Jiulai took a deep sniff. She could even smell the aroma of food drifting through the air.

It wasn’t as fragrant as the food the players made, but it had its own unique charm.

"The Mortal Realm?"

After they arrived, Lian Mi took a Second-tier Elixir Pill from her Jiezidai to replenish her Spiritual Energy. Her complexion finally improved significantly.

She looked around curiously. "Are we supposed to rest here for a while?"

"Looks like it." Song Jiulai nodded, naturally adapting to the new surroundings. She pointed to a spot. "We have two days to kill anyway. Since we have nothing better to do, let me treat you to some noodles."

Lian Mi was a little surprised. She looked where Song Jiulai was pointing and indeed saw a noodle stall on the mortal street ahead.

She gave a slight smile. "Alright."

She was in the Early Stage of Qi Refining and hadn’t yet achieved complete Fasting.

Eating some food right now would be wonderful.

The gray-robed female cultivator shot the two of them a cold glance.

You’d think she was from the South Pole.

She carried a constant chill about her.

She glanced at the mortals around them with a slight frown before her gaze returned to the flag in her hand.

’What is this third round?’

’The Ten Thousand Immortals Sect has gone to such great lengths. If they want to screen the most outstanding disciple from so many people, what kind of ’outstanding’ are they even looking for?’

’In the past, it was always a competition of Spirit Roots, talent, and comprehension. But this selection by the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect was clearly different.’

The gray-robed female cultivator lowered her eyes, then turned and left.

As for Lian Mi and Song Jiulai, she didn’t even consider them worthy of her attention.

’Lian Mi already revealed her full strength when she saved that person. And that Jiushong is just a good-for-nothing who only got in thanks to Lian Mi.’

’Neither of them has the strength to compete with me.’

-

"Here are your noodles."

Two large, steaming bowls of noodles were placed before them. Song Jiulai immediately picked hers up and started digging in.

Because this clone was only at the Early Stage of Qi Refining, she was now easily susceptible to hunger.

Ever since her main body reached Foundation Establishment, she hadn’t really felt hunger.

She only ate because she had a craving, not out of need.

Lian Mi’s table manners, on the other hand, were far more elegant.

She was graceful and refined, like the young lady of some great family.

Song Jiulai slurped her noodles and sighed. "The flavor isn’t rich enough. Beef bone broth noodles are still the best."

The soup bases made by the players were all meticulously prepared stocks. Even with the best ingredients, the mortals of today could hardly compete with players who used all sorts of seasonings and cooking techniques.

"Beef bone broth noodles?" Lian Mi listened, a little curious. "I’ve had them before. This flavor is indeed a bit light in comparison."

"No, I’m talking about the ones made by the mortals of a particular sect," Song Jiulai said with a mysterious smile. "It’s a sect near my hometown. If we get the chance, I can take you to try them. The food the mortals there make is amazing."

"Is that so?" Lian Mi blinked, her curiosity truly piqued. "Then I’ll be looking forward to it."

Song Jiulai smiled, then asked directly, "Why did you save me back in the second round?"

Lian Mi paused, then lowered her head and took a bite of noodles. "You might find this laughable, fellow Daoist, but you had originally saved that man, only for him to turn on you. I just felt that a fellow Daoist like you, Jiushong, shouldn’t have been eliminated in the second round because of an accident like that."

Song Jiulai looked thoughtful. "I wasn’t really trying to save him at the time."

She had simply heard his promise of a handsome reward and decided not to act against him.

"But you still didn’t act against him in the end. He was the one who betrayed your kindness," Lian Mi said, her eyes crinkling into a smile. "I heard that even if you don’t get into the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect, as long as you make it to the final round of the selection, you’ll still get some kind of reward from them. Is that right?"

"A reward?"

This piqued Song Jiulai’s curiosity. "So some people are just here for that?"

"Yes." Lian Mi nodded. "That’s why I’m here. With my level of strength, the hope of becoming the most outstanding Early Stage of Qi Refining disciple and entering the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect is slim to none. But if I can just get the reward, that would be wonderful too."

"I see." Song Jiulai scratched her chin with a finger. "Looks like the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect is pretty generous, then."

’They’re quite decent to the Cultivators they’re about to eliminate.’

’But then I think about all the taxes the Ten Thousand Immortals Sect collects...’

’Nope. My heart still bleeds at the thought.’