Chapter 136: Additional Reward

Beneath the Qingyang Hall, the doors of the immortal cave swung open. A figure flashed inside, followed immediately by a crisp slapping sound echoing within the cavern.

Following that sharp sound came a series of groans, and a figure sprawled flat on the ground. It was none other than Yang Ze.

Lying on the floor without even lifting his head, Yang Ze kept groaning, though in truth, he had not sustained any actual injuries. He simply could not fathom why Xie Yuan had suddenly turned on him.

Just moments ago, Xie Yuan had grabbed him, instantly rendering his entire body immobile. He had then been dragged all the way here and dropped unceremoniously onto the floor.

Judging by the surroundings, this place had to be Xie Yuan's personal immortal cave. Yang Ze had no idea why Xie Yuan had brought him here, but his gut instinct told him it was nothing good.

Nevertheless, he began to survey the cave. It truly lived up to the name of an immortal cave, being far more spacious than his own quarters. Yet, more than anything else, what truly amazed Yang Ze was the sheer density of the ambient spiritual energy filling the cave.

The spiritual energy within the Misty Martial Academy was already much thicker than the outside world. Qingyang Peak, being a mountain dedicated to cultivation, naturally boasted an even richer concentration of spiritual energy. As the dwelling of the Chief Peak Elder, this immortal cave was unquestionably the place with the highest concentration of spiritual energy on the entire Qingyang Peak.

In particular, the formation barriers inscribed upon the cave elevated the spiritual energy to an even higher level.

Having been inside for only a short while, Yang Ze could already feel the exhaustion fading from his body, nourished by the spiritual energy.

However, this comfortable sensation did not last long before Xie Yuan’s cold voice rang out from behind him.

"Have you finished lying there? Can you get up now?"

A shudder ran through Yang Ze's body and he scrambled to his feet, though he kept a distance of several paces between himself and Xie Yuan. Even though those few paces offered no real guarantee of safety should things go wrong, Yang Ze still felt they were entirely necessary.

Noticing the gap Yang Ze had placed between them and observing the strange look in the young man's eyes, Xie Yuan immediately guessed what was running through his mind.

A surge of anger flared up within him, and he released a trace of his Fifth-Rank Qi Sea Realm pressure. An overwhelming momentum naturally arose within the cave, instantly forcing Yang Ze, who had just stood up, back down to the ground under its immense weight.

"Stop letting your imagination run wild! If it weren't for Ning Teng's sake, I'd strike you down with a single palm right now!"

Seeing Xie Yuan's furious expression, Yang Ze actually calmed down. As someone who had frequented internet forums in his past life, he had witnessed all kinds of things. He had initially feared Xie Yuan harbored certain twisted inclinations, but realizing that was not the case, a wave of relief washed over him.

"Please forgive this disciple, Elder." The pressure inside the cave quickly dissipated, and Yang Ze stood up once more, speaking respectfully.

"This once, and never again. If I ever find out you harbor such filthy thoughts again, no matter who you are, I will crush you with one strike." Xie Yuan's voice was intensely cold, causing Yang Ze to shiver.

"There will definitely not be a next time," Yang Ze hurriedly assured him.

As soon as those words fell, silence descended upon the cave. Neither Xie Yuan nor Yang Ze spoke. After a long while, Xie Yuan finally broke the silence.

"Take this. It's the reward for becoming one of the top ten registered disciples this time."

Xie Yuan tossed a small bundle through the air. Yang Ze reached out and caught it. It was not heavy at all—in fact, it felt quite light. Furthermore, the opening of the bundle was sealed with true essence, preventing it from being torn open.

Feeling somewhat surprised, Yang Ze wondered what Xie Yuan had given him. The martial arts tournament had already concluded, and the rewards had long since been distributed; why was there an additional reward now?

Noticing the confusion on Yang Ze's face, Xie Yuan explained, "This was left for you by Elder Ning. By becoming one of the top ten registered disciples, you have fulfilled Elder Ning's trial. This is your reward."

A flash crossed Yang Ze's eyes. This was entirely unexpected; Ning Teng had actually been observing him from the shadows and had even left him such a fine reward.

Without opening it rashly, Yang Ze clutched the bundle and said, "Many thanks, Chief Peak Elder!"

"Don't thank me. The person you should thank is Ning Teng, since it was he who handed this over to you. Very well, let us begin now," Xie Yuan said abruptly.

"Begin? Begin what?" Yang Ze asked.

"Ning Teng and I had an agreement. If you managed to become one of the top ten registered disciples, he would give you that bundle, and I would allow you to cultivate inside my immortal cave for a month. Now that you've accomplished it, I am granting you a month of cultivation. Are you unhappy about this?" Xie Yuan's tone carried a hint of impatience, as if deeply displeased by Yang Ze's endless questions.

In truth, what he had discussed with Ning Teng was merely allowing Yang Ze to cultivate in his cave for a month, without specifying that it had to take place immediately after the martial arts tournament.

However, Yang Ze's final actions during the tournament had thoroughly provoked him, prompting him to punish the young man by locking him away in the cave for a month right after the competition ended.

That way, the obligation of one month's cultivation time in the immortal cave would be fulfilled, but under such hasty and forced circumstances, how much benefit could Yang Ze possibly extract from it?

Hearing what Xie Yuan said, Yang Ze was momentarily stunned. He had never imagined that these two Fifth-Rank experts would conspire behind the scenes to arrange such a thing for him.

A month of cultivation in this immortal cave sounded marvelous on paper, but the crux of the matter was that he was not prepared at all.

Yang Ze had naturally heard tales of the incredible benefits offered by immortal caves, which was precisely why he understood how precious this one-month opportunity was. It required careful preparation to unlock its maximum potential, not to be rushed into so casually.

"Thank you for your kind consideration, Elder, but this disciple still has uncompleted tasks for this month. If they are not finished, I will be expelled from the martial academy. I earnestly beg the Elder to grant me a few days to complete these tasks, after which I will return here to cultivate." Yang Ze instantly concocted an excuse, attempting to buy himself a few days of time.

"A registered disciple's tasks? It is laughable of you to mention such a thing to me. I am the Chief Peak Elder of Qingyang Peak; a single word from me can exempt you from those tasks. Do not stall or make excuses with me. Do you wish to cultivate in my immortal cave or not? If you don't, you may get out, and this opportunity will be rescinded." Xie Yuan said with an unkind tone, utterly exasperated that Yang Ze would dare to refuse him.

A look of struggle flickered across Yang Ze's face, but weighing the immense value of the immortal cave, he ultimately had to yield. "Many thanks, Elder. This disciple is willing."

"As long as you are willing. That stone chamber yonder is where you will cultivate. Go on in; I will handle the rest of matters for you." Xie Yuan pointed a finger, and the heavy door of a stone chamber tucked away in a corner of the cave swung open.

Watching that stone chamber, Yang Ze had no choice but to walk toward it.

As he watched Yang Ze's retreating back, Xie Yuan's expression remained grim. For reasons unknown, encountering Yang Ze always managed to stir his anger, even though the youth was merely a registered disciple.

Shaking off these thoughts, Xie Yuan waved his hand once more after Yang Ze stepped inside. A small bottle flew into the stone chamber, and then the stone chamber door slammed shut.

His immortal cave was vast, containing no shortage of stone chambers suitable for cultivation. The one Yang Ze had been assigned to, however, possessed the sparsest spiritual energy of all the chambers within the cave.

Even so, placed in the outside world, that level of energy alone would be enough to make Third and Fourth-Rank martial artists tear each other apart in a frantic scramble. Having shut the stone door to prevent Yang Ze from wandering around his dwelling, Xie Yuan departed the immortal cave.

Since Yang Ze was still a registered disciple and could not simply vanish for a month without explanation, he had matters to attend to regarding that...

Meanwhile, the moment Yang Ze stepped into the stone chamber, he was greeted by a dense wave of ambient spiritual energy rushing toward him.

After taking just a single breath, Yang Ze felt every pore on his body open up, and the hidden injuries and lingering ailments from the martial arts tournament were instantly and automatically healed by the cleansing baptism of the spiritual energy.

"What a blessed land!" Yang Ze was overjoyed. This cultivation chamber was simply incomparable to the main hall of the immortal cave.

With such a sacred ground for cultivation, he no longer cared if the heavy stone door behind him had been sealed shut. Since he could not resist it anyway, he might as well focus entirely on cultivation to make it truly worthwhile for himself.

Setting down his belongings, Yang Ze sat cross-legged upon the stone bed and picked up the bundle left behind by Ning Teng.

Gazing at the true essence sealing the bundle, Yang Ze gripped it with his left hand while raising his right. True essence Qi surged from his palm and struck directly against the sealing energy.

The moment the two forces touched, they merged into one, and the sealing true essence immediately dissipated.

Seeing this, Yang Ze understood that Ning Teng had likely only done this as a formality. If Ning Teng had genuinely wanted to lock it tight, it would not have been so easily undone; undoubtedly, Ning Teng possessed other means to know that it was he who had opened it.

Opening the bundle, the first thing that caught Yang Ze's eye was a jade bottle, which he immediately pulled out.

A slip of paper was pasted onto the surface of the jade bottle, bearing three characters: Condensing Essence Pill.

Upon seeing those characters, Yang Ze's pupils constricted sharply. Not stopping there, he reached back into the bundle and pulled out three more bottles.

These three bottles likewise had paper strips pasted upon them, reading: Superior Qi-Nourishing Pill.

Yang Ze drew in a sharp breath. Qi-Nourishing Pills were divided into superior, middle, and inferior grades. Normally, what they consumed were merely inferior Qi-Nourishing Pills, whereas superior Qi-Nourishing Pills possessed dozens of times the efficacy of the inferior ones, and more importantly, they refined true essence rather than just true essence Qi.

Even for outer sect disciples, they were only permitted to claim a single superior Qi-Nourishing Pill per month. Yet in his hands were three entire bottles, with ten pills in each bottle. Bringing these out into the open would undoubtedly cause the outer sect disciples to fight over them like madmen.

As for the Condensing Essence Pill, it was even more extraordinary. It likewise served to refine true essence, but was vastly superior to the superior Qi-Nourishing Pill. The single bottle in his possession also contained a full ten pills.

Not only that, but he also noticed another jade bottle resting upon the stone table within the chamber—the one Xie Yuan had casually tossed in.