A nurtured genius?
Luo Feng gave a bitter smile.
"Luo Feng, you've truly made our Silver Moon Class proud today! Whatever reward you desire, I, your instructor, will grant it!" Ji Wuyue said, ecstatically hugging Luo Feng's neck.
Bing Ruolan knew Ji Wuyue's ways. Seemingly accustomed to her antics, she smiled, though her cheeks flushed slightly.
Luo Feng felt his head resting on something soft. Inhaling Ji Wuyue's faint, delicate fragrance, he couldn't help but recall her earlier words.
Any reward can be agreed upon... Does that mean...
Luo Feng licked his somewhat dry lips and suddenly raised his brows, his gaze locking onto a section of the grandstand. His expression turned cold as he said loudly, "Li Yunhao, it seems you've forgotten something."
Luo Feng's voice echoed throughout the martial arts training grounds, and everyone present followed his gaze.
Li Yunhao was already near the exit of the training grounds. He stiffened upon hearing Luo Feng, stopped, turned around, and glared at Luo Feng, his gaze as cold as ice.
"I almost forgot the most important thing!" Ji Wuyue slapped her forehead, and the three of them began walking towards Li Yunhao.
When Luo Feng reached Li Yunhao, he directly extended his hand. "The instructor's ten thousand taels, plus my and Bing Ruolan's six thousand three hundred taels, makes a total of sixteen thousand three hundred taels. At a tenfold payout rate, that's one hundred sixty-three thousand taels. Hand it over!"
Upon hearing the numbers Luo Feng quoted, Li Yunhao's face twitched violently, his fists clenched tightly under his sleeves.
One hundred sixty-three thousand taels of silver!
Even though he was a student of the Golden Sun class and his family was a large merchant clan, he was still shocked by this amount.
At this moment, Li Yunhao was sick with regret.
Lifting his head, Li Yunhao glanced at Ji Wuyue, gritted his teeth, then took out several gold notes and a dozen silver notes from his robes and tossed them to Luo Feng.
"This is eighty-nine thousand taels."
Watching the gold notes in Luo Feng's hand, Li Yunhao felt as if his heart was bleeding. If Ji Wuyue hadn't been standing beside them, he would have even wanted to snatch the gold notes back.
"You still owe eighty thousand taels," Luo Feng said lightly, counting the gold notes in his hand.
Li Yunhao's eyes darkened. He stared fiercely at Luo Feng, hissing, "That's all I have!"
"That's all? And you call yourself a genius of the Golden Sun class. If I were you, I'd be too embarrassed to even go out." Luo Feng shook the gold notes in his hand, his disdainful gaze almost making Li Yunhao spit blood.
Luo Feng's gaze shifted, landing on the longsword at Li Yunhao's waist. He could vaguely make out three small characters on the hilt, indicating it was the Feathers Cloud Sword.
His eyes lit up slightly. Luo Feng beckoned with his fingers, and the sword was already in his hand.
"This sword looks pretty good; I'll take it. Let's call it eighty thousand taels. You can go now!" Luo Feng looked at Li Yunhao with an expression that suggested Li Yunhao had gotten a great deal, waving his hand dismissively.
"You can't have this sword..."
His sword snatched, Li Yunhao's expression changed, and he reached out to grab it back from Luo Feng.
"HUMPH!" Just as Li Yunhao was about to grab the longsword, a cold snort sounded from the side. Li Yunhao felt his right arm go numb as if struck by lightning, and he stumbled back three steps before regaining his balance.
"You honor your bets. You lost, so you pay up," Ji Wuyue said coldly, standing before Luo Feng with her arms crossed.
Li Yunhao looked at Ji Wuyue, then at Luo Feng standing behind her, his facial muscles twitching. Suddenly, he let out a cold snort, his sharp gaze fixed on Luo Feng.
"Luo Feng, I'll remember you!"
With that, Li Yunhao flicked his sleeve and, his face grim, left the training grounds in disgrace.
"Heh heh... Luo Feng, I never realized you were so wicked! This Feathers Cloud Sword is a top-quality longsword from the Spirit Sword Workshop in Tianyang City. It's forged from cloud-patterned steel, and only three exist. It's worth nearly one hundred fifty thousand taels, yet you managed to swindle it from him for eighty thousand!" Ji Wuyue said, looking back at Luo Feng with a grin.
"Well, didn't you also fan the flames just now, Instructor? We're even..." Luo Feng smiled and, with a CLANG, drew the Feathers Cloud Sword.
As the longsword was unsheathed, a snow-like brilliance flashed. The dazzling light, like flying snow in the clouds, made it hard to keep one's eyes open. The blade's sharp aura seemed to chill the surrounding air.
What a good sword! Luo Feng praised.
"Luo Feng, can you sell this Feathers Cloud Sword to me?" Bing Ruolan, who had been silent all this time, suddenly spoke, her gaze fixed on the Feathers Cloud Sword in Luo Feng's hand.
CLANG!
Luo Feng sheathed the sword. After a moment of thought, he handed it to Bing Ruolan and said, "How about this: I'll take these eighty thousand taels in silver notes, and Class Rep, you give the instructor one hundred thousand taels of silver. Then this Feathers Cloud Sword is yours. Instructor, what do you think?"
Luo Feng didn't practice Swordsmanship. Moreover, compared to the feminine grace of Swordsmanship, he preferred the direct and domineering Saber Technique.
"I have no objections," Ji Wuyue nodded. She hadn't expected Luo Feng to win, so these one hundred thousand taels of silver were a windfall.
"Won't you be at a loss this way?" Bing Ruolan looked at Luo Feng, her brow furrowed in hesitation.
Luo Feng obtained the Feathers Cloud Sword from Li Yunhao, so it rightfully belonged to him. Luo Feng's proposal meant she would effectively save tens of thousands of taels of silver for free.
"Since I don't use a sword anyway, and you're learning Flowing Cloud Swordsmanship, this Feathers Cloud Sword suits you perfectly." Luo Feng thrust the Feathers Cloud Sword into Bing Ruolan's hands, his tone leaving no room for argument.
After bidding them farewell, Luo Feng briskly left the training grounds.
Once Luo Feng left, Ji Wuyue turned to Bing Ruolan, her expression growing serious. "Ruolan, has your Tiger Roar Fist reached the third level?"
"Hmm." Bing Ruolan was startled from her thoughts, her gaze shifting from the Feathers Cloud Sword in her hand. "I was originally stuck at the second level. It was only because of Luo Feng's guidance that I managed to break through to the third. However, my Tiger Roar Fist has only just entered the third level; it's far from Luo Feng's state of perfected intent realm."
A hint of chagrin flashed in Bing Ruolan's eyes.
"So that's how it is."
Ji Wuyue nodded. Noticing Bing Ruolan's disappointment, she reassured her, "Ruolan, you don't need to be disheartened. Luo Feng is no longer who he once was. His aptitude can now rival those true geniuses in the inner courtyard. Geniuses are far beyond our comprehension…"
Ji Wuyue sighed and patted Bing Ruolan's shoulder. "Let's not talk about this for now. I have something else to tell you."
"What is it?"
"In one month, it will be this year's Challenge King competition. To improve the students' strength, the top ten Challenge Kings this year will receive extremely generous rewards, including even a Yellow Grade Exquisite Martial Art! In our class, only you have a hope of reaching the top ten. I hope that before then, you can cultivate your Tiger Roar Fist to the Great Accomplishment realm. That's your only chance!"
A Yellow Grade Exquisite Martial Art!
Bing Ruolan was startled, then immediately shook her head. "Cultivate the Tiger Roar Fist to the Great Accomplishment realm in one month... I'm afraid I can't do it."
Each level of the Tiger Roar Fist is progressively harder to cultivate. If not for Luo Feng's guidance, she would still be at the second level. To cultivate it to the fourth level within a month is simply impossible!
"If it were before, it would indeed be impossible, but now things are different."
Ji Wuyue smiled. "Although Luo Feng's Tiger Roar Fist is only at the third level, his moves have reached perfection, even surpassing mine. He is a nurtured genius; his comprehension of Martial Arts is beyond what ordinary people can imagine! With his help, you should be able to cultivate the Tiger Roar Fist to the fourth level within a month."
Luo Feng...
Bing Ruolan's gaze wavered. She recalled the resolute figure on the fighting stage, standing as if he could pierce a hole through the heavens. She pressed her red lips together tightly, a touch of bewilderment appearing in her sapphire-like eyes.
…
Eighty thousand taels... That's more than my allowance for three years combined...
Luo Feng left the training grounds, patting the silver notes against his chest, an irrepressible smile playing on his lips.
He urgently needed to increase his strength, and this was precisely when he was short on funds. Now that a huge fortune had unexpectedly fallen into his lap, his joy was palpable, and his steps were much lighter than usual.
Lin XiaoXiao's Cultivation has already reached the fourth level of the Meridian Wheel, the mid-stage of the Rigid-Soft Realm. With Duanmu Yu's help, she should be able to enter the inner courtyard soon. I must also hurry my training and strive to enter the inner courtyard as soon as possible.
Thinking of Lin XiaoXiao, a sense of urgency rose in Luo Feng's heart. He decided to use this money to purchase Spiritual Medicine that could aid his Cultivation.
Having made his decision, Luo Feng immediately set off for Qingfeng Town, the closest town to the Purple Sun School.
Qingfeng Town, situated near the Red Chain Mountain Range and adjacent to the Purple Sun School, was quite prosperous due to the large number of Martial Artists passing through.
Upon arriving in the town, Luo Feng went straight to the largest herbal medicine shop—the Medicine Ding Store.
The Medicine Ding Store was located on the town's busiest street. Although its storefront was not large and its decor was simple, in terms of financial strength, it was second to none in all of Qingfeng Town.
This world was one where strength was revered, and the wealthiest individuals were Martial Artists. Martial Artists spent most of their silver on Spiritual Medicine to aid their Cultivation, spending fortunes without batting an eye. To them, silver lost could be earned again, but Cultivation was a matter of life and death.
Just as Luo Feng was about to enter the Medicine Ding Store, two figures approached from the side, also intending to go in.
"An outer court student from Purple Sun School?" The three of them stopped simultaneously. The two newcomers glanced at Luo Feng's school uniform and couldn't help but sneer.
"And from the Silver Moon Class, no less. You've come to the wrong place. This is the Medicine Ding Store; they sell precious Spiritual Medicines here. I doubt you can afford a single item with the money you have. You should probably leave."
Luo Feng's brows twitched slightly.
People from Wanluo School...
In the Flowing Cloud Region, there were four major academies: besides the Purple Sun School, there were Wanluo, Tianlan, and Floating Snow Academies.
The two before him were about fifteen or sixteen years old, wore swords at their waists, and were dressed in blue robes with a Tai-Chi pattern on the back. They both had robust Qi and blood, and their Cultivation was at the fourth level of the Meridian Wheel, the mid-stage of the Rigid-Soft Realm. They were likely students from the genius class of Wanluo School's outer court.
The Purple Sun School and Wanluo School had never been on good terms. Luo Feng couldn't be bothered to argue with them and stepped into the Medicine Ding Store.
"TSK TSK. He doesn't appreciate good advice. Let's see how you embarrass yourself later." The two Wanluo School students exchanged a look, their gazes scornful. With a cold laugh, they also walked in.
As the three entered the shop, the Shopkeeper immediately greeted them with a beaming smile. "Young masters, how may I help you?"
"I need some elixirs for Tempering the Body and nurturing Qi and blood," one of the Wanluo School students said, cutting in before Luo Feng could speak.
The Shopkeeper, adept at reading expressions, quickly said to Luo Feng, "Young master, please feel free to look around first."
Then, pointing to a carved wooden board on the wall, he smiled at the two Wanluo School students. "Young masters, this is the list. The elixirs on it are all top-grade Tempering Body elixirs, best suited for Tempering the Body, refining the flesh, and enhancing Qi and blood. Please, take a look."
Hearing this, Luo Feng also looked in the direction the Shopkeeper indicated.