226: Claim Rewards

Yao Delong furrowed his brows slightly as his gaze fell upon the glaring "Entry Level" characters of the Eight Desolations Prison Suppression Art.

This Earth Rank High Grade Body Refining Cultivation Technique obtained from the Scripture Pavilion had unparalleled power, but its cultivation conditions were extremely harsh—it required drawing upon the Evil Qi of the earth veins for Body Tempering!

"Earth vein Evil Qi..." A famous dangerous location on Tuyao Peak flashed through his mind instantly—the Earth God Ravine!

The earth Qi there was dense; while it contained gentle earth vein Qi to nourish spiritual plants, it must also inevitably harbor violent earth vein Evil Qi!

"I will go claim the first-place reward first, then head to Tuyao Peak!"

Yao Delong made up his mind. A Flying Sword of the low-grade heavenly artifact level would be enough to elevate his combat power by another level, providing an extra layer of security against the dangers of the Burial God Abyss.

He rose gently, careful not to disturb the sleeping Liu Rumei, tucked the corner of the quilt for her, and looked at her peaceful sleeping face with a slight upturn of his lips.

He then changed into a brand-new white robe, transformed into a streak of blazing white light, and tore through the sky.

A few breaths later, the towering Treasure Pavilion on the main peak was already before him.

Today, the Treasure Pavilion was bustling with noise and excitement.

The Core Disciple ranking battle had just ended, and the top one hundred Disciples had all earned the qualification for Magic Treasure rewards, arriving one after another to make their selections.

In the first-floor hall, spiritual light flickered, and various Magic Treasures were displayed within light barriers, drawing many Inner Sect Disciples and Core Disciples who hadn't achieved high rankings to stop and watch, their eyes filled with envy.

"Look! It's Senior Brother Yao!" "Senior Brother Yao is here!" "Hiss... This is the champion of this year! Yao Delong, who fought three opponents alone!"

The moment Yao Delong's figure appeared at the entrance of the Treasure Pavilion, it instantly caused a huge commotion!

He was dressed in white, his posture upright, his face extraordinarily handsome, and he possessed an intangible air of looking down upon the world.

Wherever he passed, the crowd automatically parted like a tide, and countless gazes focused on him.

The female Disciples' eyes lit up, their cheeks flushed, and they whispered to each other: "Senior Brother Yao is so handsome..." "He is so strong, and so handsome..."

The male Disciples were full of awe and admiration: "Too fierce! That battle on the Floating Island was simply a crushing victory!" "I heard he cultivated the legendary Heart Sword!" "Senior Brother Yao must be here to claim a Heaven-Grade Weapon today! A Heaven-Grade Weapon! Even Nascent Soul Elders covet such treasures!"

Facing the overwhelming discussions and gazes, Yao Delong's expression remained calm. Without looking sideways, he walked straight to the Elder in charge of registration and exchange at the back of the hall.

"Disciple Yao Delong, here to claim the reward for the champion of the Core Disciple ranking battle." His voice was clear as he handed over his identity token.

That Elder in charge was a Mid Nascent Soul Stage deacon. Upon seeing Yao Delong, a warm smile immediately piled up on his face, and his attitude was extremely respectful: "So it is Junior Brother Yao! The Grand Elder has already given instructions; please follow me, Junior Brother!"

He personally led the way, taking Yao Delong around the crowded first-floor hall towards the stairs leading to the second floor.

At the staircase entrance, powerful Restriction spiritual light flowed, emitting a heart-palpitating pressure.

"The second floor of the Treasure Pavilion cannot be entered unless one has Nascent Soul Stage cultivation and Sect contribution points exceeding one hundred thousand." The Elder in charge explained while taking out a specially crafted jade talisman, activating it to shoot a beam of spiritual light into the Restriction.

The Restriction light screen rippled like water, opening a passageway. This scene caused countless Disciples in the first-floor hall to gasp, their eyes turning red with envy.

"He's going to the second floor! Senior Brother Yao is going to the second floor!" "Heavens! That's a place only Nascent Soul Elders can go!" "The champion's treatment is just different! I heard the second floor is full of genuine high-quality items; although the first floor has Heaven-Grade Weapons, the variety is incomplete, and some even have flaws!"

Under the gaze of countless envious eyes, Yao Delong calmly stepped into the passageway, his figure disappearing at the staircase entrance.

The environment on the second floor was completely different from the first. The space was more open, the light was soft, and the number of displayed Magic Treasures was sharply reduced, but each one emitted a heart-palpitating Spiritual Pressure, surrounded by treasure light, clearly of an extremely High Grade.

The air was filled with a faint, exotic fragrance of spiritual materials and the scent of accumulated time.

At this moment, there were several people on the second floor, all of whom were Nascent Soul Stage deacons or Elders with deep, steady auras and extraordinary prestige. They were either carefully examining a certain Magic Treasure or whispering to each other.

Yao Delong's appearance instantly attracted everyone's gaze. The gazes of these Nascent Soul Cultivators were no longer the simple admiration of the Disciples downstairs, but carried scrutiny, curiosity, wonder, and even a trace of imperceptible gravity.

The strength Yao Delong displayed during the ranking battle, especially that unpredictable Heart Sword, was enough to make even these veteran Nascent Soul Cultivators feel wary.

"Junior Brother Yao, please this way." An Elder who was in charge of second-floor affairs, whose aura was deeper, having reached the Late Nascent Soul Stage, came up to greet him with a peaceful attitude and a hint of appreciation. "I wonder what type of Magic Treasure you need, nephew? Sword? Armor? Or a special type?"

"Sword." Yao Delong was concise. Most of his combat power was tied to the Dao of the sword, so naturally, a Flying Sword was his first choice.

"Very well, please follow me." The Elder nodded and led Yao Delong towards an independent exhibition area covered by a powerful Restriction.

Inside the exhibition area, more than a dozen Flying Swords of various shapes, with spiritual light soaring to the sky, were floating! Each one emitted an unparalleled, fierce Sword Intent; they were all clearly at the Heaven-Grade Weapon level!

Ice, Geng Metal, Azure Wood, Thick Earth, Li Fire... Sword Intents of various attributes intertwined, rendering this area bizarre and colorful.

Yao Delong's gaze was instantly attracted to one of the Flying Swords! It was a long sword with a body of deep red, as if forged from flowing lava and solidified Red Flame Essence Gold!

The sword body was slender, about three feet and seven inches long, and a crystal the size of a dragon's eye, constantly spitting out golden flames, was embedded at the hilt. On the sword body, mysterious flame patterns were naturally engraved, slowly flowing like a living creature.

A pure, domineering, scorching Sword Intent that could burn the Eight Desolations rushed towards him, resonating strongly with the Nine Yang Heaven Burning Art at Perfection within his body!

"This sword is named 'burning silence'." The Elder introduced it at the right moment, his eyes also carrying a hint of admiration. "A low-grade heavenly artifact, it was forged using Earth Core Flame Marrow and Great Flame Essence Gold as the main materials, supplemented by various fire-type divine materials, and crafted by our Sect's late Great Grandmaster of Artifact Refining, Senior 'Yan Yangzi', who spent a hundred years of effort. On the day the sword was completed, it drew heavenly fire to descend, possessing unparalleled power, especially fitting for extremely Yang and extremely rigid Cultivation Techniques."

"burning silence..." Yao Delong whispered the sword's name, a brilliant light flashing in his eyes. This is it! The aura of this sword was a perfect match for him!

"Would you like to try it, nephew?" The Elder asked, while simultaneously forming hand seals to temporarily release the Restriction covering the Burning Silence Sword.

Hum—! As soon as the Restriction opened, the Burning Silence Sword seemed like a sleeping Vicious Beast waking up, emitting a clear and impassioned sword hum! The temperature of the entire second-floor space soared suddenly, and the air distorted due to the high heat!

The violent red Sword Qi spilled out uncontrollably, forcing several Nascent Soul Elders nearby to frown slightly and use their power to resist.

Yao Delong, however, felt comfortable all over, as if a fish had entered water! He did not hesitate, took a step forward, stretched out his right hand, spread his five fingers, and grabbed directly towards the hilt that was shaking violently, as if it wanted to burn and destroy everything!

"Careful!" An Elder couldn't help but call out a warning. Heaven-Grade Weapons have spirits, especially such fierce and domineering fire-type Heaven-Grade Weapons; how could a Golden Core Cultivator easily control them? Forcibly subduing it might lead to a backlash!

However, at the very moment Yao Delong's palm was about to touch the hilt—Boom! The Nine Yang Heaven Burning Art at Perfection within his body rumbled into operation!

The phantom images of nine blazing suns instantly appeared behind him, and the massive, pure Yang True Qi, like a flood breaking a dam, was injected into the Burning Silence Sword without reservation!

The Burning Silence Sword trembled violently, and the violently overflowing Sword Qi suddenly retracted! The flame patterns on the sword body erupted with dazzling golden-red light, as if it had been injected with a Soul!

The sword hum changed from its previous violence to something high-pitched and joyful, as if it had met its true master!