620: Chapter 620 Reencounter with Zhao Lei!!

Qin Yan immediately began checking the details.

Inside the token, rows of numbers and text appeared, clearly recording the origin and context of every contribution.

He looked through them one by one, from the distribution of the Crimson Flame Magic Lion to the settlement of the Golden-Winged Thunder Peng, from the killing of ordinary Vicious Beasts to the contribution for the Blood Puppet; everything was listed in meticulous detail.

Qin Yan finished reading quickly.

“So that's how it is.” A look of realization dawned on Qin Yan's face.

Because of that battle, the Golden-Winged Thunder Peng also involved City Guard Commander Zhao Tieyi's consumption of resources, so the total contribution for killing the Golden-Winged Thunder Peng was reduced from 3,000 points to 2,000 points.

Although City Guard Commander Zhao Tieyi was not a Disciple of the Holy Land, when the Holy Land audited the mission, they would deduct that portion of the consumption and only calculate the actual contribution of the Holy Land Disciples.

The remaining 2,000 contribution points were split 30/70 between him and Lin Ruoxi's team; he received exactly 600 points.

The same applied to killing the Crimson Flame Magic Lion, but because he was the primary force, he was able to obtain 2,000 points.

From this, it was evident how strictly the Tauxuan Holy Land controlled its missions!

Settlements weren't simply based on kill counts, but rather a comprehensive consideration of various factors—consumption, support, coordination, and contribution ratio—striving for fairness and justice.

This was beneficial for Qin Yan.

If the Tauxuan Holy Land didn't maintain such control, those great families would arrange for an Eighth-Rank Grandmaster to help their Prodigies farm Grandmaster-level missions. Over time, the Tauxuan Holy Land would go bankrupt!

Furthermore, commoner Martial Artists would never have a chance to stand out.

Those children of noble houses with backgrounds and resources could easily farm massive amounts of contribution, while commoner Martial Artists like him could only look on and sigh.

The Holy Land's system ensured the fairness of missions.

What Qin Yan didn't know was that a long, long time ago, many families did exactly that.

They dispatched experts from their clans to secretly help their own Prodigies complete missions and farm contribution.

Some even had clan elders do the work directly, while the Prodigy only needed to put their name on it.

Such behavior severely damaged the fair competitive environment of the Holy Land.

It was precisely because those families acted that way that the Tauxuan Holy Land changed the mission rules over and over again, constantly plugging loopholes and refining the system.

By now, the Tauxuan Holy Land's mission system had become very comprehensive.

Soon, Qin Yan arrived at the main gate of the City Lord's Manor.

The rest of Qin Yan's team members were already there.

Yin Li held her zither, standing quietly to the side, her long hair fluttering and her dress rustling in the wind;

Huang Jiuli was in a red robe, arms crossed, her phoenix-like eyes narrowed as she looked at the sky in boredom;

Lu Qingshan and Yun Qingge stood together, conversing in low voices.

Qin Yan joined the team and stood still.

“City Lord Zhao, since everyone is here, we shall take our leave.”

Yin Li spoke.

“Then I shall wish you all prosperous martial paths and success in the Inner Court assessment.”

Zhao Qingyun said.

The Tauxuan Holy Land Disciples nodded and then left the City Lord's Manor one after another.

Zhao Qingyun watched their departing figures, his gaze filled with envy.

These people before him might not have as high a cultivation as his now, but they would definitely surpass him in the future.

Their talent, their potential, and their future were not things he could compare to.

Perhaps in the future, he might even hear news of one of them becoming a True Emperor.

A True Emperor was an existence at the Peak of the martial path, a Realm that countless Martial Artists dreamed of.

As for him, he might never even touch that threshold in this lifetime.

“There truly is no comparison between people.” Zhao Qingyun shook his head and then walked into the City Lord's Manor.

His back looked a bit lonely and desolate.

...

“The Qingyun City mission is complete. If no one has any other business, we will return to the Holy Land.”

Walking along the road, Yin Li spoke up.

Her voice was calm, yet it carried a hint of solemnity.

This trip to Qingyun City had allowed her to feel the terrifying strength of the other Heavenly Ladder clearers.

Lin Ruoxi's nine strands of Sword Intent and Su Qingwan's power of suppression had both left a deep impression on her.

She was now filled with immense pressure.

Thinking of this, her gaze couldn't help but turn toward Qin Yan and Huang Jiuli.

If one were to talk about who felt the most pressure, it should be these two.

After all, these two were East Courtyard Disciples, while she was from the West Courtyard.

The East Courtyard had eight Heavenly Ladder clearers.

Eight people, every single one of them a Prodigy with terrifying strength.

When they competed for the positions of East Courtyard Saint and Saintess in the future, how intense would that battle be?

She could imagine that the scene would surely be extraordinarily brilliant.

In fact, just as she thought, Huang Jiuli was indeed under quite a lot of pressure right now.

Among the eight Heavenly Ladder clearers of the East Courtyard, where did she rank?

Could she become the East Courtyard Saintess?

These questions had been lingering in her mind lately, making it impossible for her to relax.

As for Qin Yan, he was neither happy nor sad.

In any case, he was currently no match for the other Heavenly Ladder clearers.

Of course, that was under the condition that he didn't use his full power.

Once he used his demonic methods, the power of the Blood Demon, and those trump cards that couldn't see the light of day, then it would be hard to say who would win or lose.

Moreover, it was still early to talk about the election for the Saint position.

That was something to consider after they entered the Inner Court. Thinking too much now was useless.

The group flew all the way back. Their route to return to the Tauxuan Holy Land was the same as when they came—first to Jumu City, then through Jumu City's teleportation array to Tauxuan City.

The sky was clear and cloudless, and the sunlight spilled over the rolling hills, dyeing the land a golden hue.

They passed through a range of hills; as long as they crossed the forest ahead, they would reach Jumu City.

The group flew over the forest for a while, getting closer and closer to Jumu City.

They could even vaguely see the outline of Jumu City's towering walls, shimmering with a faint golden light in the sun.

“Boom—!”

Just then, the sound of an intense battle suddenly came from ahead of them.

That sound, accompanied by the roar of True Qi collisions, the crisp clashing of weapons, and bursts of angry shouts and screams, drifted from deep within the dense forest.

“Zhao Lei, hand over the grandmaster true liquid, and we can give you a quick death!”

A cold, sinister voice clearly reached their ears.

“Ah—! You all deserve to die!”

Following that was another burst of even more intense fighting, mixed with roars of anger and despair.

“Tsk tsk tsk, another fight over resources.”

Lu Qingshan shook his head and sighed.

This sort of thing happened frequently in the world; everything was for the sake of competing for resources.

Never mind Sixth-Rank Martial Artists; even Seventh-Grade Grandmasters and Eighth-Rank Grandmasters often fought to the death for a single Spirit Medicine, a piece of Ore, or a spirit weapon.

Once they broke through to become Grandmasters or even Great Grandmasters, they too would have to struggle for resources.

After all, resources above the Grandmaster level were very precious, and their families could no longer provide them with unlimited resources like they did now.

For a Martial Artist, everything had to be earned by oneself!