Chapter 466 Generous Reward!

Longya Mountain.

Outside the gate of the Witch Court, it was as lively as ever. Not only were there a few more teahouses and wine shops, but there were also many peddlers pushing carts and carrying loads.

After all, many of the people who come to take the entrance exam for the Witch Academy are wealthy and generous.

If it weren’t for the dragon and tiger stone statues guarding the entrance to the witch house, there would be not only peddlers but also many prostitutes and boy catamites coming here to do business.

The group of people waiting for the exam gathered in teahouses and wine shops, getting to know each other and expanding their network while inquiring about the situation of the Witch Academy exam.

Some exam notes that were said to be collected and compiled by prospective wizards who had passed the wizard academy became the most popular products here. No matter how high the price was, everyone would buy one. And whenever new materials were released, they would be snapped up in an instant.

In addition to examination materials, vernacular stories are also quite popular here.

For example, the recently popular “Monkey King” and “The Devil Boy Third Prince”.

Except for the strange name, there is nothing wrong with it. It satisfies these people’s fantasies of becoming gods through cultivation – even wild monkeys and lotus root spirits can cultivate to become gods, so how can they, as the most intelligent creatures, be inferior to these mountain spirits and wild monsters?
At this moment, some people are holding examination materials in their hands, but are listening to the storyteller telling stories.

In addition to being envious, he couldn’t help but boast: “I’m not bragging, as long as I enter the Witch Academy and get a glimpse of the mysterious avenue, my achievements will definitely be higher than this monkey and lotus root!”

The person next to him was about to nod in agreement when he suddenly felt a black screen in front of his eyes.

There was a black cloud covering the forest and falling rapidly, making a buzzing sound that made people’s hair stand on end and their bodies tingle.

Many people were frightened by this sudden change.

The man who was bragging just now shouted, “Oh, there is a monster,” and tried to escape by crawling away.

On the contrary, the waiters in the teahouse and wine shop were used to it and spoke out to comfort everyone:
“Don’t be nervous, my dear guests. This must be the return of a witch official. When you enter the witch academy, you will know that the witch officials have many methods and magical powers, some of which are very strange.”

As if to prove what the guys said was true, the black cloud fell to the ground and turned into a group of tiny flying insects, disappearing in a moment.

At this time, the candidates waiting outside the Witch Academy saw a group of people walking out from the dissipating black cloud of flying insects.

They were all wearing wizard robes, which made people admire them. However, they seemed to have just experienced a fight. Many of them had wounds on their bodies. Some even had completely white eyes without even black pupils. No one knew whether they were blind.

What’s even more weird is that among this group of wizards, there is also a “pig-headed man”.

Can even a pig-head be admitted to the Witch Academy these days?

Although the slogan of the Witch Academy’s recruitment this time is “not to look at background, not to ask about origin, and to recruit talents without any restrictions”, isn’t this too unconventional?
The “Pig-Headed Man” didn’t know what the people in the teahouse and wine shop were thinking. He looked around and his eyes soon fell on those books of “examination materials”.

With a wave of his hand, one of the “exam materials” flew into his hands.

After a few glances, he curled his lips in disdain: “Who made this up? Can this be sold for money?”

With another wave of his hand, the “examination materials” flew back to the owner’s hands.

Seeing this, the person next to him asked him with a smile: “Brother Bai, you are not planning to compile a ‘test guide’ as well, are you?”

“As for business, there is no such thing as too much.”

The ‘Pig-Headed Man’ wanted to laugh, but when he grinned, his swollen cheeks were pulled, causing bursts of pain.

The group of people who came out of the black cloud were none other than Shang Lu and his group who had returned from defeating Dushan.

When they went to Pingdu Mountain, they took the flying boat sent by the Witch Academy.

On the way back, the flying boat of the Witch Academy was sent to transport the witch tools and materials needed for exploring and developing the underworld. So Lu Dao made a hand gesture and cast a spell to summon a cloud of insects to carry everyone back.

At this moment, Lu Dao also took note of the performance of the people in the teahouse and wine shop.

He immediately remembered several people who performed poorly, and called out to the dragon and tiger stone statues guarding the entrance to the Witch Academy:

“Mr. Shan, Mr. Yun, remember those people. When the Witch Academy’s recruitment exam begins, don’t let them in. It’s normal to be frightened by a sudden change, but it’s too weak to turn around and run away. Practicing is difficult and dangerous. Without courage, it’s hard to move forward. And your brain isn’t working well. This is the Witch Academy. Which evil demon would dare to come here and cause trouble? Even if there really is one, it’s safer for them to stay here than to run around.”

As they were talking, wisps of black gas emerged from the heads of several people in the teahouse and wine shop.

The people in the teahouse and the wine shop were not able to see this scene because they were not very angry, but Shang Lu and the others saw it clearly.

Shang Lu and Lu Yang looked at each other and said nothing.

They are just students and have no say in the recruitment of new members to the Witch Academy.

But deep down, they don’t want the people around them to be cowards who turn around and run away without saying a word when they encounter danger.

The dragon and tiger stone statues glanced at the people with black gas coming out of their heads, memorized their appearance, and nodded in agreement.

Those people didn’t know that their performance just now had been criticized. Seeing that this group of wizards and the stone statues of dragons and tigers guarding the entrance of the wizard academy were all looking at them, they were all delighted and wondered if they had caught the attention of the nobleman.

Unfortunately, they couldn’t hear what these wizards were saying. Even if someone knew how to read lips and wanted to read what the wizards were saying through their lip movements, they couldn’t do it.

Because there was an invisible force interfering with them, making them unable to hear or see clearly.

Some people tried to move forward and get closer to this group of wizards, but found that they could not take a single step. An invisible force pressed down on them, making them unable to move.

The dragon and tiger stone statues retracted their gazes and did not look at anyone else. They just smiled at Shang Lu and said, “I heard that you have made great contributions in Pingdu Mountain this time? You did a good job!”

Then he nodded to Lv Yang, Bai Lingxu and Gong Shuling’s Wu Jia: “You did a good job too.”

Shang Lu was not surprised to know that the dragon and tiger statues were well-informed. He crossed his hands and said, “It’s all because of your good teachings. If I hadn’t learned the dragon and tiger power, I would have died when I met the ‘Eight Ghost Immortals’. All my achievements would have become empty talk.”

“Hahaha.” The dragon and tiger stone statues laughed.

Everyone likes to hear nice words, and they are no exception, not to mention Shang Lu, who is not only sweet-mouthed and good at speaking, but also has an extraordinary incense to burn.

The tiger raised its tiger paw, patted Shang Lu on the shoulder, and said with satisfaction: “What’s the dragon and tiger power? We have more powerful skills.”

Yun Jun agreed, “After you have seen the priest and cleansed the pollution and evil spirits in your body in the spirit pool, come find us again so that you can know our other powerful abilities.”

Upon hearing this, not only Shang Lu, but everyone else was stunned, and then surprised and excited.

“Has the priest come out of seclusion?”

“You still want to summon me?”

Being summoned by the chief priest was not only an honor, but also a great opportunity. Because the chief priest cultivated “education” and was most fond of supporting the younger generation. If they could be summoned by the chief priest himself, every one of them would be rewarded handsomely.

Yun Jun lowered his voice and said, “The great wizard Zhongli was bewitched by the mountain ghost and almost sacrificed dozens of masters and hundreds of students from the Three County Wizard Academy, not to mention two of the twelve wizard patrols. With such a big thing happening, how can the chief wizard continue to retreat? He can only come out early to deal with questions from all sides.”

Shan Jun also sighed: “Fortunately, you ruined this blood sacrifice and prevented too many people from being killed. You also successfully eliminated the great witch Zhongli and cleared the door. Otherwise, the priest would have faced more than just questioning.”

After a pause, he reminded everyone seriously, especially his disciples:
“Don’t tell anyone about the matter of the great witch Zhongli. A great witch of the academy was bewitched by a mountain ghost, and he was a great witch of the Discipline Department. If this matter spreads, how will the people in the county view the Witch Academy? How will the disciples of the Witch Academy view the Discipline Department?”

Although the dragon and tiger statues did not explicitly say that this was an order from the chief priest, the disciples were not stupid. Many of them had experience working in government offices, so how could they not understand the subtext? They immediately crossed their hands and responded.

Yun Jun tilted his head, as if listening to some sound. After a moment, he wagged his tail, and the vermilion door of the witch academy behind him creaked open.

“Go to the Witch Court. The chief priest is at Wangsi Peak. He has issued an order for you to go directly to Wangsi Peak to see him.”

The group of people crossed their hands in agreement and then walked towards the witch academy. They were all excited and anxious, wishing they could get to Wangsi Peak as soon as possible to see the chief priest.

Although Shang Lu was also excited, he did not forget to take out incense from his arms, light it, and offer it to the stone statues of the dragon and tiger.

The dragon and tiger stone statues inhaled the scent of incense, looked at Shang Lu with increasing satisfaction and fondness, and laughed:
“You are a very polite child.”

“Hurry up and go to Wangsi Peak. Don’t let the priest wait for you.”

Shang Lu crossed his hands and responded, then walked past the dragon and tiger stone statues and headed towards the witch academy.

As they passed by each other, he heard the dragon and tiger statues whisper a reminder: “Remember to come find us. We will teach you new skills.”

Upon hearing this, Shang Lu was about to turn around and salute the dragon and tiger stone statues to express his gratitude, but he heard them say, “Don’t be so polite, let’s go.” Then he felt a gentle wind holding him up and sending him into the Witch Court, and then the vermilion door closed with a “buzz”.

Although there was a door between them, Shang Lu still turned around and bowed to the stone statues of dragon and tiger outside the door.

It is unknown whether the dragon and tiger stone statues outside the door could see him performing this ceremony, but Lu Dao, Xu Shan and several doctors from the Witch Academy all saw it.

Xu Shan was amazed and whispered, “I didn’t expect that Shang Lu would catch the eyes of Shan Jun and Yun Jun.”

Lu Dao didn’t find it strange: “He knows etiquette, knows what’s good for him, and doesn’t take credit for himself. Who wouldn’t like such a junior?”

“That’s right.” Xu Shan said with a smile, “I kind of like this guy.”

After a pause, he thought of something else and asked in a low voice, “Speaking of which, the Mountain Lord and the Cloud Lord guard the mountain gate, and ordinary things are not pleasing to them. But the incense that Shang Lu lit is what they like. Also, in the City God Temple in the underworld, it was Shang Lu who lit incense for the flesh and blood statue, which led to the incident of the City God’s bones growing flesh… What is the origin of his incense?”

“It’s just ordinary incense.” Lu Dao said, “Back then, at the Jinwu Pagoda in Feiwu County, he also offered a stick of incense to the Jinwu statue enshrined in the pagoda. Later, when Xin Yu urged the evil miasma to kill us, the Jinwu appeared and rescued us… Afterwards, I asked him for a stick of incense, but after checking it over and over again, it was just an ordinary stick of incense, nothing special.”

Xu Shan just found it unbelievable: “Ordinary incense? Impossible! How can an ordinary incense make Shanjun and Yunjun like it so much? Can it reach the gods and the sky?”

“Otherwise it is said that he has great luck.” Lu Dao sighed, “I asked several doctors who are good at Nuo witches and spirits, and they all said that either Shang Lu has a great luck and high spirituality, or his heart is true and sincere enough. As the saying goes, a true heart is sincere, and a sincere heart is spiritual.”

After thinking about it for a while, Xu Shan nodded, agreeing with Lu Dao’s explanation.

In this world, there are always some extraordinary people who are enviable.

At this time, Lu Dao released black flying insects that turned into smoke and carried everyone to Wangsi Peak.

Wangsi Peak, as the name suggests, is the place used to hold ceremonies of remotely offering sacrifices to the gods of mountains, rivers and earth.

According to the customs of the Ba State, whenever a secret realm is born, a sacrifice is held on Wangsi Peak to thank heaven and earth for its nurturing.

A dangerous place is a kind of secret place, so naturally sacrifices must be performed there, also in order to borrow the power of heaven and earth to purify the evil and strange things in the dangerous place.

When Shang Lu and his companions arrived at Wangsi Peak, the sacrificial activities at the top of the mountain were still going on.

The group of people did not get close, but just looked from afar in the thatched hut on the top of the mountain.

It was the first time that Shang Lu met the chief priest.

Judging from his appearance, Jijiu is somewhat similar to Feng Boyuan. He is not as gray-haired and old as imagined, but has a head full of black hair and looks very energetic, as if he is only in his thirties.

Is this the eternal youth and rejuvenation brought by spiritual practice? No wonder everyone in the world wants to practice spiritual practice.

The idea of ​​immortality alone is enough to attract so many people.

Everyone waited for nearly half an hour before the chief priest finished the worship ceremony and came to the thatched cottage.

“You have done a good job this time, and you deserve a generous reward.”

As the chief priest began to speak, all the disciples felt a magical feeling in their hearts, as if the chief priest’s words were a compliment directed specifically at them.

Many disciples held their heads high and chests puffed out, so as to show their best mental state to the chief priest.

After praising for a few words, the chief priest called the examiner of Gongcaosi over and asked him to announce the rewards to everyone in public.

Just as the disciples had guessed, after the chief priest set the tone, the reward given to them by the Gongcao Division was far more than the normal reward for discovering the secret realm.

So many people began to be curious. Even they received such a generous reward. So what kind of reward would Shang Lu and his companions who had seen through the truth of Zhongli Dawu’s rebellion and made great contributions get?
The examiner did not let them wait for long and quickly announced: “On the first day of the first month of the year of Bingshen, the Wu Academy disciples Shang Lu, Lu Yang, Bai Lingxu and Gongshu Ling defeated the conspiracy of the mountain ghosts and the rice thieves and saved hundreds of teachers and students from the Wu Academy in the three counties. After being investigated by the Gongcao Division, they should be awarded the highest merit…”

Then he announced the rewards for the four people.

Apart from spiritual marrow, elixirs and other items, what shocked everyone the most was that the examiner also gave three spiritual objects to Shang Lu, Lu Yang and Bai Lingxu.

“I grant you one portion each of Star Marrow, Earth Milk, and Thousand Family Millet… I hope you three will practice hard and break through to the Tongtian Realm as soon as possible!”

Lu Yang and Bai Lingxu looked at each other, their faces full of shock and ecstasy.

Because star marrow, earth milk and thousand family millet are the spiritual materials needed to break through to the Zhoutian realm.

Even though Bai Lingxu had been doing business for many years, he had only obtained a small amount of ground milk and millet, which was far from the amount needed for a breakthrough.

But now, the Witch Academy directly rewarded them with all the spiritual materials they needed to break through to the Tongtian Realm. How could they not be ecstatic?
The reason why these treasures were not awarded to Gongshu Ling was because her cultivation level was already at the Tongtian realm.

But the Gongcao Division also gave a lot of rewards.

Closing the merit and demerit book in his hand, the examiner said to Gongshu Ling’s Wu Jia:
“Recently, the Witch Academy has discovered some special residual spirits in several secret places. Some of them may be useful to you. After purifying the pollution, you can go to the Treasure Peak to choose them. It is regarded as a reward for this merit.”

(End of this chapter)