Chapter 98: Chapter 98: Reward

Fang Chen walked into the main hall of Patriarch Li Hongxuan’s home.

Li Hongxuan was sitting in the armchair at the head of the room. Seeing Fang Chen, a smile appeared on his face. "Haha, Fang Chen is back. So... how did the martial exam go?"

"Everything went smoothly, Grandpa Patriarch. I’ve officially been admitted to Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy," Fang Chen said calmly.

The smile on Li Hongxuan’s face grew more genuine as he nodded repeatedly. "Good, good! That’s wonderful! Shanqiang also returned the day before yesterday. He passed the exam for Jiangyue Martial Arts Academy.

"I heard that out of the over four hundred candidates from Jinchuan City who went to Jiangyue City for the exam, only a little over a hundred were admitted. The competition was incredibly fierce." His tone carried a hint of comparison. "Haha, but I also know that Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy is far stricter than Jiangyue, and the entry requirements are much higher."

Fang Chen replied, "Yes, out of our batch that went to Cyan Yang City, only about sixty were admitted in the end."

A flash of genuine surprise crossed Li Hongxuan’s eyes before settling into deep emotion. "That... that’s truly not easy! I never expected our Li Family Village to suddenly have two young men entering Martial Arts Academies for further studies! The ancestors have truly blessed us!"

Though he spoke words of celebration, a hint of complexity flickered deep in his eyes. After all, during the initial dispute over the quota, he had ultimately favored Li Shanqiang. Deep down, he still harbored a certain amount of guilt toward Fang Lin’s family.

Fang Chen looked at the old man and directly stated his purpose for coming. "Grandpa Patriarch, I’m here today to thank you for funding me back then. You don’t need to dwell on what happened at that meeting anymore. That ninety thousand yuan was not a small sum for you or the village. I am truly grateful that you were willing to take it out to support me."

Without waiting for Li Hongxuan to decline, he took out three small jade bottles and a sealed syringe from his bag, gently placing them on the coffee table beside him. They were a Qi Blood Needle, a Realm-Breaking Pill, and a Lifespan Extension Pill. "Grandpa Patriarch, please accept these."

Li Hongxuan’s gaze fell on the items, his pupils shrinking slightly. As a martial artist in the Late Stage of True Martial Realm who had made a living in Jinchuan City during his youth, he naturally had the experience to recognize these common resources and precious medicines used in Martial Dao cultivation.

"These... these items..." the old man’s voice was a bit dry. "Fang Chen, these are far too precious! Just this Qi Blood Needle and the Realm-Breaking Pill alone would cost at least two to three hundred thousand in Jinchuan City!

"And this Lifespan Extension Pill... I-I can’t accept this!

"You are exactly at the age where you need resources to improve your strength. Keep them for yourself!"

Fang Chen shook his head, his tone sincere. "Grandpa Patriarch, these were extra rewards from the examiners for my decent performance in the martial exam.

"Besides, with my current realm, these items are no longer of much use to me. They were prepared specifically for you."

He had naturally considered exchanging them for cash to repay the old man, but on second thought, if he just gave him money, the old man might turn around and use it to subsidize his eldest or second uncle’s families. That would defeat his original purpose.

The only way was to use the potions directly on the old man to enhance his strength and extend his lifespan. Firstly, it would be a tangible way to repay the favor. Secondly, an increase in the Patriarch’s strength and lifespan would help stabilize Li Family Village and indirectly protect his parents. It was killing two birds with one stone.

Shrewd with age, Li Hongxuan looked into Fang Chen’s eyes. After a moment of silence, he roughly understood the young man’s thoughts and underlying intentions. He sighed inwardly, feeling both gratified and a bit conflicted at being seen through and arranged for by a junior.

"Very well..." The old man no longer declined, an open-minded smile appearing on his face. "Good! Then today, this old man will bask in your glory and enjoy the treatment of core disciples from major families!"

With that, he followed Fang Chen’s advice and took the Lifespan Extension Pill first.

This pill could only be consumed once in a lifetime. Though named Lifespan Extension, it possessed the miraculous effect of rejuvenating vitality and slightly reversing aging. For someone in their sixties like Li Hongxuan, once swallowed and digested, its medicinal power was enough to loosen up his stiff bones and muscles, revitalize his deteriorating vital organs, and roughly restore his physical condition to the peak level of a fifty-year-old.

Restoring physical vitality first would naturally be highly beneficial for his upcoming breakthrough.

Next, Fang Chen personally administered the Qi Blood Needle into Li Hongxuan’s body using the correct technique.

The old man immediately sat cross-legged and circulated his cultivation technique, guiding the surging Qi and Blood power throughout his body. In less than an hour, he absorbed and integrated the medicinal energy. His previously sallow complexion became rosy, and his aura grew significantly richer.

Finally, there was the crucial Realm-Breaking Pill.

Li Hongxuan swallowed it right in front of Fang Chen. Feeling the medicinal power beginning to surge within his body to break through the bottleneck, he said nothing more. With a nod to Fang Chen, he stood up and quickly walked toward his own room, preparing to enter seclusion and assault the bottleneck for True Martial Realm Perfection.

Seeing this, Fang Chen didn’t disturb him and quietly took his leave.

With this, a matter weighing on his mind was finally settled.

Next, he went to his Fourth Aunt Li Dehui’s home.

He directly shoved two hundred thousand yuan in cash into her hands. Then, he took out several exquisitely packaged boxes of high-end skincare products he had specifically brought back from Cyan Yang City, along with a Beauty Pill said to possess youth-retaining properties.

Fourth Aunt Li Dehui looked at the items, her eyes instantly lighting up—especially at the Beauty Pill. Grinning from ear to ear, she patted Fang Chen’s back repeatedly. "Oh my! Our family’s Chen’Er really knows how to pamper his Fourth Aunt! This is far more practical than just giving me money! Haha!"

After dealing with all these pleasantries, Fang Chen finally returned to his own home.

It was already late into the night, but the lights in the house were still on.

"WOW! My brother is back!" Sharp-eyed, his sister Fang Min was the first to spot him, throwing herself at him like a little bird.

His parents, Fang Lin and Song Qingmei, hurriedly came out of the house to welcome him, their faces filled with anticipation and a trace of nervousness.

"Chen’Er, you must be hungry, right? Mom will go heat up some food for you right now!" Song Qingmei said, turning toward the kitchen.

"Yes, thank you, Mom. I told you guys not to wait up so late for me." Despite saying this, a surge of warmth still rose in Fang Chen’s heart.

"Brother! Brother! How were the results? Everything went fine, right?" Fang Min asked eagerly, tugging at his arm.

"Yeah." Fang Chen smiled and rubbed her head. "Of course. Admitted to Cyan Yang Martial Arts Academy."

Upon hearing this, the last trace of worry on his parents’ faces completely vanished. Their smiles bloomed fully as they merely repeated, "Good, good, this is wonderful..."

"Come here, Minmin. See what your brother brought for you." Fang Chen set down his backpack and took out the purple-and-white women’s Combat Suit he had exchanged for with his points.

"WOW! A Combat Suit!" Fang Min cried out in pleasant surprise, her eyes shining brightly. "Let me try it on!" Being lively by nature, she immediately took off her jacket and tried it on in front of the family.

"WOW! It fits perfectly! Where did you get this, Brother?"

"It was a gift. A reward from the martial exam."

"WOW! You’re the best, Brother!"

Wearing the perfectly fitted Combat Suit, Fang Min spun around excitedly.

Watching her joyful demeanor, Fang Chen chuckled. "Haha, this is nothing. When you manage to cultivate to the True Martial Realm on your own, I’ll have an even bigger surprise for you."

"WOW! What surprise? Tell me, tell me quickly!"

"I’m not telling you now. I have to keep it a mystery. Just keep your feet on the ground and cultivate properly." Fang Chen put away his smile, his tone turning a bit serious. "For this next period of time, I’m going to be very strict with you. Don’t worry about any farm chores or anything around the house. Focus purely on your training. Let’s see if we can get you to successfully break through to the True Martial Realm before school starts!"

"The True Martial Realm!!" Fang Min exclaimed, waving her little fists with a face full of longing. "Does that mean I can be just like you, Brother? Punishing the wicked, promoting the good, and fighting injustice at school?"

Fang Chen burst out laughing and lightly flicked her forehead. "I advise you to drop that thought right now. I’m not asking you to fight injustice. As long as you have enough strength to protect yourself, I’ll be at ease."

"Hehe, I know!" Fang Min stuck out her tongue, still immersed in her pleasant surprise.

After eating dinner, Fang Chen returned to his own room. Staring at the wall, he calculated his goals for the upcoming month.

"One month... I need to earn at least five hundred thousand for my family and expand Luo Wu’s Iron Hand Sect. Then I can head off to Cyan Yang City with peace of mind," he thought.

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