Volume One: First Steps on the Path Chapter Seventy-Two: Reward

While the three continued their conversation, Fan Yan, who had just finished as well, came over to join them. At first, Fan Yan was a bit too shy to speak, restrained by a young woman's natural reserve, but Li Ling, who was never the least bit reserved, greeted her warmly. That helped Fan Yan quickly let go of her shyness, and soon she was chatting with the three in a relaxed, easy manner. Within moments, they were all speaking freely, as if old friends.

As they talked, Sun Yu, still observing the ongoing assessments, noticed a few more students had completed the test. Patiently, as before, he recorded their names and results. Once finished, he instructed those who had completed the assessment to take a brief rest, while he himself waited for the remaining students to finish.

Sun Yu did not find this waiting tedious at all. After all, with the remarkable performances of Ye Junze, Yun Tianhan, Li Ling, Fan Yan, and several other new students, his heart brimmed with hope for this incoming class of the Daoist Arts Department. In a short period, nearly a dozen students had already completed the assessment, which filled Sun Yu with genuine happiness. Thus, as he watched the assessments, his face was lit with an unrestrained smile—anyone unaware might have thought he’d just won five million in the lottery. Yet for Sun Yu, even winning the lottery would not have pleased him as much; what truly delighted him was seeing so many promising talents among the new students. The thought that these young people might one day become the backbone of the Daoist Arts Department filled him with eager anticipation for the day they would finally achieve mastery in their cultivation.

Shaking his head to dispel these musings, Sun Yu refocused his attention on those students still diligently undergoing the test.

At that moment, another booming noise erupted from a group of students, prompting Sun Yu to stride over swiftly once more.

...

After tallying up the new results, Sun Yu glanced at those left—none seemed likely to finish soon. He pondered for a moment, then muttered to himself, “Since that’s the case, why not distribute the rewards early? Yes, let’s do that.”

With his mind made up, Sun Yu took another look at the group, confirmed that none would finish imminently, and headed toward Ye Junze and the others who had already completed the assessment.

Intent on wrapping things up quickly, Sun Yu walked briskly and soon arrived. By now, the area where Ye Junze and his companions waited was far livelier than before; the small, lonely gathering had grown noticeably.

As the group enthusiastically discussed how they had passed the assessment, they saw Sun Yu approaching and greeted him politely in unison.

Nodding in response, Sun Yu addressed them: “Now that everyone here has finished the assessment, and the rankings have been determined based on your comprehensive performance, it’s time for the moment you’ve all been waiting for—the distribution of rewards. Please get ready.”

At these words, joy lit up many faces; the mood was buoyant. Some looked curious, clearly wondering what the reward might be. A few whispered excitedly among themselves, speculating about what Sun Yu would hand out.

Knowing exactly what was on their minds, Sun Yu smiled and dispelled the suspense: “The reward this time is spirit stones.”

Some, unfamiliar with the term, looked puzzled and asked aloud, “Spirit stones? What are those?”

Sun Yu, anticipating their curiosity, replied promptly, “I’ll explain the use of spirit stones in a moment, so please be patient.”

The group nodded, putting aside their questions for now. Ye Junze, who had previously had the matter explained by Lin Xin, wasn’t especially surprised. Instead, he thought, “I wonder how many spirit stones the teacher will give as a reward. If it’s enough, I can return what I borrowed from Senior Sister first.”

Yun Tianhan and Li Ling, standing nearby, also reacted calmly, as if they already understood the value of spirit stones—clearly, these were nothing novel to them. Anyone observing their demeanor would likely have been quietly curious.

Sun Yu paid their reactions no mind. Clearing his throat to bring everyone’s attention back, he announced crisply, “Next, I will announce the top five students’ results and their corresponding spirit stone rewards.”

As Sun Yu’s voice carried across the grounds, those still struggling to complete their assessments pricked up their ears. Some, fearing they might miss something, dropped what they were doing and hurried toward Sun Yu’s group. Their actions soon spurred others to follow suit, until nearly everyone was converging on the gathering.

Seeing this sea of students abandoning their assessments, Sun Yu realized what was happening. Though a little displeased by the disruption, he reasoned that it might be for the best—they could all hear his explanation at once and avoid further distractions.

Relieved by the thought, Sun Yu said, “Let’s wait for the others to join us. It seems they’re just as curious as you are.”

No one objected; all were eager for everyone to arrive. Since the distance wasn’t far and the students were rushing, it didn’t take long for the entire group to assemble.

Once everyone had gathered, Sun Yu glanced around and asked, “Is everyone here?”

A quick survey confirmed no one was missing, and the students replied, “Everyone’s here, Teacher.”

After double-checking, Sun Yu nodded. “Good. Let’s continue.”

No one had any complaints; all nodded in agreement.

Sun Yu went on: “Now, I’ll announce the top five students. First—” He paused, smiling mysteriously, “But I imagine you all already know who it is, don’t you?”

At this, everyone turned to look at Ye Junze. It was obvious to all that he had won first place.

Feeling everyone’s gaze, Ye Junze grew a bit embarrassed, scratching his head and at a loss for words.

Fortunately, Sun Yu noticed his awkwardness and smoothly took over: “That’s right! The winner of this assessment is Ye Junze, who completed the test in just twenty minutes. Let’s give him a round of applause—may you all strive to follow his example and claim first place next time.”

At this, Yun Tianhan, Li Ling, and several others led the applause, soon joined by the rest.

Ye Junze could only nod and thank everyone.

Sun Yu signaled for quiet, then continued, “Now that you know the rankings, let’s talk about the rewards.”

Everyone listened attentively, eager to hear what first place would receive.

Sun Yu did not keep them in suspense. “As first place, Ye Junze will receive twenty-five spirit stones. Moreover—” Here he drew out his words, deliberately piquing their curiosity.

Seeing all eyes on him, he knew he had their full attention, and continued, “Moreover, because Ye Junze actually completed the assessment twice, and his second result ranks among the best in Anze’s history, I’ll personally award him an additional twenty spirit stones in recognition of his outstanding performance.”

The group was astonished—no one had expected such a generous reward.

Ye Junze himself was shocked. Although Sun Yu had mentioned a reward before, he hadn’t imagined it would be so substantial. He looked at Sun Yu, shaking his head slightly as if to say the reward was too much.

But Sun Yu returned a reassuring look, conveying that there was nothing to worry about.

Seeing this, Ye Junze gave up any further protest and accepted the reward.

Sun Yu, satisfied, moved on: “As for second place, that goes to Yun Tianhan, whose reward is twenty spirit stones.” He gestured to Yun Tianhan for all to see.

The group applauded again, and Yun Tianhan smiled his thanks.

“Third place,” Sun Yu continued, “is Li Ling, who will receive fifteen spirit stones. Let’s give him a hand.” He pointed to Li Ling.

Another round of applause followed.

Li Ling bowed slightly. “Thank you, everyone. Thank you, Teacher.”

Sun Yu went on, “Today’s fourth place is Fan Yan—her reward is ten spirit stones.” He indicated Fan Yan.

This time, the group was pleasantly surprised that a female student had placed in the top five, and the applause was louder than before.

Fan Yan smiled gracefully. “Thank you, everyone.”

Sun Yu nodded, “Finally, our fifth place is Lu Renjia, who will receive five spirit stones.”

This time the reaction was odd. Several students muttered, “Lu Renjia? Teacher, did you make a mistake? That sounds like a generic name you’d give an extra in a story!”

Sun Yu laughed, understanding their confusion. He’d had the same reaction when he first heard the name, but after clarification, he knew it was correct.

He said, “If you’re curious, let’s have Lu Renjia explain himself.”

He turned to a rather ordinary-looking young man, who spoke up, “Hello, everyone. I’m Lu Renjia—not the ‘background character’ you’re thinking of. My name is written with the characters for ‘land’, ‘benevolence’, and ‘uprightness’.”

Realization dawned on the group, and many found his name refreshingly unique.

Seeing the misunderstanding resolved, Sun Yu continued, “Now, let me explain the use of spirit stones.”