Chapter 74: I Returned Fully Loaded
Chapter 74: I Returned Fully Loaded
Evolution of life stages was the most direct and obvious way for a Soul Pet to increase its strength.
Soul Power Cultivation was more like a slow and steady process.
Wang Che patted Green Caterpillar’s head.
For most Soul Pets, completing the Third Stage Evolution was just the beginning.
The Qihang Cup meant setting sail.
It symbolized that students at this stage were about to set sail and step into a brand new world.
Green Caterpillar still needed to work hard.
“I didn’t mean it that way,” Chen Fei coughed. “By the way, how many Heart-Splitting Flowers did you get this time?”
He changed the subject.
At that moment, Deputy Officer Li and Li Yanming walked over.
“Let’s get in the vehicle and return to the border,” Deputy Officer Li coughed. “It’s not suitable to stay overnight here. We’ll send you back tomorrow morning.”
The group got into the military off-road vehicle and drove toward the border.
“Heart-Splitting Flowers? I didn’t get many,” Bai Youyou giggled in the vehicle. “Only eight. I’ll probably be at the bottom of the competition.”
“I didn’t get many either,” Cheng Cheng shook her head. “They can be counted on one hand. Well, exactly nine.”
“I got ten,” Chen Fei thought for a moment. “Rongdu’s Feng Xiao probably has the most. He didn’t say much on the communicator, but according to other contestants, he likely got over twenty.”
“He’s probably first place.”
“Him again?” Bai Youyou frowned. “Is he that strong? In the Floating Forest, I was very careful, making sure the surroundings were safe before moving to the next spot. Each one was so hard to get.”
“Rongdu is the capital city of Xiyue Continent. Winning the Dawn Cup there carries a weight that other cities can’t match,” Cheng Cheng said. “Naturally, his strength is a notch above the other contestants.”
The three nodded, understanding this.
“Wang Che, what about you?” Bai Youyou asked.
“Zero.”
“…”
The three of them had very expressive faces.
Wang Che hadn’t bothered with the competition at all.
Entering a secret treasure land like the Floating Forest, of course exploring other things and finding treasures that suited him was the most important.
Dealing with those Heart-Splitting Ants was troublesome, and Wang Che couldn’t be bothered to waste time gathering those Heart-Splitting Flowers.
If he had really focused on that, Wang Che estimated he would have had no time to find other treasures.
Like that Soul Remnant, the Leaping Grass, the Soul-Calming Fruit, the two stones containing Life Energy, and the Soul Guiding Device…
He would have missed more than half of them, not to mention what happened later.
Wang Che’s purpose in coming to the Floating Forest was very clear.
So he didn’t care about that competition at all.
The competition rewards, aside from a large sum of money, were just some decent cultivation resources and a military Soul Guiding Device.
Green Caterpillar wasn’t lacking any of those at the moment. They just needed steady development from here on.
Of course, there was also the title.
The title of being first in the competition.
It offered some bonus points for the college entrance exam and additional advantages when choosing a suitable Soul Pet university.
That was probably the most valuable reward.
But Wang Che felt these weren’t very important.
“I get it now, Wang Che. You completely don’t care about the competition,” Bai Youyou nodded. “That’s cool, but aside from the 500,000 prize money and a bunch of resources, being first in the competition gives bonus points for the college exam. Top universities in the War Zone also offer special admission.”
“Geniuses don’t need any bonus points,” Wang Che said. “As for universities, for a genius, it’s about choosing them, not them recruiting me specially.”
The three: “…”
“Very true,” Chen Fei nodded in agreement.
“Alright then…” Bai Youyou giggled. “Are our perspectives too small?”
“Actually, that’s right too. There’s no penalty for being behind in the competition anyway. Spending time dealing with Heart-Splitting Ants and collecting Heart-Splitting Flowers is worse than using that time to find other good stuff,” Cheng Cheng said.
Even so, they still valued the competition highly.
The group chatted as they returned to the border.
They slept soundly through the night.
Early the next morning.
“Before you leave, we’ve tallied your rankings for the two competitions during this Wild Soul Land expedition.”
Deputy Officer Li looked at the energetic group, coughed a few times, and spoke seriously. “Actually, the Military Department holds these two competitions for newcomers to assess your overall qualities.”
“You’ve all participated in the Dawn Cup and are champions. You have some understanding of Soul Pet Battle. But Soul Pet Battle is an entertainment competition based on certain rules. However, exploring the Wild Soul Land carries life-threatening dangers.”
“Once combat occurs, there are no rules to speak of.”
“After this expedition, you’ve probably all gained some experience. You’ll be able to handle difficulties more calmly in the future.”
“Below are your overall rankings.”
“Of course, rankings have highs and lows, but the experience gained does not.”
“So, even if your ranking is poor, don’t be discouraged.”
“The rankings will be recorded in your student files. It’s also the first honor recorded in the War Zone records before you become Soul Pact Masters.”
Everyone nodded. Deputy Officer Li’s words gave them some reflection.
War Zone records meant they would be entered into the Donghua War Zone’s archives.
Similar to historical records: In XX year, XX month, XX day, a certain student achieved XX ranking in the Wild Soul Land expedition competition.
Left for future generations to discuss.
Of course, what students cared more about now were the practical rewards and bonus points.
“Chen Fei, first competition eighteenth, second competition nineteenth, overall ranking eighteenth.”
“Bai Youyou, first competition twentieth, second competition twenty-first, overall ranking twentieth.”
“Cheng Cheng, first competition twenty-first, second competition twentieth, overall ranking nineteenth.”
When these three results were announced.
They were roughly as expected, not much difference.
Just swapping places with each other, the gap only one position.
Then, Deputy Officer Li coughed and continued:
“Wang Che, first competition first, second competition first, overall ranking first.”
Smack.
Deputy Officer Li closed the folder.
“The rankings have been announced. You may go collect your rewards now.”
However.
The three of them froze.
The three: “???”
Wang Che stood where he was, thinking silently.
“Wait, Deputy Officer Li? Did I hear that right?” Bai Youyou was stunned. “I remember Wang Che didn’t get a single Heart-Splitting Flower in the second competition. How did he end up first?”
The other two were also very confused.
“Because Wang Che assisted Officer Li in the Soul Land and resolved a special incident, the Military Department awarded him an extra fifty Heart-Splitting Flowers as a reward, making him first place.”
After hearing the news.
The three of them took a deep breath.
Was this official cheating?
Incredible.
Wang Che: “…”
This…
Wang Che glanced at Deputy Officer Li.
Deputy Officer Li nodded, showing it was the order from above.
Wang Che said, “This… isn’t it a bit unfair to the other competitors? I really didn’t expect to be first in the competition.”
The three of them nodded quickly. They could see Wang Che had no interest in the competition at all…
And he still got first?
Wait, why did those words sting a bit…
“There’s no talk of unfairness. The main goal of the competition is to test your overall ability.”
Deputy Officer Li shook his head. “Whether it’s the Heart-Splitting Flowers or the exploration time, it’s all just to prove your overall skills. But what you did proves your overall ability is far beyond theirs.”
That made the three of them very curious.
What exactly did Wang Che do in the Floating Forest?
“Then I’ll accept it graciously,” Wang Che said without hesitating.
“At a time like this, all I can say is: Incredible.” Bai Youyou’s face turned red, probably from being shocked and excited by the news. “I bet Feng Xiao is going to be furious. He should have been first in both competitions, but somehow… he ended up second both times.”
“Fate works in strange ways,” Chen Fei said, stroking his chin with a serious look.
“You can get first place like that… I’ve really learned something new.” Cheng Cheng looked puzzled. “Is that what geniuses do? Take a different path?”
Wang Che asked directly, “Deputy Officer Li, what are the Heart-Splitting Flowers for?”
“Oh? Sharp observation…” Deputy Officer Li was surprised, then smiled. “Heart-Splitting Flowers are indeed useful. They are the main ingredient for a special potion. Based on how many Heart-Splitting Flowers you earned, our Military Department’s Soul Pact Masters will brew an equal amount of potion for you.”
“This potion can improve your Soul Pet’s Soul Power Cultivation. It’s part of the reward.”
“I thought you were going to take them back,” Bai Youyou said, both shocked and very happy.
“Everything you gain in the Soul Land belongs to you. The point of exploring the Soul Land is to improve your overall skills and power, to help you grow.” Deputy Officer Li explained, “If we took everything back, what would be the point of this Soul Land exploration?”
“Alright, go collect your rewards. After that, you can return to your respective cities.”
Chen Fei and the other two immediately followed three soldiers to the back area to get their rewards based on their rankings.
But Wang Che stood still.
“Wang, aren’t you going?”
Deputy Officer Li asked.
Holding the Green Caterpillar, Wang Che said, “Officer Li, is there a Soul Pact Master named Xue Ling here?”
Deputy Officer Li said, “Why do you ask?”
Wang Che said, “He was one of the Soul Pact Masters who rescued me, right?”
Deputy Officer Li was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. “Yes.”
Wang Che asked another question, “How is he doing now?”
This time, Deputy Officer Li didn’t speak.
Wang Che didn’t ask further and said,
“I won’t take the reward. Please distribute it among the Soul Pact Masters and their Soul Pets who rescued me. I only know Xue Ling. You can decide how to share the rest.”
After saying that, Wang Che carried the Green Caterpillar and walked to the off-road vehicle that had been waiting for a while in the distance.
Deputy Officer Li was stunned for a long time, looking toward the off-road vehicle, his eyes gleaming slightly. He clenched his fist, and his body trembled a little, as if holding something back.
Suddenly.
“Damn!”
Deputy Officer Li wiped his eyes. “Senior Yanming was right. That kid really knows how to get to you! Even I couldn’t hold it in.”
After a moment, Chen Fei and the other two came over, carrying their things.
Deputy Officer Li composed himself and returned to normal.
“Hey, Deputy Officer Li, why did Wang Che leave already? Didn’t he get his reward?” Bai Youyou asked curiously. “First place, so much good stuff…”
“Maybe he couldn’t carry it all alone,” Cheng Cheng guessed.
Deputy Officer Li shook his head. “He didn’t want it.”
The three looked shocked and confused.
“He didn’t want it?” Chen Fei scratched his head, not understanding. “Why not?”
Deputy Officer Li looked into the distance and said,
“He gave it all away. He distributed it to the Soul Pact Masters and their Soul Pets who rescued him yesterday…”
The three of them froze on the spot. While shocked, they also suddenly felt a deep clarity.
They looked at the back of the off-road vehicle, where they could faintly see Wang Che’s figure.
“I suddenly feel like he’s really cool,” Bai Youyou said, her gaze drifting ahead. “It’s a kind of cool I can’t describe.”
The other two nodded heavily at the same time, their eyes following the off-road vehicle… for a moment, they were silent.
…
In the car.
“Wang, it’s been two days. How was your experience in the Wild Soul Land? But… why are you leaving empty-handed?”
The Dino Tech staff member in the driver’s seat asked with a laugh.
But Wang Che just smiled and said,
“No, I’m leaving with a full load.”
The staff member laughed a few times.
The off-road vehicle sped away, quickly disappearing at the end of the jungle road…