Chapter 70: The Decision Of A Genius

"League rewards?" Li Xiaofei exclaimed in surprise, "Have they come through already?"

In the principal's office, Principal Chen Fei, known for his peach blossom eyes and roguish demeanor, laughed heartily. "This is a national league, and the Education Department moves quickly. Our Red Flag High School made a stunning debut this time, winning multiple awards and receiving abundant resources."

As he spoke, Grandpa Qin, the doorman, had already brought out the prizes. There were Starforce Reagents, followed by star cores and a matching starforce absorption device. There were also ten tanned Polar Explosive Bear’s hides.

"The star beasts you hunted during the match determine the corresponding rewards from the Education Department. These Polar Explosive Bear’s hides can be used to create high-defense armor. They're exceptionally good materials," Principal Chen Fei explained.

It was only then that Li Xiaofei realized now that such benefits existed. In the future, he could selectively hunt more star beasts. This was clearly a special policy for league participants. Ordinary people could only obtain these items by spending a lot of money or by risking their lives to hunt star beasts in the wilderness.

In addition to these rewards, there were also basic monetary prizes.

"In the first round of the league, you won the Most Valuable Student Award, the Fastest Battle Conclusion Award, and the Five-Kill Reward... You will receive a total of 5000 star coins in cash, along with a fruit voucher, a cooked vegetable voucher, and a flour voucher. Each of these can be used to purchase one kilogram of their respective items at the Starry Sky Supermarket under the Starry Sky Hotel," Grandpa Qin explained as he handed all the rewards to Li Xiaofei.

Li Xiaofei beamed with joy. He had yet to eat fruit, fresh vegetables, or much white flour since he had arrived. These items couldn't even be bought with money, only ration tickets. Now, he could finally satisfy his cravings.

"Actually, these valuable commodity tickets can be exchanged for Starforce Reagents or star coins, which are highly valuable. You should carefully consider how to use them," Principal Chen Fei advised.

Li Xiaofei put away the three tickets and said, "Don't worry about it."

Principal Chen Fei was so annoyed that he gritted his teeth.

"Did Old Fang and Little Bai get any rewards?" Li Xiaofei asked.

"They all did, and they’ve already been distributed," Grandpa Qin replied. "Team rewards are essential. Even the school received a large amount of cultivation resources and food and water supplies because of your outstanding performance. Now you understand why all the high schools are so keen on participating in the league, right?"

Li Xiaofei nodded. "I get it now."

It was now clear that the various levels of leagues had become a way to distribute resources. This high-intensity positive competition allowed limited resources to be allocated in the most optimal way to those who could maximize their use. It was similar to the college entrance examination five hundred years ago. Despite various flaws, it was the fairest selection method for most people.

The league system in Great Xia covered all grades from elementary, middle school, high school, and university. There were also city teams, provincial teams, and even national teams. While he was catching up on basic courses, Li Xiaofei had learned some historical and cultural knowledge. Nowadays, many international disputes were resolved through martial arts competitions.

“Speaking of drinking water...” Li Xiaofei carefully chose his words and shared the news about the slum hunting team discovering a clean water source.

"I want to ask for your help in contacting the authorities to donate this water source to the country." He explained his plan.

Chen Fei and Grandpa Qin exchanged glances, seeing the shock and joy in each other's eyes. Li Xiaofei was so young, but he had made the optimal choice in the face of temptation and greed from a huge fortune without any persuasion. This slum youth was far more mature than they had imagined.

"Alright," Chen Fei said, patting his chest in assurance. "Leave this matter to me. I will make sure you get the best possible return."

"Thank you, Principal," Li Xiaofei said, overjoyed.

After a moment, he took out the Inscribed Treasure Bones collected from the star beasts and said, "These items are useless to me. I want to exchange them for some cultivation resources from the school."

The Inscribed Treasure Bones were valuable. Even the bones from Grade One star beasts were highly sought after in the market. The Inscribed Treasure Bones Li Xiaofei took out were trophies he’d extracted from the bodies of Dugu Que, Dugu Jue, White Pig, and others.

However, Li Xiaofei had no desire to undergo transplantation surgery. Coming from the year 2022, he was a staunch supporter of ancient martial arts and had a natural aversion to surgery. The thought of implanting the bones of other creatures into his body seemed insane and risky.

After much consideration, Li Xiaofei had decided to sell the Inscribed Treasure Bones and exchange them for other useful cultivation resources.

"A wise decision," Chen Fei and Grandpa Qin said in unison.

They were both practitioners of the Great Xia martial lineage and staunch opponents of Inscribed Treasure Bone transplantation surgery. This stance was not due to being stuck in the past or being closed-minded but because those surgeries were not yet fully perfected.

Some martial artists with insufficient mental strength did indeed gain powerful combat techniques shortly after transplanting the Inscribed Treasure Bones. However, they were eventually eroded by the primal force of the star beasts within the Inscribed Treasure Bones. In the end, they transformed into irrational star beasts themselves.

More than one Saint of the Great Xia martial lineage believed that the proper utilization of Inscribed Treasure Bones was not through direct transplantation but through imitation and emulation. Of course, these debates still had no clear resolution within the academic community. Given the immense pressure from star beast invasions, countries had gradually lifted the restrictions on Inscribed Treasure Bone transplantation surgeries. After all, these surgeries could quickly produce a large number of powerful martial artists, aiding humanity in better combating star beasts and alleviating survival pressures.

Li Xiaofei's decision to sell the Inscribed Treasure Bones greatly relieved and pleased both Chen Fei and Grandpa Qin. They had been worried that Li Xiaofei might succumb to the temptation of great power and blindly pursue transplantation surgery. Now, they were reassured.

The two older men looked at each other after Li Xiaofei left the office, both filled with deep emotions.

"Why did you go to the slums that day?" Grandpa Qin asked.

Chen Fei pondered for a moment, then smiled. "Just following a hunch, I guess. Sometimes, we find the brightest gems in the roughest places. I was originally going to Jianye Road Second Middle School to try and invite the genius middle school student, Gu Haochen, to join Red Flag High School..."

"Haha," Grandpa Qin chuckled. "I remember Gu Haochen rejected you twelve times already."

"Yes, but as long as there was a glimmer of hope, I still wanted to try," Chen Fei said calmly.

Only the two men in the office understood the hardships behind their calm demeanor.

Grandpa Qin teased, "You call harassment a try?"

Chen Fei, knowing his friend's nature, wasn't offended. Instead, he laughed, "So I was rejected again that day and was almost beaten by Gu's father. I was in a bad mood, so I wandered around aimlessly and ended up in the slums. That's where I saw that kid sparring with Dugu Que. When I saw him, I was overjoyed. I immediately recognized that this kid was a once-in-a-lifetime ancient martial arts genius. So I managed to bring him in with a little trickery."

"Good thing you went to the slums that day," Grandpa Qin said with a laugh. "Maybe I should thank Gu Haochen's father?"

Both of them burst into hearty laughter. Being fortunate enough to discover a genius like Li Xiaofei was nothing short of a miracle. As Li Xiaofei continued to reveal his brilliance, both men felt as though they were living in a dream.

Is this really the kind of success Red Flag High School can experience?

They didn't say much more, but they understood each other's thoughts perfectly.

They would nurture Li Xiaofei at any cost. They would use their last bit of effort, resources, and energy to polish this rough gem into a precious jewel. Of course, they also had Yan Chiyu in mind.