31. Obtaining rewards. The power of Spirit Spring

Three months and a few beatings to "encourage" Fatty Hao later, the group once again found themselves in Headmaster's office, this time with the addition of Cheng Bo joining the Headmaster. Tang San startes with announcing their exam results:

- Congratulations everyone, you passed both this and next year's exams. Now you're free to enjoy your rewards, President Bo, if you could explain it to them?

- All right. As you found yourselves in the middle of sinister plot due to our oversight, Department of Education decided to reward you all with three months in Spirit Spring. Additionally you'll recieve some Spiritual Crystals for your placing in the tournament. Now you're going to come with me, as I escort you to your reward.

A few hours later they entered the main lonby of Department of Education's main office. Cheng Bo flashed his identity card, then lead them to stairs leading to basement, unlocking them with his card.

They entered a corridor, with 5 doors on each side.

Cheng Bo stopped and explained:

- Those are the doors to Spirit Spring. Each of you can enter their own. Now, I wish you success, I'll recieve you in three months, don't dally and waste time, each second counts.

They nodded, each chosing their own door then entering. Long Yin walked approximately a hundred metres, before entering a misty cave with a small spring in the middle. She took off her clothes then jumped inside. Immediately she felt invigorated by enormous amounts of spirit Qi, her cultivation rapidly progressing. She immediately took a meditative position, and entered the state of cultivation.

One month later she opened her eyes and a large *pang* sounded from within her body, as she finally reached peak of Golden Core Tenth Stage. She stood up, dried herself with a pulse of qi, then put on her clothes. She already discussed this with President Bo, telling him that her cultivation required access to sunlight upon breakthrough to next realm. She was granted one day leave and access to private space on top of the roof. She entered the lift and selected the roof. She found a place where she was cetain nothing would get damaged, then initiated her Tribulation. This time it was a Six by Nine Thunder Tribulation. She silently endured three strikee, letting the Tribulation nourish her body. Suddenly her core cracked, then shattered into thousand pieces that released a transparent qi membrane, that soon turned into a Nascent Soul, that looked like a little transparent infant. If Long Yin was a Qi cultivator this would be everything to happen during the breakthrough. As she was a body cultivator too, the changes didn't stop there. Soon the Nascent Soul started turning from transparent into semi-corporeal, each thunderstrike speeding up the process. With the last strike of thunder her Nascent Soul finally materialized, a faint star manifesting above it fue to nourishment of Astral Qi within the Tribulation. She combed her hair, trying to reduce the wild mane that popped up due to electrized hair and entered the lift, still slightly charref from the thunder strikes. She went back to basement and resumed her cultivation.

This time she immediately felt a difference - her strength, which stagnated around 600 kg back in Meridian Opening Realm started slowly increasing again.

Meanwhile in his office Cheng Bo reviewed the camera footage from the roof.

- Lightning Tribulation? Damn girl I must've been indebted to you in my previous life.

He used his authority to delete the footage and suppress all information about the source of the thunder strikes.

Two month later everyone exited the Spirit Spring, finding Cheng Bo looking at them with appreciation. The progress was visible to baked eye. Chen Hao was no longer fat, now just slightly chubby with his skin sporting a dark silver hue, a sign of freshly advancing to Iron Pig Body. Rou You had an ethereal light around her, each step manifesting a small sakura flower. Both still showed unstable fluctuations of Golden Core Sixth Stage. If their progress was huge, Long Tian could only be described as monstrous, as his Golden Core Seventh Stage Peak and faint silhouette of Rat behind him showed. Long Yin was beyond Cheng Bo's comprehension, as she clearly showed fresh fluctuations of Stage Eight of Nascent Soul Realm. Cheng Bo laughed, a genuine smile on his face.

- Good, good. We finally have something to show in the Galactic University Exams.

He lead them to the exit, giving them a final farewell speach:

- You all are rare talents, I expect to hear about your achievements in the exams in the future. You have a year left before University Exams, cultivate dilligently, I'm sure your school will spare no resources in order to raise you. As your farewell gifts, here are your tournament winnings.

He gave each of them three Spiritual Crystals. As he waved them goodbye he sighed to himself.

- Heh, such rare talents, emptied our Spiritual Crystal reserves for next ten years. I can only hope they satisfy the higher-ups.

The group ended up coming back right for the school year's end. After receiving another rewards, this time from school, in form of permanent access to Golden Core Qi cultivation room, they each headed home. The Long siblings were taken home by Butler Yang to spend final year with their mother, as next year they'd be entering the Galactic University Exams and wouldn't be able to come home. They were welcomed by their excited mother:

- Look how much you grew, so talented, just like your father. Since this is the last time we see each other before you take your exams its time you learn about some things.

- First of all, your father is not dead. He was caught in a trap set up by military higher-ups and Long Clan Elders, who didn't like a branch member being so successful. To avoid certain death he and his unit had to escape into a Forbidden Domain, after sending us emergency message. This domain opens once every twenty five years, which means upu have eight years to get strong enough to rescue him. Once you enter Galactic University you will finally be entered into main system, which you avoided during talent testing, allowing Long Clan to notice your existence. They will certainly use underhanded means to make life difficult for you, but due to prestige of the Universities, they should be heavily restricted in their actions.

- As for us, you don't have to worry, we have contigency plans and hideouts and will vanish once you enter the Exams. Remember, you have eight years, the domain name is Black Demon Forbidden Domain. Don't worry we have means to contact you, your father was not ordinary man so how could his wife and best officer be ordinary?

The siblings nodded, then went to their rooms to digest the information they recieved. They once more felt the urgent need to improve, so they each secluded themself with their Spiritual Crystals.