1602 Status Rise! (2)
“It’s normal. a.s.sa.s.sinating geniuses has always been a tactic employed by hostile forces,” Timothy lamented.
General Fu Xinglan comforted them. “Don’t worry. The military will send warriors to protect you along the way.”
The geniuses relaxed a little after hearing that. Anyone would feel worried upon learning they would be targeted by enemies.
They were talents in their own right, but they were indeed wary of a.s.sa.s.sinations!
They wouldn’t fear one versus one battles; however, a.s.sa.s.sinations were always hard to prevent or guard against.
“Everyone, please have some rest in the battle fortress. Your ranking has already been reported to the higher ups of the empire, and I’m sure the rewards will come soon.” General Fu Xinglan smiled.
w.a.n.g Teng’s eyes lit up when he heard this.
Since the first time he heard about the League of Talents, Round Ball had immediately told him that there would be great rewards if he claimed a spot in the top ten.
Among the prizes was the right to enter the Uncharted. However, he knew this would only be made available once he entered one of the academies, so he wasn’t in a hurry.
Aside from this reward, there were still UCs, battle techniques and weapons; these could be received instantly.
Our hero was almost a pauper, so he really looked forward to receiving those things.
Another thing of note, he was the champion, meaning that the rewards would be juicier for him. He was filled with antic.i.p.ation.
General Fu Xinglan arranged lodgings for the talents and led them so they could rest.
The young warriors had been through many battle rounds, so both their bodies and spirits were exhausted. A good rest was sorely needed.
“Colonel w.a.n.g Teng, this is your chamber. You just need to use your ID to open it,” said a soldier who guided the hero.
“Thank you!” w.a.n.g Teng nodded.
“You’re too polite. It’s an honor to serve you.” The fellow bowed respectfully and left.
w.a.n.g Teng watched the soldier leave; then, he opened the door. The room was luxurious, with all kinds of amenities.
Wow, I didn’t expect a room in the battle fortress to be so extravagant.” The hero was surprised, since the military’s style was normally simple and plain. Such lavish arrangements were rare.
What he didn’t know was that the room had the highest standard in the military, and was usually designated to welcome people with special ident.i.ties.
w.a.n.g Teng was the overall champion in the League of Talents, as well as an expert listed on the Star Rankings. The military had placed much importance in him for those reasons, giving him the best of the best. Besides, he was one of their own.
Not even the Second Prince or the other finalists receive such a treatment.
Not dwelling much on the subject, the hero landed on the bed and instantly fell asleep.
He felt refreshed the next day. Much of his injuries were healed after consuming a few healing dans he made himself.
That was an advantage of being a grandmaster alchemist… there was no lack of pills!
Since there were no internal injuries, recovery was quick paced.
He went to the bathroom to freshen up and changed his clothes. Right then he received a message from General Fu Xinglan. He wanted to meet him.
He smiled and mumbled, “Looks like the rewards are here.”
“I wonder what rewards they’ll give you,” said Round Ball, speaking into his mind.
“Who knows?” w.a.n.g Teng shook his head and walked out of the room. There was already a soldier waiting outside ready to guide him.
“First place holder and Star Ranker. Your rewards will certainly be many.” Round Ball felt conflicted.
The little helper didn’t believe at first that the hero could defeat all his opponents and claim the top position. Furthermore, he actually entered the Star Rankings.
“I hope so,” w.a.n.g Teng muttered.
“Come on, you’re in the Star Rankings. Do you know how important that is? The Great Qian Empire will certainly take you seriously,” Round Ball said.
“Is it that important?” The hero was surprised. He wasn’t familiar with the Star Rankings so he thought it was useless. He didn’t see it as a cause for tangible benefits.
“Entering the Star Rankings means that the Seven Stellar Academies acknowledge your talent and consider that you’re on par with all the other geniuses in the past. Mind you, those are top talents in all of the universe. They’ve all become formidable figures in their regions, except for the ones who met their demise.” The little helper felt emotional.
“Where did you learn all of this?” w.a.n.g Teng was surprised.
“I used your security clearance and got it from the military database.” Round Ball smiled.
“Looks like the Star Rankings are indeed impressive,” the hero exclaimed.
“Why else do you think the invigilators from the Seven Stellar Academies placed such high importance on you?” asked the little helper.
They reached the main control room while they spoke.
“Generals,” the hero greeted. Then, he saw Grand Duke Chongshan and was stunned. He quickly bowed. “Grand Duke Chongshan!”
The latter waved a hand. “You may rise.”
w.a.n.g Teng walked towards the Second Prince and the rest of the geniuses.
“You look rested enough.” The prince was amazed by the hero’s glowing face. There was no traces of his previous injuries.
“I’ve almost recovered.” The hero nodded. “How long have you been here?”
“Just arrived,” the n.o.ble replied.
Just then, the grand duke glanced at those present and said, “Since everyone is here, I’ll announce the rewards the empire has for you.
“All of you performed extremely well during this League of Talents, especially w.a.n.g Teng. I have to thank you for lending a hand with the Crown Prince matter.”
“You’re too polite. It was what I should have done,” the hero quickly replied. He was relieved to see that the imperial family didn’t resent him after beating the heir apparent, and even s.n.a.t.c.hing the top position.
Well, one could say that the hero was underestimating their magnanimity, tolerance, and largeness of spirit. They wouldn’t bear a grudge because of those actions.
Furthermore, the champion belonged to the Great Qian Empire. Their loss was minimal.
The grand duke nodded upon seeing that w.a.n.g Teng remained humble and calm, even after the great recognitions received. Satisfied, he continued, “You have brought great pride and glory to our empire by entering the Star Rankings.”
“I am also surprised. I was just performing at my usual level; I didn’t know how I managed to enter the Star Rankings, either,” said the young hero, laughing in the end.
The Second Prince and the others gave him sidelong glances.
Performing like usual?!
You don’t know how you entered the rankings?!
Why didn’t we enter the Star Rankings then? This w.a.n.g Teng is infuriating.
The grand duke was caught between laughter and tears. “All right, enough fooling around. I have brought the rewards the empire has for you.”
His voice suddenly turned serious.
“Baron w.a.n.g Teng!”
“Yes!” said the hero with a stern voice, straightened his back.
“Now, on behalf of the empire, I bestow upon you the t.i.tle of Earl of the Empire!” A square jade box appeared in the grand duke’s hand.
Ji Haochen and the others looked back and forth between the high n.o.ble and w.a.n.g Teng, truly astonished. They could not believe it.
He jumped two ranks!
w.a.n.g Teng jumped two ranks and went from a baron to an earl!
The hero was just as startled. His heart pounded furiously.
The empire elevated his status and made him an earl!
He clearly knew how hard it was to climb the ranks. Had he not received Nangong Yue’s legacy and pa.s.sed the trial back then, he wouldn’t have gotten his t.i.tle of baron.
Cao Hongtu spent many years acc.u.mulating military achievements in order to obtain this own baron bestowal. However, w.a.n.g Teng caught up to him in the end!
All of this proved how tough it was to get a t.i.tle.
Becoming baron was tedious enough, let alone becoming an earl.
This was a huge reward. It seemed that the empire would spare no expense in order to win him over.