Back at the Elite Training Hall, students from the various training grounds filed into the simple shower stalls to rinse off. The sound of rushing water echoed from each cubicle, and steam billowed like a mystical fog.

CLICK.

Turning off the faucet, Jiang Qiu changed into a fresh black shirt and pants. He picked up the blood-stained, tattered clothes piled on the rack and casually tossed them into the trash can under the sink.

He tilted his head slightly, and the large, half-wall mirror reflected his jawline, sharp as a knife’s edge. His ink-black eyes, like jade set on either side of his nose, gleamed like water droplets, reflecting his bulging back muscles.

He twisted his waist. The shirt stretched across his shoulders, rippling like a mountain range, while the taper of his waist created deep shadows.

’I ate nearly a hundred pounds of Red Armored Giant Lizard meat in the Secret Realm. I’ve definitely bulked up.’

Jiang Qiu raised an eyebrow and lifted his black shirt, revealing a chiseled set of abdominal muscles. The grooves between them had a brassy hue, creating sharp, defined shadows. They were perfectly lean and defined.

His physique couldn’t compare to the two-meter-tall Wu Shan, nor was he chubby like Zhang Shan. Yet, standing there, he gave off the impression of being as solid and immovable as a tree stump or an iron pillar.

[Iron Flesh]

[Features: Copper Skin and Iron Flesh, Fighting Demons with Bare Hands]

[402/1000]

But even with [Copper Transformation], his body’s toughness was barely enough to withstand a single lash from a High Tier Demon Plant. He’d probably start coughing up blood after a few dozen hits.

His progress with the Ancient Martial Spear was already outstanding. What he needed to improve now was his physical realm.

’It’s a shame the Circulation Qi Technique is difficult to use in battle. My Body Refining efficiency is a little slow.’

Shaking his head, Jiang Qiu let the black shirt fall from his fingers, covering his abs. He turned, walked out of the shower area, and retrieved his bag from a locker.

"Jiang Qiu."

A deep voice suddenly stopped him in his tracks. He turned to see Wu Shan approaching at an unhurried pace, the spot above his right eyebrow slightly sunken. "Are you sure you want to turn those three Demon Plant Fruits over to the school for reclamation?"

Jiang Qiu’s expression faltered. "Is something wrong, Teacher Wu?"

"Director Zhao took a close look at them. Those three fruits aren’t entirely the essence of the Demon Plant. They’re actually a mutated egg from the Demon King Red Flame Spider Mother, which makes them a special kind of material." Wu Shan curled his lip. "Only the Red Flame Spider Mother can produce something like that. And now, it’s undergone a subtle fusion with the Demon Plant Fruit, accumulating a tremendous amount of life force..."

’Demon King Red Flame Spider Mother?’

Jiang Qiu’s heart skipped a beat.

’That’s the Demon King who’s been plaguing the Northwest Province ever since the Secret Realms first reappeared! She’s led the Demon Race to breach Gao Yuan City’s Outer City multiple times!’

’But even though she’s the greatest enemy of Xia Country’s Northwest region, she’s almost never appeared on the front lines. Historically, no Martial Artist has ever witnessed her true form.’

’And I managed to pick up a treasure she produced just by participating in a high-school-level training hunt?’

"You have to understand, the value of that egg far exceeds that of an ordinary Demon Plant Fruit. It can be used as a material to refine Advanced Su Fragrance. Instead of selling it for money, you’d be better off hiring an Incense Refining Expert to refine it. The result would be priceless."

Hearing this, Jiang Qiu’s brows furrowed deeply.

’Wusu Fragrance is a Basic Su Fragrance with fundamental effects like tempering the body. Qiang Su Fragrance is a Middle Level Su Fragrance, capable of providing enlightenment in a specific domain.’

’As for Advanced Su Fragrance, he had rarely even heard of it...’

"An Advanced Su Fragrance is a product refined from the unique properties of a main ingredient. For example, in Jiangnan Province, an Incense Refining Expert once used the Demon Core of a Dragon-shaped Demon Clan member to create Dragon Transformation Fragrance. The person who used it in a medicinal bath developed the resilient body of the Dragon-shaped Demon Clan without being contaminated by its demonic blood."

A glint of light flashed in Wu Shan’s murky right eye, and his expression turned serious. "You’d better not trade this mutated egg for money. The school could never appraise it for a suitable price. If you want to hire an expert to refine it, I can help you find one."

"..."

After a moment of silence, Jiang Qiu nodded. "I’ll have to trouble you then, Teacher."

"Mm, there’s a 100,000 introduction fee, plus the subsequent costs for any miscellaneous materials needed. I’ll bill you for it."

Jiang Qiu’s eyes went wide. "How much?"

"You’re already providing the main ingredient, so the other materials won’t be too expensive. Including the Incense Refining Expert’s fee, it will probably come to around 5 million."

Wu Shan’s voice was calm as he slowly placed his hands on his hips. "No need to let your jaw drop like that. Did you expect an Advanced Su Fragrance to be cheap? After all, this main ingredient is connected to the Demon King Red Flame Spider Mother. A high price is normal."

"You don’t have to worry about the money, either. I’ve already estimated your approximate earnings from this training hunt." 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

"The meat from the roughly two thousand-plus Demon Beasts, including materials from Middle Tier Demon Beasts... Our Training Ground Eight, being an elite ground, accounted for a third of the total kill count. Your group’s share would have originally been 14 million, but with the 10% bonus, it comes to 15.5 million."

"You killed the most demons, accounting for three-fifths of the kills in your training ground. That’s enough for you to get a share of 9 million."

’9 million?!’

Jiang Qiu quietly sucked in a breath, his cheeks tingling.

’With that much money, he wouldn’t have to worry about a thing. He could even afford a high-end, three-million apartment in the commoners’ district.’

’Still, living in the commoners’ district couldn’t compare to the Inner City. After all, the Outer City was always at risk of being breached by a surprise attack from the Demon Race.’

’While this amount wasn’t enough to move into the Inner City, it was more than enough to improve himself in many ways—buying new equipment, stocking up on Blood Boiling Potions, purchasing Body Refining Resources from the market...’

’And it would open the door to even more precious resources.’

After pressing his lips together for a moment, Jiang Qiu clenched his hot fists. "How long does it take to refine the Advanced Su Fragrance?"

"The process itself doesn’t take long, but we need to gather the necessary materials. It might take a month or two. Generally speaking, it can be finished before the college entrance exams at the latest." Wu Shan’s lips quirked slightly. "With Advanced Su Fragrances, the main ingredient is what makes it precious. It’s the kind of thing you stumble upon by chance, not something you can actively seek out."

"Let me think about it for a few days."

Jiang Qiu’s gaze grew somber, and a feeling of unease settled in his chest.

’He never expected the Demon Plant Fruit to be connected to the Red Flame Spider Mother, and for its value to be so high it was practically priceless.’

’Handing it over to the school for reclamation would certainly be the safest option. But Teacher Wu had mentioned an Advanced Su Fragrance, a Martial Arts Resource a whole tier higher than Qiang Su Fragrance. He was genuinely tempted.’

’But promising to spend five million after just a brief conversation... I don’t have that kind of nerve just yet.’

"Mm."

Wu Shan pondered for a moment. "You probably don’t have a clear concept of what an Advanced Su Fragrance is yet. After the other students have finished showering, I’ll distribute the resources won from the training hunt."

"As the lead student of Training Ground Eight, with the most demon kills and the best performance, you are entitled to thirteen portions of Wusu Fragrance plus one portion of Qiang Su Fragrance."

"Although that’s a large quantity of Wusu Fragrance, its effect will be far less potent than the first time you used it, so don’t get your hopes up too high."

"But as for the Qiang Su Fragrance, a Middle Level Su Fragrance, just one portion will benefit you for life. Even though you’ve already reached the Mastery Level with the Ancient Martial Spear, it will still be incredibly useful—more so than ten million portions of Wusu Fragrance!"

His words fell like a small mallet repeatedly tapping against Jiang Qiu’s chest.

"But even the Qiang Su Fragrance isn’t on the same level as an Advanced Su Fragrance."

With that final, decisive statement, Wu Shan fixed his eagle-like right eye on Jiang Qiu’s resolute, freshly-washed face and sighed inwardly.

’Even though I’m supporting Zhao Gongzheng in helping him apply for the Prodigy Initiative, the difficulty is immense.’

’The Martial Education Department is reluctant to intervene, and the hundreds of geniuses who have already joined the Military Department are unwilling to share their resources. Most of them are geniuses from the Inner City—proud and arrogant. Their backers don’t want to see some sudden outsider take a share of the fixed resources meant for their own sons and daughters.’

’Applying for the Prodigy Initiative for Jiang Qiu has a ninety percent chance of failure. We’d be betting on a one-in-ten chance of success.’

’But Jiang Qiu’s talent is too great to be wasted.’

’Money should be spent where it counts most, and the Advanced Su Fragrance is definitely the top choice. Besides, it would be made using the mutated egg of the Red Flame Spider Mother as the main ingredient. It’s highly likely he could gain something from the legendary Red Flame Spider Mother herself...’