290: Chapter 290 Awarding Rewards

"One hundred years have passed; the third round of the assessment is over."

As the low voice of the High Priest of the Elf Race rang out, the starry river and Knowledge Stars filling the sky instantly dissipated.

The final scores were finally confirmed.

First place: Saintess Jiang Nian, Points: 55.

Second place: Zhang Huaiyuan, Points: 54.

As for third place, it was still that lucky Missionary, making the list with two points.

"What a pity, he was only one point short."

The other contestants from the Time Book House looked up at the scoreboard and couldn't help but sigh with regret.

"The opponent has a noble status after all; she might have encountered this type of assessment before. Junior Classmate Zhang is already excellent enough."

"That's right. If Junior Classmate Zhang had been born in our Sea of Time region and received the highest level of cultivation from a young age, he would definitely have won..."

"Seniors, you flatter me too much."

Zhang Huaiyuan, snapping back from his thoughts, immediately waved his hand and smiled upon hearing this.

"I've also had some opportunities and encountered similar assessments. If my skills are inferior, then they are inferior. In academia, we call a spade a spade; there's no reason to be a sore loser."

"What Junior says is true. Regardless, we won this competition in the end."

The others nodded in agreement and looked toward the World Tree branch with excitement, waiting for the results to be announced.

Even putting aside the honor, the rewards for the victors were very generous.

"I will now announce the total point rankings for this competition."

"First place: Time Book House, Total Points: 665."

"Second place: Holy Light Monastery, Total Points: 441."

"Third place: Leviathan Laboratory, Total Points: 290."

"The most outstanding individual of this session: Zhang Huaiyuan, Total Points: 344."

As he read out these statistics, the corner of the High Priest of the Elf Race's mouth twitched, and the smile on his face froze.

It was simply too embarrassing.

One person's points actually exceeded the combined total of ten students from Leviathan Academy.

"344? That high?"

Zhang Huaiyuan was momentarily stunned, but he quickly realized that the 120-point reward for the winning side in the second round had also been credited to him personally.

"Congratulations, Student Zhang Huaiyuan."

However, the High Priest of the Elf Race was accustomed to Wind and Waves; he quickly regained his composure, looked directly at the youth, and revealed an elegant smile.

Everyone else followed his gaze, looking at the man who was radiating brilliance.

Zhang Huaiyuan didn't expect to suddenly become the focus of the entire venue. After a slight pause, he cupped his hands and returned the gesture.

"Thank you for your favor, High Priest..."

He hesitated for a moment and swallowed the polite second half of the sentence, "I was just lucky."

After all, with this score, saying it was luck would be like rubbing salt in others' wounds.

"Speaking of which, I am the one who should be thankful."

The High Priest of the Elf Race nodded with a smile and said with some emotion:

"I have presided over many sessions of the Academic Discourse Competition, but in countless years, there have been fewer than ten people who could take over 200 points alone. As for exceeding 300 points, this is the first time I've seen it..."

Saying this, he paused slightly, and his voice grew a bit heavier:

"Student Zhang Huaiyuan, you have created a new record, one that will likely never be surpassed in the future. After today, your name will resound through All Heavens and Myriad Realms, and you will become an example for countless beings to look up to and chase."

"But I hope you can continue to concentrate on your academics. Do not waste your talent or be distracted by the outside world."

"I understand. This student has taken your teaching to heart."

Hearing this, Zhang Huaiyuan immediately nodded respectfully.

Mild, standing not far behind the High Priest, curled his lip in slight dissatisfaction.

The way he said that.

Junior Martial Brother is Kraft's disciple. With the Time Traveler Association and a group of senior brothers like them around, how could they let this highly talented Junior Martial Brother go astray?

"Forget it, I'll give this old fellow some face today."

Thinking of this history-making result, Mild couldn't help but smile.

Initially, he hadn't spoken plainly for fear of putting pressure on his Junior Martial Brother. In truth, when he temporarily inserted him into the competition team, the other vice-principals and directors of the Tower of Knowledge had quite a few complaints, thinking he was abusing his power for personal gain.

Now, when he went back, he could really slap their faces.

Of course, more importantly, the Association would have one more peerless genius and one more main force to deal with future crises.

Regardless of what others were thinking, after a few words of encouragement, the High Priest of the Elf Race finally got back on track and began to announce the rewards for this competition.

"As per tradition, the winning team of this session will receive three collective rewards. In addition, as a reward for those with outstanding performance, the top three in individual points may each choose one item from the treasures provided by my Elf Race."

"First, we will distribute the collective rewards."

The High Priest of the Elf Race waved his staff.

Stone pillars similar to those used when choosing assessment opponents rose from the ground again, but this time, three items were placed on each.

"The first collective reward is my Elf Race's VIP Crystal Card. Besides a prize of one hundred million Origin Coins, holders of this card enjoy a ten percent discount at most shops in the Origin Star Sea and can use most warp gates and teleportation wormholes within the Origin Star Sea for free."

The High Priest of the Elf Race explained calmly:

"The second reward is an invitation to observe the high-level laboratories of Leviathan Academy. With this invitation, one can study at the Leviathan High Academy for 300 years free of charge and enjoy one opportunity to observe the experimental demonstrations of high-level experts up close."

"The third reward: 10ml of the Spring of Life. I believe I don't need to explain its effects and value further."

"10ml of the Spring of Life!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the students of the Time Book House couldn't help but show joyous smiles.

"This is the legendary specialty of the Elf Race. It can instantly heal any injury, no matter how severe, and can also extend one's lifespan. It's an irreplaceable item in many research projects. Most importantly, it can expand the brain domain to a certain extent!"

Related information immediately surfaced in Zhang Huaiyuan's mind.

For him, because of his special ability, his brain domain had already been expanded multiple times; he didn't really care about the effect others valued most.

"However, since this thing is only owned by the Elf Race and its external production is extremely low, its market price is ridiculously high, and it's often unavailable even if one has the money. If I sell it, I can not only pay off my debts but also save up a lot for the materials to create a body for the Statue of Liberty."

Thinking of this, Zhang Huaiyuan subconsciously and carefully placed the exquisite porcelain bottle containing the Spring of Life into his storage device.

He hadn't forgotten his original intention for participating in the competition—to create a perfect body for his partner!

"If Senior Brother Mild didn't lie to me, the individual rewards should include the option of a World Tree branch."

Zhang Huaiyuan recalled what his second senior brother said when inviting him to the competition, and his heart warmed.

He looked eagerly at the High Priest of the Elf Race on the branch.

...