Chapter 18: The Runic Stone

Led by Fan Honghong, Fanxing skirted around several towers until they reached a white building.

Fan Honghong pointed to the open doorway and said, "This is where we collect our rewards."

Fanxing nodded. "Let's go in."

Just as they reached the entrance, they saw Luo Wen and Zhou Wu walking out. As they brushed past each other, Luo Wen gave Fanxing a slight nod. Fanxing was taken aback, and just as she was about to return the greeting, the two had already passed.

Watching Luo Wen’s retreating figure, Fan Honghong sighed, "He’s so handsome! And very polite, too."

"Let’s go, stop daydreaming," Fanxing said, walking into the room first. Fan Honghong followed with a giggle.

Inside, they saw the room filled with shelves packed with various items. In a corner stood a tall counter, behind which a man in an apron was organizing the shelves. He was the custodian in charge of the warehouse, which held all the rewards for climbing the tower.

Noticing them, the man looked up and asked, "Here to collect your rewards?"

Fan Honghong answered first, "Yes, sir!"

The custodian inquired, "Are you Yu Fanxing?"

Fan Honghong’s eyes widened. "Sir, how did you know?"

The custodian laughed. "Didn’t you all scan your Spirit-Pattern Bracelets at the entrance when you finished the climb?"

Fanxing and Fan Honghong nodded in unison.

"The tower’s scoring system recorded your identities and results the moment you finished and transmitted them to me," the custodian explained. "So, I know your performance inside out."

"So that’s how it works," they realized.

Fan Honghong asked excitedly, "Sir, what rewards will our Xing get? She climbed all the way to the 15th floor!"

"The rewards are tiered every five floors," the custodian replied. "So, student Yu Fanxing is eligible for three tiers of rewards."

Fan Honghong looked crestfallen. "That’s such a pity; I didn't even make it past the fifth floor."

The custodian was amused. "It is quite rare for someone to reach the 15th floor on their first try like Yu Fanxing, but it is also rare to only reach the 3rd floor like you. Most students manage to pass the 5th floor and receive the first tier of rewards." He flipped through his records. "You are Fan Honghong, right?"

"Yes," Fan Honghong replied, head drooping.

"You’ll have to work harder," the custodian said with a smile.

"Yes!" Fan Honghong bowed her head even lower.

The custodian then brought out ten black bags and said to Fanxing, "These are the first-tier rewards: ten bags of spirit-beast feed. Your spirit beast is a Black Spirit Cat, right? These are formulated for Dark-attribute spirit beasts."

Fanxing paused, then asked, "Sir, would it be possible to exchange five of these for Yin-attribute feed?"

The custodian was slightly surprised. "It’s doable, but are you sure?"

Fanxing nodded. "Yes, I am."

Most spirit-masters didn't prioritize their flying mounts, viewing them merely as transportation—tools that lacked strong offensive or support capabilities, and often weren't even bound by contract. But Fanxing’s situation was unique; Princess’s potential was no less than Ye Dou’s, and she wanted to nurture her properly.

"Fine then," the custodian said, swapping five bags for ones with purple packaging.

After storing the ten bags in her bracelet, the custodian produced a small pouch. Inside were ten rhomboid crystals, each about the size of a mahjong tile. They were crystal clear, shimmering like the purest gemstones under the light.

Fan Honghong’s eyes went wide. "Spirit Energy Gems!!!"

The custodian chuckled. "You have a sharp eye, young lady."

"I’ve seen them at my parents' place," she replied happily.

Fanxing asked curiously, "Spirit Energy Gems? What are they used for?"

"They have many uses," the custodian explained. "First, they aid in cultivation. Both spirit-masters and spirit beasts can use them to absorb energy directly. They are also useful in battle as a way to replenish spirit energy."

Fanxing realized why she had felt such a strong hunger when she saw them. Eating these was similar to eating spirit beasts, though eating the beasts themselves provided more abundant energy.

The custodian continued, "Secondly, these gems are the universal currency among spirit-masters. Many precious items can only be traded for them."

Fanxing nodded in understanding. The custodian winked at her. "By the way, if you’re short on cash in the Surface World, you can exchange them at the headquarters lobby. One gem is worth 100,000 credits."

Fan Honghong exclaimed, "Wow, I’ve never heard of that!"

If Fanxing had ten gems, that meant she was worth a million? She had struck it rich overnight!

"Of course," the custodian laughed, "but it’s a bad deal to trade them for cash, so almost no one does it."

Fan Honghong nodded in agreement. "True, cultivation resources are far more precious than wealth in the Surface World."

"Furthermore," the custodian emphasized, "these gems are essential for spirit beasts to awaken their innate traits once they reach B-rank."

Generally, a spirit beast needed to reach B-rank to use a Spirit Energy Gem to awaken a trait, though there were exceptions, such as the Evil God Taisui, which was born with its trait awakened.

"Anyway, keep them safe," the custodian said, handing her the pouch. Fanxing nodded and stored the gems in her bracelet.

"One final reward." The custodian brought out a row of palm-sized boxes. Inside were stones of various shapes and colors—round, square, oval, irregular—in red, green, blue, yellow. Each was carved with intricate patterns: six-pointed stars, ancient scripts, leaves, flowers—a strange assortment.

"These are Spirit-Pattern Stones," the custodian introduced. "When a spirit beast consumes one, it learns the skill contained within."

"These are Spirit-Pattern Stones?" Fan Honghong gasped. They had just learned about them in class that morning.

They were items with an incredibly low drop rate upon a spirit beast’s death. Even an S-rank beast had less than a 20% chance of dropping one, and for F or E-rank beasts, the chance was near zero.

There were only three ways for a spirit beast to learn a skill: leveling up, evolution, or using a Spirit-Pattern Stone.

"Is the school being generous, giving these away as rewards?" Fan Honghong stammered.

The custodian laughed. "You are newcomers, the future of the nation. Generous rewards help you progress more smoothly. This is your only chance to get one while at school; later, you’ll have to earn them through merit or exchange Spirit Energy Gems. Each of these stones you see here costs 10,000 Spirit Energy Gems."

"1... 10,000?" Fan Honghong’s jaw dropped. Even with her parents' high salaries in the Alliance, it would take them years to earn that many.

"That's terrifying," she said, clutching her chest.

"You could always kill spirit beasts to get them yourselves," the custodian suggested.

"With such a low drop rate? We’d have to kill thousands!" Fan Honghong complained. "Besides, as newcomers, we aren't allowed on the battlefield. The beasts in the city districts are residents of the Alliance—hurting them is a crime."

Fanxing looked at the stones. "Are these all for me?"

"Don't be silly," the custodian replied. "You get to pick one."

Fanxing thought for a while. She wanted an offensive skill for Ye Dou. Ye Dou only had the evasion skill 'Evil Mist'; while powerful, it lacked offensive capability, making some battles difficult.

"Sir, can I see the Dark-attribute skills?"

The custodian nodded. "There are only three." He cleared the others away, leaving three black stones.

He pointed to one shaped like a tooth. "This is 'Vicious Bite'. It deals damage and causes a 'Laceration' effect, making wounds difficult to heal and weakening recovery skills."

Fanxing’s eyes lit up. "This is good."

"However," the custodian added, "it’s best suited for beasts with sharp teeth or beaks."

Ye Dou’s teeth were sharp, but he couldn't open his mouth wide enough. This skill was better for crocodile or tiger-type beasts.

The custodian pointed to an oval stone. "This is 'Wave of Malice'. It’s a debuff skill; once hit, the opponent’s attack power is significantly reduced." It was versatile, but Fanxing wanted offense. She shook her head.

Finally, the custodian pointed to a long, thin stone with a tail-like pattern. "This is 'Tail Strike'. It uses a tail coated in dark power to attack, ignoring most shield skills. It requires a flexible tail."

Fanxing’s eyes brightened. Ye Dou had two very flexible tails!

"Sir, I’ll take this one."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The custodian handed her the box. Fanxing received it solemnly and stored it away. It was a fortune in her hand.

"Rewards are done. You may leave."

As they walked back to the classroom, Fan Honghong sighed with envy. "So lucky... gems and a stone! The rewards are amazing."

"You should work harder, then," Fanxing suggested.

"Me?" Fan Honghong scoffed. "I’m a scrub who couldn't even pass the 3rd floor. If I can pass the 5th before training ends and get a few bags of feed, I’ll be grateful." She quickly changed the subject. "Forget that. Xing, what do you think the reward for the 20th floor will be? The tower has 50!"

Fanxing shook her head. "How would I know?"

"You must try hard! Reach the 20th, then 25th, 30th... you'll be rich!" Fan Honghong laughed.

"It’s not that easy," Fanxing replied. "I heard the record for a newcomer before training ends is only 30 floors."

"I believe in you, Xing! You can break it!"

"Don't brag for me," Fanxing said. "If I fail, I'll be a laughingstock."

Fan Honghong covered her mouth. "Right, right. Low profile! Low profile!"

When they returned to the classroom, the class had already started, but since everyone had been at the tower, the teacher didn't blame them and simply led the class to the training grounds.