There was nothing on their right arm.
"Tsk, you lot. Look at your left arm."
The third elder shook his head and clicked his tongue before telling them about the arm they were supposed to see.
"Ah."
Wei Bin, the youngest of the group called out as he was the first to check the lower side of his left arm.
There was a red S on his left arm. The others also looked at their arms and saw a red S on their arm.
The symbol S on their arm wasn't too big. They were just 3 inches long and 2 inches wide.
'Hmm. They look like tattoos.'
Zhao Luo looked at the red S on their arms and wondered.
Then he turned his arm around and gazed at his arm.
"A crimson S."
Zhao Luo said as the symbol on his arm was 5 inches long and 3 inches wide. It looked like someone had used their calligraphy skills on Zhao Luo's arm with their brush that had crimson ink on it.
"Are these S for sunflower?"
Wu Yang came forward as he held his left arm with his right hand and questioned the third elder. This wasn't only Wu Yang's guess but others had the same thought too.
Except for Zhao Luo.
'No way.'
Zhao Luo knew that this symbol meant something else.
The sunflowers were just something that the elder had used to pass on the mark to them.
Zhao Luo looked at the elder.
'Giving us the sunflower, telling us to absorb it, and merge with it, just for this symbol to appear on our arms....everything is a facade.'
Zhao Luo mumbled as his sight hovered over the third elder.
Zhao Luo was right as the elder was indeed taking the longer route for some reason. If he wanted he could have just given them this 'mark' with a wave of his hand but he decided to take the longer route.
The third elder, Bao Fei was famous by another name.
Except for being the third elder, he was also known as the Drama freak.
He loved to do things that didn't make sense but were more fun to follow along.
That was who the third elder was. The skill of acting was in his nature while improvising the things around him.
"The Son your arms is a symbol that proves something. It's a mark that is carried by only Superior humans. Thus, this is your reward."
The third elder had a lot to say about the mark on the arm of Zhao Luo and the others.
"The mark on your arm is like storage. The red S allows you to store 30% more internal energy than a cultivator that is at the same cultivation stage as you. I know that you all are only trainees." The elder stopped as he glanced between Mite and Wu Yang and thought (well almost all), "but when you start cultivating internal energy, you will understand the true importance of this S mark."
Wu Yang and the others nodded as they listened to the third elder's words.
"While the crimson Smark can store up to 70% more of your internal energy."
The third elder was directly looking at Zhao Luo.
Zhao Luo gazed at the crimson Son his arm and felt glad.
'I can't wait to start learning about internal energy.'
Zhao Luo was excited. He already a technique and a sword style that he could learn only when he would be able to use internal energy.
Now, this crimson energy dam in his arm was like a battery just that he had to charge it.
"This is the secondary reward. The main reward was already handed over to everyone when they had entered this world."
The elder suddenly started talking again.
Zhao Luo, Wu Yang, and the others looked at him while having the same questions rising in their minds.
'What? When did we get the reward in the start?'
"The Sect Leader and all the elders of the sect believe that the teachings of senior Fu Zi are nothing less than a reward. But many disciples just aim to finish the road and normally forget about the teachings of the senior's ego. Don't be like the others and remember the three teachings as they are the main rewards of this Dragon Road."
The third elder told them. It was more like the advice of a master to his students.
The one who believed the most in the third elder's words was Zhao Luo as he knew the truth behind the teachings and the "senior's ego" that Bao Fei was talking about.
"Those who were competent enough to reach the end of the Dragon Road have reached it. The challenge has ended thus everyone will be returning to the training area."
The third elder announced to them. It was like a farewell speech by the third elder.
"Till we meet again."
The third elder said with a boring look.
The next moment his eyes had a shine in them.
The nine disciples in front of him were bowing with their hands clasped in front of them as Zhao Luo took the lead to start this action that showed their gratitude.
The elder smiled and brought his hand up with his middle finger and thumb connected. The next moment, without giving anyone a chance to realize what was going to happen, he snapped his finger.
'Click.'
Zhao Luo heard the elder snapping as he looked up to see the third elder's face.
'Whooom.'
But before he could look at him, Zhao Luo was already back in the training area.
Wu Yang, Mite, Feng Mei, Yan, Wei Bin, Su Shi, Mo Lee, and Hong Ling, had also arrived in the training area.
Zhao Luo looked around the ring and found out that everyone had returned. The ones who had failed were also here while the injured ones he had seen in the forest had also arrived along with them.
'Their injuries are gone.'
Zhao Luo comprehended as he glanced over the hundreds of disciples around him.
As the elder had said, everything was an illusion.
Zhao Luo looked at the lower side of his left arm and checked if the Smark was still there.
"Phew, it's still here." Zhao Luo said with a sigh of relief.
"Did you clear it?"
"No, what about you?"
"Same. I had to quit in the first three hours."
"What? I was out of the Dragon Road in the second hour. Some bastard had shoved me off of it."
Disciples started asking each other about their achievements in the Dragon Road.
Not one among these thousands of trainees claimed to have reached the end.
'Boom, Boom."
A group of around 200 disciples was approaching Zhao Luo.
The one leading these disciples was the same guy who had incited these disciples in the Final Zone of the dragon zone.
Wu Yang and Mite moved ahead and stood in front of Zhao Luo.
If they had any nasty thoughts like attacking Zhao Luo, they were ready to respond.
'Tap.'
"Hey, it's okay."
Zhao Luo said to Wu Yang and Mite as he patted their shoulder.
"Brother Zhao Luo, we all are here for one thing and that is."
The disciple said to Zhao Luo as the others behind him nodded.
"Please punish us for being greedy. Forgive us for our mistakes."
'Clap.'
All the disciples clasped their hands and looked down while waiting for Zhao Luo to pass his judgment.
Zhao Luo took out Ifrit and Blackey from his storage space as he walked towards the disciple who was acting as the leader.
This disciple had his face down but he could feel the heat and light from Ifrit and the coldness coming from blackey which was enshrouded in the darkness of the blade.
The disciple couldn't help it as he started trembling with sweat running down his throat.
"I was quite hurt when you had started the division just for a reward. But you all for what you deserved already."
Zhao Lup remembered the images of these disciples lying in the forest especially the guy in front of Zhao Luo who was running around the whole forest like a mouse.
Zhao Luo had already stored his swords back in the storage space as he looked at them with a single glance.
"I have already forgiven you all. Your choices were already a punishment so there is no need for me to punish you myself."
Zhao Luo announced in a loud voice which caused a smile to appear on their faces.
Zhao Luo had already received the leather pouch which was the reward of the final zone so he didn't want to behave like a petty person and remember this grudge forever.
As for the swords that he had pulled out.
"It's fun to scare them."
Zhao Luo had found a new hobby.
"Brother Zhao Luo, the embracing one. We all thank you."
Hundreds of disciples bowed to Zhao Luo which caused the focus of the thousands of disciples in the training area to be shifted on him.
Just like that, the legend of a generous hero embracing the ones who had betrayed him will forever echo in the Trainee hall.
