A new section appeared next to Talismans, named 'Magical Artifacts'.
"Magical Artifacts!" Certain he wasn't mistaken, Zhao Yuan instantly grew excited.
'Magical Artifacts! In myths and fantasy novels, they're incredibly powerful pieces of equipment! Sun Wukong's Golden Cudgel and Taishang Laojun's Vajra Circle are both world-famous Magical Artifacts! Of course, those artifacts are of a very high level, already considered Divine or Immortal Artifacts. Zhao Yuan didn't have such extravagant hopes; he would be happy just to craft a few treasures he could use for self-defense and defeating his foes.'
Zhao Yuan quickly looked at the section below Magical Artifacts.
"Storage Ring."
Zhao Yuan read out the name of the treasure listed under the Magical Artifacts section, as well as its function.
"Shaped like a ring, it can store countless items. Its internal space has a length, width, and height of three meters each..."
"So it's a spatial Magical Treasure," Zhao Yuan muttered.
'Even though it wasn't an offensive or defensive Magical Artifact, which disappointed him a little, a spatial Magical Treasure was still incredibly useful. I can put a lot of valuable things in there without worrying about losing them. On top of that, I can also store items I use often, so I won't be caught without them when I need them urgently and mess things up.'
Zhao Yuan nodded in satisfaction and glanced at the other sections, but unfortunately, there was nothing else new. Even so, he was still very content.
'This haul is truly bountiful! Besides my Cultivation, I also got a new Cultivation Technique, Elixirs, Talismans, and Magical Artifacts. This is way better than any reward I've ever gotten from Wish Power before!'
Overjoyed, Zhao Yuan finished inspecting his rewards and opened his eyes.
Seeing him open his eyes, Yu Ke, Chairman Cui, He Chengwei, and the others immediately asked with concern, "Zhao Yuan, how are you feeling? Are you feeling any better?"
"Thank you for your concern. I feel much better," Zhao Yuan replied with a smile.
"That's good, that's good." Chairman Cui finally let out a sigh of relief.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Zhao Yuan stood up to leave.
'The show was over, he'd already dealt with Kobayashi Haruo, and there was no reason to stick around just to be gawked at by everyone. It made Zhao Yuan feel incredibly awkward, like he was a panda in a zoo exhibit...'
However, before he left, there was one more thing to take care of.
Zhao Yuan looked at the few reporters who hadn't left yet and asked, "You recorded everything that happened today, from start to finish, right?"
"Yes," the reporters nodded in unison.
"Very good." Zhao Yuan nodded. "In a moment, give a copy of what you recorded to the Jing City Acupuncture Association. Also, when you broadcast the news, you can edit the video, but remember this: you must stick to the truth. Don't make arbitrary changes, and you absolutely cannot twist the facts! If anyone dares to try anything funny, just look at what happened to Kobayashi Haruo!"
This was, without a doubt, a threat.
For reporters, who hold the title of 'uncrowned kings,' being threatened was nothing new. In the past, they wouldn't have paid such threats much mind, but this time, faced with Zhao Yuan's warning, a shiver ran through them all simultaneously.
With just a few words from Zhao Yuan, Kobayashi Haruo had obediently donated his entire life savings. None of the reporters present wanted their own hard-earned savings, accumulated over years or even decades of work, to vanish so inexplicably. Besides, Zhao Yuan's request wasn't unreasonable; he was only asking them to report the facts.
And so, the Chinese reporters at the scene scrambled to assure him:
"Don't worry, we'll definitely report the truth!"
"Reporting the truth is a reporter's sacred duty. Please, rest assured, Zhao. We will absolutely not twist the facts!"
"That's right, that's right! We would never fabricate anything."
As for the handful of reporters from East Japan, a part of them wanted to help Kobayashi Haruo. After all, they had followed him all the way from East Japan to China and had received plenty of perks and favors from him along the way.
But in the face of Zhao Yuan's threat, they got scared. They chickened out.
They had no desire to offend Zhao Yuan for Kobayashi Haruo's sake. Even though the kid wasn't even twenty years old, in their eyes, he was already synonymous with being mysterious and unfathomable. He was the kind of person one absolutely could not afford to offend.
After weighing their options, the reporters from East Japan decisively abandoned Kobayashi Haruo. Thumping their chests, they all spoke up in broken Chinese, "Zhao Sang, rest assured! To be honest, we've long found Kobayashi Haruo to be an eyesore. For him to cheat in the competition is a disgrace to the Yamato Race! When we get back home, we will absolutely report the truth and expose Kobayashi Haruo's despicable, shameless mask, so that he may be scorned by the public!"
As they made their pledges, the reporters scrambled to pull the memory cards from their cameras and camcorders, handing them over to the people from the Jing City Acupuncture Association to be copied. Their attitudes were a picture of cooperation, terrified that the slightest hesitation would result in them being "taught a lesson" by Zhao Yuan.
Zhao Yuan was very satisfied with the reporters' cooperation. After bidding farewell to Chairman Cui, He Chengwei, and the others, he and Yu Ke left the Jing City Acupuncture Association, seen off by the crowd, and drove back to West Hua Medical University.
On the way, as Yu Ke drove, she kept stealing glances at Zhao Yuan out of the corner of her eye.
Zhao Yuan started to feel a bit embarrassed under her gaze and said with a wry smile, "Teacher Yu, what are you staring at? Do I have something on my face?"
Yu Ke didn't answer his question. Instead, it was as if the floodgates had opened; a barrage of questions burst out of her in rapid succession.
"How do you know the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique? You clearly didn't know it before. And how is your Finger Power so strong? How did you train it?"
"And why did Kobayashi Haruo just obediently listen to you and donate all his money to Project Hope? The change in his attitude was so strange, completely inconsistent. Did you really use some kind of powerful Hypnosis Technique on him, like they were guessing? I've seen plenty of hypnosis before—our university even has masters who specialize in it—but their Hypnosis Technique has never had an effect like that!"
"Teacher Yu, you've got a million questions, don't you?" Zhao Yuan was left speechless and amused by her barrage of inquiries.
He shook his head and answered them one by one. "I really didn't know the Spiritual Snake Nine Probing Needle Technique before. I learned the basics by watching Dr. He perform it and then figured out the other five probes on my own. To be honest, I have no idea how my five probes compare to the real thing, but it was enough to fool Kobayashi Haruo. As for my strong Finger Power, that comes from doing a lot of farm work, chopping firewood, and hunting since I was little. And why did Kobayashi Haruo listen to me? I was surprised too. I guess he just had a sudden crisis of conscience. As for things like the Hypnosis Technique, I'd love to learn, but I don't have a teacher."
Yu Ke was not satisfied with Zhao Yuan's answers. Her sharp, womanly sixth sense told her that he was definitely hiding something. But since Zhao Yuan wouldn't talk, she couldn't exactly force him to confess, could she?
And so, her curiosity about Zhao Yuan grew even more intense.
What Yu Ke clearly didn't realize was that, more often than not, feelings of affection and love begin with simple curiosity...