Chapter 518: The Reward for First Place

Su Che appeared calm on the surface, but he was actually quite nervous, unable to guess what kind of trick the mysterious old man might play.
“The reward for first place is…”
The mysterious old man’s tone changed. Instead of shouting, he spoke in a very low voice, “Change your gender!”
“Change my gender?”
Su Che was stunned and blurted out, “Elder, do you mean a man turning into a woman?”
“That’s right,” the mysterious old man said darkly. “I’ll turn you into a real woman!”
“How is that possible?”
Having received a definite answer, Su Che wasn’t just stunned—he was almost dumbfounded. If he turned into a woman, how could he live?
Was this the reward for first place? It was more like a punishment.
“I knew it! He’s an unreasonable old bastard, a madman!” Lao He cursed as he jumped around in the Immortal Prison.
“Elder, can I choose to refuse this reward?” Su Che asked bravely.
“You can,” the mysterious old man said with a sinister smile. “Choose death, and you can reject my reward. Either die or become a woman—it’s up to you.”
Die or become a woman!
No one dared question his words. So many powerful cultivators had already died at his hands, so killing a mere Su Che was effortless for him.
Even Xueyu Xianzi and the others were deeply worried, fearing that Su Che, being too stubborn, might refuse such a “reward” and prefer death to becoming a woman.
Su Che frowned deeply and turned to Tianyin, his anguish indescribable.
“As long as I can survive, it doesn’t matter whether I’m a man or a woman. There’s nothing wrong with being a woman.”
Tianyin certainly didn’t want her beloved man to turn into a woman either, but she didn’t want him to die either. She could only comfort him softly, “Even if you become a woman, I’ll always be by your side. And after becoming an immortal, you can use various immortal techniques to change your gender at will—so it won’t matter anymore.”
What Tianyin meant was: Endure for now. After becoming an immortal, you can find a way to turn back into a man.
Although some methods of disguise in the mortal world could change gender, those were only superficial changes—the internal organs remained unchanged. Only after becoming an immortal could one use immortal powers to change gender freely…
“But…”

Su Che was on the verge of tears but had none to shed. The thought of turning into a woman felt like the sky had collapsed upon him. Having been a man for decades, how could he possibly become a woman?
The mysterious old man seemed extremely impatient. His expression changed, and he spoke in a stricter tone, “I’m only telling you so much nonsense because you’re the first place winner. I’ll count to five. If you still refuse, I’ll take your life. Whether male or female, you won’t get another chance.”
“Five!”
He began counting. Life or death—everything would be decided soon…
“Master, please agree!” Old He also feared Su Che might refuse and hurriedly urged him, “There are as many men as women in the world. There’s nothing wrong with being a woman. Besides, you can turn back later. Just endure it—treat it as a mental test and an experience in life.”
“Better to live than die,” Su Che sighed inwardly. “I can’t give up my life over such a trivial matter…”
The master and servant exchanged thoughts at lightning speed. At that moment, the mysterious old man had just reached three.
“Two!”
Just as Su Che was about to reluctantly agree, unexpectedly…
“Hahaha…”
The mysterious old man stopped counting and burst into wild laughter. He said, “Your worried expression is truly amusing. This is the funniest thing I’ve seen today! Hahaha…”
At his laughter, Su Che felt relieved. Could it be he was just joking, teasing on purpose?
“That’s right!”
The mysterious old man seemed to read Su Che’s thoughts and replied, “I was just joking with you. The real reward isn’t this.”
Sigh…
Su Che let out a long sigh. His left hand, tightly holding Tian Yin, was drenched in sweat.
The old man’s laughter continued for a long time, showing he was quite pleased. Finally, after stopping laughing, he said, “The rewards for the top ten are all the same. I’ll send you all into my ‘Time Wheel’ to grant you each a different period of time…”
“For first place, one year passes in the outside world, but a hundred years pass inside the Time Wheel.”
“For second place, one year outside, but ninety years inside.”
“Third place gets eighty years, fourth place seventy, fifth place sixty… and tenth place ten years!”
The mysterious old man had no patience to explain in detail. He just gave a brief summary, but Su Che and the others understood immediately, filled with amazement and shock.
The Great Time Art!

The Time Wheel he mentioned must be the second-ranked great art among the Three Thousand Great Paths—the “Great Time Art.” It involves mastering the laws of time in the universe, allowing one to alter the pace of time to a certain extent. While only a year has passed in the outside world, a hundred years have elapsed within the Time Wheel. What does this mean for Su Che? If he uses all this time for cultivation, it means he has spent a whole hundred years in cultivation in just one year outside! “Great!” Old Hei was extremely excited in the Immortal Prison and shouted, “Master, what you need most right now is time. If you can cultivate for a hundred years inside that Time Wheel while only a year passes outside, it’s the best reward imaginable for you!” “Exactly!” Su Che was also overjoyed, thinking to himself, “A year has passed outside, but a hundred years have passed inside the Time Wheel. That means I have ninety-nine extra years of cultivation time compared to others… The Great Time Art, the second-ranked great art among the Three Thousand Great Paths…” Compared to Su Che, figures like Princess Xueyu weren’t very pleased; they were more shocked. This mysterious old man was even more terrifying than they had thought, capable of mastering the second-ranked great art. Who exactly was he? As for the maximum reward of fifty years, it was utterly useless to Princess Xueyu and others who had cultivated for over ten thousand years and were on the verge of ascending to the immortal realm. As mortals, they had already reached the pinnacle of their cultivation; no further progress was possible. Only by ascending to the immortal realm and becoming immortals, entering a new level of existence, could they embark on a new path of cultivation. As immortals with extremely long lifespans, they didn’t care about just a few decades. In other words, they received no reward at all. On the contrary, for Su Che and Tianyin, a hundred years and ninety years of cultivation time respectively were incredibly important. After all, since he started his cultivation journey, Su Che had only practiced for over forty years. With these hundred years of cultivation time, he might very well advance to the later stage of the Transformation God phase. Advancing to this stage in just one year outside would greatly narrow the gap between him and his opponents… This reward filled Su Che with ecstasy and anticipation!