“Look over there!”
“What is this?”
“I can’t believe it!”
A pile of spiritual herbs had suddenly appeared on the ground, causing several sharp-eyed individuals to exclaim in surprise!
These exclamations immediately drew the attention of others, including Ancestor Li and Fuyunzi.
However, when the two clearly saw the spiritual herbs at Han Li’s feet, the Taoist’s beaming expression immediately froze, while Ancestor Li, after a moment of stunned silence, burst into a mix of shock and delight with a hearty “Haha” laugh. This unexpected windfall had him overjoyed.
When Ancestor Li realized he had lost his composure, he stopped laughing and began scrutinizing Han Li with a smiling gaze, finding him more and more pleasing to the eye. Meanwhile, the Taoist’s face turned ashen, still unable to believe he had lost just like that, and his gaze toward Han Li was naturally filled with hostility.
“Brother Daoist, what is the meaning of this? Are you planning to bully a junior?” Ancestor Li, noticing Fuyunzi’s expression, snorted coldly. He swiftly stepped in front of Han Li and spoke with a stern face.
Now that Han Li had just rendered him a great service, he naturally couldn’t allow this junior to be intimidated by Fuyunzi in front of so many people. Otherwise, his face would be completely lost.
Upon hearing Ancestor Li’s words, the Taoist realized that it was highly inappropriate for someone of his status to glare at a Qi Condensation disciple, as it could be mistaken for seeking personal revenge against a junior. He hurriedly averted his gaze and forced a smile toward Ancestor Li. “Benefactor Li, you misunderstand. This humble Taoist merely finds it incredible that this young benefactor, with his level of cultivation, could gather so many spiritual herbs. I was just taking a closer look!”
The Taoist tried his best to appear nonchalant, but the thought of the Bloodline Flood Dragon inner core made his heart bleed incessantly, and his expression simply couldn’t return to normal.
Ancestor Li let out a cold “Hehe” laugh but didn’t press further. After all, he had just won the bet decisively and didn’t wish to provoke the other party with words.
However, he too was puzzled about how Han Li had managed to obtain so many spiritual herbs. But with so many people from other sects present, Ancestor Li was unwilling to question Han Li directly and chose to ignore the matter for the time being. Moreover, his heart was burning with anticipation. If he could just defeat the Masked Moon Sect, this trip to the forbidden land would truly be a massive windfall. Naturally, he couldn’t be bothered with trivial matters like this. As long as Han Li helped him win the bet, he didn’t care how the herbs were obtained—whether through theft, trickery, or deception.
Seeing Ancestor Li’s expression, the Taoist understood his thoughts perfectly. Fuming and heartbroken, he could only step aside as the loser and watch to see whether Ancestor Li or the old freak Qiong would emerge victorious.
But the old freak Qiong’s expression wasn’t much better than the Taoist’s. The spiritual herbs submitted by the first few Masked Moon Sect disciples were all mediocre, leaving him unable to even crack a smile.
Just as Ancestor Li was feeling triumphant, the situation took an unexpected turn. The spiritual herbs submitted by the later Masked Moon Sect disciples suddenly numbered over ten each. In one fell swoop, they surpassed the combined total of the Clear Void Sect and the Yellow Maple Valley by five or six plants, ultimately winning the final bet.
This blow left Ancestor Li completely stunned, while the old freak Qiong let out a long sigh of relief and began cackling strangely.
“Hand it over, hand it over! Give me that Bloodline Flood Dragon inner core! I happen to want to refine a batch of excellent medicine. This inner core will make a perfect catalyst!” The old freak Qiong unceremoniously demanded the bet reward from Fuyunzi on the spot.
Upon hearing this, Taoist Fuyunzi forced a smile, opened his mouth as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Seeing this, the old freak Qiong glared, displeased.
“What? Does the renowned Fuyunzi of the Clear Void Sect plan to renege on his debt?”
“Renege? Would I dare renege on a debt to you, old freak Qiong?”
Fuyunzi wasn’t actually planning to go back on his word and withhold the inner core; it was just that the pain of parting with such a precious item made him instinctively reluctant.
But now, with the old freak Qiong’s words, his face flushed and paled alternately. He stomped his foot fiercely and tossed a white, spherical object to the other party, then turned away, his face a mask of agony. That spherical object was indeed the Bloodline Flood Dragon inner core.
The old freak Qiong caught the inner core with one hand, examined it carefully, and then broke into a wide grin. However, he still muttered under his breath, “Seems like the quality isn’t great. The spiritual energy is rather lacking. Guess I’ll just have to make do with it.”
Hearing this, the Taoist on the opposite side turned crimson, nearly vomiting blood from anger. He quickly moved far away from the spot to avoid further frustration that might shatter his Daoist heart entirely!
“Fellow Daoist Li, you…”
“I, Li, will have two pieces of refined iron delivered within twenty years!” Ancestor Li didn’t wait for the old freak Qiong to finish his sentence and proactively made the promise.
“Hehe! Fellow Daoist Li is as straightforward as ever. In that case, I have nothing more to say!” The old freak Qiong nodded in satisfaction, then swayed his head and returned to the Masked Moon Sect side.
The twists and turns of this bet left the onlookers from various sects marveling. In the end, they secretly took pleasure in Ancestor Li and Fuyunzi’s misfortune—trying to gain an advantage only to end up worse off. Who told them to gamble with that old freak!
Regardless, the trip to the forbidden land had come to an end.
The leaders of each sect collected the spiritual herbs from their disciples, had them inspected by scent-sniffing spiritual beasts, and then bid farewell, leading their teams away one after another.
The Masked Moon Sect was the first to leave. As they exchanged farewells with members of other sects and boarded the Divine Moon Boat, Han Li couldn’t help but glance toward Nangong Wan among them. However, from the moment she boarded the boat until its departure, she never once looked in his direction, leaving Han Li with a sour feeling in his heart.
But Han Li was a strong-willed person. It didn’t take long for him to return to normal and continue watching the other sects depart.
When Han Yunzhi left with the Spirit Beast Mountain group, she glanced at Han Li and offered a friendly smile, which warmed his heart a little.
As half-hosts, Yellow Maple Valley was naturally the last to leave. So after the other seven sects had departed, only the Yellow Maple Valley group remained alone outside the forbidden land.
But Ancestor Li didn’t lead the team away immediately. Instead, he stood silently, gazing toward the direction of the forbidden land. However, everyone knew that this Ancestor had just lost a bet and was certainly in a foul mood. No one dared to be so tactless as to urge him, so they could only wait behind him.
Half a day later, Ancestor Li’s mood seemed to improve slightly. Though he still hadn’t turned around, he finally spoke, and his first words were directed at Han Li.
“What is the name of the disciple who submitted the most spiritual herbs, and how many years has he been in the valley?”
Upon hearing this, the others couldn’t help but show envy. Having their name known by this Ancestor would surely bring great benefits in the future. Han Li, slightly startled, didn’t dare hesitate and immediately replied respectfully, “Disciple Han Li, I have been in the valley for nearly three years!”
“Han Li?” Ancestor Li slowly repeated the name, as if pondering something. He didn’t respond immediately, causing the others behind him to exchange puzzled glances, unsure what their Ancestor meant. But Ancestor Li’s next words made Han Li’s heart tighten, putting him on high alert.
“Han Li, tell me about the process of obtaining these herbs. I’d like to hear it,” Ancestor Li asked casually.
Though inwardly wary, Han Li had long been prepared for others to question him about this matter. Remaining calm, he replied with composure, “Yes, Ancestor!”
This was purely a matter of luck! Although I entered the Circular Mountain that day, I am ashamed to say I had no harvest for a long time. However, on the afternoon of the fourth day, in a very remote valley, I discovered two people fighting over several Jade Marrow Mushrooms. One was a barefoot disciple from the Great Sword Sect, carrying a silver sword, and the other was a scar-faced disciple from the Sky Fortress. I secretly hid…
And so, Han Li vividly recounted a story of two rivals fighting while a third benefits, exaggerating his own incredible luck as much as possible. When disciples like the Chen siblings heard this, they were filled with jealousy and envy.
After listening to Han Li’s account, Ancestor Li nodded secretly, feeling that this explanation made sense. Otherwise, how could a disciple with such low cultivation have gathered so many spiritual herbs? It seemed the other party was truly blessed by fortune, a complete coincidence.
Satisfied that he had understood the matter, Ancestor Li didn’t want to bother questioning further. But after pondering for a moment, he suddenly spoke to Han Li with a serious expression. “Han Li, you have rendered a great service to our sect this time! Although I did not win the bet, I still intend to reward you heavily. I plan to take you under my wing as a nominal disciple. Are you willing?”
Upon hearing this, Han Li was stunned, momentarily at a loss for how to respond!
The other Yellow Maple Valley disciples were first greatly shocked, then stared intently at Han Li with expressions of disbelief!
This was unbelievable! Had they heard correctly? This Ancestor was actually taking such a casual approach to accepting this person as a disciple? This individual’s cultivation and aptitude were utterly ordinary, showing no outstanding qualities that could possibly catch the Ancestor’s eye.
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