A Mortal's Supporting Character's Different Kind of Cultivation

At the invitation of Old Monster Qiong, Daoist Fuyunzi of Qingxu Sect and Master Li of Huangfeng Valley, despite their displeasure, had no choice but to reluctantly gather together. They then ordered the disciples from the three sects who had come out of the forbidden area to reveal their respective gains, so as to determine the winner of the bet.

Only four Taoists from the Qingxu Sect emerged from the forbidden area this time. The first one to emerge, a middle-aged Taoist, produced eleven or twelve spiritual herbs with a single move, causing everyone present to slightly change their expressions. The other three Taoists, though not as extravagant, each harvested six or seven herbs, which was significantly more than usual. This sight made both Grandmaster Li and Old Monster Qiong's expressions become more solemn.

Upon hearing this, the experts from the other four sects naturally came forward to watch. Seeing that the Qingxu Sect disciple had made such a gain, they were all secretly amazed and kept whispering among themselves.

In contrast, the disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect had only moderate gains, with several of them handing over less than five spiritual herbs each. Seeing this, Fu Yunzi secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and his expression softened considerably.

The two from Huangfeng Valley also had rather ordinary harvests, less than five herbs each. Only Chen Qiaotian's harvest was truly remarkable—he handed over nearly twenty spiritual herbs. The total harvest of the group was almost equal to that of the Taoists in front of Qingxu Sect. The gloom on Master Li's face immediately dissipated, and his expression improved considerably.

Standing in the crowd, Lu Yunfeng was also somewhat surprised. Chen Qiaotian's strength was indeed remarkable; his harvest was comparable to that of the middle-aged Taoist from the Qingxu Sect, both possessing nearly twenty spiritual herbs. He secretly recalled that Chen Qiaotian had previously participated in the Ascension Ceremony and obtained a Foundation Establishment Pill, but failed to reach the Foundation Establishment stage after consuming it. That's why he entered the forbidden area, hoping to obtain spiritual herbs through combat and exchange them for another Foundation Establishment Pill. However, Chen Qiaotian's luck was ultimately bad; even with a new Foundation Establishment Pill, he still couldn't break through the bottleneck and eventually returned to the Chen family disheartened, taking over the family business.

Just as Master Li was furious when he saw the last white-haired elder of Qingxu Sect take out seven spiritual herbs, and the total harvest had already surpassed that of Huangfeng Valley, Han Li, whom he had never thought highly of, suddenly took out more than twenty spiritual herbs of various colors, instantly stunning everyone present.

Lu Yunfeng sighed inwardly, thinking that if he hadn't been wary of the soon-to-advance Ink Dragon and unwilling to be surrounded by Han Li and the disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect, the Ink Dragon and these spiritual herbs would have been his. But then he thought, fortune and misfortune are intertwined. If he hadn't decisively given up the Ink Dragon and the spiritual herbs back then, how could he have obtained treasures like the Thunder Bamboo? In the end, one should not be too greedy.

Han Li's move completely stunned Master Li and Fuyunzi. Master Li immediately burst into laughter, his brows full of smugness; Fuyunzi, however, turned ashen-faced, his heart aching at the thought of handing over the Blood Thread Flood Dragon Pill. His composure vanished, replaced by undisguised heartache.

Just when Grandmaster Li thought the situation was settled and was secretly pleased with himself, the later disciples of the Hidden Moon Sect successively submitted more than ten spiritual herbs each. This meant that the Hidden Moon Sect's total harvest suddenly exceeded the combined total of the Pure Void Sect and Yellow Maple Valley by five or six herbs. Grandmaster Li was instantly stunned; one second he was in heaven, the next he was plunged into hell—the emotional rollercoaster was unimaginable.

Seeing this, Old Monster Qiong breathed a sigh of relief, then burst into laughter, and said to Master Li in a mocking tone, "Fellow Daoist Li, do you still need to bring out the spiritual medicine for your last disciple? I think it's unnecessary—I have clearly won this bet!" After saying that, he began to dance around without any semblance of a superior, looking as if victory was in his grasp.

Grandmaster Li's face was ashen, his strength seemingly drained, like a deflated balloon, just as he was about to accept defeat. At that moment, a cheerful voice broke the silence: "Wait! Grandmaster Li, Senior Fuyunzi, Senior Qiong, this disciple hasn't even presented the spiritual medicine yet, how can you so easily draw conclusions?" Lu Yunfeng slowly stepped out of the group, bowed respectfully to the three Core Formation stage experts, and spoke with a calm tone.

A hint of mockery flashed in Qiong Laoguai's eyes as he raised an eyebrow and said, "Oh? Boy, you dare to step forward, so it seems you have some confidence? But I really want to see just how many spiritual herbs you can produce." Master Li, Fuyunzi, and the other experts from the four sects also looked on in disbelief—the gap between the two sides was simply too great, and could not be bridged by the efforts of one person alone.

Lu Yunfeng bowed slightly in greeting, offering no argument. He knew perfectly well that he couldn't possibly steal these spiritual herbs—each sect's leader was accompanied by one or two spirit-sniffing beasts. These squirrel-like creatures could detect any hidden spiritual herbs older than a hundred years within a three-zhang radius, and even if hidden in a storage bag, they wouldn't escape detection. Therefore, Lu Yunfeng would never risk being discovered by embezzling the herbs; such an act would be counterproductive. It was better to hand them over openly, which would avoid arousing suspicion.

Having made up his mind, Lu Yunfeng walked to the location, casually wiped his storage bag, and a white light flashed, instantly filling the ground in front of him with more than forty kinds of spiritual herbs.

"Look over there!"

"This is?"

"I can't believe it!"

The sudden appearance of this pile of spiritual herbs on the ground instantly attracted everyone's attention. Several sharp-eyed disciples exclaimed in surprise, their voices filled with shock.

Old Monster Qiong, Master Li, and the others all turned their gazes to the pile of spiritual herbs, their expressions incredibly varied—shock and disbelief intertwined, leaving no one speechless for a moment.

After a long while, everyone came to their senses. Grandmaster Li was completely stunned by this sudden surprise and couldn't believe it. Old Monster Qiong, on the other hand, had a face full of...

Taken aback, he burst into laughter, "Hahaha! You're quite the surprise!" He then took out three invisible needle talismans, tossed them to Master Li, and disappeared after a few more strange laughs.

Grandmaster Li finally came to his senses and immediately accepted the three talismans that exuded astonishing spiritual energy. He then beckoned to Fuyunzi, "Where is your Bloodline Flood Dragon Pill, fellow Daoist? My Silver-Armored Horned Python is still waiting to use it." Grandmaster Li unceremoniously demanded the bet from Fuyunzi on the spot.

Upon hearing this, Daoist Fuyunzi forced a smile, opened his mouth as if to say something, but did not utter a word. He simply tossed aside the Blood Thread Dragon's demon core and led his team away from the place alone.

The betting game was full of twists and turns, which amazed the people from all sides. In the end, they were all secretly gloating over the defeat of Old Monster Qiong, since the old monster had done something inhuman and harmed many people.

In any case, this trip to the forbidden area has come to an end.

The leaders of each faction confiscated the spiritual herbs of their disciples and had the spirit-smelling beasts inspect them. They then took their leave and led their teams away one after another.