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

Of the seven factions, the Qingxu Sect was the first to depart.

The leader of the group, Fu Yunzi, had failed miserably this time, losing a rare Bloodline Flood Dragon Demon Pill for nothing. Feeling extremely annoyed, he didn't even say a word of farewell and led his disciples away with a cold face.

Following closely behind was the Hidden Moon Sect. After bidding farewell to everyone present, they set off. Only Old Monster Qiong, with his aloof and eccentric nature and his capricious behavior, had lost a bet and tossed three invisible needle talismans to Grandmaster Li to settle the matter before leaving alone. The cultivators from all the sects knew his temperament, and no one dared to stop him, letting him go on his own.

As the host of this trip to the Crimson Forbidden Land, Huangfeng Valley naturally stayed behind until the very end. After all the other sects had left, only the Huangfeng Valley members remained standing outside the forbidden land.

Grandmaster Li did not order a return journey. He simply gazed towards the forbidden area, standing there, his heart churning with emotion. The disciples who accompanied him all knew that Grandmaster Li must be thrilled by his resounding victory in the bet. No one stepped forward; they all waited behind him, quietly awaiting their master's arrival.

It took Master Li a full half-day to slowly suppress his excitement, turn around, and ask Han Li about the details of his trip to the forbidden area.

Han Li, being shrewd and quick-witted, immediately devised a story of two rivals fighting while a third party benefits, thus diverting the matter. Grandmaster Li didn't delve into the details, casually picking up the conversation and promising in front of everyone that once Han Li successfully established his foundation, he would take him as a disciple and bestow upon him an additional top-grade magic weapon. The matter would then be considered closed and never mentioned again.

Seeing this, Lu Yunfeng raised an eyebrow, inwardly criticizing his Grandmaster Li for being too stingy. He knew the outcome in his past life; without his intervention, Grandmaster Li would have lost the bet and had to pay back both pieces of iron essence to Old Monster Qiong. Now, because of his intervention, the situation was reversed. He not only won the bet, but also gained three rare talismans and a demon core that could nourish his natal silver python—a considerable gain. Yet, in the end, the reward for Han Li was still just empty words about establishing a foundation and accepting a disciple.

The thought flashed through his mind, but Lu Yunfeng's expression remained unchanged as he stood quietly observing.

A moment later, Master Li stepped forward, his gaze fixed on Lu Yunfeng, and said, "I am grateful to my junior nephew for making this bet. I was able to turn defeat into victory because of you. I owe you a great deal."

Lu Yunfeng raised his head, immediately adopting a sincere expression, and bowed, replying, "Uncle-Master, you flatter me. I was merely lucky to be there. I entered the forbidden forest earlier and by chance found a few spiritual herbs, but unexpectedly, I was ambushed by a magnificent tiger that was about to break through to the second level. I managed to escape in a sorry state. It's a pity that the top-tier defensive magic artifacts I purchased at great expense were all destroyed. This is truly a heavy loss." As he finished speaking, his gaze went straight to Grandmaster Li.

Grandmaster Li, seeing Lu Yunfeng staring at him so intently, felt a slight twitch at the corner of his eye. He instantly understood the deeper meaning and immediately laughed, saying, "Nephew Lu, your talent is exceptional. You will soon become a disciple of Senior Brother Huiming. As an elder of the sect, I have not prepared a gift for you, which is my oversight. This Desolate Bronze Bell is forged and refined with rare copper essence. It is a genuine top-tier defensive magic weapon. I will give it to you today as a token of my appreciation." With that, he raised his hand and waved it. A small bell, surrounded by an earthy yellow spiritual light and with an ancient texture, flew out and landed steadily in front of Lu Yunfeng.

Then, Master Li added, "Since you have already become a disciple of Senior Brother Huiming, I will not mention the reward of becoming a disciple of me. Just tell me what you want, and I will grant it as long as it is within my power."

Seeing this, the surrounding disciples looked on with envy. A reward personally promised by a Core Formation cultivator—such an incredible opportunity was a once-in-a-millennium chance, and everyone was filled with envy, wishing they could take his place.

Lu Yunfeng accepted the ancient bronze bell imbued with spiritual light and put it away. He bowed and replied, "This disciple has no other requests, except that I have always had a fondness for reading ancient books and Daoist texts. I only ask that my master uncle grant me permission to enter the sect's library to peruse the collection and study the cultivation scriptures."

Upon hearing this, all the cultivators present were stunned, puzzled and wondering if Lu Yunfeng had lost his mind. A Core Formation cultivator had offered a reward, yet he only asked for the qualification to enter the pavilion and read books. It was a waste of talent and a complete disservice to this opportunity.

Even Grandmaster Li was taken aback. He had expected Lu Yunfeng to ask for high-level cultivation techniques, spiritual herbs, or sect privileges, but he hadn't anticipated this request. He immediately breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "This is easy." He then took out a token engraved with the character "Li" and handed it over. "This is my personal token. With this token, you can enter and exit the Yellow Maple Valley Library and freely consult various ancient books for ten days. You can also cultivate one of the cultivation techniques within it."

Lu Yunfeng looked delighted, bowed to accept the reward, and retreated to the group with a calm expression.

The other disciples, seeing this, were filled with regret and shook their heads inwardly. They felt heartbroken, thinking that Lu Yunfeng had wasted a great opportunity.

Despite the pity and criticism from others, Lu Yunfeng paid no heed, secretly delighted, feeling he had struck gold. He already possessed several cultivation techniques, which he could not even finish mastering with diligent practice, and he never lacked conventional cultivation resources, so there was no need to strive for more. His biggest weakness on his cultivation path was knowledge of alchemy, talismans, and weapon crafting. The ancient cultivation manuals he possessed, such as the *Primordial Demon Scripture* and the *Xun Tribulation Scripture*, contained ancient secret techniques for alchemy, weapon crafting, and talisman crafting. Many spiritual herbs and materials of the present day had long since been renamed and disappeared, making these ancient methods difficult to directly apply. Only by integrating the current cultivation methods and mastering the secrets of ancient and modern techniques could he go further on his cultivation path.

Others only saw the tangible benefits before them, but Lu Yunfeng knew that the thousands of ancient texts and records of cultivators throughout history housed in the library were irreplaceable, hidden foundations of cultivation. Such foundations could only be accumulated and preserved by the seven sects that had stood for thousands of years. If he were to travel and collect them all by himself, he would have to expend countless years of effort. This deal, which seemed like a losing proposition to outsiders, was, for him, an excellent opportunity perfectly aligned with his own cultivation plan.

Unaware of his deep thoughts, Master Li glanced at the sky and said in a deep voice, "It's getting late. Let's prepare to return to Yellow Maple Valley."

The group obeyed the order and leaped onto the backs of the spirit beast, the Silver-Armored Horned Python, and sped off towards Yellow Maple Valley.

Lu Yunfeng sat down cross-legged, casually toying with the Wild Bronze Bell. This magical artifact was extraordinary; infused with rare copper essence, its defensive power far surpassed that of ordinary top-tier magical artifacts of the same level. It was both offensive and defensive, with endless uses. Not only could it protect the body and withstand fierce magical attacks, but it could also resonate, unleashing sonic attacks, and even summon the phantom images of several earth-scaled beasts engraved on the bell's surface to appear, allowing for flexible responses. If he hadn't reversed the bet this time, given Master Li's stingy nature, he would never have so easily given away this top-grade magical artifact.

A moment later, Lu Yunfeng put the small bell into his storage bag, looked towards Huangfeng Valley, and silently planned his cultivation after returning to his sect. All opportunities are external; achieving Foundation Establishment is the most important task at hand. Only by possessing solid cultivation strength can he firmly control his own destiny. In less than ten years, the six demonic sects will launch a large-scale invasion. At that time, those with too low a cultivation level will only become worthless cannon fodder, sacrificed at will.

Once his mind was made up, Lu Yunfeng stopped letting his thoughts wander and deliberately suppressed the distracting thoughts in his heart. For a cultivator, too many distracting thoughts are most likely to breed inner demons.

Several days later, the group finally returned to Yellow Maple Valley.