Li Chengzong rolled his eyes from the side. Show-off. Giving money would have been enough, but you just had to throw in a promise.
He stepped forward and first handed over a heavy bag of spirit stones. “I am Li Chengzong, the Sect Master of the Flowing Cloud Sect. The Flowing Cloud Sect had twenty-six disciples in total. Here is one million three hundred thousand spirit stones.”
After a moment of thought, he retrieved an elegant, lustrous robe with a faint, flowing light from his storage ring. “This Moon-Sinking Robe is an additional token of my gratitude. It is sturdy enough to withstand a full-force blow from a Golden Core cultivator and will keep you safe.”
Xue Mingzhao's eyes lit up. She reached out to take it, her tone sincere. “Thank you, Sect Master Li. This robe looks incredibly sturdy.”
Chen Shouzhuo had already been waiting nearby. Before Li Chengzong could even walk away, he approached with a beaming smile. “I am Chen Shouzhuo, the Sect Master of the Yuheng Sect. My sect had twenty-two disciples. Here is two million spirit stones. The extra is a small token of my personal appreciation.”
Xue Mingzhao's eyes curved into crescent moons. Giving an extra nine hundred thousand spirit stones on a whim—how generous!
She accepted the spirit stones and said sweetly, “Thank you, Sect Master Chen. May your path to immortality be smooth and your sect prosper.”
Hearing this, a touch of warmth involuntarily crept into Chen Shouzhuo's expression. His tone became much more genuine than before, and he invited her with a smile, “If you have time, feel free to visit the Yuheng Sect.”
If nothing else, seeing Huang Siqi and Li Chengzong suffer a setback made him happy.
Next, representatives from the other sects stepped forward one by one. Xue Mingzhao became increasingly adept at collecting the money, her smile growing sweeter by the second.
Standing beside her, Su Ye had originally maintained a calm, unbothered expression. But as the bags of spirit stones piled higher and higher, the corners of his mouth began to twitch upward uncontrollably.
He tried hard to suppress it, but failed.
Finally, Xie Huairen stepped forward and said in a gentle tone, “For a martial niece of your young age to possess such courage and responsibility is truly rare. My Taiyan Sect had eight disciples. Here is four hundred thousand spirit stones. Please keep it safe, Martial Niece.”
Wu Lianfeng followed behind him and stuffed a bottle of pills into Xue Mingzhao's arms, looking pained as he said, “These are three high-grade Qi Gathering Pills. Make sure to cultivate well when you go back. Your master is so poor; he won't have any supreme-grade talismans for you to use next time.”
Xue Mingzhao accepted them with a smile. “Thank you, Martial Uncle. I will definitely not disappoint Master's expectations.”
In the distance, Zhou Bupo's gaze fell upon Xue Mingzhao. This mystic realm trial had almost ended in disaster. As the overseer of the trial, he could not escape blame.
If Xue Mingzhao hadn't stepped in, today's disaster would definitely not have been resolved so easily. The sect masters, and even the higher-ups above them, would certainly not have let his negligence slide.
After some thought, he presented a mid-grade Core-Condensing Pill as a small token of his appreciation.
Only after Xue Mingzhao had collected the very last sum of spirit stones did he take half a step forward, clearing his throat softly to restore order to the venue. “All sects, bring the demon beast cores you hunted to the front for a unified tally of points.”
Xue Mingzhao went up and dumped a mountain of demon beast cores onto the platform with a loud clatter. The eyelids of Huang Siqi and Li Chengzong twitched—most of those probably belonged to their disciples.
The elder in charge of the calculations worked efficiently, finishing the tally in less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense.
Zhou Bupo scanned the crowd, his expression solemn, and announced in a loud voice, “Third place in this trial—the Tianqi Sect!”
The Sect Master of the Tianqi Sect grinned so widely his eyes narrowed to slits. Normally, sects like theirs were merely background players.
This time, the two major sects had fought among themselves, allowing someone else to pluck the peach. Furthermore, because everyone had been endangered afterward, the other sects hadn't had the chance to hunt demon beasts, which unexpectedly allowed the Tianqi Sect to snatch third place for free.
Beside them, the faces of several elders from the Flowing Cloud Sect and the Heavenly Origin Sect were as black as the bottom of a pot, their surrounding auras heavy with frustration.
The Sect Master of the Tianqi Sect tactfully suppressed his laughter, but the corners of his mouth still twitched upward uncontrollably.
“Second place—the Yuheng Sect!”
Chen Shouzhuo's expression softened slightly, a faint smile appearing on his face.
“First place—”
Zhou Bupo deliberately drew out his voice, looking at the crowd below the stage.
“The Grand Primordium Sect!”
Xue Mingzhao grinned. Waving to everyone, she stepped onto the stage to receive the first-place prize: a high-grade Foundation Establishment Pill.
Then, she cleared her throat and flashed a textbook acceptance-speech smile. “Since the Grand Primordium Sect won first place, I'll say a few words. First of all, I would like to thank my master...”
Standing below the stage, Su Mingyuan was filled with mixed emotions.
The Grand Primordium Sect had sparse spiritual energy and a dwindling population. It didn't even rank in the sect ratings and had always been forgotten by others.
Today, his two disciples stood here, making everyone remember those three words.
His eyes grew slightly red, and he stood a little straighter, puffing out his chest—these were disciples of his Grand Primordium Sect. They were his disciples.
Su Ye secretly felt glad that he hadn't gone up. He was absolutely terrible at making these kinds of formal speeches.
Huang Siqi and Li Chengzong tacitly avoided eye contact, but they both knew exactly what the other was thinking—If those fools from the Flowing Cloud Sect/Heavenly Origin Sect hadn't provoked us by the stream, would we have started fighting?
For the first time in many years, neither of them had made the rankings, and it was entirely thanks to the other.
However, they had no complaints about Xue Mingzhao. She had genuinely saved lives, and it was only right to pay the spirit stones.
After all, supreme-grade talismans were rare. Paying just a few million spirit stones was actually a bargain.
Below the stage, Wan Muqing and Liu Su, who were waiting to receive their rewards, looked incredibly nervous.
Wan Muqing tugged at Liu Su's sleeve and asked in a low voice, “Did your Tianqi Sect prepare an acceptance speech? No one from the Yuheng Sect notified me that I had to speak on stage.”
Liu Su stole a glance at Xue Mingzhao, who was passionately speaking on stage, and replied with a trembling voice, “They didn't say anything either. Why isn't she finished yet? Just how much did she prepare to say?”
Shen Chaoyue stood below the stage, her gaze darkening slightly as she watched Xue Mingzhao deliver her impassioned speech.
She had just learned from her master that Xue Mingzhao and Su Ye were the first to enter the cave. In that case, the true opportunity had likely already been quietly taken by the two of them.
She frowned in silent contemplation, her mind heavy.
Was it an accidental move, or was it a deliberate, calculated attempt to seize the initiative?
Amidst the crowd, Jiang Yuran quietly observed Shen Chaoyue's expression, her gaze shifting back and forth between her and Xue Mingzhao on the stage.
She clearly saw that the look Shen Chaoyue directed at Xue Mingzhao held an indescribable gloom.
She had also heard about the two Grand Primordium Sect disciples picking up the demon beast cores of the two major sects.
To be honest, she had felt a bit displeased at first. But on second thought, Xue Mingzhao had just saved everyone's lives. How could a few bags of demon beast cores and some spirit stones compare to the lives of so many? She had already let go of such a trivial matter.
Yet her senior sister had always prided herself on being upright and open, possessing a proud temperament that disdained fussing over minor details like the loss of demon cores or rankings.
She would absolutely not brood over such things, let alone show such a dark, cold, and unusual expression.
She pondered silently in her heart. Could it be that the two of them already had a private grudge?
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