Cultivation begins in Qingfeng Market.

The thought of "three years" weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.

This means they won't be able to set foot in any market for three years, which is no different from exile!

As if seeing through everyone's worries, Pharmacist Chen continued calmly, "This 'jade plate' can dispel and confuse these traces."

For the next three months, use this purifying plate once a day. As long as you avoid the market and don't encounter sect disciples, you'll be safe.

She paused, a barely perceptible sigh escaping her lips, "After all, they're just a few Qi Refining stage disciples. As long as they're not caught on the spot..."

Within a sect, no one would waste time and effort investigating such a trivial matter.

Lin Zhao understood that it was precisely because Pharmacist Chen himself came from the Hundred Herbs Sect that he knew these secrets and was able to come up with corresponding solutions.

No wonder Gao Yuan dared to kill without hesitation; it turns out he had already considered the aftermath and was confident in his abilities.

Three days later, the group finally escaped the nauseating stench of the poisonous swamp and settled down at the foot of a relatively dry, sheltered rocky cliff.

A campfire was lit, dispelling the night chill and the fatigue of days of travel, and everyone began to rest and recover.

In the three days prior, in order to get away from the scene of the incident as quickly as possible, everyone took simple measures.

Among these people, Lin Zhao consumed the most magical power; the sword strikes "Four Elements Return to One" and "Piercing Sun" almost exhausted his magical power.

It took him five hours to recover his magical power. When he finished recuperating and opened his eyes, everyone had recovered, and the light of the campfire shone on every face that could not hide their tension.

No one spoke; only the crackling of burning firewood and the low chirping of unknown insects in the distance could be heard.

Seeing that Lin Zhao had recovered, Gao Yuan was the first to break the silence.

He placed several storage bags of the same style, embroidered with the Thousand Radiance Sect's blazing sun emblem, as well as the broken magical artifacts of the Po Jun Squad members, on the open ground next to the campfire.

The contrast is stark and shocking.

"Let's take stock of the losses first, then we'll distribute the spoils," Gao Yuan said, his voice hoarse.

Pointing to the broken objects on the ground, he said, "My heavy sword exploded. Li Hao's black iron shield needs time to heal."

Chu Xin's ice sword has developed cracks. Cheng Jin's Azure Maple Leaf Treasure. Elder Wu's array flags are damaged in three places. Lin Zhao's Gengjin Sword Qi Talisman.

With each item announced, everyone's hearts sank a little deeper.

These were their partners and trump cards, upon which they depended for survival; this battle came at a heavy price.

Next, he opened the storage bags of the Thousand Glory Sect disciples and poured out their contents.

In an instant, a burst of spiritual light illuminated the surrounding area.

The low-grade spirit stones were piled up into a small mountain, roughly estimated to be over a thousand!

In addition, there were more than thirty bottles of sect-specific pills, brimming with spiritual energy, far surpassing the goods circulating in the market.

In terms of magical artifacts, besides the excellent quality, crimson longsword and the jade pendant that automatically protects its owner, there are several flying swords of the same style, protective inner armor, and other items, all of which are high-grade magical artifacts.

During the battle, no one held back, and only a few mid-grade magic weapons were left behind.

Finally, the essence blood of the Bewitching Fox was extracted. The essence blood, faintly glowing with a mesmerizing spiritual light, slowly circulated in the jade bottle. The abundant harvest diluted the shadow brought by the loss.

"As usual," Gao Yuan took a deep breath, "all the harvest will be converted into spirit stone value and distributed according to contribution and need. The first item, the heart essence of the Bewitching Fox, is the main ingredient for refining the 'Breakthrough Pill'."

Everyone involuntarily leaned forward, their gazes drawn to the jade bottle.

The air was thick with longing, greed, and tension.

Gao Yuan's gaze swept over the crowd, and he understood.

Why did everyone dare to defiantly confront the sect disciples at his mere command? Was it really just because of his prestige as the team leader?

No, it's more because this essence and blood represent the key to the later stages of Qi Refining!

For these cultivators at the bottom, obstructing someone's path to enlightenment is worse than killing their parents! This is the real driving force behind their willingness to fight to the death.

Those disciples from prestigious sects couldn't understand what this meant for independent cultivators.

This gap in understanding is what caused their deaths.

Gao Yuan knew that if this stuff was not distributed fairly, the team, which had just experienced life and death and was already emotionally unstable due to the losses, would fall apart in an instant.

He must first resolve this core contradiction.

"This Bewitching Fox essence blood will be of great use to my breakthrough in overcoming my bottleneck. I'm willing to exchange all of my spirit stones for it!"

Cheng Jin spoke first, her voice carrying an barely suppressed urgency, her eyes fixed on the jade bottle.

"That's not right," Old Wu immediately retorted, his eyes gleaming. "The Breakthrough Pill is a treasure for breaking through bottlenecks, and it's crucial for everyone."

I am over seventy years old and have been stuck at the sixth level of Qi Refining for a long time. This item may be my only chance in this lifetime!

Brother Cheng is not even thirty years old yet. He has plenty of opportunities to break through in the future, and his future is bright. Why should he compete with someone like me who is nearing the end of his life for this opportunity?

Although Li Hao did not speak, his heavy breathing and clenched fists revealed his inner desire.

Which Qi Refining cultivator wouldn't be tempted by the opportunity to break through? But he knew his contribution in this battle was limited, and although he longed for it, he lacked the confidence to compete.

Chu Xin, who had been watching silently, finally spoke up in a cold voice: "I used the Ice Storm spell twice, at the cost of damaging my magical artifact, all for the Barrier-Breaking Pill."

I was involved in capturing the Bewitching Fox, I was the one who killed that sect woman, and I was also the one who ultimately brought him to safety. Based on my contributions, I am second only to Lin Zhao.

Even if we have to choose something, we should choose according to our contributions. Lin Zhao was the first, and I'm the second.

Her words were clear and concise, getting straight to the point, which immediately made Cheng Jin and Wu Laodao's faces stiffen.

Everyone's gaze instinctively turned to Lin Zhao, who had remained silent.

Chu Xin had noticed before that Lin Zhao's desire for this item was not as strong as that of others.

Lin Zhao felt everyone's gaze and calmly shook his head: "I joined the team the latest and have the least seniority, so I won't participate in this."

He already has a Breakthrough Pill, and besides, this is just essence blood, so it will be troublesome to refine it into a pill in the future.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense as the team, which had just survived a life-or-death ordeal, was about to be torn apart by this lifeblood.

"That's enough!"

Gao Yuan let out a low shout, containing the spiritual pressure of a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator, which calmed the excited group down slightly.

His gaze was sharp as he swept over Cheng Jin and Chu Xin: "We survived this time because everyone fought so hard. I don't want things to fall apart because of the distribution of tasks."

His voice was deep and authoritative, carrying an unquestionable air of authority. He then turned his gaze to the ever-silent Pharmacist Chen.

"Pharmacist Chen, you haven't given your opinion yet. What do you have to say?"

All eyes immediately focused on the masked figure.