Mortal: I have a Spirit Gathering Cauldron

The atmosphere outside the forbidden area was tense.

Disciples and elders from all factions stared at the slowly closing crack in the passage, waiting for the last group of people to emerge.

Just then, three figures suddenly emerged from the crack in the passage.

It was so fast it looked like it had been kicked out.

Lin Feng took the lead, and before he could even put away the Qingfeng Flag, he landed in the area of ​​Huangfeng Valley. After standing firm, he patted his robes and remained calm.

Han Tianya followed closely behind, his blue robe fluttering, a folding fan still in his hand, his face bearing that signature smile. Zhong Wu emerged last, a middle-aged man with a pockmarked face, expressionless, revealing neither joy nor anger.

The appearance of the three was like pouring a ladle of water into a pot of boiling oil.

"It's them!"

"Those three villains blocking the door!"

"Give me back the elixir!"

A commotion broke out among the disciples of each sect, some even gripping their magical artifacts, their eyes turning red. But seeing that their respective sect elders had not yet given the order, no one dared to actually make a move.

Han Tianya ignored him and calmly walked towards the headquarters of Huadaowu. Zhong Wu returned to the Spirit Beast Mountain with his head down. Lin Feng had already begun meditating and regulating his breathing in the Yellow Maple Valley area.

Old Monster Qiong watched Han Tianya's retreating figure, snorted coldly, but said nothing. Elder Li, on the other hand, had a slight smile on his lips, clearly satisfied with his disciple. Elder Mu's expression was somewhat subtle.

The whispers continued, but were quickly interrupted by another scene.

Someone else emerged from the crack in the passage.

Not just one or two, but a whole team.

Dressed in white, they emerged in single file.

The Yanyue Sect's group consisted of thirteen people, led by the female cultivator Nangong Wan, whose face was veiled. She walked with composure and possessed a cool demeanor. After emerging, she glanced indifferently at the people from various sects present, and then led her group towards the Yanyue Sect's headquarters.

Upon seeing them emerge, Old Monster Qiong was alright, merely letting out a long sigh of relief. The Fairy of Rainbow Robes, however, couldn't help but rush forward, grabbing Nangong Wan's arm and asking with deep concern, her voice soft but tinged with relief.

Just as the passage was about to close completely, a figure tumbled and crawled out of it. It was none other than the old fox, Xiang Laogui. Lin Feng quickly looked away and closed his eyes to rest.

"Old Daoist Fuyunzi, it seems you're going to lose your bet." At this moment, Old Monster Qiong chuckled and turned to look at Old Daoist Fuyunzi of Qingxu Sect.

Fu Yunzi's expression was not good. Few disciples from the Qingxu Sect had come out, and most of them had been charged tolls, resulting in heavy losses of spiritual herbs. He waved his hand sullenly, "Losing is losing, what's the big deal?"

Qiong Laoguai ignored him and instead looked at Li Huayuan.

"Alright, Li Huayuan, now that everyone's out, let's hurry up and see the outcome of the bet between our three factions!"

Old Monster Qiong, with a look of arrogance and self-importance, gradually became excited.

He thought to himself that with so many people from his own Hidden Moon Sect coming out, and the spiritual herbs not being stolen, their chances of winning should be very high.

The old Taoist priest Fuyunzi had basically given up and sullenly asked his disciples to display the spiritual herbs they had collected.

"Three mature, 100-year-old Blood Orchids, two 300-year-old Heavenly Spirit Fruits, three 400-year-old Jade Marrow Funguss..."

The Taoist priest continued to place eleven or twelve spiritual herbs on the ground, their sheer number astonishing to all who watched. Fu Yunzi, who had been sullen, now smiled slightly, clearly very pleased with his disciple.

Then, disciples from various sects took out spiritual herbs from the forbidden area, the quantities of which varied but were not significantly different.

When it was the turn of the Hidden Moon Sect, Fairy Ni Chang personally stood up and had her disciples display the spiritual herbs.

The disciples from the Hidden Moon Sect came out in the largest number, and none of their spiritual herbs were taken away by those blocking the entrance. There were thirteen people, and each of them had at least five or six hundred-year-old spiritual herbs, so the total number suddenly jumped up.

Ninety-seven plants.

When Qiong Laoguai saw this number, his eyes lit up even more.

"Fellow Daoist Li, it's your turn, Huangfeng Valley," Old Monster Qiong said with a smile.

Li Huayuan glanced at the Huangfeng Valley disciples behind him.

"Put out all the medicinal herbs."

The disciples of Huangfeng Valley stepped forward one after another, taking out and arranging the spiritual herbs. Most of them didn't have many herbs in their hands, just three or five, seven or eight, scattered here and there.

There are about fifty medicinal herbs in total.

It is less than the Hidden Moon Sect.

Old Monster Qiong's smile widened.

"Fellow Daoist Li, it seems the Hidden Moon Sect has won this bet?"

The Fairy of Rainbow Robes nodded slightly and was about to speak when Li Huayuan suddenly waved his hand.

"What's the rush? There are still people who haven't paid yet."

He turned to look at the two people in the corner.

"Lin Feng, Han Li, where are your elixirs?"

All eyes turned to that corner.

Lin Feng stood at the edge of the crowd, and upon hearing this, he walked forward unhurriedly. Han Li followed behind him, his dark face expressionless, but his pace was noticeably faster than usual.

Lin Feng knew that each sect's Foundation Establishment leader carried one or two spirit-sniffing beasts with them. These squirrel-like creatures could detect any hidden spiritual herbs older than a hundred years within a three-zhang radius, even those inside storage bags.

Therefore, each time a disciple leaves the forbidden area, after voluntarily handing over the spiritual herbs, they must be sniffed by these small beasts before they can leave. This is to prevent any disciple with ill intentions from smuggling in spiritual herbs!

Lin Feng had no intention of keeping anything for himself. He walked up to Li Huayuan and took out the spiritual medicine from his storage bag.

One plant, two plants, three plants...

He fell slowly, but steadily. Each herb was over a hundred years old, of superior quality, and brimming with spiritual energy. Jade Marrow Ganoderma, Heavenly Spirit Fruit, Polygonatum, Ganoderma lucidum, Polygonum multiflorum... all sorts of spiritual herbs were piled up on the ground into a small hill.

More than thirty plants.

All of them are century-old medicinal herbs.

A collective gasp of astonishment echoed through the valley.

More than thirty century-old spiritual herbs, and one person. This quantity exceeds the total number of spiritual herbs obtained by the entire sects of the few sects present.

Old Monster Qiong's smile froze on his face.

The fairy in the rainbow robes frowned slightly.

The old Taoist priest Fuyunzi's lips twitched, and he gave up completely. The spiritual herbs from just this one disciple of Huangfeng Valley were almost equal to those of the entire Qingxu Sect.

Li Huayuan's eyes shone like light bulbs, and his mouth stretched almost to his ears in a wide grin. But he didn't rush to speak; instead, he looked at Han Li.

"Han Li, what about you?"

Han Li paused for a moment, then stepped forward and took out the spiritual medicine from his storage bag.

He was much faster than Lin Feng in taking the medicinal herbs, taking them out one after another, and soon piling them up on the ground into another small mountain.

More than twenty plants.

All of them are century-old medicinal herbs.

The valley fell completely silent.

Two people, with over fifty century-old spiritual herbs. Adding the other fifty-odd herbs from the Yellow Maple Valley disciples, the total was over one hundred herbs, firmly surpassing the Hidden Moon Sect.

The fact that Huangfeng Valley had harvested over a hundred spiritual herbs this time excited the Foundation Establishment stage disciples, who seemed to already see Huangfeng Valley flourishing over the next sixty years.

Li Huayuan burst into laughter, the sound echoing through the valley, making the eardrums of several Qi Refining disciples ache.

He snatched the Bloodline Flood Dragon's inner core from Fuyunzi's hand, and seeing the Niu Bizi's heartbroken expression, he felt extremely relieved.

Old Monster Qiong also kept his promise and delivered three invisible needle talismans, which aroused the envy of disciples from various sects.

The betting game was full of twists and turns, which amazed the people from all sides. In the end, they secretly gloated over the fate of Qiong Laoguai and Fuyunzi, who ended up losing more than they gained by trying to steal a chicken.

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

After confiscating the spiritual herbs from their disciples and having the spirit-smelling beasts inspect them, the leaders of each faction took their leave and led their teams away one after another.

Half a day later, Li Huayuan was in a great mood and walked up to Lin Feng and Han Li.

He first looked at Han Li, then at Lin Feng, his gaze sweeping back and forth between the two of them twice.

"You two are quite good." Li Huayuan spoke, his voice not loud, but every word carried the pressure of a Core Formation cultivator. "Especially you, Lin Feng. More than thirty hundred-year-old spiritual herbs, all by yourself, you are not simple."

Lin Feng clasped his hands in a fist salute: "Grandmaster, you flatter me."

Li Huayuan nodded, pondered for a moment, and then suddenly said, "I intend to accept you two as my nominal disciples. What do you say?"

Disciple by name.

As soon as these four words were uttered, the surrounding Huangfeng Valley disciples all cast envious glances.

Being a disciple of a Core Formation Elder is no easy feat. While not as prestigious as being a direct disciple, the benefits are numerous. With a Core Formation Elder protecting them, they receive preferential treatment in resources and cultivation guidance, making their future prospects far superior to those of ordinary disciples.

But Lin Feng quickly started to calculate in his mind.

This old bastard is trying to get something for nothing from me.

Lin Feng knew that according to the rules of Huangfeng Valley, once you became a disciple of a Core Formation elder, you had to hand over half of the spiritual herbs you collected. The thirty-odd spiritual herbs he had painstakingly obtained, plus some of which were the main ingredients for Foundation Establishment Pills, were only enough to exchange for five Foundation Establishment Pills.

Five Foundation Building Pills.

According to Han Li's experience, as a cultivator with four spiritual roots, he took two Foundation Establishment Pills when he was at the eleventh level of Qi Refining, which raised his cultivation to the thirteenth level. He then took six more Foundation Establishment Pills before successfully establishing his foundation.

Lin Feng also possesses four spiritual roots. Although he has a Spirit Gathering Cauldron that can increase the potency of pills by 30%, five Foundation Establishment Pills are just enough for him.

Moreover, the invasion of the demonic path is imminent.

Lin Feng remembered the plot of the original novel: the six major sects of the demonic path launched a massive invasion of the Yue Kingdom, and the seven sects suffered repeated defeats. In order to preserve its strength, Huangfeng Valley devised a "cut-off tail to survive" strategy, sending a group of mediocre disciples to serve as cannon fodder and die.

Being a disciple of a Core Formation Elder sounds prestigious, but on the battlefield, they're still cannon fodder. And they'll even have to do hard labor for the Core Formation Elder.

Rather than that, it's better to be an ordinary Foundation Establishment disciple. When the demonic invasion first begins, apply to go to the battlefield directly. The intensity of the war will be lower then, and you can earn some contribution points. After surviving for a while and figuring out the situation, then figure out a way to escape.

Go to the Chaotic Star Sea or somewhere else to escape the war.

Lin Feng figured all this out in just a few breaths and made a decision.

He clasped his hands in a respectful gesture: "Thank you for your kindness, Ancestor. However, I am of dull talent and possess only four spiritual roots. I fear I may fail to live up to your expectations. I dare not presume to be a disciple. I beg you to rescind your decree."

Another commotion broke out on the barren mountain.

You refused?

A Qi Refining stage outer disciple refused to be accepted as a disciple by a Core Formation elder.

Everyone looked at Lin Feng as if he were an idiot.

Li Huayuan's expression darkened slightly.

He hadn't expected to be rejected. In his mind, for two juniors at the Qi Refining stage to become his disciples was an immense stroke of luck; how could anyone refuse?

"Have you thought this through?" Li Huayuan's voice turned cold.

Lin Feng lowered his head, his tone unchanged: "This junior has thought it through very clearly. Thank you for your kindness, Ancestor."

Li Huayuan stared at him for a few seconds, his displeasure almost overflowing. But he was, after all, a Core Formation cultivator, and he couldn't afford to lose his temper in front of so many people.

He snorted coldly and turned his gaze to Han Li.

"And what about you?"

Han Li's heart tightened.

He initially wanted to refuse; he had little interest in becoming an apprentice, and besides, he harbored a great secret and really didn't want to get close to high-level cultivators. But seeing Li Huayuan's displeased expression, and looking at the scene of Lin Feng being treated coldly, he hesitated.

He didn't want to offend a Core Formation Grandmaster.

He understood a principle from his time at the Seven Mysteries Sect: the weak have no right to refuse the strong. Li Huayuan had already been rejected by Lin Feng once, and had lost face. If he refused as well, who knew if this Core Formation Elder would turn on him on the spot?

"Of course I'm delighted to be a disciple of my master! It's my honor! I was just so happy that I forgot to speak, please forgive me!" Han Li's face flushed red as he pretended to have just recovered from his excitement. He spoke in an eager tone.

Afterwards, Han Li tactfully kowtowed several times to Master Li, performing the formal ceremony of becoming his disciple.

Li Huayuan's expression softened somewhat.

"Alright, from today onwards, you are my disciple, Li Huayuan. Consider this Azure Light Blade as my gift to you."

He glanced at Lin Feng, his eyes filled with displeasure and disappointment, but he didn't say anything more and turned back to his seat.

Han Li stood there, secretly relieved. He glanced at Lin Feng, a hint of doubt in his eyes. Why did this Senior Brother Lin refuse?

Lin Feng remained expressionless, as if nothing had happened.

He told himself, "So what if he's refused? It's no big deal. If Li Huayuan is unhappy, so be it. Anyway, after the demonic invasion, even Core Formation cultivators are struggling to survive. Huangfeng Valley is about to collapse. What's the value of a nominal disciple anyway?"

"Besides, I can't learn the Azure Origin Sword Technique, so I get no benefit from it and I'll just lose half of the spiritual medicine for free."

"As for Han Li, although he has to hand over half of the spiritual herbs after becoming an apprentice, he is a wholesaler of spiritual herbs and doesn't care about that. In addition, he can also obtain the Azure Origin Sword Manual."

"I'll stick to my own pace."

The commotion on the barren mountain gradually subsided.

Next, the group mounted Li Huayuan's silver-armored horned python again and flew towards the sect.

Lin Feng glanced back at the direction of the Crimson Forbidden Land; the gray, yellow earthen slope had already disappeared from sight.

"It's over," Lin Feng murmured. "Next, it's time to establish the foundation."