Fellow Daoist, I gladly accept this heaven-defying opportunity.

Elder Zou was already used to the old man's rough temper. He silently picked up the chess pieces, glanced at the direction of the boundary gate, and said in a low voice, "The three-day deadline is approaching. The disciples should come out now."

Upon hearing this, Elder Leng instantly perked up, straightening his back slightly: "The rules agreed upon beforehand remain unchanged. The winner will be determined by the total amount of harvested by the two sects within the Frost Realm. The loser will pay one hundred high-grade spirit stones, and there's no going back on your word!"

Elder Zou glanced at him sideways, quite surprised: "In previous years, you would have been restless by this time, pacing back and forth like an ant on a hot pan. Why are you so calm and collected today, as if you've already won?"

"Don't worry about that."

Elder Leng stroked his sparse, short beard, a sly smile on his face. "I can't beat you at chess, but when it comes to the game outside the chessboard, it's really hard to say who will win or lose."

Elder Zou frowned slightly, a hint of doubt rising in his heart, but he didn't ask any more questions.

The two stood quietly for a moment, then Elder Zou spoke, "The time has come. Open the gate."

Elder Leng nodded in agreement, and the two of them each took out half of an ancient jade pendant, simultaneously activating their spiritual power.

A pale blue spatial vortex slowly opened in front of the boundary gate, and as the light swirled, a blue-robed disciple of the Azure Nether Sect was the first to step out.

Upon seeing Elder Zou, the disciple immediately bowed and paid his respects.

Elder Zou took out a jade slip and recorded the information without looking up: "Name, report the receipt."

"Disciple Qian Ming. This time, upon entering the realm, I obtained four spiritual herbs under one hundred years old, three spiritual herbs over one hundred years old, and one spiritual herb over three hundred years old."

As Qian Ming spoke, he took out several jade boxes from his bosom and respectfully presented them.

Elder Zou checked each item and found them to be correct. With a flick of his sleeve, he took the jade box away and said calmly, "The amount has been recorded. After returning to the sect, the sect contribution will be credited to your disciple token."

Qian Ming thanked the elder, bowed, and stepped aside to wait quietly.

After that, disciples from the gate emerged one after another, with disciples from the Azure Nether Sect and the Snow Moon Sect coming out in turn. They all followed the usual procedure of checking the harvest, registering their names, and standing aside. The process was orderly and efficient.

The disciples who came out were scattered, and the pace was much slower than in previous years.

After registering the gains of another disciple, Elder Zou gazed at the still calm blue vortex and couldn't help but frown and mutter, "Why are the disciples so slow to come out today..."

He subconsciously glanced at Elder Leng, only to see the old man leaning against the rock with his arms crossed, leisurely and unhurried, even humming a country tune.

This is unusual.

Elder Zou muttered to himself, "Given this old man's fiery temper, if his disciples were even a beat late in previous years, he would have jumped up and cursed long ago. Why is he so calm today?"

Recalling the other party's confident demeanor earlier, his suspicions deepened. He casually grabbed a Biyou Sect disciple who had just emerged and asked, "Has something happened within the realm?"

The disciple replied honestly, "Elder, Senior Brother Li Haoran and Zheng Bingtian of the Snow Moon Sect have set up a duel and gathered many people to watch. We didn't go to join the fun, so we came out first."

Elder Zou's eyes narrowed, and he abruptly turned to look at Elder Leng, his voice deepening: "You knew about this all along?"

Elder Leng chuckled and didn't hide anything: "So what if you know? To tell you the truth, this idea was given to Zheng Bingtian by me, and I specifically instructed him to carry it out."

"He's got a good plan."

Elder Zou's tone turned cold. "But as far as I know, your sect's chief disciple, Zheng Bingtian, is no match for Li Haoran."

Elder Leng narrowed his eyes, slowly stroking his beard: "Whether someone is a match or not, we'll only know after we fight. I admit, your Li Haoran's comprehension is a tiny bit better than Zheng Bingtian's. But then again, although Zheng Bingtian's talent is slightly inferior, he has the advantage of being willing to work hard. As the old saying goes, heaven rewards diligence..."

Elder Zou's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately interrupted him: "What do you mean by that?"

"It doesn't mean anything."

Elder Leng grinned like an old fox who had just stolen a fat chicken. "Just letting you know, before Zheng Bingtian entered the realm, he was only one step away from breaking through to the Golden Core stage. I was the one who dragged him out of his seclusion to participate in the trial. Hey, do you think he might break through in these three days?"

Upon hearing this, Elder Zou instantly understood everything, and his expression changed drastically.

"You old scoundrel! How could you come up with such a despicable idea! You'd throw away all your dignity just to win a hundred spirit stones from me?"

Elder Zou was so angry that his teeth itched, and he pointed at Elder Leng's nose and cursed.

Elder Leng, however, showed no anger whatsoever, and shrugged with a grin: "How is this considered underhanded? Which rule in the original agreement between our two sects said that disciples were not allowed to break through their cultivation level during trials?"

"you--"

Elder Zou was so angry his face turned red, but he couldn't refute her, so he could only utter a harsh threat, "If any of my disciples are harmed in the slightest, I will never forgive you!"

"Don't worry, don't worry."

Elder Leng waved his hand dismissively, "I had already instructed Zheng Bingtian that the duel should only end with a winner and a loser, and should stop when the point is reached, so that no one can be hurt."

Elder Zou snorted coldly, abruptly turning his head away, too lazy to look at that smug, petty person's face any longer.

His heart sank to the bottom. He never expected that this old man would resort to such a sneaky trick to win just once.

Sending a disciple at the half-step Golden Core stage into the realm to break through, then using that superior cultivation level to crush and reap the rewards, is blatant cheating. Now, all we can hope for is that all our disciples are safe and sound, especially those promising talents like Li Haoran, who are the future pillars of the Biyou Sect.

Elder Zou frowned, staring intently at the vortex of the boundary gate, his expression filled with deep worry.

On the other hand, Elder Leng was shaking his head and looking smug, as if he had the words "I'm sure to win" written all over his face.

Not long after, the blue vortex suddenly lit up, and a group of disciples walked out together, with the Biyou Sect members leading the way.

Elder Zou's expression tightened, and he immediately strode forward to meet him.

At the very front of the crowd stood a handsome and upright young man, none other than Li Haoran.

Seeing the person standing unharmed before him, Elder Zou felt a sense of relief.

But upon closer inspection, Li Haoran's face was pale, and there were patches of blood on his clothes. His heart jumped again.

"Has Zheng Bingtian of the Snow Moon Sect broken through to the Golden Core stage within the realm?"

Elder Zou asked in a deep voice.

Elder Leng, who was standing nearby, immediately perked up his ears, clearly also very curious about the matter.

Li Haoran's expression was complicated, and he nodded slightly: "Reporting to the elder, this is indeed the case."

Before Elder Zou could even speak, Elder Leng burst into laughter, his voice so loud it sent snowflakes fluttering down from the trees: "Good lad! My painstaking training hasn't been in vain!"

"Elder Zou, the harvest of spiritual herbs in this realm..."

Just as Li Haoran was about to speak to report, Elder Zou raised his hand to interrupt him.

"It's alright."

Elder Zou sighed, his tone somewhat relieved, "This isn't your fault, it's good that everyone is safe."

Li Haoran opened his mouth, wanting to explain, but the light in the vortex of the boundary gate shone even brighter, and the disciples of the Snow Moon Sect filed out.

Elder Leng's eyes lit up at the sight, and he hurriedly waved, "Quick, quick, come here!"

Zheng Bingtian led a group of Snow Moon Sect disciples forward and bowed, saying, "Disciple greets Elder Leng."

Elder Leng smiled and nodded, but when his gaze fell on Zheng Bingtian, he was stunned. He saw that the boy's face was ashen and his breathing was disordered, clearly indicating that he had suffered a serious injury.

Breaking through to the Golden Core stage and still getting injured? It seems that Li Haoran has quite a foundation, actually managing to force Zheng Bingtian into injury.

Elder Leng muttered to himself, but didn't take it too seriously.

"Bingtian, quickly bring out all your spoils and let Elder Zou take a look."

As Elder Leng spoke, he arrogantly raised his chin at Elder Zou.

He couldn't wait to see Elder Zou's face turn as black as the bottom of a pot. Winning against this old man once was more satisfying than winning ten games of chess, and he could use this to shut him up for the next ten years.

But he waited for a long time, and Zheng Bingtian stood there with his head down, without making a sound.

"What are you dawdling for! Are you deaf? Take the thing out!"

Elder Leng frowned, his tone becoming more somber.

Zheng Bingtian looked utterly embarrassed. After stammering for a long time, he finally gritted his teeth and forced himself to speak: "This disciple...this disciple has failed the elder's high expectations. This disciple has lost the bet!"

"What?!"

Elder Leng's eyes widened, almost jumping three feet high, but he thought he had misheard.

Elder Zou, who was standing nearby, was also stunned and didn't react for a moment.

The next second, a surge of ecstasy welled up inside me.

Zheng Bingtian lost? That means Li Haoran won?!

Li Haoran was still in the Foundation Establishment stage, yet he was able to defeat Zheng Bingtian, who had broken through to the Golden Core stage.

Such talent and such combat prowess are simply astonishing! Given time, he will surely become a powerful figure who guards a region!

"Good! Good! Good!"

Elder Zou was so excited that he patted Li Haoran on the shoulder repeatedly, his voice filled with laughter, "As expected of the chief disciple of our Biyou Sect's inner sect, you truly deserve the title of genius!"

Li Haoran, however, looked embarrassed and quickly explained, "Elder, you misunderstand. The one who won the bet this time was not me, but someone else. After Zheng Bingtian advanced to the Golden Core stage, I was indeed no match for him..."