"Look at that!"
"What's this?"
"I can't believe it!"
Suddenly, a pile of spirit medicines appeared on the ground, and a few sharp-eyed people exclaimed in surprise!
These exclamations immediately attracted the attention of others, including Patriarch Li and Daoist Fuyunzi.
However, when the two of them saw the spirit medicines under Han Li's feet clearly, the Daoist's smiling expression froze, while Patriarch Li, after a moment of stunned silence, burst into delighted laughter. This unexpected windfall made him ecstatic.
Once Patriarch Li realized his lack of composure and stopped laughing, he carefully scrutinized Han Li with a smile in his eyes, finding him more and more pleasing. On the other hand, the Daoist's face turned livid, still unable to believe his defeat. His gaze towards Han Li was naturally full of hostility.
"Brother, what are you doing! Are you going to make trouble for a junior?" After seeing the expression on Daoist Fuyunzi's face, Patriarch Li snorted and stepped forward, wearing a stern expression.
Having just achieved a great merit for him, Patriarch Li naturally couldn't allow this junior to be intimidated by Daoist Fuyunzi in front of so many people. Otherwise, he would lose all face.
Seeing Patriarch Li's reaction, the Daoist realized that it was inappropriate for him, with his status, to scrutinize a Foundation Establishment stage disciple like this. He hurriedly shifted his gaze, trying to downplay his actions, and smiled reluctantly at Patriarch Li.
"Brother Li, you've misunderstood. I just find it incredible that a junior like this can gather so many spirit medicines. I just wanted to take a closer look!" The Daoist tried to appear nonchalant, but the thought of the Bloodline Jiao's inner core made him feel like he was bleeding internally. He couldn't regain his composure.
Patriarch Li chuckled twice without commenting further. He didn't want to provoke the Daoist further, especially now that he had won the bet.
However, he was also puzzled by Han Li's ability to gather so many spirit medicines. But he didn't want to inquire further in front of the representatives of other sects. Instead, he chose to ignore it. He was too focused on winning the bet to care about these trivial matters. As long as he won, he didn't care how Han Li obtained the spirit medicines.
The Daoist, understanding Patriarch Li's thoughts, felt annoyed and pained. As an eliminated participant, he continued to watch the outcome between Patriarch Li and the eccentric old man.
However, the old man's expression was no better than the Daoist's. The spirit medicines presented by the later disciples of the Concealed Moon Sect were all ordinary, making him unable to smile.
Just when Patriarch Li was feeling triumphant, the situation suddenly changed. The last few disciples of the Concealed Moon Sect handed in a surprisingly large number of spirit medicines, surpassing the total of the Clear Void Valley and Yellow Maple Valley by five or six. They unexpectedly won the final bet.
This turn of events stunned Patriarch Li, but the old man breathed a sigh of relief and chuckled.
"Hand it over, hand it over. Give me that Bloodline Jiao's inner core! I happen to want to refine a good medicine, and this inner core would make an excellent catalyst!" The old man, without any politeness, demanded the wager from Daoist Fuyunzi on the spot.
Daoist Fuyunzi forced a smile and opened his mouth as if to say something, but hesitated and remained silent.
Seeing this, the old man narrowed his eyes, becoming displeased.
"What's the matter, the renowned Daoist Fuyunzi of the Clear Void Valley, trying to renege on the deal?"
"Reneging? Do you think I, Daoist Fuyunzi, would renege on your wager?" Daoist Fuyunzi didn't really want to go back on his word and keep the inner core. It was just that this precious item made him extremely reluctant. However, under the old man's questioning gaze, he blushed and reluctantly tossed a white spherical object to the old man, then turned his head away, unable to look.
The spherical object was the Bloodline Jiao's inner core.
The old man caught the inner core and examined it carefully. Although he smiled, he muttered under his breath, "Seems like the quality isn't very good. The spiritual energy is lacking. It'll have to do!"
This comment made Daoist Fuyunzi's face flush red, nearly causing him to collapse from anger. He quickly distanced himself from the old man to avoid losing his composure completely.
"Brother Li, you..."
"Within twenty years, I'll have someone deliver two pieces of Iron Essence to you!" Patriarch Li responded promptly, not letting the old man finish his sentence, and offered compensation.
"Hehe! Brother Li is indeed generous. Then I have nothing more to say!" The old man nodded in satisfaction and swaggered back to the Concealed Moon Sect's side.
This twist in the wager left the onlookers from other sects astonished. They couldn't help but feel a bit of schadenfreude at the fate of Patriarch Li and Daoist Fuyunzi. After all, who told them to bet against this old man!
In any case, the trip to the forbidden area ended here.
After the leaders of each sect collected the spirit medicines from their disciples and had them inspected by the scent-sensing spirit beasts, they bid farewell and began to leave one after another.
The members of the Concealed Moon Sect were the first to leave. After exchanging pleasantries with the members of other sects and boarding the Heavenly Moon Divine Ship, Han Li couldn't help but look towards Nan Gongwan. However, she didn't glance at him from the moment she boarded the ship until they left, leaving Han Li feeling unsettled.
Nevertheless, Han Li was resilient and quickly regained his composure, continuing to watch the departure of the other sects.
When Han Yunzhi, accompanied by Ling Beast Mountain's members, left and glanced at him, smiling kindly, Han Li felt a warmth in his heart.
As a semi-host, the Yellow Maple Valley naturally left last. So, after the other seven sects departed, only the members of the Yellow Maple Valley remained at the entrance of the forbidden area.
However, Patriarch Li did not immediately lead the group to leave. Instead, he looked up at the forbidden area in silence. The others understood that Patriarch Li had just lost the bet and was in a bad mood, so no one dared to urge him to leave. They simply waited behind him.
Half an hour later, Patriarch Li seemed to be in a slightly better mood. Although he didn't turn around, he finally spoke, addressing Han Li.
"The disciple who handed in the most spirit medicines, what's his name, and how long has he been in the sect?"
Upon hearing this, the others showed envy. Being noticed by this patriarch would surely bring great benefits in the future. Han Li was momentarily stunned, unsure how to respond.
Meanwhile, the other members of the Yellow Maple Valley were initially shocked by Patriarch Li's words but then fixed their gaze on Han Li, their expressions filled with disbelief.
Was it too unbelievable
? Did they mishear? This patriarch, who was so esteemed, was actually considering accepting this person as a disciple? This person, whose cultivation and aptitude were so ordinary, didn't seem outstanding in any way. How could he catch the patriarch's attention?
