Realities are unpredictable.
After the final tally, Taiyi Immortal Sect's nearly fifty outer disciples had collectively acquired over fifteen hundred various spirit herbs and medicinal herbs.
The Heavenly Demon Sect's over fifty outer disciples, however, had gathered more than sixteen hundred various spirit herbs and medicinal herbs.
This significant setback instantly stunned Elder Sun, who had maintained his composure and believed victory was assured.
Meanwhile, Wu Ku Du breathed a sigh of relief and let out a cackling laugh.
It was then that he remembered the five or six outer disciples who had been holding the Aurora Demonic Sun Array flags had not yet presented their hauls.
With his spirits lifted, even Wu Ku Du's laughter sounded less grating.
...
"Good, this is truly excellent. Sun, you hypocrite, I've won. Your Coarse Refined Gold Essence is mine."
"Haha, hand it over, quickly, hand over the Coarse Refined Gold Essence! I happen to be planning to forge a good magical artifact, and this Coarse Refined Gold Essence will be perfect for it!"
Wu Ku Du unceremoniously extended his hand, demanding the bet from Elder Sun.
Upon hearing this, Elder Sun's face turned as black as the bottom of a pot. He opened his mouth, as if to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Seeing this, Wu Ku Du didn't press further, merely continuing to laugh incessantly.
This Heart Demon Forbidden Vow was not as easy to break as one might think. He didn't believe this Sun hypocrite would dare to violate it.
Elder Sun's face flushed and paled, filled with resentment.
Yet, unwilling to defy the Heart Demon Forbidden Vow, he stomped his foot fiercely, tossed a mineral with pale gold spots and silver luster to the other party, and then, with a pained expression, turned away without looking.
That peculiar mineral was precisely the Coarse Refined Gold Essence.
Wu Ku Du caught the Coarse Refined Gold Essence with a flick of his wrist. After a careful inspection, his withered face was etched with joy.
However, he still grumbled, "I knew it, what's all the boasting about? Hmph! Acting like you've won the bet..."
Wu Ku Du spoke these words loudly enough to nearly infuriate Elder Sun to death.
Earlier, Elder Sun had been full of spirit and pride.
In the end, he lost the bet.
"You..."
These words made Elder Sun's face turn crimson. He was on the verge of drawing his sword and fighting.
Enraged, he quickly distanced himself from the insinuating old demon, lest his depressed and sorrowful Dao heart be completely shattered!
Regardless, the trip to this mystic realm had now concluded.
...
After collecting the spirit herbs and medicinal herbs from their respective outer disciples, the four outer elders from Taiyi Immortal Sect and Heavenly Demon Sect carefully placed them into large storage bags, kept them close, and then led their teams to depart.
...
Subsequently, under the leadership of two elders, the group flew for several more days before returning to Taiyi Immortal Sect's encampment.
Upon entering the Taiyi Immortal Sect's base, Elder Sun and Elder Han immediately took a large storage bag of precious spirit herbs and medicinal herbs to the Elder Hall of the inner sect.
Within Taiyi Immortal Sect, the sole distinction between an outer elder and an inner elder was that outer elders were cultivators at the early stage of Core Formation, while inner elders were cultivators at the middle stage of Core Formation or above.
The other disciples, meanwhile, dispersed, returning to their respective residences to await rewards in a few days.
...
Within a cave dwelling for outer disciples at Taiyi Immortal Sect, in one of Wu Tao's rooms, a pair of eyes suddenly opened.
The cave dwelling was not large, only about ten zhang in length and width. The interior was extremely simply furnished, with only a few essential living items, mostly made of stone, indicating that Wu Tao's daily life and cultivation were primarily focused on arduous practice.
Half a month had passed since the bloody mystic realm expedition, and Wu Tao's numerous internal injuries had finally healed significantly through meticulous care.
Recalling the events in the mystic realm, Wu Tao still felt a lingering sense of dread.
During several life-threatening moments when his spiritual power was depleted, he had no choice but to use the Demonic Path artifact, the Immortal Slaying Demonic Blood Blade.
This had depleted his once robust vital energy and blood, coupled with his existing internal injuries, nearly rendering him crippled.
Wu Tao's current body was like a house built of bamboo and wood; after facing a strong gale and heavy rain, it was on the verge of collapse.
If his cultivation were to collapse, Wu Tao would at best suffer severe injuries that would take years to heal, and at worst, his cultivation would be completely destroyed, turning him into a mortal.
This was why, after each battle, Wu Tao's first action was to consume various healing, blood-replenishing, and qi-restoring pills, and then immediately meditate for several hours.
After more than half a month, Wu Tao emerged from seclusion. His cultivation not only stabilized but his foundation was further consolidated.
...
However, despite the perilous nature of this mystic realm journey, it had also resulted in substantial gains.
Thinking of the rewards promised by the sect, Wu Tao felt a surge of excitement.
He took out a small, exquisite purple-gold copper token from the storage bag at his waist, which was the so-called Sect Contribution Token.
Previously, Wu Tao had been penniless after purchasing a large quantity of talismans, magical artifacts, and healing pills in preparation for the mystic realm expedition.
Now, his Sect Contribution Token bore over four thousand sect contribution points.
A Longevity Fruit was worth one thousand contribution points, and the fifty to sixty precious spirit herbs and medicinal herbs, along with over a hundred spirit fruits, totaled more than three thousand contribution points.
A Foundation Establishment Pill required eighteen hundred sect contribution points. Wu Tao had more than enough to purchase two, with some to spare.
While Wu Tao's aptitude was not exceptionally gifted, it was within the normal range. Typically, two Foundation Establishment Pills would be sufficient for him to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage.
...
However, Wu Tao practiced a top-tier dual cultivation technique for both body and spirit, making two Foundation Establishment Pills insufficient for certainty.
He would need the medicinal power of at least four Foundation Establishment Pills to have a greater than seventy percent chance of breaking through the bottleneck to the Foundation Establishment stage.
Therefore, the contribution points on Wu Tao's Sect Contribution Token were not enough. He needed to find a way to acquire more contribution points to obtain more Foundation Establishment Pills for his breakthrough.
Although purchasing with spirit stones could be converted into sect contribution points, it was also unfortunate that even converting all the spirit stones Wu Tao possessed would still not be enough.
...
For various reasons over the years, Wu Tao had not accumulated much wealth, and his storage bag contained few spirit stones.
Taiyi Immortal Sect Outer Disciple Mission Hall!
Every time he came here, Wu Tao couldn't help but marvel at its grandeur and magnificence.
Stepping into the hall, Wu Tao looked up.
The hall, filled with over a thousand people, still felt vast and empty.
The floor of the hall was paved with a single piece of hundred-year-old warm jade.
Along the walls on both sides stood nine towering pillars of refined iron, their color a dark green, each carved with a dragon soaring through the clouds.
In urgent need of a large number of sect contribution points, Wu Tao quickly walked towards a jade tablet made entirely of thousand-year-old warm jade.
Looking down from it, the tasks were arranged from easiest to most difficult.
The first mission displayed on the jade tablet was a planting task in the sect's internal spirit herb garden, tending to over fifty Fire Sun Spirit Flower trees, meticulously caring for them to maintain their spirituality, and submitting five thousand fruits annually.
Task Difficulty: "One star."
Annual Contribution Points: "Thirty contribution points."
...
Wu Tao glanced at it and shook his head, directly abandoning the first mission. Although it had no difficulty, thirty contribution points per year was simply too little.
Such tasks were suitable for newly initiated disciples with shallow cultivation and limited combat ability, not for him, a top expert who dual-cultivated body and spirit and ranked among the top hundred among tens of thousands of outer disciples in overall combat power.
"Planting Mission: Carefully tend to one mu of ordinary ginseng field, ensuring all ginseng maintains its spiritual essence. Mission Difficulty: One star. Five contribution points per month."
"Ore Mission: Go to a small spirit stone mine and continuously mine spirit stones daily under the supervision of the overseers. Mission Difficulty: Two stars. Ten contribution points per month."
"Spirit Beast Care Mission: Go to the Spirit Beast Garden and care for a flock of Crested White Cranes, ensuring their health and spiritual vitality. Mission Difficulty: Two stars. Fifteen contribution points per month..."
"Talisman Mission: Within the specified time each month, refine one hundred low-grade talismans, ensuring their completeness and efficacy. Mission Difficulty: Moderately difficult, three stars. Thirty contribution points per month."
"Maintenance Mission: Repair at least three damaged mid-grade magical artifacts per month, ensuring they are flawless. Mission Difficulty: Three stars. Thirty contribution points per month.
"Spirit Beast Care Mission: Care for a lively, fiery red, Qi Refining stage Crimson Fur Purple Striped Marten. It must not sustain any injury during this period. Requires careful and meticulous attention. Mission Difficulty: Moderately difficult, three stars. Thirty-six contribution points per month.
"Artifact Refining Mission: The Artifact Refining Hall is in need of an industrious apprentice. Requirements: honest, capable, diligent, and eager to learn. Mission Difficulty: Moderately difficult, three stars. Thirty-five contribution points per month."