Chapter 100

"Since you are a smart person, I rarely see someone as young as you who can let things go so easily. So, I will speak frankly to you. Your talent is actually very poor. Normally, reaching the Foundation Establishment stage would be the limit. I don't know why the Treasure Gathering Pavilion favors you, but since they do, it means you must have something extraordinary. So, I hope you don't disappoint me!" After Lin Haoming took the blood oath, Tao Mengrong clearly felt much more at ease.

Lin Haoming looked at the stunningly beautiful woman, who had an extra touch of grace compared to Xie Ruolan, and respectfully said, "I won't disappoint myself either. I also hope to walk further on the path of the Great Dao."

"It's good that you have this mindset. I noticed you seemed very interested in the 'Heavenly Demon Art' before. Now, only I have the complete version. As long as you follow my arrangements, I will teach it to you. You can start cultivating this introductory technique now or after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, it's up to you!" Tao Mengrong threw back the cultivation technique she had taken from Lin Haoming.

Lin Haoming took the jade slip containing the cultivation technique and immediately put it away, then cautiously asked, "I wonder what I should do in the sect from now on?"

"Do what? Your cultivation is too low right now, so you don't need to do anything. Come find me after you reach the Foundation Establishment stage. At that time, you will have your rewards. As long as you serve me wholeheartedly, what you can get will definitely be more than what you could get in the Blood Refinement Sect. You should have seen Mu You's wealth. Of course, you must at least ensure your own safety. As long as you are alive, I will give you some help. If you are dead, naturally, you will have nothing. Do you understand?"

Tao Mengrong spoke with a tone of enticement, but her words, though promising a seemingly bright future, still gave a sense of coldness and ruthlessness.

Although both were beautiful women, Xie Ruolan, despite often getting angry and scolding him, even making him take risks, seemed like a bodhisattva in comparison to this woman. Although Lin Haoming didn't like this woman, since she asked, he could only respectfully nod in agreement.

"This is a Nourishing Essence Pill. It will be very helpful for your current condition. Consider it a reward for your understanding. Stay here and recover for two days, then return to the sect. Don't come to me until you reach the Foundation Establishment stage!" Tao Mengrong, seeing that Lin Haoming had agreed, threw a green pill at him.

Just as Lin Haoming was about to thank her, Tao Mengrong had already disappeared, and he didn't even know how she left.

Although she was gone, Lin Haoming still felt a heavy pressure, as if a pair of eyes in the darkness were staring at him, making him very uncomfortable.

Looking at the green pill in his hand, Lin Haoming didn't hesitate and swallowed it.

Lin Haoming had long heard of the Nourishing Essence Pill, a precious pill that nourishes the essence and blood. It was extremely valuable, costing two to three thousand spirit stones, and was not something a Qi Condensation stage cultivator could afford. Now, the other party had casually given it to him, showing how skilled they were at using both threats and enticements.

After taking the Nourishing Essence Pill, Lin Haoming immediately felt a warm sensation spread throughout his body. The warmth naturally spread from his abdomen, making him feel very comfortable.

Two days later, Lin Haoming's body had recovered to about eighty percent, and his essence and blood had been largely replenished. At least he wouldn't need to spend a lot of time recuperating when he returned, which was a great benefit for him.

On the way back to the sect, nothing unexpected happened.

When he reached the second level, he headed straight for his cave dwelling. Before he even landed at the entrance, he saw a crowd gathered outside.

Someone shouted, "Lin Haoming is back!"

Suddenly, many people surrounded Lin Haoming, who had just landed.

Lin Haoming looked at the people surrounding him with confusion and asked, "Everyone, what brings you to my cave dwelling?"

"Junior Brother Lin, didn't you know that Wu Hongfei came to challenge you?" Mei Zheng, who had previously competed with Lin Haoming for this cave dwelling, suddenly asked.

Seeing Mei Zheng's puzzled expression, Lin Haoming also asked, puzzled, "Wu Hongfei came to challenge me? Could you please explain, Senior Brother Mei?"

"Yesterday, Wu Hongfei from the outer sect came to your cave dwelling and challenged you. Since you weren't there, he waited for a whole day. When he realized you weren't coming back, he left a challenge letter!" Mei Zheng pointed to the entrance of the cave dwelling.

Lin Haoming pushed through the crowd and walked over. Indeed, he saw a line of words on the ground at the entrance of the cave dwelling: "Seven days later, we will fight to the death on the Life and Death Platform. If you are a coward, move out of the cave dwelling!"

The words were clearly carved with sword qi, clearly indicating that Wu Hongfei was determined to force him into a corner, leaving no room for escape.

Lin Haoming had long known that Wu Hongfei would come for him, but he thought it would take at least half a year for Wu Hongfei to recover from his injuries. How could he have recovered in just three to four months? This left Lin Haoming somewhat unprepared.

After careful consideration, he realized that he couldn't avoid this. The best course of action would be to defeat Wu Hongfei on the Life and Death Platform. However, Wu Hongfei was not an ordinary cultivator and had a talisman treasure. Using the Heaven-Burning Mirror talisman treasure might be able to defeat him, but Lin Haoming's essence and blood had not fully recovered. If he used it again, he might damage his foundation, which would be disastrous given his already poor talent.

Lin Haoming suddenly felt a headache. In seven days, he would probably only recover to about eighty percent of his previous strength.

Moving out of the cave dwelling was something Lin Haoming would never do. It seemed he had no choice but to face the challenge head-on, but how much of a chance did he really have?

"Worried!" This was the only word left in Lin Haoming's mind.

At that moment, a transmission talisman suddenly flew toward him. Lin Haoming caught it and found that it was from Xie Ruolan.

Seeing this, Lin Haoming didn't hesitate and headed straight for the market, leaving the crowd of onlookers behind.

When he arrived at the market, Lin Haoming walked into the shop and saw Xie Ruolan talking to Bao Wenliang.

Seeing Lin Haoming, she stopped talking to Bao Wenliang and walked into the inner room.

Lin Haoming followed her in, understanding her intention.

"Aunt Xie!" Lin Haoming called out.

Xie Ruolan immediately waved her hand and said, "I don't have much time this time. How is the task I assigned you going?"

"The items you need, I have collected about eighty percent. There are still a few missing. I think the Treasure Gathering Pavilion should have them. Should I buy some?"

"No rush. Continue collecting the remaining items. I will give you another six months. If you can't find them within six months, then buy them from the Treasure Gathering Pavilion," Xie Ruolan instructed.

Lin Haoming hesitated and said, "If I am still alive after seven days, I will definitely complete this task."

"What's wrong?" Xie Ruolan asked, surprised by Lin Haoming's sudden statement.

"It's that Wu Hongfei. He has challenged me to a fight to the death on the Life and Death Platform in seven days!" Lin Haoming began to vent his frustrations to Xie Ruolan.