Nine Heavens Martial Emperor

Hearing Wu Kui’s words, Lin Hao’s gaze hardened.

’The sect requested five Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pills, and right now, they’re all on me. No wonder Wu Taichu said to exchange the rewards tomorrow.’

’Also, one of the three Grand Elders was missing today. He must have gone to procure the pills.’

At this thought, Lin Hao said no more and headed for Heaven-Stepping Peak.

’Now that he had the Nine Dragon Flower, he could combine it with the Spirit Grass from the nourishing Spirit Field to refine a pill. If he could witness the formation of the Nine Dragon Children, then he would only need two Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pills.’

"Senior Brother, I might not know how to make the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pill, but I can refine the Body Forging Blood Coagulation Pill. I could give you a pointer or two," Wu Kui chattered on endlessly from behind Lin Hao.

In Wu Kui’s eyes, Lin Hao’s silence was a clear sign of guilt.

How could Wu Kui possibly let Lin Hao go so easily?

With a flicker of his body, Wu Kui once again blocked Lin Hao’s path.

Lin Hao couldn’t be bothered with him. He activated the Ghostly Divine Step, his figure moving as fast as a thunderbolt.

"The Heaven-Stepping Step!"

Seeing Lin Hao’s footwork, Wu Kui cried out in shock and gave chase...

Meanwhile, atop Heaven-Stepping Peak, the atmosphere was fraught with tension.

When Wu Taichu heard the sect’s bells ring, he thought something major had happened and rushed back to Heaven-Stepping Peak with two of the Grand Elders.

But upon his return, there was no sign of an external invasion. Instead, all eight Peak Masters were present, and Qin Tianlong had even brought his newly accepted disciple, Chu Sheng.

In the square before Heaven-Stepping Peak, countless Sect Disciples were slowly dispersing.

"Qin Tianlong, you’ve gone too far! The great sect bell should only be rung when we are facing an external enemy!" one of the elders exclaimed, his face flush with anger as he watched the departing Sect Disciples.

Qin Tianlong remained unmoved, turning the accusation back on them. "The sect is on the verge of life and death, yet the Sect Leader and the elders aren’t leading by example in their cultivation. Instead, they’re strolling around the sect with a disciple. That’s a bit hard to justify, wouldn’t you say?"

"You..." The elder was fuming.

"If the Sect Leader isn’t going to cultivate, perhaps he should consider giving up Heaven-Stepping Peak. The Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi here can accelerate our cultivation. You know, when it’s time for the real showdown with the Suo Demon Sect, we’re the ones who have to stick our necks out."

The Heaven-Stepping Sect had a rule: the eight Peak Masters each occupied their own peak and could freely allocate resources, but if an external enemy appeared, they had to be the first to face the charge.

"So, you’ve come today to force my abdication?" Wu Taichu asked, his tone mild.

"Sect Leader, what are you saying? We only came because we heard the sect bells. You’ll have to ask Peak Master Qin about that," one of the Peak Masters said quickly with a laugh.

In truth, quite a few of the eight Peak Masters coveted the Sect Leader’s position. However, the Heaven-Stepping Sect was founded by the Emperor Venerable. Although it had declined, who could guarantee that the Emperor Venerable hadn’t left behind some hidden measures?

The current location of the Heaven-Stepping Sect was its ancestral land.

Although they were Peak Masters, they had no idea of the Heaven-Stepping Sect’s true foundations.

They might have had ideas, but none of them dared to make a real move.

The calmer Wu Taichu appeared, the more apprehensive they became.

Even Qin Tianlong’s eye twitched. He let out a dry laugh and said, "Sect Leader, you exaggerate. I am also thinking of the sect’s best interests. I came today to claim the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pill for my new Closed-door Disciple."

As soon as he said this, even Wu Taichu gave Chu Sheng a second look.

After all, Chu Sheng had been utterly humiliated on the God-Proving Platform. For Qin Tianlong not only to refrain from kicking him out but to even make him a Closed-door Disciple... ’This Chu Sheng must have some tricks up his sleeve.’

Speaking of the pill, Wu Taichu said coolly, "I already said to come and collect the reward tomorrow."

"My disciple was defeated by the Chief Disciple on the God-Proving Platform today, but he has turned his shame into courage. He needs that pill to break through his bloodline in the Regeneration Pool. He cannot wait until tomorrow," Qin Tianlong persisted.

"In my opinion, he should cultivate for a couple more days. Entering the Regeneration Pool now will do him no good," Wu Taichu said, glancing at Chu Sheng.

Qin Tianlong still shook his head. "That is his business and doesn’t require the Sect Leader’s concern. I must ask the Sect Leader to produce the pill that belongs to him."

"Qin Tianlong, do you have no respect for the Sect Leader? If he says tomorrow, then it’s tomorrow!" one of the elders snapped, seeing how aggressive Qin Tianlong was being.

Qin Tianlong’s eyes narrowed as a possibility occurred to him. A cold sneer appeared on his face. "The Sect Leader is unwilling to produce the pill... Could it be that you’ve already given it to that brat to break through his bloodline?"

At these words, all the other Peak Masters turned their gazes to Wu Taichu.

Last night, some Peak Masters had sensed a disturbance from the Regeneration Pool on Heaven-Stepping Peak. Furthermore, one of the three Grand Elders had left the sect overnight. They figured the Chief Disciple must have used up the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pills, and the elder had rushed to the Danling Sect to procure more.

Seeing their expressions, Wu Taichu knew he couldn’t hide it. Just as he was about to speak, a voice rang out.

"The pill you want is right here."

Everyone followed the voice and saw a person striding toward them. Who else could it be but Lin Hao?

Lin Hao stopped, and with a flick of his hand, a pill shot out.

Qin Tianlong caught it, and without even looking, crushed it to dust.

"Hmph! Trying to fool me with a fake pill? Do you take me for a three-year-old child?" Qin Tianlong said with a cold sneer, casually scattering the powder.

Lin Hao saw this and was amused.

"Master, here are the pills you entrusted to me for safekeeping. I’m returning them to you now." Lin Hao took out the other four pills and handed them to Wu Taichu.

Qin Tianlong’s eyes widened. He was stunned.

"Peak Master Yu, since you are also here, you may as well take your disciple’s pill back with you," Wu Taichu said after accepting the pills. He then addressed the Peak Master who had kept his eyes closed the entire time.

This was the Peak Master of Celestial Qian Peak. The third-place examinee, Wei Feng, had been accepted as his disciple.

Peak Master Yu accepted the pill, his expression calm. He said faintly, "Thank you, Sect Leader."

The corner of Qin Tianlong’s mouth twitched violently. The pill he had just crushed was actually real.

Chu Sheng’s face was a mask of agony.

At this moment, Lin Hao didn’t forget to rub salt in the wound. "It’s just one pill. You don’t have to look like your parents just died. I hear you can exchange Contribution Points for these things."

Seeing Wu Kui arrive, panting, out of the corner of his eye, Lin Hao casually asked, "Junior Brother Wu, how many Contribution Points does it take to exchange for one Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pill?"

Wu Kui had just asked this question himself, but Lin Hao hadn’t responded, which still bothered him. Now, hearing Lin Hao suddenly ask, he was instantly reinvigorated and announced loudly, "One Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pill is worth ten thousand Contribution Points!"

"And how does one obtain these Contribution Points?" Lin Hao asked curiously.

’So what if he’s the Chief Disciple? He still has to ask me for information!’

A smug look appeared on Wu Kui’s face. "As long as you contribute to the sect, you can earn Contribution Points. For example, cleaning the entire sect gets you one point. Submitting the Demon Pill of a mature Tier One Devil Beast gets you five." 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

A mature Tier One Devil Beast’s strength was at least comparable to the Blood Coagulation Realm Fourth Layer, just like the Celestial Demon Pig Lin Hao had hunted before coming to the sect.

And he had only managed to hunt that because his physical body was incomparably powerful. An ordinary cultivator at the Third Layer of the Blood Coagulation Realm would have had to flee for their life.

This just went to show how precious the Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pill was.

"Even though you’re the Chief Disciple, your Contribution Points are currently at zero. You probably won’t be able to scrape together ten thousand points in your entire lifetime," Wu Kui said, gloating.

Lin Hao’s eyes narrowed. He glanced at Qin Tianlong and Chu Sheng, then smiled. "No rush, no rush."

Qin Tianlong and Chu Sheng’s faces turned green.

Crushing it with a casual flick of the wrist was stylish, but that was ten thousand Contribution Points.

If they had to earn them back one by one, when in the world would they ever reach that number?

’Why didn’t you just give the pill to the Sect Leader first? Why did you have to bring it over yourself!’

In that instant, Qin Tianlong’s and Chu Sheng’s hatred for Lin Hao surged to its absolute peak.

"Alright, you’ve received your rewards. You can all disperse," Wu Taichu said with a stern face, waving his hand.

He had crushed the pill with his own hand. Despite his unwillingness to accept it, what could Qin Tianlong do now? Even though he was filled with resentment, he couldn’t vent it. With an ashen face, he flicked his sleeves and stormed away.

The other Peak Masters also bid farewell to Wu Taichu and departed.

As soon as everyone was gone, Wu Taichu burst into loud laughter.

’What Grand Martial Uncle just did was so satisfying!’

Qin Tianlong had always opposed him. As the Sect Leader, Wu Taichu didn’t lower himself to his level, but that didn’t mean he was so magnanimous as to be completely unbothered.

Just today, Grand Martial Uncle had first crushed his arrogance on the God-Proving Platform, and now he had made him suffer another loss. It was hard for Wu Taichu not to be delighted.

"Mas... Lin Hao, take these pills. When the elder returns tonight, I’ll give you two more." After he finished laughing, Wu Taichu quickly stuffed the remaining three pills into Lin Hao’s hands.

Standing to the side, Wu Kui was dumbfounded.

He had just said that Lin Hao would never be able to scrape together ten thousand Contribution Points in his lifetime, and now his master was turning around and handing over three pills. And his expression... it was as if he was terrified Lin Hao wouldn’t accept them, with a hint of pleading in his eyes.

Wu Kui rubbed his eyes, wondering if he was hallucinating from a lack of sleep.

Then he saw Lin Hao calmly accept two of the pills and hand the last one back.

"Master, two of these pills are enough for me." Lin Hao wasn’t being coy; he truly needed them right now.

"No, no, no, you take this one. There will be more when the elder gets back tonight. Don’t worry, you’ll get all five pills, not one less."

’Are you kidding me?’ The astonishing scene of Lin Hao in the Regeneration Pool last night was still vivid in Wu Taichu’s mind. ’He is the hope of the sect! Others can go without pills, but he must have all five!’

Lin Hao felt a warmth in his heart and smiled. "Really, I don’t need it. I already have a foolproof plan."

"You really don’t need it? Why don’t you just take it? Even if you don’t use it now, you can use it later. It’s useless for me to hold onto it anyway," Wu Taichu persisted, not giving up.

Beside them, Wu Kui felt like his heart was being scratched by a cat.

’That’s a Dragon Tendon Tiger Bone Pill, not some common cabbage! How can Master just give it away so casually? And the worst part is, that guy isn’t even grateful!’

’Damn it, if you don’t want it, give it to me!’

Wu Kui roared internally. He opened his mouth several times, but in the end, couldn’t resist the temptation and asked weakly, "Master, if Senior Brother doesn’t want it, maybe... you could give it to me?"

"Xiaokui, how many Contribution Points do you have again?"

"Replying to Master, I was adopted by you as a child and have accumulated a total of nine thousand, eight hundred and thirty-eight Contribution Points."

When he was little, he served tea to his master. When he got older, he cleaned the sect. After awakening his bloodline, he hunted Devil Beasts with his fellow disciples. Now, he refines Tier One pills for the sect. Wu Kui had been contributing to the sect his entire life, but it still wasn’t enough to exchange for this pill.

Wu Taichu impassively took the pill back and encouraged him, "You’re just a little short. Keep it up!"

"Yes, Master." Wu Kui’s head drooped instantly. ’Comparing people is just infuriating.’