Chapter 43 Ruined

Lin Hao found a mountain cave and sat down cross-legged.

The energy rampaging inside his body was too severe to be suppressed at all.

He wasn't lying when he said he had been tricked by the mule.

Within that natural medicinal garden, there were some true rarities, and their age was not insignificant.

Take that red fruit, for instance; a normal Qi Sea Realm cultivator would burst apart and die from consuming even a single one, completely unable to withstand the impact of its violent energy.

With the way Lin Hao consumed them, let alone the Qi Sea Realm, even someone in the Element Awakening Realm would have been finished.

Cultivation was simply not practiced this way, nor were heavenly treasures consumed in such a manner.

Only Lin Hao's Supreme Body could dare to pull off such a stunt.

"What kind of bizarre constitution does that mule even have? He's not even afraid of eating himself to death."

Lin Hao muttered to himself, "Right, he can defecate while eating; that magical skill is something I simply cannot manage."

"The mule said I have the Supreme Body, so what am I afraid of? It seems I also possess this kind of potential."

Lin Hao thought to himself, "He was able to see through my Supreme Body at a single glance—he is definitely no ordinary character."

Lin Hao was currently filled with questions, but Elder Jiu refused to answer them for him, insisting on waiting until his cultivation realm advanced further before speaking.

He might as well accelerate his cultivation then, pushing through to the Element Awakening Realm first.

The identity of Master Tianbao could not be maintained for much longer, as the Hundred Sects Tournament would eventually expose it.

Lin Hao circulated his Supreme Divine Meridians and began frantically refining the energy within his body.

He had consumed far too many spiritual herbs this time, so Lin Hao decided to halt once he broke through to the fifth tier of the Qi Sea Realm.

The path of cultivation brooks no greed for rapid success; every single breakthrough requires solidifying one's foundation and heritage.

Once a situation of an unstable foundation arises, the path ahead becomes extremely difficult to walk.

This period of seclusion for Lin Hao lasted three days in the blink of an eye.

During these three days, several events had also transpired within the mystic realm.

The news of Master Tianbao entering the mystic realm spread like wildfire, circulating rapidly, and a massive wave of fanatical followers emerged among the disciples of the Ling Clan.

These individuals became fierce fanatical fans of Master Tianbao, searching everywhere for his silhouette in hopes of paying their respects in person.

Even talented disciples in the Element Awakening Realm disregarded the rules and ventured into the training grounds of the Qi Sea Realm disciples to catch a glimpse of Master Tianbao.

Such a situation was actually normal; young people naturally worship the strong, and a sixteen-year-old Nine-Pattern Alchemist was a miracle in and of himself.

Almost everyone was well aware that Master Tianbao's future achievements were destined to be extraordinary, potentially even surpassing the Pill King.

As the saying goes, make connections while you are still early.

To befriend Master Tianbao while he was still weak, and perhaps become peers of equal standing—such a connection meant a lifetime of smooth sailing.

Aside from this, the gold-grade holy herbs continued to rise in value and prestige.

Some people caught sight of the golden holy herbs during their treasure hunts, collected them as precious treasures, and casually took a couple of bites to taste the novelty.

Within three days, golden holy herbs were everywhere inside the mystic realm, right until someone on a treasure hunt discovered a short mule in the act of defecating out holy herbs.

In an instant, the entire mystic realm exploded in uproar.

Cries of rage and curses echoed everywhere.

Those disciples who had experienced this humiliation and trauma in the medicinal garden laughed louder and happier than anyone else.

With a tacit understanding, they kept the matter of the golden holy herbs to themselves, fearing that other people who stumbled upon them wouldn't take a couple of bites.

After all, how could such humiliation be enjoyed in solitude? That would simply be too selfish.

Suddenly, the short mule became the primary target for eradication, with experts organizing alliances whose sole purpose was to track down the movements of the short mule.

Yet the mule was far too cunning; not only did the Ling Clan disciples fail to capture him, but quite a few isolated disciples fell victim to the mule's malicious tricks.

Some were robbed down to their very undergarments, hiding stark naked inside the mountains and not daring to show their faces.

Many people completely broke down; a perfectly fine training expedition had been ruined by a mule that popped up out of nowhere.

No longer bothering to hunt for treasures, large groups of disciples gathered together to hunt down the mule.

Lin Hao emerged from his seclusion, having successfully advanced his cultivation to the fifth tier of the Qi Sea Realm. His eyes now shone like golden lanterns, radiating divine light, and his body was filled with an endless supply of strength.

Having advanced to the fifth tier of the Qi Sea Realm, Lin Hao wanted nothing to do other than find someone for a good fight to test out his current combat prowess.

"I think I need to find someone in the Element Awakening Realm to fight. The Qi Sea Realm holds no challenge anymore, unless it's those supreme prodigies standing above the Seven-Foot Dragon Gate."

Lin Hao thought to himself.

Stepping out of the mountains, he heard the news about the mule and immediately slapped his thighs in laughter.

"Elder Jiu is truly formidable indeed."

Lin Hao raised a thumbs-up. "If you're going to rob people, fine, but leaving them without even their undergarments is far too ruthless. I wonder if he targeted any female disciples."

The entire mystic realm was in utter chaos, and the scale and formation of the gathered Ling Clan disciples were growing larger by the day, leaving Lin Hao unable to even pull off sneak attacks.

Coupled with the fact that his identity had been exposed, the moment he showed his face he would be surrounded—just thinking about it was annoying.

"It seems the Ling Clan's training trip is about to be completely wrecked by that mule. What an absolute troublemaker."

Lin Hao shook his head helplessly.

Over the next few days, the mule kept appearing in various locations, causing massive commotions.

Hiding in the shadows, Lin Hao targeted isolated disciples, occasionally stepping out to deliver sneak attacks, pillaging and plundering. Since everything was blamed on the mule anyway, no one knew he was the one behind it.

At the same time, Lin Hao also discovered a reality: his own treasure-hunting ability was quite ordinary; without the mule following him around, finding decent heavenly treasures was exceedingly difficult.

Of course, it was also possible that this mystic realm simply didn't possess that many treasures to begin with, making that natural spiritual medicinal garden nothing short of a miracle.

The seven days of training time passed quickly, and the closed void gate opened once more.

"The training has ended. Everyone, leave the mystic realm immediately."

A voice echoed from within the void gate.

"Damn it, we still didn't catch that short mule."

"I'm furious! Let's head back first. Anyway, that mule can't escape the mystic realm; I'm going to petition the elders to organize an anti-mule extermination squad and come back in a few days."

"I still feel like throwing up right now, ugh..."

The Ling Clan disciples were on the verge of a mental breakdown, especially those who had eaten the golden holy herbs; their state of mind was practically shattered.

The mystic realm reopened, and all the disciples immediately departed, returning to the Ling Clan.

Outside, upon hearing about the short mule incident, several Ling Clan elders flew into an instant rage.

"Useless trash! Are you all pigs? With so many of you, you couldn't even capture a single mule?"

Stroking his beard in fury, the elder looked like a man with a volcanic temper. "You lot, immediately and spontaneously organize a team, go back inside tomorrow, capture that mule, and boil it in a stew!"

Lin Hao quietly returned to his quarters and firmly shut the door.

With all the Ling Clan disciples currently filled with righteous indignation over the mule, they probably wouldn't come to trouble him for the time being.

"There isn't much time left until the Hundred Sects Tournament. My undercover plan can also come to an end; I'll find an opportunity to leave in a few days."

Lin Hao thought to himself.

Swish!

The tightly shut door was suddenly blown open by a gust of wind, and a streak of white light burst in like lightning.

"Mule... Elder Jiu."

Lin Hao's eyes widened. Taking a stride forward, he hurriedly shut the door again.

If the Ling Clan people discovered that he and the mule were associated, it would be entirely impossible to explain.

"How did you find this place? Did anyone notice?"

Walking up to Elder Jiu, Lin Hao asked in a low voice.

"Who do you think Elder Jiu is? I go wherever I please."

Elder Jiu was radiant with pride and full of high spirits.

Without needing to think, the one who profited the most from this mystic realm training expedition was undoubtedly this short mule.

"Quickly, let's make a plan."

Elder Jiu said eagerly.

"What plan?"

Lin Hao scratched his head.

"The Heavenly Thunder Dojo, the Thunder-Attracting Stone."

Elder Jiu said, "You idiot, aren't you trying to pull the rug out from under the Ling Clan's feet?"