"Any other gains you obtain in the Savage Realm are yours to keep."
At those words, the thousands of disciples below caught their breath. That meant how much they earned depended entirely on their own abilities; the sect would not take a single coin.
Though he had heard the rumors, Chu Mo still found it hard to believe now that they had been confirmed.
A sect that even charged for identity tokens would actually give up squeezing profits from its disciples' otherworldly gains?
Specialties of the Savage Realm, such as premium redblood ore and Bloodline Fruits, were worth hundreds of Spell Coins within the sect!
Not charging an assessment fee or a gathering tax hardly seemed like the Duo'e Sect's style!
"No wonder they call otherworldly expeditions a great opportunity." Eagerness flickered in Chu Mo's eyes.
It was not that he was greedy. Spell Coins themselves were a precious resource, refined by Spirit Transformation Dao Lords through mighty Divine Abilities, and could aid cultivation.
The purity of their spiritual essence far surpassed even ordinary spiritual qi found in nature.
Sure enough, the disciples below grew wildly excited, especially those burdened with immense debts whose situations were as precarious as a stack of eggs. As long as they gained enough in the Savage Realm, none of that would be a problem.
The leading Foundation Establishment cultivator looked down at the fired-up crowd and nodded slightly. Without further words, he began casting alongside the other Foundation Establishment High Persons.
Space in the center of the square warped violently. Countless silver runes slowly revolved, and a swirling gateway wide enough for several people to pass through together gradually formed, radiating unstable spiritual light.
An ancient, savage aura faintly drifted from the other end of the passage, as though enormous beasts were roaring and the winds of the wilderness were howling.
"What's this?" Chu Mo stared at the vortex, and a special information label appeared.
[Map: Ruined Savage Realm] [Recommended player entry level: 1-15]
"If you encounter surviving enemies at the Foundation Establishment level, you may request assistance through your identity token. The sect will come to your rescue, but your assessment results will be voided," the leading Foundation Establishment cultivator added, then swept his sleeve.
"The passage is open. The assessment begins. May your fortunes on the Dao flourish!"
The moment he finished speaking, the disciples, who could no longer contain themselves, immediately unleashed their various methods and surged into the swirling gateway, scrambling to be first lest a moment's delay cost them every opportunity.
Ying Le looked excitedly at Chu Mo. "Brother Chu, let's hurry inside too." He still had not given up on recruiting him.
Chu Mo remained composed and replied with a hint of apology, "Go ahead, Brother Ying. I'll be along shortly."
Ying Le gave him a long look, said, "See you later," and pulled Chu Yao and Zhang Meng into the passage.
Only when the crowd had thinned did Chu Mo slip in among the stragglers and step into the vortex.
On the raised platform, a Foundation Establishment cultivator teased his fellow sect member beside him. "Senior Brother Chen, how many do you think will pass this time?"
The cultivator addressed as Senior Brother Chen smiled faintly. "One or two in ten, perhaps. After all, the Savage Realm is quite dangerous for them now. What do you think, Qing Song?"
Qing Song watched the swirling passage and pondered for a moment. "At most... a hundred."
After all, the Savage Realm had once been a vast world capable of accommodating Nascent Soul True Lords.
Inside the passage, the world spun like the drum of a washing machine. The intense dizziness churned Chu Mo's stomach like storm-tossed seas.
Fortunately, the journey was brief, and moments later, his feet touched solid ground.
The instant he landed, the [Flame Sun Protection Talisman] already held in his palm activated. A crimson curtain of light enveloped him, and he slipped a Flesh-Regenerating Pill into his mouth at the same time.
Before Chu Mo could survey his surroundings, heavy panting came from behind, and a dark shape hurtled straight at his back.
Thud!
With a dull impact, the unknown creature bounced off the curtain of flame and let out a wail.
Chu Mo turned. An enormous wild boar covered in thick armor lay on its back, belly toward the sky. Only half of one tusk remained, its broken end pitch-black, as though scorched by fire.
Besides it, three slightly smaller boars were watching him like tigers eyeing their prey, their eyes blood-red.
[Level 2 · Stonearmored Boar (red name)] [Level 1 · Stonearmored Boar (red name)]
Chu Mo activated the Dust-Treading Art and swiftly retreated several yards, touching the [Flame Sun Protection Talisman] at his chest. "Good grief. If I hadn't put up my defenses beforehand, that would've hit me dead on."
Attacked the instant I landed. What rotten luck.
Chu Mo scanned his surroundings. The passage had already vanished, leaving him alone in the desolate wilderness.
The passage transported people to random locations. Unless they entered together, they would be sent to different places. That was also why Ying Le had invited him along.
The large Stonearmored Boar was struggling to rise when a streak of golden light flashed like lightning, piercing straight through its skull and leaving a deep hole.
[You killed a Level 2 · Stonearmored Boar (red name)]
Rather than showing fear at the sight, the remaining three boars' eyes grew even redder, and they lunged at him like mad things.
Whoosh!
Another streak of golden light shot past. After piercing the leading boar, it shifted slightly and continued unabated, skewering the remaining two as well.
[You killed a Level 1 · Stonearmored Boar (red name)]
"Why are they so aggressive?" Chu Mo frowned slightly and stepped forward to inspect them.
These wild monsters called Stonearmored Boars were covered in thick gray hide. Even the smallest stood as tall as two people, and from a distance, they resembled enormous stone sculptures.
Their tusks were like pillars, gleaming with a dazzling cold light. An ordinary Qi Refining Third Layer cultivator caught unprepared by a charge would certainly suffer serious injuries.
After studying them for a while, Chu Mo casually picked up the glowing orbs on the ground:
[Obtained [Broken Tusk] x1] [Obtained [Fine Tusk] x3]
As the notification sounded, the tusks on the four boar corpses disappeared.
Chu Mo took it in stride. He had long since grown accustomed to the rules of "drops"-they were not created out of thin air but taken directly from the prey itself.
They might be carried items, body parts, or even knowledge and skills the target possessed. Anything the other party had could potentially drop.
For instance, the skill books dropped from Qing Xi and Liu Xian had come from their knowledge.
After all, who would carry around cultivation manuals they had already mastered all day? If they lost them, they would practically be handing resources to the enemy.
With the threats eliminated, Chu Mo finally had a chance to examine the Savage Realm's environment closely.
A large chunk of the blazing sun overhead was missing, as though some terrifying creature had gnawed it away. It radiated an ominous aura.
Ancient trees everywhere, twisted vines, violent "spiritual qi"...
"Something's wrong!" Chu Mo murmured in surprise, noticing an anomaly.
The energy in this realm was extremely violent and seemed to carry some kind of malice. It could not be absorbed and refined normally at all.
His expression grew grave. This meant that any True Qi he expended could only be replenished with Spell Coins. Once those ran out, a cultivator would be unable to wield their original combat strength.
Though cultivators' bodies were far from weak, their true strength still depended on True Qi.
This was not what his gathered intelligence had said. During the previous assessment, the energy had been violent, but at least some of it could still be refined. Now the assessment's difficulty had climbed an entire tier.
Fortunately, he had prepared in advance and set aside plenty of Spell Coins. Otherwise, he would have been in danger this time.
Collecting himself, Chu Mo got his bearings and sped toward the area where, according to his intelligence, the natives might gather.