As the female cultivator finished speaking, several Enforcement Disciples in matching black robes filed in, spread out across the square, and began counting and recording the "spines" each disciple handed over.
Quite a few disciples had their excitement doused in an instant.
They had been forced to call for help after encountering Sacrificial-tier Natives, which invalidated their results under the rules. When rescued, they had rejoiced at surviving disaster; now, their hearts were ice-cold.
Chu Mo was nervous as well. When they encountered the Bone Vulture, quite a few members of his team had activated the distress signal in their Identity Tokens.
Normally, the entire team's results could be affected.
If my results get invalidated because of that... Servant Disciples don't have enough clearance to exchange for the later sections of the Dawncloud One-Qi Profound Cavern Scripture. Wouldn't I have to wait until the next assessment?
He instinctively looked up at the platform and happened to meet High Person Yuanbai's amused gaze. The man was watching him as though enjoying a good show.
Something stirred in Chu Mo's mind, and he seemed to understand.
Sure enough, an Enforcement Disciple walked up to him with an ordinary expression and motioned for him to hand over his haul.
Does this count as going through the back door? Chu Mo immediately relaxed. As long as his results had not been invalidated, he had nothing to fear.
Thanks to his scavenging near the Blood Ancestor Altar, he had "spines" in abundance.
Clatter!
Jade-like vertebrae poured from his Storage Bag. Once he emptied one bag, he switched to another.
At first, the Enforcement Disciple could still count them with an expressionless face.
But as the pile of jade-like vertebrae before Chu Mo grew higher and higher, nearly forming a small mountain, the disciple's calm gaze turned to surprise, then from surprise to stunned disbelief.
That was not all. After pouring out the vertebrae, Chu Mo began tossing the desiccated corpses of mid- and high-level Totem Warriors onto the ground, one after another.
These things had been strewn everywhere near the Blood Ancestor Altar, packed thickly across the ground.
If not for the limited capacity of his Storage Bags and the difficulty of revealing his [Backpack], he would have wanted to collect the low-level ones too.
"That's everything." Chu Mo tossed out the last desiccated corpse and spoke to the now-dumbstruck Enforcement Disciple.
"Oh, right." Only then did the Enforcement Disciple come to his senses and hurriedly count them.
Nearby disciples noticed the unusual scene and cast astonished looks his way, whispering among themselves.
"Who's that guy? How does he have so many spines?"
"Did he wipe out a few tribes or something?"
The discussion soon reached the ears of those who had been eliminated. Though they had been wallowing in dejection, they could not help looking over in curiosity.
"Isn't that Chu Mo from our team?" someone exclaimed.
"That's not fair! Why weren't his results invalidated?! I'm going to report him!" Another disciple immediately lost his composure.
"Are you crazy? Didn't you see him come back with a Foundation Establishment High Person?" A sharp-eyed companion hurriedly stopped him, finally getting him to calm down again.
His name has turned yellow again. Chu Mo withdrew his gaze. With a barely audible click of his tongue, he temporarily abandoned the idea of asking where the man lived and asked the Enforcement Disciple:
"Senior Brother, how does it look?"
The Enforcement Disciple raised his head and gave him several searching looks. "The desiccated corpses are badly damaged, so they'll have to be counted one grade lower. Everything else is fine."
With that, he collected the gleaming vertebrae scattered across the ground and headed straight to the next disciple to continue recording.
Once every disciple's Contribution Points had been calculated, the Enforcement Disciples quickly compiled the results and submitted them to the platform.
High Person Yuanbai took the jade slip, swept it with his Divine Sense, and raised his eyebrows. Then he flicked out a streak of spiritual light, which instantly transformed into an enormous screen suspended in midair.
The disciples' names began appearing on the screen one by one, along with their corresponding Contribution Points. Everyone fixed their eyes on it, holding their breath in concentration.
Names flashed across the screen, the numbers beside them constantly changing. Most Merit Values hovered between one hundred and three hundred points.
Those who reached more than three hundred points were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, often drawing hushed gasps and envious looks.
Yet when everyone saw the first-place name and the number beside it, the entire square instantly fell into an uncanny silence.
Chu Mo, one thousand one hundred and thirty-seven points.
After that brief silence, an uproar erupted!
"H-how many?!"
"Over a thousand points?"
Countless gazes mingling shock and jealousy landed on Chu Mo.
"The assessment is complete. All those named on the list are now Outer Disciples." Yuan Bai's voice was not loud, yet it easily drowned out the clamor.
The news allowed everyone to barely suppress their jealousy. Though Chu Mo had gained a great deal, had they not also successfully advanced to the outer sect?
Thinking this way improved their moods considerably. Especially when they saw their fellow disciples whose results had been invalidated, they felt all the more pleased. From now on, they would no longer walk the same road.
As the assessment results were announced, Chu Mo's gaze flickered slightly. In his vision, the labels above the listed disciples' heads changed from [Reserve Grunt] to [Grunt].
"Uh..." Chu Mo felt that advancing to the outer sect no longer seemed quite so exciting.
And... he looked around the rather empty square, which stood in stark contrast to how it had looked before they entered the Savage Realm.
Thousands had gone in, but barely more than a hundred had returned. The death rate was far too high. Moreover, a large portion had died and ended up in the Profound Soul Banner because help had not arrived in time.
"Those with outstanding results will receive rewards according to custom." Yuan Bai swept his gaze over the varied faces below the platform and continued, "Your individual reward details have been sent to your Identity Tokens. Check them yourselves, then present your tokens at the Merit Hall to claim them."
The moment he finished speaking, Chu Mo felt the Identity Token against his chest grow slightly warm. He immediately infused it with his Divine Sense to check:
[Assessment rewards:] [Reward one: Dharmic Treasure Spirit Embryo of your choice x 1 (Note: choose any from the first floor of the Treasure Artifact Pavilion in the Merit Hall)] [Reward two: Outer Disciple Cave Abode residency rights x 1 (Note: present your token at the General Affairs Hall to receive the corresponding Cave Abode Restriction Jade Token)]
"Spirit Embryo?"
Chu Mo looked at the first reward in puzzlement. He knew what a Dharmic Treasure was, but what was a Spirit Embryo? A preliminary form?
He saw that the platform was already empty, with the Foundation Establishment cultivators nowhere to be found.
After only a moment's thought, he strode briskly toward the Merit Hall. Whatever it was, would he not know once he saw it for himself?
There were few people coming and going inside the Merit Hall, but when Chu Mo displayed the information in his Identity Token, a Servant Disciple immediately guided him to the Treasure Artifact Pavilion at the rear.
As soon as he stepped onto the first floor, a middle-aged cultivator wearing gray steward's robes approached. "Junior Brother, are you here to claim your assessment reward and choose a Spirit Embryo?"
[Level 10 · Duo'e Sect Grunt]
"That's right." Chu Mo cupped his hands. "Sorry for the trouble, Senior Brother."
"No trouble at all." The gray-robed steward waved a hand. "You've come at just the right time, Junior Brother. There's one Spirit Embryo left in the pavilion. Had you come a little later, you'd probably have had to wait another few months."
As he spoke, he led Chu Mo inside, then suddenly asked, "Junior Brother, do you know the difference between a Dharmic Instrument and a Dharmic Treasure?"