Shen Haoran glanced at the terrified Niu Ben with disdain. He held out his hand and said coolly, "Niu Ben, wasn’t it? Do you remember our bet? Where’s your Points Token?"

At his words, Niu Ben’s heart trembled. He clutched the Points Token in his robes. It held twenty thousand Points—his entire savings. ’How could I possibly be willing to give it to Shen Haoran?’

"What, are you trying to go back on your word? Plenty of disciples saw what happened!" Shen Haoran’s brow furrowed as he spoke in a cold voice.

"Yeah, are you trying to back out?" Murong Wanqing, Ling Feng, and Han Xu all closed in. Niu Ben was the one who had begged Shen Haoran to bet with him. Now that he’d lost, he wanted to renege?

The four of them surrounded Niu Ben, questioning him sternly. Feeling the pressure of their combined presence, Niu Ben’s expression changed. He had no choice but to reluctantly hand his Points Token to Shen Haoran.

When they saw the number of Points on Niu Ben’s Token, Shen Haoran’s group was stunned. Twenty thousand Points! Ling Feng gave Niu Ben a strange look. ’Has this guy never spent any Points? How does he have so many? The most I’ve ever had was just a few thousand.’

Little did they know, Niu Ben had swindled all these Points from weaker disciples, just like he had tried to do today by threatening someone into a competition and a bet. But today, he had run into Shen Haoran and paid a heavy price. This was a classic case of trying to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it. He hadn’t gained anything and had ended up losing what he already had.

"You just wait!" Niu Ben snarled, his face dark as he watched the four of them marveling at his Points Token.

"What, you got a problem with it? Wanna go another round?" Shen Haoran swiped a hand, transferring the Points from Niu Ben’s Token to his own. He then casually tossed the now-empty Token back to Niu Ben.

Hearing Shen Haoran’s words, Niu Ben shuddered. He quickly snatched up his Points Token and, ignoring the ache in his heart, scurried away from the Slaughter Tower’s plaza.

"Haha, look at him, what a coward. For such a big guy, he’s got no guts. He only knows how to pick on the weak!" Murong Wanqing said with contempt as she watched Niu Ben’s retreating figure.

Shen Haoran chuckled, then asked Han Xu and Murong Wanqing for their Points Tokens. He transferred five thousand Points to each of them.

"Wow, Brother Haoran, you’re so generous!" Seeing the extra five thousand Points on her Token, Murong Wanqing’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Shen Haoran. She was one step away from jumping up and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"Hey, Wanqing, didn’t you place a side bet with someone earlier? That’s a nice chunk of Points, too!" Han Xu reminded her.

"Oh, right!" Murong Wanqing had been so happy she’d completely forgotten. But when she turned to look for the disciple, he was long gone.

"Damn it, he got away!" Murong Wanqing snorted.

"The Sect is only so big. He can’t have gone far. Come on, now that we have Points, should we go check out the other two ’great forbidden grounds’?" Shen Haoran said with a casual wave of his hand.

At the mention of fun, Murong Wanqing’s spirits lifted again, and she quickly put the previous matter out of her mind...

While Shen Haoran and his friends were enjoying themselves within the Celestial Spirit Sect, Third Elder Jun Luohua was sitting formally, face-to-face with a middle-aged man in the Sect’s main hall.

This man, dressed in fine robes, was none other than the Sect Leader of the Celestial Spirit Sect—Tian Ao.

"Third Elder, you said you want three slots for the Desert Ancient City expedition," Tian Ao asked with a frown.

"That’s right. I’ve recently taken on three new disciples, and I want them to go get some experience," Jun Luohua said unhurriedly.

"Third Elder, you actually took on disciples!" Tian Ao was taken aback. "That’s unbelievable," he said. It was well-known that the Third Elder preferred to be a loner. ’She’s taking disciples now?’

"Oh? Is there a rule against it?" the Third Elder said lightly.

"Oh, of course you can. It’s just that the Sect has a limited number of slots for the Desert Ancient City. If I were to give three of them away just on your word, it might be a bit... Even if I agreed, the Elder Council would not," Tian Ao said, looking troubled.

"Rest assured, you don’t need to just give them the slots. They will participate in the qualifying competition in two months," Jun Luohua said.

"Participate in the competition? But their strength would need to meet the standard for that. What tiers have your three disciples reached?" Tian Ao asked.

"One is a Tier Six Spirit Marquis, one is a Tier Four Spirit Marquis, and the last one is... a Tier One Spirit Marquis." Jun Luohua paused noticeably when she mentioned Shen Haoran.

"What? A Tier One Spirit Marquis? Third Elder, you can’t be joking with me!" Tian Ao was flabbergasted.

"Don’t worry. There’s more to his strength than meets the eye..." Jun Luohua took a slow sip of her tea and said lightly.

"But..." Tian Ao still looked unconvinced.

"Sect Leader, good news! Great news!" Just as Tian Ao was speaking, an old man burst into the hall from outside.

"Second Elder, what’s all the fuss?" Tian Ao asked, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Sect Leader, I have wonderful news to tell you!" The Second Elder’s aged face was filled with undisguised joy.

"What good news?" Tian Ao asked, puzzled.

The Second Elder picked up a cup of tea from the table, drained it in one gulp, and then laughed heartily. "Sect Leader, you’ll never guess! Just now, a disciple charged straight to the eighth floor of the Slaughter Tower in less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn!"

Hearing this, Tian Ao didn’t seem particularly surprised. "Are you talking about Xue Shitian?"

"No, it was someone else! And this disciple is only a Tier One Spirit Marquis!" the Second Elder said excitedly, shaking his head.

"A Tier One Spirit Marquis!" Hearing the Second Elder’s words, both Tian Ao and the Third Elder were stunned. They immediately exchanged a glance.

"Is that disciple named Shen Haoran?" Third Elder Jun Luohua asked softly.

Hearing the Third Elder’s question, the Second Elder paused and said, "How did you know, Third Elder?"

"That would be my newly accepted disciple," Jun Luohua said calmly, though she was inwardly shocked. ’I know about the Slaughter Tower in the Celestial Spirit Sect. Even I can’t see through it completely. For Shen Haoran to reach the eighth floor in such a short time... that’s completely beyond my expectations!’

"Third Elder, is that Shen Haoran really your disciple? If that’s the case, I can try to secure a slot for him," Tian Ao said immediately after hearing the exchange between the Second and Third Elders.

"However, they have only just joined the Sect. Even with his heaven-defying Talent, it will be difficult to convince the Elder Council. Therefore, I need them to do something for me. Consider it a way to shut those old geezers up," Tian Ao continued.

"What is it?" the Third Elder asked.

"Go and eradicate the Hehuan Sect!"