Lu Tao called everyone over and led them into the safe house.
then.
Lu Tao activated the formation to block out the outside world's view, and handed out storage rings to everyone, saying, "Everyone, you all contributed a lot of materials when you were refining the cave dwelling. Now that the cave dwelling is not being used, I can't return all the materials exactly the same to you. I can only give you some materials of the same grade. I hope you can understand."
"Brother Lu, there's no need for that. If it weren't for you, we would probably have perished at the hands of the demons and monsters."
"That's right. It's already lucky enough to have survived, and we've even improved our talent and comprehension. We should thank Brother Lu for that."
"Indeed, it's just some mere materials, Brother Lu need not worry about it."
Everyone instinctively refused.
They were all just innate masters or grandmasters before. They knew that they survived the schemes of the demon and monster races entirely because of Lu Tao.
Even if they didn't use the cave to escape, everyone still came out ahead.
Not only did they survive, but they also improved their talent and comprehension, found other things within the secret realm, and no longer had to wander the void...
All things considered, everyone is actually getting a good deal.
Therefore.
Previously, no one had mentioned the materials, nor had they considered asking Lu Tao to return them.
"Please accept these, everyone," Lu Tao said with a slight smile, insisting that they accept them.
The group exchanged glances and decided not to refuse.
Upon closer examination, it becomes clear that Lu Tao has gained a great deal, so he doesn't need these materials.
This time.
Lu Tao slew nearly ten thousand Innate Realm cultivators, more than five thousand Grandmasters, and over a thousand Divine Platform Perfection cultivators from the demon and monster races. The extent of his gains was unimaginable.
Therefore, everyone put away their rings.
However, Lu Tao is temporarily unable to repay Su Peng for the two first-class materials.
The reason why Lu Tao was so frustrated was that after He Yuanshuang and Wu Ming sorted through the storage treasures of the demon and monster races, they did not find a single first-level material.
In response, Su Peng said that he happened to need Lu Tao's help with something, so he would consider the two pieces of first-level materials as an advance payment to Lu Tao.
Lu Tao was slightly surprised, nodded silently, and did not ask what it was about for the time being.
"Gentlemen, if you have any other cultivation techniques, you may trade with me."
After returning the materials, Lu Tao set his sights on the cultivation technique again.
Lu Tao even opened the safe house and asked other powerful figures from the Divine Platform, wanting to trade some cultivation techniques with them as well.
Such opportunities are rare.
Upon hearing this, many powerful figures from the Divine Platform were moved and joined in.
now.
The secret realms of the demon and monster races have been destroyed, and the Great Gan Secret Realm has also self-destructed because of the demon and monster races, inevitably leading to a great war between them.
Furthermore, before they entered the secret realm, the border region had already been at war with other countries for three days.
Given such a tense situation, the future of Da Gan is uncertain.
If they could exchange their cultivation techniques for materials, pills, treasures, etc., that they needed to improve their cultivation and strength, they would be very willing.
Especially since Lu Tao didn't limit the grade of the cultivation technique, even exchanging Yellow-grade and Profound-grade techniques, everyone was even happier.
In an instant.
The safe house was bustling with activity, as everyone was exchanging cultivation techniques with Lu Tao.
Lu Tao called out He Yuanshuang and Wu Ming, and asked Kong Xin, Kong Hao, Zhao Miaotong, Su Peng and others to come and help.
With only a few hours left in the secret realm, complete the cultivation technique transaction.
The Divine Platform experts can be considered high-level cultivators in the martial arts world. They have a lifespan of over a thousand years, have experienced a lot, and naturally have acquired many cultivation techniques.
In particular, there are countless Yellow-rank and Profound-rank cultivation techniques.
As for Heavenly Rank cultivation techniques, he had been able to acquire quite a few from Grandmasters before, and this time he would naturally acquire even more, even incomplete ones, which Lu Tao would not refuse.
that's all.
Lu Tao used the numerous materials he obtained from the demon and monster races to continuously exchange with the others...
During the exchange of cultivation techniques, the Ninth Prince suddenly transmitted his voice to him, saying, "Brother Lu, may I ask if you have any extra Dust-Removing Grass? Our royal family is willing to buy it at a high price."
Not only the Ninth Prince, but also some other deities sent him telepathic messages, secretly inquiring about his whereabouts.
Obviously.
Everyone guessed that the demon and monster races had looted all the good stuff in their respective secret realms, and these things had basically fallen into Lu Tao's hands. He must have a lot of Dust-Removing Grass in his possession.
These altars are all from various powerful forces, and they are being purchased from Lu Tao on behalf of their respective factions.
In response, Lu Tao said, "I haven't had time to organize them yet. However, if I have any extra Dust-Clearing Grass, I will refine it into pills for auction. You are all welcome to participate in the bidding."
Upon hearing this, everyone felt somewhat helpless.
Lu Tao's words were undoubtedly a veiled rejection.
That makes sense. Lu Tao himself is the head of a sect with a huge sect. How could he possibly have extra Dust-Clearing Grass?
Everyone could only sigh with regret, but they didn't insist and continued exchanging techniques.
In the blink of an eye, three hours had passed.
The transaction of cultivation techniques has finally come to an end.
Lu Tao did a quick count, and the cultivation techniques he had exchanged, all of different grades, totaled a staggering one million books.
"The cultivation techniques are sufficient; we are now just waiting for the disciples' cultivation levels to improve."
Lu Tao smiled with satisfaction. With these techniques, the foundation of his main cultivation method became even more solid after he integrated them.
Perhaps, even if the cultivation technique is only at the Earth Rank, its effects and power can be comparable to the Heaven Rank. And once it is upgraded to the Heaven Rank, the effects will be even more...
Thinking of this, Lu Tao couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.
——
After exchanging cultivation techniques, everyone else left the safe house and waited for the secret realm to end.
Lu Tao then kept Su Peng behind and asked curiously, "Brother Su, what kind of help are you referring to?"
Upon hearing this, Su Peng hesitated for a moment, glanced at Zhao Miaotong, Mu Yihan, Kong Hao, and the others, and seemed to want to say something but held back.
See here.
Kong Hao, Mu Yihan, Zhao Miaotong, and the others all wisely left the safe house. Even Kong Xin, He Yuanshuang, and Wu Ming left as well.
I was quite curious about what Su Peng wanted to say, and why he was being so mysterious.
After everyone left, Su Peng said, "Brother Lu, I need you to protect me once."
"Guardian?"
Lu Tao was somewhat surprised. He hadn't expected that what Su Peng was talking about was such a thing. But why would a mere protector need to send the others away?
Especially considering that Su Pengcai is only at the Innate Perfection Realm, it seems far too generous of a mere Dharma Protector to offer only two Level 1 materials as a reward.
"What specific protector are you referring to?" Lu Tao asked.
Su Peng did not answer, but instead took out a parchment scroll and handed it to Lu Tao, saying, "Brother Lu, you will understand after reading this."
Lu Tao was slightly taken aback.
Curious, Lu Tao took the parchment scroll and scanned it with his divine sense. His expression changed drastically, and he looked at Su Peng with a complicated gaze, saying, "Brother Su, you trust me far too much."
The parchment scrolls contain a lot of information, but in general, they only concern one thing.
That means shattering your core and rebuilding your cultivation!
Destroy your own dantian, causing your cultivation level to drop to the fourth level of body refinement, and then start cultivating again. The purpose is only one thing—marrow refinement!
The parchment scroll also records some rare and precious materials, elixirs, and other items needed for rebuilding a broken elixir.
Su Peng entrusted me with something so important without any reservations.
To be honest, Lu Tao really admired Su Peng's courage.
No wonder he sent the others away.
Such a thing is needed by any powerful force, and once exposed, it is indeed easy to attract covetousness, thus bringing great disaster to Lu Tao.
"I naturally trust Brother Lu's character."
Su Peng laughed and said, "To be honest, I am just a rogue cultivator and I really don't have anyone else I can trust more. Only Brother Lu can make me entrust my life to you. Moreover, among the people I know, only you have the strength to protect me."
Rebuilding one's core after shattering it is not easy.
The process is not only extremely painful, but also extremely dangerous; a slight misstep could lead to certain death.
The two first-tier materials and the parchment scroll that Su Peng obtained came from the hiding place of a cultivator who perished during the process of rebuilding his core.
If no one protects him, even if Su Peng is well prepared, his life will be in danger.
This time, if he hadn't befriended Lu Tao, he really wouldn't have known who to choose as his protector.
After all, the parchment scroll was too important; he really couldn't trust anyone else.
Su Peng believed that Lu Tao would not refuse his request, not only because of the high price of two first-grade materials, but also because of the value of the parchment scroll itself.
Su Peng felt that Lu Tao should also be able to use the method of shattering the core to rebuild the body.
After all, Lu Tao also has relatives and friends.
During his time in the secret realm, he slew so many demons and monsters, which must have yielded a considerable amount of Dust-Clearing Grass. If any of his relatives or friends have already reached the Innate Realm, they can also rely on the Shattered Core to rebuild their cultivation and reach the Marrow Refining Realm.
but.
To his surprise, Lu Tao's face did not show the surprise he had expected; he was only somewhat shocked by the method of shattering the core and rebuilding.
Little did he know that, apart from Kong Xin, the other members of the Immortal Sect were either not yet at the Innate Realm or were all at the Marrow Refining Realm. Therefore, the sheepskin scroll did not actually provide much help to Lu Tao.
Of course, this does not negate the value of the parchment scrolls.
Therefore, Lu Tao smiled and said, "Brother Su, rest assured, I will ensure your safety."
"Thank you, Brother Lu."
Su Peng clasped his hands in thanks, and breathed a sigh of relief.
Lu Tao nodded, silently watching Su Peng as if waiting for something. But after a while, Su Peng didn't make any further requests, so Lu Tao asked curiously, "Brother Su, you... could it be that you've found the Dust-Removing Grass?"
Originally, Lu Tao thought that Su Peng would probably ask for a dust-removing herb after handing over the parchment scroll to him.
After all, he could tell at a glance that Su Peng's aptitude was only of medium quality, not top quality.
Two requirements for the Marrow Refining Realm.
First, the qualifications must be top-notch.
Secondly, one must fully comprehend at least one body-refining technique of the lower-grade level or above.
However, Su Peng made no mention of the Dust-Removing Grass, which shows that he already had it himself.
Sure enough, Su Peng took out a Dust-Removing Grass and said, "Not bad, I'm lucky to have found one in the secret realm. After I improve my aptitude, I can give the root to Brother Lu."
"..."
Lu Tao was speechless.
Su Peng had given his all to reach the Marrow Refining Realm, and it was truly worth it.
Looking at Su Peng, Lu Tao's expression suddenly changed, and he said, "Brother Su, you just said that you are a rogue cultivator, so how did you obtain a spot in the secret realm?"
Su Peng didn't understand what Lu Tao meant by asking this, but he still explained, "There are a total of 6,000 spots in the secret realm. Some sects have obtained spots, but their disciples are not strong enough, so entering the secret realm would be a waste, and there is also a risk to their lives. Therefore, they put the spots up for auction, and I was lucky enough to obtain one."
"Obtaining the parchment scroll, bidding for a spot in the secret realm, finding the Dust-Removing Herb... the process must have been difficult, right?" Lu Tao asked.
Upon hearing this, Su Peng couldn't help but sigh, "It's indeed not easy, but that's just how it is for rogue cultivators."
As he spoke, Su Peng shook his head helplessly.
As independent cultivators, they have to rely on themselves for everything, and the difficulties they face are hard for those in sects to understand.
"So, do you have any plans to join a sect?"
Lu Tao looked at Su Peng with a slight smile.
Su Peng was stunned upon hearing this, then his eyes widened suddenly, and he asked excitedly, "Brother Lu, is the Immortal Sect willing to accept me?"
Lu Tao smiled and said, "As long as you are willing, you can certainly join the Immortal Sect."
"Yes, Su Peng is willing!"
Su Peng stood up excitedly, then respectfully bowed to Lu Tao as a disciple, saying, "Su Peng, disciple of the Immortal Sect, greets the Sect Master!"
How could Su Peng not agree?
He didn't know much about the Immortal Sect, but just Lu Tao, He Yuanshuang, Wu Ming, and Kong Xin were enough.
These four people will surely become martial gods in the future.
This shows how powerful and influential the Immortal Sect will be in the future.
He would naturally be willing to join such a sect.
Especially Lu Tao, the sect leader of the Immortal Sect, whose character and personal courage are far beyond what ordinary people can match. He believes that under Lu Tao's leadership, the Immortal Sect will definitely become a prestigious sect.
They are revered by the world.
"Okay, get up."
Lu Tao nodded, helped Su Peng up, and said, "From now on, you are a disciple of the Immortal Sect. The Immortal Sect doesn't have many rules. As long as you don't do evil or betray the Immortal Sect, that's fine."
"Yes, Sect Master, Su Peng swears that he will never betray the Immortal Sect!" Su Peng solemnly swore an oath in front of Lu Tao.
Lu Tao was very satisfied with this.
Lu Tao's decision to recruit Su Peng into the Immortal Sect was also a spur-of-the-moment decision.
A first-tier rogue cultivator can obtain level one materials, along with the method of shattering the core and rebuilding, and with only the Innate Realm, can obtain a precious spot in a secret realm without being snatched away by others, and also find the Dust-Clearing Grass within the secret realm...
These few things alone show that Su Peng is a person blessed with great fortune, and even if he doesn't join the Immortal Sect, his future achievements will certainly be remarkable.
Similarly, Su Peng's survival skills, or rather, his self-protection skills, are also quite strong.
Lu Tao was willing to help such a person so that he could go further and achieve greater things in the future.
Su Peng's Dust-Removing Grass was only a mid-grade Dust-Removing Grass. Even if it was refined into a pill, he could only improve its aptitude to the highest grade at most, which would be a waste.
Lu Tao can collect it, upgrade it, and raise its aptitude to the Heavenly Grade. Even its roots can be used to cultivate two more Transcendent Grasses, creating two more geniuses with Heavenly Grade aptitude.
This is equivalent to gaining three more disciples with top-tier aptitude. Why not?
In addition, Su Peng's experience as a rogue cultivator can be shared with other disciples of the Immortal Sect, letting others know the cruelty of the martial arts world.
after all.
Among the Immortal Sect members today, Chen An is the one with the most experience in adventures, but he was only at the Bone Forging Realm before.
With Su Peng joining, at least the other disciples of the Immortal Sect can gain more survival experience in the martial arts world.
In short, getting Su Peng to join the Immortal Sect was a sure win.
"Let's go, the time for the secret realm is almost up."
After dealing with Su Peng's matter and calculating the time, Lu Tao realized that the secret realm was about to end, so he took Su Peng away from the safe house and waited for the end time to arrive.
Buzz—
Not long after, the secret realm ended, and spatial ripples appeared in front of everyone, with a powerful suction force emerging and sucking everyone in one by one.
Even someone as powerful as Lu Tao was powerless to resist this suction force.
The next moment.
Everyone disappeared into the secret realm...
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