Zhao Qiankun was immensely pleased with himself—presenting such a haul of demon and monster trophies, he was sure he could eclipse Lu Yuan.

Lu Yuan, you are merely a stepping stone on my path to fame throughout the world.

Meng Bai couldn't help but worry secretly; however, he was powerless to assist at that moment.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, remained unhurried. "I do possess some trophies from the demons and monsters, though it seems my quantity is not substantial." He spoke this with a deliberate look of constraint, which only made Zhao Qiankun laugh harder. He felt certain this was the moment he could use Lu Yuan as a stepping stone; it was truly exhilarating.

With a slight movement, Lu Yuan began to present the Asura Horns. Just as he started, he produced a single one—pitch black, hard, and sharp, about the size of a finger. This was clearly an Asura Horn from the Qi Condensation stage.

When the first Qi Condensation Asura Horn appeared, a smile graced Zhao Qiankun’s face.

When the fifth Qi Condensation Asura Horn was revealed, Zhao Qiankun maintained his composure.

When the tenth Qi Condensation Asura Horn emerged, Zhao Qiankun’s expression was still quite steady.

By the time the twentieth Qi Condensation Asura Horn was displayed, Zhao Qiankun’s expression was decidedly less composed. Zhao Qiankun himself possessed only seventeen Asura Horns from the Qi Condensation stage; he hadn't anticipated Lu Yuan having so many.

When Lu Yuan produced the fortieth Qi Condensation Asura Horn, Zhao Qiankun’s face became a fascinating spectacle.

By the time Lu Yuan finally presented the sixtieth Qi Condensation Asura Horn, Zhao Qiankun’s complexion had taken on a greenish hue. Still, Zhao Qiankun managed to hold himself together. His greatest asset was the spoils inherited from a dying cultivator, which included eight Asura Horns from the Body Tempering stage. Surely, Lu Yuan, having only been underground for two months, couldn't possess more than he did.

Lu Yuan then moved on to the Body Tempering stage Asura Horns. This time, he immediately laid down eight Body Tempering Asura Horns with a sharp smack, stunning Zhao Qiankun into silence. But that was not the end; Lu Yuan produced sixteen more Body Tempering Asura Horns, bringing the total to twenty-four from that stage.

“Asura Horns”—sixty-seven from the Qi Condensation stage, twenty-four from the Body Tempering stage.” When the Demon Hunting Shopkeeper announced the final count of these trophies, Zhao Qiankun was utterly speechless. Those who had been preparing flattering speeches were now equally stunned into silence.

So many.

Zhao Qiankun had inherited the legacy of a Body Tempering Stage Seven cultivator to amass his collection of Asura Horns.

Who could have imagined that Lu Yuan's number of Asura Horns would nearly quadruple his own?

This disparity... it was truly the difference between heaven and earth.

However, Zhao Qiankun was not entirely ready to concede defeat. He had only lost on the metric of Asura Horns; perhaps in other trophies, he could prevail.

“Earth Demon Bone Spikes”—zero from the Qi Condensation stage…” This initial reveal only fanned the flames of Zhao Qiankun’s fading hopes, but the very next item immediately extinguished them.

“Fourteen Body Tempering stage Earth Demon Bone Spikes…” These were all acquired during the battle at the Seventh Branch, where Lu Yuan had faced only Body Tempering Earth Demons and annihilated them utterly, resulting in fourteen spikes. Zhao Qiankun possessed only three Body Tempering Earth Demon Bone Spikes.

In this category of trophies, even though Zhao Qiankun had more Qi Condensation Earth Demon Bone Spikes, the sheer count of the Body Tempering ones created a gap too vast to rationalize. In this contest of demon and monster spoils, Zhao Qiankun had once again suffered a crushing defeat.

“Sand Demon Bone Spikes”—twenty-one from the Qi Condensation stage, eight from the Body Tempering stage.” For the Sand Demon Bone Spikes, Lu Yuan’s count was again about four times Zhao Qiankun’s—an unbelievably large margin. Zhao Qiankun’s face had now sunk entirely; he had never anticipated losing so miserably in the initial rounds.

“Flame Pearls, thirteen units.” Flame Pearls, the crystallized cores from the Brow of the Flame Yaksha, were a highly valuable material. Zhao Qiankun had four of these; the difference was smaller, but still a factor of more than threefold.

“Earthwalker Spider Shells”—sixteen from the Qi Condensation stage, twelve from the Body Tempering stage.” Earthwalker Spider Shells were a critical component for refining defensive magical artifacts. In this category, Lu Yuan’s spoils outnumbered Zhao Qiankun’s by more than three times.

“Crimson Sand Swords”—twenty-one blades.” The number of Crimson Sand Swords exceeded Zhao Qiankun’s tally by more than four times.

“Swords of Earth, nine blades…” The quantity of Earth Swords was three times that of Zhao Qiankun.

“Earthwalker Spider Soldier Weapons, eighty-eight units.” While Earthwalker Spider Soldier Weapons weren't exceptionally valuable, eighty-eight was a massive count compared to Zhao Qiankun’s meager twenty-one. These weapons were always numerous because the creatures fought supported on two legs while wielding eight weapons with their six limbs.

“Asura Bone Sabers,” thirty-one units.” This was the only category where Lu Yuan’s yield did not vastly surpass Zhao Qiankun’s.

“Sand-element Mid-grade Spirit Beasts, ten; Small-grade Spirit Beasts, sixty-one.” This spirit beast count was astonishing.

“Earth-element Mid-grade Spirit Beasts, seven; Small-grade Spirit Beasts, seventeen.” The number of Earth-element spirit beasts was equally staggering.

By the time the trophy comparison reached this point, Lu Yuan had far surpassed Zhao Qiankun in both quantity and quality, winning by an insurmountable margin. Then, Lu Yuan produced one more item. Upon seeing it, even the Demon Hunting Shopkeeper gasped: “What! Blood Pearls! Blood Mother Demons are exceedingly rare, and the crystal formed from a Blood Mother Demon is a Blood Pearl. I never expected you to possess a Blood Pearl.” If the previous trophies were considered common, this Blood Pearl was truly uncommon, extraordinarily rare. The Shopkeeper had not anticipated Lu Yuan presenting one.

Lu Yuan revealed the Blood Pearl, but Zhao Qiankun and the others hadn't seen it before; however, witnessing the Shopkeeper’s shock, they realized it must be no ordinary object.

The Shopkeeper began to examine Lu Yuan’s trophies closely. Initially overwhelmed by the sheer volume, he now inspected them with renewed focus. As he scrutinized them, a major issue surfaced. The Shopkeeper pointed to two pitch-black, hard, sharp horns, each over a foot long: “These are Helmsman-grade Asura Horns…”

Helmsman-grade!

Could it be that this young man had hunted a Helmsman-grade demon?

Yet, something felt wrong. How old was this young man to have slain a Helmsman-grade demon? If true, this youth was unnervingly prodigious. The Shopkeeper couldn't fathom a reason; the other cultivators in the hall were equally startled by the announcement.

Asura Horns left behind by a Helmsman-grade demon—this was truly extraordinary!

Although Lu Yuan was already renowned, hunting a Helmsman-grade demon seemed highly improbable! These onlookers didn't fully believe it; after all, few knew the details of Lu Yuan’s activities beneath the Five Immortals Alliance, and his confrontation with Song Chi at Mount Hua was largely restricted to that area, unknown to other Immortal Sects.

The Demon Hunting Shopkeeper had dealt with countless patrons, yet he had never encountered a youth presenting such a volume of monster trophies. He wondered if this young man was the descendant of some great figure in the cultivation world. If so, it would explain the wealth, though such a powerful patron would have to be incredibly generous; the spoils this young man in green possessed rivaled those accumulated by a cultivator of the Longevity Stage.

“Is there anything else?” the Shopkeeper inquired.

Lu Yuan shook his head. “No, that is all.”

The Shopkeeper let out a long breath. Had there been more, he truly wouldn't know how to react.

Zhao Qiankun, standing nearby, had a dark expression, but inwardly, he was experiencing a profound shockwave. He had benefited from the legacy of a Body Tempering Stage Seven cultivator, believing he could surpass Lu Yuan in trophies and use Lu Yuan to climb higher. Who knew that Lu Yuan’s spoils would be three to four times greater than his own?

He had been thoroughly, utterly defeated.

No—how could he fail? He had spent so long in the underground world and even acquired the legacy of a senior; how could Lu Yuan possibly win against him? He was the favored prodigy of the Kunlun Immortal Sect, destined to become a giant in the cultivation world; how could he lose?

Zhao Qiankun found his failure almost impossible to accept, but after a moment’s thought, he concluded that Lu Yuan must have been luckier, stumbling upon even more senior legacies—that was the only explanation for such a massive collection of trophies. This provided him with a somewhat reasonable comfort.

However, Zhao Qiankun knew that his attempt to humble Lu Yuan and advance his own standing had backfired spectacularly. This loss would surely be seized upon by his rivals as evidence that he had disgraced a major power like the Kunlun Immortal Sect.

Damn it!

Zhao Qiankun gritted his teeth and muttered the curse under his breath.

The followers accompanying Zhao Qiankun, who had prepared countless lines of flattery—praising him as eternal, the Eldest Senior Brother as unparalleled and one-of-a-kind—were now largely silent, stunned by the severity of their master’s defeat.

As for Lu Yuan himself, he remained placid and composed. Zhao Qiankun had arrived aggressively, but for Lu Yuan, he wasn't a primary concern. Simply put, Lu Yuan had dealt with the provocation, delivered a counter-strike, and was ready to move on. Zhao Qiankun himself had never truly occupied a significant space in Lu Yuan’s thoughts. If Zhao Qiankun knew Lu Yuan barely noticed him, he would likely weep tears of despair.

Lu Yuan’s current focus was on something else: given the massive quantity of demon and monster trophies, how many Cloud-element Spirit Beasts could he exchange for?

It seemed his cultivation speed for Cloud-element techniques was about to see a substantial boost.