"Were...were these two demonic beasts killed by you?" asked the middle-aged man while looking strangely at Ji Mo. It was difficult for him to believe that a mere tempered body phase disciple could kill two demonic beasts that were advancing into the Qi Plundering Boundary.
Even if these demonic beasts had not stepped into the Qi Plundering Boundary, it was just a step away, and they were demonic beasts with inborn divine power. It was no simple task to kill one, not to mention two, at once.
Facing the interrogation from the middle-aged man, Ji Mo smiled and nodded without hiding anything as there was nothing to cover up. Then, he said, "Hmm, I killed them, but it took me some effort. Also, while the two corpses can't fit into the treasure pouch, I know that the bodies of the Flaming Li Rhino and green-scaled leopard have some parts that can be ingredients for refining precious medicine and weaponry, so I dragged both of them out here. Can I redeem my reward with this?"
"Err...yes."
Ji Mo explained it all with simple words and a brief description.
However, these simple sentences shocked everyone who was there although they had already guessed that Ji Mo had probably slaughtered these two soon-to-be Qi Plundering Boundary demonic beasts. However, hearing these words coming out from Ji Mo's lips still stirred a commotion.
There was a sudden uproar as all of the outer disciples of Tianyuan Academy seemed startled.
"Hmph, what a joke! What a big fat joke! Are you saying that you killed these two demonic beasts? What evidence do you have?" demanded Zuo Yaofei, who laughed loudly all of a sudden, as he cast a mocking glance at Ji Mo.
He was the pride of Tianyuan Academy and the academy's little warlord, but at that point, he felt that Ji Mo was threatening his popularity, hence he was upset.
"I have their demonic cores!" Ji Mo announced.
"Can their demonic cores prove that you killed them?" Zuo Yaofei giggled."In my opinion, you bumped into these two powerful demonic beasts while they were fighting and they were gravely injured as a result. Then, you picked up what was left and dragged their corpses away, didn't you?"
Once he uttered those words, many people seemed to understand the problem. What Zuo Yaofei said made sense. After all, nobody was willing to believe that under the usual circumstances, Ji Mo could have single-handedly killed two such powerful demonic beasts. There was definitely some coincidence that must have caused this misunderstanding.
"Hmph, it's obvious that you got this by luck, but you claim that you killed them. Shame on you." When Zuo Yaofei saw that Ji Mo was silent, he thought that Ji Mo had conceded, so he suddenly became even more sarcastic.
Even the other disciples sneered and thought that Ji Mo's actions were dishonorable.
"Alright, let's be quiet. I'll tally his results." The middle-aged man snorted at Zuo Yaofei to silence him. The middle-aged man was a Qi Plundering Boundary master and the inner disciple of the Tianshan Sword Sect whom Zuo Yaofei did not dare to offend.
Under the watch of a group of people, the middle-aged man took the treasure pouch from Ji Mo and went into it spiritually to do a search. Suddenly, terror filled his face and he stared at Ji Mo intensely to seek confirmation, "These...were all your own doing?"
"Hmm, yes." Ji Mo nodded.
Instantly, everyone around was hooked by what the middle-aged man said, and they were curious to know what he saw that terrified him. Even Xu Lao, Leng Jianyun, and the beautiful young woman with the surname of Ling watched them cautiously.
Nearby, Zuo Yaofei's eyelid twitched aggressively as if he felt something bad about to happen.
Under the audience's expectant gazes, the middle-aged man started to read out Ji Mo's results, "Ji Mo's results are as follows: zero low-level demonic core…"
Once that was said, there was silence as everyone was dumbfounded. Was zero even a result? Following that, waves of laughter erupted and they shot glances full of contempt and ridicule at Ji Mo. However, before the laughter faded away, the words the middle-aged man said after that rendered everyone speechless. "500 intermediate-level demonic cores! 200 advanced-level demonic cores! Among them includes...a Flaming Li Rhino's high-quality demonic core and a green-scaled leopard's high-quality demonic core, and…" The middle-aged man paused to stare at Ji Mo in shock again, then he said, "There's one more Qi Plundering Boundary Purple Moon wolf's demonic core."
"Wow!"
When the results were announced, an uproar broke out in the audience. Everyone looked at Ji Mo as if he was a monster and countless discussions filled the open space.
"Zero low-level demonic cores, but 500 intermediate-level demonic cores, which means he killed 500 intermediate-level demonic beasts? Furthermore, 200 advanced-level demonic cores...Oh my god, this guy has killed so many demonic beasts."
"Impossible! I must've heard wrongly. I Ji Mo a monster? In only a month, he has killed so many demonic beasts? That's impossible unless these demonic beasts were all kittens which stood there for him to kill at will."
"Forget the Flaming Li Rhino and the green-scaled leopard, but I think I heard the old man say that there's also a Qi Plundering Boundary demonic beast's demonic core. Did he kill a Qi Plundering Boundary demonic beast? That's impossible unless the floodgates of heaven opened unto him!"
Rumors were flying everywhere and there was not a single person who was not shocked, especially when they heard there was a demonic core from a Qi Plundering Boundary demonic beast. Everyone could not maintain their composure, including Du Jia, Zuo Yaofei, and Ning Xia who also gaped at Ji Mo in shock. Who would have believed that a tempered body phase cultivator could slaughter a Qi Plundering Boundary demonic beast?
Leng Jianyun's eyelid also twitched violently as he looked suspiciously at Ji Mo.
"Huh? That's strange! There are 200 black demonic wolf's demonic cores. Did you kill 200 black demonic wolves? Those are intermediate- to advanced-level demonic beasts," the middle-aged man said while he took out a black demonic core as though he was able to tell which animal it belonged to.
Ji Mo nodded proudly. "Yes, I slaughtered a wolf pack. The Purple Moon wolf was the leader of the black demonic wolves. When it was breaking through to Qi Plundering Boundary, I interrupted it and killed it although the Purple Moon wolf wasn't a Qi Plundering Boundary demonic beast. Although its demonic core has evolved, its body wasn't transformed by the demonic core yet, so it can't be regarded as a Qi Plundering Boundary demonic beast."
As Ji Mo issued an official explanation, the audience suddenly realized that it was possible. After all, he was just a tempered body phase cultivator and it would be a fantasy to kill a Qi Plundering Boundary demonic beast.
However, Ji Mo's results were way beyond the masses, far exceeding that of Zuo Yaofei, Ning Xia, and Du Jia.
"How could this happen? We're actually being suppressed by him! This is really getting on my nerves!" Ning Xia gritted her teeth and said while coldly glancing at Ji Mo.
Frowning, Du Jia was irritated too, but there was nothing that she could say.
"Hmph, something's not right. I suspect that he's cheating!" Zuo Yaofei accused blatantly. How could an arrogant person like him let Ji Mo surpass him willingly? It was an insult to his very existence.
Although Zuo Yaofei's voice was soft, many people heard him. Leng Jianyun glimpsed at him and said, "Zuo Yaofei, just be straightforward with whatever you want to say. It's okay. I'll decide for you." After saying that, he threw an encouraging glance at Zuo Yaofei.