[Ding! Congratulations to the host for exposing the waste oil incident, safeguarding the health of the Baiyun Sect disciples, increasing the prestige of the sect, and rewarding you with the strength of nine oxen and two tigers!]
Nine oxen and two tigers?
Ling Feng felt a warm current flowing within him.
Then he realized that his body seemed much lighter.
When he clenched his fist slightly, he felt that his strength had noticeably increased; this wasn't an enhancement of true energy but a pure increase in physical strength!
"Although you may not want to take credit, this matter was indeed discovered by you. A contribution deserves a reward. Here's what I'll do: I'll allocate ten thousand taels of funding to Piaomiao Peak so that your Master won't have to go down the mountain to act as a bounty hunter anymore," the Baiyun Sect Leader said with a faint smile.
Ling Feng was taken aback. "Bounty hunter? What do you mean?"
"You don't know? Your Master went down the mountain a few days ago, claiming she needed money and became a bounty hunter. Bounty hunters are those who capture wanted criminals for the rewards. Since these criminals are often extremely dangerous and carry weapons, the ones who capture them are referred to as bounty hunters," the Sect Leader explained.
"Oh, I see. But will my Master be in danger?"
As soon as Ling Feng asked, he felt the question was a bit unnecessary.
Who was Liu Rusi?
The number one sword cultivator in the Great Zhou!
Her strength was undoubtedly formidable.
How could she possibly be in danger?
Sure enough, the Baiyun Sect Leader smiled lightly. "Don't worry. Although your Master may seem unreliable at times, her strength is unquestionable."
"That's good to hear. In that case, Sect Leader, I'll take my leave."
"Alright, the ten thousand taels will be sent to Piaomiao Peak."
"Okay."
Ling Feng didn't refuse; after all, it was foolish not to take money when offered.
Soon, the cafeteria waste oil incident spread like wildfire within Baiyun Sect.
Many disciples learned about the matter and felt nauseated at the thought of the disgusting food they had eaten in the cafeteria.
If it weren't for the Elders maintaining order, the cafeteria would likely have been vandalized.
The Baiyun Sect also promised to replace the cafeteria's hall master and to strengthen supervision over the cafeteria in the future to prevent similar incidents.
Everyone soon turned their attention to Ling Feng, who had exposed this incident, praising him endlessly.
"Fortunately, we have Junior Brother Ling Feng this time; otherwise, we would not know how much more suffering we would endure in the cafeteria."
"This trash cafeteria is simply too disappointing."
"Speaking of which, how could the cafeteria hall master embezzle for so long? Isn't it because he had the Great Elder backing him? Over the years, many have reported that the food in the cafeteria was awful, yet there had been no response. Why was this action so quick this time? I think Junior Brother Ling Feng is no simple character."
"What? You don't even know who Ling Feng is?"
"Who is he?"
"He's the new Martial Dao Saint Body!"
"Wow, he's that impressive?!"
"No wonder he has such influence!"
The discussions buzzed throughout Baiyun Sect.
Ling Feng's name quickly spread, and his prestige soared.
As his prestige rose, the Great Elder's fell; after all, the cafeteria hall master was his nephew. With such an incident occurring, the Great Elder could hardly escape blame. Many even suspected that most of the money embezzled by the cafeteria hall master had gone into the Great Elder's pockets.
How could his prestige possibly improve now?
...
By the time Ling Feng returned to Piaomiao Peak, it was already night.
Stars twinkled in the starry sky.
The bright moon hung high, casting a watery light over the entire Piaomiao Peak.
After washing up, he entered his room to continue his cultivation.
He took out the pill he had just obtained today… the Qingping Pill!
This item should be quite effective.
Looking at the pill, about the size of his pinky, Ling Feng smiled slightly and swallowed it whole, beginning to refine its medicinal power.
Boom!
A surge of medicinal power erupted within him.
It washed through his limbs and bones, gradually transforming into true energy.
At this moment, the power of this pill was equivalent to more than a dozen high-grade spirit stones.
A night passed.
Ling Feng opened his eyes, a glint of brilliance flashing across them.
He punched the air, producing a loud bang!
Innate Seventh Layer!
He had broken through two small realms in one breath.
From the Innate Fifth Layer directly to the Seventh Layer, with the strength of nine oxen and two tigers, even dealing with a master at the Innate Ninth Layer was no longer a problem.
"I still have nine Qingping Pills left, which should be enough for me to break through to the Martial Master realm."
Though the path of martial arts becomes increasingly difficult as one progresses, he was only two small realms away from Martial Master.
Nine Qingping Pills should be more than enough.
He opened his door, planning to fetch water to wash up, and was greeted by a vast expanse of lush purple bamboo forest.
It looked much better compared to the bare Piaomiao Peak from before.
"These one hundred purple bamboos are still not enough; I should plant some more."
Ling Feng thought to himself.
There was no need for the system to continue rewarding him; he could directly divide many seedlings from the existing purple bamboo and gradually plant them.
After taking care of Piaomiao Peak.
Once he finished washing up, he began preparing breakfast for himself.
Although there were no bowls or chopsticks, he still had a pot.
He casually boiled some noodles, broke off two bamboo stalks to use as chopsticks, and started eating from the pot.
However, before he could finish half of it, someone came to visit.
It was… Gu Linglong.
"Junior Brother! I came to see you!"
Gu Linglong ran up the mountain and, upon seeing Ling Feng having breakfast, her eyes lit up. "Junior Brother, having breakfast? Just in time, I haven't eaten yet either."
"Ah."
Ling Feng was momentarily stunned. Was this Senior Sister here to mooch off his food?!
"By the way, Junior Brother, I brought you something."
Gu Linglong smiled and took out a large pile of exquisite tableware from her storage ring: plates, bowls, chopsticks, pots, basins, spatulas, and kitchen knives…
Everything you could think of.
"This is my apology for breaking your plate yesterday. Please accept it."
"Senior Sister, this is too generous of you."
Ling Feng's eyes brightened at the sight of the beautiful utensils. As a chef, he indeed appreciated such items.
Though he expressed politeness, he still accepted the utensils one by one and, on a whim, boiled a bowl of noodles for Gu Linglong.
It was a bowl of clear soup noodles, glistening with oil and topped with green onions, alongside two perfectly fried eggs that looked delicious.
Gu Linglong took a deep breath, picked up her chopsticks, and started eating heartily.
"By the way, Junior Brother, I also have ten thousand taels of silver notes here. Master asked me to bring this for you. I've heard about what you did in the cafeteria; amazing work!"
As Gu Linglong ate, she pulled out a stack of silver notes and gave Ling Feng a thumbs-up.
"Just focus on your meal; be careful not to choke."
Ling Feng said helplessly.
Before long, Gu Linglong finished the large bowl of noodles, drinking every last bit of soup, leaving the bowl spotless as if it had been licked clean.
She let out a satisfied burp, her face beaming with contentment.
"By the way, Junior Brother, even though you exposed the cafeteria issue and received a reward from Master, you need to be careful. Don't let the Great Elder's faction retaliate against you."
Gu Linglong suddenly said seriously.
"Great Elder's faction?"
"Yes, the Great Elder has been eyeing the position of Sect Leader for a long time but hasn't had the opportunity to act. This time, you exposed the cafeteria issue, and the cafeteria head is his nephew. This incident dealt a significant blow to his prestige, pushing him further from the Sect Leader position. You've effectively made an enemy of him."
"I see. If he wants to retaliate, then let him come."
Ling Feng replied calmly, showing no fear.
After all, his Master was the number one sword cultivator in the Great Zhou.
And he was also a highly regarded Martial Dao Saint Body.
What was there to be afraid of?!