Chapter Fifty-Six: Dividing the Spoils

Under the intense gaze of Chen Qi, the round-faced woman felt rather uneasy. Seeing this, she no longer kept everyone in suspense and readily reported the statistics.

"Materials from beasts below the fifth rank are worth roughly four hundred contribution points. The corpse of the fifth-rank fish monster is valued at one hundred forty points, the mid-fifth-rank centipede beast at one hundred sixty, and as for the giant centipede that verges on the fourth rank..."

She swallowed, her voice tinged with delight. "Just that one is likely worth at least three hundred fifty points."

The handsome man with sword-like brows laughed heartily and replied in a lively tone, "The Phoenix Blood Stalactite Elixir here is enough for three people. Among treasures suitable for the Innate Realm, its ranking is higher than both the sect-produced Cloud Mallow Jade Flower Dew and the hundred-year-old Black Flood Dragon Blood in our collection."

As his words fell, a subtle restlessness settled over the group, like a dormant volcano, with everyone's eyes turning to the senior sister leading them, awaiting her allocation plan.

Sensing the mood, the senior sister did not delay. She cleared her throat softly and spoke with a crisp yet authoritative voice: "The Phoenix Blood Stalactite Elixir will be divided among us three inner disciples. I will purchase all remaining materials with contribution points from the sect and distribute them to you outer disciples according to your battle contributions."

She paused briefly, as if giving everyone a moment to accept her words, then continued: "All beast materials total one thousand fifty contribution points. Junior brother Chen, as the key to breaking the deadlock, rightly deserves half."

Seeing no objection from the crowd, the woman in the blue robe spoke faster: "Junior brother Yuan wielded my sword to block the centipede beast and should receive thirty percent. Junior brothers Sun and Wang fought bravely and each deserve ten percent."

Her words stopped there, as if nothing more needed to be said.

Chen Qi's joy subdued slightly, his expression grew calm, and he cast his eyes toward the disciple surnamed Ao among the crowd.

In moments when one's own delight contrasts with another's disappointment, an adult ought to control his emotions.

The Ao-surnamed disciple's face remained unchanged, his right sleeve empty and hanging, silent as if the world no longer concerned him.

Beside him, the claw-using disciple couldn't help but step forward, about to raise a question, but was interrupted by the gentle voice of the senior sister.

"Junior brother Ao was defeated in a single blow and barely rescued by junior brother Wang; it would be inappropriate to grant him spoils. But as the leader, I recognize my fault in his loss of an arm, and I will do my utmost to compensate him upon returning to the sect."

Feeling her words lacked persuasion, the senior sister's cheeks flushed, her voice softened, and she added in a low tone, "My mother is Yun Yuxi, the Sect Master of Cloud Sea Sect."

Her shy yet clear voice rang out, but in everyone's mind it was as if a thunderbolt had struck.

The Ao-surnamed disciple's gaze finally came alive, as though the name held endless power.

Chen Qi, standing nearby, clicked his tongue. No wonder the illusion of the sect master in the cave seemed familiar; no wonder the senior sister possessed such a fine sword and profound martial arts.

After his shock subsided, a faint fantasy arose in Chen Qi's mind: if he could form a good relationship, even a small favor from her mother would bring him boundless benefit.

He shook his head lightly and sighed. As a visitor from another world, he would soon leave, without enough time to build anything here.

Cloud Sea Sect gave him a good impression, nothing like the cold, oppressive sects he'd seen in novels, and even faintly felt like home. Yet, he was merely a passerby.

Chen Qi handed over his identity token. As the senior sister’s delicate fingers traced it, the token glowed, and he heard a familiar prompt.

[Selected member's Cloud Sea Sect contribution points have exceeded one thousand. Cloud Sea Sect Level 2 faction shop unlocked. Please check at your convenience.]

[Congratulations, selected member, for completing Main Quest II: A Bountiful Harvest.]

[Rewards will be settled upon return to the space. Return now? Yes/No.]

[Hint: If you do not return immediately, you may encounter unknown risks. Please consider carefully.]

Chen Qi frowned, all other thoughts vanishing as he stared at the last prompt.

If he remembered correctly, this was the first time the "Sprout Space" proactively issued a warning. He wondered what lay behind those few lines, especially the phrase "unknown risks," which gave him an uneasy sense of lurking danger.

Reason urged him to return at once, yet another problem lingered: he now had one thousand eighty-five contribution points and hadn’t used them in the sect yet!

Such a large sum, earned through repeated brushes with death, was likely worth far more than a single piece of ordinary purple-grade equipment—perhaps even as much as an entire world’s progress.

Greed gradually overcame reason.

Chen Qi gritted his teeth and chose to stay. On one hand, he still had unfinished goals in this world. On the other, the so-called "unknown risks" were prefaced by "may," meaning there might not be any!

His luck had been quite good recently, hadn't it?

Choosing "No," Chen Qi received another prompt from the "Sprout Space."

[Main Quest Stage Three triggered: Return to the Sect.]

Quest Description: Return alive to Cloud Sea Sect.

Quest Information: Seek crisis in calm, grasp hope in desperation, maintain prudence after security...

Quest Deadline: None

Quest Penalty: None

.......

This was the simplest quest information he had ever seen, making his eyelids twitch uncontrollably. An involuntary sense of regret arose, like a simple funeral text, a kind of psychological pressure he could barely describe.

Though he had survived death several times, what was more frightening than death was the unknown and the process from which there was no escape.

No one paid attention to Chen Qi’s suddenly darkened expression. The other squad members rested lightly upon the stone platform, their excitement barely contained.

Chen Qi took a deep breath, quieting the turmoil within him. He then approached the senior sister, forcing a smile as he asked, "Senior sister, what are your plans next? Will we continue deeper?"

The senior sister cast a slightly puzzled glance at him, as if surprised by his state, but still replied, "To be honest, I brought you into the mountains to seek strong opponents and break through by desperate battle. The original goal was a fourth-rank beast, the Thousand-Eyed Miasma Fiend."

Her clear voice paused as she considered, then continued thoughtfully, "Now that we've obtained the Phoenix Blood Stalactite Elixir, after using it I have sixty percent confidence to break through. But even so, there remains a chance of failure, so we should proceed as planned."

She finished with a charming smile, comforting Chen Qi: "Don’t worry. Facing a fourth-rank beast, I am fully prepared and have long made arrangements. I will not let you face danger again!"

Her resolute words forced Chen Qi to swallow the warning he had been about to voice about his ominous premonition, and he returned to his seat.

He had neither a definite reason nor the ability to sway the senior sister’s will.

He sat silently upon the stone platform, expressionless, but his mind churned with two questions:

Was the so-called "unknown risk" related to some unexpected change in the fourth-rank beast?

If he left the team and returned alone, could he avoid that risk?

Chen Qi took a deep breath; the unease within him continued to ferment, making it hard to breathe despite his constitution, his heart pounding wildly.

He had a vague premonition that any choice he made now could determine his life or death.

Between life and death lies true terror; he admitted he was not yet enlightened enough to face it calmly. The flood of pressure washing over him made it almost impossible to stand. He forced himself to think, ignoring the world around him entirely.