That idiot from the Sword Sect turned out to be a lucky charm.

Everyone looked at Lin Zhifeng.

Lin Zhifeng chuckled and said, "Don't underestimate these pheasants. They also have cultivation levels equivalent to the Nascent Soul stage in humans. After cleaning them, we'll coat them evenly with honey and make roast chicken. It will be delicious and replenish your spiritual energy."

These guys' eyes lit up and they were drooling when they heard that.

Lin Jun said dismissively, "In my opinion, you shouldn't waste your time. Why don't we put these pheasants away first, and when we get back, we can go to a gourmet restaurant down the mountain and pay their chef to cook them for us. We don't have a chef here, so we shouldn't waste such good stuff. The pheasants are fine, but the wild honey is a rare delicacy!"

Lin Zhifeng smiled slightly: "How do you know I'm not a chef? Today, I'll show you what I can do."

Lin Jun looked at him skeptically, "Are you sure you can handle this? Don't try to be a hero!"

Lin Zhifeng said, "How can a man say he can't?"

"Alright, alright, look how capable you are." Although Lin Jun said this, he actively followed Lin Zhifeng to help prepare the ingredients.

That evening, the Sword Sect members split into two groups to rest. Ding Mo led the "good kids" to meditate and cultivate around a campfire; Lin Zhifeng, Lin Jun, and the others tended the fire and started roasting chicken.

Lin Zhifeng even brought salt and spices with him before he came, which shows that he had been planning to have a picnic for a long time.

He took out all the seasonings and marinated the pheasant first. After the chicken was marinated, he stuffed the pheasant's cavity with spices. Then he brushed a thick layer of honey on the surface of the chicken and roasted it over a fire.

At first, I looked down on Ding Mo and his group for their antics – the Sword Sect was really dragging down its overall level with these unreliable people around.

But as time passed, the roast chicken gradually cooked. The aroma of meat mixed with the fragrance of honey wafted into everyone's noses.

Even those who had long practiced fasting were tempted by the delicious food, which was brimming with spiritual energy.

Lin Jun and the others were surprised that Lin Zhifeng had this skill. The steps didn't seem complicated at all, so how did it become so delicious?

When Lin Zhifeng announced, "The chicken is ready to eat," Lin Jun and the others, who had been eyeing it with longing, rushed forward.

Lin Zhifeng quickly grabbed a whole roasted chicken and took it to Ding Mo and the others. He said, "Uncle-Master, this three-legged pheasant is a spirit beast. Its meat is delicious and rich in spiritual energy. Eating it will also enhance your cultivation. Please try it, Uncle-Master."

Ding Mo thanked him and accepted the roast chicken. He tore off a chicken leg and shared the rest with the Sword Sect disciples around him.

Lin Zhifeng was delighted to see Ding Mo accept the roast chicken. Despite his usually aloof demeanor, his martial uncle was truly not a spoilsport.

Lin Zhifeng smiled and said, "Uncle-Master, you eat with your fellow disciples, I'm going back." After saying that, he ran back to compete with Lin Jun and the others for food.

The roast chicken tasted so good that it was eventually devoured by everyone.

Feng Ping couldn't help but discuss with Lin Zhifeng, "Junior brother, I never knew you had such excellent skills. Why don't we go back and open a restaurant down the mountain? Wouldn't we make a fortune then?"

Lin Zhifeng laughed heartily and declined, saying, "Senior Brother Feng, you flatter me! But I don't intend to actually become a cook. Cooking is fine occasionally, but I don't have the patience for it every day. I need to hurry back and cultivate, striving to break through to the Nascent Soul stage within a hundred years!"

After he finished speaking, he looked at everyone and said, "You are the same. Otherwise, when I break through to the Nascent Soul stage, you will all be a generation below me and have to call me 'Uncle-Master'."

Lin Jun raised his hand and slapped him: "You're just bragging! A hundred years to reach the Nascent Soul stage? Do you think you're Uncle Ding Mo?"

Lin Zhifeng couldn't help but glance at Ding Mo not far away. He saw that Ding Mo had already finished eating the roast chicken and was sitting there cultivating with his eyes closed. His aloof and ethereal appearance was truly enviable—making people want to become like him.

If Ding Mo knew what Lin Zhifeng was thinking at this moment, he would be very surprised. How could anyone want to become such a rigid and boring person as me?

Meanwhile, Lin Jun and his group, having had their fun, quickly cleaned up the mess. Afterwards, some rested, while others cultivated.

Fortunately, nothing happened that night.

The next day at daybreak, everyone packed up their gear and continued their journey.

The birds and beasts in the forest were probably afraid of this group, and they all avoided them, no longer coming out to cause trouble. Therefore, the group was able to pass through the forest smoothly and continue their westward journey.

After traveling for another half day, a swamp appeared ahead.

Ding Mo told everyone to stop at the edge of the swamp, while he himself flew around the swamp on his sword.

Upon returning, Ding Mo looked at everyone seriously and said, "This swamp is hundreds of miles in circumference and thousands of feet deep. There are a large amount of earth spirit ore in the swamp, which can be used to upgrade earth-type spirit swords. In addition, there are a small amount of spirit herbs and spirit flowers. However, there are many crocodile dragons lurking around these spirit ores and spirit herbs. Their cultivation is above the Nascent Soul stage."

"Furthermore, the swamp is soft and slippery, making it impossible for a person to stand on it. The mud also has a hidden power to swallow you whole; once you fall in, it is very difficult to get out. You must travel in groups and look after each other."

Everyone replied in unison, "Understood, Master Uncle!"

Next, everyone can freely form groups of a few people and begin searching for treasure in this swamp.

When they encounter a Crocodile Dragon, everyone swarms in and they easily defeat the enemy with numbers.

After defeating the Crocodile Dragon, you'll usually find Earth Spirit Ore or Spirit Herbs nearby.

Lin Zhifeng and his team had already planned how to distribute the spoils of victory: they would draw lots based on the number of people.

The spoils they subsequently obtained were distributed in the order they had captured them. As for whether you obtained earth spirit ore or spirit herbs; whether they were hundred-year-old or thousand-year-old spirit herbs, that was purely a matter of luck.

However, Lin Zhifeng and his group were quite lucky. Naturally, Lin Zhifeng was the first to receive it; a 30% luck factor was no joke.

Lin Zhifeng's spoils of war were a piece of earth spirit ore as big as a head. Although he couldn't check its purity right now, he had already made a profit from the quantity alone.

The second one is Lin Jun. He received a thousand-year-old jade lotus flower.

As their combat skills improved and the battles progressed, the other members of their small group also obtained their own items. Overall, they were all quite good; simply put, they were all quite valuable.

Looking at the other group, they weren't so lucky.

It wasn't a matter of having too many or too few people. They had "picked up" quite a few disciples from the Sword Sect on the road today. Therefore, the number of people in this group was now roughly the same as Lin Jun's group.

However, these Sword Sect disciples were just too unlucky.

Some of them obtained earth spirit ore, but the ore was very small—the larger ones were only the size of a fist, and the smaller ones were even only the size of a regular egg. Considering Lin Zhifeng's earth spirit ore, the size of his head, who wouldn't be envious?

Some disciples obtained spiritual flowers and herbs that were only a few decades old, at most a hundred years old. Looking at the spiritual flowers and herbs of the people in the next group, none of them were less than a thousand years old.

They put in almost the same effort, yet the results were worlds apart. Even the most composed Sword Sect disciples were starting to lose their composure.

Ding Mo noticed the disciples' restlessness and spoke up promptly: "In the face of absolute strength, even luck is useless. Since you are not lucky, you must work even harder. Moreover, the focus of this secret realm training is to hone your skills in battle; acquiring these material possessions is secondary. You must not put the cart before the horse!"

His words jolted the disciples awake, and they quickly adjusted their mindset. Unbeknownst to them, their mental strength had also increased.

Lin Zhifeng wondered if his group was so lucky because of his influence. If he could accumulate enough luck points to raise it to 40%, wouldn't that be even more incredible?

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but lower his head and chuckle to himself.

Lin Jun noticed his silly grin and assumed he was gloating over seeing the "top players" get taught a lesson. He couldn't help but smile too, whispering, "It's rare to see these elite disciples inferior to us! Be careful not to let them see you gloating. What if they hold a grudge? We can't beat them anyway."

Lin Zhifeng shook his head, too lazy to pay attention to this idiot.