Scum Of The Demonic Sect

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Merit?

Lin Haoming looked at the jade talisman she had crushed; it was similar to the one Ling Shengjie had given him. Sure enough, not long after, Ling Shengjie flew over.

Upon seeing Xie Ruolan, he immediately asked obsequiously, "Ruolan, what happened? Is that guy surnamed Kong bothering you again?"

"Ling Shengjie, who's bothering you? If anyone's bothering you, it's you, this useless brat, who keeps bothering Junior Sister Ruolan!" Before Ling Shengjie could finish speaking, another burly man flew over from afar.

"Junior Sister Ruolan, why did you crush the jade slip I gave you?" Landing in front of them, Kong Yuanliang asked curiously.

Lin Haoming had met Kong Yuanliang a few times before, but several years had passed. Kong Yuanliang, who was only a year younger than him back then, had changed drastically. If he didn't know Kong Yuanliang's name, he probably wouldn't recognize him.

"Senior brothers, my junior sister just took this boy to Red Leaf Mountain. While dealing with a young monk from Vajra Temple, we accidentally discovered a spirit stone mine. That Vajra Temple boy has already informed the sect elders! My junior sister doesn't dare keep this credit to herself and wants to share it with you two!"

Hearing this, the two were surprised and exclaimed simultaneously, "Junior sister, are you telling the truth?"

"Absolutely true! You can ask him if you don't believe me!" Xie Ruolan pointed at Lin Haoming.

"What's there to ask about a mere outer sect disciple!" Kong Yuanliang looked at Lin Haoming with disdain.

Ling Shengjie chuckled, "Junior Brother Lin, don't be angry. This guy surnamed Kong doesn't believe you, but your senior brother does. This time, you're going with Junior Sister Ruolan. If you get any benefits, your senior brother won't forget to give you a share!"

"Thank you, Senior Brother Ling!" Lin Haoming, despite his own discovery of the spirit stone mine, felt as if he were being given charity. He forced a smile, but inwardly felt extremely aggrieved.

However, even Xie Ruolan immediately sought out these two after returning, instead of reporting directly to the sect. Lin Haoming knew that this credit couldn't be monopolized by an outer disciple like himself. Perhaps if the Lin Ancestor were present, it might be possible.

"Hmph! Ling Shengjie, you're really getting worse and worse, calling an outer disciple 'brother'!" Kong Yuanliang said disdainfully upon seeing him.

"Senior Brothers, now is not the time to talk about this. We should report this to the sect as soon as possible, saying that we discovered it together!" Xie Ruolan said.

“Yes, indeed. This matter shouldn't be delayed too long. Junior Sister, don't worry, with me here, your contribution will definitely be substantial. If the spirit stone mine is large, the sect's reward will surely guarantee your Foundation Establishment. Let's go!” Kong Yuanliang said.

Kong Yuanliang acted immediately, and the group flew off together towards a certain location.

Kong Yuanliang then saw Lin Haoming flying over as well, and said unhappily, “Junior Sister Ruolan, why is this brat following along? Tell him to go back to the first floor!”

Ling Shengjie, not wanting anyone to share the benefits, immediately said, “Junior Brother Lin, you go back to the first floor first. Here's a token; with this, you can freely enter and exit the first three floors.”

Lin Haoming looked at the token Ling Shengjie tossed him, feeling a chill in his heart.

Lin Haoming knew that the attitudes of these two people indicated that the discovery of the spirit stone mine had nothing to do with him anymore.

Given his current situation, he didn't mind others sharing the credit, but the fact that he wasn't given any credit at all fueled Lin Haoming's anger.

The spirit stone mine was clearly discovered accidentally during his fight with that little monk. Xie Ruolan was right there; it was normal for her to be considered a fellow discoverer. But these two were clearly just leeching off his share, the rightful owner, and had actually kicked him aside. If he had the strength right now, Lin Haoming would have loved to wipe them out.

From their attitude, Lin Haoming knew that neither Kong Yuanliang, who looked down on him, nor Ling Shengjie, who seemed to have some connection with him, actually considered him a human being. To them, he was just a tool, at best a talking tool.

"Junior Brother Lin, you should go back first. Don't worry, you'll get credit this time!" Xie Ruolan said at this moment.

Lin Haoming had expected her to send him back. He knew that if he continued to be disobedient, Xie Ruolan wouldn't protect him anymore. Besides, Xie Ruolan hadn't told him before summoning the two of them, clearly indicating that in her eyes, he was just a few years' worth of connection, and when the crucial moment came, she would abandon him, just like now.

"Alright, I'll head back then!" Lin Haoming put away his token and changed his route, heading towards the first floor.

After leaving the three, Lin Haoming's face turned extremely grim.

Discovering a spirit stone mine was the highest reward in the sect. Even newly joined outer disciples knew that discovering a small spirit stone mine that could only produce 100,000 spirit stones a year would still earn him a Foundation Establishment Pill.

Lin Haoming didn't know how big the spirit stone mine was, but if he had a share, he would definitely receive a Foundation Establishment Pill as a reward. But now, that was definitely out of the question.

With his current aptitude, without the Foundation Establishment Pill, it was impossible for him to achieve Foundation Establishment on his own. Being kicked out was tantamount to severing his path to immortality.

Back in the first-floor market, Lin Haoming tried to calm himself.

He repeatedly told himself that with the Merit Pearl, he would definitely achieve Foundation Establishment, perhaps even condense a Golden Core and reach the Nascent Soul stage. At that time, he could avenge this humiliation.

However, despite these thoughts, the opportunity that was right before him had been lost, leaving Lin Haoming still resentful. Even the slight affection he had felt for Xie Ruolan had completely vanished after this incident.

Recalling his experiences with Xie Ruolan over the past few months, Lin Haoming had actually considered condensing a Golden Core within a hundred years and seeing what Xie Ruolan would do then. But now, he no longer entertained that thought.

Lin Haoming knew very well that in Xie Ruolan's eyes, he was unworthy, or rather, she didn't even consider him. He was merely an object for her to relieve her boredom and vent her anger.

Less than three days later, Lin Haoming received news that Xie Ruolan, Kong Yuanliang, and Ling Shengjie had made a significant contribution to the discovery of the spirit stone mine. They would be rewarded after the mine's reserves were determined. As for him, he was practically ignored; for several days, no one even paid him any attention.

As the days passed, Lin Haoming's expression grew increasingly grim.

A month later, news came from the sect that the spirit stone mine's reserves had been confirmed—a large mine capable of yielding thirty million spirit stones annually.

The sect had promised the three who discovered the mine that they would be guaranteed entry into the Foundation Establishment stage, and after achieving this, they would be personally accepted as disciples by a Golden Core stage elder.

Just as Lin Haoming learned of these benefits offered by the sect, Xie Ruolan finally came to his side.a