The Ennead Star Sect was also tallying their casualties.

Brian Kelly looked worriedly at Donald Jimenez: "Shixiong, our casualties are quite heavy. Nearly sixty people have been killed since the battle began."

Donald Jimenez was shocked: "How could it be so many?" Even if The Ennead Star Sect was no match for The Arcaneum Gate, such heavy losses in just a few days shouldn't be possible.

Brian Kelly said: "It's all the doing of that Mountain-Passing Tiger! He always suddenly attacks when both sides are engaged, many disciples have died because of him."

"That scoundrel!" Donald Jimenez was furious, his face gloomy for a moment: "What about the few fifth-layer realm cultivators from our sect?"

"They are all being watched by the other side." Brian Kelly was somewhat helpless. The number of fifth-layer realm cultivators the two sects could currently deploy was limited, and everyone knew each other's backgrounds, so they were easily targeted.

"Shixiong, should I take action…"

Donald Jimenez shook his head: "No, if you act, Andrew Scott will certainly not stand by. Can you deal with that cheap maid?" The 'cheap maid' he referred to was Susan.

Brian Kelly said with a headache: "I can't defeat her, but she can't kill me either." That cheap maid, despite her lowly origins, was truly skilled. Who knows what kind of luck Andrew Scott had, that even a maid by his side had grown to such an extent.

"What about Benjamin Patel?" Donald Jimenez asked.

Speaking of Benjamin Patel, Brian Kelly's head hurt even more: "That guy doesn't take this declaration of war seriously at all. Who knows where he's run off to? He doesn't reply to messages either."

"He's from The Infinitas Isle, of course he doesn't take our declaration of war seriously." Donald Jimenez's face shifted through expressions of gloom and uncertainty. He gritted his teeth: "Doesn't he want Purpureus? Tell him, if he brings me the head of that Mountain-Passing Tiger, I'll give him Purpureus!"

"Shixiong!" Brian Kelly stared at Donald Jimenez in shock.

"Go!" Donald Jimenez commanded in a low voice.

"Yes!" Brian Kelly acknowledged the order, feeling aggrieved. As he walked out of the main hall, he glanced back at the purple-clad young girl squatting in front of a flower bed, lightly sniffing the fragrance of the flowers.

******

Samuel Castillo soon received a message. He initially thought it was a reply from Shixiong Andrew Scott, but upon checking, he found it was actually a message from someone he had never contacted before.

The message was very simple, only two words.

"Samuel Castillo?"

Samuel Castillo was baffled, but he quickly realized who was sending him this message. In the records of his battlefield mark, there was only one person he had never contacted. He immediately sent a message back: "It's me. What matter does Shidi Oneleaf have?"

"Nothing!" came the immediate reply.

Samuel Castillo's mouth twitched. Nothing? Then why send a message? He had thought that Mountain-Passing Tiger had something important to tell him. After thinking for a moment, he sent another message: "If Shidi Oneleaf has any matter, please speak freely. If I can help, I, Samuel Castillo, will not hesitate."

It was like a stone sinking into the sea – there was no response!

On the other side, hidden in a tunnel, Leaf Gray perceived his battlefield mark, his expression inexplicable and his mood peculiar.

Did this count as having the first friend on his contact list?

He truly couldn't figure out what was going on with this world. Ever since he entered the Spirit Creek Battlefield, strange things had been happening one after another.

Fortunately, after his investigation, contacting Samuel Castillo did not reveal his real name, which set his mind at ease.

Ignoring Samuel Castillo's reply, Leaf Gray swallowed a spirit pill to recover.

The consumption from this battle wasn't too great, so he recovered fully in just half a day. However, he didn't stop there. Instead, he continued to take spirit pills, aiming to break through the barrier of a certain spiritual aperture.

Currently, he was at the third level of the Spirit Creek Realm, but he had already opened twenty-eight spiritual apertures.

The extra spiritual aperture was one recorded in the Gluttonous Feast technique.

Cicada's Transcendent Metamorphosis had already been cultivated by him to perfection. He didn't have a higher-level technique and couldn't improve his cultivation further, so he had the idea to practice the Gluttonous Feast.

This technique was something he bought for three spirit stones. It involved fifteen spiritual apertures, most of which overlapped with those in Cicada's Transcendent Metamorphosis. Only two apertures were not part of the Cicada's Transcendent Metamorphosis system.

Thinking that he had nothing better to do anyway, Leaf Gray had started studying the Gluttonous Feast a few days ago. He had now successfully opened one aperture. As long as he opened one more, he could get a glimpse of the true nature of this technique.

According to the rogue cultivator who sold him the technique, this method could double cultivation efficiency, but Leaf Gray was certain he had been cheated. Such a heaven-defying technique couldn't possibly exist in this world, and even if it did, it wouldn't be sold so casually.

Regardless, the two extra apertures were real. By opening two more apertures now, he could save himself the effort of opening two later when cultivating a higher-level technique.

Leaf Gray practiced this technique with the mindset that he wouldn't suffer a loss no matter what.

Spiritual power surged, rushing towards the aperture barrier again and again. Compared to when he first started cultivating, breaking through aperture barriers was much simpler now because he had sufficiently abundant spiritual power within his body.

Under the impacts, the aperture barrier continuously loosened, and a sour sensation transmitted from the aperture location. In about an hour, Leaf Gray felt the aperture barrier shatter with a crash.

The twenty-ninth aperture opened!

What followed was simple. To operate a technique, one must let their spiritual power flow according to the technique's circulation route. However, because the fifteen apertures of Gluttonous Feast largely overlapped with those of Cicada's Transcendent Metamorphosis, if he wanted to operate Gluttonous Feast, he first had to interrupt the circulation of the Cicada's Transcendent Metamorphosis technique. The third minor cycle didn't need to be interrupted, as those nine apertures weren't part of the Gluttonous Feast circulation route.

Leaf Gray had never done something like interrupting the circulation of his own spiritual power before. But after just a slight attempt, he found it was actually quite simple.

The minor cycle circulation system was essentially formed by the rapid flow of spiritual power through nine apertures. As long as the rushing spiritual power was calmed, the flowing spiritual power would settle back into the apertures.

Leaf Gray tried to make the spiritual power flow again, and in just a short moment, it returned to its original state.

Now he had a better understanding and felt much more at ease and bold.

Once again, he calmed the flow of spiritual power in the first two minor cycle systems within his body. After all the spiritual power returned to the apertures, he began, according to the Gluttonous Feast circulation route, to channel spiritual power through those fifteen apertures in sequence.

One cycle, two cycles... Gradually, the speed of the spiritual power flow became faster and faster, until it operated autonomously without Leaf Gray needing to drive it.

Leaf Gray suddenly felt a strange sensation, as if his abdomen was beginning to wriggle violently...

His heart stirred, and he quickly took out a spirit pill and swallowed it.

The next moment, the wriggling in his abdomen became more pronounced. His entire lower abdomen seemed to transform into a millstone. The spirit pill he had swallowed was rapidly ground by this millstone, releasing its medicinal power and converting it into spiritual power.

Leaf Gray's eyes snapped open, his face filled with a shocked expression.

He suddenly realized that the guy named Faelan Blackwood, who sold him this technique, might not have been lying! This Gluttonous Feast really could double cultivation efficiency!