"Unlike previous years, in this White Deer Hill alliance meeting, aside from the spiritual materials collected by the participating disciples, the Sect has decided to bestow additional rewards on the ten disciples who harvest the most, as an encouragement. You may see for yourselves what the specific prizes are," the black-bearded elder said, raising one hand and causing a white banner to appear in mid-air, inscribed with rows of golden, shimmering characters and smaller explanatory text below them.

"The rewards for this alliance are surprisingly generous!"

"It's rare for the Sect to be so lavish, oh, had I known, I would have registered too!"

As the disciples present read the listed rewards, they collectively gasped in astonishment and began buzzing with discussion.

With a sweeping glance, Yuan Ming's face also betrayed a hint of astonishment.

The rewards the Sect had prepared this time were not insignificant, with those for the top three all related to Foundation Establishment. The first-place prize was a Foundation Establishment Pill, the second place was the Soul-Calming Incense, and the third place was a Yuan Condensing Pill.

According to the description, the Soul-Calming Incense came from the Southern Border Eastern Domain and was as its name suggested, capable of stabilizing the mind, allowing one to remain in a state of absolute calm, greatly aiding in breaking through the Foundation Establishment Stage.

This incense was a novelty for other Biluo Cave cultivators or disciples, but to Yuan Ming, it was not particularly rare.

The Yuan Condensing Pill was an elixir that accelerated the condensation of mana, significantly aiding in Foundation Establishment as well.

Both the Soul-Calming Incense and the Yuan Condensing Pill were precious items, and the Foundation Establishment Pill, needless to say, indicated Biluo Cave's high regard for this meeting at White Deer Hill.

The rewards for fourth to tenth places included magic artifacts, elixirs to advance cultivation, and a substantial number of Spirit Stones, all quite valuable, albeit not as much as the Foundation Establishment Pill or Soul-Calming Incense.

The other participating disciples were both shocked and thrilled to see such valuable rewards.

Some people's eyes darkened as they looked towards the other participants.

With such valuable rewards at stake, rather than painstakingly searching for treasures and materials and competing for rankings, it might be better to reduce the number of fellow Sect members directly.

Only forty to fifty people from Biluo Cave had registered for the White Deer Hill alliance meeting this time. The more people eliminated, the greater the chance of entering the top ten.

A crisp 'ding' resonated, startling those who harbored murderous intentions; they nearly fell to the ground, while others were less affected.

The Great Cave Master had somehow acquired a small white bell in his hand, which was emitting a gentle white light.

He raised his hand and struck the bell, which immediately intensified its white glow and shot out numerous white bell shadows that accurately entered the bodies of all attendees.

Yuan Ming's body also absorbed one of the white bell shadows, startling him. He hurriedly activated his Divine Sense to investigate but found nothing.

"Don't worry, the bell shadow that just entered you was a Heart Warning Seal from my Heart Warning Bell, and it will dissipate after a while," the Great Cave Master said.

"May I ask Great Cave Master, what is the effect of this Heart Warning Seal?" a voice rang out, belonging to a tall Biluo Cave disciple with a scar running from his right eye to his chin.

Yuan Ming recognized this person, named Wu Luo, who was the direct disciple of the Second Cave Master, highly respected among the younger generation in Biluo Cave.

"That leads me to the second matter. In past White Deer Hill meetings, disciples from the Five Sects fought fiercely over spiritual materials and treasures, sparing neither strangers nor fellows from their own Sect for ranks and gains. This time, we absolutely will not tolerate fratricide within the Sect! The Heart Warning Seal can sense murderous intent, and it will activate if you turn on your fellow disciples. Those whose seals are triggered, no matter how much they have gathered, will be disqualified from the top ten rankings!" The Great Cave Master's gaze turned sharp as he spoke slowly.

"Yes," the participating disciples averted their gaze and bowed their heads in agreement almost immediately.

Those who had plotted against their fellow Sect members suppressed such thoughts at once.

"You are no exception; do not think that the Sect is unaware of your covert strife. Interaction and sparring among fellow disciples are permitted, but there should be limits. Currently, Biluo Cave needs sincere unity and must avoid internal conflict!" the Second Cave Master addressed those disciples and elders who were not participating in the meeting, his voice stern.

Every person his gaze swept over shivered involuntarily, some guiltily turning their heads away.

Under this oppressive atmosphere, these people responded in unison.

Yuan Ming frowned secretly. Previously, Biluo Cave had not interfered in the disputes among disciples and even took a lenient attitude. Why the sudden change in approach? Perhaps something had occurred, forcing Biluo Cave to make adjustments.

Those swift of mind among the crowd also guessed this and looked towards the Great Cave Master and Second Cave Master with a touch more suspicion in their eyes.

"But don't shun struggle as if avoiding food because of choking; necessary sparring is still permissible. How else to improve strength? Especially against other Sects, we initiate no troubles but neither are we afraid of them. The Great Elder alone has elevated Biluo Cave into the ranks of the Five Great Sects, fending off other Sects from encroaching. If the disciples of our Sect are all timid, how can we stand firm?" The Great Cave Master said with a smile surfacing on his face.

The disciples of Biluo Cave relaxed slightly upon hearing this.

The Great Elder, as the pillar of Biluo Cave, was deeply revered; it was said that his cultivation had reached the peak of Mid-stage Core Formation, far surpassing the three Cave Masters and counting as one of the few powerhouses in both the Southern Border and Northern Territory.

As long as he was there, other Sects from the Northern Territory dared not intrude a step.

"The Great Elder truly is formidable," Yuan Ming muttered to himself.

He had been with the Sect for quite a while and had never seen the Great Elder, who was rumored to always be in seclusion in the mountains behind Biluo Cave, rarely appearing in public or ever seen in action.

From his perch atop a large tree near the square, Xi Ying sat crouching, his gaze passing through the crowd and lighting, looking towards the back of Biluo Cave.

Behind the three main peaks of Biluo Cave was a range of continuous mountains, densely wooded and utterly deserted. A faint mist pervaded the space between trees, wafting through the forest with the mountain breeze, lingering among the treetops.

On a green rocky cliff sat a cave mansion; to its right, carved into the stone wall, were the three large characters "Biluo Cave", covered with green moss and seemingly existing for centuries.

Nearly a thousand disciples of Biluo Cave did not know that the name of their sect originated from this place.

The stone gate of the cave mansion was tightly shut, with faint blue light rippling over it.

Deep within the Biluo Cave, in a stone chamber, a youth clad in a dark green robe was sitting cross-legged. He had high cheekbones and deep-set eyes, which greatly differed from the appearance of the Southern Border People.

The green-robed youth formed hand seals, and in front of him floated a small black kettle half a meter high, engraved with landscapes, flowers, and birds. Below the spout, three small characters were engraved: Soul Suppressing Kettle.

The Soul Suppressing Kettle buzzed and trembled ceaselessly, wisps of black mist rose from within, making the kettle lid clatter intensely. A small dent appeared at the top of the lid as if a part was missing, making it look somewhat incongruous.

"Lacking the Soul Suppressing Pearl atop the lid, controlling this Soul Suppressing Kettle is indeed taxing," the green-robed youth sighed, his hands rotating like wheels as he formed seals.

Waves of blue light struck the Soul Suppressing Kettle, gradually restoring calm to its body, and the leaking black mist completely vanished.

The green-robed youth flicked his sleeve, casting out twenty or thirty strokes, which landed in front of him. They were twenty or thirty black bells, indeed Soul-Attracting Bells.

"Gather!" he commanded, forming a seal towards the Soul Suppressing Kettle. The kettle lid levitated, emitting a suction force.

Streams, as thick as fingers and constantly shifting, of Divine Soul Power flew out of the twenty or thirty Soul-Attracting Bells, rolling into the Soul Suppressing Kettle and were quickly sucked dry.

The kettle lid fell, sealing the kettle mouth tightly.

However, the Soul Suppressing Kettle started to tremble clangorously again, with more black fog spilling out from the mouth than before.

The green-robed youth's expression condensed, and he cast a wave of blue light with a sweep of his sleeve, wrapping around the Soul Suppressing Kettle and dropping it onto a black Array on the ground several feet in size ahead.

The Array swiftly activated, a black mild light covered the kettle, reducing the trembles of the Soul Suppressing Kettle considerably.

The color of the green-robed youth's face eased slightly, his hands forming seals, enveloping the kettle with soft black light that flowed like water into the body of the kettle.

Moments later, a "crack" sound of something breaking emerged from within the Soul Suppressing Kettle. The kettle emitted a black light, and its top cover was blasted off, causing ghostly wails and wolf howls to faintly resonate within a few meters.

The walls of the stone chamber emitted a layer of black light, blocking all the ghostly wails.

"Finally, the Soul Power has accumulated sufficiently. I, Xi Cangqiong, can now attempt to break into the late-stage of Core Formation using the Divine Soul Power as a guide," murmured the green-robed youth softly as he exhaled lightly.

As he spoke, a black light flashed across his forehead, revealing a black tiger head phantom, which touched the ground before sucking at the Soul Suppressing Kettle.

A stream of exceptionally pure black mist surged out from the Soul Suppressing Kettle, no longer writhing even a bit, entering the black tiger head.

Showing a look of ecstasy on his face, the green-robed youth sat cross-legged, forming a Sealing with his hands in front of him.

Suddenly, a tremendous oppressive force burst forth, shaking the entire stone chamber, the air in it roaring and shrieking.

Atop a large tree outside Biluo Cave, a sparrow perched, hopping agilely along the branches, its eyes occasionally flashing past the green stone gates, revealing a hint of lively light.

In a distant tree above Qingluo Square, Xi Ying narrowed its eyes, anxiously sharpening its claws against the tree. Suddenly, it looked up towards the mountain gate of Biluo Cave, its eyes reflecting shock.

"Who has come..." it murmured, its form darting towards the mountain gate.

Outside the mountain gate of Biluo Cave, shadowy figures in black clothes, whose origin was unknown, suddenly appeared, quickly approaching from all directions. The number was no less than three or four hundred, each with an embroidered emblem on the chest resembling a rising sunrise surrounded by a few white clouds.

Although these people tried desperately to conceal their movements, their large numbers soon were detected by the scouting methods arranged near the sect by Biluo Cave.

A hidden stake of Biluo Cave leaped out from the bushes, darting toward the mountain gate. Pulling out a white talisman, he activated it and yelled, "A large group of unidentified individuals is approaching fast. Hurry..."

Before he could finish, he felt a black arrow silently shoot towards him from behind. No matter how he tried to dodge, a "puff" sound was heard as the arrow pierced his throat.

The stake's voice abruptly ceased, he collapsed to the ground, soon breathless. However, with the last of his strength, he crushed the talisman in his hand.

A burst of white light shot into the sky, exploding mid-air, forming a shower of dazzling light rain.

Almost simultaneously, several bursts of white light also shot into the sky from both the east and the west sides of the Biluo Cave Sect, turning into firework-like light showers.

Dang, dang, dang!

Suddenly, an enormously loud bell sound arose, deafening, reverberating across the entire mountain gate of Biluo Cave, echoing endlessly through the sky.

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