No wonder Ma Xingkong's mana aura was similar to his own; it seemed that the cultivation technique he practiced was also closely related to the Nine Elements Technique. In that case, whether it was Biluo Cave or Chang Chun Temple, the two of them could be considered fellow sect members. Indeed, it was fate. With this thought, Yuan Ming had a new idea about Ma Xingkong.

"So you're a disciple of Da Jin's number one sect, Chang Chun Temple," Yuan Ming said, complimenting him.

"You flatter me too much. I'm hardly a distinguished disciple. After I escaped from Biluo Cave, I came across my master by chance. Seeing that I still had some potential, he took me under his wing. Recently, when it was time to eradicate Biluo Cave, it happened that I had some recorded evidence of Biluo Cave killing mortals, so I was sent to the Southern Border to deal with this matter alongside Dawn," Ma Xingkong explained.

"I see. So those recorded images of Biluo Cave killing mortals were deliberately documented by you when you were there?" Yuan Ming nodded and asked curiously. However, he felt there must be other reasons for Chang Chun Temple's involvement.

"Indeed, I come from a mercantile background. Back then, I followed a merchant caravan to the Southern Border and was attacked by Biluo Cave along the way. All my relatives and friends were killed, and I was fortunate enough to escape with my life because of my Spirit Root. To avenge my family, I endured hardships from being a Fur Beast Slave to becoming a Registered Disciple. Later in the marketplace, I even bought a magic artifact to record several instances of Biluo Cave murdering mortals. I originally planned to use these records to accuse Biluo Cave of violating the Northern Territory's ten rules, but unfortunately, the Five Sects of the North Territory kept shirking responsibility. Only now have these recordings finally come into use," Ma Xingkong said, a hint of hatred in his eyes.

"Biluo Cave has acted against the heavens and harmed the living; its destruction today is indeed deserved. Brother Ma, your contribution is immeasurable," Yuan Ming remarked, envisioning the tragic sight within Miao Hua Village and sighing.

"We've been chatting for quite a while and almost forgot about the important stuff. Brother Yuan, I've already reported your contribution for you, and your name has been added to the list of those receiving rewards. Hurry up and claim yours before all the good items are taken," Wulu suddenly remembered, saying.

Yuan Ming's face showed realization, his mouth expressing thanks, yet he felt amused inside. He had already obtained two Foundation Establishment Pills from Ou Ji, and now to think he could receive additional rewards here!

When it came to rewards, more was always better; he had indeed exerted much effort, both burning incense and acting as a protector, which had been quite exhausting.

He immediately went to the ten Dawn Members holding ledgers and gave his name.

"Ah, Fellow Daoist Yuan, it's a pleasure to meet you! The tale of how you and Wulu successfully infiltrated Biluo Cave is truly a legend!" A pockmarked woman checked her ledger and smiled at Yuan Ming.

"The basic merit points for participating members is one hundred. Fellow Daoist Yuan, you have endured much and worked hard, accumulating a total of five hundred merit points. The items in the square have all been marked with their respective merit points for you to choose from," another short-haired young man said.

"But you should hurry; most of the good items have been picked over," the pockmarked woman whispered as a reminder.

"Thank you both."

Yuan Ming thanked them and hastened towards the gathering of spirit beasts in front of the Beast Taming Hall.

He had always wanted a flying spiritual beast for travel but had never found the opportunity. Now, with a large number of spirit beasts from Biluo Cave being offered as rewards, it was the perfect time to choose one.

Biluo Cave was renowned in the Southern Border and Northern Territory for commanding spirit beasts, and this time the Beast Taming Hall's spirit beasts had also become the focus of competition among the Dawn Members. At this point, the majority had already been chosen, with flying spiritual beasts, being a prime target, in even scarcer supply.

His gaze briefly swept over the square before settling on a conspicuous Green Cloud Crane. Standing tall at about ten feet with a blue neck and white wings, it exuded an air of ethereal elegance, and its cry was piercingly proud and aloof.

And coincidentally, the robust man standing in front of the crane was none other than Bai Ye, with Huan Shi nowhere to be seen.

"Heh, Fellow Daoist Hagon, I would never have thought that after parting ways in Black Rock City that day, we would meet again here today," Bai Ye said with a chuckle, noticing Yuan Ming.

"Alliance Leader Bai Ye, it seems we are truly fated," Yuan Ming also said with a smile.

"Fellow Daoist, you are truly a deep pool of hidden depths. No wonder your prowess is exceptional, and you're so tight-lipped," Bai Ye said meaningfully, sizing up Yuan Ming.

"You flatter me. Forced by the circumstances, I had no choice. Alliance Leader Bai Ye, are you here to pick a flying spiritual beast?" Yuan Ming neither confirmed nor denied Bai Ye's remark, glancing at the crane as he spoke.

"I contributed little this time, so I do not have enough merit points. As much as I'd like this Green Cloud Crane, it requires quite a hefty sum of merit points," Bai Ye said, seeing that Yuan Ming was reluctant to elaborate further. He too turned his attention back to the crane.

"Four hundred and fifty merit points, indeed quite steep!" Yuan Ming nodded. A Level 1 Upper Stage flying spiritual beast required a high number of merit points, which high-cultivation cultivators might not care for, and those interested might not afford. If not for its high price, how could it have remained available?

"Fellow Daoist Hagon, take your time. Now that the matters here are concluded, I shall take my leave," Bai Ye said.

"What are your plans after this, Alliance Leader Bai Ye? Are you planning to stay with Dawn, or to rebuild the White Night Alliance?" Yuan Ming inquired.

"Honestly, I plan to return to Da Jin Thunder Continent and join my sect. Fellow Daoist Hagon, I believe we will meet again in the future. Farewell," Bai Ye said with a tinge of wistfulness before turning and leaving.

Yuan Ming watched Bai Ye's towering figure disappear at the end of the square, then turned his attention back to the Green Cloud Crane in front of him. He examined it further and nodded with satisfaction.

He had seen this Green Cloud Crane before in the sect; it was the mount of Elder Meng Shan from the Beast Taming Hall, graceful and swift. He wondered why it was not taken when the elder left the sect.

Without delay, Yuan Ming confirmed his merit points with a nearby Dawn Member and stored the Green Cloud Crane in his Spiritual Beast Bag.

For the remaining fifty merit points, he casually exchanged them for a small pile of white Spirit Fruit called "Confusion Fruit." Supposedly, consuming them could cause one to lose their mind in extreme pleasure, becoming utterly addicted.

This fruit is harmful to the body and has no benefits, but he planned to use it to try refining incense, so he didn't think too much about it.

Just as Yuan Ming was about to leave the square in front of the Beast Taming Hall, Xi Ying appeared from nowhere, holding Guoguo in her arms.

"Biluo Cave indeed is a Cave Heaven Blessed Land, it's a pity it was destroyed in a great battle," Xi Ying said.

"No matter, in a few decades everything will be restored to its original state. What are your plans going forward?" Yuan Ming asked.

"I've been loitering around Biluo Cave before because of that Soul Suppressing Kettle. Now that the matter is finally settled, I intend to play around in the Southern Border using Xiao Ying's identity for a while. Her great ancestor will be celebrating a big birthday soon, and I will need to return for that. Since I've taken over her body, I should do something for her. What about you? What are your plans?" Xi Ying, tilting her head and pondering for a moment, said.

"My cultivation is just one step away from reaching the Qi Refining Peak, then I plan to find a quiet place to attempt Foundation Establishment," Yuan Ming replied.

"That's good, take this with you," Xi Ying said, taking out a Storage Bag and tossing it over.

Yuan Ming instinctively caught it, activating his Divine Sense to investigate.

Inside the Storage Bag were a Blood Egg, a Jade Scroll, and three green talismans.

"That Blood Egg was found in the old guy's Cave Mansion. The Fur Beast Slaves have been drawing blood to feed this egg for many years; have fun with it. The Jade Scroll is a manual of the Xiao Ying Family's array formations. I remember you have a set of Array Flags but don't know how to use them; this Array Formation Manual contains some methods of setting up formations. As for the three talismans, they are called Green Spirit Communication Talismans; as long as the distance doesn't exceed ten thousand miles, you can use them to send messages to me," Xi Ying's calm voice carried over.

"This Blood Egg seems extraordinary, do you know its origins and how to hatch it?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Xi Cangqiong once used the Beast Blood collected from the Fur Beasts in the Ten Thousand Mountains to feed it. I've seen that the amount of blood essence absorbed by the egg is sufficient. In the future, you can draw one drop of your Essence Blood every half month to continue feeding it, and perhaps it will hatch on its own. Alright, I've said all that needs to be said, so this is goodbye. We'll meet again someday," Xi Ying said after considering for a while.

"Wait a moment," Yuan Ming called out to Xi Ying, taking out a gray cloak, "Here, this is for you."

"This cloak is so ugly, I don't want it," Xi Ying turned around.

Yuan Ming didn't argue and kept the cloak for himself.

"Parting today, who knows when we will meet again. I have a question in my heart, and I hope you can clear my confusion," Yuan Ming said.

"Back when we first met, I was just an ordinary Fur Beast Slave, but why did you treat me differently and even passed on a cultivation technique to me?" Yuan Ming asked the question that had long been on his mind.

"Because you had that tripod," Xi Ying replied.

"Because of the incense burner?" Yuan Ming probed.

"What you have is not some incense burner, it's a treasure for soul cultivators like me, supposed to be the legendary 'Stealing Heaven Tripod'. It's a pity it has already recognized a master, otherwise, I'd really want to snatch it away," Xi Ying said with a meaningful smile curling up her lips.

"'Stealing Heaven Tripod', what a domineering name," Yuan Ming continued, "Then you could just kill and rob now." Yuan Ming looked at Xi Ying with a half-smiling expression.

"Humph, I don't care for it. Killing you would mean one less overconfident hero in the world, wouldn't that be boring," Xi Ying retorted, "Kill, kill, kill, I will have to tell my father when I get home that his 'prodigy' is now just a mundane person who always talks about killing."

"Do you still recognize this book?" After a moment of silence, Xi Ying waved her hand and a blue object drifted over.

Yuan Ming reached out to catch it, only to see it was a somewhat worn picture book.

He briefly flipped through it, finding it to be a children's storybook with some hamster illustrations in the middle, and memories surfaced in his heart.

In his childhood, he had not cultivated due to certain reasons. He learned the zither, chess, calligraphy, painting, and martial arts. Out of boredom, he wrote some children's storybooks, which then spread. This was one of them.

Yuan Ming was naturally intelligent and was hailed as a prodigy. His children's storybooks were not only widely circulated in Da Jin but also spread to neighboring countries.

The young Emperor of Da Jin particularly liked the stories written by Yuan Ming, which is why he was recruited as a study companion for the Emperor.

"A story written in childhood, of course, I recognize it," Yuan Ming closed the book and slowly said.

"In my childhood, my father bought me a copy of this book. He praised your work, saying it was in harmony with the Heavenly Dao. I happened to read it when I was bored, although the stories were incomplete, the mouse drawings were pretty good. I brought it with me on this trip," Xi Ying said softly. After speaking, she turned around, gazing toward the distant mountains with a look as serene as still water, seemingly

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