“Only half a month since joining the sect? Why would a newcomer take on this task? Are you in a hurry to feed the Fire Rock Snake? Our team doesn’t want any dead weight, nor are we responsible for collecting corpses for others!” The dark-skinned man’s face darkened as he spoke bluntly.

“Junior Brother Yuan, what A Gula and the others said is not without reason. Collecting Fire Essence Jade is dangerous, and if we encounter an attack from the Fire Rock Snake, we might not be able to protect you. It’s better for you to focus on cultivating and improve your strength before taking on any tasks,” the beautiful young woman advised, her eyes showing a hint of disdain.

“Thank you, Senior Sister, and this Senior Brother, for your reminder. Although I am not talented, I believe I have the ability to protect myself and won’t cause you any trouble,” Yuan Ming nodded slightly towards the beautiful young woman and the dark-skinned man, smiling.

As for A Gula, it was as if he hadn’t been seen.

The beautiful young woman raised her eyebrows, and the dark-skinned man let out a low hum, but they didn’t say anything more.

At this moment, A Gula, who had been ignored, had a face that turned as red as a pig’s liver. He stepped forward and said, “You talk big. If you want to join our team, let me see your strength first!”

“Since Senior Brother A Gula wants to teach me, please make your move,” Yuan Ming said calmly.

“Alright, take my arrow first!” A Gula formed a hand seal.

A sparkling water stream appeared out of thin air, quickly bending and transforming into a strange water bow that was two feet long. A bright water arrow automatically formed at the bowstring.

With a sharp whistle, the water arrow shot out, heading straight for Yuan Ming’s chest at a speed much faster than an ordinary arrow.

A Gula had secretly used a technique before speaking, silently forming a hand seal and casting a spell. By the time he finished speaking, the water arrow had already been shot out.

“Water Arrow Technique?”

Yuan Ming remained calm and pushed his right hand into the air, causing a dense green light to appear in his palm.

A thick wooden spike emerged from it, intercepting the water arrow before it could reach Yuan Ming’s chest.

During these days, Yuan Ming had been diligently cultivating the Death Moon method. Although his spiritual power hadn’t increased much, his reaction speed had improved significantly.

With a loud bang, the water arrow shattered, and the wooden spike was also shattered.

“What!” A Gula’s expression froze.

He had secretly used a technique, and yet his Water Arrow Technique, known for its speed, was actually blocked by the Wood Spike Technique!

“Is that enough?” Yuan Ming said calmly, a surge of green light appearing in his palm as the shattered wooden spike immediately returned to its original state.

A Gula’s face turned ugly. He quickly formed hand seals with both hands, and a flash of light appeared on the water bow, revealing five water arrows.

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

The five water arrows were shot out simultaneously, attacking Yuan Ming.

“A continuous barrage of five arrows! When did A Gula’s Water Arrow Technique reach this level?” The beautiful young woman exclaimed in surprise.

The dark-skinned man and the young man with triangular eyes also showed some astonishment.

It was not difficult to master the Water Arrow Technique, but it was not easy to simultaneously unleash five arrows. This required a deep reserve of mana and powerful control over mana.

Seeing this scene, Yuan Ming’s expression became more serious, but he remained calm and cast his spell, forming hand seals.

A burst of green light flashed in front of him, and three thick wooden spikes emerged from the ground, each with a diameter of about one foot, blocking in front of him and obscuring his figure.

Yuan Ming’s mana was not enough to summon more than three wooden spikes at the same time.

The water arrows hit the wooden spikes, easily piercing five large holes, but Yuan Ming’s figure was nowhere to be seen.

A Gula was filled with doubt and uncertainty. Just then, a sharp gust of wind came from the side, and Yuan Ming’s figure appeared out of thin air, holding a blue fish-shaped sword in his hand as he swung it down.

The sword turned into a cold light, slashing down like a bolt of lightning.

A Gula’s face changed drastically. He crushed something in his right hand, and a layer of green aura appeared on his body, swiftly dodging to the side.

However, he suddenly felt a pain in his foot. A small wooden spike had unexpectedly emerged without warning, piercing his sole.

In order to complete today’s mission, A Gula was wearing a pair of specially made boots, made from the leather of a ferocious crocodile beast. They were extremely tough, and the Wood Spike Technique did not pierce through the soles of his shoes, but it still caused his figure to sway, momentarily interrupting his dodging motion.

The cold light of the Blue Fish Sword enveloped him, about to sever his arm.

Just at this moment, a silver light shot over from the side, faster than anyone’s eyes could see, and with a “clang,” it struck the Blue Fish Sword.

Yuan Ming’s wrist went numb, and the Blue Fish Sword flew out of his hand, causing him to be pushed back two steps.

The silver light also revealed its true form, a string of silver bracelets, precisely the ones on the beautiful young woman’s wrist.

Swish!

An elegant figure flashed by, and the beautiful young woman appeared between the two.

“Hehe, the display of the Five Elements spells by the two of you is quite eye-opening. We still have a mission to complete later, so how about we end this competition here?” The beautiful young woman smiled and said, her gaze towards Yuan Ming no longer holding any strangeness, clearly acknowledging his strength.”Of course, we were just sparring with A Gula senior brother.” Yuan Ming chuckled and picked up the green fish sword on the ground and put it away.

A Gula remained silent, his face turning slightly pale.

“Junior Brother Yuan Ming is extraordinary. Do you two have any objections to joining the mission team?” The beautiful woman looked at the dark-skinned man and the man with triangular eyes.

“Junior Brother Yuan’s cultivation is impressive. Mu welcomes him, of course.” The dark-skinned man grinned, changing his previous arrogance.

The man with triangular eyes didn’t speak but nodded.

“In that case, let’s prepare to set off.” The beautiful woman nodded and said.

“Can you all wait for me for a moment? I have something in my residence that I need to retrieve. I’ll be back soon.” Yuan Ming suddenly said.

“No problem. I’m going to the Furnace Hall to buy something anyway. Mu Li and the others also need to rent a flying crane. Let’s disperse for now and meet near the mountain gate in fifteen minutes.” The beautiful woman hesitated and said.

“Rent a flying crane? Are we going to ride a crane to the Tali Volcano?” Yuan Ming asked.

“Of course. The Tali Volcano is a hundred miles away from the sect. How long would it take to walk there on foot?” The beautiful woman said.

Yuan Ming looked embarrassed. He had just joined the sect and had no contributions or the ability to rent a spiritual beast.

“Don’t worry, Junior Brother Yuan. You can ride with me later.” The beautiful woman noticed Yuan Ming’s embarrassment and said.

“Thank you, Senior Sister.” Yuan Ming breathed a sigh of relief and thanked her.

“It’s nothing.” The beautiful woman shook her head.

Yuan Ming nodded slightly to the others and quickly left, heading towards the Furnace Hall.

He ran all the way and quickly returned to his residence, taking out a gray bundle from under the bed.

Inside were two beast fur skins, one from a white ape and one from a black toad. This was his first mission for the sect, and he couldn’t afford to make any mistakes. He brought the two fur skins just in case.

Although he was no longer a beast slave, he currently had no good means of attack or self-defense other than the Green Fish Sword and Wood Thorn Art. The increase in combat power brought by transforming into a white ape might be useful in critical moments.

Yuan Ming stuffed the bundle into his arms and returned the same way, walking quickly towards the mountain gate.

…

The main hall of the Furnace Hall.

The layout here was similar to the Execution Hall. In front was a long stone table with four or five disciples of the Furnace Hall sitting inside. Behind them were rows of stone counters, gray-white in color and several feet tall, filled with various jade bottles and porcelain jars.

The fragrance of medicine filled the entire hall, and just being here would make one feel much more refreshed.

“I want a bottle of Water Ze Pill.” The beautiful woman walked up to a short and fat young man and said.

“Ten contribution points.” The short and fat young man glanced at the woman and said.

The beautiful woman obviously knew the price of the pill and directly took out her identity token and handed it over.

The short and fat young man took out a white jade token and lightly tapped it on the woman’s identity token. A white light flowed out from the identity token and entered the white jade token.

“Wait a moment, I’ll go get the medicine.” The short and fat young man said and turned to the counter behind him.

“Lan Ke junior sister, it’s been a while.” A woman in a red dress walked over. It was Chen Wan.

“Senior Sister Chen Wan, are you also here to buy pills?” The beautiful woman saw Chen Wan and greeted her with joy.

The beautiful woman was obviously older, but she showed a respectful attitude towards Chen Wan, as if she were the younger one.

“I came here specifically to see you. Is that not allowed?” Chen Wan smiled and held the beautiful woman’s hand.

“I’m here to handle some matters for my master.” Chen Wan smiled and said.

“Do you need any help? I’m quite familiar with the officials of the Furnace Hall.” The beautiful woman’s eyes flickered and immediately said.

She was a disciple of the Beast Taming Hall and had no background or status, but she had a high ambition and had been striving to climb up. She had made many connections within the sect and if she could use this opportunity to become familiar with the Third Elder, it would be beneficial for her future development.

“No need, it’s just some small matters. I heard that Lan Ke junior sister is buying Water Ze Pills. Are you going on a mission to collect Fire Pith Jade?” Chen Wan shook her head and changed the topic.

The beautiful woman felt disappointed in her heart, but she didn’t show it on her face. She touched the silver bracelet and said, “Yes, I plan to add another rune to the Silver Snake Bracelet recently, but I don’t have enough contribution points. I need to gather some.”

As she said this, the image of Yuan Ming suddenly appeared in her mind.

“Speaking of which, Senior Sister Chen Wan, did you hear about a young disciple from the Central Plains named Yuan Ming in the Furnace Hall?” The beautiful woman asked.

“Yuan Ming? There is such a person. Have you heard of him?” Chen Wan nodded.”I assembled a team to undertake the task of collecting Fire Jade, and Yuan Ming was among them. His strength is impressive. He even gained the upper hand after several rounds of combat with A Gula,” the beautiful young woman said.

“Really?” A hint of surprise flashed across Chen Wan’s face.

A Gula was a senior disciple of the Fire Refining Hall. Although his talent in refining was not outstanding, his cultivation was not weak, having reached the sixth level of Qi Refining. It was unexpected that he would be defeated by Yuan Ming, who had just joined the sect.

She remembered that during the trial mission that day, Yuan Ming was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining and was merely a beast slave. In just a few short months, his cultivation had improved?

“Could it be that this man has extraordinary talent, which is why the master personally took him as a disciple?” Chen Wan wondered to herself.