No wonder Ma Xingkong’s aura is similar to his own. It seems that he also practices a similar technique to the Nine Elements Formula. In that case, whether it’s the Biluo Cave or the Changchun Sect, the two of them can be considered as fellow disciples, and it’s really fate. With this in mind, Yuan Ming had a new idea about Ma Xingkong.

“So you’re a disciple of the number one sect in Da Jin, the Changchun Sect,” Yuan Ming complimented.

“You’re too kind. I can’t be considered a top disciple. After I escaped from the Biluo Cave, I happened to meet my master by chance. He saw some potential in me and took me in as his disciple. Recently, we need to eradicate the Biluo Cave, and I happen to have some evidence of the Biluo Cave killing mortals, so I was sent to the Southern Frontier to handle this matter with Poxiao,” Ma Xingkong said.

“I see. Did you deliberately record the evidence of the Biluo Cave killing mortals when you were in the Biluo Cave?” Yuan Ming nodded, curious. However, he always felt that there should be some other reason for the involvement of the Changchun Sect.

“To be honest, I used to be a merchant. When I followed a caravan to the Southern Frontier, we were attacked by the Biluo Cave, and all my family and friends were killed. I survived because I had spiritual roots. In order to avenge my family, I went from being a beast slave to a named disciple. Later, I bought some artifacts in the market and recorded several cases of the Biluo Cave killing mortals. I originally wanted to use this evidence to accuse the Biluo Cave of violating the Ten Rules of the Northern Region. Unfortunately, the five sects of the Northern Region kept passing the blame on each other, and it wasn’t until now that this evidence finally came in handy,” Ma Xingkong said with a hint of resentment in his eyes.

“The Biluo Cave is a scourge, and its destruction today is well deserved. Brother Ma, you have done a great service,” Yuan Ming recalled the tragic scene in Miaohua Village and sighed.

“We’ve been chatting for a while and almost forgot about the main business. Brother Yuan, I have already reported your contributions and added your name to the list of rewards. Hurry up and claim it, or all the good stuff will be taken,” Wu Lu suddenly remembered and said.

Yuan Ming looked enlightened and thanked him, but he was secretly delighted. He had already obtained two Foundation Establishment Pills from Ougi, and he didn’t expect to receive another one here!

Naturally, more rewards were better. This time, he had also spent a lot of effort, burning incense and protecting the law, which was quite exhausting.

He immediately went to the ten members of Poxiao who were holding booklets and reported his name.

“So you’re Brother Yuan, nice to meet you! The story of you and Wu Lu successfully infiltrating the Biluo Cave is truly legendary!” a plain-faced woman checked the booklet in her hand and said to Yuan Ming with a smile.

“The basic merit value of participating members is one hundred. Brother Yuan, you have endured a lot this time, and your total merit value is five hundred. The items in the square have already been marked with merit values, so please help yourself,” another young man with short hair said.

“But you have to hurry, the good stuff is almost gone,” the plain-faced woman reminded in a low voice.

“Thank you both.”

Yuan Ming thanked them and quickly walked towards the direction of the spirit beasts gathered in front of the Beast Taming Hall.

He had always wanted a flying spirit beast as a mount, but he had never found the opportunity. This time, a large number of spirit beasts from the Biluo Cave were taken out as rewards, so he could choose one now.

The Biluo Cave in the Southern Frontier was known for its mastery of spirit beasts, and the spirit beasts in the Beast Taming Hall had become the focus of the members of Poxiao. At this time, most of them had been chosen, and there were few flying spirit beasts left.

After scanning the square, his gaze fell on an extraordinary green crane. The green crane stood at a height of about ten feet, with a green neck, white wings, and a unique and elegant appearance, emitting a proud and sharp cry.

Coincidentally, the burly man standing in front of the green crane was none other than Bai Ye, and Huan Shi was nowhere to be seen.

“Hehe, Brother Ha Gong, I didn’t expect to meet again in this place after parting ways in Heiyan City,” Bai Ye also saw Yuan Ming and laughed.

“Leader Bai Ye, we do have some fate,” Yuan Ming also smiled.

“Brother, you really hide your strength well. No wonder you are so powerful, and you keep your words tight,” Bai Ye looked at Yuan Ming with a meaningful look.

“Sorry for the inconvenience, but I had no choice. Leader Bai Ye, are you here to choose a flying spirit beast?” Yuan Ming didn’t confirm or deny, and looked at the green crane, asking.

“I have limited contributions this time, and my merit value is not enough. This green cloud crane is indeed a pity, as it requires quite a high merit value,” Bai Ye said, seeing that Yuan Ming didn’t want to say more, and didn’t ask further, turning his gaze to the green crane.

“Four hundred and fifty merits, indeed quite high!” Yuan Ming also nodded. A first-level upper-tier flying spirit beast might not be attractive to cultivators with high merit values, but those who were interested couldn’t afford it. It was quite a dilemma. Otherwise, how could it still be available?

“Brother Ha Gong, take your time to look. Now that this matter is settled, I will take my leave,” Bai Ye said.

“What are your plans, Leader Bai Ye? Are you planning to stay in Poxiao or revive the Bai Ye Alliance?” Yuan Ming asked.

“To be honest, I plan to return to the Thunder Province of Da Jin and seek refuge with my sect. Brother Ha Gong, I believe we will meet again in the future. Goodbye,” Bai Ye said with a somewhat desolate expression, and after saying that, he turned and left.Yuan Ming watched as the towering figure of Bai Ye disappeared at the end of the square, his gaze returning to the Azure Cloud Crane before him. After examining it for a moment, he nodded in satisfaction.

He had seen this Azure Cloud Crane within the sect before; it was the mount of Elder Meng Shan from the Beast Taming Hall, graceful in stature and swift in speed. He wondered why it had not been taken along when its owner left the sect.

He immediately confirmed the merit points with a Dawnbreaker member nearby and stored the Azure Cloud Crane in his spirit beast bag.

As for the remaining fifty merit points, he casually exchanged them for a small pile of white spiritual fruits called “Mystic Heart Fruits,” which were said to cause one to lose their mind and experience extreme pleasure, making it hard to resist.

These fruits were harmful to the body and provided no benefits, but he planned to use them to try his hand at incense refining, so he didn’t give it much thought.

Just as Yuan Ming was about to leave the square in front of the Beast Taming Hall, Xiying appeared out of nowhere, holding Guoguo.

“This Bi Luo Cave is indeed a blessed land, a pity it was destroyed in the great battle,” Xiying remarked.

“No matter, give it a few decades and everything will be restored to its original state. What are your plans now?” Yuan Ming inquired.

“I’ve been loitering around Bi Luo Cave for that Soul Calming Jar. Now that the matter is finally settled, I plan to wander around the Southern Frontier using Xiao Ying’s identity. Her ancestor will be celebrating a big birthday soon, and I’ll need to return for that. Since I’ve taken over her body, I should do something for her. What about you?” Xiying tilted her head and pondered before speaking.

“My cultivation is just one step away from reaching the peak of Qi Refining. After that, I plan to find a quiet place to attempt Foundation Establishment,” Yuan Ming replied.

“That’s good. Here, take this.” Xiying said, tossing a storage bag over.

Yuan Ming caught it instinctively and probed it with his divine sense.

Inside the storage bag were a blood egg, a jade slip, and three green talismans.

“That blood egg was found in the old fellow’s cave dwelling. For many years, beast slaves have been feeding it their blood. Have fun with it. The jade slip is a collection of formation techniques from Xiao Ying’s family. I remember you have a set of formation flags but don’t know how to use them; this book contains methods for setting up formations. As for those three talismans, they are called Azure Spirit Messenger Talismans. As long as we’re not more than ten thousand miles apart, you can use these talismans to send messages to me,” Xiying’s calm voice came through.

“This blood egg seems extraordinary. Do you know its origin and how to incubate it?” Yuan Ming asked.

“Xi Cangqiong previously fed it with the blood collected by the beast slaves from the Ten Thousand Mountains. I’ve observed that the egg has absorbed enough blood essence. From now on, feed it a drop of your essence blood every half month, and perhaps it will hatch on its own. Alright, I’ve said all that needs to be said. Let’s part here, until we meet again,” Xiying pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Wait a moment,” Yuan Ming called out to Xiying, taking out a grey cloak. “This is for you.”

“That ugly thing? I don’t want it,” Xiying turned around.

Yuan Ming didn’t insist and kept the cloak.

“We part today, and I don’t know when we’ll meet again. I have a question in my heart, and I hope you can clear my doubts,” Yuan Ming said.

“When we first met, I was just an ordinary beast slave. Why did you treat me differently and teach me your techniques?” Yuan Ming voiced the question he had harbored for a long time.

“Because you have that cauldron,” Xiying replied.

“Because of the incense burner?” Yuan Ming probed.

“That’s not just any incense burner; it’s a treasure for soul cultivators like me. It’s supposed to be the legendary ‘Heaven Stealing Cauldron.’ It’s a pity it has already recognized a master; otherwise, I would have really liked to snatch it away,” Xiying’s lips curled up, revealing a meaningful smile.

“‘Heaven Stealing Cauldron,’ what a domineering name,” Yuan Ming continued, “Then you could just kill and rob me of it now.” Yuan Ming looked at Xiying with a half-smiling gaze.

“Humph, I don’t care for it. Killing you would mean one less boastful hero in the world, how boring that would be,” Xiying said. “Kill, kill, kill… When I get home, I’ll tell my father that his prodigy has become a vulgar person who speaks of killing.”

“Do you still recognize this book?” After a moment of silence, Xiying waved her hand, and a blue object floated over.

Yuan Ming caught it; it was an old picture book.

He flipped through it briefly; it was a children’s storybook with some hamster illustrations in the middle, and memories flooded his mind.

In his childhood, due to certain circumstances, he did not cultivate but learned music, chess, calligraphy, painting, and martial arts. In his boredom, he wrote some children’s stories, which spread. This was one of them.

Yuan Ming was naturally intelligent and was hailed as a prodigy. The children’s stories he wrote were not only widely circulated in the Great Jin but also spread to neighboring countries.

The young emperor of Great Jin was very fond of the stories written by Yuan Ming, which led to him being invited to be the emperor’s reading companion.

“The stories I wrote in my childhood, of course, I recognize them,” Yuan Ming closed the book and spoke slowly.

“When I was a child, my father bought me this book. He praised the one you wrote, saying it was in harmony with the heavenly way. I read it when I was bored. Although the story is simple, the mouse drawings are quite good. I brought it with me this time,” Xiying spoke softly. After speaking, she turned around, looking towards the distant mountains, her eyes like water, as if gazing far into a certain direction.

Yuan Ming did not rush her, waiting quietly.