Yuan Ming, upon hearing the words of the silver cat, began to close his eyes and sense the Divine Soul Raven in his Sea of Consciousness. Before long, an involuntary expression of surprise and delight appeared on his face.

The silver cat, observing his change of expression, was slightly surprised.

Having followed Yuan Ming for some time, it knew that he was a composed individual, not one to easily betray his emotions. It must be a truly remarkable ability that caused him to lose control of his expression.

A moment later, Yuan Ming opened his eyes, and his countenance returned to calm.

"How was it?" the silver cat asked.

"Far Travel," answered Yuan Ming.

With this ability, his Divine Soul could venture out in the form of a raven, traversing a distance estimated to be about ten miles by Yuan Ming himself. It was incredibly convenient for scouting enemy locations.

Unlike soul departure, invoking Far Travel did not affect the actions of his physical body.

Moreover, his Divine Soul Raven was nearly indistinguishable from a real White Feathered Crow, unless a high-level cultivator with strong Soul Power quickly noticed it; others would find it extremely difficult to detect.

"Is that all?" the silver cat asked in astonishment.

"There's another, soul collision," Yuan Ming continued.

This was the only offensive ability of the Divine Soul Raven, which involved the raven plunging into an opponent's Sea of Consciousness to strike at their Divine Soul, damaging the enemy's Divine Soul as his own collapsed, a mutually damaging ability.

However, the collapsed soul crow only needed some time to recover before it could re-condense in the Sea of Consciousness through Soul Power.

Upon hearing this, the silver cat's unique pupils shimmered slightly, and a questioning voice once again resonated within Yuan Ming's Sea of Consciousness:

"If I'm not mistaken, there should be another ability, right?"

"No more," Yuan Ming shook his head.

"Humph, those two abilities are insufficient to cause you such uncontrollable joy," the silver cat scoffed.

"Alright. I knew I couldn't hide it from you, there is indeed one more ability, 'Soul Feeding,'" Yuan Ming said, hesitating briefly before chuckling.

He originally did not want to disclose this ability to the silver cat, as he could not reveal all his secrets.

Clearly, however, the cat was not easily deceived.

"Soul Feeding, huh? You are indeed quite lucky," the silver cat remarked.

Soul Feeding endowed Yuan Ming's Divine Soul Raven with the ability to devour Residual Souls, allowing it to absorb the souls of the deceased to enhance and strengthen Yuan Ming's Divine Soul Power.

"Oh, is that so?" Yuan Ming said.

"This is an ability many evil Soul Cultivators dream of," the silver cat said teasingly.

Hearing this, Yuan Ming felt a slight twinge in his heart. Soul Cultivators were generally unwelcome because many, in their pursuit of rapidly enhancing their Cultivation, followed the twisted path of devouring others' souls, committing numerous murders in the process.

"Could this ability pose any hidden dangers?" Yuan Ming asked with a frown.

"Naturally, there are. Devouring someone else's soul usually involves absorbing the residual memories. Consider the implications," the silver cat's voice carried a warning tone.

Yuan Ming's frown deepened. Indeed, there was no free lunch in the world, not even with souls.

He had read from some Classics that memories not belonging to oneself could clash and confuse one's original memories. Absorbing too many could lead to severe confusion or even madness.

He risked mixing others' memories with his own before he could retrieve his, potentially forgetting even his own name.

"Overall, the three abilities are quite good," the silver cat's voice timely resonated in his mind.

"This is all thanks to your help," Yuan Ming sincerely thanked.

"Next, you can focus on cultivating the second layer skill of Moonlight Technique and continue to enhance your Soul Power. The power of all Soul Cultivators lies in a robust Divine Soul Power; this is fundamental," the silver cat advised.

"I understand," Yuan Ming nodded.

He immediately sat cross-legged, holding the incense burner, intending to continue his Cultivation under the moonlight when he heard the silver cat's voice in his Sea of Consciousness:

"Let me take a look at that incense burner."

"You want to see it?" Yuan Ming picked up the incense burner, hesitating.

This incense burner had saved his life several times, making it the most precious thing he possessed.

"What, afraid I'll steal it?"

The silver cat scoffed, for if it truly aimed to seize the incense burner, it wouldn't have waited till now.

"How could I?" Yuan Ming chuckled and placed the incense burner in front of the silver cat.

The silver cat, maintaining its crouching posture, lifted a paw and gently touched the incense burner.

A brief flash of silver light gleamed on its paw.

Yuan Ming blinked, finally noticing a delicate silver ring hidden among the fur on the paw, fitted around it.

However, after the flash of silver light, nothing happened.

A hint of realization flickered in the unique pupils of the silver cat, as if it had confirmed some speculation.

"Take it back. This is no ordinary object. Keep it safe," the silver cat then pushed the incense burner back.

Yuan Ming hurriedly took it and held it in his arms.

"Continue your cultivation," said the silver cat.

Yuan Ming gathered his scattered thoughts and began to circulate the Moonlight Technique. His body was enveloped in a layer of moonlight, and the incense burner in his arms also emitted a faint, barely noticeable glow.

Seeing this, the silver cat immediately padded its paws under its head, lay down next to Yuan Ming, and closed its eyes.

A light, silver glow also shrouded its body, undulating gently like the tide.

...

Several days later.

In the mountains of the Southern Border, seven or eight men dressed in beast skins and with curved cow horn knives hanging from their waists, sat in a circle among the rocks under the blazing sun.

Their skin was date-red, and their muscles bulged, making them look like the "strongmen" in temple murals.

The leader of the group, particularly burly, was a man with a fierce face and bare upper body.

"Captain Hu Zha, why haven't we set off yet? Who are we waiting for?" a man with blue-black tattoos on his face asked impatiently.

This fierce man was none other than the one who had captured Yuan Ming and brought him into Biluo Cave.

"I heard there's a registered disciple from the Fire Refining Hall who has also taken up a task and will be going out with us," Hu Zha said.

"How come these pampered folks would take on a job from our Beast Slave Hall? They usually look down on us, barely taking us seriously," the tattooed man wondered.

"Who knows what's wrong with them," Hu Zha shrugged and appeared impatient as well.

"If you ask me, we should handle this little job ourselves. Why issue a task at all? Isn't it just making things uncomfortable for ourselves?" the tattooed man complained.

"Well, that can't quite be said... after all, we do the dirty work that shouldn't see the light of day. We can't act under the Sect's name. We might be targeted at any time, and if we were ambushed by accident, having a registered disciple could be very useful," Hu Zha said with a grin.

"That's true..." the tattooed man chuckled sheepishly.

"Everyone remember, be polite to that registered disciple when you see him. You never know when he might come in handy..." Before Hu Zha could finish, he saw a figure approaching from the end of the forest path.

The person was not wearing the attire of a registered disciple from Biluo Cave, nor did he have a waist card to prove his identity. He wore a hat that covered most of his face.

As he approached, he suddenly removed his hat and smiled, "Captain Hu Zha, long time no see."

"You are..." Hu Zha was startled upon hearing this and couldn't recognize the person in front of him at first.

It took him a while to match the rather handsome young man in front of him with the somewhat frail figure in his memory, but he was still not quite sure.

"You are that Fur Beast Slave..." He couldn't remember the young man's name, as he had never really cared to.

"Yuan Ming," the young man said with a smile.

"Right, right, right... Yuan Ming, is it really you?" Hu Zha finally could not hide his surprise and pointed at Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming nodded.

"Are you that disciple from the Fire Refining Hall?" Hu Zha asked.

"Yes, for this task, I hope Captain Hu Zha will give me some pointers," Yuan Ming said.

"How did you come to take on this task?" Hu Zha looked at Yuan Ming, feeling a hint of wariness in his heart.

He knew Yuan Ming's background better than anyone; he was the one who had personally captured Yuan Ming and a group of Wild Men and sent them to Ten Thousand Mountains.

"It's for those twenty Contribution Points, of course. Captain Hu Zha, aren't you welcoming?" Yuan Ming asked.

"How could that be, it's just..." Hu Zha hesitated.

"Captain Hu Zha isn't worried about me minding old grievances, is he? If so, you're really overthinking it. I still remember what you said when you sent me to Elder Hu Huo back then," Yuan Ming said with a smile, no sign of minding the past.

At that time, he had said that if Yuan Ming and those Wild Men really could embark on the path of cultivation, they should turn back and thank him, their introducer.

"Oh, that was all nonsense, don't take it seriously," Hu Zha was a bit frightened.

"You should take my word, Captain Hu Zha. I truly thank you from the bottom of my heart for leading me into the Sect's gates. Without you, I would probably have died a mere ignorant Wild Man," Yuan Ming said warmly and sincerely, almost believing it himself.

"You're too kind, too kind," Hu Zha eased a little when he saw that the other's words did not seem feigned.

"Rest assured, Captain Hu Zha, if there's any danger on the road, I'll do my utmost to handle it," Yuan Ming said.

"Hah, you worry too much. It's just dealing with some barbaric Wild Men, at most they're a bit stronger; where is the need for you to act? You just need to relax and enjoy the scenery along the way," Hu Zha laughed.

"Good, then let's not delay any longer. Let's get on the road," Yuan Ming said.

Under the leadership of Hu Zha, the group set off into the mountains.

Along the way, Yuan Ming and Hu Zha chatted intermittently. Neither mentioned the incident of capturing Yuan Ming again, and gradually they became more familiar with each other.

"Captain Hu Zha, what's the procedure for capturing Wild Men? Surely it's not just aimlessly searching, right?" Yuan Ming asked.

Hu Zha chuckled, "Of course not. You know, capturing Wild Men is also a business. We have buyers, so naturally, there are sellers."

"What do you mean?" Yuan Ming asked, puzzled.

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