"Three Cave Masters, may I ask, how long will your seclusion be this time?" Yuan Ming inquired hesitantly upon hearing those words.

"A few weeks, at the least, but it could be several months. Do you have other matters to attend to?" The Three Cave Masters frowned slightly, seemingly displeased.

"Yes, I plan to participate in the White Deer Hill gathering in half a year's time, so during that period, I will need to make some preparations and might not be able to take care of Huo Chan'er for an extended duration," Yuan Ming explained, after a slight hesitation.

"You're going to participate in the White Deer Hill gathering? If I remember correctly, it hasn't been long since I took you in as my disciple," the Three Cave Masters expressed in surprise, clearly taken aback.

"Yes, I will never forget the kindness of the Three Cave Masters," Yuan Ming said, clasping his fists.

"There are casualties in every gathering. You've finally rid yourself of being a beast slave; you should focus on cultivating peacefully and not risk danger," the Three Cave Masters advised.

"It's a rare opportunity, and I'm willing to take the risk. There's a saying I read in books, 'Seedlings in a greenhouse never grow tall,'" Yuan Ming persisted.

"Fine, if you're set on it, I'll submit your name," said the Three Cave Masters.

"Thank you. I will devote myself to caring for Huo Chan'er during this time; please rest assured," Yuan Ming said.

"There is another matter for which I must apologize in advance; please do not blame me," Yuan Ming continued.

"Speak your mind," the Three Cave Masters said.

"This time, I'm willing to forego any other reward. I only wish to seek guidance from you, Three Cave Masters, on how to advance the Green Fish Sword into a true magical tool," Yuan Ming asked, feeling somewhat relieved.

"You want to prepare for the White Deer Hill gathering?" the Three Cave Masters quickly guessed Yuan Ming's thoughts.

"Yes, I cannot hide anything from you. This sword has been by my side and fought with me on several occasions. I've always wanted to refine it into a personal magical tool, but when I sought the advice of Brother Mu He, I learned from him that the Green Fish Sword is not like ordinary half-magical artifacts. Its internal spiritual power is exceptionally dense, thus it can't be reforged or advanced into a magical tool in the usual way," Yuan Ming said.

Hearing this, the Three Cave Masters nodded in agreement.

"Mu He is not wrong. When I made this Green Fish Sword, I was over-ambitious, and put a lot of effort into gathering several high-grade spiritual materials. I wanted to create a top-grade magical tool, but unfortunately, I missed the last piece, the thousand-year-old ice crystal, and never found it. In my impatience, I ended up creating this half-magical artifact, the Green Fish Sword," the Three Cave Masters said with some regret.

Yuan Ming felt somewhat disheartened upon hearing this.

He was aware of the reputation of the thousand-year-old ice crystal, having come across many references to this precious material in the books about spiritual materials in Biluo Cave, where it was often described as the ideal choice for refining top-grade magical tools with a cold attribute.

Considering the status and cultivation of the Three Cave Masters, if even they could not find such a treasure, Yuan Ming, a mere Qi Refining Stage Cultivator, certainly had no chance.

Seeing the change in Yuan Ming's expression, the Three Cave Masters knew what he was thinking and spoke up, "If you simply wish to enhance the Green Fish Sword to the level of a magical tool, you could try to find some cold attribute low-level ores. If you manage to find suitable materials, I can help you with the refinement."

"Three Cave Masters, you would help me refine it?" Yuan Ming could hardly believe his luck upon receiving this unexpected news.

"Don't be too quick to rejoice. I'm willing to refine the Green Fish Sword for you, but there are conditions," the Three Cave Masters said.

"Please speak," Yuan Ming nodded, feeling that this seemed reasonable.

"There are many special spiritual materials in White Deer Hill that are difficult to come by in the outside world. I've heard that Sang Yan, a disciple of the Black Fire Sect, brought back White Flame Gold. This time, I need you to keep an eye on this disciple of the Black Fire Sect. She will certainly look for such materials again. Find an opportunity to take her storage bag," the Three Cave Masters said.

"Three Cave Masters, what is this person's strength? Will there be other members from the Black Fire Sect helping her?" Yuan Ming asked, contemplatively.

"She's only around the Qi Refining Eighth Level, and your Green Fish Sword will be more than enough to deal with her," the Three Cave Masters said.

"If that is the case, I will give it my all," Yuan Ming said.

"Also, Chen Wan has overestimated her abilities and decided to participate in the gathering. She has already gone into seclusion in order to prepare. When the time comes, you both should support each other and make sure this task is accomplished," the Three Cave Masters continued.

"Of course," Yuan Ming nodded.

"Well then, now go and try to find the spiritual materials. If you can complete the refining before the White Deer Hill gathering, that would be ideal," the Three Cave Masters said.

After thanking the Three Cave Masters, Yuan Ming left with Huo Chan'er.

That night, coinciding with the appearance of Silver Cat Xi Ying, he took the opportunity to ask some questions about the cultivation of the Moonlight Technique and also informed her of the White Deer Hill gathering.

She seemed to have already been aware of it and, dismissing the event as "child's play, in which I have no interest," she turned and vanished into the night.

Knowing Silver Cat's personality all too well, Yuan Ming didn't mind and proceeded with his own cultivation.

For the first time in a long while, Huo Chan'er felt a sense of comfort and instinctively aimed to burrow into Yuan Ming's arms.

But as it drew close, it suddenly came to its senses and guiltily glanced towards the window.

Even though it didn't see Silver Cat Xi Ying, in the end, it just settled down beside Yuan Ming's legs and lay down.

...

The next day.

Early in the morning, Yuan Ming made a trip to Gui Cang Pavilion, where he used his remaining contribution points to exchange for two sets of magic.

One of them was named "Green Sword Skill," a mid-level Qi Refinement spell, which was an advanced version of the Wood Stabbing Technique. Similar to its predecessor, it also involved releasing wooden thorns, except that it no longer required condensation from trees or the ground.

Instead, one simply had to channel their mana, and sharp wooden thorns could be conjured from thin air, and projected through the void, much like controlling a flying sword, with both power and speed being quite impressive.

The other spell was a low-level defensive magic named "Wood Shield Skill."

When casting this spell, one would also need to condense mana, and through a special circulation method, release it from the palm and fingertips to form a green round shield with a diameter of three feet.

When the round shield was deployed, its surface would glow with a green light, showing a layer of wood grain texture; it looked just like a verdant wooden shield and could defend against attacks from mid and low-level Qi Refinement spells.

After obtaining the spells, Yuan Ming began to practice them diligently.

Since he already had a foundation with the Wood Stabbing Technique, the learning of the Green Sword Skill went quite smoothly. In just three short days, Yuan Ming had essentially mastered it.

On the other hand, the Wood Shield Skill took much more of Yuan Ming's energy to cultivate.

Although it was only a low-level defensive spell, executing it was not easy; it required strict control of the flow and output of mana. The mana output from the fingers had to be even, or else it would be difficult to form a complete shield.

If the shield was unbalanced, its defensive effect would be greatly diminished.

Eventually, after nearly half a month, Yuan Ming finally mastered this technique. However, it was then that he received a message from Chen Wan saying that the Three Cave Masters had exited seclusion.

In the evening, Yuan Ming went to the back mountain and returned Huo Chan'er to the Three Cave Masters.

Seeing that he had not yet found the spiritual materials needed to refine the Green Fish Sword Magic Artifact, and that he hadn't requested any contribution points as a reward, the latter simply gifted Yuan Ming the storage bag and the spiritual beast bag that had been lent to him earlier.

After thanking him, Yuan Ming left the Fire Refining Hall.

In a valley near the peak of the Refining Furnace Hall, Yuan Ming met with Wulu.

Previously, in order to avoid suspicion, Yuan Ming had not visited Wulu even when he returned from his travels outside.

After coming out of seclusion this time, he had intentionally paid attention to the news of the Beast Slave Hall and the Beast Taming Hall, seeing that both sides had been quiet, before he actively arranged to meet Wulu.

The first time Yuan Ming saw Wulu, he was somewhat surprised.

Before him, Wulu was wearing the ensemble of a registered disciple from the Beast Taming Hall, his face adorned with a faint smile, his whole aura having undergone a tremendous change.

"Brother Yuan, why do you look at me in such a manner?" Wulu was the first to laugh proudly.

"Brother Wulu has changed so much that I almost didn't recognize you," Yuan Ming said.

"After Kun Tu's death, Elder Meng Shan took notice of me. Seeing that my aptitude was passable, he smoothly filled the vacancy and I managed to become a registered disciple through adept work. I'll have to ask for Brother Yuan's care in the future," Wulu said.

"Congratulations, congratulations. You really have genuine ability. In the future, I may have to ask Brother Wulu to take care of me," Yuan Ming said politely.

"Brother Yuan is too modest. I have something to tell you; that sudden incident last time, where Brother Kun Tu died unexpectedly, even after the sect's investigation, nothing came out of it, and it was left unresolved. Now that more than half a year has passed, it's probably hard to find the perpetrator," Wulu added.

"What should we do about this? Aren't we still going to be uneasy when we go out on sect duties?" Yuan Ming pretended to be alarmed, but the stone in his heart had completely settled.

"What's there to worry about? I think the sect won't send us out for a while, and everyone can comfortably cultivate for some time," Wulu said with a smile instead.

Yuan Ming nodded in understanding.

"Brother Yuan, the White Deer Hill Alliance is about to begin. Will you participate?" Wulu changed the subject and asked.

"I am indeed planning to attend, how about you?" Yuan Ming replied.

"You're really going? I thought after your last brush with danger, you wouldn't take the risk again," Wulu said, surprised.

"To improve oneself, some risks are necessary," Yuan Ming said with a wry smile.

"That's true. I'm also planning to try my luck this time. Relying on the sect's offerings, how can one advance? We'll have to look after each other when the time comes," Wulu nodded and spoke with a smile.

"With Brother Wulu's careful planning, where would you need my care?" Yuan Ming glanced at him and remarked.

After the last incident, Yuan Ming had realized that Wulu's identity might not be simple. That level of insight, skill, and temperament were not something someone from a wild man's background could possess.

"Brother Yuan doesn't know. I've inquired with those who have been there before and found out that in past alliances, not only do the Five Great Sects fight and incur casualties among themselves, even our own people will fight over external possessions. Therefore, before this alliance, the sect will gather all participating disciples and establish rules; even the Great Elder may come forward," Wulu explained.

"I see, how can there be infighting among sect disciples, the elders indeed need to take care of this," Yuan Ming said indignantly, yet this was news that the Three Cave Masters had not mentioned.

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