Yuan Ming donned the White Ape Beast Skin and instantaneously completed his transformation. As he turned around, he cleaved his sword at the Black Wood Hairpin and simultaneously rushed toward the forested mountainside, seemingly about to flee into it.

However, Kun Tu had already been lying in wait, and a Green Wolf next to him opened its bloodthirsty maw and let out a roar, unleashing a torrent of Wind Blades that rolled through the air toward Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming appeared to have anticipated this, quickly pivoting his body and rolling on the spot to dodge the Wind Blade attack. Then, with a pouncing motion, he leaped forward, as if intent on plunging directly into the forest.

At that moment, a burst of firelight erupted within the woods, sending a fierce blaze through the bushes, heading straight for Yuan Ming.

But at the same moment the firelight lit up, a hissing sound rose from the ground as a thick green Wooden Thorn shot upward.

Yuan Ming grabbed the Wooden Thorn with both hands, circled around in a wide arc using the momentum to change his direction, and lunged straight at Kun Tu.

If escape was impossible, then he would seize the opportunity to inflict heavy damage on his enemy.

Kun Tu saw Yuan Ming suddenly double back towards him. No fear was evident on his face; instead, he merely placed a hand on the Green Wolf beside him.

Mana swirled in his palm, with a faint flowing of green light, channeling into the body of the Green Wolf.

Within moments, the Green Wolf's body radiated with an intensified green radiance, its fur standing on end, and a violently churning mass of green light gathered inside its gaping maw, releasing a pressure far surpassing what came before.

Facing Kun Tu's lethal move, Yuan Ming held no intention of dodging this time, with his pouncing speed increasing instead of decreasing.

"Roar..."

The Green Wolf let out an enraged howl, its green orb mixing with dozens of incredibly sharp white Wind Blades, swirling violently and advancing towards him.

Yuan Ming's figure, with no thought of turning back, charged directly into the mass of green light, engulfed by the Wind Blades and the brilliance.

The Three Cave Masters, upon witnessing this scene, couldn't help but slightly furrow their brows.

Just as she was about to turn and leave, a hint of surprise flashed through her eyes, and she halted her movement.

Under her watchful gaze, within the outburst of green light from the Green Wolf, a streak of Golden Light sparked up, piercing into the mass of Green Light Wind Blades like a golden lance.

Amidst the disorienting light, no one could make out what was happening clearly.

Yuan Ming, trapped within, was already in a wretched state, covered in blood.

However, his gaze was fierce and resolute, showing not the slightest hint of retreat. A golden arm sprang from his chest, palm open like a shield, colliding against the madly swirling Wind Blades, tearing through them forcefully from the inside.

His steps were difficult, his body riddled with countless fine wounds, blood streaming down, but protected by the golden arm, he methodically advanced toward Kun Tu's Green Wolf.

Kun Tu initially felt relief at the Three Cave Masters' lack of intervention, confident that he could quickly dispose of his foe without worry. Yet now, his brow unwittingly furrowed.

"How could this be? How could a mere Beast Slave withstand this?"

As Yuan Ming drew nearer step by step, the power of the Wind Blades continued to wane, and the gravity in Kun Tu's eyes deepened.

When the distance between them was less than ten paces, Yuan Ming's blood-stained arm rose up, clutching the equally bloodied Green Fish Sword.

Within him, the Nine Elements Technique cultivation method operated at full strength, recklessly channeling Dan Tian Power into the Green Fish Sword.

The tip of the sword glowed with a flowing green light, as if fish were swimming within it, emanating a faint hum of a sword.

Under the augmentation of the Energy Storage Arm, a barely perceptible Sword Qi extended beyond the edge of the sword, causing Kun Tu's eyes to flicker slightly.

"You're nothing but a lowly ant and you dare to turn over a new leaf? Seek death!" He snarled and pulled a Yellow Talisman from his bosom, waving it at Yuan Ming.

The talisman flashed with light, emitting a sound of an arrow leaving its bow.

A talisman arrow formed of yellow light, with a whoosh, pierced into the green light, aiming straight for Yuan Ming's head.

The speed of the talisman arrow was extremely fast, and given the obstruction of the green light, no ordinary person could evade such an arrow, let alone sense it coming.

But Yuan Ming "saw" it the instant the talisman was activated.

The cultivation of the Moonlight Technique in recent days had subtly altered his Divine Soul, sharpening his danger perception.

In that critical split second, with no time for hesitation, his longsword was already slashing forward.

"Clang!"

The longsword flashed with a green light as it clashed head-on with the talisman arrow, bursting into a loud boom.

A massive fireball more than ten feet tall erupted, and Yuan Ming's body was blasted away, flung four to five zhang away.

He crashed to the ground solidly, a strong sensation of suffocation in his chest, the taste of blood in his throat. Struggling for quite some time, he still couldn't manage to rise.

Kun Tu watched, his brow deeply furrowed. This Flame Breaking Talisman had been a welcoming gift from his master, its explosive force comparable to a single attack from a Qi Refining Seventh-Level cultivator, and yet it hadn't killed Yuan Ming?

"Could the physique of the Fur Beast Slave truly be this formidable?" he wondered in shock.

What Kun Tu didn't realize was that aside from Yuan Ming's sword strike, the majority of the force had actually been absorbed by his golden arm, shielding him.

Were it not for that, Yuan Ming, despite exhausting all his mana, couldn't possibly have survived the hit.

However, at this moment, he no longer had the strength to fight again. Although his body was already shaking uncontrollably, he still propped himself up with his long sword and managed to stand.

Seeing this, the calm gaze of the Three Cave Masters began to show a hint of scrutiny.

Kun Tu's expression slightly relaxed. He nodded at the One-eyed Woman, signaling that he no longer intended to extract Yuan Ming's soul; he just wanted to get rid of him as quickly as possible.

The latter immediately understood and carefully observed the Three Cave Masters, who showed no sign of objection. She then walked toward Yuan Ming.

But just then, the underbrush in the nearby forest suddenly shook, and a slender shadow darted out, running into the midst of the group. It looked around with its head raised.

Content sourced from * – My Virtual Library Empire.

"Huo Chan'er, come here," the Three Cave Masters called out, a smile appearing in their eyes as they saw the creature.

Kun Tu and his companions immediately froze, fearing to incur the displeasure of the Three Cave Masters as the Fire Mink might show them hostility for having attacked it earlier.

The Fire Mink's gaze quickly swept over everyone before settling on the Three Cave Masters.

"Come back here," the Three Cave Masters called again, their voice more stern this time.

What happened next was surprising.

The Fire Mink, upon the call of the Three Cave Masters, suddenly turned its head and ran straight to Yuan Ming, climbing up his leg and making its way to his shoulder.

Once on his shoulder, the Fire Mink didn't settle down, but kept rubbing its head against Yuan Ming's neck and head, as if greedily sniffing some scent.

This sudden turn of events left Yuan Ming puzzled too, but he did not shoo it away, allowing it to fuss over him.

Kun Tu and the others exchanged glances, unsure of what to do.

The Three Cave Masters furrowed their brows, examining Yuan Ming thoroughly, but the doubt in their eyes remained unresolved.

She stepped forward and asked directly, "Do you possess any secret treasure on your person that could attract a spirit beast?"

"No," Yuan Ming swallowed, shaking his head.

"Are you skilled at the Beast Taming Technique?" the Three Cave Masters asked again.

"I am not." Yuan Ming shook his head once more.

"How strange indeed. My Fire Mink is usually unfriendly towards strangers, yet it seems affectionate towards you. What is your name?" the Three Cave Masters inquired.

"Yuan Ming," Yuan Ming replied.

"From today on, you will follow me back to Biluo Cave, and enter the Fire Refining Hall as a Registered Disciple," the Three Cave Masters spoke indifferently.

Upon hearing this, Kun Tu and his companions were shocked, their faces turning extremely unsightly.

"Three Cave Masters, it cannot be, he..." Kun Tu did not finish his sentence before a scorching wave of air knocked him to the ground.

A gigantic, fiery-red bird three zhang long and one zhang tall appeared in the space next to them. Its body was covered with bright red feathers glowing with flame-like patterns, emitting intense heat.

The appearance of the bird instantly raised the temperature around it. It stood proudly, emanating an attitude of contempt. Kun Tu's Green Wolf was already crouching on the ground, trembling, showing a posture of fear and submission.

"Fire Feathered Falcon..." Kun Tu got up, a look of fear emerging in his eyes.

The companions of Huo Huo dared not utter a single word anymore.

The Three Cave Masters flipped their wrist, and a semi-translucent, red Crystal Stone appeared in their palm. They shook it towards the Fire Mink gnawing on Yuan Ming's head while drooling at the sight of the Fire Feathered Falcon.

It was then that Yuan Ming noticed that although the Fire Feathered Falcon stood proudly, its gaze always floated above, deliberately or inadvertently avoiding looking in his direction.

It was clear who it was avoiding seeing; it was not Yuan Ming.

"Huo Chan'er," the Three Cave Masters frowned, apparently displeased.

At this point, the Fire Mink reluctantly shifted its gaze, leaped from Yuan Ming's shoulder, and landed on the Three Cave Masters' arm. It sat there like a squirrel, happily nibbling on the red Crystal Stone.

The initially hard-looking Crystal Stone crunched in its mouth like ice.

Yuan Ming watched in awe as the Three Cave Masters leaped onto the back of the Fire Feathered Falcon.

The moment they landed, the proud Fire Feathered Falcon visibly shuddered.

"Get on," the Three Cave Masters commanded.

Yuan Ming snapped back to reality, only then realizing that the Three Cave Masters truly intended to take him to Biluo Cave.

He glanced at Kun Tu and Elder Hu Huo, forcibly suppressed his injuries, took a deep breath, retracted the Fur Cloak Technique, drew his sword, and leaped up, landing behind the Three Cave Masters.

The Fire Feathered Falcon shook its head in dissatisfaction, clearly not pleased with Yuan Ming also mounting it. However, upon a command from the Three Cave Masters, it spread its wings and shot straight into the sky.

Yuan Ming, not standing firm, fell and sat on the Fire Feathered Falcon's back, hastily grabbing onto the feathers to stabilize himself.

At this moment, everything around him seemed to be retreating rapidly, and his head was buzzing. Everything that had occurred just moments ago felt as if he had been dreaming.