"Sister Chen Wan, is there any problem with Yuan Ming?" The beautiful young woman, seeing the change in Chen Wan's expression, asked softly.

"No, I was just remarking on how quickly Junior Brother Yuan has progressed, which must mean he practices diligently on a regular basis," Chen Wan said with a smile.

"Sister Chen Wan, are you and Yuan Ming acquainted?" the beautiful young woman asked, showing surprise.

"Not really, Junior Brother Yuan came from the Fur Beast Slaves," Chen Wan paused momentarily before she blurted out.

The beautiful young woman was somewhat astonished. There were many Fur Beast Slaves in Biluo Cave, but very few could change their status from Beast Slave to Registered Disciple.

However, anyone who could climb their way out of the Fur Beast Slaves was no ordinary person. The disciples of the Beast Taming Hall felt this most profoundly. "Ma Xingkong," who now appeared on the bounty list, was promoted from the Fur Beast Slaves. After entering the Beast Taming Hall, his cultivation improved by leaps and bounds, and in a very short time, he had mastered the Beast Taming Technique and tamed many powerful spirit beasts.

If he hadn't later turned traitor, it would have been quite possible for Biluo Cave to have an additional elder in the Foundation Establishment Stage by now.

"Junior Sister Lan Ke, for this mission, could you possibly look after Yuan Ming? He was personally brought back to the sect by our master, who instructed me to take care of him and ensure he doesn't lose his life during the mission," Chen Wan considered for a moment, then said.

The beautiful young woman was taken aback by the comment and regarded Yuan Ming even more highly. She nodded and replied, "Okay, I'll take good care of him."

The two women chatted idly for a few more moments before parting ways.

...

Yuan Ming quickly arrived at the gate of the mountain. The others hadn't arrived yet, so he found a place nearby to sit cross-legged and wait.

The beautiful young woman and the others did not keep him waiting for long as they arrived one after the other soon after.

Yuan Ming noticed that the dark-skinned man, the young man with triangular eyes, and Agula all had a white Spiritual Beast Bag at their waists now, each embroidered with the mark of the Beast Taming Hall.

"Everyone is here, so let's get ready to go!" The beautiful young woman nodded at Yuan Ming before speaking up.

Biluo Cave had strict controls over its disciples. Anyone wishing to leave had to register at the entrance of the mountain gate and have a valid reason for doing so.

Yuan Ming and the others had a legitimate reason for going out on a mission. After registering their names, they quickly made their way outside the sect.

The beautiful young woman slapped the Spiritual Beast Bag on her waist, and a shadowy figure flew out from it. After circling in the air for a moment, it landed, revealing itself to be an unusually large grey bird.

This bird's wings spanned twenty feet when fully extended, and its body was stout. However, its head was quite small, with an unusually flat face, resembling an owl and looking somewhat ugly, except for its two golden eyes, shining bright like lamps.

"This is a Golden-eyed Eagle!" exclaimed the dark-skinned man in surprise.

Yuan Ming looked at the man. When he had registered his name, he had already figured out the names and statuses of the others.

The dark-skinned man's name was Mu Li, a disciple of the Refining Furnace Hall. The young man with triangular eyes was called Chi Shu, a member of the Law and Regulations Hall. The beautiful young woman's name was Lan Ke, a disciple of the Beast Taming Hall.

"I heard that Junior Sister Lan Ke had recently tamed a spirit beast on her own. I didn't expect it to be the Golden-eyed Eagle. Congratulations!" Chi Shu, who had been silent thus far, also spoke up, his tone clearly envious.

The Golden-eyed Eagle is a type of fierce flying beast unique to the Ten Thousand Mountains. Although not strong in combat, they are incredibly swift and have excellent stamina. What's more special is their keen vision, which allows them to see details from miles away. They are an excellent choice for both travel and reconnaissance.

Unfortunately, the Golden-eyed Eagles are fiercely temperamental, preferring death over submission, which makes them extremely difficult to tame. That's why there are so few Golden-eyed Eagles among the spirit beasts in Biluo Cave, and Chi Shu was so envious.

"You flatter me, Junior Brother Chi Shu. It was pure luck that I succeeded," Lan Ke modestly said with a smile, though her smile couldn't hide a trace of pride, clearly very satisfied with having tamed the spirit beast.

Yuan Ming, who was quite interested in beast taming, curiously observed the Golden-eyed Eagle.

The Golden-eyed Eagle seemed to notice Yuan Ming's gaze and looked back at him.

"Goo..." the bird uttered a low coo. My Virtual Library Empire (*) hosts the original.

Yuan Ming was startled. For some reason, he felt a sense of closeness in the call of the Golden-eyed Eagle.

"The Fire Mink of the Three Cave Masters was quite friendly to me, and this Golden-eyed Eagle doesn't seem to dislike me either. Could it be that I have a trait that makes me close to animals? Why didn't I have this feeling with those Fierce Beasts in the Ten Thousand Mountains?" He was puzzled.

"We shouldn't linger any longer, or we'll delay the mission. Let's set off," Lan Ke said, leaping onto the back of the Golden-eyed Eagle.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Ming also leaped onto the bird.

The back of the Golden-eyed Eagle was spacious; with two people standing on it, there was still plenty of room to spare.

With a sharp cry, the eagle flapped its wings and effortlessly carried the two of them, soaring into the sky.

Mu Li and the others also called forth their rented spirit beasts, which were three white cranes. They were smaller in size compared to the Golden-eyed Eagle, but were more than capable of carrying them, and they followed in pursuit.

The Golden-eyed Eagle was fast, rapidly leaving everything around it behind. The mountain gate of Biluo Cave was soon just a distant speck.

Yuan Ming watched this scene with envy in his heart.

If he had such a spirit beast, whether carrying out sect missions or other matters would be much more convenient in the future.

Unfortunately, he had only been in Biluo Cave for half a month, and he hadn't even managed to exchange for the Exorcism Technique, let alone the core Beast Taming Technique of Biluo Cave.

"Junior Brother Yuan, you'd better crouch down, the Golden-eyed Eagle flies fast, don't be blown away by the gusts it creates," Lan Ke said, noticing Yuan Ming lost in thought, and reminded him.

"Yes," Yuan Ming sat down.

With a low cry from the Golden-eyed Eagle, the feathers around Yuan Ming suddenly stood on end, forming a barrier in front of him that blocked most of the oncoming airflow.

"Huh, this Golden-eyed Eagle, although subdued by me, is still proud and aloof, rarely showing affection to others. However, it seems to like you quite a bit, Junior Brother Yuan, which is quite rare," Lan Ke said with a look of surprise.

"I have been well-liked by animals since I was young; maybe that's the reason," Yuan Ming couldn't explain why this was the case and gave a random excuse.

"There are such superpowers in the world? If that's true, Junior Brother Yuan, you truly are a talent for cultivating the Beast Taming Technique," Lan Ke still seemed somewhat doubtful as she spoke.

"The Beast Taming Technique of our sect can be learned by disciples outside the Beast Taming Hall?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Of course, our sect has many Beast Taming Techniques, and all Biluo Cave Disciples can learn them. They are available for borrowing in the Gui Cang Pavilion. However, the Classics inside the Gui Cang Pavilion are rather miscellaneous and unorganized, and there might even be some misunderstandings among them. One needs to distinguish carefully. The orthodox Beast Taming Secret Techniques, on the other hand, require a visit to the Beast Taming Hall, but if a non-Beast Taming Hall disciple wants to attend, they must have a clear reason," Lan Ke said with a smile.

"Oh, what sort of reason is usually required?" Yuan Ming's heart throbbed with anticipation, and he asked.

"The most common is for non-Beast Taming Hall disciples who have taken on Beast Taming tasks from the Execution Hall. Naturally, they have every right to learn. Additionally, if ordered by an elder or Cave Master, they may also," Lan Ke seemed to regard Yuan Ming favorably, answering all his questions.

Yuan Ming nodded thoughtfully.

...

An hour later, the group flew over a distance of a hundred miles and arrived at a grey-white mountain range.

The area was littered with sharp stones, neatly and imposingly implanted in the ground like fangs. The sky was a dense grey without any sign of impending rain; the air was dry and hot, filled with the pungent smell of sulfur.

The source of all these smells was a huge volcano in the center of the mountain range. The mountain was exceptionally tall, nearly piercing the clouds. Its vast silhouette cast a large shadow, inspiring awe in anyone who beheld it.

The volcano's mouth was still rumbling, spewing thick smoke outward.

"This must be Tali Volcano," Yuan Ming thought to himself, scanning the surroundings with his gaze.

According to the mission briefing, Fire Jade originates from the magma beneath the earth and would come to the surface during volcanic eruptions. Their task was to extract it from the cooled lava.

Of course, it was easier to find Fire Jade in molten lava that hadn't solidified yet, assuming one could endure the high temperature of the magma.

"This season is when the Fire Rock Snakes are most active, so proceed with caution. To increase efficiency, let's split into two groups as we discussed earlier. Agula, Yuan Ming, and I in one team, Chi Shu and Mu Li in the other. Does anyone object?" Lan Ke said.

The others shook their heads, showing no objections.

Just at that moment, a thunderous boom emanated from the volcano's mouth, and the ground nearby shook violently. A red-hot Magma Fire Column erupted and then overflowed toward the base of the mountain.

Although Yuan Ming and the others were still a good distance from the volcano's mouth, the land under their feet trembled as if there was an earthquake.

"A volcanic eruption! This is perfect, there must be new Fire Jade coming out; we might have a bountiful harvest this time!" Mu Li said excitedly, rushing towards the flow of magma.

Chi Shu quickly followed after him, watching the surroundings cautiously.

"Let's go too. The other two junior brothers will be on the lookout for Fire Rock Snakes later. I will have the Golden-eyed Eagle search for Fire Jade. The harvest will be allocated in a ratio of four, three, three, how about it?" Lan Ke suggested.

"No problem," Yuan Ming nodded.

He was already satisfied with a three-part share of the income.

Agula frowned slightly, as if discontented, but he didn't say anything.

The three of them also moved closer to the volcano's mouth, taking a slightly different direction than Chi Shu and his companion, and soon arrived near the volcano's mouth.

They stopped a hundred paces away from the volcanic lava area, where the temperature had reached an exaggerated level. The air they breathed into their lungs was scorching, making their internal organs feel fiery and painful.

Agula took out a blue talisman and pressed it to his chest. Instantly, a blue light like flowing water appeared on his body's surface, and his face, which had been baked red, quickly returned to normal.

Lan Ke also took out a Water Blue Jade Pendant and hung it at her waist. A blue light shone from the pendant, protecting her body.

Yuan Ming, without the treasures or methods of the other two, could only silently activate the Nine Elements Technique to resist the surrounding heat.

As a cool sensation rose from his Dantian and spread to all parts of his body, the sensation of being roasted eased somewhat.

"Junior Brother Yuan, you didn't prepare any methods to resist the high temperature? Finding Fire Jade is not something that can be done in a short time. Merely using your Mana to protect your body, you won't last long," Lan Ke said with a frown, seeing his state.

"It's no trouble, I can hold out," Yuan Ming shook his head.

"Then, Junior Brother Yuan, just make sure to act within your limits, and tell us if you can't hold on. Don't force yourself," Lan Ke reminded him, then stepped forward to continue.