However, as these Fierce Beasts charged into a range close to a hundred feet, without exception, they had only taken a few steps before they stumbled and fell to the ground, one by one, all unconscious.

Soon, they had piled up in a circle, blocking the Fierce Beasts behind them.

"When did you get such a strong seductive scent? It really is a good thing! What was that incense that attracted the beasts made of?" Seeing another miraculously effective seductive scent appear, Silver Cat Xi Ying grew even more curious.

Yuan Ming didn't answer directly but took out the remaining two pigeon-egg-sized black fruits and said, "Here, it's made from this fruit. There were originally three; I bought them at the Ghost Market in Black Rock City. According to the stall owner, they come from a unique tree of a certain family in the Southern Domain, which bears these strange fruits once every few hundred years. Exotic Beasts that eat them can rapidly increase their fertility rates. If these fruits are placed in the mountains and forests, even a trace of their scent can attract Fierce Beasts from hundreds of feet around to fight over them."

"So that's it, don't waste these strange fruits carelessly, they might be of great use in the future. This Ghost Market really seems interesting; I must visit it sometime," said Xi Ying, her curiosity fully ignited.

"Next time, we'll go together. With your keen eye, not a single good item will slip by. How about going now?" Yuan Ming said seductively.

"Forget about the Ghost Market for now; the commotion earlier was huge. If the Sect finds any clues, they'll definitely investigate, and your incense-making secret won't be safe," said Xi Ying.

"Then let's hurry and leave this place," Yuan Ming said soberly.

...

The two changed their location to a far distant spot and settled down again.

As night fell, at the mid-point of the month, a round moon hung high in the sky, bursting with radiant brightness.

Yuan Ming lit a campfire at the new campsite and roasted some beast meat, which he shared with the Silver Cat.

Speaking of which, he had never seen Xi Ying eat before.

With curiosity in his heart, Yuan Ming took a freshly roasted piece of beast meat, laid it on a clean, broad leaf, and tentatively brought it over to the Silver Cat.

Xi Ying merely glanced at it and disdainfully turned her head away.

"I don't eat," she said.

"How is it? Have you no need to eat anymore?" Yuan Ming asked, surprised.

"I stopped eating ordinary food long ago. Why don't you give me a Demon Core?" Xi Ying glanced at Yuan Ming and spoke.

"Once I can handle a Core Formation Stage demon beast, I'll definitely find one for you!" Yuan Ming's probing intent was seen through by Xi Ying, who chuckled dryly, swearing earnestly,

"It's a promise! I'll be waiting," Xi Ying said.

To hide his embarrassment, Yuan Ming chewed and tore at his food louder than usual, juice spilling from the corners of his mouth, adding to the natural aroma and making it seem even more delicious.

Xi Ying raised her head, glanced at the sky, and said, "It's getting late." She then leaped up and jumped onto a nearby large tree.

After looking back at Yuan Ming, she leapt toward another large tree.

"Xi Ying, where are you going?" Yuan Ming asked.

"I'm going to cultivate. Do you want to come and see?" Xi Ying's figure flashed, and she disappeared into the night.

Yuan Ming stopped chewing the delicious food in his mouth, hesitating whether to follow Xi Ying and see how she cultivated, but he restrained his curiosity and did not follow.

Just as he was about to eat his last bite, he suddenly felt a strange fluctuation drawing him in from afar.

He felt that the disturbance was mostly caused by Xi Ying's cultivation. After hesitating, he decided to go and protect her, quickly using the Wind Swift Skill to hurry over.

Yuan Ming had not yet come close when from afar, he could see a decades-old tree at the top, glowing with a dim white light, facing the round moon from afar.

As he got slightly closer, Yuan Ming finally saw clearly that it was none other than Silver Cat Xi Ying standing atop the tree.

By this moment, Yuan Ming could feel the distinct fluctuations of Divine Soul Power emanating from that figure and the light around it, gently crashing against his Divine Thought like the tide.

The Silver Cat had also noticed Yuan Ming but was in a critical moment of her cultivation and did not pay attention.

"Is Xi Ying cultivating?"

Yuan Ming was greatly touched in his heart, feeling this immense Divine Soul Power, which he had only seen in his life. Of course, he had no other references but to compare it with his own.

The result was, unsurprisingly, worlds apart.

Just then, his eyes narrowed as he gazed intently at the Silver Cat, only to see its eyes shining like stars, its body poised, and its head held high towards the sky, as if it were howling at the moon.

At the same time, the white glow over its body grew more intense, and a vague human figure suddenly floated out from it, no more than an inch away from the Silver Cat's body, resembling a young woman, transparent and exquisite, and stunningly beautiful.

Yuan Ming just took one look and was stunned.

Even though the figure was extremely blurred and its facial details could not be seen clearly, the blurry outline was much like a Nine Heavens Immortal, exuding an indescribable charm.

At this moment, atop the ancient tree facing deep into the space, matching the deep blue night sky, adorned with a myriad of twinkling stars, and accompanied by the bright round moon, the exquisite figure floated out, appearing even more ethereal and shockingly beautiful.

A moment later, in the high sky, a beam of moonlight, as if tangible, descended from above, enveloping both the silver cat and the silhouette of the woman completely within it.

Inch by inch, the moonlight was absorbed into the silhouette's body, and its glow became increasingly bright, while the fluctuations it previously emitted gradually shrank until they were completely converged.

Yuan Ming's gaze rested solely on that hazy silhouette, unable to be moved away.

A short while later, the silhouette of the woman slowly retracted, entering into the silver cat's body. The white light that enveloped it also gradually faded away.

Yuan Ming came back to his senses and saw the silver cat gracefully flying down, arriving in front of him.

"Xi Ying, is this what the advanced practice of the Moonlight Technique looks like?" Yuan Ming asked.

"Yes," the silver cat answered.

"That's really impressive!" Yuan Ming chuckled awkwardly, offering praise.

"Of course, this is not something ordinary cultivation techniques can compare with," the silver cat said proudly.

"When can I cultivate to this realm?" Yuan Ming asked.

"What I taught you is just the introductory chapter of the Moonlight Technique. Even if you complete all three layers, you can only cultivate to the late stage of the Qi Refining realm as a Soul Cultivator. However, even so, a Foundation Establishment Cultivator might not be able to withstand the techniques of a Qi Refining Stage Soul Cultivator. It's just that ordinary Soul Cultivators are prone to backlash. Moreover, this is not the limit of those three layers of the technique; it's your own limit," Xi Ying explained.

"What do you mean?" Yuan Ming genuinely didn't understand.

"After you complete the three introductory layers of the Moonlight Technique, when you advance to the Foundation Establishment Stage, you don't need to continue cultivating; your Soul Cultivation Realm will also break through to the Foundation Establishment Stage, and your Soul Power will leap forward once," the silver cat explained.

"I see," Yuan Ming realized.

Having said that, he then added, "I've recently hit a bottleneck in cultivating the Moonlight Technique, always unable to complete the cultivation of the three layers, but I don't know why."

"The introductory chapter of the Moonlight Technique is no different from the Magic Cultivation Technique of the Qi Refinement Stage. Ultimately, they both lay the foundation for future cultivation, which is essentially the accumulation of Soul Power. I see that your cultivation has slowed down recently, it's not that you have neglected your cultivation, but that you have expended too much Soul Power," the silver cat assessed him and continued promptly.

Yuan Ming fell silent at these words.

He had paused his cultivation of the Moonlight Technique after noticing the slowdown, having not slackened before that.

Does that mean that he might have overexerted his Soul Power?

The tactics of Soul Cultivators are inscrutable and unpredictable, especially the soul collision, a Divine Skill that can unexpectedly wound an enemy's soul; although each use also significantly drains his own Soul Power, he did not use it often—only in dire situations, and along with the aid of an incense burner to nourish his Divine Soul. Could it be that his Soul Power was not overly exhausted?

However, the silver cat no longer engaged with him, having already turned to walk back.

Yuan Ming followed for a few steps, then suddenly paused, as another thought crossed his mind. His Soul Power depletion might also have something to do with his use of incense possession.

Coupling this with past recollections, the timeline of his slowdown in the Moonlight Technique cultivation correlated closely with when he began experimenting frequently with incense.

If anything had influenced his Soul Power, it was most likely this.

At this thought, Yuan Ming became rather conflicted. Cultivating the Moonlight Technique was crucial for him, but discovering the original Black Incense was an urgent goal as well—how should he choose?

But when he remembered the upcoming "White Deer Hill Alliance," Yuan Ming figured it out: he need to advance significantly in his cultivation of the Moonlight Technique as a priority.

He would still test incense, but he couldn't do it as frequently as before.

"Xi Ying, when will you teach me the further techniques of the Moonlight Technique?" Yuan Ming suddenly asked.

"When did I say I was going to teach you the advanced techniques?" Xi Ying stopped in her tracks, turning to look at him.

"Hey, why give up halfway?" Yuan Ming asked half-jokingly.

"After you reach Foundation Establishment, depends on my mood," Xi Ying responded somberly.

"Since we're on the topic, I wanted to ask you something. Apart from the Foundation Establishment Pill, is there any other way to enhance the success rate? After all, I only have the lowest Four Spirit Roots talent," Yuan Ming inquired.

Suddenly raising her voice, Xi Ying said, "Who says Four Spirit Roots are bad? I have Five Spirit Roots!"

"Five Spirit Roots?" Yuan Ming was startled; he had never heard of a cultivator with Five Spirit Roots.

"These sects have shallow insights, only knowing that fewer Spirit Roots cultivates faster, and picking disciples among those with lesser Spirit Roots. They even call the Single Spirit Root the Heavenly Spirit Root, pah! Remember, the more Spirit Roots you have, the higher your upper limit in the future! If you reach the Nascent Soul and beyond, you'll understand the benefits of having multiple Spirit Roots," Xi Ying declared.

"Then my Four Spirit Roots talent is not bad," Yuan Ming felt as if he had opened a new door and quickly followed up.

"Don't get too excited; even after Foundation Establishment with your Four Spirit Roots, your cultivation will always be difficult, and Core Formation is still far off," Xi Ying threw cold water on his hopes, bringing Yuan Ming back to reality.

"It really is a long and arduous journey!" Yuan Ming sighed.

"Just focus on cultivating that technique up to the thirteen layers first; when combined with a Foundation Establishment Pill, it can increase a lot of possibilities. After all, the technique you're cultivating is not simple, looking around this North Territory, apart from some major families and Sect Direct Disciples, I fear there aren't many who can surpass your cultivation speed," Xi Ying commented with a sneer.

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