"Yes, this time Dawn gave me a Foundation Establishment Pill, and with nothing better to do during my journey, I passed through a quiet valley and couldn't resist taking it. Against all odds, someone with my modest talent successfully established their foundation with just one pill, truly a stroke of luck," Yuan Ming said with a chuckle.

"Congratulations, congratulations! How can you call this luck? This is a perfect example of accumulating experience until it pays off. With this leap across a great divide, you've effectively added a hundred years to your lifespan, and grand prospects await you," Wulu hurriedly congratulated him with a clasped fist.

"With this, we can still enjoy wine and laughter a hundred years from now," Yuan Ming responded.

The two burst into hearty laughter together.

"It's also after establishing my foundation that I remembered something. Back when we were in Biluo Cave, Brother Wu Lu, you must have been at the Foundation Establishment Stage already, right? How did you conceal your cultivation and still manage to deceive so many elders?" Yuan Ming asked.

Upon hearing this, a flicker of pride passed through Wulu's eyes, but he quickly concealed it, waved his hand, and said:

"Ah, it's just a trivial trick, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning."

"Brother Wulu, did you create this method of hiding your cultivation yourself?" Yuan Ming asked.

"I don't have such talents. My origins are complicated, please forgive me," Wulu said after glancing at Yuan Ming.

"Brother Wulu, Biluo Cave has been destroyed, and now I am but a lost spirit. If I could learn your method, I could masquerade as a Qi Refining cultivator and manage to enter a reputable sect," Yuan Ming sighed and said.

Upon hearing this, Wulu remained silent, his face showing a mix of contemplation and hesitation, but he still shook his head and sighed, "Brother Yuan, if it were anything else, I might have agreed, but I really can't share this skill with others."

"Brother Wulu, I own multiple magic artifacts, have Spirit Stones, even spirit beasts! If you would impart this secret skill to me, whatever you ask for in return, I will do everything in my power to fulfill," Yuan Ming said.

"To be honest, this method of concealing cultivation is, is... really not something I can disclose. If it wasn't for a mission arranged by my family that compelled me to break an array out of necessity, I normally keep this technique secret. Please keep this confidential, Brother Yuan," Wulu said with a troubled expression, though he was tempted by Yuan Ming's various elusive vines, he still refused.

"Since that's the case, Brother Wulu, don't trouble yourself. I was too presumptuous. How about this—should I have any secret techniques in the future, we could exchange them fairly," Yuan Ming said, testing the waters since he knew his own bargaining chips were not sufficient.

"Alright, let's talk about it when the time comes. Now that we've reunited after so long, let's drink well and not let this meeting go to waste," Wulu said with a smile.

Having said this, he called for the inn's servant to set up the tableware, added more dishes and wine, and started chatting with Yuan Ming over drinks.

In the evening, after watching the sunset together, Yuan Ming bid his farewell with a fist salute and returned to his lodging.

At night, Yuan Ming once again took out the Stealing Heaven Tripod and lit the Black Incense.

With the smoke spiraling upwards, Yuan Ming quickly completed the possession and descended upon Wulu once again.

At that moment, Wulu was standing by the room's window, listening to the sound of the surging waves outside and gazing into the dark ocean in the distance.

Yuan Ming's request during the day was something he absolutely could not agree to.

Just then, in the distant sky, a snow-white bird with a red mark on its brow flew towards them.

The bird swept past the shadows of the trees outside and landed at Wulu's window.

Wulu quickly grabbed the bird, and from its ankle, he removed a delicately crafted Jade Scroll threaded with golden silk.

"A Jade Scroll message?" Yuan Ming thought to himself.

When Wulu saw the Jade Scroll, he instinctively frowned, evidently somewhat resistant to it.

At the same time, Yuan Ming faintly sensed his thoughts: "Another mission, those ambitious old men in the family are truly greedy."

While speaking, he removed the mini Jade Scroll and pressed it against his forehead.

In the next instant, the contents of the Jade Scroll appeared in Wulu's Sea of Consciousness, and Yuan Ming also reviewed them.

The content of the Jade Scroll was straightforward, instructing him to infiltrate a sect known as 'Fire Origin Sect' as a new disciple, climb the ranks to become a core disciple, and learn the sect's core Cultivation Technique, the 'Red Fire Heart Method,'

The Jade Scroll recorded the location of the Fire Origin Sect and an overview of the sect, mentioning the next disciple recruitment event and providing some advice.

Besides that, the Jade Scroll also praised Wulu's previous undercover work in the Biluo Cave, stating that he had not only accomplished the mission set by his family but also cooperated with the Dawn Alliance's task, killing two birds with one stone, which was highly commendable.

The family recorded his achievements and promised that a tenth of the profits from the sale of the skills and secret techniques from Biluo Cave would be allocated to him.

Upon reading this, Wulu didn't exhibit much joy but couldn't help but curse, "Such great risk for this mission, and they only give me a tenth of the profits? All the old folks do is order others around; why don't they do it themselves."

After cursing, he couldn't help but think that friends like Yuan Ming, whom he'd met by chance without any complicated interests involved, felt more precious and genuine.

Yuan Ming, sensing his thoughts, couldn't help but reflect: was his psychological manipulation going too far?

He gathered his doubts and only then remembered the real purpose of his visit, silently thinking, "Brother Wulu, sorry," and then began discreetly cultivating the Moonlight Technique to strengthen his Divine Thought, firmly locking onto Wulu.

Then, he began to repeatedly say in his mind: "It's been a long time since I practiced the secret technique, let's practice it again…"

At first, it had no effect.

It wasn't until Yuan Ming repeated it for the thirteenth time that Wulu, as if possessed, echoed the sentiment.

"Next, he was to embark on a mission again, and he knew he must revise the secret technique again."

After speaking, he was taken aback himself, unable to understand why such a thought had occurred, but then he remembered Yuan Ming's request and felt that it was because Yuan Ming had mentioned it today that he had thought of it.

In fact, this was the third time Yuan Ming had hinted at practicing the technique of concealing his cultivation during possession.

The effectiveness of his mental suggestions was actually quite limited. Trying to guide the actions of the possessed, the more complex the action or the more it deviated from the current situation, the lesser the chances of success.

Yuan Ming had thought he would definitely fail, which was why he had probed earlier during the day.

Unexpectedly, whether it was because of Yuan Ming's mention during the day or because Wulu had accepted a new covert mission and needed to prepare, he really did respond to Yuan Ming's psychological suggestion.

He closed the windows, set up an array, released a spider that quickly span a large web around the room. Then Wulu sat down on his bed, crossed-legged, and began to regulate his breathing.

Yuan Ming knew he was about to practice the secret technique, and he got excited, focusing intently on the movements of Wulu's mana.

Soon, Wulu finished his breathing exercise and began to silently recite the mnemonic of the secret technique in his mind.

Only then did Yuan Ming understand that the secret technique was called "Hidden Element Technique," a technique that reverses the flow of mana to sequester some of the Dantian power, similar to a Sealing Skill.

As Wulu's mana reversed, his brow suddenly furrowed, his face turned red, and his breathing became rapid.

When mana flows naturally in the meridians, it's like a river flowing smoothly, but reversing it is like a wave surging backward, painfully scraping the ground.

Even though Yuan Ming was just possessing Wulu, he could clearly feel his pain, even hearing his heart pounding several times faster than a normal person.

This made him recall the scene he had witnessed when he had rescued Wulu as a Fur Beast Slave in the Ten Thousand Mountains, making his scalp tingle for a moment.

It seemed that practicing Hidden Element Technique carried certain risks; he would have to be more cautious in his future cultivation.

Fortunately, the process was not too long. After only about two dozen breaths, the pain of the mana reversal subsided, and the dispersed mana in the veins reversed back into Wulu's Dantian, constrained by a Sealing force and dormant within.

Simultaneously, his breathing and heartbeat gradually returned to normal.

Apparently, because it was only a practice, Wulu's aura had fallen from the Foundation Establishment Stage back to the Qi Refining Seventh Level, and not completely sealed to that of a normal mortal.

That would mean sealing all his mana, and the process of mana reversal and meridian reversal would probably be longer, incurring even more pain.

After finishing the practice, Wulu checked his body, found nothing abnormal, placed a hand on his Dantian, and silently recited the unlocking mnemonic. Mana flowed from his palm into his Dantian, immediately releasing the seal.

The sealed mana awakened abruptly, bursting out of the Dantian, causing Wulu's face to flush and his head to spin.

Before he could fully recover, the time for Yuan Ming's possession had already reached its end.

When he woke up in his own room, he immediately closed his eyes and sat cross-legged, recalling every line of the mnemonic Wulu had recited and every detail of his mana circulation.

With the enhancement of his powerful Divine Soul, this was not difficult.

After he was clear on every detail, Yuan Ming immediately closed his eyes and began his first attempt.

An hour later, his face flushed, his body aching, he collapsed onto the bed, his chest heaving.

The first attempt had failed as expected. While possessing Wulu, he hadn't felt it much, but now, facing the pain of the meridian reversal alone, he realized it was truly bone-deep. Everything has a price.

Yuan Ming grimaced and struggled on the bed for a long time before gradually calming down.

Throughout the process, his mind never stopped thinking about what he might have overlooked. Once he had recovered, he immediately started the second attempt.

Then the third, the fourth...

By dawn, when the east was already pale with the light of early dawn.

Yuan Ming was sitting cross-legged on the bed, calm, his aura now clearly at the Qi Refining Seventh Level—he had succeeded.

The "Hidden Element Technique" was indeed against the natural order.

He took a moment to regulate his breathing, allowing his body to adjust to the state of having his mana sealed and suppressed, then he got up and moved around the yard, before using the unlocking method to restore the Dantian power.

At noon, Wulu actively sought out Yuan Ming.

Without asking, Yuan Ming knew he was coming to say goodbye, ready to head off to his next mission.

Seeing Yuan Ming looking listless, Wulu felt an inexplicable guilt.

In fact, Yuan Ming also felt guilty. Regardless, he had stolen Wulu's secret technique, even though he had taken it using his own skills, it was somewhat unfair to him.

Both harboring their thoughts, they bid farewell but both told each other to take great care.

Indeed, the challenges they both were about to face were far from easy, each carrying its own risks, yet neither sufficient to discuss with others.

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