Yuan Ming took out a document, which was precisely the contract he had scavenged from Xu Changqing. It clearly stated that the Guangli Alliance was to assassinate him by a certain deadline. Now, that deadline had passed, and he had caused such a commotion in the Da Jin Capital that anyone would know that he was not only still alive but had also become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator.

Now, by showing up at their door disguised as a disciple of the Chang Chun Temple asking for debts, with proof in hand, no one could find any fault.

Moreover, even if they wanted to find Xu Changqing, who held the document, to verify its authenticity, unless they could locate Yuan Ming's corpse inside his Storage Bag, who could claim that he was not a disciple of the Chang Chun Temple?

After a while, Zhang Luhe returned with the document, his smile seemingly more genuine than before.

"I have confirmed with the Alliance Hierarch. Your document is authentic. However, why has your master not come in person?" he asked.

"The master said he no longer wishes to deal with you," Yuan Ming replied indifferently.

Zhang Luhe's hand, clutching the document, tightened suddenly, but he relaxed after a moment and took out a Storage Bag from his waist.

"Hehe, we indeed missed this time. According to the contract, here is the compensation of 1,500 Spirit Stones. Additionally, there are 500 Spirit Stones as a prepaid deposit. Please accept it with a smile."

"That's more like it." Yuan Ming nodded calmly, accepted the Storage Bag, and without another word, turned and left the Guangli Alliance's quarters.

After Yuan Ming left, a man in a white robe appeared in the room, looking in the direction Yuan Ming had left. He asked, "Brother Zhang, this was a big loss for the business."

"Alas, there are times when one makes mistakes. Who would have thought that Yuan Ming would escape the pursuit and then go on to kill Elder Yuhu during the succession ceremony? Fortunately, we did not encounter him. Had we really met, our Southern Border colleagues would have been in danger too. I've said it many times that we must be prepared with accurate information. It's just that they were blinded by Spirit Stones," Zhang Luhe sighed.

A street away, Yuan Ming thought about the extra two thousand Spirit Stones in his Storage Bag and could no longer restrain the smile on his face. With these Spirit Stones, he could naturally exchange them for numerous elixirs for cultivation, as well as materials to make Spirit Incense.

As he was calculating in his mind, he suddenly paused in his steps.

Yuan Ming looked sideways and saw a uniquely shaped building not far away. The lower half was a normal tower, but the upper half looked like a colossal sword of refined iron, thrust directly into the tower, quite imposing.

On the plaque above its front door were just three big characters—Loose Cultivation Association.

Driven by considerable curiosity, Yuan Ming entered and saw a vertical square stone in the center of the room, with "Evil Cultivator List" written at the top. Below it, in blood-red ink, were dozens of names, with their respective cultivation levels indicated, followed by a number, seemingly representing the bounty of Spirit Stones.

Yuan Ming looked up to the top of the stone, where a cultivator named "Elder Youquan" was listed, with an impressive Peak of Core Formation cultivation level, and a whopping bounty of five hundred thousand Spirit Stones at the end.

At the bottom was a cultivator named "Pu Zhengqing," at the Foundation Establishment stage, whose exact strength was unclear, but who was also a Soul Cultivator, with a bounty of one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. However, there were two small characters added to the end—"Alive".

Having reviewed the list, Yuan Ming couldn't help but marvel and understood his own worth.

It seemed that within the Da Jin Cultivation World, where cultivation resources were relatively abundant, the number and strength of Loose Cultivators were incomparable to those in smaller places like the Southern Border and Northern Territory. And there was such a list, though it was hard to say whether those listed as evil cultivators truly deserved bad reputations.

Looking at the names on the list, each represented a genuinely strong cultivator, none of whom he felt he could currently handle.

He had been complacent, believing that as a Soul Cultivator, he could be invincible among his peers, but now he realized that was too optimistic.

There were higher peaks to climb, and more powerful individuals out there—his current cultivation level had only just risen above the lowest ranks in the world of cultivation. He wasn't like the protagonists in the stories, who could always turn misfortune into fortune.

He would have to act humbly and cautiously—for caution can make one sail the seas forever.

After the duel with Master Yu Hu in the Imperial City, although it felt good at the moment to get revenge, now he had to move stealthily.

Nonetheless, this also ignited a strong desire in Yuan Ming's heart for the first time. He had to continuously improve his cultivation and enhance his strength to gain more influence. After all, if he was not at just the Early-stage Foundation Establishment, why would he need to worry about his family being affected by his troubles, or having to leave his home shortly after returning and leave his parents again?

The root cause was that he did not have the ability to protect his family, or even fully protect himself.

He collected his thoughts, looked at the list one more time with a trace of doubt in his heart. Surely, the Loose Cultivation Association, aimed at serving the numerous Loose Cultivators and their associations, should not just have these high-profile lists?

After asking at a nearby counter, he learned that this huge stone only recorded Evil Cultivators with bounties exceeding one hundred thousand Spirit Stones. For those with lower bounties, one would need to inquire separately.

Besides the Evil Cultivator List, there was a specific mission list. Anyone could post tasks or bounties on these two lists after paying a deposit.

And if a Loose Cultivator wanted to take on a task, they, too, had to pay a certain deposit and prove their strength. In principle, one could not take on tasks much beyond his ability.

Yuan Ming had no intention of taking on tasks for now. So, he just quickly scanned the Evil Cultivator List to confirm that his name wasn't on it, then left without lingering any longer.

He had planned to go to Qingmu Building to buy some Four Spirits Pills, but at this moment he had lost this mood, after all, as long as there were enough Spirit Stones, elixirs could be bought at any time, it was not urgent for now, but there was something that did need to be verified.

Previously, Xi Ying had given him a Blood Egg, and on his way back to Da Jin, he had tried many methods but all failed to hatch it. He had even tried the method taught by Xi Ying to drip Essence Blood on it daily to no avail, and moreover, he was unable to feel any fluctuation of Spiritual Energy within the egg.

This made him wonder, could the Blood Egg possibly be hatched at all, or was there at least some way to confirm whether it was still alive?

After some thought, he realized he would have to ask someone more knowledgeable in this field.

Now that he had arrived in Thunder Continent, he thought of the one-armed elder Gu Qiuming from the Sect that happened to specialize in this area.

Yuan Ming took out a map, quickly located the Treasure Spirit Pavilion, and walked briskly towards it.

No sooner had he stepped in than a steward in a fiery red long robe greeted him.

Without waiting for him to ask, Yuan Ming said, "Excuse me, Fellow Daoist, is there a Cultivator named Gu Qiuming here?"

"Sorry, Deacon Gu returned to his Sect not long ago and is not currently here. However, if you need, I can relay a message to him," the steward courteously replied.

"That will do, just say an old acquaintance from Black Rock City is visiting; he will know who it is," Yuan Ming said upon hearing this.

The steward immediately agreed and then began to promote the various exotic beasts in the shop.

Many were common in Southern Border; the good ones were unaffordable, and the lesser ones were not as good as his own, yet the prices were more than triple those of Southern Border. Yuan Ming showed little interest and made some perfunctory replies before turning around and leaving.

...

At night, Yuan Ming stood by the window of his room in the inn, gazing outwards.

This was the second floor, with quite a broad view.

The Inside of Little Lake City was brightly lit at this moment, dazzlingly beautiful against the backdrop of the night sky.

After a long while, Yuan Ming turned and walked back to the bedside, took out the White Jade Ring and observed it for a moment, then put it into his Storage Ring as his eyes gradually firmed up.

He had finally made a decision in his heart: he would not go to Shengye Sect but would settle for a long-term cultivation in Little Lake City's Square Market.

Firstly, he was afraid of bringing trouble to his grandmother's Sect, as his circumstances could implicate his mother's family, thus adding to his mother's worries. Secondly, Yuan Ming had really grown tired of the tedious rules of the Sect, where reporting was required for going anywhere and approval was needed to leave the Sect; Little Lake City's Square Market was the second largest market in Da Jin, with rich Spiritual Energy and everything one could need. Thirdly, there were many Loose Cultivators in the market, the best place to hide is in plain sight.

As for the resources needed for cultivation like elixirs, he intended to find a way himself, convincing himself that even if he were at Shengye Sect, as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he would still be an outsider and dependent on others, and it was unlikely he would receive preferential treatment.

With this thought, Yuan Ming felt even more confident in his choice.

The next morning, he came to a large and impressive palace near the lake in the city center, bustling with people coming and going.

Two guarding Cultivators stood at the door of the great hall, paying no attention to those entering and leaving.

Yuan Ming walked into one of the side rooms, which was simply furnished with a long grey-white stone table, behind which sat four or five Cultivators in white.

Inside the hall, many Cultivators gathered, sitting next to the stone table and talking in low voices with the white-robed Cultivators, some were cheerful while others had frowns on their faces.

This was the place in Little Lake City's Square Market where houses were rented out.

"Fellow Daoist, are you here to rent or buy a house, and have you chosen a location?" the white-robed Cultivator asked with a smile, showing no disdain for Yuan Ming's apparent Qi Refinement Cultivation.

"Renting a house, in the Outer Area, but it should be by the street, the cheaper the better," Yuan Ming did not bother to inquire about the price of purchasing a house, presuming he couldn't afford it, so he said.

"There are many vacant houses in the cheaper Outer Area. There are eighty-nine available in East City, and one hundred and twenty-one in West City. Here is the price list; Fellow Daoist may wish to look it over," the white-robed Cultivator said as he handed over two pieces of Jade Scrolls.

Yuan Ming picked up a Jade Scroll and scanned it with his Divine Sense, his brow furrowed in hesitation. Renting a house in Little Lake City was not cheap; even those in the Outer Area cost one or two hundred Spirit Stones a year.

"This city is abundant in Spiritual Energy and has a Nascent Soul cultivator in residence, ensuring safety. Little Lake City is the second largest market in Da Jin, where every corner offers convenience for living. As for where to live, it depends on what Fellow Daoist needs," the white-robed Cultivator kept listing the benefits of living in Little Lake City.

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