I gain ten years' worth of cultivation every day, and even geniuses will only see my doorstep!

Qin Yuan frowned, raised his right hand, spread his five fingers, and then slowly clenched his fist.

The air inside the cave suddenly froze.

All the tentacles froze in mid-air, as if bound by invisible shackles. Then, a terrifying compressive force came from all directions—

Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!

All seventeen tentacles exploded into a bloody mist at the same time!

The blood pool boiled completely, and a huge shadow rose from the bottom of the pool—it was an indescribable monster, its body like a rotting lump of flesh, its surface covered with tentacles and eyes, and a huge mouth full of sharp teeth split open in the center.

The aura emanating from this monster was clearly at the early stage of Foundation Establishment!

No wonder those Qi Refining stage disciples never returned.

The monster's eyes were fixed on Qin Yuan, its huge mouth opened, and it let out a piercing shriek that seemed to pierce the soul!

That was its innate divine ability, "Soul-Seizing Scream." If a cultivator below the Foundation Establishment stage heard it, their soul would be shaken at best, and at worst, they would become mentally impaired on the spot.

Qin Yuan simply picked at his ear.

"Quarrel."

He took a step forward, his figure vanishing from the spot. When he reappeared, he was directly above the monster, his right foot raised, and then—

Step on it.

There were no fancy tricks, no techniques, just pure power, mixed with the immense spiritual energy of a second-level Foundation Establishment cultivator.

"boom--!!!"

The entire cavern trembled violently, and rubble rained down. The monster didn't even have time to scream before it was crushed by that single stomp!

Blood and flesh flew everywhere, splattering all over the cave, but were repelled by the spiritual energy barrier surrounding Qin Yuan.

The blood pool calmed down, and the water became clearer at a visible speed—as soon as the monster died, the evil energy it contained began to dissipate.

Qin Yuan landed, dusted off non-existent dust from the corner of his clothes, and put the three Yin Sha Crystals into his storage bag.

Just as he was about to leave, his divine sense suddenly swept to the corner of the cave—there, under a pile of bones, lay half a broken jade slip. He walked over and picked it up. The jade slip was cold to the touch, and its surface was engraved with blurry words: "Blood Refining True Method - Fragment".

Unorthodox martial arts.

Qin Yuan glanced at the jade slip and immediately understood that this was the origin of the monster's birth—it was likely that some evil cultivator had failed in their cultivation here, and their physical body had mutated into that monster. He carefully put the jade slip away; although he didn't cultivate with it, it might be useful in the future.

Leave this cave and continue deeper.

The Bone Cave is a maze of interconnected paths with numerous forks. Qin Yuan, relying on his extraordinary spiritual sense, avoided several traps filled with dense yin energy, and also picked a few "Soul Grasses" growing in extremely yin places—which are also excellent materials for alchemy.

After walking for about half an hour, they heard faint groans coming from ahead.

Qin Yuan cautiously approached, turned a corner, and saw a figure huddled in a narrow crevice in the rocks.

The man was wearing a tattered blue robe from the inner sect of the Xuan Yuan Sect, stained with blood.

His face was deathly pale, his breath was weak, and his left leg was twisted unnaturally, clearly broken.

Most fatally, there was a deep claw mark on his chest, shrouded in black mist, and the wound was slowly festering.

Sensing someone approaching, the person barely raised their head, revealing a young but haggard face.

"Help...help me..." His voice was hoarse. "I am Zhou Ming, an inner disciple of the Tenth Peak...I was injured by that evil creature...and have been trapped here for three days..."

Qin Yuan did not immediately step forward. He carefully scanned the other party with his divine sense to confirm that it was not an illusion or a trap before walking over and taking out a healing pill to hand to him.

Zhou Ming took the pill and swallowed it. His complexion eased slightly, and he hurriedly said, "Thank you, Junior Brother... No, may I ask which peak you are from, Senior Brother? This place is not safe to stay any longer. That evil creature is a 'Yin Corpse Spider,' with the strength of the early Foundation Establishment stage. It excels at ambushes, and I was seriously injured by its sneak attack... We must leave as soon as possible and find rescue!"

"A Shadow Corpse Spider?" Qin Yuan shook his head, recalling the monster from earlier. "It's already dead."

Zhou Ming was stunned: "Dead? Dead? Who killed him?"

"I."

Zhou Ming stared wide-eyed as he looked Qin Yuan up and down, only to be shocked to discover that this "junior brother" dressed in the outer sect's gray robe possessed an aura as deep as the sea, which he could not fathom at all!

"You...you've reached Foundation Establishment?!"

Qin Yuan didn't answer, but asked, "How did you get trapped?"

Zhou Ming smiled wryly, "I also accepted a mission from the White Bone Cave to retrieve the Yin Sha Crystal. I didn't expect to be ambushed by that Yin Corpse Spider so soon after entering the cave."

I risked my life to injure one of its eyes and escaped here, hiding with my last concealment talisman, but it has been guarding the vicinity ever since… For the past three days, I have survived entirely on fasting pills and half a pot of water in my pocket.”

He paused, then suddenly remembered something: "Right, Senior Brother, did you come to retrieve the Yin Sha Crystal? That thing is above the Blood Pool, guarded by evil spirits; it's extremely dangerous! Let's go out first, gather our forces, and then come back—"

"I've already taken them." Qin Yuan took out three Yin Sha Crystals and showed them to him.

Zhou Ming opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word for a long time.

"Can we walk?" Qin Yuan asked.

Zhou Ming tried to get up, but a sharp pain shot through his broken leg. He gritted his teeth and said, "Senior brother, you go first. My leg is broken, and I'll only be a burden to you. Once you're out, please be sure to inform the elder of the Tenth Peak. He will send someone to rescue me..."

Qin Yuan didn't say anything, but squatted down and placed his hand on the broken leg.

Spiritual energy surged in, forcibly repositioning the dislocated bones, then clamping them with two wooden boards and tearing off a piece of clothing to secure them.

"Bear with it." He took out a talisman and stuck it on Zhou Ming's body. "This talisman will allow you to walk normally for half an hour, enough time to get out of the cave."

Zhou Ming's eyes reddened with emotion: "Senior Brother, I will repay your great kindness!"

The two walked out one after the other. With Qin Yuan leading the way, the evil spirits and malevolent entities along the way retreated.

Zhou Ming followed behind, watching Qin Yuan casually shatter the Yin spirits blocking his way with a sword beam. His horror grew stronger and stronger—this senior brother's strength was probably more than just the early Foundation Establishment stage!

Less than fifteen minutes later, the two emerged from the Cave of Bones.

Regaining sight, Zhou Ming let out a long breath and bowed deeply to Qin Yuan: "Senior Brother, I will forever remember your life-saving grace! May I ask your name, Senior Brother?"

"Qin Yuan".

"I will never forget Senior Brother Qin's kindness today!" Zhou Ming said solemnly. "If there is ever any need for me in the future, I will go through fire and water without hesitation!"

Qin Yuan nodded: "You should go back to the peak to heal your injuries."

Zhou Ming bowed again before limping toward the tenth peak.

Qin Yuan watched his departing figure, then turned and walked towards the mission hall.

It was already afternoon when we returned to the mission hall.

When the steward saw Qin Yuan return unharmed, surprise flashed in his eyes, especially when Qin Yuan took out three Yin Sha Crystals, his surprise turned into disbelief.

"You...you really finished?" The deacon examined the Yin Sha Crystal, confirming it was correct, and his voice trembled slightly. "That evil creature from the White Bone Cave..."

"He's dead," Qin Yuan said calmly.

The steward gave him a deep look, asked no further questions, and handed over the reward in full: three hundred mid-grade spirit crystals and a bottle of three Qi Condensation Pills.

As Qin Yuan walked out of the main hall, he could sense several eyes watching him from the shadows—probably spies from the Third Peak. He paid no attention and went straight back to the outer gate hut.

Close the door and take out all the spoils.