I let you tame beasts, and you've already formed a contract with your stunningly beautiful mast

at the same time.

The inner chamber of the main hall of Lianxiang Peak.

Two distinctly different soft sensations continuously stimulated Cao Kun's nerves.

Sudden.

A crisp system notification sounded in my mind.

[Ding! Strong emotional fluctuations detected in the jade beast 'Liu Rumeng'!]

Taming Value +5

Current taming rating: 34/100

[Reward: 500 Mission Points]

……

Seeing this, Leng Qingyue pouted.

She couldn't learn her master's natural, unrestrained, and charming demeanor.

But that doesn’t stop her from protecting her food in her own way.

"Pop"

……

She sat up, pressed her cheek against Cao Kun's chest, and said softly.

……

……

[Currently 77/100.]

[Reward: 500 Mission Points]

We're one step closer to unlocking the next spot.

……

……

……

……

……

Cao Kun put on his blue robe and secretly clicked his tongue in amazement.

If it weren't for the chaotic energy reshaping the physical body, the Chaos Return to One Technique's domineering and unparalleled restorative power would be impossible.

An ordinary cultivator would absolutely not be able to withstand this kind of drain.

He focused his inner vision on his dantian.

The purplish-gold elixir was perfectly round and flawless, and its size had increased significantly since it was first formed.

The initial stage of the Golden Core realm was thoroughly solidified.

Cao Kun flipped his wrist, and a black iron token fell into his palm.

It was the highest-level token of the Pill Pavilion that Ye Ting handed over before his death.

"It's no good if it just thunders but doesn't rain."

Cao Kun tossed the token into the air and caught it steadily.

With Ye Ting dead, the Dan Pavilion, this lucrative prize, has become completely ownerless.

Instead of waiting for the sect to slowly send people to take over and inventory the situation, we should...

It would be better to strike first and seize control of the Pill Pavilion.

Cao Kun did not disturb the two sleeping women, and walked out of the main hall alone, heading straight for the Dan Pavilion.

At this moment, inside the main hall of the Dan Pavilion.

The atmosphere was in a strange frenzy.

Six powerful stewards of the Dan Pavilion, dressed in brocade robes, were sitting around a jade table in the center of the main hall.

Rumors were rampant that Elder Ye had perished and Elder Su had vanished into thin air.

Moreover, the sect leader Qin Canglan has not yet issued a clear decree to take over.

This created an excellent power vacuum for the Dan Pavilion.

The wages of avarice is death.

After their initial fear subsided, these old foxes, who had been fattening themselves up by years of swindling, immediately became more cunning.

"With Elder Ye gone, our Pill Pavilion is leaderless. Someone needs to properly safeguard that batch of newly arrived thousand-year-old spiritual herbs in the storeroom, doesn't that mean they're not ours?"

A thin, goatee-wearing steward broke the silence first, stroking his beard.

"Manager Zhang is right."

Another steward with high cheekbones immediately chimed in.

"Especially those three Grade 6 Breakthrough Pills in the Class A core repository."

"This is strategic material; it's too unsafe to keep it in the warehouse. I think it would be better if a few of us divided up the storage and temporarily took care of it?"

Temporarily stored?

That sounds nice, but once it's in your personal storage ring, there's no reason for you to give it back.

A fat steward sitting to the left of the main seat sneered and patted his round belly.

"Your appetites are far too great."

"The array key to the Class A core vault has been divided into six parts. Each person has one."

"If we want to open the door and get our things, we need to come up with some rules about how to distribute rewards based on work done, right?"

"Fatty Li, stop pretending to be all high and mighty!" the skinny steward Zhang said impatiently.

"Do you really think everyone's blind to your secret embezzlement of 300,000 mid-grade spirit stones to launder money on the black market last month?"

"You're talking nonsense! That's normal procurement losses!"

The main hall immediately erupted into chaos.

Over the allocation of resources, several managers who usually called each other brothers argued heatedly, their faces red and spittle flying.

They were so engrossed in their activities that they didn't notice a tall, slender figure appearing at the entrance of the main hall.

Cao Kun crossed his arms and watched coldly for the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, enjoying this farcical dog-eat-dog spectacle.

Finally, he chuckled softly.

"You managers have quite the refined taste."

"Would you like me to bring you some chairs, brew a pot of good tea, and let you slowly finish dividing the bill?"

Cao Kun's voice wasn't loud, but it reached everyone's ears clearly.

The arguing inside the hall stopped abruptly.

All six managers turned around at the same time.

The moment they saw who it was, the six men broke out in a cold sweat.

Cao Kun!

That god of death who withstood the purple-gold heavenly lightning and killed a Nascent Soul cultivator with a single sword strike!

The hall was deathly silent.

These managers are all shrewd individuals who have been scheming within the sect for years. Their ability to read people's expressions and change their demeanor is unparalleled.

Fatty Li reacted the fastest.

His fat face twitched, and he forced a fawning smile as he strode forward to greet her.

"Oh my! It's Elder Cao who has graced us with his presence! I'm so sorry for not greeting you sooner!"

He went directly over his rank and addressed Cao Kun as elder.

The other five people also seemed to wake up from a dream, and they quickly gathered around, bowing and scraping, their faces full of humble flattery.

Cao Kun straightened up, his cold gaze sweeping over the six greasy faces.

"Alright, stop with your fancy tricks."

He walked straight through the crowd and sat down in front of the main seat at the very top of the hall.

"Ye Ting is dead." Cao Kun looked down at everyone. "From today onwards, the Pill Pavilion is under my control."

Cao Kun extended his right hand and opened his palm.

"Hand over all the array keys to the Class A core repository."

The smiles on the faces of the six managers froze simultaneously.

Handing over the keys?

That would be tantamount to handing over their bargaining chip for controlling the lifeline of the Pill Pavilion, and giving up their cultivation resources for the rest of their lives!

The group quickly exchanged a cryptic glance.

Fatty Li's eyes darted around, and he stepped forward, bowing deeply.

"Elder Cao, it's a great blessing for everyone in the Pill Pavilion that you're willing to personally take over!"

He spoke with utmost respect, but then smoothly changed the subject.

"But...you don't know this."

"The handover rules within the Pill Pavilion are extremely complicated. Hundreds of thousands of accounts are intertwined, and the reporting of losses of various spiritual herbs and pills is even more intricate."

"The Class A warehouse is a crucial location for the sect, of paramount importance. This handover must begin with a thorough inventory of the ledgers and verification of the supplies. I think..."

"This will take at least half a month to complete the inventory."

The gaunt Steward Zhang understood immediately and stepped forward to speak up for him.

"Yes, Elder Cao. How could we trouble you to personally oversee such rough and tiring work?"

"Why don't you return to Lianxiang Peak and rest for a few days? Once we've thoroughly sorted out the accounts and completed the bookkeeping, we'll personally deliver them to you at the peak?"

Tai Chi push hands: soft dragging and hard resistance.

They were convinced that Cao Kun was young and impetuous, only good at fighting and killing, and had no idea about the intricacies of logistics accounts.

If they can hold out for three to five days, they will immediately empty the core database completely.

They'll just hand over an empty ledger, leaving no way to prove anything.

Cao Kun sat in the main seat, watching these old dogs putting on a show.

He sneered inwardly.

Trying to play these workplace tai chi games with me?

He couldn't be bothered to say a single unnecessary word.

With a flick of the wrist.

Snapped!

The black iron plate was slammed heavily onto the rosewood table in front of him.

The powerful force caused several cracks to appear on the hard tabletop.

The highest authority token of Dan Pavilion.

Immediately afterwards, the immense spiritual pressure of the early Golden Core stage, like a flood bursting its banks, poured out without reservation.

The six stewards were only at the mid to late stage of Foundation Establishment.

Under this terrifying pressure that was approaching the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm.

Their legs trembled violently and uncontrollably.

Fatty Li's face turned deathly pale.

But relying on his decades of experience in the Dan Pavilion and the belief that the law does not punish the masses, he gritted his teeth and stubbornly refused to kneel.

They played their last trump card to save themselves.

"Elder Cao!"

He struggled to lift his head and shouted at the top of his lungs:

"Even if you possess the token, according to the sect's ironclad rules, the handover of the Pill Pavilion Master must be accompanied by a personal edict and seal issued by the sect leader!"

"Your insistence on demanding the warehouse keys is against the rules!"

rule?

Cao Kun's smile vanished completely as he looked at the arguing Li Pangzi.

"I almost forgot about the rules if you hadn't mentioned them."

Cao Kun slowly stood up.

The chaotic energy surged through his limbs and bones.

Swish!

Cao Kun's figure instantly transformed into a blur on the spot.

In the next instant, he stepped over the jade steps and appeared in front of Fatty Li.

Fatty Li's pupils suddenly dilated, before he could even muster his protective aura.

Cao Kun slapped Li Pangzi hard across the face, which was full of fat.

boom!

A sickeningly loud sound of flesh exploding echoed through the hall.

Li Pangzi's nearly 300-pound obese body was like a tattered sack being swept up by a strong wind.

He was sent flying dozens of feet away by that slap.

In mid-air, he coughed up a mouthful of blood mixed with half a broken tooth.

It then crashed heavily into the thick stone pillars of the main hall.

The surface of the stone pillar is cracked inch by inch.

Fatty Li slid to the ground like a lump of mud.

Half of his facial bones collapsed and deformed completely. His body twitched twice, and he was unable to breathe properly, losing consciousness on the spot.

The remaining five managers froze upon witnessing this scene.

They'll resort to violence at the slightest disagreement; they simply can't afford to offend them!

Cao Kun turned to look at the remaining five people and gave them a warm, spring-like smile.

"From now on, I will be the rule here."

"Does anyone have any further opinions? Please feel free to raise them. I'm a very democratic person."

thump!

Manager Zhang was the first to kneel on the ground.

"No, no objection! Elder Cao is the rule!"

With trembling hands, he pulled a white jade key from his pocket and handed it over.

"This is the key to the array that I have been keeping safe! Please take a look, Elder Cao!"

The power of example is endless.

Under absolute military suppression, resources and factions become utterly worthless.

If you're going to die, why would you save your spirit stones to buy a coffin?

Thump! Thump! Thump!

The remaining four people rushed to kneel down.

"I'll hand over my humble servant's too! I've been eagerly awaiting Elder Cao's arrival to take over!"

"Elder Cao, please calm down, everything is here!"

Five white jade keys, along with the one found in Fatty Li's arms.

They were neatly arranged on the table in front of Cao Kun.

Cao Kun put all the keys into his storage ring.

"It would have been better if you had cooperated earlier; there was no need to ruin the harmony."

He sat back down in the main seat and pointed to Fatty Li, who was lying on the ground, seemingly lifeless.

"Drag him out."

"Then, take me to the Class A core database."

"Yes! Yes, yes! I'll lead the way right away!"

Manager Zhang scrambled to his feet.

They quickly ordered people to drag Fatty Li out of the main hall.

He then personally bent down and led the way for Cao Kun.

After passing through numerous restrictions, the two arrived at a hidden underground palace in the back mountains of Dan Pavilion.

Two heavy, ancient bronze doors are embedded in the mountain wall.

"You may leave."

Cao Kun waved Zhang the steward away and walked forward alone.

Insert the six white jade keys into the six keyholes of the bronze door in sequence.

Spiritual energy infusion.

Rumbling--

With a dull screech, the heavy bronze gate slowly slid open to both sides.

A rich aroma of herbs wafted over.

But at the same time, the system's cold notification sound suddenly rang in Cao Kun's mind.

[Ding! A top-grade spirit beast has been detected within a ten-meter radius!]

[Target Status: Soul Form (Extremely Weak)]

[Capture Difficulty: ??? (Due to the target's unique form and loss of physical body, conventional coercive methods and tools are ineffective!)]

[Overall Assessment: This spirit beast has a mysterious origin and a special identity. It is recommended that the host subdue it at all costs!]