"Xia Ming, come in."

Listening to Jiang Liang's calm voice from behind the door, Xia Ming tugged at his whitened garment with force.

There seemed to be a drop of blood on it, but Xia Ming struggled for a while, leaving no trace.

All of this seemed like an illusion.

...

"Disciple Xia Ming, greetings to Elder Jiang."

Seeing the humble Xia Ming in front of him, Jiang Liang's smile grew even more pronounced.

There's always a way out!

Lost in the east, found under the mulberry tree.

Li Dahuo, oh Li Dahuo!

You've miscalculated this time!

If not for you, I wouldn't have discovered Xia Ming, this uncut jade!

This kid is simply a genius at hiding corpses!

Thinking this, Jiang Liang stood up and patted Xia Ming's shoulder warmly.

"Xia Ming, you've done well this time. From now on, I'll give you a soul stone every day."

"Also... you can take one of today's spoils."

Seeing Jiang Liang slowly pushing the lacquered tray towards him, Xia Ming waved his hands repeatedly.

"Xia Ming dare not. The disciple only did what was expected of him and dare not seek rewards."

Xia Ming's words struck a chord in Jiang Liang's heart.

Listen!

This is what a good disciple from the Cliff of Souls looks like. What kind of bird is Li Dahuo?

Relying on his meager skills, not returning to repay the sect, and still thinking of bargaining with me?

Disgusting! Is he even worthy of being a disciple of the Great River Sect?

Looking at Xia Ming's youthful face, Jiang Liang became even more convinced of Xia Ming's sincerity.

A gem like a child, compared to that, Li Dahuo is just a smelly stone in a pit.

"Take it! You must take it! Xia Ming, if I say take it, you take it."

If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Listening to Xia Ming's tone that brooked no argument, he looked again at the lacquered tray not far away.

There were about a dozen small items scattered on the tray. With a glance, Xia Ming's eyes lit up.

He remembered clearly that he had opened twenty, so why were there only about a dozen left?

Without a word, Xia Ming finally picked up a plain brass ring from the corner of the tray.

It was an extremely ordinary brass ring.

When he first opened this ring, Xia Ming was puzzled for a long time.

Why would such an ordinary ring be individually hidden by Yin Shiqi?

Could there be a white-bearded old man inside?

Or is it a storage ring?

Xia Ming had also fantasized about getting a magical item and ascending the path of immortality.

But unfortunately, it was just an ordinary brass ring.

Even when placed in a magnetic field, there was no reaction at all.

Perhaps this ring had a very special meaning to Yin Shiqi.

Seeing Xia Ming pick up the inconspicuous brass ring, Jiang Liang's admiration almost overflowed.

Good!

Knowing when to advance and when to retreat, he's a good seedling!

After patting Xia Ming's shoulder again, Jiang Liang spoke kindly:

"Xia Ming, you've done well today. Go rest for now, and you can also take these three soul stones."

Before Xia Ming could reply, Jiang Liang directly placed the soul stones into his hands.

"Disciple Xia Ming, thank you, Elder Jiang."

...

When Xia Ming walked out of the meditation room, the sky had already darkened.

The waning moon hung high, lone stars twinkled, and the starry sky seemed boundless.

Looking up, Xia Ming couldn't find a familiar corner.

Xia Ming knew he couldn't go back anymore.

In the winter month, the cold grew heavier, the moonlight froze, and layers were soaked.

Following the inspector, Xia Ming returned to his Thirty-Seven Cave.

Closing the grass curtain at the entrance, the Thirty-Seven Cave, bone-chillingly cold, became somewhat lively.

Wrapping himself in the thin cotton quilt, he curled up in the corner of the mat.

By the faint light, Xia Ming carefully examined the three soul stones in his palm.

Soul stones were a type of spiritual stone, with a chance of producing soul stones when the soul did not disperse and merged with the spiritual stone.

Different from spiritual stones exclusive to cultivators, soul stones were more accessible.

Anyone with a soul could use a soul stone, whether they were gifted or commoners.

In theory, any living being with a soul could use a soul stone.

But these soul stones shouldn't be overused.

Using them too much could lead to addiction.

Staring at the three soul stones in his palm, Xia Ming squeezed them hard.

In an instant, the stone skin cracked, and a gray mist rose from Xia Ming's palm.

Curiously, Xia Ming approached and poked the mist, then sniffed it.

He sucked in about half of the mist, feeling a refreshing sensation in his mind, free from fatigue.

This thing...refreshes the mind!

But you shouldn't overuse it!

Cough cough!

As he sucked, Xia Ming suddenly felt uncomfortable and started coughing violently.

With this cough, much of the mist in his mouth and nose dissipated.

When Xia Ming realized and wanted to suck again, the mist had vanished into thin air.

Just with a few breaths, Xia Ming couldn't sleep for most of the night, feeling sorry for himself.

Lost.

Lost big time.

...

The next few days, the Thirty-Seven Cave was extremely busy.

Corpse bearers came and went, and inspectors often lingered.

Twelve hours a day, Xia Ming worked almost eight.

Surprisingly, Xia Ming didn't complain at all; instead, he found joy in it.

Seeing this, Jiang Liang increased Xia Ming's workload even more.

And then, something incredibly bizarre happened at the Cliff of Souls.

The Thirty-Seven Cave was bustling, while the other caves remained deserted.

Gradually, a rumor spread throughout the Cliff of Souls.

That Thirty-Seven Cave wasn't inhabited by people but by a cunning donkey.

Only a donkey would be so foolish to work like that.

No!

Even a donkey would bray a few times; that guy in the Thirty-Seven Cave is worse than a donkey.

Facing the rumors and gossip outside, Xia Ming turned a deaf ear.

In his eyes, those corpses with hidden spiritual roots were the cornerstone of his path to immortality.

For the sake of stepping onto the path of immortality, what's a little more hardship and fatigue?

Days passed—one, two, three...

As time went on, Li Dahuo of the Seventeenth Cave couldn't laugh anymore.

The situation began to deviate from his expectations.

Not only did Jiang Liang not come looking for him again, but the supply of tasks for his Seventeenth Cave also drastically decreased.

Could it be that those miscellaneous disciples of the Thirty-Seven Cave could really surpass him, Li Dahuo?

Impossible!

Absolutely impossible!

After some time, Li Dahuo couldn't sit still.

Even if he didn't want to believe it, the fact was there, and he had to accept it.

So, Li Dahuo went to see Jiang Liang in person.

With a respectful attitude and proper demeanor, Li Dahuo proposed sticking to the previous rules, one in tendraws.

Upon hearing Li Dahuo's words, Jiang Liang laughed.

One in ten draws?

It seems like Li Dahuo hasn't woken up yet.

Times have changed, and he still dares to ask forone in ten draws?

Xia Ming can now completely replace Li Dahuo!

Isn't that little donkey more useful than this black-hearted tiger?

What a clueless fellow.

With a cold snort, Jiang Liang waved his hand towards Li Dahuo.

Watching Li Dahuo's retreating figure, Jiang Liang's gaze turned even colder.

"Li Dahuo, oh Li Dahuo, have you been living under a rock all these years?"

"Or do you really think of me as a soft tomato like those others!"