The next day, he dismembered the tiger and made roasted meat, then moved into the waste elixir room.

However, near the waste elixir room, wild beasts would come and go every now and then.

To deal with this, he set up numerous traps around his dwelling, tirelessly hunting these ferocious beasts.

Although he hadn't started cultivating yet, fighting with various wild animals every day had greatly improved his combat abilities. Moreover, his diet had improved, which also greatly benefited his physical growth.

One evening, Su Twelve draped a tiger skin over himself, holding a machete, and hid in a mountain hollow near his dwelling.

He lay in the hollow, resembling a resting tiger. Beneath the tiger skin, he perked his ears, silently listening to any movement from all directions.

This time, the beast he was facing was a green wolf as strong as an ox. The green wolf was extremely vicious, and it could even spit out gusts of wind from its mouth, resembling the legendary demon beasts.

He had been battling this demon beast for several days, and today, he had prepared several traps, planning to take down the creature in one go.

At that moment, a rustling sound reached his ears.

Su Twelve's heart tightened, and he instinctively gripped the machete tightly.

But the next second, the voices coming from a distance struck him like a thunderbolt.

"Where's the thing?!"

"I failed, please punish me, Master!"

Upon hearing the voice, Su Twelve froze in place.

Then, a strong wave of hatred surged within him instantly.

The voice was so familiar! It was the voice he would never forget, the voice of the man who had killed his grandfather and the villagers, the black-clad man!

"That person... is he actually in Yunge Sect?!"

The thought flashed through his mind, and Su Twelve clenched his fists tightly.

But he knew clearly that he was no match for that man now.

Once discovered, he would be doomed!

The black-clad man was more violent and terrifying than the tiger!

Holding his breath, Su Twelve dared not make a sound.

The voices continued to reach his ears.

"You should be punished, but you don't intend to take the treasure furnace for yourself, do you?"

"Master, you wronged me. That old man from Little Stone Village was more stubborn than stone. I tried everything, but he refused to give in, even until death."

"Hmph! If you can't even handle a few mere mortals, what use do I have for you?!"

...

Hearing their conversation, Su Twelve's heart skipped a beat.

"Master? The person speaking sounds even stronger than the black-clad man?"

"Could it be... that there is someone more powerful behind the black-clad man?"

This situation left him even more shocked.

Lying motionless on the ground, he was terrified of being discovered.

Through a gap, he could vaguely see two shadowy figures in the nearby woods, talking under a towering tree.

The moonlight stretched their shadows, which were reflected on the ground near him.

"Thank you, Master, for sparing my life. I have more leads on the matter!"

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"Oh? What leads?"

"Afterwards, I went back to Little Stone Village and found that the village had a new hundred-person grave. The gravestone was erected by someone named Su Twelve, who turned out to be the grandson of that old man. If I’m not mistaken, the treasure furnace must be in the hands of that Su Twelve!"

"Hmm? Such a thing? Alright, I'll give you another month. If you still can't find the treasure furnace, you know the consequences!"

...

After speaking, the two of them huddled together to discuss something, then soared into the sky, flying in two different directions.

In the hollow, Su Twelve lay on the ground, his mind in turmoil.

At this moment, all he could think about was the last words of the black-clad man.

"He... he knows my name, and he knows the elixir furnace is with me?!"

"No, I must leave here quickly!"

At that moment, Su Twelve's heart raced, and all he could think of was fleeing.

But then, he realized that if he left Yunge Sect, he wouldn't know where to find the methods to cultivate.

Moreover, he had finally obtained a small clue about the black-clad man. If he left now without investigating further, he wouldn't be able to forgive himself.

Thinking of this, Su Twelve held back his panic, waiting until the second half of the night. After confirming that the two people had not returned, and the green wolf had not appeared either, he cautiously returned to his dwelling.

The next day, early morning.

As soon as Su Twelve woke up, he heard a series of urgent knocks on the door.

"Knock knock knock..."

The sound was neither too fast nor too slow, but with each knock, it seemed to strike right at Su Twelve's heart, causing his heartbeat to quicken.

"Uh-oh, could it be... that the person came so quickly?" Su Twelve quickly jumped out of bed, his heart racing.

His eyes darted around as he considered if it was possible to escape.

"Twelve Junior Brother, are you there?"

At that moment, a melodious voice came from outside.

"Xiao Yue Senior Sister?"

Su Twelve froze, but his heart did not relax. Instead, he suddenly realized another troublesome matter. He had used his real name when joining Luofufeng.

And now, that black-clad man not only knew of his existence but also knew his name!

"What should I do?" Su Twelve broke into a cold sweat.

Just when he didn't know what to do, the worried voice of Xiao Yue came again from outside.

"Twelve Junior Brother?!"

Hearing her call again, Su Twelve had no choice but to suppress his anxiety and took a deep breath before quickly going to open the door.

"Xiao Yue Senior Sister?"

When the door opened, he saw Xiao Yue in a long dress, carrying a sword, standing at the door.

Upon seeing Su Twelve, Xiao Yue looked surprised.

Maybe in her heart, she thought Su Twelve wouldn't last long. He would either die at the hands of a wild beast or would have been scared off long ago.

Surprised as she was, Xiao Yue quickly smiled, appearing quite natural.

"Judging by your complexion, it looks like you've been doing... well?" She said, glancing around at the courtyard.

Seeing the various beast pelts piled on the ground, her pupils shrank, and she was shocked beyond belief!

"Hmm? Are those beast hides? You... you killed so many wild beasts??"

As she spoke, Xiao Yue quickly scanned Su Twelve from head to toe, unable to believe what she was seeing.

A twelve-year-old boy had killed so many wild beasts? What a joke!

"It wasn't me who killed them! I just dug a few traps around. The beasts are so dumb, they keep falling into them every few days." Su Twelve scratched his head with a smile, quickly inviting Xiao Yue in and pointing to the traps in the yard.

He didn't want Xiao Yue to think he was too powerful, and he certainly couldn’t let anyone know about his use of Peiyuan Pills.

"Ah, traps! I knew it! But I have to say, it's impressive that you came up with this idea! If it were someone else, they would probably be too scared to even face these beasts!"

Seeing the traps, Xiao Yue’s emotions calmed down a bit. If she hadn't seen this, she might have thought he was a monster.

But when she looked at Su Twelve, her eyes were still filled with surprise and admiration.

When Xiao Yue was twelve, she didn’t have such abilities or courage.

This little guy was smart and brave, but unfortunately, his spiritual root was too poor. Otherwise, he could definitely become a great talent.

"Hehe, thanks for the compliment, Senior Sister!" Su Twelve grinned and then asked about her reason for coming. "Senior Sister, did you come here for something?"

Xiao Yue smiled. "I came to check on your well-being and make sure you're okay. Looks like I worried for nothing. Also, I need to inform you about the newcomer trial!"

"Newcomer trial?" Su Twelve raised his eyebrows slightly, remembering that the peak master of Tianhua Peak had mentioned it when he first entered the sect.

Xiao Yue nodded. "Yes, it's a rule of Yunge Sect. Every new disciple must participate in the newcomer trial five years after joining. Only those who pass the trial can remain in Yunge Sect. Otherwise, they'll either be relegated to a servant disciple or sent back."

"Servant disciple? Sent back?" Su Twelve's heart sank, and he quickly asked, "What exactly does the trial entail?"

Xiao Yue replied, "The trial content changes each time, and it's only revealed when the trial begins. However, based on past experiences, to pass the trial, you must at least be at the Fourth Level of Qi Refining or above."

"Fourth Level of Qi Refining?" Su Twelve’s face instantly turned pale.

According to Lu Ming Shi, he could only cultivate to the seventh or eighth level of Qi Refining at most in his lifetime.

With this in mind, even if he had a cultivation method, trying to reach the Fourth Level within five years would be extremely difficult.

But to give up just like that? Su Twelve didn’t even think about it.

After hesitating for a moment, he quietly asked Xiao Yue, "Senior Sister, if I want to cultivate, what should I do?"

[--------------------------------------------]

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