Firefly Ore was material as abundant as tin and iron. For its weight, it was seen as less valuable than coal. However, the fact that few ever bothered to sell it made it difficult to access for the few that had uses for it. As such, its price would locally rise once every few years so that the few who wanted to use it could stock it up.

Such an inconsistent market and the Firefly Ore's abundance made it so that mines of it were often abandoned after the demand faded. However, few who did not ever need it knew the uses it had. One such use was for turning unused mystical beast skin and leather into fertilizer. A simple mixture that included Firefly Ore could turn into a liquid so potent that it could break down the skin of low ranked mystical beasts into fertilizer. Such fertilizer was like treasure to herbalists and farmers, but the mystical beast skin was its expensive component, Firefly Ore was like the water of the tea in that mixture.

The Black Coffin Veil also used Firefly Ore as a common ingredient in abundance, but its other components were troublesome to acquire for Tian Mingyun. He would need boiled water, a pit large enough for him to lie down into, charcoal, and enough rendered animal fat to cover his skin forty times over. All of this was in addition to working down the Firefly Ore into Firefly Dust, luckily the book had clearly described its method.

Tian Mingyun's mind was racing, but the dots connected once he listened to further explanations from the black clothed martial artists.

"If any of you lot ever get too hungry and think rice and grain balls are not enough, go and hunt! You are free to hunt and cook anything you want from within the border of the stone walls of the Respite Caves. They surround a part of the forest that is greater than 120 Li in diameter. That is much more than enough for you lot. But if you die to an animal or get injured, take care of it yourselves! We will not even bother to bury your dead!"

Tian Mingyun's face became fierce. He was angry at his situation and this treatment, but he could only bow and thank as usual. His group of friends followed his actions.

A deep part within Tian Mingyun was glad. He would have no shortage of animal fat and charcoal if he was allowed to roam such a large area for three months. Yet, he felt the need to warn his friends.

"Do not try to escape no matter how easy it seems. You will only be throwing your life away." His warning was sincere. He knew that some kids would likely try to escape on the first night and die.

His friends were nodding along with caution on their faces, but he could see some other kids getting excited after learning of a chance to escape. He could not convince them all to not try, a mere 10 year old kid had no such sway over strangers.

He also noticed some kids were looking at him and his friends with malicious looks. He warned his friends of them just in case but pretended not to notice them otherwise. He had a few guesses as to why others would dislike him, but he was confident he had the stronger group.

Tian Mingyun was not too kind hearted of a kid. He had stolen from people in a city ravaged by war. He had stolen from the homes of those that had died. He knew such things were bad because he had mocked, insulted, and beaten over such things. However, he did it in order to survive. Now was the same, he had not helped random kids, he had only helped and befriended those who had the potential to be helpful to him.

As such, he was the youngest within the group, save for Huo Lan who was currently still not with them. And even she was stronger than him physically. He wanted to be safe, and protected but knew that other people were not likely to do such things for free. He helped, flattered, and smiled just to get close to them. This was the pretend friendship of a crippled outcast who had been speaking for less than a couple of weeks. This was just him going through the motions as learned by observing others and reading books.

He was blessed when it came to his upbringing. A spoiled and loved child that did not know the harshness of the world would only end up as one of the corpses back in that arena. Being an outcast? He could fend for himself. Being a cripple? He never saw himself as flawless. Being forced to use venom to cultivate? He knew there was a cost for good things.

While everyone else was adjusting their robes or trying to pick a good looking cave, he simply stated his need for Firefly Ore and focused his mind on what was to come. Plain grain and rice would not suffice if they were meant to train and Cultivate. He had to set time aside for teaching each Cultivation Technique Book that his friends had picked out, but he would also need to set up hunting rotations.

He would train them in turns. Make them hunt in turns. Make them do chores in turns so that they could each maximize their time spent Cultivating and training. Tian Mingyun knew fully well that any kids that failed to take care of themselves beyond what was readily provided, would simply die.

This united method would also be the best method for him to acquire enough animal fat for the Black Coffin Veil recipe. The meat, organs, and the marrow would be shared. However, he would take the fat and render it down since it could not be eaten. He was ready to give away his share of the fur or whatever if anyone complained.

His mind was racing while his group kept getting evil stares from another group of kids. The most intense ones among them were a boy with a claw scar across his chest looking at Tian Mingyun and the other was a sour faced yet beautiful and soft haired girl looking at Yanku Zhimei while holding her hand over the right side of her chest.

Evening rolled around with everyone finally settled in caves. Hou Yun was in a cave that used to be an iron mine while Tian Mingyun was in a cave with plenty of Firefly Ore as he wanted. Each cave had a large and old piece of cloth to cover its entrance for some privacy and rope ladders connected the caves that were high up. Their education started from the first night, as the few kids that could read and write all had a group of kids flocking to them with their Cultivation Technique Books in hand.

Tian Mingyun only had one person come up to him. They had decided on an order beforehand so that only Tian Mingyun and the person learning would hear the Cultivation Technique Book being read. Tonight was Hou Yun, as Yanku Zhimei had uniquely already memorized her book. Tian Mingyun looked like a dignified scholar as he sat down with crossed legs and read the book by placing it on his lap and looking down at it with his face straight.

He was not doing this to appear dignified, he could see well in the dark, so he was facing the cave entrance to see if anyone would barge in while looking down at the book in the dark cave and easily reading it out loud for Hou Yun.

"Jin Energy remains one of the five main energies that make up the world. It is nurtured by the Tu Energy and one can Cultivate it in a few main methods. Places rich in Tu or Jin Energy are ideal places to Cultivate the Formless Cyclone Cultivation Technique. One need only complete the Circulation of the Heart, Brain, and Gut regions to begin Cultivation of the Jin Energy proper. The rest of the pathways will be easily opened during the Skin Refinement Realm as one imagines the body 'Repulsing' the impurities from the skin. However, one must abandon this path if they are unable to feel the Jin Energy in a lump of iron before they reach the Organ Refinement Realm, as it shows a lack of aptitude for the Formless Cyclone Cultivation Technique."

Hou Yun listened attentively. Tian Mingyun also read out many pages about how to complete the Circulation of the Heart, Brain, and Gut regions. Circulation would likely not take long for him due to him being a Body Arts Martial Artist for years prior, but Tian Mingyun was adamant that Hou Yun should make all effort to feel the Jin Energy in the iron filled cave. Even if he would only be able to truly harness the Jin Energy at the Qi Condensation Stage in the uncertain future.

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Hou Yun bowed after discussing some points with Tian Mingyun and left. Tian Mingyun spent the rest of the night digging a pit with his hands at the back of the cave. This process was tedious, but it was nothing difficult or painful for a Skin Refinement Realm Cultivator like him. He only slept after the pit was deep enough for him to lay down in, though he did not sleep in the pit.

The next morning started with everyone in the Respite Caves eating their plain grain balls. The taste was so bland and unfilling that it was motivation enough for all of them to venture into the forest to hunt animals and gather fruits. However, Tian Mingyun and his group were still discussing the orders and shifts.

"I say we leave in groups of 2, and change up the partners each time so everyone can learn to trust one another." The voice belonged to Huoli Yue.

She was someone used to living life with her brother, so knew the advantages of having a partner in such situations. But opposition to her voice rang out from Hou Yun.

"No can do. I can not trust anyone so easily. Also, how can we part the meal equally if the work is not equal?" He could say so because he was strong. Everyone here knew that Hou Yun would likely be the best hunter among them.

Tian Mingyun was the expected mediator.

"We will spread the reward non-equally. The ones that hunt it get 6, while the rest divide the 4 among them. I will also not take part of the fur, bones, or the teeth. I just want more of a share of the fat of whatever we catch." Hou Yun nodded, he would still lose a bit but others would have to put in work in order to eat properly.

Yanku Zhimei spoke next.

"We will always only hunt for a few hours, and partners will stick together. Anyone who is not hunting is to do the chores, except Tian Mingyun." Huoli Jingzi had a sour expression but did not complain.

Tian Mingyun would be their scholar here and read and write for them. He had even picked the books himself. It would not be right for him to do the chores on top of that. Instead, Tian Mingyun raised his hand and spoke.

"I will keep the tally and the order of rotations. I will also hunt just as much as the rest of you. If any of you want something written, I will deal with it too. For the first day, it is fitting that I and Hour Yun go to hunt. We are both strong and we will be safe even if we split apart. We will tell you lot about it when we return, so stay together in one cave and protect each other." Nobody complained about Tian Mingyun's proposition.

As the two of them headed into the forest. Hou Yun stuck close to the smaller Tian Mingyun. It was clear that the two of them were fine targets for an ambush as they were the latest to enter the forest in search of food. Hou Yun openly spoke of this.

"Tian Mingyun, this is not a smart thing to do. If we enter now, it means we will both be less accustomed to the forest, and more likely to walk into others." Hou Yun had brawled in the streets commonly, he knew that leaving one's house late was not something that men with enemies could afford to do.

"You are right that there are drawbacks to this. But we must also be cowards in order to live. I pillaged ruins a lot, but I have never entered the ones that even the rats and bugs avoided. This time too, the forest is unknown. Those that blindly rush ahead are the ones to die, we need only be slow in order to survive." Tian Mingyun spoke wisely, but most were words from books. However, his mind was in the right place. He was using the other kids that rushed at the first chance as scouts.

Sure enough, a scream rose from a distance away. After a few minutes, the sounds of cursing and brawling were heard. After some more, more screams and the smell of blood.

Hou Yun was impressed, Tian Mingyun was making it so that danger befell the ones ahead while they simply walked slowly and steadily into the forest. Tian Mingyun already had filled a large leaf with berries. Hou Yun had found mealworms and some White Honey Flowers. They even caught a small boar and a rabbit on their way back thanks to the scent of the plants they had foraged.

Hou Yun and Tian Mingyun faced no dangers and reaped only the rewards, returning with large leaves wrapping their bounty. The other three were happy to see everything but the mealworms. Tian Mingyun and Hou Yun made no effort to convince them it was good, and simply split the worms among themselves.

That evening was pleasant, as the others had already started a fire and found an old copper pan. The pleasant smell of the White Honey Flowers, that were often eaten whole as snacks due to their supple leaves and sweet taste, filled the air. Tian Mingyun even used his black nails to butcher the rabbit and the small boar. Though his skills were lacking, the result was edible and he had gotten some fat out of them.

However, their happiness ended along with their dinner. One out of every ten kids had returned from the forest with severe injuries while two kids had not returned at all. This unsettling and fearsome mood among the kids was used as an excuse by a black clothed martial artist that walked in front of the Respite Caves and spoke loudly for all to hear.

"Night has come, those who have survived should rest! If you want weapons, knives, blankets, or even booze, then you should listen to me well!" All kids were paying attention but Tian Mingyun was all ears.

"There is no free food in life, and there is no such thing as misfortune without fortune! Use this chance to walk deep into the forest and bring back Red Stripe Wolf fangs! Other parts are fine too if you can carry them. We will reward you whenever you can prove that you can defeat them and the Brown Claw Bears. Each kid that kills one of them will get this. This is your lifeblood here in the Immortal Pursuit Demonic Sect!" He then showed off a single brass coin with a foot symbol on it.

"Every building in the Sect will accept the Pursuit Coins as payment. One coin will buy you a good steel weapon! Five will suffice for basic healing! Ten will be enough for a room with a proper bed and warm water! Thirty will be able to get you Cultivation Pills, even if they are low grade! Later, you can only earn coins by completing jobs and quests for the Sect, so work hard and be rewarded!" He simply walked away after he was done explaining, answering no questions.

However, Tian Mingyun had once again managed to learn a lot from a few words. The sect did not lack meat or leather from ordinary animals, so they would not buy those. They were only interested in Red Stripe Wolves or Brown Claw Bears, so those were likely Mystical Beasts of the lowest rank. The fact that the forest had such beasts, meant that their numbers would once again be culled. Just surviving here would be too taxing for some kids.

Tian Mingyun was trying to think and reach conclusions as fast as he could, but he lacked knowledge about what these beasts exactly were, his friend group likely did not know either since none of them came to inform him. Doing what they just did this morning would no longer be enough.

However, the worst part was that everyone now realized something, all of the kids without exception. They did not have to be the ones to hunt those beasts, they just had to kill the kids that fought them and got injured. Now would be the time to watch out for ambushes, and every group of kids eyed the other ones as if they were enemies.