Stepping out of Moon Market, Chu Xuan did not leave immediately, but instead continued to leisurely wander around Moon Island.

Though it appeared to be a casual stroll, his eyes never stopped scanning the surroundings. He was constantly assessing where he could escape from, should anyone decide to pursue him, and which direction would allow for the fastest retreat.

Moon Island was the trade hub of the Southern Three Rings, a place he would frequent in the future. Naturally, this made it a prime location for potential attackers to take notice of him.

The recent chase by True Master Yin on Holy Flame Star had already made him realize the importance of identifying escape routes as soon as he arrived in unfamiliar places. He needed to prepare at least two: one as the primary escape route, and the other as a backup.

Without such precautions, even if he managed to escape alive, it would be at the cost of losing numerous trump cards. Luckily, his vast collection of such cards had been sufficient to withstand that kind of drain. Were he another Nascent Soul cultivator, a single night might have been enough to strip him back to square one, leaving him desperate enough to rely on mid-grade magic treasures meant for Golden Core cultivators.

Chu Xuan observed his surroundings with a calm gaze. "This road has fewer buildings, making it suitable for high-speed flight. There are also fewer ships docked at the harbor, so it's a good primary choice. This road has more buildings, but it's also more crowded. I could blend in with the crowd here. And this path..."

As he pondered his escape routes, his mind also drifted back to the conversation with Tie Jun.

Desolate Island was indeed a great place. However, he could never accept an invitation from someone else. Cultivators in the Starshatter Sea were not to be underestimated.

That Tie Jun, though he appeared open and sincere, could very well be hiding a completely different nature behind his facade.

The reason Chu Xuan kept replaying their conversation was to reflect on his words. Had he said something he shouldn't have? If so, he would have to abandon the identity of He Liang and adopt a new one.

"Hmm... no problem, time to leave."

After completing his circuit, Chu Xuan bought some spiritual plant seeds from a few Golden Core cultivators' booths before heading off.

He boarded the Nine Yin and set sail at once, taking care to retrace his steps. Only when he confirmed there was no one following him did he feel at ease, making his way back to the nameless island.

Moon Island Underground, in a Meditation Room.

Clad in a white robe, Moon True Master sat cross-legged upon a cold jade bed, immersed in his silent cultivation. A beam of pure moonlight streamed down from above, illuminating his face and enhancing his ethereal, otherworldly presence.

Knock, knock, knock.

A respectful voice called from outside, "Master, the black magic whale meat has been purchased. The person also bought a hundred pounds of purple star rhinoceros meat."

Moon True Master slowly opened his eyes. "Do you know his body refining level?"

The disciple bowed respectfully. "This is a new face. The person claims to be He Liang from the Majestic Sword Sect, new to the Starshatter Sea."

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Moon True Master remained calm. "Then there is no need to rush. Do not alarm this young man. If his body refining level is sufficiently profound, he will come back to Moon Island to purchase more demonic beast meat in time. Let's observe him for now, but do not disturb him."

The disciple bowed once more. "Yes, Master. I understand."

Footsteps receded and eventually disappeared.

Moon True Master closed his eyes again, quietly absorbing the power of the moonlight, continuing his slow cultivation. He murmured to himself, "Body refiners... to enter there, more body refiners are needed..."

...

Blue Star.

Chu Xuan took out the square piece of Dark Falcon flesh. He extended his hand into it, casually pulling out the Psionic Cube. Without the Psionic Cube's supply of Psionic energy, the Dark Falcon flesh quickly shriveled, withering away and eventually losing all vitality.

Chu Xuan then took out the pitch-black piece of black magic whale meat and placed the Psionic Cube deep inside it. In the blink of an eye, the fist-sized chunk of dark meat began to swell at an astonishing rate. In the end, it transformed into a block of meat.

No matter how much of it Chu Xuan consumed, it would quickly regenerate, always maintaining a size of one cubic meter. It seemed as though the Psionic Cube contained an inexhaustible source of energy.

Sometimes, even Chu Xuan felt that the Psionic Cube was nothing short of a divine artifact in this world. With it, any living being could rapidly grow into a formidable force, dominating a planet.

Even though Chu Xuan had already reached the Nascent Soul realm, he still could not fully comprehend the essence of the Psionic Cube. However, the fact that it existed meant it had a purpose. Though he couldn't see through it now, there would come a day when he could.

Chu Xuan cut off a piece of the black magic whale meat and placed it in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. The meat of the black magic whale was remarkably tough.

Nascent Soul cultivators who did not also cultivate body refinement would likely need to chew for a hundred breaths before managing to swallow a piece of black magic whale meat.

Moreover, they lacked the kind of powerful stomach capable of digesting such dense meat, making the process exceedingly slow.

As for cultivators of lower realms, it was a different matter altogether. A single bite could shatter their teeth. Only body refiners with sufficiently high cultivation levels could freely devour and digest such advanced demonic beast meat.

As the first bite of demonic beast meat entered his stomach, his powerful stomach immediately sprang into action. It was as if a furnace had been ignited, melting the steel-like flesh of the demonic beast.

He immediately activated the body refinement technique Thousand Refinements Dragon Elephant Art, visualizing the image of the dragon elephant. Soon, the sound of a giant beast's roar echoed within him. It felt as though a primordial dragon elephant was attempting to step into this world!

The very earth seemed to tremble beneath the force.

After a short while, Chu Xuan felt a warm sensation spreading through his abdomen. Threads of heat quickly flowed through his limbs and bones.

"My instinct was right. The flesh of the black magic whale is far more suitable for body refinement than that of the Dark Falcon."

Chu Xuan was greatly delighted, immediately increasing the speed at which he consumed the black magic whale meat.

"It's been a while since I last paid attention to the cave world. This is the perfect time to cultivate this art while multitasking. Let's see how the Fiery Holy Ant Tribe is doing now."

Chu Xuan sent out a thread of spiritual sense, connecting it to the Myriad Realm Mirror, and entered the cave world.

...

Fiery Holy Ant Tribe, Tribal Shrine.

At this moment, the shrine was silent and empty.

Lie Xiao knelt on the prayer mat, respectfully bowing three times before lighting three incense sticks.

"Great Elder, where should I go from here?"

He gazed at the spirit tablet of Lie Xin, letting out a long sigh.

"A month ago, the monarch ordered that our Fiery Holy Ant Tribe relocate to the west in order to prepare for the invasion from the Heavenly Cave Kingdom. We were given one year to complete the move.

"Ten days ago, the monarch suddenly issued an order, accusing Lie Chen of treason and having him arrested. The tribe's current strength is still far too weak. We cannot engage the enemy head-on. But if we move the entire tribe to the western border, we will eventually be worn down...

"Princess San and Princess Jiu both pleaded for Lie Chen, but they were ordered to leave, and Princess San was even punished. What should I do? Has the monarch realized that the Fiery Holy Ant Tribe is too strong and is deliberately suppressing us?"

Lie Xiao's brow furrowed deeply. Perhaps it was from too much worry, but silver strands had appeared at his temples. He gazed at the spirit tablets of the tribe's past leaders.

Lie Yong, Lie Zhao, Lie Xin...

The spirit tablets were solemn and silent, yet they seemed to speak in their own way.