On the table lay fourteen stones of varying sizes: three were earth-yellow, five were red, and six were green.

  The earth-yellow ones gave off a heavy, solid aura like the earth itself. The red ones made one feel a pure, intense fiery essence.

  The green ones conveyed a sense of life, of flourishing trees.

  "These stones, as pure as jade, make one feel comfortable from deep within. They are definitely not ordinary items. Although I don't know their specific uses, since they were stored in the storage bags, they must have a purpose," Leo thought to himself.

  He knew nothing about immortal techniques or spiritual objects, but he could sense the spiritual energy emanating from them.

  For now, he could only put them away and figure them out later.

  Apart from these fourteen stones brimming with various spiritual energies, several jade boxes were also on the table. Inside the boxes were spiritual herbs, but the fluctuations of spiritual energy from them were much stronger than those from the ones he had taken before; they were likely of a higher grade.

  Besides the spiritual herbs, there were three bottles of pills and three cultivation manuals. They also pulsed with spiritual energy. The three bottles of pills were identical. As for the manuals, since he was already cultivating the Primordial Chaos Scripture, he had no use for these others.

  Leo's gaze fell on the final storage bag. He had opened the other three, but this one refused to budge. Several times, when his spiritual sense touched this bag, it would be repelled, causing a slight tremor in his consciousness that left him dizzy and ringing in the ears. After a few attempts, he didn't dare try again.

  It seemed cultivators really had many methods. Unfortunately, the black-robed old man never had any intention of teaching him. Now, he was completely in the dark about all this, understanding nothing. Leo inwardly sighed. If only someone could teach him, it would save him a lot of trouble. At least he wouldn't be completely ignorant. But for now, he could only rely on his own exploration, an inefficient process.

  Putting everything away, and hanging the small black bags and the jade gourd on his waist, Leo opened one of the small medicine bottles. He shook out a white pill the size of a pigeon's egg, his face showing hesitation. The spiritual energy moving from it was much stronger than the Qi Gathering Pills he had taken before. He didn't know if there were any taboos to taking this elixir. After some thought, Leo decided that unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't recklessly take this pill until he understood what it was.

  In his other hand, Leo held a storage bag with embroidered characters on it: "Blood Dwarf." Seeing these words, he couldn't help but recall a middle-aged man he had met once, shorter than him, dressed in black robes. From others' conversations, he learned that people called him "Blood Dwarf." There were exactly three others traveling with the black-robed old man. Could these storage bags belong to them? If they were their bags, how did they end up on the black-robed old man? Could it be...? Thinking of the black-robed old man's sinister cunning, Leo felt a chill but dared not confirm his suspicions.

  Half an hour later, after moving the stones blocking the cave entrance, Leo looked up at the blue sky and white clouds above and let out a heavy sigh of relief. Having been forced into a corner by the black-robed old man earlier, he couldn't help but feel like he had narrowly escaped death.

  Stolen novel; please report.

  "When my strength is sufficient, I must definitely deal with the black-robed old man's soul," Leo resolved inwardly. The other's soul was still inside his body. Although currently trapped behind that transparent barrier, it remained a potential danger. After all, he couldn't be sure how long that barrier could hold him.

  Everything in the canyon had withered, turning into a barren wasteland. No spiritual objects could be found in such a place. Moreover, even if the canyon hadn't changed, with his mere first-level Qi Refinement cultivation, venturing into the canyon would likely quickly turn him into food for other demonic beasts.

  Having understood this, Leo set off towards the canyon exit, carrying the items obtained from the black-robed old man.

  "Roar!" Just as he neared the exit, Leo heard a beast's roar. Instinctively, he gripped his sword hilt. However, focusing his gaze, he saw a leopard with a small silver ring around its neck running towards him, excitedly circling around him.

  Great! So his spirit beast had also escaped the wolf pack! A look of joy crossed Leo's face. He reached out and patted the leopard's head. Understanding, the leopard crouched down.

  "Let's go!" Leo called out cheerfully. The leopard sprang forward and raced off into the distance.

  Months later, in a dense forest, a nimble leopard was locked in combat with a larger tiger demon, biting and wrestling. Their strength was similar, but the tiger demon, being larger, had an advantage in stamina. The two beasts fought fiercely. After a moment, the leopard began to lose the upper hand. However, at that moment, over a dozen little green ants flew over from different angles. They landed on the tiger demon, burrowed into its fur, and began biting. The tiger demon's movements immediately became sluggish and weak. The leopard seized the opportunity, biting its throat and ending its life.

  A young man, with several black bags, a jade gourd, and a short sword hanging from his waist, stood nearby, the corner of his mouth slightly upturned.

  "The little green ants are truly effective. No wonder the black-robed old man always kept them close."

  Leo was very satisfied with the role the little green ants had played along the journey. These ants weren't particularly lethal themselves, but their immobilizing effect was extremely potent. Moreover, when he tried stabbing one with his short sword repeatedly, he couldn't kill it. Besides their shocking defense capability, their small size and the fact that they didn't offer resistance while flying were also important reasons.

  Leo skinned the dead tiger demon and took some of its bones. Every part of a tiger was valuable. Selling them to a pharmacy in the city should earn a good amount of money. He placed the whole tiger skin and the bones into a storage bag. Then, he roasted several pieces of tiger meat and threw them to the leopard, which had been drooling for some time.

  Happily holding the storage bag, Leo reflected on his experiments these past days. He found that only objects with spiritual energy could be stored in the bag. A few herbal plants and fleeceflower roots in his backpack couldn't be put inside.

  While the leopard lay nearby devouring the roasted meat, Leo sat cross-legged and began cultivating as usual.

  "Brother Leo, Lord Leo, please have mercy and let me out!" Within the white, hazy mist, a huge, green fruit-like barrier floated in the air like a blue-green bubble.

  Inside the pale blue-green, transparent bubble, the black-robed old man's soul attempted to pass back and forth. However, the mist outside the barrier churned, seemingly trying to tear the old man's soul apart. Startled, the black-robed old man no longer dared to attempt to cross the barrier.

  In the past, when he went into seclusion to cultivate, it could last for months. But within this transparent blue-green barrier, in his soul state, he simply couldn't cultivate; he couldn't absorb any spiritual energy. After several consecutive months, this tedious waiting was enough to drive anyone insane.

  "You, a ruthless and shameless scoundrel, actually have to beg others now. Truly astonishing," Leo's soul emerged from the mist and spoke across the barrier.

  Through continuous cultivation these past days, he discovered that every time he finished cultivating, he would appear in this incredibly mysterious place within his body. After coming here many times, he realized he could also control where his soul appeared when entering. He had left the black-robed old man hanging in there for several months now.