Wulu's reaction was somewhat surprising to him; it seemed that this person was very concerned about others knowing about his illness.
"There indeed was a problem with that attack," Yuan Ming muttered to himself.
However, he did not delve deeper, leaped down from the tree, quickly crossed the ravine, and returned to the cave to continue his secluded cultivation.
The matter with Wulu was but a minor episode. For Yuan Ming, enhancing his strength as soon as possible was his only chance to return to the Central Plains.
In any case, his intuition told him that practicing the Nine Elements Technique was always the right choice.
Three months had swiftly passed.
During this period, aside from taking a day or two each month to hunt Green Foxes to fulfill the Biluo Cave tasks and resupply his food, Yuan Ming did not take a single step outside, dedicating his full attention to the arduous practice of the Nine Elements Technique.
Thanks to this intensive cultivation and the mystical nature of the Nine Elements Technique, his mana rapidly increased.
One day, as Yuan Ming was meditating, his increasingly robust mana suddenly began to roil like boiling water, spontaneously flowing out of his Dantian and surging through the meridians throughout his body.
His body trembled, and suddenly, sounds of bones clashing echoed from within, and he couldn't help but spit out of his mouth.
A stream of blue light sprayed out, transforming into a swarm of blue halo that encircled and rotated around his body.
A series of spell sounds emanated from within the halo, and as the swirling blue light quickly dissipated, Yuan Ming had already stood up.
"I have finally cultivated the first layer of the Nine Elements Technique!" Yuan Ming looked at his hands and muttered to himself.
Now, he was equivalent to a cultivator at the first layer of the Qi Refinement Realm and had officially entered the ranks of cultivators.
Yuan Ming's mana had increased several times compared to three months ago, and he couldn't wait to see what level his Fur Cloak Skill had reached. He stood up and walked outside the cave, forming a spell with his fingers.
The White Ape Skin around his waist swept up and wrapped around his body, with countless blood threads emerging from the inner side of the Ape Skin, burrowing into the depths of his body.
Yuan Ming had grown accustomed to this pain and clenched his teeth to endure it.
The heart-piercing pain soon passed, and an ape about ten feet tall materialized.
"The height is still about the same as before; it seems I have reached the limit," he said, comparing himself to a large tree nearby and muttering.
In the past few months, as Yuan Ming's mana continued to increase, the size of the transformed White Ape had been growing, reaching the current height of about ten feet two months ago.
Since then, no matter how much his mana grew, the height and size of the White Ape remained unchanged, clearly reaching the limit of the Fur Cloak Skill.
Though the height did not increase, the muscle density on the White Ape grew significantly, with large and solid muscles bulging, displaying the immense power contained within, far surpassing any previous condition.
He clenched his fist in his right hand and threw a punch, emitting a dull and startling sound, and struck a large tree.
Crack!
The tree trunk, as thick as a water barrel, was directly split in half; the broken part smashed onto the ground, sending dust flying and alarming birds and animals!
Yuan Ming withdrew his fist, a satisfied look appearing on his face.
With his current strength, dealing with a Green Fox was naturally not a problem, and even the defensively strong Yellow Armadillo would likely dare not face his full-force strike.
"With this strength, I wonder if I can cross the Ten Thousand Mountains and return to the Central Plains?" he thought excitedly, unable to suppress the urge to escape.
But remembering the deadly toxin of the Corrosive Heart Pill inside him, his boiling blood turned ice-cold again.
"Staying in this forest filled with nothing but Fierce Beasts and Fur Beast Slaves, what good is strength if I'm trapped? No, I must find a way to truly escape this place!" Yuan Ming clenched his fist.
His current identity was as a Fur Beast Slave of the Biluo Cave, without any chance to contact the outside world, the only link being Elder Hu Huo, who would certainly not provide the real antidote for the Corrosive Heart Pill.
"Right, it has been several months now, I wonder if that incense burner can be lit again? Perhaps I can make contact with the outside world through the incense burner?" Yuan Ming slapped his forehead, remembering the treasure.
He immediately stopped using the Fur Cloak Skill, returning inside the stone cave, and summoned the incense burner with his mana.
Yuan Ming held the incense burner in both hands, feeling a warm flow seeping through his palms into his mind, instantly invigorating his spirit.
However, at that moment, he could not afford to indulge in the pleasant sensation of invigoration, his eyes fixed intently on the green incense burner before him.
Compared to before, the incense burner seemed to have undergone a significant change, a very small part of the Tai Chi Pattern on it had become shiny while the rest remained dull.
"It seems that over time, the Tai Chi Pattern will automatically restore its brightness; I wonder if it will allow traversing again once it is fully bright?" he speculated silently.
But considering the pace at which the Tai Chi Pattern was regaining its brightness, it would take quite some time before it was fully illuminated.