"Tang Yan." After softly uttering his own name, Tang Yan continued, "Actually, I believe Young Master Yu is the young master of the Rakshasa Sect. It's just that the timing of our meeting wasn't right. Since fate brought us together, there's no need to pry too deeply. However, for Brother Yu to leave the Rakshasa Sect and appear in this selection tournament... there must be some unspeakable reason, correct?"

"Bullshit! This young master merely wanted to experience the mortal world. What unspeakable reason could I possibly have!" Yu Juechen immediately shouted, reacting like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"I am guessing Young Master Yu was kicked out of his home..."

"How did you know?!" Young Master Yu was instantly shocked. He had been so certain that only his father knew about him being kicked out!

"Because... you look far too destitute right now. You clearly possess the strength of the ninth grade of the Yellow Rank, yet your eyes lit up at the sight of a Second-Rank Pill. The Rakshasa Sect hasn't suffered any catastrophic disaster, so the problem can only lie with you personally." Tang Yan stated his deduction.

Yu Juechen looked at Tang Yan, his gaze no longer holding any trace of contempt. Although this youth had infuriated him to the point of vomiting blood at the very start, every word he spoke was well-reasoned and highly logical, leaving no room for refutation.

Tang Yan? Which family did this person come from? Why had he never heard of him?

With the misunderstanding resolved, Tang Yan spoke mildly, "It's getting late, so let's part ways here. Brother Yu, if you obtain more Beast Cores in the future, you can come trade them with me! Farewell!"

Cupping his fists, Tang Yan turned and walked away.

Watching Tang Yan's departing back, Yu Juechen sighed inwardly. What an interesting fellow.

"I owe you a favor. If you ever need help in the future, seek me out!" Shouting loudly at Tang Yan's back, Yu Juechen also moved, darting away in a different direction.

All of this happened in less than half an hour. The rapid changes to Tang Yan's Star Value went completely unnoticed by that group of Elders at the Azure Dragon Academy.

With several hundred Beast Cores now in his possession, Tang Yan's heart burned with eager anticipation.

If all these Beast Cores were fed into the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron, would the cauldron truly undergo changes, just as he had guessed?

Suppressing the expectations in his heart, Tang Yan searched for a while before finally locating a secluded cultivation spot within a stone forest.

Under the cover of massive scattered rocks, Tang Yan found a stone cave and slipped inside.

With a mere thought, he tossed all two-hundred-plus Third-Rank and Fourth-Rank Beast Cores into the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron.

Buzz!

The moment the Beast Cores entered the cauldron, they instantly shattered, transforming into a vast amount of Spiritual Qi that surged in all directions.

At this moment, the originally calm Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron began to vibrate slightly.

The chaotic space nurturing his spiritual herbs frantically absorbed the Spiritual Qi refined from the Beast Cores.

He had thought that refining so many Beast Cores at once might be too much for the cauldron to handle, but the result left Tang Yan utterly astonished.

In just a few seconds, the Spiritual Qi vanished like a cup of water poured into a desert, completely absorbed by the chaotic space.

The amount of Beast Cores that had seemed so immense to him was utterly insignificant before the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron.

Even after digesting all the Beast Cores, the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron did not completely settle; it continued to vibrate continuously.

Tang Yan suddenly got the distinct feeling that the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron was asking him for more food.

Damn it, over two hundred Beast Cores-how many Pills could I have refined with that? This broken cauldron has such a massive appetite, yet it still isn't full? Tang Yan raged inwardly. What infuriated him most was that in the past, whenever he tossed a few Beast Cores in, the cauldron would at least share a bit of Spiritual Qi with him.

This time, despite giving it so many Beast Cores, the broken cauldron had swallowed them all by itself!

It wouldn't even leave him a sip of soup?

After struggling to quell the anger in his heart, Tang Yan carefully sensed the changes within the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron.

The chaotic Qi had brightened a few shades, emitting a faint, mysterious power!

Tang Yan had a feeling that as long as he provided a bit more Spiritual Qi, this chaotic space would undergo a new transformation!

His dissatisfaction toward the cauldron gradually dissipated, replaced by immense anticipation.

The secrets of the Creation Cauldron seemed to be slowly unraveling before him.

However, the Creation Cauldron's appetite was simply too enormous. Over two hundred Beast Cores had gone down, yet it hadn't reached the expected result.

Currently, to supplement the Creation Cauldron with Spiritual Qi, Beast Cores were undoubtedly the best source.

Relying purely on his own hunting would certainly not gather enough in a short time; he still needed to rely on the power of the masses.

"Since Beast Cores aren't valued highly right now, I might as well trade for more."

Having made up his mind, Tang Yan willed a Pill Cauldron out from his Spatial Spirit Ring and wholly dedicated himself to refining Pills.

For an entire day and night, Tang Yan refined nearly three hundred Pills.

Swallowing a Pill to recover his state, Tang Yan stood up. Feeling the abundant Spiritual Qi within his body, his figure flickered as he swiftly dashed forward.

Half a month had passed since the selection tournament began. It was finally time to focus on gathering Star Value.

He hadn't traveled far when the cries of apes echoed out. Tang Yan looked up to see several black apes perched on a sheer cliff, baring their teeth at him.

"Gray Ape. A Third-Rank Spirit Beast, immensely strong and incredibly agile." Based on their appearance, Tang Yan immediately identified the Spirit Beasts.

Although there were quite a few Gray Apes, Tang Yan felt no fear. His figure blurred as he charged forward.

These Gray Apes were the perfect targets to test his Divine Capture Art!

Seeing this insignificant human completely ignore their warnings, the Gray Apes roared in fury and charged at Tang Yan.

As the Gray Apes drew near, a rather peculiar fluctuation suddenly shot out from between Tang Yan's brows.

The Gray Ape leading the pack suddenly stiffened mid-stride, a dazed look overtaking its eyes.

Seizing the brief moment of the Gray Ape's distraction, Tang Yan swung his Unblemished Sword. Swift as lightning, the blade cleanly and decisively severed the Gray Ape's neck.

The Divine Capture Art is truly extraordinary! Tang Yan praised inwardly.

Using the exact same method combined with the Divine Capture Art, it took less than half an hour for Tang Yan to completely finish off all seven Gray Apes!

Skillfully extracting the Beast Cores and collecting their Star Value, Tang Yan's figure flickered as he headed further into the distance.

For the next five days, Tang Yan spent his time in a frenzy of harvesting Beast Cores.

Through continuous practice, his usage of the Divine Capture Art grew increasingly Proficient.

However, with Tang Yan's current strength, the Divine Capture Art was highly effective against Third-Rank Spirit Beasts, but against Fourth-Rank Spirit Beasts, it could not completely control their minds.

But for a combat prodigy like Tang Yan, even the slightest momentary advantage was enough for him to seize the opportunity and press the attack.

Over these five days, Tang Yan's harvest was extremely bountiful. He had accumulated nearly two hundred Third-Rank Beast Cores and over forty Fourth-Rank Beast Cores.

Fueled by this frenzied slaughter, the imposing aura surrounding Tang Yan grew increasingly sharp and severe.

On this day, as Tang Yan crested a small hilltop, he discovered a clearing not far ahead where quite a few people had gathered.

Driven by curiosity, Tang Yan walked over.

Almost everyone here moved in teams; someone appearing entirely alone like Tang Yan was a rare sight.

The moment he arrived, many eyes fell upon the mark on Tang Yan's forehead.

Judging by its color, his Star Value had clearly exceeded one hundred, more than enough to tempt many onlookers.

Ignoring the thinly veiled greed in the eyes of the crowd, Tang Yan surveyed his surroundings.

Some people were simply resting, but the majority were engaged in trade.

Several teams had set up makeshift stalls, selling Beast Cores, medicinal herbs, and even Pills. Others looking to buy simply held up signs listing their desired materials.

After wandering around for a while, Tang Yan gradually gained an understanding of how this place operated.