I long to return home!

Jin Lingjiao's cave dwelling is located in a secluded place nestled in the mountains and by the water, with a pond.

Led by Jin Lingjiao, the group arrived at this pure land and were greatly shocked. They never expected that, apart from the elders' cave dwellings, there would be disciples' cave dwellings that were so luxurious.

Amidst shocked gazes, we entered the mansion. Inside, the air was fresh, clean, and spotless.

"Ling Jiao, where did you get such a big cave?" Xue Wu asked in surprise.

"Before I even entered the sect, I had already explored the entire Luoyun Sect. This cave dwelling is the best besides the one I entered," Jin Lingjiao said proudly.

Hearing this, everyone was shocked and showed envy. Xue Wu, supported by Jin Lingjiao, went to the bed to practice his internal energy to heal his injuries.

During her recovery, Jin Lingjiao briefly recounted the whole incident, shocking everyone once again, not only for the fact that Xue Wuneng and Shangguan Tou were evenly matched, but also for the fact that they had gained a deeper understanding of Shangguan Tou.

"So this is the kind of person Shangguan Tou is. He usually seems quite aloof, I never expected him to be such a romantic," Su Changfeng said with a smile.

Xu Tao and Gu Qingcheng grinned in unison. Just then, Xue Wu woke up and asked calmly, "Brother Xu, what is the matter that Master sent me to find you?"

Xu Tao responded, and he might have forgotten if Xue Wu hadn't reminded him. Then he said in a deep voice, "During our seclusion, the Wuji Empire's royal family sent a message to all the sects in all the states."

"I don't know why, but the Foundation Establishment Holy Land Empire, which was originally scheduled to open five years later, was forcibly opened a year later after spending the efforts of several Nascent Soul stage cultivators. Each sect can send ten disciples to participate."

"This Foundation Establishment Holy Land is different from the past. It is the richest in spiritual energy and also more dangerous. It is also the holy land with the most rare and precious materials. If you can obtain one of them, you will be 100% successful in Foundation Establishment."

"The Holy Land is good, but it is extremely dangerous to compete with the geniuses of various sects. If we don't go, we will have to wait for the Foundation Building Ground between the two states to open in five years."

After listening for a moment, Xue Wu asked, "What are contribution points? I don't have a single contribution point, yet they want to deduct three hundred from my account."

Hearing Xue Wu's words, Xu Tao smiled and said, "Contribution points are used to select the qualification to go to the Foundation Establishment Holy Land. You can go once you reach one thousand contribution points. Contribution points can be obtained by completing sect missions and hunting magical beasts to obtain their cores."

"Does this mean there will be many disciples vying for a spot?" Xue Wu asked, puzzled.

“No, most disciples will choose a more secure method of Foundation Establishment, such as going back in five years, or accumulating 700 contribution points to exchange for a Foundation Establishment Pill, or some cultivation techniques and spiritual treasures... Anyway, as elder disciples, we must seize this hard-won opportunity.” Xu Tao explained, turning to look at Gu Qingcheng and Su Changfeng, who both nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, Xue Wu's eyes flashed, and he asked, "How many contribution points are a fourth-tier magical beast core worth?"

"Depending on the quality, it ranges from four hundred to five hundred contribution points."

Xu Tao replied in surprise, then suddenly he thought of something and looked at Xue Wu, only to see the latter smiling as he took out the core of the Purple Winged Thunder Eagle and more than a dozen third-tier magical beast cores from his storage bag.

"Brother Xu, how many contribution points do you think these are worth?" Xue Wu asked with a smile.

"This... should be worth six hundred contribution points!" Xu Tao exclaimed in shock. He had initially felt sorry for Xue Wu's negative thirteen hundred contribution points, but now that he saw that the clown was himself, he immediately asked, "Then, junior brother, are you willing to go to this dangerous Foundation Establishment Holy Land?"

"Yes, I'll take care of it." Xue Wu agreed without the slightest hesitation. This early Foundation Establishment meant that his cultivation could be improved in one step, which increased his hope of returning home.

"Alright, since you've agreed, I've just gotten a good mission. Each of us will get about two hundred contribution points after it's completed," Xu Tao said calmly, then a sinister smile crept across his face. "Go exterminate ghosts. Are you scared?"

Exterminate ghosts? In the past, Xue Wu might have been afraid, but times have changed. He has already begun cultivating immortality... He laughed and said, "Afraid? You're joking. I'm not afraid at all. Brother Xu, I don't know if you've ever heard the saying..."

"All fear stems from insufficient firepower. Watch closely, I'll be the first to charge ahead."

Everyone was taken aback upon hearing this, as they had never heard such a statement before. Upon closer examination, they realized it made some sense, and their admiration for Xue Wu grew even stronger.

"Sigh, since I can't scare you, I'll just get straight to the point. This time we're going to catch vengeful ghosts in Fengyun City. There's not much danger there, but there are a lot of them, so it'll be a bit of a hassle. Plus, we have to ensure the safety of the people in the city... You should get some rest first. We'll set off in three days." Xu Tao said a few words before turning to leave.

At first, nothing was wrong, but then Gu Qingcheng suddenly realized that there seemed to be only one bed in the cave. Where would a lone man and woman sleep?

“No, Lingjiao, you let Junior Brother Xue stay here. There’s only one bed, where will he sleep?” Gu Qingcheng stopped and asked, but was pushed out of the room by Jin Lingjiao, who looked shy.

She then closed the door and stood in the doorway, her pretty face already flushed. She couldn't very well say that she was sleeping in the same bed as Xue Wu, could she?

A moment later, after Gu Qingcheng and the others had left, Xue Wu covered his body in surprise and asked, "You don't have any improper thoughts, do you?"

Upon hearing this, Jin Lingjiao became furious and pushed Xue Wu into a corner. She then sat down next to him to meditate and cultivate. She realized from today's incident that she had to become stronger. She had neglected her cultivation for many years, and now she had to make up for it.

Spirit beasts improve their cultivation purely by increasing their lifespan. If she had worked hard to cultivate a few decades ago, she would at least be at the Hunyuan realm, comparable to the Foundation Establishment stage, by now.

Reaching the Primordial Chaos Realm wouldn't be difficult for her now; she could achieve it within a year with dedicated cultivation, and with the blessing of rare and precious materials, it would only take a few months.

As night approached, Xue Wu's injuries had healed, and he had no other important matters to attend to. So he took out the mental cultivation manual to adjust his mind and prevent himself from being disturbed by the evil energy again.

For some reason, the more he looked at the cultivation manual, the more aroused he felt. The scene from the morning flashed by, and he turned to look at Jin Lingjiao, who was cultivating. His cheeks flushed, and he swallowed hard. He didn't know why he was getting more and more aroused the more he looked at her. However, he had the desire but not the courage. He shook off his wicked thoughts and continued to look at the cultivation manual.

...

Three days passed in the blink of an eye. Xue Wu pushed open the door and looked back at Jin Lingjiao one last time: "Aren't you going?"

"No, I don't need to contribute any points." Jin Lingjiao replied calmly, remaining motionless on the bed and focusing on her cultivation.

Xue Wu lingered for a moment, then closed the door and left. Shortly after he left, Jin Lingjiao slowly opened her beautiful eyes and smiled slightly.

As a spirit beast, she doesn't need to work so hard. If she really wants to go, she can just participate as a contracted spirit beast. Right now, she needs to focus on cultivation and demonstrate more of her abilities in the Foundation Establishment Holy Land.