As the midday approached, the rustling sound of grass being disturbed came from the grass on the opposite side of Wuluo Tian. He immediately became cautious, hiding his body and quietly observing as an unkempt old beggar emerged from the grass.

"These high-ranking officials really think highly of themselves!" he muttered, seeming quite dissatisfied with this desolate place.

"The Great Snow Mountain is truly not a place for people to stay. Fortunately, this young master is lucky enough to come across such a utopia!"

With that, the beggar sat down on the spot, took out his wine gourd, and began to drink heartily.

Who exactly was this beggar? This place was a restricted area where only the children of prominent families were allowed to enter with permission. This fellow...

He complained while casually smearing a bit of rouge on his face, indicating that he seemed to be tipsy.

Wuluo Tian, seeing the beggar in a daze, decided to approach to find out what was going on.

"Wow, this old man can really hold his liquor."

But he was stunned, rubbing his eyes vigorously, and immediately exclaimed, "Who are you?!"

The next moment, as Wuluo Tian's front foot just reached the beggar, he noticed a green grass pile rising gently beneath his feet, revealing dozens of slender legs akin to those of a maiden, irresistibly drawing him in.

"Haha, I am truly fortunate!"

Greedy desire shone in the old beggar's eyes as he reached out to delve into Wuluo Tian's clothes to grab something.

"You scoundrel, what do you think you're doing?!"

"Heh, being a child of a prominent family, enjoying all the resources at home and having hardly suffered any hardships since childhood, then..."

"Stop it!"

Just as Wuluo Tian roared in anger, the beggar's expression turned to one of pleasant surprise. He quickly withdrew his hand from the Sunstone he had grabbed, and the next moment, a white light flashed by, leading him to exclaim in delight.

"Let me guess... steamed buns!"

Wuluo Tian's pupils contracted, retreating in a flash to put some distance between himself and the beggar who had just tried to ambush him.

Although he had escaped successfully, the Sunstone was still in the old beggar's hands. Would he give it back to him?

"Guess it's not steamed buns after all!"

The beggar scoffed disapprovingly and shook his head, sighing.

"I am Wuluo Tian, a branch family head of the Wu Family. I wonder why this senior wants to confront me!"

Wuluo Tian asked sternly, trying to intimidate the beggar with his status.

Facing the opponent's challenge, the old beggar seemed indifferent.

"I have no interest in your name and family background. I just haven't had lunch yet and want a couple of buns to fill my stomach."

The old man spoke without beating around the bush, leaving Wuluo Tian even more perplexed.

"Although I don't know what you want, the stone in your hand is mine!" Wuluo Tian coldly demanded, drawing his dagger from his waist and moving to forcibly take back the Sunstone in the beggar's hand.

Clash!

The weapon collided with the bare hands, sparking, and in that moment of confrontation, Wuluo Tian realized the beggar's strength was at least seven or eight times higher than his own!

He hadn't expected this beggar to be such a powerful opponent, making it quite a struggle to deal with him even while injured.

The beggar's palms moved in the air, like living creatures, completely blocking the sharp blade aimed at him.

"It seems you're determined not to forgive me today,"

he said after a few more moves.

"Impossible!" Wuluo Tian exclaimed in surprise.

In the brief exchanges, the blade the man had held in his hand had turned instantly into powder!

The seemingly invincible beggar revealed a fierce and sharp skill that was not like that of an ordinary warrior, clearly indicating he was no ordinary person.

"Who are you... I mean, may I ask which family you belong to, Senior?" Wuluo Tian had no choice but to lower his posture in an attempt to stop the conflict.

"Too many words," the beggar said nonchalantly, tossing a dark red object to Wuluo Tian. In the moment of surprise, he had already produced another Sunstone from his hand.

"Here, take your Sunstone back."

Wuluo Tian wiped away his cold sweat, knowing he had just fought the beggar with all his might. If he hadn't had that dagger, he might have been easily defeated by the opponent in one move.

"Why haven't you refined this stone?"

"Huh?"

Having some doubts, Wuluo Tian watched as the beggar handed over the Sunstone so casually.

"Well, this Sunstone would indeed be a great treasure for ordinary people, but for me... it’s worthless."

Saying this, the beggar disappeared with a wisp of smoke right before Wuluo Tian's eyes.

"What is this?"

Even as the old man left, he accidentally or intentionally dropped a cloth bag containing an item that looked sizable.

The snow continued to fall, and there was no one around.

In the depths of the mountain, inside an old tree hollow...

This was where Wuluo Tian had been healing his injuries before, and now he returned here again. He chose not to go elsewhere because he was more familiar with this place. Besides, the entrance to this tree hollow would be sealed by snow in just a moment.

"It's fortunate I came back in time, or I would have nowhere to hide," Wuluo Tian mused as he watched the snow outside swirling.

There were a few caves still visible, not yet buried by the heavy snow. He avoided those caves where fierce spiritual beasts or evil spirits might dwell, especially now that he was injured and had to avoid any further conflict with those creatures.

The red stone in his hand was emitting a faint rainbow light, with its warmth dissipating. It was time to consume it before its optimal medicinal effects were lost.

"I never expected to come across such an important treasure. Surely, it will have a remarkable effect when used!"

Wuluo Tian marveled to himself as he stuffed the entire Sunstone into his mouth without hesitation and began absorbing it.

Half an hour later, the Sunstone had entered his body, transforming into a warm flow that surged into his meridians. His body instantly felt incredibly warm, quickly dispelling the cold, and his overall condition improved markedly.

"Mm..."

Wuluo Tian let out a soft sigh as his fatigue vanished instantly, and any hunger pangs also disappeared. His spirit and energy were at their peak, but this was just the beginning of the stone's effects.

As he neared a full recovery and his injuries were about to completely heal, the warm flow suddenly changed course within his body.

Originally gentle like a maiden's gentle Chi, it now turned into a rampage akin to a wild beast, roaming recklessly and wantonly within him.

“Sss!”

Inhaling sharply, he realized exactly as he had expected... the effects of the Sunstone were uncontrollable.

The unpredictable and bizarre medicinal effects.

Wuluo Tian employed all his Chi to forcefully suppress the unruly energy, keeping it contained within his body to prevent any outward backlash. However, as he tried to guide the energy, he found it too combative and unruly, unable to be steered according to his will.

"Ah ah ah ah!"

The overloading Sun Core began to ache, and he endured the pain as his body was alternately damaged and healed by the terrifying power. His skin turned a deep crimson, making him appear like a molten rock man.

Boom!

A thunderous roar echoed from within him. After enduring the delightful torment for half an hour, Wuluo Tian actually broke through to a higher level of cultivation. His body buzzed as he felt a powerful surge of energy, a feature of the boundary-breaking realm!

"This feeling is truly comfortable... I've never experienced anything like it before!"

After the breakthrough, the frenetic energy began to nourish Wuluo Tian's body, causing him to let out a few relieved sighs, feeling content. However, as this energy permeated his Sun Core, it suddenly shook, and the abundant energy redirected itself towards the surrounding area.

"What's going on?!"

Facing this unexpected twist of events, Wuluo Tian could only stare in disbelief. How was this possible?

It seemed the energy was following the Sun Core's directives, merging with it and becoming one. In essence, it was like the Sun Core, having feasted on abundant energy, had expanded like a fat man after a satisfying meal.

"Well..." Wuluo Tian chuckled wryly. The energy was originally meant to nourish him, and although some was surplus, aiding him to consolidate his current state, the Sun Core greedily absorbed it directly as nourishment!

This domineering behavior was like earning interest without reservation.

"Oh well, this is the guidance the Sun Core has granted me. It should be fine to incorporate some Chi."

After some consideration, Wuluo Tian could no longer find fault in the situation. After all, he was the one benefiting from it.

Clearing his mind, he decided to close his eyes and rest, stabilizing his current cultivation level. If it weren't for the cramped space within the tree hollow, Wuluo Tian would have already started practicing his martial arts to test his progress.

In the evening, the elevation of his cultivation level seemed less important, but the Chi that had just successfully merged wasn’t quite sufficient.

"I should go out and take a look."

With vigor, Wuluo Tian rose to his feet, causing a cloth bag at his waist to drop to the ground with a thud.

"I almost forgot about this cloth bag."

He reached down and picked up the bag the old man had left behind earlier. Undoing the ties, he peered inside to inspect its contents.

The small bag held numerous items.

"A bottle of healing medicine, a muscle-relaxing pill, three pieces of dried food…" Wuluo Tian counted the items inside the bag.

It seemed to contain a fair amount of food and medicine pills, nothing particularly useful otherwise. He stowed away the items, securing the bag at his waist. Just as he fastened it around his waist, a hard object caught his sensitive touch.

"What's this?"

He reached into the bag again, exploring further, and discovered a golden token nestled in a hidden pocket inside the bag.

Turning it over, he recognized the three gilded characters inscribed on it: Alliance Token of the Eight Sects!

This was actually a token bestowed jointly by eight sects!