The clearing slowly returned to silence.
Only scattered bones and dark bloodstains remained where the three cultivators had once stood.
The lizard stood among the remains, his golden eyes glowing faintly as the last traces of energy from the devoured bodies settled within him.
His gaze slowly shifted toward the glowing spirit herb resting between the stones.
The herb pulsed softly with spiritual light, its thin leaves shimmering like jade in the faint breeze.
The lizard stepped closer.
Lowering his head, he carefully picked the herb up with his maw, gripping the stem gently without damaging the delicate leaves.
Spiritual energy brushed lightly against his tongue.
*Good.*
He turned away from the clearing.
His body began to shrink.
Muscles compressed.
Wings folded tightly against his body.
In seconds, the once massive storm dragon returned to his smaller, compact form.
Then—
His body faded.
Wind rippled faintly through the air as his form slowly **turned invisible**.
Only slight disturbances in the leaves marked his movement as he slipped back into the forest.
He moved quickly this time.
Gliding through branches, weaving between tree trunks, his senses stretched outward while his glowing eyes tracked the flow of spiritual energy throughout the forest.
No cultivators.
No approaching beasts.
Nothing threatening the valley.
After several minutes of silent movement, the familiar stream and rocky clearing came into view once again.
The valley looked exactly as he had left it.
The fox still sat within the shelter of the massive earth spikes he had raised earlier.
Her brown fur stirred slightly in the wind as she remained seated on the grass, turquoise eyes narrowed in intense concentration.
The storage ring floated before her, suspended in the air by spiritual energy.
Faint golden runes flickered across its surface.
She had not moved from that position.
Her spiritual sense continued grinding slowly against the **Golden Core soul imprint** left behind by its former owner.
Careful.
Patient.
The invisible lizard approached quietly.
He stepped past the earth spikes he had raised earlier and stopped beside her.
For a moment, he simply watched.
The fox didn't even notice his return.
Her entire focus remained locked on the ring.
The spiritual pressure around it flickered slightly as her effort continued.
Slow.
But steady.
Still working to erase the imprint.
The small spirit herb slipped from the lizard's maw and landed softly on the grass beside the fox.
He lowered himself to the ground, folding his limbs beneath his body.
For a moment, his golden eyes studied her.
The fox hadn't moved.
Her brown fur rose and fell slowly with each breath as her entire focus remained locked on the storage ring floating before her. Faint ripples of spiritual sense pressed against the golden runes engraved along the band, grinding steadily against the stubborn soul imprint left behind by its former owner.
The lizard watched for a moment longer.
*Still not finished.*
He closed his eyes.
Time passed quietly.
The forest slowly shifted from day into evening.
Shadows stretched across the valley as the sun sank beyond the mountains.
The calls of daytime birds faded, gradually replaced by the soft chorus of night insects.
Then—
Night arrived.
A full moon rose into the sky, pouring silver light across the valley.
The stream reflected the pale glow as it flowed over smooth stones, and the towering earth spikes surrounding the fox cast long, jagged shadows across the grass.
Still—
She hadn't moved.
The storage ring hovered steadily before her, its runes flickering faintly beneath the constant pressure of her spiritual sense.
Minutes turned into hours.
Then suddenly—
The fox's turquoise eyes slowly opened.
For a brief moment, they stared straight ahead.
Then—
A wide grin spread across her muzzle.
Her tail flicked excitedly behind her.
The ring floating before her pulsed faintly with light.
And with a small, satisfied breath she muttered quietly to herself,
"…Finally."
The last fragment of the Golden Core cultivator's **soul imprint** shattered like fragile glass beneath her relentless pressure.
The ring dimmed.
No resistance.
No lingering presence.
It was now completely ownerless.
The fox's grin widened even further.
Her eyes gleamed with unmistakable greed and excitement as she stared at the simple dark band floating in front of her.
"Well now…"
She stretched her neck slightly, examining it like a priceless treasure.
"Let's see what a Golden Core cultivator was hiding."
Her spiritual sense eagerly slipped into the storage ring.
For a brief moment—
The fox went completely still.
Then her turquoise eyes widened.
"…Oh."
The single word came out slowly.
Her tail lifted slightly behind her, the fur puffing with growing excitement.
Inside the ring was a **vast storage space**, far larger than most rings owned by Foundation Establishment cultivators.
Shelves of spiritual energy separated different sections neatly—evidence of someone organized and cautious.
The fox's spiritual sense swept across the contents.
And immediately—
Her grin widened.
"Oh you rich bastard…"
Her voice trembled with delight.
Several stacks of **spirit stones** sat piled together like small hills.
Some were ordinary spirit stones.
But mixed among them were brighter stones radiating far denser energy.
"Middle-grade spirit stones…"
Her tail swished wildly.
"There's actually middle-grade ones in here."
For a rogue Golden Core cultivator, this amount was already impressive.
But that wasn't all.
Her senses moved deeper into the ring.
Bottles.
Dozens of them.
Each sealed carefully with spiritual talismans.
The fox inspected a few before breaking into another excited laugh.
"Cultivation pills…"
Foundation Establishment pills.
Healing pills.
Poison antidotes.
Even two bottles of pills clearly meant for **Golden Core cultivation**.
"Ha!"
Her excitement was barely contained now.
She continued searching deeper inside the ring.
Scrolls appeared next.
Technique manuals.
Movement techniques.
Defensive formations.
A few demonic cultivation manuals as well.
"Of course you practiced demonic arts…"
she muttered, though she clearly didn't mind the discovery.
Then something else caught her attention.
Her spiritual sense paused.
Slowly—
She pulled something out of the ring.
A small jade box appeared before her, floating gently in the moonlight.
The fox tilted her head slightly.
"Hmm?"
She opened it cautiously using a thin strand of spiritual energy.
The moment the lid lifted—
A dense wave of spiritual energy rolled outward.
Inside the box lay a single **dark purple fruit**, faint golden veins spreading across its surface.
The fox's eyes widened again.
"…You're kidding."
She stared at it in disbelief.
"A **Core Tempering Spirit Fruit**?"
Her tail fluffed out completely.
"This thing helps stabilize spiritual foundations before breaking through major realms…"
Her voice lowered slightly in amazement.
"This alone could sell for a fortune."
She slowly closed the box again, clearly very satisfied.
Then—
Her gaze suddenly shifted.