Library of Heaven's Path -
Chapter 250-259
Chapter 250: Can You Lend Me Your Tamed Beast?
Discourse is the most difficult mode of assessment in the beast tamer theoretical examination.
Instead of answering using a brush, one answered by speaking with his mouth.
When answering through writing, one is free to contemplate over the question for as long as they wish. Even if they were to write wrongly, they are able to change their answers. However, a discourse is not like that.
The examinees aren’t given thinking time or an opportunity to change their answers. The moment it starts, the examinee will have to answer all questions correctly. If he were to spout a single erroneous word, it would mean his failure.
This examination model is similar to the Pill Debate of the Apothecary Guild. It is specially prepared for master teachers so as to reduce the time required for the examination. At the same time, it assesses how well-versed one was in the knowledge of beast taming, as well as how fast one can access that knowledge.
A normal written theoretical examination takes two hours while a discourse is only an hour long.
Even so, the difficulty of a discourse is way higher than that of a written paper. It has high demands on a person’s reaction speed and their grasp on their knowledge. Virtually no one dares to take it on, and there is no need for them to do so too. As such, for the past thousand years since this branch’s founding, no one had ever taken up the challenge.
Hall Master Feng and the others didn’t expect that this fellow, who seemed as though he would collapse at any moment, would choose to challenge the beast tamer examination in this format!
“Yes!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
“You should think it through. You aren’t allowed thinking time during a discourse, and the moment you make a mistake, you will be disqualified…” Hall Master Feng advised.
“I understand, but I’m really too tired to use a brush. Thus, I can only opt for this method!” Zhang Xuan nodded.
“Since you insist, let’s start then!” Seeing the determination in Zhang Xuan’s eyes, Hall Master Feng decided to follow his wishes. Thus, he stepped forward, retrieved the examination papers, and looked at Zhang Xuan. “Tell me about the defining characteristics of Gold Armored Steel Fang Beast!”
“The Gold Armored Steel Fang Beast is a Pixue realm savage beast whose entire body is covered by golden scales, providing it with powerful defensive ability. It usually dwells in the marshlands or near mountain streams, feeding on Green Bamboo Grass which grows around that area. Also, it is nocturnal… This is what Senior Hu Yao mentions as in “Stratagem to Beast Taming”. In the “Encyclopedia on Gold Armored Steel Fang Beast” written by Beast Tamer Bai Zhen, his descriptions of the savage beast are slightly different from Senior Hu Yao. Based on his observations, the Gold Armored Steel Fang Beast prefers cooling places. As such, it often lives in shadowy places where the sun doesn’t reach…”
“Thirty years ago, numerous outstanding seniors of the Beast Hall gathered the theories of all of the predecessors and after many years of research, they realized that the Gold Armored Steel Fang Beasts spoken of weren’t of the same species. There is a total of three different species, namely the Marsh Steel Fang Beast which resides in the marshlands, the Mountain Steel Fang Beast which lives near mountain streams, and the Shadow Steel Fang Beast which dwells in the colder regions.”
“There are clear differences between these three Steel Fang Beasts. Firstly, the scales in the center of their foreheads are different. Secondly, the structure of their tails is different… If you wish to check on my answer, you can browse through the “Detailed Explanation on Gold Armored Steel Fang Beasts” left behind by them. It is toward the left of the 17th bookshelf in the library!”
Zhang Xuan replied calmly.
“His answer is… completely correct!”
The Gold Armored Steel Fang Beast was a rare savage beast. Furthermore, its classification was extremely confusing. Most people would only be able to recall basic characteristics about the savage beast, and the examiner would have already considered their answers to be correct. However, not only did Zhang Xuan provide a complete answer, he even introduced the various books left behind by the senior beast tamers, even… pointing out the exact locations of those books…
The heck, is he really just a human?
The crowd widened their eyes in shock. The entire room was deathly silent.
“The defining characteristics of Steelbacked Monkey!”
“The Steelbacked Monkey has a massive spinal bone that towers up high. Most of the strength the Steelbacked Monkey possesses originates from its unique bone. Also, it possesses large feet which grant it swift speed. Even though it is a monkey, it is unable to scale trees. Instead, its body structure resembles larger ape-like savage beasts… These defining characteristics are recorded in “Zashan’s Savage Beasts Exposition”. Senior Zashan is a famous beast tamer of the Beast Hall 140 years ago…”
Before everyone could recover, Hall Master Feng posed another question, and without any hesitation, the young man answered once more.
Just like that, with a person asking questions and the other one answering them, the discourse proceeded extremely swiftly. Most of the time, while the crowd was still pondering whether the answer to the question was correct or not, the next question was already answered.
In the eyes of the crowd, this young man who wasn’t in his twenties yet felt like an answer sheet. Not only were his answers detailed, he even listed out the various possibilities and theories written in the books out.
There wasn’t a single flaw that could be picked out in his answers.
“Completely correct!”
“Completely correct!”
“The River Worm’s living habitat… correct!”
“Why the Three Stream River and the Erudite Bird is unable to co-exist… correct!”
…
As Hall Master Feng raised question after question, the replies he received left him in so much so much shock that his mind was about to go blank.
Initially, he thought that the other party only happened to know the answer to the questions he raised. As long as he increased the difficulty later on, the other party would surely be unable to reply so swiftly.
However… Despite the other party seeming as though he was on the verge of fainting, his replies only came faster and faster. Hall Master Feng felt as though he was unable to keep up with the situation.
More importantly…
Not only was he fast, his answer was flawless.
If Hall Master Feng didn’t see it for himself, he wouldn’t dare believe it to be true. To think that there would be such a monster in the world!
It was no wonder why the other party could recognize the Ancient Lightning Cloud Sparrow. In terms of fundamental knowledge on savage beasts, it was likely that Zhang Xuan far surpassed the three 2-star beast tamers.
“This… This is impossible!”
“These questions are… so difficult!”
While the three 2-star beast tamers were overwhelmed by shock, Zhou Xuan and Zhu Jinhuang were dumbfounded by the sight before them. They could see the fear in each other’s eyes.
The questions which Hall Master Feng just raised were of such great difficulty that even they would be unable to answer them.
It wasn’t that their fundamental knowledge of savage beasts was weak. Rather, in several questions, the defining characteristics of the savage beast were extremely similar. With just the slightest lapse in judgment, they would make an error.
For example, the River Worm which was just mentioned may sound like an insect, but it is actually an extremely powerful savage beast. Its bones grow on its surface and it possesses immense strength.
Yet, such a ferocious and immense savage beast is able to float on the surface of the river. Most people would think that this savage beast lives on the surface of the water upon hearing the word ‘river’. Yet, contrary to all expectations, the habitat it is compatible with is the mountains…
None of the questions that Hall Master Feng raised was simple. Even on a written paper, they would have to contemplate for a long period before they can jot down their answer. On the other hand, the other party is able to answer immediately, as though he didn’t need to muse over the question at all…
How does he do it?
Putting aside them, even the super genius Mo Yu would be incapable of answering such a question on the spot!
This is the performance of someone who had assimilated all of the fundamental knowledge thoroughly into his bones!
Zhu Jinhuang and Zhou Xuan shuddered.
They actually accused a person of such greatness of knowing nothing at all and putting on an act?
Compared to him, the knowledge they had was laughably pathetic.
While passing the apprentice theoretical examination through discourse and written paper seemed like the same thing, as someone who had studied beast taming for several years, they knew that it wasn’t that simple.
Often, while taming a savage beast, unexpected situations would occur. Under such circumstances, one would have to swiftly organize the situation and knowledge in their arsenal to decide on the optimal course of action.
Every second count. If they were to miss the timing, it is likely for the situation to complicate, causing the difficulty of the taming process to multiply several folds.
This is precisely the reason why a beast tamer who passed the theoretical examination through discourse is highly respected by the others.
Every single beast tamer who passed the discourse eventually went on to achieve incredible feats.
Initially, they thought that Zhang Xuan was only a clown who wished to make a name for himself. Never in their dreams could they have imagined that… not only did were his answers perfect, he didn’t even need to think at all…
This isn’t something a human can do!
While the two of them were trembling in fear, Shen Bi Ru’s mouth was wide opened.
The fellow who didn’t know what the Beast Forest was two hours ago was now spouting innumerable theories and facts as though they were nothing at all. No matter how foolish she could be, it was clear that something was amiss.
“Does he really… possess the talent of a seer?”
If it were just a doubt to her before, at this moment, she was completely certain of it.
How could he have answered all of the questions so swiftly if he didn’t know the questions beforehand?
On the other hand, a frown was etched on Mo Yu’s forehead. Doubt flashed across her eyes as she pondered.
“…This is all. Hall Master Feng, Beast Tamer Lu, Beast Tamer Wang, are my answers correct?”
After a moment, Zhang Xuan finally finished answering the final question and smiled at them.
“Your… answers are completely correct!”
The three of them glanced at one another before Hall Master Feng nodded his head.
The other party had answered all of the questions in the theoretical examination in less than an hour. Not only so, he even brought up the history of how the answers were derived.
They couldn’t help but admire how detailed and precise his answers were.
“Since you’ve answered all of the questions correctly, you’ve passed the first test!”
It didn’t take long for Hall Master Feng to announce the result. Then, he gazed at Zhang Xuan once more and said, “Since you’ve passed the first test, let’s go on to the second one, taming a savage beast. You have half a month, and you only have to achieve Inceptive Taming to pass.”
“Half a month? That’s too long… Do you keep any untamed savage beast here? Can you allow me to tame it?”
Even though there are countless savage beasts in Xuanluo Mountain Range, it isn’t easy to replace a specific one which fits the examination criteria. If Zhang Xuan were to head out to look for one, it would definitely take up plenty of time. Since he is in the Beast Hall now, there is likely to be a suitable savage beast.
As he said so, Zhang Xuan stood up. Throughout the duration of the discourse, Zhang Xuan’s fatigued physical body had recovered slightly.
Even though his condition remained nonoptimal, he was clearly in a much better state than before.
“Allow you to tame it?”
Hearing those words, everyone became speechless.
“What a joke! Every single savage beast is valuable, how can we possibly allow you to tame it? Besides, only tamed beasts are allowed to enter the Beast Hall! Otherwise, if a stampede were to occur, no one would be able to bear responsibility!”
Hearing Zhang Xuan spout such amateurish words, Mo Yu harrumphed coldly in displeasure.
“Is that the case…”
Zhang Xuan shook his head. He didn’t expect the beast tamer examination to turn out to be so troublesome. Where in the world can he look for an untamed savage beast now?
“Ah, right! Can I borrow your Viridescent Eagle to tame?”
Suddenly, a thought flashed in Zhang Xuan’s mind. He immediately turned to Mo Yu and asked.
Chapter 251: Beast Pummeling Taming Method
The savage beasts in the Beast Hall are those brought back by beast tamers after great efforts to tame them. As such, they are considered as private possessions.
Most beast tamers regard their savage beasts as their wives, and Zhang Xuan’s request for wanting to borrow a tamed savage beast was no different from borrowing another person’s wife to play with. Everyone stared at him as though staring at an idiot.
Mo Yu nearly exploded on the spot.
Borrowing my savage beast to tame?
How in the world did he think of such an idea?
How can taming a wild savage beast be the same as taming a tamed beast?
Taming the latter is several times harder than taming a wild savage beast.
Even though she had only accomplished Inceptive Taming with the Viridescent Eagle, she had already interacted with it for seven to eight days and had agreed to many of its difficult demands. Throughout the days that the both of them were together, a deep and strong bond had already sprouted between them.
The Loyalty Level of the Viridescent Eagle had already reached 30 and wasn’t too far from 31 to achieve Advanced Taming.
Besides, this Viridescent Eagle is arrogant and hates interacting with humans. It was the work of numerous coincidences that allowed her to tame it.
Yet, this fellow said that he wanted to borrow it from her to tame it…
Do you think that this is a joke?
She felt so stifled that she was about to go on a frenzy.
She had become so impressed with the solid fundamental knowledge of the other party and thought that he was a beast taming genius when he immediately spoke the words of an amateur.
Borrow? Borrow your head! This is my first time I’m hearing that one can borrow a savage beast to tame!
Why don’t you borrow another person’s wife to play with instead?
She narrowed her eyes and sneered coldly. Just as she was about to reprimand the other party for his thoughtless words, Zhu Jinhuang walked up and whispered into her ears.
“Mo Yu xiaojie, I think that it’s a good idea to lend the Viridescent Eagle for him to tame!”
“What did you say?”
Mo Yu glared at Zhu Jinhuang ferociously. It seemed as though if his answer didn’t please her, she would immediately fly into a rage.
“You have already tamed the Viridescent Eagle, and its Loyalty Level has also reached 30. It is definitely impossible for him to tame it! Isn’t this fellow acting arrogantly and gleefully? You should give him a try, and once he fails, he would definitely be embarrassed!”
Zhu Jinhuang harrumphed.
“Indeed. Even a 2-star pinnacle beast tamer like Hall Master Feng is unable to tame a tamed beast. Despite not being a beast tamer, he is speaking such arrogant words. I think that we should teach him a lesson!”
Zhou Xuan chirped in.
“This…”
Hearing the words of the two, Mo Yu hesitated for a moment before nodding her head.
She felt that their words made sense. It is technically impossible to tame a tamed beast.
Since this fellow is acting so impudently, it isn’t anything to let him embarrass himself.
As she thought so, she harrumphed coldly and looked at Zhang Xuan. “You wish to borrow my Viridescent Eagle? Here it is. If you can tame it, I’ll allow you to have it.”
“Are you serious?”
Zhang Xuan was only asking casually, he hadn’t expected the other party to agree to his request. With glowing eyes, he turned to look at Hall Master Feng and the others, “If I were to tame this Viridescent Eagle, will it be considered as a pass for the second test?”
“This… Yes, it can be considered as a pass!”
Hall Master Feng nodded. He had a bizarre expression on his face.
This fellow had just shown his vast knowledge on beast taming through the discourse. Why did he become an ignorant amateur all of a sudden?
This Viridescent Eagle is clearly extremely fond of Mo Yu, and it is just a matter of time before it submits completely to her. Yet, you want to try to tame it… Aren’t you looking for trouble?
You are wasting time like this. You might as well head out and look for a wild savage beast.
“Good!”
After the moment of rest, Zhang Xuan has roughly recovered from the toll from duplicating those books. Chuckling, he walked forward to the Viridescent Eagle.
“Little eagle, your master has already lent you to me. You should hurry up and submit to me!”
“Qiu!”
A Tongxuan realm savage beast like it is capable of understanding human speech. Upon hearing Zhang Xuan’s words, it exploded into a rage.
This is blatant provocation!
Other people brought it good food, entertainment, and all kinds of treasures when trying to tame me. Yet, you came to me empty-handed. More importantly… What’s with this attitude?
Acting as though it is my fortune to be able to submit to you…
Pui!
The furious Viridescent Eagle patted its raised its giant wings and smacked it straight at Zhang Xuan.
Hula!
The wind blew violently. The resilient wings and the sharp feathers cut through the air as though a sharp knife, causing the air to shrill.
This fellow is a Tongxuan realm savage beast, and its fighting prowess is much stronger than an average Tongxuan realm cultivator. The air seemed to part wherever the wings passed by. Everyone’s face immediately turned pale as they stepped backward.
It would be difficult for a Pixue realm expert to even withstand the shock wave from its movement, needless to say, face it head on.
Hu!
Even as everyone retreated backward, Zhang Xuan’s expression remained completely calm. With a slight sway of his body, he was already seven to eight meters away, thus dodging the attack.
Pipa!
A dozen meters long crack appeared on the tough bluestone ground after being struck by the wings.
The bluestone ground was something the Beast Hall purchased from Baiyu City at an exorbitant price. Even a Pixue realm pinnacle expert would replace it difficult to leave a mark with a punch from their fists. Yet, with a slight sweep from the Viridescent Eagle’s wings, such a huge crack appeared.
“Strong…”
Yun Tao and the others turned pale.
If it were them, they would surely have been unable to dodge the attack in time. They would have been struck to death in an instant.
“If you continue, don’t blame me for not going easy on you!”
In contrast to everyone’s fear, Zhang Xuan frowned in displeasure.
Qiu!
Upon hearing those words and seeing the expression in Zhang Xuan’s face, the Viridescent Eagle was enraged further. Flapping its wings, it flew into the air and struck at Zhang Xuan with its sharp claws.
The two most powerful moves of the Viridescent Eagle are the Wing Sweep and Steel Claw.
The second move is much stronger than the first one. Furthermore, it has a flight advantage, and the momentum from its swoop downwards adds to its force. Even a Half-Zongshi expert would replace it hard to deal with this move unprepared.
“One wouldn’t die if they don’t court death. You shouldn’t have been so arrogant in the first place!”
“To even dare to taunt a Viridescent Eagle, you deserve it!”
Zhu Jinhuang, Zhou Xuan, and the others sneered coldly.
Even their strongest guards were unable to withstand this powerful move from the Viridescent Eagle. They didn’t believe that this youngster who wasn’t even in his twenties yet could survive the attack.
“The moment he is grabbed by those claws, even if he isn’t torn apart, he will surely sustain severe injuries!”
“With this move, the Viridescent Eagle is able to unleash a might exceeding 500 ding, and that is comparable to a Half-Zongshi. The only way to deal with this move is to avoid it!”
No one could have imagined that this lad would be so good at incurring the ire of others. With just a few words, he caused the Viridescent Eagle to fly into a rage. Upon seeing it use its powerful steel claws, everyone grew anxious.
There are innumerable cases of beast tamers killed while trying to tame a savage beast.
However, it was unheard of for a person to be killed by a savage beast in the Beast Hall.
Just when everyone thought that misfortune would befall Zhang Xuan, his calm voice echoed.
“Since you’re unwilling to listen, I’ve no other choice!”
As he spoke, he clenched his fist and faced the other party’s claws straight on.
“Ah?”
Everyone shuddered.
The claws of the Viridescent Eagle are more than capable of smashing through steel. Yet, to face it with his fists…
Peng!
Before anyone could recover from their terror, the fist and the claw had met.
Everyone was expecting the youngster would fracture his arm and suffer grievous wounds when the haughty Viridescent Eagle suddenly released a shrill scream. As though struck by a massive mountain, it was unable to control its body and fell from the skies.
Pu!
It crashed heavily on the ground. At this moment, everyone could see its distorted claws.
“Ah?”
Everyone exclaimed in astonishment.
‘Ah’, the same exclamation, but one was in fear while the other one was in shock. They felt as though their moods were on a roller coaster ride, flying from one end of the spectrum to the other, and then end abruptly. Even catching a savage beast isn’t as thrilling as this.
“Weren’t you acting arrogantly just now?”
However… Before they could recover from the shock, Zhang Xuan has already walked up to the Viridescent Eagle and sent a kick at it.
Peng!
Before the Viridescent Eagle could react, it was sent flying outward. It crashed heavily into a pillar in the room and twitched non-stop.
The strength of his kick definitely exceeded 600 ding. Regardless of how powerful the defenses of the eagle was, it should be impossible to withstand.
“To dare to make a move against me, you must be tired of living!”
It seemed that a single kick wasn’t enough to vent Zhang Xuan’s frustration. He walked forward and kicked yet again.
Peng!
The Viridescent Eagle was sent into the air once more. Its haughtiness had disappeared without a trace, and at this moment, it appeared exceptionally shabby. If not for the strong defense it possessed as a savage beast, it would have already died from the two kicks.
“Stop…”
Mo Yu’s face turned red in anger.
That was her savage beast! If Zhang Xuan were to continue beating it up like that, even if it doesn’t die, it would become crippled.
She couldn’t allow the savage beast which she has tamed with great difficulty to die here just like that.
“Mo Yu xiaojie, don’t panic. This should be the Beast Pummeling Taming Method!”
Yun Tao hurriedly walked over to inform her.
“Beast Pummeling Taming Method?”
“This is the name that I came up with. Every time Elder tames a beast, he would first beat it up. It seems that he’s doing the same this time as well!” Admiration gleamed in Yun Tao’s eyes.
As expected of Elder Zhang Xuan, his beast taming method is indeed extraordinary!
This is one of the hardest Tongxuan realm savage beasts to tame! Other people would have to bring tons of delicious food and treasures to coax it. Yet, he started pummeling it immediately without any mercy…
He couldn’t help but admire his courage!
“Can he really tame the savage beast like that? I think he’ll only incur the wrath and resentment of the Viridescent Eagle!”
Mo Yu’s eyes narrowed.
She had read nearly all of the books in the library, but she had never heard of any Beast Pummeling Taming Method!
Such an action would only cause resentment in the savage beast. If so, how can one successfully tame it?
“The Viridescent Eagle, as one of the stronger aerial savage beast, has a wild and arrogant nature. It has great pride, and if one tries to befriend it as an equal, it might still choose to give in. However, if one hopes to tame it by pummeling it, that’s no different from daydreaming…”
Flinging her sleeves, Mo Yu harrumphed. However, before she could finish her words, her body froze abruptly. Her eyes widened as she muttered, “Ah? This… This… What is going on?”
All of a sudden, the hostile Viridescent Eagle struggled to its feet and rubbed its head against Zhang Xuan’s body, fawning on him as though a loyal dog.
This is… Voluntary Submission!
Chapter 252: Failed?
This is an incomparably prideful Viridescent Eagle. In order to tame it, Mo Yu had specially climbed to the peak of the mountain, personally slaughtered a Pixue realm snake for its dinner, gathered snow water for its bath…
Even so, this fellow had only agreed to follow her to the examination. In a sense, she hasn’t successfully tamed it yet.
Yet, after the beating, it lowered its head immediately…
What that maddened Mo Yu the most was the fawning expression it had on its face, as though it was trying to please the other party… What the heck is that?
Mo Yu felt a stifling sensation at her chest. All of the sudden, she felt uncomfortable.
That was her savage beast, and she wasn’t too far away from establishing a contract with it. Yet, at this moment, it was lying on another person’s lap, trying to please the person. She felt so depressed that she was not far from sustaining internal injuries from it.
Zhu Jinhuang and Zhou Xuan, who were extremely confident a moment ago, looked as though they had been slapped in their face. Their faces distorted in disbelief, and they looked as though they were on the verge of tears.
Voluntary Submission after a beating?
Are our eyes playing tricks on us?
“You two…”
They were still brooding over the matter when Mo Yu xiaojie turned to them with an icy-cold expression. Her teeth were so tightly gritted together that the sound of them grinding against one another could be heard. “Didn’t you two say that… he will fail?”
“I…”
Zhu Jinhuang and Zhou Xuan trembled in fear.
They were the ones who persuaded Mo xiaojie to hand over the Viridescent Eagle for the other party to tame. They thought that they would be able to see the other party make an embarrassment out of himself. Not in their wildest dreams did they expect this situation to occur.
“Mo xiaojie, don’t panic, I think that the Viridescent Eagle is just flustered after being beaten up, so it is feigning submission. It’ll probably retaliate in short moment…”
With twitching lips, Zhu Jinhuang hurriedly explained.
“Indeed, indeed! Savage beasts of such level possess intelligence. It must have thought that it wasn’t a match for the fellow, so it decided to pretend to submit to Zhang Xuan and look for another opportunity to exact vengeance…”
Zhou Xuan said.
However, before he could finish his words, an uproar could be heard. He turned over hurriedly and saw Zhang Xuan place a drop of blood into the other party’s throat.
The contract had been established.
Qiu!
After establishing the contract, the Viridescent Eagle lay before Zhang Xuan in satisfaction. It rubbed its head against Zhang Xuan’s clothes unceasingly, as though a lazy cat who had just been fed and was filled with fondness for its master.
“Is this what you call feigning submission to exact vengeance?”
Furious, Mo Yu’s face turned beet-red in anger. She kicked the duo, sending them flipping in the air.
Have you seen any beast which establishes a contract while feigning submission?
Have you ever seen any vengeful savage beast act in such a manner?
Mo Yu’s breathing hastened, and she felt as though she was about to burst from all the rage.
Why did she believe the words of these two fellows and lend the Viridescent Eagle to the other party to tame?
It was too late for regrets, given that the two of them had already established a contract.
Even so, amidst her anger, she was shocked as well.
How in the world did he do it?
She had watched the entire taming process carefully. All he did was to incur the other party’s wrath before beating it up. Then, he whispered some words to it before patting a few spots on its body… and the attitude of the Viridescent Eagle changed immediately. Its infuriated expression suddenly turned into surprise and excitement. After which… It immediately submitted to Zhang Xuan!
Can it be that…
That’s right!
It must be something that he said!
Otherwise, how can its attitude have changed so quickly?
Just that… what in the world could he have said to drastically change the attitude of the furious Viridescent Eagle who desired to kill him so suddenly?
“How is it? My words are true, right? This is Elder Zhang Xuan’s skill, Beast Pummeling Taming Method. Any savage beast, after being beaten by him, would willingly submit!” Yun Tao laughed heartily.
Didn’t you doubt him just now? Take a good look at this then!
“The Viridescent Eagle really submitted after a beating…”
“This is Mo Yu xiaojie’s savage beast! How is this possible?”
“I don’t understand it as well. It’s not like we’ve never tried taming savage beasts by beating them up before. But, all of the attempts had ended in failure, so how in the world did he succeed?”
…
Everyone was dumbfounded.
This was especially so for the three 2-star beast tamers. They felt a dizzy sensation in their head.
It’s not like no beast tamer had attempted to tame a savage beast by beating it up. However… Not only did such actions fail to tame the savage beast, it even incurred their wrath. Most of the savage beasts tamed in such a method would refuse food and die of starvation.
There were cases of failures all around. Putting others aside, they had tried this method personally as well.
This was the reason why they found it hard to believe Yun Tao’s words. Yet… To think that he wasn’t lying!
Just by beating the Viridescent Eagle up, it immediately submitted to him…
Is this the same prideful and wild Viridescent Eagle?
Why does it seem like an obedient dog now, fawning on Zhang Xuan so shamelessly?
They were still in a state of disbelief when Zhang Xuan walked forward and inquired, “Hall Master Feng and the two beast tamers, have I passed the examination?”
“This…”
Recovering from his shock, Hall Master Feng coughed immediately, “Cough cough, wait a moment. We have to check the Loyalty Level before deciding on your pass or failure!”
Even though it looked like the Viridescent Eagle had been tamed, there was still a need for official verification. Firstly, it was to ensure that the test was impartial and precise. Secondly, they were curious to see if this Viridescent Eagle has sincerely submitted to him.
If it didn’t submit to him from the bottom of its heart, flying on it may prove to be dangerous.
“Let’s do the test then!”
Zhang Xuan said casually.
He was confident in the Viridescent Eagle’s loyalty toward him.
Naturally, the Viridescent Eagle didn’t submit to him just because he beat it up.
When it attacked him, a book on it was compiled in Zhang Xuan’s head. Thereafter, he swiftly looked through the book and understood the eagle’s flaws.
While it seemed that he was merely beating it up, he had infused his pure zhenqi into the body of the other party to cleanse its bloodline. Employing both the carrot and the stick simultaneously, it would be difficult for it to not submit to him.
His Heaven’s Path zhenqi is an unparalleled tool in cleansing a savage beast’s bloodline and raising its cultivation. No savage beast is able to resist its allure.
Given that there were only two choices, be killed by Zhang Xuan, or follow him and raise its strength, regardless of how foolish a savage beast could be, it was obvious what they would choose.
Compared to cleansing its bloodline and raising its strength, all of the other delicacies, tonics, and such were nothing.
Weng!
Beast Tamer Lu took the Heart Inquisition Crystal and started conducting the test on the Viridescent Eagle.
Zhou Xuan and Zhu Jinhuang stood up and walked over to Princess Mo Yu.
“Mo Yu xiaojie, don’t worry. So what if he has established a contract? Given that the Viridescent Eagle is tamed through brute force, its Loyalty Level must be low. Even at maximum, it will only be 31!”
“If it’s just 31, given that xiaojie’s Loyalty Level is 30, there’s a high possibility you might be able to tame it back!”
The two of them consoled.
Even though Advanced Taming is technically a high level than Inceptive Taming, in practice, a Loyalty Level of 31 doesn’t actually differ much from a level of 30. As long as Mo Yu pleased it by feeding it with delicious food, the Viridescent Eagle might still come back to her.
The saying that a savage beast recognized only a single master in their entire life is actually just a general statement.
Legend has it that the truly formidable beast tamers are able to tame another person’s tamed beast with just a few words, even if it has already established a contract with another tamer.
Putting everything else aside, the very fact that Zhang Xuan managed to tame Mo Yu’s Viridescent Eagle proved that it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Since it has changed sides once, it is possible for it to do so once again.
“A maximum of 31?”
Mo Yu’s anger still wasn’t placated.
“Indeed, how loyal can a savage beast who was tamed through brute force be? Does this even need to be said…”
Zhu Jinhuang sneered coldly. Yet, before he could finish his words, he suddenly felt a tightening sensation on his arm.
“What’s wrong?”
Turning around to look, it was Zhou Xuan who had grabbed him.
“Look…”
Zhou Xuan’s lips were quivering.
Following the direction where he was pointing in, Zhu Jinhuang took a glance and all of the words he was about to spout vanished. In an instant, he felt tears threatening to spill from his eyes.
Numbers had appeared on the Heart Inquisition Crystal.
Loyalty Level of the Viridescent Eagle toward Zhang Xuan, 45!
Complete Submission, the highest realm possible…
Complete silence.
Everyone’s jaws fell to the ground.
Actually, Zhou Xuan and Zhu Jinhuang weren’t the only ones who thought so. Everyone also felt that the Loyalty Level of the Viridescent Eagle would be low, given that it was beaten into submission. Yet… never had they imagined that it would reach 45!
This was Complete Submission, the highest level of loyalty a savage beast could have! Countless beast tamers had lived together with their savage beasts for numerous years, but remained unable to induce such loyalty in their savage beast… Yet, this level was reached just by giving a round of beating…
Everyone felt their perspective of the world overturn.
“This should be considered as a pass, right?”
Seeing the number on the Heart Inquisition Crystal, Zhang Xuan wasn’t surprised at all. He turned to look at Hall Master Feng with a smile.
“In the first round of the theoretical examination, you passed the discourse without making any mistakes. In the second round, you managed to tame a Viridescent Eagle with a Loyalty Level of 45…” Hall Master Feng nodded his head. “I declare that Zhang Xuan has passed the beast tamer examination and that he is officially a 1-star beast tamer!”
Seeing that he had passed the examination, Zhang Xuan nodded his head in satisfaction.
With this identity, he would be exempted from paying for future rides on aerial savage beasts borrowed from the Beast Hall…
“Wait a moment…”
The moment Hall Master Feng finished announcing the result, a bellow sounded.
“What’s wrong, Beast Tamer Mo?” Hall Master Feng turned to look at her.
The one who spoke was Mo Yu.
She had passed the examination, thus he addressed her as a beast tamer to display his respect.
“I disagree with the results. I believe that he hasn’t fulfilled the criteria of the examination and thus, he isn’t qualified to become an official beast tamer!”
Mo Yu stepped forward and spoke.
“Oh?” Hall Master Feng frowned.
“For the beast tamer examination, one has to tame a savage beast stronger than him. Even though Zhang Xuan didn’t display his cultivation, given how he was able to defeat the Viridescent Eagle easily, his cultivation realm is most likely higher than it. At the minimum, he is probably at Tongxuan realm pinnacle!”
Mo Yu sneered coldly, “Meaning to say… even though he tamed the Viridescent Eagle, he had merely tamed a savage beast with a cultivation realm lower than him. With this, he doesn’t meet the required conditions, and thus, he shouldn’t pass!”
“This…”
Upon hearing her words, Hall Master Feng hesitated.
The situation was exactly as what the other party said.
The conditions for the savage beast tamed for the examination is that its cultivation realm has to be higher than the examinee. Zhou Xuan, Zhu Jinhuang, and Yun Tao had fulfilled this condition.
In the previous battle, Zhang Xuan relied solely on his physical body strength, and as such, the others weren’t able to see through his cultivation realm. Even so, given how he was able to defeat the Viridescent Eagle so easily, there was no doubt that his cultivation realm was above that of the Viridescent Eagle… Going by the usual practice, Zhang Xuan wasn’t yet qualified to become a beast tamer.
“You mean to say… I am unqualified to become a beast tamer because the savage beast I tamed has a cultivation realm lower than mine?” Zhang Xuan glanced at her.
“Yes!” Mo Yu replied coldly.
“Then, what if… this Viridescent Eagle isn’t at Tongxuan realm, but at Half-Zongshi, does this mean that I’ve passed the examination?” Zhang Xuan asked.
“Of course!” Mo Yu nodded.
Even though she didn’t know how strong the other party was, she didn’t think that he had reached Half-Zongshi.
“Good…”
Nodding his head, Zhang Xuan turned to the Viridescent Eagle and said, “Alright, it’s your turn!”
Qiu!
Following a piercing call, a powerful force suddenly burst forth from the massive body of the Viridescent Eagle.
Chapter 253: You Are a Master Teacher?
Boom!
At this moment, the Viridescent Eagle seemed like a bomb that is about to explode at any moment. The sound reminiscent of flowing water sounded from its body, and its numerous acupoints were flickering, as though a powerful energy was gushing into them.
Geji! Geji!
The sound within its body crescendoed, and its three-meter-tall body grew suddenly. At the same time, its feathers also extended outward.
“This… is this Bloodline Evolution? Is it breaking through its cultivation realm?”
Hall Master Feng narrowed his eyes.
Coming to the same conclusion as well, Beast Tamer Lu and Beast Tamer Wang’s faces grew red with agitation, and they clenched their fists tightly.
“Bloodline Evolution? What’s that?”
Someone asked doubtfully.
Not everyone in the room was a beast tamer, such as the guards of Yun Tao, Zhu Jinhuang, and Zhou Xuan. They didn’t have a complete knowledge of beast taming.
“The strength of a savage beast is affected by several factors, and of which, there are three which is the most commonly seen. Firstly, age. A savage beast would grow along with age, reaching the peak of its strength only when it reaches adulthood. This is also the most common limiting factor of a savage beast’s strength. Secondly, bloodline. The more powerful a savage beast’s bloodline is, the more potential it has. Even when it reaches adulthood, if its bloodline is sufficiently potent, it can continue to raise its cultivation. Thirdly, cultivation techniques. Some of the more intelligent savage beasts are capable of cultivating alongside their beast tamers and improve along with them.”
One of the more knowledgeable people in the room replied him with a hushed voice. “Usually, it is impossible for a savage beast to improve its bloodline. However, sometimes upon eating unique herbs or undergoing an exceptional experience, it is possible for a savage beast’s bloodline to break through its limits and reach higher levels!”
“As its bloodline evolves, its cultivation also breaks through its limit and reach higher realms. This kind of evolution is similar to mutation and is extremely rare. To think that the Viridescent Eagle would be so lucky as to chance on such an opportunity. It’s truly lucky…”
“Along with the Bloodline Evolution, its cultivation soars rapidly. Will this Viridescent Eagle really reach Half-Zongshi?”
“If it succeeds to reach Half-Zongshi, it would mean that Zhang Xuan has successfully tamed a Half-Zongshi savage beast. If so, he would meet the conditions for the test, thus passing the beast tamer examination!”
Upon hearing the explanation, everyone came to a realization.
“This… This is impossible…”
Upon witnessing such a situation right after challenging Zhang Xuan’s qualification, Mo Yu’s face turned red. She was on the verge of going insane.
This Viridescent Eagle was her tamed beast, and she had investigated its background clearly. It had become an adult and it hadn’t eaten any precious herbs that could possibly trigger a Bloodline Evolution. As such, it should have been impossible for such a situation to occur.
Yet, right after being beaten up by Zhang Xuan, not only was its cultivation raised, its bloodline even evolved…
You must be joking with me!
If I knew that it would undergo Bloodline Evolution, I would have never given you a chance to tame it!
A Half-Zongshi realm savage beast… Once tamed, one can cultivate along with it. It would be much easier for her to reach Half-Zongshi with its assistance…
Yet, she gave away this opportunity just like that!
She felt so stifled that she was about to go insane.
“Mo Yu xiaojie, can it be that fellow’s beating which triggered the Viridescent Eagle’s bloodline to evolve, resulting in the rise in its cultivation?” Zhu Jinhuang asked.
“That’s impossible!” Before Mo Yu could reply, Zhou Xuan shook his head. “Usually, a Bloodline Evolution can only be triggered by consuming precious herbs or blood essences left behind by powerful savage beasts and purifying its bloodline. How can it achieve a breakthrough just by undergoing a beating?”
Bloodline Evolution requires a huge amount of luck to occur. Regardless of whether a savage beast consumed a precious herb or the blood essence of a powerful savage beast, it has to be completely compatible with the savage beast for it to work. The success rate is below 1 in 10000.
The concept of its bloodline evolving through a beating… is a joke!
“Zhou Xuan is right. No matter how capable that fellow is, it is impossible for him to purify the Viridescent Eagle’s bloodline and trigger a Bloodline Evolution just by beating it. The only explanation is that… the Viridescent Eagle had consumed something special before coming here, and that it began to take effect here…”
Agreeing with Zhou Xuan’s words, Mo Yu nodded her head. “If I’m not wrong, it might be the Bewildering Soul Flower that I fed it before coming here! I heard that it is a tonic to the Viridescent Eagle, and I had specially spent a huge sum of money to purchase it for the purpose of taming the eagle…”
Recalling the price of the Bewildering Soul Flower, she felt her heart ache. Just as she was gritting her teeth in resentment, she saw Yun Tao walk over, muttering something beneath his breath.
“As expected of Elder Zhang Xuan. Any savage beast which he beats up experiences a Bloodline Evolution. It was the same for the Gold Alloyed Panther and the Ancient Lightning Cloud Sparrow as well… I thought that it was just a coincidence, but to think that this Viridescent Eagle has achieved a breakthrough as well!”
“What did you say?”
Upon hearing his words, Mo Yu swallowed back the words at the tip of her tongue. With widened eyes, she stared at Yun Tao.
“Oh, nothing much. I am just impressed by Elder Zhang Xuan. You have all seen his Gold Alloyed Panther as well. It should have been a Pixue realm savage beast, but it has already reached Tongxuan realm! The Ancient Lightning Cloud Sparrow was also merely a Pixue realm primary stage savage beast, but at this moment, it has reached intermediate stage… All because of Elder Zhang’s beating.”
Yun Tao replied seriously.
“After being beaten up… Not only is he able to get the savage beast to submit, he can trigger a Bloodline Evolution as well?”
Mo Yu, Zhu Jinhuang, Zhou Xuan, and the others felt themselves entering a frenzy.
Why… do Yun Tao’s words seem so incredulous?
This was especially so for Mo Yu. It hadn’t been long since she declared that it was due to her Bewildering Soul Flower that the Viridescent Eagle was able to achieve a breakthrough. Upon hearing Yun Tao’s words, she felt a stinging sensation on her face.
Who is she?
An incredible genius. Even considering the entire Beast Hall and Tianwu Kingdom, she belonged to the very top.
Being awarded a grade-1 in the beast tamer examination, she outshone everyone. But while she was still gleeful over this feat, this fellow tamed her savage beast, pummeled it, and even helped it achieve a breakthrough…
Are you sure your purpose here isn’t to humiliate me?
Otherwise, why would you disprove every single word that I say…
Boom!
Amidst everyone’s shock and frenzy, the Viridescent Eagle’s rising aura finally came to a standstill.
At this moment, its physique was significantly larger than how it was previously, reaching a height of four meters. At the same time, it emanated a much more powerful aura than before. It felt as if with a slight scratch of its claws, cracks would appear on the bluestone ground.
Half-Zongshi!
This Viridescent Eagle has actually reached Half-Zongshi!
“So… have I passed the examination?”
Zhang Xuan smiled.
“You pass!”
The three beast tamers nodded.
If this can’t be considered a pass, what can?
Besides, they were also overflowing with doubts.
Mo Yu might not be able clearly to tell what Zhang Xuan did, but as 2-star beast tamers, they could tell that the Bloodline Evolution of the Viridescent Eagle was Zhang Xuan’s credit.
To trigger a Bloodline Evolution within a savage beast…
If he can do this for any savage beast, it will definitely cause an uproar in the Beast Hall.
At this point, Hall Master Feng couldn’t hold himself back anymore. Clasping his fists, he said, “Beast Tamer Zhang, I have something I would like to ask…”
“I know what you want to ask. Are you curious why this Viridescent Eagle would suddenly undergo a Bloodline Evolution?”
Zhang Xuan looked at him.
“Yes!” Hall Master Feng replied.
Hearing the exchange between the two, the others immediately focused their attention here.
After beating up the Viridescent Eagle, not only did it submit, it even underwent a Bloodline Evolution. If they hadn’t witnessed this sight for themselves, they would never have believed it to be possible.
Everyone was dying to know what happened.
“It’s simple. I used the blood essence of the Ancient Lightning Cloud Sparrow as a bait to induce its submission. Then… I fed the blood essence to it, thus triggering the Blood Evolution.” Zhang Xuan said.
Inducing a breakthrough in a savage beast was no easy feat. If others were to know that Zhang Xuan’s zhenqi could trigger a Bloodline Evolution, it would bring him a whole lot of trouble.
Thus, he attributed the matter to the Ancient Lightning Cloud Sparrow.
In any case, there were precedents of savage beast consuming the blood essence of powerful savage beasts and achieving breakthroughs… As an ancient beast, the Ancient Lightning Cloud Sparrow possessed a pure bloodline. Even though the Viridescent Eagle had a massive physique, it was nevertheless considered as an avian. There was a possibility that the bloodline of the ancient sparrow might be compatible with the eagle…
However, if someone else wanted to try the same thing, Zhang Xuan wouldn’t take the blame if their tamed beast dies.
More importantly, the Ancient Cloud Lightning Sparrow was Yun Tao’s savage beast. Even if anything happened, Zhang Xuan wouldn’t be held responsible.
Since that fellow obtained a free ancient beast from him, he should at least contribute by becoming his whipping boy!
“So that’s the case!”
Upon hearing his explanation, Hall Master Feng and the others exchanged gazes and nodded their heads.
This seemed to be the only plausible explanation.
Otherwise… to achieve a breakthrough by receiving a beating… it sounded nonsensical no matter how they looked at it.
“It’s the Ancient Lightning Cloud Sparrow…”
Upon hearing the explanation, Mo Yu came to a realization. At the same time, she felt intense regret.
If she knew that the Ancient Lightning Cloud Sparrow could help trigger a Bloodline Evolution in the Viridescent Eagle, she would have tried to get close to Zhang Xuan and Yun Tao. It could have been the final trigger for her to achieve Advanced Taming.
But now, she has nothing left…
Her savage beast was completely tamed by the other party, and the Loyalty Level was at an astonishing 45. Even though he said ‘borrow’, it was unlikely that he would return it…
“To be able to recognize the Ancient Lightning Cloud Sparrow and possess so many means, can it be…”
Upon recalling something, Mo Yu hesitated for a moment before walking over to Zhang Xuan.
“Damn it!”
Seeing numerous emotions flicker across Mo Yu’s face and her walking toward Zhang Xuan, Zhou Xuan and Zhu Jinhuang clenched their fists tightly.
They had been completely outdone by this fellow this time. Needless to say, Mo Yu must have fallen for him.
“I heard that this fellow came from Tianxuan Kingdom and doesn’t have any strong backing. If things come down to this…”
Zhu Jinhuang gestured his intentions to murder Zhang Xuan.
Given that Yun Tao was the prince of a country, they didn’t dare to push things too far. However, Zhang Xuan was different. As an insignificant figure without any backing, his life and death meant nothing.
They might not be a match for the other party, but as princes of their kingdoms, it wasn’t difficult for them to gather a few powerful subordinates to deal with him.
“Alright!”
Zhou Xuan spat through gritted teeth.
Today, they were completely humiliated by that young lad. It would be hard to quench their anger if they didn’t get back at him.
To dare to offend two princes without having any backing, he is truly courting death!
The duo was discussing how they could murder this Zhang Xuan when Mo Yu was already right before Zhang Xuan. With glowing eyes, she spoke of her doubt.
“The essence blood of the Ancient Lightning Cloud Sparrow is probably just one of the contributing factors. There should be a more important reason behind its breakthrough… If I’m not wrong, you are a master teacher, right?”
“Master teacher?”
Upon hearing Mo Yu’s words, Zhou Xuan and Zhu Jinhuang, who were just discussing how they could kill Zhang Xuan, shivered uncontrollably. At that moment, they could no longer hold themselves back and cried.
Those two fools had actually intended to kill a master teacher… They sure are brazen!
The heck, didn’t they say that he doesn’t have any backing?
But his backing seems to be even greater than the heavens…
Chapter 254: Critically Ill Savage Beast
Master teachers are protected by the Teacher Guild and the Master Teacher Pavilion. Putting aside whether they would be able to get off with assassinating a master teacher, even if they were to just offend one, a sanction may be imposed on them.
Given their power and prestige of the, almost all powers and experts have no choice but to show respect to the Teacher Guild and the Master Teacher Pavilion, needless to say, a mere Tier 2 Kingdom. Even if the sanction was applied on a Tier 1 Kingdom like Tianwu Kingdom, it would merely be a matter of time before the country fell apart.
That was to say, if they were to attempt to assassinate a master teacher and be discovered, not only would they be killed, even their kingdom would be implicated!
This is how fearsome master teachers are!
The number one occupation in the world mustn’t be insulted or desecrated!
Regardless of emperors or sect leaders; regardless of how powerful or influential one can be, with a single word from the Master Teacher Pavilion, his existence would be erased.
It was said that an emperor of a Conferred Kingdom once teased a beautiful female master teacher, incurring her wrath. Without even using the power of the Master Teacher Pavilion, simply just by conducting a lecture on the same spot for seven days straight, she attracted countless experts, and with a single command, captured the emperor alive and beat him to death.
There was a very powerful old elder in the kingdom, and he could have stopped them. Yet, he dared not to do so.
When an emperor dies, another one can be appointed. But if a kingdom were to be destroyed, nothing would be left.
It was hard to tell how many students a master teacher could have, With just a single pointer, one can already be regarded as half a teacher. Thus, master teachers were thought to be beehives. If a person were to agitate them, he would be crippled even if he were to survive the ordeal.
Assassinating a master teacher… Honestly speaking, it was no different from courting death.
Zhu Jinhuang and the others trembled in fear. He immediately suppressed the thoughts in his head.
“Master teacher?” Not expecting Mo Yu to come to this conclusion, Zhang Xuan shook his head. “I’m not one yet!”
Even though he was acknowledged by three master teachers, he could only be considered as one of the more incredible master teacher apprentices. Since he hasn’t passed the master teacher examination yet, he couldn’t be considered as a master teacher.
“You aren’t?” Mo Yu was stunned.
She thought that the reason why the other party possessed such formidable means was that he was a master teacher. To think that he wasn’t one…
“He isn’t a master teacher? Great…”
“As long as he isn’t a master teacher, he must die by hook or by crook!”
Upon hearing Zhang Xuan confess that he wasn’t a master teacher, Zhou Xuan and Zhu Jinhuang, who were panicking a moment ago, heaved a sigh of relief. Their killing intent started to emerge once more.
But in the next moment, Shen Bi Ru’s voice rang, “Although Zhang laoshi isn’t a master teacher, he is a senior to Beiwu Kingdom’s Liu shi, Zhuang shi, and Hanwu Kingdom’s Zheng shi!”
“The senior of three master teachers?”
The duo stared at one another. This time, they really burst into tears.
As princes from Tier 2 Kingdoms, they have heard of the name of the three master teachers. They were considered as one of the top-notch figures in the Tier 2 Kingdoms, and even the lowest of men knew of their existence.
And Zhang Xuan was their senior…
Even if he wasn’t a master teacher, his standing was already way above that of a master teacher!
It was fortunate that they didn’t make a move. Otherwise, the one who would die by hook or by crook would be them two…
…
“I know Liu shi from Beiwu Kingdom, and I’ve met him once at 2-star Master Teacher Jiang Shu’s lecture. If you’re his senior, can it be…”
Upon hearing Shen Bi Ru’s words, Mo Yu immediately realized something and her eyes narrowed.
Given that he was the senior of a master teacher, it meant that they have the same teacher. For a person to make a master teacher willingly acknowledge him as his teacher, that person had to be at least a 2-star master teacher, or even… above that!
For Zhang Xuan to be the direct disciple of a master teacher of 2-star or higher.
His standing was even above that of hers, a princess of Tianwu Kingdom.
Furthermore, to be accepted as a direct disciple of such an incredible figure meant that Zhang Xuan possessed incredible potential. It was likely that his future achievements would far surpass hers.
After all, even though she was an apprentice of 2-star Master Teacher Jiang Shu, she wasn’t his direct disciple.
Upon realizing these, she glanced at the young man before her once more. This time, admiration could be seen in her gaze.
…
“So you’re a direct disciple of a master teacher, no wonder you have such an in-depth understanding of beast taming!”
Upon coming to a realization, Hall Master Feng and the others nodded their heads.
They were just about to ask Zhang Xuan about the Beast Pummeling Taming Method and learn it from him. However, upon knowing of his true identity, they immediately dispelled this thought.
Even though beast-taming was an occupation in the Upper Nine Paths, it was far from matching up to master teacher, who stood at the zenith.
It was likely that Zhang Xuan’s Beast Pummeling Taming Method came from that master teacher… If the other party were to replace out that they had tried to learn his skills from his direct disciple, they could be in trouble.
Rather than that, it was much wiser to just build a good relationship with Zhang Xuan.
“This is your 1-star beast tamer emblem!”
Upon knowing of Zhang Xuan’s ‘identity’, the attitude of the three master teachers immediately improved. They swiftly retrieved an emblem representing one’s identity as a beast tamer and presented it to Zhang Xuan.
Upon grabbing the emblem, Zhang Xuan casually placed it into his storage ring before asking.
“I would like to go to the Red Lotus Ridge and I need an aerial savage beast. What do you think I should do?”
Even though he had become a beast tamer and read a large collection of book on beast taming, he had never ridden on an aerial savage beast before, and there might be a difference between theories in the book and practical situations. As such, he hoped to receive some professional input.
“Red Lotus Ridge?”
Hall Master Feng stroked his beard as he calculated, “Tianwu Kingdom is around tens of thousand of kilometers from here. If you ride on the Viridescent Eagle which you’ve just tamed, it should take around half a month!”
“Half a month?”
Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
He thought that since the Viridescent Eagle had reached Half-Zongshi, the journey should only take a couple of days. The thought that he would still require half a month never crossed his mind.
“That’s right. This Viridescent Eagle has just achieved a breakthrough, and its cultivation hasn’t yet stabilized. At most, it can travel 4000 to 5000 kilometers per day. Furthermore, it has to take frequent rest, so it is unable to fly overnight. Therefore, half a month is the fastest that it can go!” Hall Master Feng said.
Zhang Xuan nodded.
Even though he didn’t know how fast the Viridescent Eagle could fly, given how it had just reached Half-Zongshi, it was unlikely that it was able to unleash the full strength of the realm. In addition, it has to stabilize its cultivation and adapt to its new strength. As such, the estimate of half a month made sense.
After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xuan recalled what Han Qiong said before and asked.
“I’ve heard that the Beast Hall have [Lightning Mounts] which travel at swift speeds and are able to easily cover distances of tens of thousand of kilometers within a few days. May I ask if that’s true?”
“The Beast Hall does have Lightning Mounts, which are Zongshi realm savage beasts. They are given the nickname of ‘lightning’ due to the swift speed at which it can ferry humans. However…” Hall Master Feng hesitated for a moment before speaking. “There are only two such Beast Mounts in the Beast Hall. One of which is on the way to Qianxue Kingdom, while the other one…”
At this point, he shook his head. The other two beast tamers beside him also seemed to be dispirited upon talking about this matter.
“What’s wrong?” Zhang Xuan became puzzled after seeing their strange expressions.
“The other Lightning Mount has become critically ill. Today, it was unable to even stand up, needless to say, fly. Just earlier today, I, Beast Tamer Lu, and Beast Tamer Wang were examining it to identify possible treatments. That is also the reason why we weren’t able to make it for the examination and had Beast Tamer Hong stand in for us!”
Hall Master Feng said.
“Critically ill?” At this point, Zhang Xuan suddenly recalled Beast Tamer Hong saying that Hall Master Feng and the others were busy with something and as such, they were unable to make it for the examination.
A while ago, he was wondering what could be more important than the beast tamer examination. Turns out, this was the matter they were attending to.
The Zongshi realm savage beast could be considered as the trump card of this Beast Hall. Given that it was too ill to even stand up, it was no wonder why they were feeling flustered.
“What illness is it?” Zhang Xuan asked.
The condition of the savage beast didn’t matter to him at all… What Zhang Xuan was concerned with was how much time he could save if he flew on that Lightning Mount.
Upon hearing his question, Hall Master Feng shook his head, “It’s precisely because we can’t tell what’s wrong that we’re helpless on this matter!”
“The three of us had used all kinds of beast tamer diagnosing methods, but we remain unable to tell what’s wrong!” Beast Tamer Lu smiled bitterly.
Since they were unable to even tell what illness it was, they were, naturally, unable to treat it.
“Is there any solution?” Mo Yu could not help but ask.
As a beast tamer, she was concerned over the health of the savage beast after hearing about its plight.
“We’ve already sent someone to Beiwu Kingdom to invite Grandmaster Qing Yang over. Perhaps he would be able to diagnose the root of the illness!” Beast Tamer Wang said.
“Grandmaster Qing Yang? Is Beast Tamer Wang talking about the only 2-star physician in Beiwu Kingdom?” Shen Bi Ru pondered for a moment before asking.
“That’s right! Even though we, beast tamers, do possess methods to diagnose and treat the illnesses of savage beasts, we are still far from matching up to real physicians. I’ve already sent someone to invite him, so he should be arriving soon!” Beast Tamer Wang smiled.
Even though beast tamers have their own methods to treat savage beast illnesses, their treatment methods mainly catered to common symptoms. They were helpless toward the more complicated illnesses, such as the one the Lightning Mount was afflicted with at the moment. The only option for them was to employ the help of a grandmaster physician.
Beiwu Kingdom wasn’t too far from the Beast Hall, and a roundabout trip on an aerial savage beast wouldn’t take more than two hours.
Since they were waiting for the arrival of Grandmaster Qing Yang, they decided to spectate the beast tamer examination and happened to witness the conflict between Zhang Xuan and Beast Tamer Hong.
Beast Tamer Wang seemed to be extremely confident in that physician named Qing Yang, and turning toward Zhang Xuan, he smiled, “As soon as its illness is cured, we can lend it to you for a trip to the Red Lotus Ridge! However… The price for riding on a Zongshi realm Beast Mount is quite steep. You will have to prepare yourself for it!”
“How much does it cost?”
Zhang Xuan asked.
“According to the price of the Beast Hall, a journey to the faraway Tianwu Kingdom on a Zongshi realm savage beast would require at least twenty [Beast Bloodstone]. As Beast Tamer Zhang is one of our members, we can give you a 20% discount, thus you will only require 16 Beast Bloodstone. In terms of common currency used in the kingdoms, it is around eight million gold coins!”
“Eight million gold coins?”
Zhang Xuan widened his eyes in shock.
In order to earn that sum, he had to disguise himself and work himself down to the bones. Yet, it cost so much money just to make a single trip… That was no different from daylight robbery!
“There’s no way around it. A Zongshi realm savage beast requires a 2-star beast tamer to drive it. Furthermore, you are riding it as an individual. This is already the lowest price we can give you!”
Beast Tamer Wang smiled bitterly.
Even though the Zongshi realm Lightning Mount had been tamed, it was impossible for one to drive it without sufficient expertise. Thus, a 2-star beast tamer had to tag along for the ride.
Beast tamers who have reached 2-stars were at least Zongshi realm.
That is to say, for a single trip, a Zongshi realm expert and Zongshi realm savage beast have to be mobilized. Thus, how can the price possibly be low?
One must know that a Zongshi realm expert can be considered as a stabilizing pillar in a Tier 2 Kingdom!
Eight million gold coins weren’t demanding too much given that a person of such immense standing would have to be mobilized. Even so, Zhang Xuan still found the price hard to accept.
“Didn’t you say that… beast tamers can ride on Beast Mounts for free?” Suppressing his dismal, Zhang Xuan asked.
The reason why he took the beast tamer examination was that Yun Tao said that he could ride for free. Yet, it turned out that he has to pay eight million… He felt depressed just by thinking about it.
“A 1-star beast tamer can only ride on aerial savage beasts below Zongshi realm for free. If he wishes to ride on Zongshi realm savage beasts for free, he has to be a 2-star beast tamer!” Seeing that Zhang Xuan was ignorant of the matter, Hall Master Feng explained.
“A 2-star beast tamer can ride on the Lightning Mount for free?”
After hesitating for a moment, Zhang Xuan asked, “If that’s the case… What’s the requirement for the 2-star beast tamer examination? I’ll try challenging the examination!”
Chapter 255: Grandmaster Qing Yang
Try challenging the examination?
The corner of the mouths of Hall Master Feng and the others twitched.
Of the countless examinees who had ever taken an examination in the Beast Hall, this was the most eccentric reason they have ever heard.
Most people took the beast tamer examination because their capability and strength had met the basic requirements, and they hoped to receive recognition. Yet, this fellow was doing it just so that his ride would be free…
You are a senior to master teachers! With such incredible capability, as long as you are willing to put in some effort, you should be able to earn a few million gold coins easily. To act like that just for some money… Where is your pride? Where is your dignity? What about your standing?
More importantly, the examination he wanted to take was the 2-star beast tamer examination. In the thousand years since the establishment of the Xuanluo Mountain Range Beast Hall, there hadn’t been more than ten 2-star beast tamer.
Try challenging the examination… You make it sound as though it is as easy as eating and drinking, and there’s nothing to be scared or nervous about.
Do you know the difficulty of the examination?
Do you know that an expert like Beast Tamer Hong has already failed it seven times?
To speak of the matter so casually, aren’t you underestimating the profession a little too much?
Mo Yu’s chest expanded and contracted violently. She was close to bursting into a rage.
Despite being one of the top geniuses in Tianwu Kingdom, she spent a year before achieving the status of a 1-star beast tamer. She thought that she would win the admiration of everyone here, but… she met this fellow.
It took her countless resources, coaxing, and pleading to achieve Inceptive Taming with the Viridescent Eagle. Yet, just by beating it up, the Viridescent Eagle submitted completely to the other party… He had just passed the 1-star beast tamer examination, yet he wasn’t satisfied and wanted to take on the 2-star beast tamer examination immediately…
It was one thing if Zhang Xuan had built up a solid foundation and wanted to take on both examination at once to amaze others. However… He obviously didn’t have such intentions beforehand. It was only after hearing that he would get to ride on the Lightning Mount for free did he have such thoughts.
Other people tire themselves to death in order to become a 2-star beast tamer, yet you regard it as though a walk in the park. You don’t have to demoralize others like that, do you…
“The 2-star beast tamer examination requires…”
Suppressing the stifling sensation in his chest, Hall Master Feng was just about to start explaining when an elder abruptly walked in with an agitated expression.
“Hall master, hall master! Grandmaster Qing Yang is here!”
“He’s here?”
The eyes of the three beast tamers lit up immediately. They stood up in a hurry and walked out without saying a word.
After taking a few steps, Hall Master Feng abruptly stopped. He turned around and said, “Since you are all official beast tamers already, you are qualified to examine the proceedings as well. This is a good opportunity for you to spectate how a grandmaster physician treats a Zongshi realm savage beast and build on your knowledge!”
“Yes!”
Mo Yu, Zhu Jinhuang, and the others nodded their heads and followed along.
“Elder, let’s take a look as well. It’s a rare opportunity to witness the treatment of a savage beast, and we might be able to learn a thing or two from it!”
Seeing the others walk into the distance, Yun Tao walked over to Zhang Xuan.
“Alright!”
Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
He had been wanting to ride on the Lightning Mount all along. Once that fellow was treated, he would be able to save considerable time and effort for his journey to the Red Lotus Ridge.
Following behind the crowd, he soon arrived at a giant courtyard.
It was large and vast, and the infrastructures were several times larger than those of an ordinary residence. It felt as if one had stepped into a country of giants.
The stone stools in the courtyard were all seven to eight meters wide. If one didn’t examine it carefully, he might even think that it was a stage. The stone pavement by the courtyard was also extremely wide, around several dozens of meters large. There was a pond at the center of the courtyard, and the entire place felt like a majestic palace.
“This is the residence specially built for the[Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast]. There are seven apprentice beast tamers who live together with it to manage its day-to-day necessities…”
Upon seeing Zhang Xuan’s bewildered expression, Yun Tao explained to him telepathically. “The Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast is the ill Zongshi realm savage beast.”
“A residence built specially for a savage beast?”
Zhang Xuan was dumbfounded.
Does it have to be so extravagant?
Regardless of the land area or the grandeur of the infrastructure, it was a match for Tianxuan Royal Palace. As such, Zhang Xuan thought that an important figure lived in the residence. Yet, to think that it was built specially for a savage beast…
Furthermore, seven apprentice beast tamers were assigned to it to take care of its day-to-day living… The privileges it enjoyed seemed to be beyond that of an ordinary expert.
It was no wonder why a single trip to Tianwu Kingdom would cost eight million gold coins. Without such fees, it was impossible to sustain the cost of housing it.
“Grandmaster Qing Yang, we will be depending on you…”
Zhang Xuan was lamenting how the living conditions of a savage beast surpassed even that of a human when Hall Master Feng’s excited voice sounded.
Glancing over, Zhang Xuan saw a tall elder dressed in green standing not too far away. With his hands behind his back, he exuded a distant aura that seemed to ward off strangers. Judging from his appearance, he seemed to be in his fifties. And without any emotions on his face, it was difficult to fathom what was going on in his mind.
He appears to be the legendary Grandmaster Physician Qing Yang!
Usually, a 1-star for any occupation would be addressed as a master while a 2-star would be addressed as grandmaster.
Grandmaster Qing Yang, as a 2-star physician, was clearly much more capable than Master Yuanyu.
“Alright! Where’s the Howling Firmament Beast? Bring me to it!”
Nodding at Hall Master Feng words, Grandmaster Qing Yang dived straight into the matter at hand.
“Yes, over here!”
Hall Master Feng led the way.
Soon, they arrived at the backyard. A humongous savage beast could be seen lying on a massive stone pedestal. Its eyes were tightly shut, and it was hard to tell whether it was alive.
This savage beast bore some resemblance to the Viridescent Eagle but was significantly larger. With a physique of a dozen meter wide, it looked like a small mountain from afar.
“Unconscious?”
With a single glance, Zhang Xuan could tell that the humongous fellow was in a comatose.
It was no wonder why Hall Master Feng and the others were in such a panic, rushing off upon hearing that Grandmaster Qing Yang had arrived. It seemed that the Howling Firmament Beast was truly in a critical condition.
“Grandmaster Qing Yang, the illness struck three days ago. Initially, it only refused food, and the condition didn’t seem to be serious, so we didn’t pay it much attention. But this morning, it passed out all of a sudden. We’ve tried several methods to wake it up, but it was futile…”
Hall Master Feng explained.
“Un!”
Nodding, Grandmaster Qing Yang stepped forward. He circled around the Howling Firmament Beast, and the more he walked, the darker his complexion became.
“Tell me about its recent diet!”
Hall Master Feng beckoned, and an apprentice beast tamer who was in charge of waiting on Howling Firmament Beast walked over and bowed respectfully.
“Ten days ago, the Howling Firmament Beast started to lose his appetite, and it seemed to have become slightly agitated. As it is the dry season of autumn and it is easy for internal heat to accumulate, we fed it the calming [Spirit Rejuvenation Water], and its symptoms were somewhat alleviated.”
“However, something remained amiss with its situation. It would thrash around the residence at night, and from time to time, it would howl toward the sky. Especially, in the past few days, when there was a full moon present, it stayed up all night, running about, as though it was trying to look for an outlet for its inexhaustible energy!”
“Yet, when it wakes up, it would lose all appetite, and nothing can catch its attention. Today, it even fainted!”
“The amount of food it consumed has been decreasing constantly through the days, and other than the cooked beast meat and porridge, it doesn’t eat anything else. Oh, abiding by Hall Master Feng’s words, it was fed two [Heat Dissipation Pill] yesterday, but it seemed to be ineffective. On the contrary, its condition seemed to have worsened.”
Very quick;y, the apprentice beast tamer conveyed the basic condition of the Howling Firmament Beast.
After which, Grandmaster Qing Yang nodded and waved his hands, “You can leave now!”
“Yes!” Not daring to say anything else, the apprentice turned around and left.
“How is it?”
Hall Master Feng asked.
“Wait a moment!”
Grandmaster Qing Yang didn’t explain anything. Instead, he continued circling around the Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast. In the midst, he plucked a strand of fur and pulled up its eyelids. A deep frown was etched on his forehead, and he seemed to be trying to deduce the condition.
…
“Can physicians treat savage beasts too?”
Seeing Grandmaster Qing Yang in deep thoughts, Zhang Xuan asked.
“Grandmaster Qing Yang is the best grandmaster physician in Beiwu Kingdom. It’s said that he has already reached 2-star pinnacle, and is just a step away from reaching 3-star. Many of the illnesses which the Beast Hall was stumped by was treated by him!”
Yun Tao said with a suppressed voice.
“The fundamental theories behind illnesses, be it for a human for a beast, are the same. Since he is able to treat humans, naturally, he is able to treat beasts as well! Otherwise, how can physicians, despite their lacking combat ability, be ranked among the top of the Upper Nine Paths?”
Hearing their conversation, Mo Yu interjected.
Without a doubt, the master teacher was the number one occupation among the Upper Nine Paths. On the other hand, the rankings for the other occupations were blurred, and there wasn’t a standardized ranking. Even so, apothecary, physician, formation master, and beast tamer were commonly accepted to be the few occupations which ranked at the front, and their practitioners were highly respected.
Compared to formation master and beast tamer, physician, as an occupation, possessed no fighting ability at all. However, it was able to be ranked alongside them because their capability extended beyond just treating humans.
“Aren’t you skilled in beast taming? I thought that you are knowledgeable in everything. Why, do you know nothing about the Way of Medicine?”
Seeing Zhang Xuan’s confused expression, Mo Yu lifted her head haughtily.
Aren’t you formidable, taming a savage beast just by beating it up?
Yet, to know nothing about the Way of Medicine! You shouldn’t have acted so arrogantly. Embarrassed now, aren’t you?
“Err…” Hearing the other party words, Zhang Xuan smiled awkwardly.
The books on the Way of Medicine in Tianxuan Kingdom were far too lacking, and the only physician he knew was Master Yuanyu. Furthermore, he had merely conversed with him on painting.
As such, Zhang Xuan didn’t know much about physician as an occupation.
This was the first time he heard that a physician could treat savage beasts as well.
“Not only is Mo Yu xiaojie a 1-star beast tamer, 1-star apothecary, and a master teacher apprentice, she is an apprentice physician as well!” Yun Tao whispered to Zhang Xuan with a hushed voice. His admiration for Mo Yu gleamed in his eyes.
“Apprentice physician?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
Even though this Mo Yu was rather arrogant, she did have the achievements to back it up.
Despite her young age, she was adept in numerous occupations. Of all of the people Zhang Xuan had met, she was probably the most talented one.
“There are some points of overlap between a physician and an apothecary, so I went ahead to learn a little. For me, it isn’t difficult at all! After this, I’ll be returning to Tianwu Kingdom to take the physician examination!” Mo Yu chuckled lightly.
For what seemed to be an incredibly profound occupation in the eyes of others, to Mo Yu, it was as simple as playing house.
She had always towered over others as a genius, but over here, she had been humiliated time and again because of this Zhang Xuan. Thus, upon seeing that the other party knew nothing about physicians, she decided to leverage this fact against the other party and rebuild her confidence.
She thought that she could win his admiration just by saying so, but when she turned to look at him, he had already disappeared from sight.
“Damn it!”
Stomping her feet, her face flushed with anger.
…
“Did you manage to diagnose anything? Seeing a deep frown on Grandmaster Qing Yang’s forehead, Hall Master Feng asked once more.
“Un, I have a rough idea on its condition now. I should be able to deduce what it’s suffering from…”
Grandmaster Qing Yang nodded. Halfway through his words, his face suddenly darkened and he bellowed, “What are you doing?”
Hearing his voice, everyone turned their gazes over. Unknowingly, a youngster was already standing before the Howling Firmament Beast. After stretching his hands over… he touched its head.
Internal heat is a concept of traditional Chinese medicine. It is normally associated with a body’s discomfort and various symptoms.
Chapter 256: I Said That You Are an Inept Physician
“This…”
Seeing the actions of the youngster, everyone became dumbfounded.
Isn’t this fellow too brazen!
Don’t you see that the grandmaster physician is examining the Howling Firmament Beast?
Why did you come over? Furthermore…
This is a Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast, a Zongshi realm savage beast, not your family’s pet. Touching it… as if it were a domesticated dog, what in the world are you up to?
“I, too, would like to take a look to see what this Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast is suffering from!”
Seeing the doubt in everyone’s eyes, the youngster turned around and smiled.
“Hmph!”
Hearing his words, Mo Yu harrumphed.
She recognized the person as soon as he turned around. It was the person who had been embarrassing her time and time again, Zhang Xuan.
No wonder he disappeared just now! He had headed forward to touch the Howling Firmament Beast.
Hall Master Feng invited us over to view how Grandmaster Qing Yang would treat the savage beast. We’re here to learn, so we should remain obediently at our spots and observe the proceedings quietly. Yet, to interrupt the other party’s diagnosis…
Why the heck are you trying to touch it!
Aren’t you asking for a scolding?
As expected, the moment this thought appeared in her mind, Grandmaster Qing Yang’s face steeled and his eyes narrowed.
“Audacious!”
Flinging his sleeves, he turned to Hall Master Feng and criticized sharply, “Is this how the people in the Beast Hall act? Are they usually this undisciplined? Take a look… Does he even know what he is looking at? To be touching around so casually despite knowing nothing at all, how conceited can one be!”
“Grandmaster, calm down. He didn’t do it intentionally. He is probably just worried about the Howling Firmament Beast…”
Not expecting Zhang Xuan to act so rashly so as to run forward to touch the Howling Firmament Beast, Hall Master Feng tried to placate Grandmaster Qing Yang immediately.
“After years of working together, you should know that I need absolute silence during my treatment!”
Interrupting his words, Grandmaster Qing Yang spoke haughtily.
“I know, but…”
“It’s good that you know, there are no ‘buts’. Since we’ve been friends for numerous years, I won’t pursue this matter. However, this shouldn’t be a place where an incompetent nobody can enter. I am in the midst of treating the Howling Firmament Beast, so chase all of them out.” After finishing his words, Grandmaster Qing Yang waved his hands arrogantly.
Who was he?
A grandmaster physician, a highly respected figure in the Beiwu Kingdom. While he’s in the midst of treating someone, a fellow suddenly popped out and said that he would like to take a look as well. What do you know about the Way of Medicine? Do you know what to look for?
“Please calm down, Grandmaster Qing Yang. These few youngsters are beast tamers who just passed the examination today. The reason why I brought them over was so that they can watch the treatment process. They definitely didn’t mean to offend you!” Hall Master Feng said.
“Indeed. Beast Tamer Zhang merely touched the Howling Firmament Beast out of curiosity. I guarantee you that it won’t happen again!”
Beast Tamer Lu walked up to persuade him as well.
“Hmph, I will let this matter go on your account then. I hope that the Beast Hall can be more disciplined in the future! To treat someone, I require absolute silence. Not everyone is qualified to watch the proceedings, and my treatment isn’t something just anyone can understand! If some ignorant fool were to mess about, interfere with the treatment process, and delay the optimal treatment timing, can any of you take responsibility?”
Grandmaster Qing Yang harrumphed as he scanned the surroundings, him holding an irrefutable authority.
“Yes, yes!” Hall Master Feng hurriedly nodded.
The standings of beast tamers and physicians were similar, but given that he was the one who had a request for the other party, he had no choice but to lower his head.
This was the only person who was capable of treating the Howling Firmament Beast. Thus, even though the physician was speaking so harshly, he had no choice but to tolerate it.
“Un!”
Observing the other party’s pleasant attitude, Grandmaster Qing Yang decided to not pursue the matter. Instead, he turned his attention to the unconscious Howling Firmament Beast.
“You said earlier that you have identified the problem. Is there a way to treat its illness?” Hall Master Feng asked nervously.
“After my initial diagnosis, I have confirmed the root of its illness.” Grandmaster Qing Yang gestured grandly.
Everyone’s eyes lit up.
As expected of a grandmaster physician. He was able to locate the root of the problem swiftly.
One must know that the three 2-star beast tamers and numerous 1-star beast tamers have examined the Howling Firmament Beast for two whole days but to no avail.
Amidst everyone’s expectant gazes, Grandmaster Qing Yang nodded his head in satisfaction. He calmly said, “Given how this Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast is vigorous at night, filled with internal heat, and often howled to the heavens, I suspect that… it’s craving for a mate!”
“Craving for a mate?”
“That’s right. Savage beasts possess libido as well, and this libido heightens during the autumn season, reaching a level where it is hard for them to control itself. Based on what I saw previously, its body is warm and it urgently needs an outlet to vent its frustrations. However, as it is unable to replace a release, it is growing more and more restless. As time went by, the internal heat that gathered within its body diffused into his organs, causing him to descend into a coma.”
Grandmaster Qing Yang lifted his head slightly, and he seemed to be glowing with wisdom.
“We’ve also thought of the possibility before, just that… given the age of the savage beast, it is unlikely that it has reached that point…” Hall Master Feng asked doubtfully.
“Savage beasts cannot be gauged using the human standards. Once its bodily functions mature, it will experience libido. Its symptoms of being unable to sleep at night, howling toward the skies, and such are all signs of its desire for a mate. It’s impossible for me to be mistaken!” Grandmaster Qing Yang turned to look at the crowd, and there was a bizarre glint in his eyes which exerted pressure on those he gazed upon. “Why? Do you doubt my diagnosis?”
“That’s not it, just that…” Hall Master Feng shook his head, choosing not to linger on this problem. Rather, he looked at Grandmaster Qing Yang anxiously, “So… How can such an illness be treated?”
“Even though it appears complicated, once the root of the problem is identified, it isn’t that difficult to solve. Since it wishes to look for a mate, we can just replace one for it!” Grandmaster Qing Yang smiled.
“Find one?”
A bitter expression appeared on Hall Master Feng’s face.
The other two 2-star beast tamers also shook their heads.
“It’s not that we don’t want to replace one for it, but the Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast is a rare species. It is nearly impossible to replace another female which is of a comparable age!”
An aerial savage beast such as the Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast which could possess the strength of a Zongshi before maturing was extremely rare. Even considering the entire range of the vast Xuanluo Mountain Range, it was unlikely for there to be more than two of them.
More importantly, it is capable of flying at incredible speed. Even if they happen to replace one, how can they possibly capture and tame it?
The reason why there was a Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast in the Beast Hall was that they had raised it from young, even going to the extent of building a residence for it and sending apprentices to wait upon it. That was the main reason why it chose to remain here. Honestly speaking… Until now, no one had managed to tame it, and it hadn’t established a contract with anyone either.
It’s not that they didn’t want to do it, but that it was impossible for them to do it!
The Howling Firmament Beast was prejudiced against humans, so taming it completely was impossible. Assuming if it was tamed completely, it would have been able to communicate with its master. If so, the beast tamers would know what was wrong with it and treat it by themselves. They wouldn’t have had to go through so much trouble as to invite Grandmaster Qing Yang to diagnose its condition.
Since they weren’t even able to tame a Howling Firmament Beast which they raised from young, how could they possibly bring a mate for it within a short period of time?
Clearly, this isn’t a feasible solution!
“It is impossible to replace another one?”
“Yes!” Hall Master Feng nodded. “Grandmaster Qing Yang, please look for another solution. I’m willing to give anything as long as the Howling Firmament Beast can be saved!”
“I do have a solution, and it will solve the problem once and for all. Just that… this solution will be slightly troublesome.” Grandmaster Qing Yang hesitated for a moment.
“Since there’s a solution, then I’ll have to trouble you to hurry up and treat it.” The eyes of Hall Master Feng and the others lit up as they hurriedly said.
“Un, alright!” Placing his hands behind his back, Grandmaster Qing Yang nodded his head. “Even if it’s impossible to replace a mate for it, there’s actually another simple solution to curb its frustration. That’s… castration! As long as the operation is successful, it will not be plagued by such problems in the future. It’ll then be able to focus its attention on working for the Beast Hall.”
“Castration?”
Hall Master Feng and the others became dumbfounded.
“Only through castration will it be able to calm its mind. At the very least, it will not feel frustrated and be overwhelmed with heat every day, and such a situation wouldn’t occur again.”
Grandmaster Qing Yang turned to Hall Master Feng and questioned, “Aren’t there many other savage beasts in the Beast Hall which were castrated to avoid trouble?”
“This…” Hall Master Feng hesitated before nodding.
There were plenty of savage beasts in the Beast Hall who were castrated upon birth. This way, its attention wouldn’t be diverted to its other needs, and it would be more obedient to its master.
“Alright, this is my diagnosis. You should give it some thought. If you want to go through with it, you should make your decision quickly. It is clear that this fellow will not hold on for long. If you don’t resolve the problem soon, I’m afraid that it might not survive even until tomorrow!”
At this point, Grandmaster Qing Yang stopped speaking and stood quietly on the spot as he waited for the others to make their choice.
“Must we do this?”
Hall Master Feng and the others stared at one another in dilemma.
The Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast had been with them since young. They had been together for many years, and the beast tamers had already regarded it as their kin. To castrate it… They really couldn’t bring themselves to do it.
Besides, while there were plenty of precedents of savage beasts having been castrated in the Beast Hall, a significant number of them didn’t survive the operation and died on the spot.
The Howling Firmament Beast was critically ill, and at this moment, it had already descended into a coma. Conducting such an operation when it wasn’t in a good physical condition bore a huge risk to its life.
Besides, a Zongshi realm savage beast possesses wisdom. If they were to infuriate it by doing so, it was likely that it might just leave the Beast Hall permanently. In fact, it might even try to exact vengeance on the Beast Hall, and this would put the Beast Hall at a huge peril.
It wasn’t that there were no precedents to such a situation. There were other Beast Halls who had met with similar situations and castrated a Half-Zongshi savage beast. This infuriated the savage beast, and not only did it leave the Beast Hall, it viewed the personnel of the Beast Hall with enmity and often returned to wreck havoc.
Eventually, the Beast Hall could only dispatch experts to kill it.
It’s said that after it was killed, the master of the savage beast cried for three days straight. Due to his excessive grief, his zhenqi dissipated and he died a few days later.
Just like humans, savage beasts have to be respected.
Castrating the other party without informing it is a type of extreme humiliation.
“Grandmaster Qing Yang, is there any other solution? This… really isn’t an easy choice!”
After hesitating for a moment, Hall Master Feng asked.
“This is already the best solution to the problem! If you are unwilling to do so, we can just forget the matter. I have already presented my diagnosis and the treatment to you, and it’s your choice to go through with it or not. However, if there are any other problems in the future, you don’t need to dream of looking for me!” Grandmaster Qing Yang harrumphed in displeasure.
He had presented the root of the problem and the treatment method, yet the other party kept questioning his judgment. Did they not trust his capability as a grandmaster physician?
“This…”
Upon hearing the other party’s words, Hall Master Feng gritted his teeth and decided to go ahead with the other party’s solution. However, before he could speak, an impassive voice suddenly echoed in the air.
“In the past, I’ve heard that inept physicians could kill their patients. Back then, I thought that it was impossible, but to think that I would be seeing one right before me…”
“What did you say?”
Grandmaster Qing Yang burst into an outrage. He turned his head over immediately and saw a youngster standing amidst the crowd, looking at him with a calm expression.
It was the fellow who sneaked forward to touch the Howling Firmament Beast awhile ago.
Zhang Xuan!
“I say that you are an inept physician! If you don’t understand what I’m saying…”
With a serious expression, Zhang Xuan said, “It means that you are a fool with inferior medical skills. When you are unable to determine the root of the illness, you make up a random diagnosis using your own imagination!”
Chapter 257: What Else Can You Be If Not an Inept Physician?
“He said that Grandmaster Qing Yang is an inept physician?”
“He said that he is a fool with inferior medical skills?”
Everyone was stunned.
Even Mo Yu, who was resentful against Zhang Xuan, was stunned.
To say that Grandmaster Qing Yang is an inept physician… This is equivalent to insulting the other party’s professionalism, and there is no way for reconciliation.
Why in the world is a fellow like you, who is ignorant in the Way of Medicine, acting big?
Even though it wasn’t common for a savage beast to be castrated, it wasn’t as though it had never happened before. If they don’t castrate it, is there any other solution to treating the Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast?
“Beast Tamer Zhang…”
Not expecting him to insult Grandmaster Qing Yang all of a sudden, Hall Master Feng’s complexion darkened. He immediately turned to Grandmaster Qing Yang and tried to appease him, “Grandmaster Qing Yang, don’t get angry. He isn’t doing this on purpose…”
“Shut up!”
Grandmaster Qing Yang’s expression warped savagely. As though a furious lion, he stared coldly at the young man before him. With a frosty tone, he declared, “I, Qing Yang, have been practicing medicine for more than thirty-nine years. I have saved countless lives and relieved countless people of their ailments. This is the first time I have been insulted by someone like that. Lad, regardless of whether you are a beast tamer or not and who is backing you, if you don’t explain yourself clearly today, don’t blame me for getting nasty!”
Boom!
The moment he finished speaking, a powerful aura immediately burst forth from him, reaching even the heavens. It was so powerful and repressive that it forced Yun Tao and the others to retreat continuously.
Grandmaster Qing Yang is a Zongshi expert!
Regardless of occupation, while talent was a factor, one required a cultivation realm that could match up with it. All those who have reached 2-star were mainly Zongshi realm experts. This was also the reason why those who have reached 2-star were termed as grandmasters. This wasn’t just a show of respect toward the person’s mastery in the occupation, but to the person’s cultivation and strength as well.
As the most skilled physician in Beiwu Kingdom, Qing Yang had never suffered such humiliation while practicing his medical art. If not for his sophistication, he would have already lashed out at Zhang Xuan.
“The reason why you’ve never been insulted… is because you’ve never met me. If you’ve met me earlier, you would have long been insulted!”
Despite the other party’s intimidation, Zhang Xuan simply looked at him indifferently.
Grandmaster Qing Yang’s eyebrows twitched, “Do you think that I dare not kill you?”
“Kill me? Being unable to see through the Howling Firmament Beast’s illness, you came up with a nonsensical diagnosis. If it were to be treated as you said, not only will the Howling Firmament Beast not be saved, it will die on the spot… Is this the result of your diagnosis? What else can you be if not an inept physician? And you still want to kill me… Despite erring so severely, you refuse to allow anyone to talk about it. How can one be so thick-skinned?” Zhang Xuan lifted his eyebrows.
“You…”
Upon hearing those words, Grandmaster Qing Yang was so maddened that he almost spurted a mouthful of blood.
After releasing his full might as a Zongshi realm expert, he thought that the other party would apologize to him fearfully. Yet, not only did Zhang Xuan continue to criticize him boldly, he even reprimanded him for being thick-skinned…
A dignified grandmaster physician getting scolded by a young lad in public. He felt so humiliated that he was about to go insane.
“Do you feel indignant? Fine, I’ll explain it to you then!”
Just as Grandmaster Qing Yang was about to fly into a rage, the young man approached and stood before the Howling Firmament Beast.
“The most direct way to determine the age of a Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast is through its teeth. The teeth exposed outside for a mature Howling Firmament Beast will be exactly three chi and three cun. I believe that all beast tamers should know about it, so I need not elaborate more!”
(Three chi and three cun ~1.1m)
Zhang Xuan pointed to the Howling Firmament Beast and said, “The teeth of this fellow are only two chi and seven cun long, proving that it is still some age away from adulthood. If I’m not wrong, it should be only seventeen-year-old. Based on the two hundred years lifespan of a Howling Firmament Beast, it should still be a child… I would like to ask you, how can a prepubescent savage beast possess libido?”
(Two chi and seven cun ~90cm)
Initially, Hall Master Feng and the others thought that Zhang Xuan was just causing trouble. However, after hearing his words, they were all taken aback.
Other people might not know how old this Howling Firmament Beast was, but they were extremely clear of this. Ever since it was an infant, it had been living in the Beast Hall. It had been seventeen years since then. Zhang Xuan’s words were completely accurate.
If one didn’t know beforehand, it was impossible for one to fathom that a fellow possessing such a gigantic body would be merely seventeen-years-old.
For a savage beast which has a lifespan of two hundred years, it was no different from a seven to eight-year-old human.
“It is a savage beast…” Grandmaster Qing Yang harrumphed. However, before he could finish his words, Zhang Xuan had already interrupted him.
“Don’t tell me that the physical condition of a savage beast is different from that of a human, so their physical development is different. If this fellow is truly suffering from excessive libido and craves for a mate, it would only suffer from excessive heat, discomfort, and a fiery temper. Libido causing one to go into a coma like that… Grandmaster Qing Yang, for you to make such a judgment, can it be that… you experience the same phenomenon?”
Zhang Xuan asked.
“That’s true!”
“Even if it is overwhelmed by lust, it would only be in discomfort. I have never heard of anyone going into a coma from an overwhelming desire for the female body!”
Everyone was taken aback by Zhang Xuan’s words. Finding his explanation logical, they began to mutter in agreement.
It is a physiological need for a mature adult to look for a mate. This isn’t applicable to just savages beast, the same goes for humans as well. However, never have they ever heard of a person being stifled to the point of going into a coma just because they were unable to replace a girlfriend.
That isn’t logical at all!
“Hmph!”
Grandmaster Qing Yang’s face flushed furiously. He wanted to refute Zhang Xuan’s words, but he found himself unable to say a single thing. Flinging his sleeves, he harrumphed, “Since you claim that it isn’t libido, what do you think caused it to be agitated then? Also, why would it run about as though replaceing an outlet for its inexhaustible energy during the nights of the full moon?”
“Does being agitated and possessing inexhaustible energy at night mean that it is looking for a mate? What reasoning is that?” Zhang Xuan shook his head. “If that’s the reason, why would its appetite dwindle, with nothing able to catch its attention?”
Grandmaster Qing Yang was stumped.
Even if it were looking for a mate, despite being unable to talk as a savage beast, there were plenty of ways for it to express himself. It was truly inexplicable why it would it refuse food and be disinterested in everything.
“From the words of the apprentice, we know that ten days ago, the Howling Firmament Beast merely suffered from a lack of appetite. As the days went by, his condition worsened, and by morning today, it was unable to endure any longer and finally fainted. If it was truly just looking for a mate, it could just fly away. There doesn’t seem to be any chains binding it to the Beast Hall, preventing it from flying away!”
The crowd nodded their heads.
The Beast Hall would try to fawn up to that fellow at every available chance, how can they possibly bind it?
If it was truly distressed by the lack of a mate, it could simply fly outward to look for one itself. There was no reason why it should stifle itself in the courtyard to the point of fainting!
Upon hearing his analysis, everyone started to doubt Grandmaster Qing Yang’s diagnosis. They turned to look at him with a bizarre expression.
“Then… What do you say it is?”
Grandmaster Qing Yang’s complexion paled. He realized that he had neglected many details, and at this moment, his rage had already vanished. Unable to hold himself back, he asked.
“Since it’s not seeking a mate, the answer is simple… The Howling Firmament Beast is either truly critically ill or is plagued by some other problem!” Zhang Xuan surveyed the crowd. “Everyone, you should look at the claw of the Howling Firmament Beast.”
“Different from the usual eagle-type savage beast, the Howling Firmament Beast has a thick layer of flesh covering its claws, similar to human feet. Under normal conditions, the claw should be greenish-gold in color. However, at this moment, red veins can be seen within the flesh.”
Everyone immediately turned to look at the claw of the Howling Firmament Beast. Taking a closer look, they realized that there were really blood-red veins.
The veins were extremely thin, similar to the capillaries in a human’s body. If one didn’t pay careful attention to it, it was easy to neglect.
“Most savage beasts have a meat crown, and the Howling Firmament Beast isn’t an exception either. Under normal circumstances, the meat crown would be slightly red. However, it is slightly pale at the moment. Even though it is inconspicuous, it remains visible to the eye.” Zhang Xuan said.
Everyone quickly looked over, and it was exactly as Zhang Xuan said.
“What kind of illness is this?”
Zhang Xuan’s ability to point out the numerous inconspicuous symptoms on the Howling Firmament Beast had convinced the crowd of his judgment. Unable to hold himself back, Hall Master Feng asked immediately.
“In a sense, it isn’t really an illness. In fact, I should congratulate Hall Master Feng.”
Zhang Xuan smiled.
“Congratulate? Why would you congratulate me?”
Hall Master Feng was stunned.
The Howling Firmament Beast was still in a coma, and it was hard to tell whether its life was still in danger or not. Furthermore, if you know the cause of the problem, you should know the solution as well. Such congratulatory words should only be said after it rises from its coma, why would you say it now?
“If I’m not wrong, the Howling Firmament Beast is probably undergoing Bloodline Evolution!” Zhang Xuan said.
“Bloodline Evolution? How… How is that possible?”
Hall Master Feng was stunned. The rest of the crowd also found Zhang Xuan’s words inconceivable.
The Bloodline Evolution of a savage beast was similar to a mutation in the genes, it was extremely rare. Furthermore, without a trigger, it was impossible for it to happen.
The trigger could be the absorption of an even purer blood essence or the consumption of precious herbs…
However, the Howling Firmament Beast didn’t appear to have experienced any of the two.
Furthermore, a Bloodline Evolution shouldn’t have caused the Howling Firmament Beast to descend into a coma, as though it had fallen into critical illness.
Seeing the disbelief in everyone’s eyes, Zhang Xuan chuckled and turned to Hall Master Feng, “Half a month ago, did the Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast visit a location dense in yin energy?”
“This… Half a month ago, it ferried a person to the Yin Tempest Valley!” The one who replied was Beast Tamer Wang.
He was the one who drove the beast there, so he remembered the details clearly.
“The Yin Tempest Valley is dense in yin energy, and an extremely potent yin attribute fruit called Yin Tempest Fruit grows there. It has the ability to raise the cultivation of a person whose physical constitution is aligned toward the yin. If I’m not wrong, the person probably presented this fruit as payment!” Zhang Xuan said.
“That’s right!” Beast Tamer Wang nodded.
One could pay the fee for the Beast Mount through gold coins or rare herbs.
The Yin Tempest Fruit was an extremely well-known commodity, and it was worth a fortune. Furthermore, it was the kind of product which rarely appeared in the market, and one might not be able to buy it even if one had money. Naturally, Beast Tamer Wang accepted his payment.
“The cause of the incident is the Yin Tempest Fruit!”
Zhang Xuan smiled, “Everyone should be aware of the gender of the Howling Firmament Beast, male. As such, it has overwhelming yang attribute within its body. After consuming the Yin Tempest Fruit, the yin and yang clashed with one another. Even so, the worst that would have happened to it was discomfort. Given its gigantic physique, it was just a matter of time before it tides through the period! However, at this point, you fed it Spirit Rejuvenation Water.”
“The Spirit Rejuvenation Water calms one’s mind, revitalizes one’s spirit, and eases one’s agitation. The main ingredient in it is [Fermented Mother Grass].”
“This is a neutral medicinal herb which served as a mediating factor. Logically speaking, no matter how many of it one consumed, it wouldn’t cause any adverse effect. However, it just happened that the property of this herb clashes with the nature of the Yin Tempest Fruit. Upon contact, the yin aura of the Yin Tempest Fruit is amplified by more than three times. These two happened to be the main ingredients required for the forging of [Unravel Yang Pill], and it is extremely potent in awakening yang attribute physical constitutions.”
Zhang Xuan continued, “It was due to the stimulating of the yang attribute within the body of the Howling Firmament Beast that it was unable to sleep at night and possess inexhaustible energy, as though afflicted with overwhelming libido!”
“If this was only it, it would have been able to tide through the matter. As long as the yin and yang within its body achieve a balance, the problem would be resolved. However, it is a pity that… Hall Master Feng had someone feed it two [Heat Dissipation Pill]
At this point, Zhang Xuan shook his head in pity. “The Heat Dissipation Grass contains the Arctic Grass, and the Arctic Grass dispels yang flames within one’s body… The yang energy within the Howling Firmament Beast was stimulated when it was fed this. Not to mention, it had consumed two at once. That is equivalent to throwing ice cubes onto a fire seedling… With the clash of hot and cold within its body, it is already extremely fortunate that it didn’t die on the spot!”
Honestly speaking, the Howling Firmament Beast was truly a pitiful soul. Initially, it would have been able to recover on its own after resting for a few days. Yet, under the kind intentions of those around it, it was sent to the brink of death.
And yet, they claimed that they were trying to treat it… More like murdering it!
The complexion of Hall Master Feng and the other beast tamers immediately turned awful.
Clearly, they hadn’t expected that the condition of the Howling Firmament Beast was a result of them… feeding the wrong medication!
“Try recalling the matter. Is it after feeding the medication that the condition of the Howling Firmament Beast slowly deteriorated?” Zhang Xuan continued asking.
“Yes…” Recalling the words of the beast tamer apprentice, everyone couldn’t help but nod in agreement.
That was indeed the case.
No one could have imagined that feeding it a common medication would cause such adverse side effects.
“Currently, the yang energy is currently in conflict with the yin aura within its body. If you were to castrate it right now, the yang energy would be quenched and the yin energy would overwhelm it. In less than two hours, it would breathe its last!”
At this point, Zhang Xuan turned to Grandmaster Qing Yang and said, “This is also the reason why I said that you are an inept physician. If the treatment is carried out as you’ve said, not only will the Howling Firmament Beast not be saved, it would have already become a corpse by now.”
“This…”
Grandmaster Qing Yang felt his body turn cold. As a 2-star physician, he had an in-depth knowledge in the Way of Medicine. The other party’s deduction was logical and backed up by facts, to the point that he was unable to pick any flaws with it at all. It was as though the other party has witnessed the entire scene for himself, and he couldn’t help but feel admiration for the other party’s capability. He felt that there was a need for him to refute the other party’s words to protect his reputation, but he couldn’t replace a word to say.
“Then, what about the Bloodline Evolution you spoke about previously?”
Afraid that Grandmaster Qing Yang would be put in a difficult position, Hall Master Feng quickly interjected and changed the topic.
“Once the stimulated yang energy within its body stabilizes, it will undergo a Bloodline Evolution. On the other hand, if it fails to strikes a balance between the yin and yang, it would die. That’s to say, if the Howling Firmament Beast is able to survive this ordeal, its cultivation will reach new heights. If not, death awaits.”
“Then… Is there any way to help it?” Hall Master Feng asked anxiously.
“Of course there is. However… I will need the help of an apothecary.” Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment before saying.
“Mo Yu xiaojie is an official apothecary. She can help you.” Yun Tao hurriedly said.
Everyone’s gazes shot toward Mo Yu immediately.
“I am willing to help. What do I have to do?” Mo Yu placed her hands behind her back confidently.
Even though she didn’t like the fellow before her, she wanted to help save the Howling Firmament Beast.
Besides, even though she was inferior to the other party in the other aspects, this provided her an opportunity to showcase her talents as an apothecary and cleanse herself of her past shame.
Aren’t you an incredible beast tamer, the senior of master teachers, and a capable physician?
I may not be able to compare to you in these fields, but at the very least, I am able to forge pills!
At the very least, I’m a 1-star apothecary!
Thus, she proudly stepped out from the crowd and asked the other party what she should do. Yet, she was welcomed with a frown and a questioning tone.
“You… can you forge pills?”
“You…”
Mo Yu staggered. She nearly exploded upon hearing those words.
Can’t you say anything good?
I am a 1-star apothecary, of course, I can forge pills!
How can one become an apothecary without being able to forge pills?
Even though she knew that this fellow couldn’t speak any good words, she didn’t expect him to be so hateful.
Gritting her teeth, her breathing hastened, and her chest expanded and contracted rapidly. “Have you ever seen an apothecary who is unable to forge pills?”
“I have…” Zhang Xuan nodded. “I was worried that you passed the apothecary examination through Pill Debate. If so, you probably won’t be able to forge pills…”
“Pill Debate? Only those who have reached a high mastery in the Way of Pills are capable of passing the examination!”
Reverence brimmed in Mo Yu’s eyes, “All of the seniors who managed to pass the Pill Debate are amazing talents, and yet, you say that they are unable to forge pills? What a joke! If you were to say such words in the Apothecary Guild, you will surely be beaten to death…”
Before she could finish her words, the young man before her silently took out an apothecary emblem and pinned it on his shirt. While scratching his head, an awkward expression appeared on his face.
“I am the type of senior you are talking about, and I happen to be unable to forge pills…”
Chapter 258: Guidance on Pill Forging
This time, Mo Yu really cried.
Are you toying with me?
The moment I scored the top in the beast tamer examination, you ran over immediately, pummeled my savage beast, and became an official beast tamer.
Just when I proudly declared that I am an apprentice physician, you popped out once more. Not only did you criticize a 2-star physician, you even explained the illness of the Howling Firmament Beast and offered a solution to the problem…
Just when I thought that I can brag about my accomplishments in the Way of Pills… you took out your apothecary emblem and said that you passed the examination through Pill Debate…
Who in the world did I offend?
Can’t you allow me to show off my capabilities for a bit?
“Pill Debate? What is that?”
“It is an examination where one challenges ten official apothecaries and forces them to admit defeat! I heard that this method of examination is extremely harsh, and the success rate isn’t even one percent.”
“An examination with a success rate below one percent?”
…
Most of the beast tamers present weren’t knowledgeable about apothecaries. Upon hearing the explanation, they became dumbfounded.
How incredible does one have to be in order to force ten official apothecaries to admit defeat?
All along, Yun Tao thought that he was a genius. However, after the various affairs, he finally understood that his talents were nothing in comparison to this Elder Zhang Xuan.
Formation, beast taming, medical skills, master teacher, pill forging…
Brother, is there anything in the world that you aren’t good at?
I’ll go and learn that now…
Forget it, I think I better not ask about it. Every single time I ask you about something, you would say that you don’t know about it. I would be naive if I take your words for it. Judging from the usual pattern, I’m afraid that I would be slapped so hard that I wouldn’t be able to recover from the blow… After all, look at Mo Yu xiaojie.
Even Yun Tao couldn’t help but pity Mo Yu.
In any case, this fellow is a monster. It is best to not compare ourselves with him.
“Since you are able to forge pills, you should have a pill cauldron with you or something like that, right?”
Ignoring everyone’s shock, Zhang Xuan turned to Mo Yu.
“Un!”
Gritting her teeth, Mo Yu suppressed her anger and harrumphed.
“Alright!” Zhang Xuan nodded. Then, turning to the other beast tamers, he said, “Hall Master Feng, I’ll need the medicinal herbs that I’m about to recite. A stalk of thirty-year-old Searing Sun Grass, a tael of fifteen-year-old Solar Flame Grass…”
In one single breath, he mentioned the names of a bunch of medicinal herbs.
Upon hearing the names of these herbs, Mo Yu was stunned. Then, a thought appeared in her mind and her eyes narrowed, “You… It can’t be that you want me to forge… the Searing Sun Pill?”
“That’s right!” Zhang Xuan nodded his head as though it was the most natural thing to do.
“Are you joking? The Searing Sun Pill is a grade-2 pinnacle pill while I am merely a 1-star apothecary. How can I possibly succeed?”
Mo Yu’s body trembled and she nearly fainted.
Is there something wrong with this fellow’s head?
Forged using nine yang attribute medicinal herbs, the Searing Sun Pill was rich in yang energy. As a grade-2 pinnacle pill, even 3-star apothecaries would replace it hard to successfully forge. Yet, Zhang Xuan was trying to have a 1-star apothecary like her to do it…
Are you sure you aren’t mistaken?
“Rest assured, I will guide you. It is sufficient as long as you know how to use a cauldron and control the temperature of the fire. It is actually very easy!”
Zhang Xuan said calmly.
“Use a cauldron? Control the temperature of the fire? Very easy?”
Mo Yu wished she hadn’t listened to his explanation. After hearing his words, she could feel the final thread of her rationality snapping.
Brother, are you really an apothecary?
Even apprentices know such fundamental knowledge. If pill forging were that easy, everyone would have become a grandmaster apothecary!
Pill forging isn’t just a mere routine one-plus-one-equals-to-two. More importantly, one has to have an absolute control over the temperature and timing during forging. She had just reached 1-star this year, and she wasn’t capable of forging even the slightly more incredible grade-1 pills. Yet, Zhang Xuan was trying to get her to forge a grade-2 pinnacle pill…
More importantly, one has to be forging the pill by oneself to grasp the progress of the forging in real time so that he can decide on the next course of action. If he wasn’t going to be involved in the pill forging process… how was he going to guide her?
Where does this fellow’s confidence come from?
“Indeed. If you feel that you’re unable to rise up to the task, I can replace another apprentice. It might be difficult to replace 1-star apothecary in the Beast Hall, but it should still be possible to replace a few apprentice apothecary!” Seeing her frenzied expression, Zhang Xuan frowned.
There must be something wrong with this woman. Do you have to react so greatly to everything I say?
I have already told you that I will guide you, so why are you spouting so much nonsense?
If you feel like you aren’t able to do it, I can just look for another person.
“There’s no need for it, I’ll do it!”
Seeing the other party’s contemptuous gaze, Mo Yu felt as though her heart had been scratched by ten thousand cats. Unable to bear the humiliation, she gritted her teeth and accepted the task.
Other than that person in Tianwu Kingdom, she was a top-notch genius in all fields. She hadn’t expected to be scorned by a countryside bumpkin in such a remote location.
Damn it!
Fine. Trying to act incredible? I’ll see what you do when I fail to forge a grade-2 pinnacle pill later on!
“Un. Later on, follow my instructions strictly. There mustn’t even be the slightest error.” Afraid that the other party would cause trouble, Zhang Xuan reminded.
“Don’t worry!”
Mo Yu’s obstinate nature surfaced.
“That’s good then!”
Zhang Xuan nodded and did not speak further.
Knowing that this matter was urgent, Hall Master Feng didn’t dare to dawdle. Soon, a bunch of medicinal herbs appeared before them.
Even though this wasn’t the Apothecary Guild, as savage beasts have an innate interest in medicinal herbs, the Beast Hall had an abundant inventory of herbs.
“Let’s begin!”
Upon the arrival of the medicinal herbs, Zhang Xuan examined them thoroughly and made sure they were sufficiently mature to be used for the pill. Thus, he nodded in satisfaction.
Of all of the occupations, the one Zhang Xuan was the most familiar with was pill-forging.
Putting aside the fact that the first examination he took was the apothecary examination, more importantly, under the effects of the golden book, he had assimilated the knowledge contained within the books he flipped through in the Apothecary Guild into his mind.
In terms of fundamentals, even 2-star and 3-star apothecaries would replace it difficult to match up to him.
“Un!”
Albeit stifled, Mo Yu didn’t waste any time. With a flick of her wrist, a massive cauldron appeared before her. She then lit up the flames immediately to warm the cauldron. Her smooth motions bore testimony to her strong foundation in the occupation.
Even though she was hundred percent sure it was impossible for her to forge a grade-2 pill, given how confident the other party was, she decided to give it a try. After all, it wasn’t too late to mock him after they fail.
“Not bad!”
Seeing her fluid motions, Zhang Xuan nodded his head.
As expected of a genius from Tianwu Kingdom. Even though Mo Yu was young and slightly condescending, her skills in pill forging were significantly better than Bai Ming, Chen Xiao, and the others.
As Zhang Xuan thought so, he walked toward the cauldron and casually touched it.
Without saying another word, he stood there unmoving.
“Do you think that… he will be able to succeed?”
Staring at the duo, Beast Tamer Lu couldn’t help but to start feeling worried.
“I’ve no idea. However, if I were to tell you that someone is able to tame a savage beast by beating it up with the resulting Loyalty Level hitting 45, will you believe it?” Hall Master Feng asked bitterly.
“This… I would probably have never believed it.” Beast Tamer Lu hesitated for a moment before replying.
If someone were to have told him such words before the astonishing sight he witnessed today, he would definitely have beaten the person to death.
To tame a savage beast by beating it up, furthermore, with its Loyalty Level reaching 45… Isn’t that clearly a joke?
However, after witnessing it personally today… There was no way he could retort even if he wanted to.
This young man before him seemed to be a creator of miracles, rewriting everyone’s understanding of the world with every single action.
“I have once seen a 3-star master teacher guide an apprentice apothecary in a Conferred Kingdom. The feat astonished everyone at the scene. To think that I would have another opportunity to witness such a sight!”
Beast Tamer Wang’s eyes glowed as he muttered to himself.
“I know about that as well, but the pill forged back then was a grade-1 pill. On the other hand, the pill which Beast Tamer Zhang is going to guide Princess Mo Yu on is a grade-2 pinnacle pill. The difficulties for both tasks are on entirely different levels.”
“Indeed, there is a huge difference in difficulty with each increase in the grade of the pill. If a 1-star primary stage apothecary were to be able to forge a grade-2 pinnacle pill, it would definitely pop some eyes!”
Hall Master Feng and Beast Tamer Lu nodded in agreement.
“Look, the pill forging is about to begin!”
They were discussing the matter when the pill forging begun.
Xiong xiong!
The flames in the cauldron burnt furiously. As though a skillful butterfly treading through the flowers, Mo Yu’s slim and slender hands flew about the cauldron at a speed so swift that afterimages could be seen.
“Place the Green Kudzu Leaves in. Seven breaths later, place the White Beard Grass in. Then, fourteen breaths later, use the Thousand Illusory Cloud Rippling Hands to place the Searing Sun Grass in…”
With his hands behind his back, Zhang Xuan’s calm and clear voice sounded. There wasn’t the slightest pause or hesitation in it.
Even though the Searing Sun Pill was known to be forged using nine types of yang attribute herbs, many other medicinal herbs had to be placed in to act as mediators. Otherwise, with so many yang attribute herbs placed into the cauldron, it would be a miracle if the cauldron didn’t explode.
“Un?”
Initially, Mo Yu didn’t think that following the instructions of the other party would allow her to craft a grade-2 pinnacle pill. However, as the medicinal herbs disappeared one after another into the cauldron, the disdain in her mind slowly faded away. Instead, her face grew increasingly grim, and she couldn’t help but feel astonished by Zhang Xuan’s capability.
She had seen the pill formula for Searing Sun Pill. The nine yang attribute herbs were like nine bombs. Even with other medicinal herbs act as mediators, if one fails to grasp the timing accurately, an explosion would ensue immediately. Many 2-star apothecaries have failed due to a slight lapses in their timings.
She was already more than halfway through the forging process, having thrown in five of the yang attribute medicinal herbs but the cauldron continued to function normally. There were no signs of instability in the pill at all…
That was to say, the sequence and timing of the medicinal herbs thrown in were perfect!
This… How can this be possible!
One must know that with the difference in one’s cultivation, zhenqi, the cauldron, and fuel used makes huge differences in the forging process. As such, during forging, one has to make constant adjustments with no room for any breather.
In fact, if the same person, with a different cultivation and state, were to craft the exact same pill twice, can’t use the same sequencing of placing the medicinal herbs!
For such a complex pill formula, there wasn’t the slightest instability when following Zhang Xuan’s instructions. That was to say, there wasn’t the slightest error in his instructions. How could Mo Yu not feel astounded?
More importantly… How did the other party know her forging techniques and her pill forging standards? There wasn’t a single instruction of his that surpassed her current pill forging capability!
She was certain that she had never forged pills before the other party. But if so… how could he possibly know about her in such great detail?
“Don’t let your thoughts wander!”
Mo Yu’s mind was wandering when a bellow suddenly echoed by her ear. At this point, she suddenly realized that the temporary lapse in her attention had caused her to throw in a medicinal herb half a breath earlier than the instruction given by the other party.
Gugugugu!
In an instant, the yang energy in the cauldron surged. The energy, that had remained stable all along, seemed as though it had suddenly been set alight. The entire cauldron shook violently.
“Oh no, the cauldron is going to explode!”
There was a random cry from the crowd, and everyone’s face warped immediately.
Chapter 259: Cauldron Explosion
“Cauldron explosion?”
Hall Master Feng and the others could not help but clench their fists.
Cauldron explosion is the most fearsome event an apothecary can encounter during pill forging. It is usually due to an apothecary failing to control the energy contained by the medicinal herbs, causing the process to turn violent and uncontrollable.
The moment an explosion happens, the medicinal herbs within, as well as the entire cauldron, will be ruined. The apothecary might also get injured by the impact of the explosion.
The higher the grade of a pill, the more violent the energy contained within, and the higher its tendency to explode during the pill forging process.
If Mo Yu were a 2-star apothecary and that her cultivation had reached Zongshi realm, given her own strength and her grasp over medicinal herbs, she might have been able to suppress the raging strength contained in the cauldron forcefully. But at this moment, the entire cauldron was swaying violently, and it seemed as though it would blow at any moment. It was clear that it was too late to reverse the cauldron explosion.
“Is this is a failure?” Hall Master Feng’s complexion looked awful.
He knew how important the Searing Sun Pill was to the Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast. If the pill was successfully forged and fed, the yang attribute energy in its body would be augmented. This would increase the chances of it successfully achieving a Bloodline Evolution and raise its strength significantly.
On the other hand, if the pill forging fails, the chances of the Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast overcoming its current crisis would be low. Once it fails, it would be difficult for it to ever wake up and only death awaits it.
Before, with Beast Tamer Zhang guiding Mo Yu to forge the pills, he had carried a sliver of hope. However, looking at the rocking cauldron, he reckoned that it was all over.
The cauldron would definitely explode, and the pill would be ruined.
It was an unchangeable fact.
“It’s over…”
Not expecting such a situation to occur, Yun Tao’s face paled.
Even though it hadn’t been long since he met this young man, his confident smile and his ability to achieve the impossible had long left a deep impression in his mind.
Will this seemingly omnipotent Elder Zhang Xuan fail in this pill forging?
“Who asked you to act so haughtily? You’re getting what you deserved!”
Distinct from the tense looks on others’ faces, Zhou Xuan and Zhu Jinhuang exchanged gazes and sneered coldly.
Weren’t you bragging just now that nothing would go wrong with your guidance…
Pui!
Now that there’s a cauldron explosion, I would like to see how you explain yourself later on.
Despite being a brat, you kept acting as though you know everything. See how we’ll mock you later on!
…
Oblivious to the tension in the air, Zhang Xuan frowned.
This Mo Yu is simply too unreliable. To think that her attention would waver at such a crucial timing.
It is a wonder how she became an apothecary.
Even though she was early by just half a breath, that half a breath was more than sufficient to destroy the balance which he had sustained with great difficulty.
It caused a vast difference in the results.
Formidable apothecaries were capable of using their own strength to forcefully suppress the violent reaction between medicinal herbs. However, Mo Yu was only a 1-star apothecary, and her strength and capability didn’t allow her to do so. Thus, Zhang Xuan could only ensure a balance among the various herbs to forge the pill. Yet, a mistake occurred, and if he didn’t salvage the situation quickly, all of his previous hard work would go to vain.
“Calm your mind, don’t panic and don’t retreat!”
Seeing that the cauldron was on the verge of exploding, Mo Yu instinctively tried to retreat. With a darkened complexion, Zhang Xuan bellowed at her.
She mustn’t back down at this point. The moment she leaves her spot, the medicinal properties in the cauldron would spiral out of control and an explosion would definitely occur.
“I…”
Mo Yu’s face turned red.
“Why? Are you scared? If I knew earlier, I wouldn’t have asked for your help. If only I had looked for another apprentice apothecary, such a situation wouldn’t have occurred!” Zhang Xuan harrumphed coldly.
“You…” Mo Yu was enraged.
She was a proud and competitive person. That was also the reason why she was able to take on so many different occupations at once and achieve great accomplishments in them, thus becoming the genius in the eyes of others.
Initially, when she saw that the cauldron would explode at any time, she was hesitant to continue the pill forging. However, when she heard the other party say that looking for her to forge the pill for him was a mistake on his part and that even an apprentice would do better than her, her anger peaked.
If she were to back down now, wouldn’t she be ridiculed by the other fellow later on?
Gritting her teeth, she forcefully held herself in place. “What do we do now?”
Seeing that his provocation had worked, Zhang Xuan instructed, “Throw the remaining White Sun Leaf and Turbid Solar Vine in together!”
“Throw all of them in?”
Mo Yu was taken aback. The energy was already running rampant, and if she were to throw in the remaining yang attribute medicinal herbs in, wouldn’t that just cause the explosion to be even more violent?
Who in the world forges a pill like this…
At the very most, under the current situation, only the cauldron would be destroyed. If she were to throw these two herbs in, not only would the cauldron explode, the violent and searing heat from within would deal her a severe injury!
Could it be that this fellow is seeking vengeance…
“Hurry up!” Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up.
“Fine!”
Not expecting the other party to bellow at her, her face darkened. Gritting her teeth, she made up her resolution.
If I die from this, so be it!
At the very least, this is much better than being mocked by that fellow!
Agreeing to it, she flicked her wrist and threw the two remaining yang attribute medicinal herb into the cauldron.
Boom!
As she expected, the moment the two yang attribute medicinal herbs were thrown in, the cauldron began to shake even more violently.
Before, if it only looked as if the cauldron might explode, at this moment, everyone was hundred percent sure that it would explode.
This was because the cauldron was obviously nearing the limits of its durability. Cracks had started to appear on its walls.
“Everyone, back away…”
With a dignified expression, Hall Master Feng’s zhenqi billowed and created a barrier before himself.
Knowing the danger of a cauldron explosion, everyone else also retreated hurriedly.
As though facing a dangerous enemy, all of them stood on their guards.
Geji, geji!
The cracks grew larger and larger, and the violent aura grew increasingly vigorous. It seemed that the cauldron was unable to take any further pressure.
“Add in the Green Toad Grass and the Crepe Myrtle Flower…”
Without the slightest panic, Zhang Xuan continued instructing.
Knowing that she had no other choice than to listen to the other party’s words, Mo Yu swiftly grabbed the mediating medicinal herbs that Zhang Xuan spoke of and threw them in.
At this moment, all of the medicinal herbs required for the Searing Sun Pill had been fully thrown into the cauldron.
The addition of the herbs resulted in the cauldron rocking even more violently. The scorching heat waves caused even the air to distort. At this sight, everyone subconsciously wiped away the cold sweat on their forehead, and anxiety gripped their hearts.
“Raise the intensity of the fire by a single fold!” Zhang Xuan instructed.
“Raise the intensity of the fire?”
Mo Yu clenched her fists tightly together.
The cauldron was on the verge of exploding, yet Zhang Xuan ordered her to raise the intensity of the fire. It was comparable to adding fuel to explosives!
Even so, having made up her mind, she decided to go through with it without care for the result. Zhenqi furiously surged from her palms into the flames.
Xiong xiong!
Triggered by Mo Yu’s zhenqi, the flames grew by a single fold immediately. The searing flames embraced the entire cauldron.
Kacha! Kacha! Kacha!
The cauldron had been pushed to its limits by the violent reaction among the medicinal herbs, so how could it survive this abrupt rise in temperature? A series of cracking sounds echoed and a slight crack crept along the surface of the entire cauldron immediately…
“It’s exploding!”
Someone exclaimed. The next moment, the cracked cauldron gave way. Boom! A powerful explosion occurred.
Strong heat waves gushed into the surroundings, and fragments of the originally sturdy cauldron flew in all directions.
“It’s over…”
Mo Yu, who was still in the midst of infusing zhenqi into the cauldron, hadn’t expected the explosion to come so suddenly. Caught off guard, she didn’t even have the time to react when a powerful pressure came gushing straight toward her.
Amidst the intense outward pressure were cauldron fragments. If she were to be struck by any of it, despite her powerful cultivation, she would be severely injured.
“It’s over. I’m really going to die because of that fellow…”
Mo Yu shuddered. Knowing that it was impossible for her to escape at this point, she drove her zhenqi to protect her vitals.
Hu!
She was thinking that she would be severely injured this time round when a figure suddenly appeared before her.
Boom boom boom!
The violent shock wave burst forth vigorously, but the figure before her didn’t budge in the least. As though an immovable mountain, he took all of the impact himself.
“Zhang Xuan…”
At this point, she recognized the fellow to be the one whom she had resented all along.
At the moment of the explosion, he rushed to her front to shield her from the impact…
Her eyes reddened slightly.
Even though this fellow spoke words that sounded awful, he was warm-hearted within.
The trio, Zhu Jinhuang, Zhou Xuan, and Yun Tao, declared that they would do everything for her. Yet, at such a crucial period, they simply watched from the side. Instead, it was this foul-mouthed fellow who shielded her.
Hu!
Soon, the dust settled. At this moment, the towering cauldron had already been reduced to pieces after pieces of shattered metal. The coal within spilled onto the floor.
Zhang Xuan was standing right before the cauldron, shielding Mo Yu from the brunt of the explosion. His appearance was unkempt… His clothes were tattered and his face was charred black.
“Are you alright?” Hall Master Feng and the others walked over.
“I’m okay!” Zhang Xuan smiled.
Possessing the Heaven’s Path Golden Body and Heaven’s Path zhenqi, his defensive capability was nowhere beneath that of steel. While the might of the explosion was incredible, he had only sustained superficial wounds.
“It’s good that you’re alright… It’s impossible to forge it, I’ll send someone to Beixu Kingdom to render the service of Apothecary Wang Xing.” Hall Master Feng consoled.
Wang Xing was the guild leader of Beixu Kingdom’s Apothecary Guild and was a 2-star pinnacle apothecary.
Usually, it would be difficult for anyone to employ his services. But Hall Master Feng had some ties with him and furthermore, they were of equal standing, so it wouldn’t be too hard to obtain his assistance.
“There’s no need…”
Zhang Xuan shook his head. Just as he was about to explain the situation, Zhu Jinuang and Zhou Xuan hurried forward to help Mo Yu up. They had concerned looks on their faces.
“Mo Yu xiaojie, are you injured…”
Seeing them rush over, a disappointed expression flashed across Mo Yu’s face. She quickly shook her head.
Zhang Xuan had taken the brunt of the impact from the cauldron explosion for her, so she didn’t sustain any physical injuries. Rather, she was only alarmed by the force of the explosion.
“It’s all this fellow’s fault! What about guiding you to forge pills, he spoke as if he is so incredible. Yet, what happened in the end? Not only did the cauldron explode, Mo Yu xiaojie was almost injured! Are you sure that you can take responsibility if something happens to her?”
“Pill forging isn’t a child’s play, it’s not like one can simply guide another. Do you really take yourself to be a master teacher? Even a master teacher wouldn’t dare to claim that they would be able to guide a 1-star apothecary to forge a grade-2 pill. You should really learn some humility!”
Seeing how their goddess didn’t say anything, the duo felt even more furious. They immediately turned to Zhang Xuan and began to criticize him.
“Shut up!”
She was already disappointed by the actions of the duo. Upon seeing them harping on this issue, she felt her anger escalate. Thus, her complexion darkened and she lashed out at them.
“Mo Yu xiaojie…”
The duo was just trying to speak up for her, so they didn’t expect that they would agitate her further. They were about to explain themselves to their goddess when they saw her walk to Zhang Xuan with an apologetic look. “It’s my fault that the pill forging failed. If it’s possible, I can do it once more. This time, I promise you that my attention will not waver!”
“Don’t worry about it!” Zhang Xuan casually waved.
“Thank you for standing in front of me and shielding me from the impact of the exploding cauldron. I’ve never had a man treat me this way before. I understand your intentions…” Seeing the casual look on the other party, Mo Yu felt even more guilty.
“Cough cough, wait a moment! You’re mistaking something… I wasn’t shielding you from the impact of the exploding cauldron!”
Zhang Xuan shook his head. Stretching out his hand, a few round pills could be seen in his palm, “I was just collecting the freshly forged pills!”
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