Heavenly Beast

Dragon Mountain Daoist accepted the Ice Silkworm Strength and quickly read through it once, admiration appearing in his eyes.

"The senior who created this Ice Silkworm Strength was indeed a peerless genius. Unfortunately, there are only the first three layers. Otherwise, it would still be half a step better than the Layered Strength Arts you cultivate."

Hearing Dragon Mountain Daoist's assessment, Ye Qinghe could not help but be startled. Only then did she realize that she had still underestimated this Ice Silkworm Strength.

She could not help feeling somewhat regretful.

However, Dragon Mountain Daoist did not linger over the Ice Silkworm Strength. Instead, he brought up another question.

"You said earlier that this White Ape swallowed a Red Fruit. Describe the characteristics of that Red Fruit in detail."

Dragon Mountain Daoist's expression was somewhat grave.

Seeing this, Ye Qinghe did not dare neglect the matter and immediately began describing the Red Fruit's appearance.

"Its color was vivid, its stem dark yellow, and its whole body perfectly round..."

Although she had held the Red Fruit for only a few breaths, Ye Qinghe's memory was good enough for her to recall it in full.

Moreover, that Red Fruit had indeed looked extraordinary.

She could not help asking curiously:

"Master, do you know what strange treasure this Red Fruit is?"

Dragon Mountain Daoist frowned slightly.

"It somewhat resembles the legendary Vermillion Fruit. But Vermillion Fruits can remake one's body and cleanse one's marrow. If what you said is true, and this White Ape ate more than one Vermillion Fruit, then its strength certainly would not be weak. I fear even you might not be its match. It is unlikely that the Red Fruit was the legendary Vermillion Fruit."

"This Red Fruit can enlighten one's intelligence, yet the White Ape's strength is only that of an ordinary wild beast. How strange indeed."

He then shook his head.

"The great world is vast, and nothing is too strange. What kind of strange fruit it is does not matter. Since this little ape obtained it, it is its destined fortune. You two must set your hearts right and must not give rise to improper thoughts."

Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe straightened their expressions and said respectfully, "Thank you, Master, for your guidance."

The True Martial Sect had always been this way. Its disciples upheld justice and righteousness, never committing banditry, evil deeds, or wanton slaughter.

Dragon Mountain Daoist nodded in satisfaction. He was greatly reassured by the character of his Sect's disciples. He beckoned to the White Ape.

The White Ape first glanced nervously at Ning Qi. Upon seeing the encouragement in his eyes, it respectfully walked before Dragon Mountain Daoist, knelt, kowtowed, and repeatedly clasped its hands in salute.

Dragon Mountain Daoist stroked his beard and smiled.

"Truly extraordinary in spirituality."

He solemnly asked, "White Ape, let me ask you this: are you willing to enter my True Martial Sect? You must know that after entering the True Martial Sect, you must not act recklessly or commit wanton violence!"

Dragon Mountain Daoist's voice was deafening and filled with majesty.

The White Ape, however, was overjoyed.

It nodded again and again.

It was only short of blurting out, 'This disciple is willing!'

Seeing that the White Ape had gained their master's approval, Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe exchanged smiles.

Dragon Mountain Daoist looked over.

"Little Nine, since the White Ape was brought back by you, let it live with you from now on. That way, you can look after each other."

His thoughts were much the same as Ye Qinghe's. Having such a spiritually aware White Ape accompany his youngest disciple was better than letting him cultivate alone every day.

"This disciple accepts the order."

"Since the little monkey has also entered our True Martial Sect, why not give him a name?" Ye Qinghe suggested.

"Very good." Dragon Mountain Daoist nodded. "Since the White Ape wishes to follow Little Nine, Little Nine should name him."

Ning Qi did not refuse.

After pondering for a moment, he looked at the White Ape and said:

"Since you are of the ape race, take Yuan as your surname. You roam the mountains and forests alone, one of a kind, and have encountered many opportunities. You may be called one raised by Heaven and Earth. How about Yuan Tiansheng?"

As soon as the words fell,

Dragon Mountain Daoist and Ye Qinghe were still savoring the meaning behind the name when the White Ape's eyes widened, and it became wildly excited. If the occasion had not been inappropriate, he would have already begun rolling and leaping about. Even so, the way he scratched his ears and cheeks betrayed his feelings.

Clearly, the White Ape was extremely satisfied with the name.

All three smiled.

Ning Qi suddenly said, "I have a question I would like to ask Master."

"During this trip into the mountains with Senior Sister, this disciple encountered many Exotic Beasts. Some strong ones could rival the Inner Yuan Realm, while weaker ones were not even a match for the Bone Refinement Realm. Why is there such a vast difference in their strength? Do they have methods of cultivation?"

Although the Scripture Pavilion also contained records concerning Exotic Beasts, they were not comprehensive.

Dragon Mountain Daoist glanced at the White Ape before saying, "The origins of Exotic Beasts can no longer be verified. There are only legends. It is said that in the earliest days, some beasts happened upon Heaven and Earth's favor. From then on, they could directly use Heaven and Earth Power to temper themselves, and could even wield Heaven and Earth Power. They were called Heavenly Beasts."

"However, the Karma of Heaven and Earth's favor was too great. Bearing it was not so simple. Some unforeseen change seemed to have occurred along the way, and they suffered a backlash. Heavenly Beasts gradually disappeared."

"After that came the age of Exotic Beasts. It is said that all Exotic Beasts possess Heavenly Beast Bloodlines."

"Exotic Beasts are not like us of the Human Race, born with great intelligence. Though their starting point is somewhat higher, they do not possess the gradual, step-by-step cultivation methods of the Human Race. Their path to strength lies in digging out the Heavenly Beast Bloodline within them until they reach the limits of that bloodline."

It was Ning Qi's first time hearing such a claim, and astonishment filled his eyes.

Heavenly Beasts could actually directly wield Heaven and Earth Power to temper themselves. Their starting point was far, far higher than that of the Human Race. After all, the Human Race could only resonate with Heaven and Earth Power upon reaching the Heaven-Human Realm.

"So whether an Exotic Beast is powerful depends entirely on how powerful the bloodline within it is?"

"That is right. Take the Iron Arm Ape you encountered before, for example. Its limit is at most comparable to a Body Tempering Martial Practitioner, unless it also possesses some other ancient bloodline. Yet at Hundred Rivers Lake in Great Flame, there is a Jiao Lord whose bloodline is of the highest order. It has now grown into a force to be reckoned with; even Heavenly Human experts dare not lightly touch its edge."

The White Ape listened as though intoxicated, but he also felt somewhat miserable. He felt that there was probably no powerful bloodline within him. He had merely grown to understand more and more things after eating several Red Fruits.

Dragon Mountain Daoist glanced at the White Ape and said, "However, in principle, humans are not particularly different from other beasts. The reason the Human Race has a path of cultivation is that generation after generation of ancestors experimented and created it. If beasts possess great wisdom, perhaps they too may be able to create cultivation methods suited to beasts."

"It is simply that every kind of beast has a different bodily structure. That makes it very difficult."

The White Ape's eyes immediately lit up, and threads of hope rose within his heart.

Ning Qi understood even more clearly.

It was not that beasts could not cultivate, but that they lacked the corresponding methods.

Beasts were merely a general term. Take the snake race, for example: to create methods suitable for their cultivation, there would need to be snakes born with astonishing intelligence, opening up the Path Forward generation after generation, before they could become like the Human Race.

Yet one only had to think of it to know how difficult that would be. Snakes did not easily develop intelligence to begin with, and they would need great wisdom, as well as the efforts of generation after generation. By the day of success, it might already be a hundred thousand or even a Million Years later.

Ning Qi shook his head slightly inwardly.

"However, apes are close to humans. Though their bodily structures differ, they can still draw upon and adjust Human Race martial arts for reference. The difficulty is much smaller."

"For me, it can also serve as mutual confirmation."

At that thought,

Ning Qi already had an idea. He bowed and said, "Thank you, Master, for resolving this disciple's doubts."

He felt that he still needed to grow. No matter how strong his Comprehension was, some knowledge and experience still needed to be accumulated continuously.