Taming

The black bear watched Lu Xiaotian's movements suspiciously, then used its paw to nudge the wolf demon beast on the ground toward Lu Xiaotian's feet. Drooling again, it turned toward the fragrant roast meat, its fat, sturdy body anxiously circling it back and forth.

With a snort, Lu Xiaotian took down the roasted wild boar meat and tossed it to the black bear, then used his dagger to deal with the two wolf carcasses.

Watching the black bear seize the roast meat he had thrown it and feast heartily nearby, Lu Xiaotian rested his chin on his hand and sank into thought. After a long while, he glanced again at the gluttonous black bear, and his eyes suddenly lit up.

Three days later, one morning, a roasted wild chicken with its aroma wafting everywhere suddenly appeared at a narrow passage beside a cliff. Roughly the time it took to burn an incense stick later, the roasted chicken was carried off by a mountain eagle.

"Damn feathered beast."

Annoyed, Lu Xiaotian discovered an eagle's nest beneath the cliff, with several mountain eagles coming and going from it. He had no choice but to switch to another area with similar terrain and place another piece of roast meat there.

Half an hour later, a snow-white fox demon beast clamped the roast meat in its jaws. Before the black bear, under Lu Xiaotian's command, could block its escape route, Lu Xiaotian saw only a flash of white, and the fox demon beast vanished by the cliff.

A few days later, two wolf demon beasts were slapped to death on the spot by the black bear, which had failed to hold back in time.

This went on repeatedly. Three months later, a lean young man traveled with an enormous black bear and a Leopard that waddled as it walked, looking particularly petite beside the bear. Like the black bear, the Leopard wore an antique silver ring around its neck.

Lu Xiaotian let out a breath. After more than three months, he had finally captured a Spirit Beast of his own. Although this Leopard was only comparable to the Second Layer of Qi Refining, he was still deeply satisfied. Without the black bear's help, he could never have captured a leopard Spirit Beast stronger than himself by relying on his own strength alone.

What disappointed Lu Xiaotian was that, after searching every inch of the area within several miles over the past few months, he had found only one spiritual herb like the previous one. It seemed spiritual objects were quite scarce even within the gorge.

"Lie down!" Having obtained a new Spirit Beast, Lu Xiaotian was immensely excited. Upon returning to his cave dwelling, he began training the leopard Spirit Beast through the hazy night outside.

Yet this Leopard was wild to the bone. It lay before the cave dwelling, lazily lifted its head to glance at Lu Xiaotian, then closed its eyes again and pretended to sleep. It paid no attention whatsoever to this human who looked far weaker than itself.

"If you ignore me, then you'll have a taste of suffering."

Lu Xiaotian's expression turned cold. According to the Beast-Taming Art, there were generally two methods of taming Spirit Beasts. One was to begin training them from infancy. Such young beasts were highly obedient and could carry out a beast master's various commands well.

However, Lu Xiaotian had no young beasts, and their growth cycle was far too long. During their development, they also required additional spiritual objects. He did not even have enough spiritual herbs for his own cultivation, so where could he find the energy to raise a young beast to maturity?

As for the other method in the Beast-Taming Art, it was to subdue demon beasts that had already matured. Since such demon beasts had taken shape, they possessed wild natures that were difficult to tame. Usually, subduing this kind of demon beast required not only risking one's life during the capture, but expending even greater effort afterward to train it.

This leopard Spirit Beast, comparable to the Second Layer of Qi Refining, looked down somewhat on the weak Lu Xiaotian.

A cold smile tugged at Lu Xiaotian's lips. In the Thunder Blade Sect, he had merely been a menial servant. Even though the black-robed elder had brought him into this mysterious gorge and taught him a little cultivation technique, the black-robed elder still treated him as nothing more than a handyman. The black bear was the black-robed elder's Spirit Beast and quite powerful. Could even this Leopard before him now wish to ride over his head? Dream on.

Lu Xiaotian formed a hand seal with both hands and muttered an incantation.

At that moment, the antique silver Spirit Beast Ring around the Leopard's neck burst forth with silver light. Lu Xiaotian felt the vital energy within his body pour into the Spirit Beast Ring like a tide. As the ring radiated light, it began slowly shrinking.

"Awoo!"

The Leopard howled miserably and rolled across the ground. Moments later, cold sweat poured down Lu Xiaotian's forehead. The Leopard was still stronger than he was; if not for the Spirit Beast Ring encircling the vital point of its neck, Lu Xiaotian would have been unable to make it submit at all.

Even so, its eyes still brimmed with an unruly, unyielding defiance.

Though the Leopard rolled about the ground in agony without end, it still showed not the slightest intention of surrendering.

A cold glint flashed through Lu Xiaotian's eyes. Although the Beast-Taming Art stated that taming beasts was a long process, especially for captured adult demon beasts whose wild nature could not be removed in a single day, he had also learned from it that even Spirit Beast Rings came in varying qualities. Inferior rings simply could not withstand a prolonged infusion of spiritual power. After several repeated uses, they might even break. Lu Xiaotian did not know what grade the Spirit Beast Ring given to him by the black-robed elder was, but in just this short time, the silver glow of the antique silver ring had already dimmed by several degrees. It was probably no good item.

Thinking this, Lu Xiaotian gritted his teeth, took out the medicine bottle he carried with him, and swallowed a Qi-Gathering Pill. An immense, pure, harmonious stream of spiritual energy dissolved within his body. Though it was the same as the spiritual energy produced by directly consuming spiritual herbs, the energy from the pill was far greater and much gentler. If the fierce spiritual energy produced by consuming herbs had been of this scale, he likely would not have been able to restrain it at all. It would have rampaged through his body and injured his meridians instead.

After consuming the Qi-Gathering Pill, the pallor on Lu Xiaotian's face, caused by his nearly depleted spiritual power, immediately returned to a healthy flush.

As Lu Xiaotian's hand seals shifted, the spiritual energy produced by the dissolving Qi-Gathering Pill immediately found an outlet and flowed ceaselessly into the Spirit Beast Ring.

The Spirit Beast Ring erupted with an even stronger silver radiance than before and contracted sharply still further.

"Submit, or die!" Half an hour later, Lu Xiaotian looked coldly at the Leopard rolling on the ground, already at death's door.

"Awoo!"

The Leopard howled miserably. Perhaps sensing something after its struggle, it obediently lowered itself on all four paws before Lu Xiaotian.

Lu Xiaotian stopped channeling his spiritual power. By now, more than half the medicinal power of the Qi-Gathering Pill had been consumed, and Lu Xiaotian felt the loss keenly. Fortunately, he had thoroughly subdued this low-grade Spirit Beast. It had cost him no small amount of effort from beginning to end.

Though Lu Xiaotian was mentally exhausted after finally relaxing, he still sat down and refined the small amount of residual medicinal power from the Qi-Gathering Pill within his body.

Above the gorge, the bright moon hung high. Everywhere else, the moonlight was clear and pure as water, but within the gorge, mist filled the air. Before the cave dwelling at the mouth of the gorge, a layer of white moisture had already gathered over Lu Xiaotian's body.

The black bear lay at the cave entrance, snoring soundly. Having suffered several bouts of torment that day, the Leopard lay listlessly several zhang away from the black bear.

Shrouded in mist, the man and two beasts remained there until deep into the night. Only after the final trace of spiritual energy from the pill had been completely refined did Lu Xiaotian open his eyes with lingering reluctance. The path of cultivation truly was long.