"Otherwise... otherwise, although your body is indeed nimble, that alone couldn't possibly be enough. You must have practiced some kind of body-tempering technique, and a rather extraordinary one at that. You can't hide that from this old man!" Miao Tian continued, shaking his head.
Sanbao hadn't expected the other man's eyes to be so sharp despite their small size. He'd spotted the telltale signs at a glance.
"If Elder Lei insists on saying that, there's nothing I can do. I really am naturally nimble, and I've never practiced any body-tempering technique," Sanbao said. Of course, he wouldn't admit to anything and invite trouble.
"I see. You're young, little brother, but you're no stranger to scheming. Don't worry, this old man isn't coveting anything. I only want to exchange pointers with you. What do you say..."
As he spoke, Miao Tian rose to his feet and lightly stamped the ground. A footprint several inches deep appeared in the bluestone floor, leaving Sanbao staring in astonishment.
The other man clearly hadn't used his full strength. He'd only stamped lightly, yet the result was already so impressive. It was obvious he was also a cultivator who practiced a body-tempering Spirit Skill. Unlike Sanbao, who followed the path of agility, the other man seemed to specialize in strength.
Once mastered, body-tempering Spirit Skills like this one—similar to the Iron Shirt technique—made the entire body as strong as vajra, impossible to overcome by force. Only then did Sanbao understand why the other man had seen through his secret at a glance. It turned out he was a body-tempering cultivator too.
"Elder Tian is truly formidable. I wouldn't dare show off in front of you!" Seeing the other man's extraordinary skill and knowing he was far stronger than himself, Sanbao wouldn't dream of teaching his grandmother to suck eggs.
"Don't be so modest, little brother. Your body-tempering method is no weaker than mine. If you're willing to exchange pointers, I'll make it well worth your while..."
Sanbao didn't want to expose the secret of the Nine-Turn Golden Body and was just about to refuse when Miao Tian suddenly asked in a mysterious tone, "I wonder if you're interested in a Life-Bound Beast? I have an unparalleled secret art here."
A Life-Bound Beast was also called a Contract Beast. It was said that certain secret arts could allow humans to communicate telepathically with Spirit Beasts and form a soul contract with them, making the human their master. Once the contract was established, an extremely close spiritual bond would form between human and beast. The Spirit Beast would follow its master for life, becoming a powerful ally at their side.
The restrictions of a soul contract were brutally harsh. If the master died, the Contract Beast would surely perish; if the Contract Beast died, the master would also suffer severe injuries to their vitality.
Having a powerful Contract Beast fight alongside them was the dream of nearly every Spirit Cultivator. But dreams were beautiful, while reality was cruel.
Communicating telepathically with a Spirit Beast was already incredibly difficult, and forming a contract with one was harder still.
After all, no Spirit Beast would willingly bind its life to a human for no reason. This was especially true of intelligent Spirit Beasts. Those with little intelligence were easier to tame, but communicating with them was extremely difficult, let alone forming a soul contract. Besides, low-ranked beasts weren't much help to their masters.
When Miao Tian told him about the secret art for communicating with a Life-Bound Beast, Sanbao was secretly astonished. The world was vast, and it was full of remarkable people. Even the Luo Clan of Deer Mountain, who had inherited the Purple-Eyed Sky Roc, didn't possess a secret art like this. He couldn't believe he'd stumbled across one.
Having such a secret art was naturally a good thing. If one day fortune smiled on him and he managed to form a soul contract with a Holy Beast like the Seven-Colored Deer, he could roam the whole world without fear.
What did the Cloud Saint Sect or the Hundred Leaf Sect amount to? They were nothing but clouds.
Remembering how the Seven-Colored Deer had casually slapped a Spirit Emperor powerhouse to death that night, Sanbao felt his blood surge.
At the thought, Sanbao was delighted, but his expression remained unchanged. He only said blandly, "So what if you have a secret art? Contract Beasts are exceedingly rare. They're not something ordinary people like us can hope to possess."
"Ah, little brother, you're mistaken. The secret art I have was passed down from ancient times. If you find a suitable Spirit Beast, the chances of successfully forming a soul contract are over forty percent."
Miao Tian saw that Sanbao wasn't moved and felt a little disappointed, but he still did his best to sell it.
"Forty percent? That can't be right. This is a life contract. Even the most heaven-defying secret art couldn't possibly have a success rate above ten percent. I don't believe it." Sanbao smiled, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"It's absolutely over forty percent. If I'm lying, I'm a puppy!" Miao Tian grew anxious when he saw Sanbao didn't believe him, and even called himself a puppy.
This showed just how obsessed he was with the Nine-Turn Golden Body.
"All right. If the success rate is really that high, Elder Miao must have a powerful Contract Beast of his own. Could you let me see it?" Sanbao grew even more pleased, though he gave nothing away.
"Well, I haven't met a suitable one yet! You probably don't know that you can't form a soul contract just whenever you like. A person can do it at most three times in their lifetime. And after the third contract, the Contract Beast and its master live and die together. In other words, if you don't want to risk your life, you really only get two chances. Of course I can't waste them carelessly."
Miao Tian's old face reddened as he stammered.
After a long bout of back-and-forth, the two finally reached an agreement. Sanbao traded a small portion of the Nine-Turn Golden Body's formula for the ancient secret art Miao Tian had mentioned—the Ancient Beast Seal.
"Little Luo, you've really gotten the better end of the deal this time. Apart from me, you're the only person in the world who knows this secret art."
"Elder Miao, you've gained even more. If I cultivate my body-tempering method to its utmost, they say I'll be able to soar ten thousand miles in an instant."
Once the exchange was done, both of them were delighted, each thinking he'd come away with the better bargain.
That night, however, after each studied the formula he'd received, both realized they'd been swindled.
The Nine-Turn Golden Body was a supreme body-tempering technique tailored by the Luo Clan's ancestors for their bloodline. Its effects on anyone outside the Luo Clan were uncertain, and cultivating it would be extremely difficult to begin with. Besides, Sanbao had only shared a few superficial details.
As for the supposedly unparalleled secret art Miao Tian had given him—the Ancient Beast Seal—Sanbao could only laugh helplessly after reading it.
If one could find a suitable Spirit Beast, the secret art really might have a success rate of over forty percent. The trouble was, finding a Spirit Beast that met the requirements was nearly impossible.
Ordinarily, there weren't many restrictions on choosing a Contract Beast. Any Spirit Beast that could increase its master's combat strength would do.
But the Spirit Beasts selected by this so-called unparalleled secret art, the Ancient Beast Seal, had extremely strict requirements. They had to be ancient beasts, or their descendants.
What was an ancient beast?
The method explained that it referred to the four great Divine Beasts of ancient times: the Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Black Tortoise, and Vermilion Bird.
Putting aside how rare such Divine Beasts were, even if someone actually encountered one, how many people could subdue it and force it into a soul contract?
Even their descendants were scarce, and their natural talents were astonishing. Ordinary Spirit Cultivators had little chance of ever laying eyes on them.
"Useless, utterly useless. I got swindled, swindled! Miao Tian looks harmless, but he's an old fox..."
After committing the Ancient Beast Seal to memory, Sanbao quickly put the matter aside. Contract Beasts really were elusive things. Quietly focusing on cultivation was the true path.
Sanbao had no idea that, at that very moment, in the Training Room of the neighboring pavilion, Elder Miao was saying much the same thing:
"That little fox looks so young, but he's surprisingly slippery. Looks like I'll have to put in a little more effort..."
Several days later, inside a side hall of the Fire Hall in Lei Mansion, Lei Fang explained something to Sanbao. After about the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the two of them came out one after the other.
"Elder Luo, that's roughly the situation. From now on, this side hall is yours to use. If you need anything, just come to me!"
"Thank you, Young Miss. But until I reach Spirit Commander, I'll probably focus mainly on cultivation. After all, that's the most basic requirement for making progress in artifact refining. Once I reach Spirit Commander, I'll naturally do my utmost to serve the Lei Family."
"No problem. We have great confidence in you."
Sanbao didn't actually have high hopes for artifact refining. Improving his cultivation was the top priority. But what the Lei Family valued was his talent for artifact refining, so he didn't dare neglect it too much. He had to at least keep up appearances; otherwise, he'd seem like a fraud.
After the two chatted for a while, Sanbao returned to the Elder Pavilion. As soon as he reached the building, a stunning woman with a curvaceous figure blocked the entrance. Who else could it be but Lei Yun?
"Oh? Isn't this Second Miss Lei? You're certainly keeping your word. It's only been a few days, and you've already brought the Spirit Pills you wagered?" Sanbao deliberately teased her.
Lei Yun's face flushed, but she quickly composed herself. She took out a jade bottle and held it in her hand before saying, "That's right. I really did come to deliver the wager. But today, I want to make another bet. If you win again, all of this is yours. But what will you do if you lose?"
"Me? If I lose, we'll call it even. What else?" Sanbao secretly groaned. Lei Yun had clearly come prepared this time, and her aura was stronger than before. She must have something backing her confidence.
"Hmph, that won't do. If you lose, I want you to shout three times to the sky, 'You lost! You're a puppy!' Will you agree?" Lei Yun broke into a smile as she spoke, as if victory were already hers.
Sanbao was confident in his own skills. Even if he couldn't beat her, he could still retreat with ease. And with the jade bottle in Lei Yun's hand looking so tempting, he steeled himself and agreed.
Before you continue