Hidden Beast-Link Mark

Within the ancestral hall, two candles burned brightly, their flames swaying. The entire hall seemed all the more sacred.

Ye Jingcheng sat solemnly on a prayer mat and finally removed the jade slip.

"Third Uncle, I've memorized it all!" Ye Jingcheng said, crushing the jade slip in one grip and reducing it to a pile of jade fragments.

Having finished the explanatory jade slip, he was even more deeply shaken. The strength and wondrousness of the Beast-Link Mark far exceeded what he had imagined.

For instance, in battle, spirit beasts could provide spiritual power to cultivators, or cultivators could provide spiritual power to spirit beasts...

"Drip a drop of your blood essence onto this jade disk. This is the family jade disk; it can form a layer of taboo within your mind, preventing other cultivators from soul-searching you!" Ye Xingliu produced the family jade disk.

Of course, Ye Jingcheng understood that there was another meaning behind those words.

If someone forcibly searched his soul, it would automatically explode.

Body and soul would both be destroyed.

This was also a trait shared by all family jade books and jade disks, as well as sect jade books and jade disks.

The family jade disk was not large. It was oval-shaped and made entirely of mutton-fat jade, exceptionally white and flawless. Yet countless spirit patterns rippled across its surface like waves of spiritual energy, a most wondrous sight.

Ye Jingcheng also drew out a drop of blood essence and let it fall into the jade disk.

As the blood essence landed, ripples spread across the jade disk like those on a lake's surface.

The next moment, an additional spirit pattern appeared within the jade disk.

The instant this spirit pattern formed, Ye Jingcheng felt an inexplicable change arise in his mind.

"All right, Jingcheng. In the future, the family will first look upon the beast mark before recognizing one as part of the inner family. Do not discuss major family matters with outsiders. Should a suitable spirit beast appear in the future, you too will be qualified to compete for inheritance. Of course, our Ye Family also follows the choice of the spirit beast..." After speaking, Ye Xingliu explained several more taboos to Ye Jingcheng.

As well as some of the family's rules.

"Also, while you cannot hide your Beast-Link Mark, do not leave the family's mountain peaks. Wait until you have stabilized it before going to the market district!" Ye Xingliu added before leaving.

Ye Jingcheng nodded. As he left the ancestral hall, he could not help turning back for one more look, only to see that sandalwood incense had somehow begun burning again.

Green smoke curled upward toward the heavens, gathering into an even vaster hazy mist like rain.

Within the ancestral hall, Ye Haicheng had also appeared at some unknown time.

Holding a small tower in his hand, he spoke to Ye Xingliu.

"Strange. Today, the Beast-Link Tower consumed four times as much as an ordinary cultivator would!"

"It is indeed strange. Still, Jingcheng's talent is quite good. He condensed five cun and two fen!" Condensing a single cun of spirit pattern in a Beast-Link Mark only meant one possessed the potential to link with beasts.

Even having three one-cun spirit patterns was the same.

Only when three one-cun patterns gathered and condensed into a three-cun spirit pattern could one be considered truly initiated, allowing one to connect with spirit beasts without obstruction.

Most Ye Family cultivators were like this.

And if one could form three three-cun spirit patterns, they would be considered a rather exceptional genius in the Ye Family.

Ye Jingcheng had a five-cun Beast-Link Mark, with two additional one-cun marks left over. Naturally, he deserved Ye Xingliu's assessment of "quite good."

"Moreover, he may truly be able to bring our Ye Family a surprise!" Ye Xingliu added thoughtfully.

Ye Haicheng nodded as well. He was greatly satisfied with Ye Jingcheng. Ye Jingcheng also carried secrets, but there was no need for the Ye Family to investigate them. After all, the Ye Family itself was a family with secrets. If they pried into everything, the family's cohesion would instead scatter away.

He then asked about something else.

"How is the Bloodheart Pill testing going?"

"We ground some into powder and tested it on plain rats, but there are no results yet. Although we encountered Rogue Cultivators over this batch of Bloodheart Pills, things still went somewhat smoothly—almost too deliberately so. As Eldest Brother said, the possibility of a problem remains high, though the medicinal efficacy is there as well!" Ye Xingliu replied.

"Determine the results as soon as possible!" Ye Haicheng nodded.

The ancestral hall soon fell silent.

Back in his small courtyard, Ye Jingcheng looked at the five-cun beast mark on his arm. It remained clear, but the two smaller beast marks showed signs of dissipating. Alarmed, he hurriedly followed the instructions in the jade slip.

He sat cross-legged and fed them spiritual energy to nurture them.

From the jade slip, he understood clearly that the Beast-Link Mark concerned the speed at which he could cultivate Beast-Linking in the future, as well as use Spirit Borrowing and the beast body.

Naturally, he did not dare delay. If the two smaller marks vanished, it would be a tremendous loss.

Yet the next moment, he suddenly discovered that aside from the Beast-Link Mark on his arm, the wondrous ancient book also bore a Beast-Link Mark fully seven cun long. Ye Jingcheng froze at the sight!

Within that mysterious tower, the ancient book had evidently absorbed Beast-Link Marks as well.

But in the next instant, Ye Jingcheng became somewhat hesitant. He did not know whether he could control the Beast-Link Mark on the ancient book.

So he began nurturing it bit by bit with spiritual energy.

If it could be nurtured, it could be used. It was itself a wondrous medium of heaven and earth.

As he fed it spiritual energy, the Beast-Link Mark indeed brightened slightly.

"There's hope!" Ye Jingcheng was instantly overjoyed.

In other words, his Beast-Link Marks actually consisted of one seven-cun mark, one five-cun mark, and two one-cun marks.

He had also seen Ye Xingliu's Beast-Link Mark. It was only five cun long. This meant his talent surpassed even five cun, though he had relied on the ancient book.

But the benefits he could gain in the future were real and tangible.

Delighted by the Beast-Link Mark, Ye Jingcheng became even more diligent in his cultivation. He had always been someone who could endure solitude, and despite having four spirit roots, he had stubbornly held himself to strict standards.

Now that his talent and circumstances had improved, diligence remained his greatest weapon.

The days that followed grew even more uneventful for Ye Jingcheng.

Three hours refining pills, three hours nurturing the beast mark, two hours practicing coordinated attacks with the Crimson Flame Fox to improve their combat strength, then the remaining four hours spent cultivating.

Every day was full and fulfilling.

Until twenty days later, when Ye Jingcheng awoke from cultivation.

At this moment, the Parting Fire Art had advanced a little further, and his spiritual energy had grown stronger. If he used the Ironwood Plaque now, he was confident he could deploy it faster.

More importantly, the beast mark on his hand could now be freely controlled, hidden beneath the skin or concealed within his body.

The Crimson Flame Fox also seemed more willing to stay close to his left hand. From time to time, it let out soft cries. Its crimson body had now grown over three feet tall and more than four feet long, while its enormous tail had become even bushier.

"You'll be ready once you advance to the late first rank!" Ye Jingcheng said as he looked at the Crimson Flame Fox.

The Beast-Link Mark's boost to a cultivator's cultivation naturally worked to a certain extent—the greater the gap, the faster the increase.

Ye Jingcheng was at the fifth level of Qi Refinement. Once the Crimson Flame Fox advanced to the late first rank, it would better help him break through to late-stage Qi Refinement as well.

After that, Ye Jingcheng continued following his usual routine, preparing food for his two spirit beasts. The Crimson Flame Fox still received the larger share, while the Jade Ring Rat got the smaller one.

The Crimson Flame Fox had to break through to the late first rank as soon as possible. As for the Jade Ring Rat, it did not matter much—at critical moments, it only needed to foresee danger.