Ch. 861Cultivation and the First Trial
Chapter Summary: Cultivation and the First Trial
1. Key Plot Points & Events
- Secret Alliance: Yue Yang and Poison Bee Queen communicate via secret transmission and Heaven Realm rune formations for ~10 minutes, reaching a cooperation agreement. Poison Bee Queen departs but notices Dragon Horse and Lianzhou hiding nearby.
- Vulture's Fate: Death Mantis kills the paralyzed vulture, using it as energy nourishment.
- Journey to Middle Region: Yue Yang and Death Mantis pass through the waterfall toward Beast Valley's middle region, with Dragon Horse and Lianzhou secretly following.
- Worldbuilding – Beast Valley's Structure: Five major regions; two main political powers (three great leaders of the resident population ~1,000 people, and five Beast Kings commanding ~3,000 Magic Beasts). Beast Kings: Lion King (strongest, ferocious beasts), Eagle King (weakest, avian beasts), Man-Faced Tiger (aquatic), Toad King (reptiles), Poison Bee Queen (insects). The rear region's Bloodflower Forest contains the clearance teleportation gate and Wisdom Fruits, guarded by the Two-Headed Black Dragon.
- Python Hunt: A Level Two Heaven Rank venomous python ambushes them; Death Mantis kills it instantly with "Cross Blood Rose," a technique evolved from Lianzhou's Lightning Cross Kill.
- Three Days of Training: Death Mantis actively hunts, training improved versions of techniques stolen from various masters (White Deer, Lianzhou, Red-Eyed Demon, Toad King), plus a mysterious throwing technique from Yue Yang she has yet to use.
- Arrival at Spirit Beast Hall: The true first trial location for battle beasts. The test: a battle beast must enter alone and retrieve its identity plaque, with no help from its master.
2. Character Developments
- Yue Yang: Demonstrates strategic acumen, forming alliances with former enemies; acts as a patient but exacting mentor, refining others' techniques to new heights. Expresses dissatisfaction with Death Mantis's Blood Rose (lacking spatial cleaves and cross rune formations) but chooses gentle encouragement over scolding.
- Death Mantis: Fully reborn in human form after becoming a Sacred Beast, now with rainbow multicolored light wings. The vulture's energy accelerates her cultivation. She is diligent, eager to please, and has mastered many improved combat techniques, though her ultimate move remains unrevealed.
- Dragon Horse & Lianzhou: Risk everything to continue following Yue Yang for the faint hope of freedom, fully aware they might become nourishment instead. Their shared resolve creates a fragile bond of mutual support.
- Poison Bee Queen: Pragmatic, willing to negotiate and cooperate rather than fight, yet aware of her power relative to others.
3. Significant Themes
- Freedom as Ultimate Motivation: Dragon Horse and Lianzhou gamble everything on a sliver of hope for freedom rather than settling for safe captivity.
- Mentorship and Growth: Yue Yang elevates ordinary techniques into extraordinary ones; the gap between his standards and others' achievements highlights potential for growth.
- Alliances of Convenience: Former adversaries can cooperate when interests align (Poison Bee Queen and Yue Yang).
- Calm Before the Storm: The three days of quiet foreshadow an impending conflict.
- The Unbridgeable Gap in Trials: Even knowing what the trial requires doesn't make it achievable—a meditation on the difference between knowledge and ability.
4. Character Interactions
- Yue Yang ↔ Poison Bee Queen: Secret negotiation forming a cooperation pact; mutual respect between strategic equals.
- Yue Yang ↔ Death Mantis: Warm master-pupil dynamic; he rewards her effort with gentle head-patting, she responds with affectionate, Grey Wolf-influenced displays of devotion.
- Dragon Horse ↔ Lianzhou: Companions in fear, sharing courage to endure the dangerous pursuit together.
- Poison Bee Queen → Dragon Horse & Lianzhou: A glance that nearly stops their hearts—showing the power differential and their vulnerability.
- Death Mantis → Lianzhou (indirect): His Lightning Cross Kill was transformed into her Blood Rose, provoking his despair at the gap in talent between them.