Seeing that the six Golden Vein Cloud Demon Howls had grown so large, Zhao Xihe took an immediate liking to them. As a Beast Cultivator, he possessed a mysterious ability to communicate with beasts. The six creatures gathered around Old Zhao like six endearingly clumsy puppies, licking his hands and tugging at his clothes until he roared with laughter. Old Roughworker had heard about them too, and something suddenly occurred to him. "Little Luo, are Golden Vein Cloud Demon Howls fast?" Luo Qian nodded. Old Roughworker went on, "Now they have Six Wind Father Talismans as well. That's like giving a tiger wings. I'm afraid few people in the Immortal Realm could match your speed."
Zhao Xihe understood what Old Roughworker had in mind. Scratching one Howl's long mane, he asked, "You want them to enter the Heavenly Lake Contest?" Luo Qian had not been in the Immortal Realm long and knew little about such things. "The Heavenly Lake Contest? What's that?"
A Heaven Lake was a pool of clear water atop a mountain peak. There were many throughout the Immortal Realm; nearly every mountain range had a peak or two with one. The most famous, however, was the Heaven Lake on Sky-Reaching Peak in Heavenly Cloud Mountain, one of the Thirty-Six Mountains. Its fame had little to do with the lake itself. The Immortal Emperor had chosen it as the site of the Heavenly Lake Contest.
The Heavenly Lake Contest was a renowned event in the Immortal Realm, divided into two parts: Sky Lake Racing and the Heavenly Lake Military Contest. The race was a War Chariot speed contest that started at the Heaven Lake, circled four great mountains in the Gourd Realm, and returned to the starting point. In the Heavenly Lake Military Contest, two opposing sides challenged