Nine Nether Mastiff!

[Ding! Congratulations, host! You have obtained a Nine Nether Mastiff cub!]

[The reward has been delivered to System Space. The host may inspect it at any time.]

An image of a small, pitch-black beast resembling both a wolf and a dog appeared on the great prize wheel, accompanied by a system notification.

"A Nine Nether Mastiff cub?"

Lu Changsheng paused at the notification, delight spreading across his face.

Although it was not the cultivation method he wanted most.

He still thought a Spirit Pet was an excellent reward.

After all, anyone who had played games in his previous life knew how important it was to have a good "pet."

This cultivation world was much the same.

If he had a good spirit companion growing alongside him, it could provide considerable help, whether in combat or other areas.

He had never heard the name "Nine Nether Mastiff" before and had no idea what grade of Demon Beast it was.

But after his previous three draws, Lu Changsheng had developed a certain amount of trust in the system.

He knew that things produced by the system might be useless to him, but they would never be trash.

With a slight shift of his thoughts, Lu Changsheng looked at the Nine Nether Mastiff in System Space, and its information immediately appeared.

[Spirit companion: Nine Nether Mastiff]

[Grade: Mid-grade heaven-tier]

[Description: An ancient exotic ferocious beast with a mid-grade heaven-tier bloodline and a trace of the bloodline of the primordial true spirit, the Nine Nether Ao. It can reach its peak in five hundred years, becoming a fourth-tier Demon Beast.]

"A mid-grade heaven-tier bloodline, and even a trace of a primordial true spirit's bloodline!"

"As long as it reaches its peak, it can become a fourth-tier Demon Beast!"

Upon reading the Nine Nether Mastiff's information, Lu Changsheng sucked in a sharp breath, overwhelmed with surprise and delight.

In the cultivation world, many races existed besides humans.

Feathered, furred, scaled, insect, plant, and so on-all birds, beasts, insects, and plants capable of cultivating and improving were collectively called demons.

However, most demons were unenlightened and possessed little intelligence, so they were also called Demon Beasts.

The classification of Demon Beasts' strength was very straightforward.

From lowest to highest, they were first tier, second tier, third tier, fourth tier, fifth tier...

These corresponded to human cultivators' Chain Qi Stage, Foundation Establishment Realm, Core Formation realm, Nascent Soul Realm, and Spirit Transformation realm.

Unlike Demon Beasts, humans possessed Spiritual Roots and grew stronger by practicing cultivation methods.

Demon Beasts cultivated and grew stronger through the bloodline inheritances within their bodies.

The higher their bloodline grade, the greater their potential.

As far as Lu Changsheng knew, Demon Beast bloodlines were classified as low-tier, mid-tier, high-tier, earth-tier, and Heaven-Tier Bloodline.

And beyond those were the legendary true spirit bloodlines!

Low-tier bloodlines were also called mixed-tier bloodlines.

Without a fortuitous opportunity that purified or mutated their bloodline, Demon Beasts with such bloodlines could never advance to the second tier in their entire lives.

Those with mid-tier bloodlines became first-tier Demon Beasts when fully grown, but had a chance of reaching the second tier.

Demon Beasts with high-tier bloodlines were usually second-tier at their peak, with a chance of reaching the third tier.

Those with earth-tier bloodlines were second-tier upon maturity and had a strong chance of becoming third-tier when they reached their peak.

As for heaven-tier Demon Beasts, they were third-tier upon maturity and could potentially reach the fourth tier at their peak.

The Nine Nether Mastiff Lu Changsheng had obtained not only possessed a mid-grade heaven-tier bloodline, but also a trace of a primordial true spirit's bloodline.

Thus, in five hundred years, it could smoothly reach its peak and become a fourth-tier Demon Beast.

That was equivalent to a human cultivator in the Nascent Soul Realm!

"A fourth-tier Demon Beast is on par with a human Nascent Soul True Lord!"

"According to what I read in the Lu Family Library, the Nascent Soul Realm is the ceiling of the Jiang Kingdom's cultivation world."

"Only the Heavenly Sword Sect has a Nascent Soul True Lord presiding over it. Even the Azure Cloud Sect, where I took the entrance assessment, has no Nascent Soul True Lord!"

"If the Nine Nether Mastiff grows into a fourth-tier Demon Beast, I could walk sideways through the Jiang Kingdom's cultivation world, with no one daring to stop me."

Lu Changsheng was brimming with excitement.

The strongest power in the Jiang Kingdom's cultivation world was the Heavenly Sword Sect.

A Nascent Soul True Lord presided over the sect.

Below it were the three great immortal sects: the Azure Cloud Sect, the Sunset Glow Sect, and the Spirit-Taming Sect.

Although these three great immortal sects had no Nascent Soul True Lord presiding over them, each had several Core Formation True Persons and exceptionally deep foundations.

Below the three great immortal sects were eight powers-the Two Sects, Three Cities, Three Aristocratic Clan.

Each of these eight powers had a Core Formation True Person presiding over it, making them top powers in the Jiang Kingdom's cultivation world.

As for cultivation lineages like the Lu Lineage of Green Bamboo Mountain, which only had Foundation Establishment cultivators presiding over them, there were far too many to record in a book.

Moreover, the book Lu Changsheng had read was nearly a hundred years old.

By now, the information recorded within it had probably changed considerably.

A moment later, however, Lu Changsheng shook his head.

"Even at the peak of the Chain Qi Stage, you can only live a hundred years. Breaking through to the Foundation Establishment Realm only adds another hundred, letting you live a little over two hundred years."

"Only Core Formation True Persons can have a lifespan of five hundred years!"

"So, if I can't break through to the Nascent Soul Realm and become a Nascent Soul True Lord myself, the Nine Nether Mastiff reaching the fourth tier won't mean much to me."

Demon Beasts generally lived several times longer than humans.

For a Demon Beast, the Nine Nether Mastiff reaching the fourth tier in five hundred years was already remarkably fast.

But for humans, that was rather a long time.

After all, even Core Formation True Persons only lived a little over five hundred years.

Even with miraculous longevity pills and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, they could only extend that by a few decades or a hundred years at most. There was ultimately a limit.

Only by breaking through to the Nascent Soul Realm could one live for over a thousand years.

"If it reaches its peak in five hundred years, reaching maturity in two or three hundred shouldn't be a problem."

"At maturity, it should be a third-tier Demon Beast equivalent to the Core Formation realm, so reaching the second tier in around a hundred years shouldn't be a problem either."

"Looking at it that way, it seems pretty good."

"Besides, the cultivation world has methods for Beast Taming and controlling beasts, including plenty of rearing techniques that can accelerate a Demon Beast's growth."

Lu Changsheng licked his lips as these thoughts ran through his mind.

A Demon Beast's growth could be divided into four stages: infancy, growth, maturity, and peak.

The Nine Nether Mastiff cub he had won in the draw was naturally still in its infancy.

But among the hundred cultivation crafts he knew of, there was one called Beast Taming.

It involved taming Demon Beasts

and raising them as spirit beasts for cultivators to use.

Naturally, the pet Lu Changsheng had drawn from the system required no taming. It was absolutely loyal to him.

But these Beast Taming methods included quite a few rearing techniques that could help spirit beasts grow quickly.

As far as Lu Changsheng knew, the Spirit-Taming Sect, one of the three great immortal sects, was renowned for raising spirit beasts. Every disciple tamed and commanded a spirit companion.

"There's no rush for now. If I get the chance later, I can see whether I can obtain a method for raising spirit beasts. For now, I'll just raise it normally."

"Still, it isn't convenient for me to take this Nine Nether Mastiff out of System Space right now."

"If someone saw me produce a Demon Beast cub out of thin air, I wouldn't be able to explain it."

"As it happens, I'll be heading to the mortal world in a while. I can take it out when I return and tell everyone I bought it to guard the house and keep the children company."

After a little thought, Lu Changsheng did not take the cub out of System Space, leaving it inside instead.

Leaving system rewards in System Space without taking them out had no effect on them whatsoever.

But once he took them out, he would have no way to put them back in.

PS: Thank you to "Book Friend 20180320084218622" for the 5,000-coin tip. I felt a profound sense of appreciation and recognition.

Thanks also to "Chubby Head" for the 500-coin tip and "Book Friend 20200911024200054" for the 100-coin tip.