Spirit Beast Pavilion

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Chapter 32: Spirit Beast Pavilion

After formation class ended, Xu Lingling suddenly wilted. "I'm so jealous of you two. I want to go to Fallen Dragon Prefecture too."

Xu Ziqing glanced at her best friend. "Hasn't your father taken you to Fallen Dragon Prefecture a few times?"

"That's different," Xu Lingling muttered.

Her trips to Fallen Dragon Prefecture had been purely for sightseeing and fun, whereas Xu Ziqing and Chen Beiwu were going there to contract companion beasts. The two simply couldn't compare.

"Don't worry. You'll catch up with us soon," Chen Beiwu reassured her.

"How do you know? Can you tell fortunes, Chen Beiwu?" Xu Lingling perked up.

"I can't tell fortunes." Chen Beiwu shook his head. "But I have faith in your father's abilities."

Even a few resources slipping through a Golden Core True Person's fingers could benefit a Foundation Establishment cultivator immensely, let alone a mortal cultivator at Qi Refining.

If her father wished it, Chen Beiwu wouldn't be surprised even if Xu Lingling advanced from the fifth layer to the seventh layer of Qi Refining within a month.

Xu Lingling choked on her words. For a moment, she had no idea what to say, and she slumped dejectedly over her desk.

She had considered swallowing pills to advance, but the old man at home wouldn't allow it. He insisted that she practice the Nurturing Yang Method to improve the purity of her spiritual root.

"Has the homeroom teacher notified you?" Xu Ziqing asked with a gentle smile.

"Yes. We're gathering on the school field at seven tomorrow morning. The dean will lead us there." Chen Beiwu waved, then rose and left under the two girls' gazes.

Early the next morning, Chen Beiwu got up and headed to Shouhe No. 2 Middle School.

As he approached the school field, he spotted eight young men and women standing near the lawn, clustered into two small groups as they chatted.

They were all students at the same school, so naturally, Chen Beiwu knew its prominent figures.

The handsome boy leading one group was Lin Yi, a nineteen-year-old fifth-year senior at the seventh layer of Qi Refining. He possessed a wood true spiritual root and was the son of the school's dean.

The lively girl leading the other group was Sun Yajing, a nineteen-year-old fifth-year senior at the seventh layer of Qi Refining. She possessed a fire true spiritual root and was one of the school's only two ranked artifact smiths among the students. She could be considered Xu Ziqing's senior in the craft.

Noticing someone approaching, several girls who had been chatting happily immediately looked toward Chen Beiwu.

"Qingqing, your dear classmate is here." Sun Yajing nudged Xu Ziqing, her tone teasing. "Aren't you going to introduce him?"

Under the gazes of several older schoolgirls, Chen Beiwu remained composed and offered a polite greeting.

"No introduction needed. He reached the seventh layer of Qi Refining at just sixteen. Who at Shouhe No. 2 Middle School hasn't heard our junior Chen Beiwu's name?" Lin Yi gave a gentlemanly smile, then turned toward the classroom building.

"Is everyone here?" A middle-aged cultivator with the bearing of an immortal sage walked over.

"Dean Lin, everyone's here," Lin Yi said.

"Good." Dean Lin nodded in satisfaction. With a slight stir of his will, he took an exquisite, jade-like flying shuttle spirit artifact from his storage ring.

"Rise!"

As Dean Lin released his magical power to activate it, the flying shuttle rapidly expanded. In the blink of an eye, it transformed into an imposing silver-white shuttle roughly fifty feet long.

"You may all board now." With that, Dean Lin was the first to step onto the shuttle.

Following Xu Ziqing, Chen Beiwu stepped aboard without hesitation, making no attempt to hide his curiosity.

Xu Ziqing leaned closer. "Do you really like flying shuttle spirit artifacts?"

"Yes." Chen Beiwu nodded.

Xu Ziqing's eyes shifted as she feigned indifference. "We have a few flying shuttle magical artifacts at home. If you have time, we could take one to Still Abyss Lake for a spring outing."

"No need, thanks." Chen Beiwu declined with a smile.

"Huh?" Xu Ziqing froze.

The Spirit Beast Pavilion was located in Jinyang County, Fallen Dragon Prefecture, occupying an immense stretch of an unnamed immortal mountain wreathed in clouds and mist.

After more than an hour of flight, Chen Beiwu and his group finally reached their destination.

Looking at the islands suspended in the distant sky, like an immortal paradise in the mortal world, Chen Beiwu couldn't help showing a trace of wonder.

"So this is the Spirit Beast Pavilion?"

Just then, a streak of spiritual light descended from the unnamed immortal mountain, transporting the entire shuttle to the nearest inspection station.

"Welcome to the Spirit Beast Pavilion, students. I'm Wei Lian, a deputy steward of the Spirit Beast Pavilion, and I'm responsible for today's inspection." A young cultivator in a long robe stepped forward to greet them.

Soon, after passing a complicated inspection, Chen Beiwu and the others reached the Spirit Beast Pavilion's main hall under Steward Wei's guidance.

"You've taken so many beast-taming classes that you should understand this well: a cultivator's spiritual root aptitude is difficult to change, and you cannot choose it. Companion beasts, however, are different," Dean Lin reminded them solemnly.

"A suitable companion beast is crucial to a cultivator's future cultivation. If you choose correctly, even with an ordinary spiritual root, you can achieve twice the results with half the effort on your cultivation journey. But if you choose poorly, even with a superior spiritual root, you'll be severing your own Dao path with your own hands."

At this point, Dean Lin swept his gaze over

the students' faces. "So you must be cautious when choosing a companion beast. Try to select a spirit beast with the same attribute as your spiritual root. Do you understand?"

"Yes," everyone answered in unison.

"Good." Dean Lin nodded slightly and turned to Wei Lian. "Sorry for the trouble, Steward Wei. I'll leave the rest to you."

"It's part of my duties." Steward Wei waved a hand, and several streaks of light immediately hovered before Chen Beiwu and the others.

"These jade slips serve as both your identification and your passes. They're valid for half a month.

They can connect to the Spirit Beast Pavilion's artifact spirit, which will answer your questions. If there's anything you don't understand, simply touch the jade slip with your spiritual sense and ask.

You may now explore the Spirit Beast Pavilion freely and contract the spirit beast you desire."

Taking the smooth, warm jade slip, Chen Beiwu looked at Xu Ziqing. "What companion beast are you planning to contract?"

"The Scarlet Flame Fox, Flamefeather Crow, Redtail Sparrow, and Flamefang Tiger are all quite good. I'm going to start testing with the Scarlet Flame Fox and see which second-tier spirit beast suits me best. What about you?" she asked curiously.

"I'm planning to look at the Azure Spirit Newt first, then check out the Darkwater Spirit Turtle and the Azure-Wave Spirit Carp," Chen Beiwu said thoughtfully.

He wasn't particularly satisfied with any of these three second-tier spirit beasts and wanted to interact with them before deciding.

After all, a companion beast would affect his future Dao path. Having a few more choices was safer.

Just then, Lin Yi suddenly walked over with an invitation. "Qingqing, do you want to go to Sulfur Reef Island together?"

"Shouldn't you be going to Greenvine Island?" Xu Ziqing asked, puzzled.

Lin Yi smiled. "Sun Yajing already has a suitable target in mind. I'm planning to tag along and join the fun first. We have half a month to choose, anyway."

Xu Ziqing smiled radiantly. "Sorry, I'm planning to accompany my friend to Blackfall Island first."

Hearing this, Lin Yi turned away in disappointment. Alongside his reluctance to accept it, he felt a measure of understanding and resignation.

Compared with Chen Beiwu, he really did fall considerably short.

Chen Beiwu gave Xu Ziqing a surprised look.

"What, can't I?" Xu Ziqing smiled sweetly. "I want to keep you company while you explore Blackfall Island for a bit."

"Of course you can." Naturally, Chen Beiwu wouldn't spoil her mood.

(End of chapter)