The Beast Taming Sect

The southern Great Wilderness Region.

Dozens of mist-shrouded peaks pierced the clouds.

This was where the Beast Taming Sect stood.

Above the peaks, amid the sea of clouds, a black wind swept past. Elder Black Bear carried Lin Jing and Ouyang Hao along with him, arriving at the sect.

Lotus Peak was one of the Beast Taming Sect's Three Great Main Peaks. It resembled a lotus in full bloom, each petal seemingly a work of art painstakingly sculpted by nature.

The black wind swept into a corner of the summit, surrounded by churning clouds. When Lin Jing could see clearly again, he found himself inside a stone courtyard.

The courtyard looked plain and simple, but merely breathing here made him feel as though he stood in an immortal paradise, soothing his heart and mind until he forgot the clamor of the mortal world.

"You're back?"

An old man in black Daoist robes stood in the courtyard. His sparse, snow-white hair was combed back, exposing the weathered wrinkles on his forehead.

He seemed to have been waiting for a long time. Only when they arrived did a glimmer appear in his eyes, which had been like two deep, deathly still pools.

"Master," the Black Bear Monster said.

"Elder Mo," Ouyang Hao greeted respectfully.

Lin Jing imitated his bow with a passable show of propriety.

"This disciple will take his leave."

Before Elder Mo could speak, Ouyang Hao excused himself. The Black Bear Monster tactfully yawned as well, turning into a cloud of black smoke and disappearing somewhere.

Soon, only Lin Jing and Elder Mo remained in the courtyard.

"Child, what is your name?"

Elder Mo looked at Lin Jing and asked.

"In answer to your question, Elder, Lin Jing."

"What do you seek through immortal cultivation?" His fathomless gaze settled on Lin Jing.

Lin Jing sighed.

"At first, I sought immortals to gain longevity and live a little longer. Then I discovered I had a longevity body..."

Elder Mo had no answer to that.

"And now?"

"I don't like fighting and killing. I originally thought it would be enough to cultivate my character, nurture my spirit, comprehend the Dao, and live a long life."

"But now I've discovered that someone with a longevity body apparently can't enjoy much peace. Demon beasts are bound to covet it."

Lin Jing shook his head.

"So I want to cultivate great strength!"

"Mm. Only with strength can you determine your own fate," Elder Mo said. "But once you have that strength, you must also put it to righteous use."

Lin Jing's expression turned solemn.

"I've already thought it through. To repay the sect for saving my life, once my cultivation amounts to something, I'll use myself as bait to lure demon beasts from all over to the Beast Taming Sect. Then every disciple in our sect can have dozens of demon beasts to enslave."

"???" Elder Mo said, "There's absolutely no need. The sect has no shortage of demon beasts."

"Besides, enslaving demon beasts is a path our Beast Taming Sect abandoned long ago."

"What I meant was that since the sect saved you from the Corpse Yin Sect today, once you have strength, you can help others who need it too. Your heart must be set on goodness. You must not fall onto the demonic path in pursuit of power."

"All right."

"Let's get down to business." He did not know whether he was imagining things, but he kept feeling that this boy with the longevity body was not quite normal. He hoped the boy would not cause trouble later.

"In the Beast Taming Sect, disciples are ranked as servant disciples, outer disciples, inner disciples, and true disciples."

"From now on, you will be an Outer Gate Disciple of the Beast Taming Sect. However, because you possess a special constitution, you may receive better training."

"The sect can provide you with resources one rank above your own. As an Outer Gate Disciple, you may enjoy the cultivation resources of an inner disciple... Once you become an inner disciple, you may receive the training resources of a true disciple!"

"However, despite your special constitution, you must still earn your advancement yourself by completing sect missions and contributing to the sect."

The Dao was not imparted lightly. Although a longevity body was rare and held extraordinary promise, whether Lin Jing could receive the sect's true teachings would still depend on observing his character and devotion to the Dao over time.

When Elder Mo finished, Lin Jing nodded.

"I understand. Thank you, Elder."

"Good."

"I hope you will work hard at your cultivation and not disappoint the sect's efforts to nurture you."

Then he continued, "Do you know the different kinds of beasts?"

"The different kinds of beasts?" Lin Jing shook his head. "No..."

"There are four kinds of beasts in this world." Elder Mo looked up at the sky. "Spirit, demon, rare, and immortal!"

"Those that absorb the essence of the sun, moon, and vegetation, eating spirit fruits and spirit plants to develop intelligence and increase their cultivation, are spirit beasts."

"Those that feed on flesh and blood, or devour people and consume souls, are demon beasts."

"The Beast Taming Sect raises both spirit beasts and demon beasts."

"For disciples joining the Beast Taming Sect, the sect normally provides a spirit beast with modest cultivation to become their bonded beast."

"Ouyang Hao should have told you about this, yes?"

"No. Elder Black Bear's wind was too fast. We vomited and passed out on the way..." Lin Jing paused briefly, then asked, "Elder Mo, what about rare and immortal beasts?"

Elder Mo said, "You've seen the starry sky, haven't you?"

"Besides the sun and moon, the sky contains countless strange stars."

"Legend has it that these strange stars formed from fallen immortals of the Immortal Realm."

"They sometimes shine, and when their light reaches the Heavenly Origin Continent and falls upon wild beasts or plants, there is a chance it will cause them to mutate!"

"Whether a spirit beast or a demon beast, once it mutates under this strange light, it gains a miraculous power. This divine ability grants it an innate racial talent that sets it apart from ordinary spirit beasts and demon beasts."

"Perhaps it might master divine abilities of space or time while still in the Qi Refinement Realm;

or it might regenerate from a drop of blood, undying and indestructible;

or it might enter and leave the netherworld, slipping beyond the five elements."

"Such fortunate creatures are rare, however. Thus, beasts that mutate because of strange stars are called Treasure Beasts."

"As for immortal beasts, now that the Immortal Path has been severed, whether any exist anywhere on the Heavenly Origin Continent remains unknown." Elder Mo said no more on the subject.

Spirit beasts... demon beasts... Treasure Beasts... immortal beasts... Since he had joined the Beast Taming Sect, he naturally needed a thorough understanding of the different kinds of beasts. After hearing this, Lin Jing had a clear picture.

Herbivorous spirit beasts seemed relatively less dangerous.

As for carnivorous demon beasts... with his longevity body, he had better avoid them while he was still weak.

Treasure Beasts were so uncommon that he need not concern himself with them either.

"Next, I'll take you to choose a bonded beast."

He said, "The sect finished recruiting a large batch of Outer Gate Disciples not long ago, so there aren't many bonded beasts left to choose from."

"But you've only just begun cultivating. There's no need to contract an overly powerful beast, or you'll have trouble winning it over."

"You have plenty of time to build your foundations. Once your cultivation is higher, it won't be too late to contract a beast with a powerful bloodline."

"I'll follow your arrangements, Elder." Lin Jing was not picky.

"Good..." Elder Mo continued, "At present, the sect still has basic spirit beasts of the water, fire, earth, and wood attributes available."

"They are the water-attribute Rain Frogs, with seven remaining."

"The fire-attribute Fire Spirit Sparrows, with two remaining."

"The earth-attribute Horned Oxen, with three remaining."

"And the wood-attribute Pineleaf Squirrels, with one remaining."

"Let me introduce them to you," Elder Mo said. "The Beast Taming Sect raises five kinds of basic bonded beasts, one for each of the metal, wood, water, fire, and earth attributes, suitable for cultivators in the Qi Refinement Realm to contract."

"These five kinds of beasts are not only easy to get along with, but all have the potential to reach Foundation Establishment. Their abilities can also help sect disciples quickly accumulate cultivation resources."

"The metal-attribute Battle Apes are extremely efficient at mining. If you choose one, you can accept the sect's mining missions and work in the Spirit Mine District, earning resources for your daily cultivation while training your Battle Ape's strength. However, this batch of new disciples has already chosen all the Battle Apes suitable for contracting."

"Of course, the bonded beasts of the other four attributes are good as well."

"The water-attribute Rain Frogs excel at water arts. Once raised to a certain level, they can summon rain to irrigate the Spirit Fields."

"The fire-attribute Fire Spirit Sparrows excel at fire arts. They can breathe spirit fire and help out in the Fire Kitchen and the Fire Refining Room."

"The earth-attribute Horned Oxen possess exceptional stamina and boundless strength. They generally help the sect transport supplies between the peaks."

"Finally, the wood-attribute Pineleaf Squirrels excel at wood arts. Their spiritual power can accelerate the ripening of spirit plants."

"Of these five kinds of bonded beasts, Battle Apes, Horned Oxen, and Fire Spirit Sparrows are better fighters. Rain Frogs and Pineleaf Squirrels have gentler dispositions, and the routine sect missions they can perform offer higher returns."

"Of course, the most important thing when choosing a bonded beast is compatibility. You must choose according to your own circumstances."

Elder Mo said, "However, your constitution, like an ordinary mortal constitution, has no attribute. No matter which attribute of spirit beast you choose, there will be no incompatibility."

As he spoke, two dark silhouettes appeared amid the sea of clouds... Then, under Lin Jing's gaze, two beautiful immortal cranes flew up before them.

"Greetings, Elder Mo. Where shall we go next?" one of the cranes asked in a melodious female voice.

Elder Mo looked at Lin Jing, signaling for him to decide what kind of bonded beast he wanted. The cranes would carry them to the peak where the corresponding spirit beasts lived.