True disciple!

After hearing Senior Brother Ouyang's explanation, the Pineleaf Squirrel immediately wanted to test how difficult it was to leap onto Heavenly Capital Peak.

If it were an ordinary jump, it really could not manage it. Pineleaf Squirrels were not Spirit Beasts known for explosive power. With such a vast difference in height between the two peaks, never mind the oppressive aura barring the way-even without it, in its current condition, it could not jump up there even after popping a Beast Power Pill.

However, although jumping was difficult, the Pineleaf Squirrel had the Flying Leaf Technique!

It could use flight to leap onto Heavenly Capital Peak.

Whoosh!

The Pineleaf Squirrel shot out in a flash, leaving Senior Brother Ouyang dumbfounded. But only moments into its flight, it felt a powerful oppressive aura, as though gravity dozens of times stronger than normal were bearing down on it.

This made riding its leaf far more difficult. The strain was probably comparable to controlling dozens of flying leaves at once. It could not manage that.

Halfway up, the Pineleaf Squirrel successfully "crashed." Seeing this, Lin Jing said, "Senior Brother Ouyang, catch it!"

"Huh?" Ouyang Hao snapped out of his daze and immediately used the Whirlwind Technique, sweeping the Pineleaf Squirrel back.

"That gave me a fright! I almost thought it really was going to fly up there. Wait, how is that fair?"

"It's a genius," Lin Jing explained.

"Senior Brother, why can't you wish it well? You sound awfully worried it might make the leap."

The Pineleaf Squirrel climbed up from the ground and looked toward Heavenly Capital Peak, wanting to try again.

It had to accomplish what its ancestor had failed to do!

"I'm not! How was that a leap? That was cheating!" Senior Brother Ouyang Hao said.

"A flying leap is still a leap. Looks like that Nascent Soul ancestor really doesn't want to pass on his teachings." Lin Jing grabbed the Pineleaf Squirrel. "Give it a rest. Even cheating, you didn't make it halfway up."

His Pineleaf Squirrel's leaf-riding speed was enough to rival the sword-riding techniques of the Heavenly Sword Sect's prodigies. If it still could not reach the peak under those circumstances, the challenge was far too unreasonable.

"Told you." Senior Brother Ouyang shook his head. "All right, let's hurry and find Elder Mo."

Lotus Peak.

Like Heavenly Capital Peak, it was one of the Beast Taming Sect's Three Great Main Peaks, a place for elders in a state of semiretirement, such as Elder Mo, to enjoy their later years.

As for the last remaining main peak, it was the Sect Master's residence, as well as the place where he summoned the elders of the various peaks to handle sect affairs.

Elder Mo had known in advance that Lin Jing and Ouyang Hao were coming and was waiting for them.

"What have the three of you come here for?"

He looked at the three of them-Ouyang, Lin Jing, and the Pineleaf Squirrel. Not one was a lamp that burned little oil.

"Elder Mo, I've made up my mind. Once my Beast Taming Art breaks through and I condense my second drop of Blood Contract, I plan to contract a Heavenly Feather Crane, just like the Sect Master! I'll need your help speaking to their clan," Ouyang Hao said. "Oh, and I want to contract a man crane."

"It's called a male crane." Elder Mo waved a hand. "Understood. I'll speak to them for you."

"Thank you, Elder!" Senior Brother Ouyang expressed his gratitude. With that, he had a pet beast lined up for after Foundation Establishment, and he could fly off on missions without lifting a finger.

"And you? You didn't come because you're in a hurry to find a fire pet to help with your alchemy, did you?" Elder Mo asked. In the Beast Taming Sect, Beast Tamers and their pet beasts were also bound together by affection and sect rules. As long as they could afford to raise them, it did not matter if they had yet to cultivate a second drop of Blood Contract. Disciples could keep as many pet beasts as they wanted; the sect did not interfere.

"No." Lin Jing smiled faintly, while the Pineleaf Squirrel clutched his Daoist robe.

"Elder Mo, we carefully considered the matter of the Hidden Dragon Academy and realized we really should go temper ourselves there, learn something useful from the academy, and give back to the sect."

"But after thinking it over some more, we realized that everyone who can enter the Hidden Dragon Academy is probably a genius from another sect. Our current abilities might not be enough to compete with them."

"I was thinking, didn't you say when I joined the sect that, as an Outer Gate Disciple, I would receive treatment comparable to an Inner Gate disciple, and as an Inner Gate disciple, treatment comparable to a True Disciple? Then could I receive the Life-Bound Beast-Taming Spatial Treasure reserved for True Disciples ahead of time, along with the sect's True Disciple Beast-Taming Secret Arts?"

After Lin Jing finished, Ouyang Hao secretly gave him a thumbs-up from beside him. If you're that good with words, keep talking.

He clearly wanted good things, yet framed his request for early access as a way to better repay the sect.

After a moment of silence, Elder Mo said, "If you're going to the Hidden Dragon Academy, you do need to prepare properly. Back then, even with all the Beast Taming Sect's true-disciple teachings under his belt, the Sect Master still got beaten black and blue at the Hidden Dragon Academy. Going there completely unprepared certainly won't do."

"However, you aren't actually a True Disciple. Before I can give you a Life-Bound Beast-Taming Spatial Treasure, I'll need to convene a meeting with the other elders to discuss it. Go back and wait for news."

"As for the True Disciple Beast-Taming Secret Arts, it isn't that I don't want to teach you. They all require you to reach the Foundation Establishment Realm through the Beast Taming Art before you can learn them."

Lin Jing nodded. "A Life-Bound Beast-Taming Spatial Treasure will do."

"Let me think. Although you can't learn them yet, you can already start making some preparations."

Elder Mo pondered for a moment, then said, "Our Beast Taming Sect has three True Disciple Beast-Taming Secret Arts and the Ten Core Beast-Taming Secret Arts."

"The three True Disciple Beast-Taming Secret Arts include the Fusion Secret Art, which allows a contracted pet beast to fuse with its Beast Tamer, transforming them into a state similar to a Half-Demon and greatly increasing their combat power!"

Ouyang Hao yearned for it. When the time came, he and Hong'er could be together even more closely.

"Undying Reincarnation allows a Beast Tamer to revive a pet beast that dies in battle, so long as the Blood Contract remains intact. However, with each revival, the Beast Tamer's cultivation falls by one major realm, while the pet beast's falls even further. Both suffer grievous damage to their vitality."

"With the Beast Transformation Treasure, a cultivator can use their own magical power to transform a pet beast into various living magical treasures, such as armor or swords... allowing it to better support the Beast Tamer in battle."

"Of these, the Fusion Secret Art has certain requirements for the cultivator's physique. Undying Reincarnation requires a certain degree of mental and soul strength from the Beast Tamer. As for the Beast Transformation Treasure, its requirements for the Beast Tamer's magical power are extremely high, so you must temper your beast taming true qi extensively. Whichever one you intend to cultivate later, you can start training the corresponding aspect now."

"As for the Ten Core Beast-Taming Secret Arts, you can apply to learn them at the Inner Gate Scripture Pavilion. They are enhancement secret arts corresponding to the ten types of pet beasts: metal, wood, water, fire, earth, wind, lightning, ice, yin, and yang. They can briefly raise a pet beast's cultivation during battle."

"Once you've cultivated them properly, temporarily raising a pet beast by one minor realm isn't difficult."

"Both these three true-disciple secret arts and the Ten Core Beast-Taming Secret Arts were improved and reinvented by the Third-Generation Sect Master based on the original Beast Taming Art. They are the foundation of our Beast Taming Sect."

After Elder Mo finished, the Pineleaf Squirrel tugged at Lin Jing.

It did not want to fuse, nor did it want to turn into a magical treasure.

Why not learn Undying Reincarnation? I want a few extra lives.

"Already getting picky, are you? Then when we run into a powerful enemy in the future, I'll leave first, and you can cover the retreat. I'll revive you afterward," Lin Jing told it through their mental link.