Chapter 417

Chapter 417: The Cute Whirlwind Wolves

“Fool!” Wei Youdao harrumphed coldly in disdain.

Those were Whirlwind Wolves, one of the most aggressive savage beasts in the forests. Even though they only possessed a cultivation of Zongshi realm advanced stage, in a practical battle, even Half-Zhizun cultivators had to be wary.

Yet, this fool actually charged in without any preparation… You must be joking!

“Whirlwind Wolves fancy the meat of Flowing Wave Beast. If one were to barbecue the meat and offer it to them, one could easily earn their goodwill. But of course, that isn’t sufficient to tame a Whirlwind Wolf. It would require at least two to three additional years of hard work to do so… For this fellow to charge in without any preparations, it can’t be that he intends to face them straight on?”

Jiang Nanping’s mouth widened in astonishment, “How can there be such a foolish person in the world? Could it be that… he isn’t a beast tamer?”

No matter how much strength one possessed or how much zhenqi one harnessed, it was impossible for one to barge through the trial consisting of ten powerful savage beasts using brute force. One had to utilize all kinds of beast taming methods and win the other party’s goodwill so as to keep it from attacking one.

To charge straight in without any preparatory work…

There must be something wrong with his head!

No sane beast tamer would do this!

“If he’s truly a beast tamer, then he’s a shame to all beast tamers in the world!” Wei Youdao harrumphed coldly.

“That’s right!” Jiang Nanping nodded.

No rational beast tamer in the world would commit such foolishness.

“Let’s not talk about him. Brother Wei, how would you get past this stage?” Disregarding that mad fellow, Jiang Nanping asked curiously.

As geniuses, the both of them were rivals. However, at the same time, they were also learning from one another and improving together.

“Me?”

Wei Youdao’s mouth curled up, and a dazzling smile surfaced on his dashing face. “Simple, I’d offer them the barbecued meat of a Flowing Wave Beast and the spring water from the Turquoise Clarity Mountain. After which, I’d defeat the strongest one of the lot in the fastest time possible!”

Hearing the other party’s solution, Jiang Nanping couldn’t help but clap his hands in praise. “Brother Wei is indeed incredible! The Flowing Wave Beast and water from the Turquoise Clarity Mountain are the favorites of the Whirlwind Wolves. Using these two things to win their fancy before striking down on one of them violently… The most attractive carrot and the most painful stick! They’d surely lose their fighting will swiftly. Brilliant, that is truly brilliant!”

“Hehe… No matter how united savage beasts are, they’re only beasts. One just has to divide them and make them lose their fighting will. The first stage actually isn’t too difficult!”

After which, Wei Youdai turned to Jiang Nanping and asked, “What about you, Brother Jiang? How will you deal with this situation?”

“Me?” Jiang Nanping raised his right hand and pointed to the cage valiantly. “My method is different from that of Brother Wei. I’d… I’d… The heck! What is going on? How is this possible?”

Jiang Nanping was about to explain the idea he had in mind to the other party when his eyes narrowed. Gradually, his face paled, and he nearly lost his balance and fell down from shock.

“What’s wrong?”

Seeing his good friend losing his composure, going to the extent of even spouting vulgarities, Wei Youdao frowned. He also turned his gaze to the cage below.

With a single look, his body trembled, and he nearly spurted a mouthful of blood.

“Thi-this… Are my eyes playing tricks on me?”

The duo stared at one another silently.

…

“Hall Master Feng and Beast Tamer Wang, you two must be old! I told you all that Zhang Xuan couldn’t be as incredible as you all put him out to be, but you all just wouldn’t listen to me. See what’s happening now?”

Upon seeing Zhang Xuan diving into the group of Whirlwind Wolves, Luo Tang glanced at the two elders behind him and shook his head.

What in the world were you all thinking?

Do you think that this goof can represent the Xuanluo Mountain Range Beast Hall in this competition?

And that he is superior to me?

You must be pulling my leg!

“It’s fortunate you two didn’t bring him here. Otherwise, it’d only be embarrassing!”

Luo Tang spoke with a concerned tone, but smugness hung on the corners of his lips.

Those two old fogeys actually compared him with this fool? They must be blind!

“Actually, I don’t mean to blame you all by saying these words. I just hope that you all won’t be deceived by the lies of despicable people…”

Halfway through his words, Luo Tang suddenly felt someone tugging on his sleeve.

“What?”

Luo Tang frowned. Turning around, he saw Fang Jin staring at him with a dazed expression. Fear and shock reflected in his eyes.

“Brother Fang…”

Luo Tang was taken aback. He was just about to ask about it when he caught sight of the scene below with his peripheral vision. In that instant, it felt as though his head exploded, and tears threatened to spill from his eyes.

What was… this situation?

In the cage below, the ferocious and valiant Whirlwind Wolves were standing before the young man with a fawning look. They rubbed their heads ceaselessly on the pants of the other party and licked him throughout… On top of that, they were wagging their tails so fast that it almost looked like a propeller, and it looked as though it was going to be shaken off at any time now.

They were not attacking him… but fawning over him?

You all are the Conquerors of the Forest, the fearsome Whirlwind Wolves, not pugs…

Why in the world are you all acting cute?

What are you all up to?

“This is… Complete Submission? It’s offering to form a contract with him?”

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Luo Tang spoke with a hoarse voice.

It couldn’t be any clearer to him that the Whirlwind Wolves, who were feared as the Conquerors of the Forest, were fawning on Zhang Xuan, hoping that the other party would take them in as his tamed beast!

Weren’t Whirlwind Wolves proud animals who refused to associate themselves with humans? Didn’t taming them take several years of relentless effort?

When did they become like dogs, stretching out their tongue and shaking their tails… waiting for someone to tame them? On top of that… Complete Submission?

“What in the world happened?”

Unable to comprehend the sight before him, Luo Tang turned to look at Fang Jin.

He was too busy lecturing Hall Master Feng and Beast Tamer Wang a moment ago, so he didn’t pay careful attention. He didn’t think that such a huge turnaround would occur in a blink of an eye. The situation at this instant left him completely baffled.

“That… Beast Tamer Zhang rushed into the wolves, and after pummeling them for a moment, it just… just… turned out like this!”

Fang Jin was also on the verge of tears. He tried to explain the situation, but he realized that he had no idea what had just happened either.

He had seen the entire proceeding clearly, but yet… despite seeing everything, he found himself even more confused than Luo Tang.

The ferocious disposition of the Whirlwind Wolves a moment ago wasn’t just a facade. Given his eye of discernment, he could at least tell this much…

Yet, why did they suddenly change their attitudes after getting beaten up?

He had once accompanied an elder in the Beast Hall to capture a Whirlwind Wolf, and he had seen its callous personality for himself. Sometimes, it would even launch a lethal assault on a person right after it was fed with delicacies!

Otherwise, it wouldn’t have earned the nickname ‘Ingrate Wolf’.

It was one of the hardest savage beasts to tame. Yet, it was reduced to such a state right after a round of beating…

Can you all be any more shameless?

Can you all be any more embarrassing than this?

“They became like that right after a pummeling?”

Luo Tang was also dumbfounded. He was about to enquire more about it when Hall Master Feng and Beast Tamer Wang spoke in agitation.

“It’s Beast Tamer Zhang’s unique technique, [Beast Pummeling Taming Method]!”

“Indeed! To think that he would use it here. No matter how I look at it, I can’t help but be impressed!”

“Beast pummeling taming method?”

Luo Tang and Fang Jin stared at the duo in confusion.

“Un, beast pummeling taming method is a unique technique that Beast Tamer Zhang’s teacher came up with. As long as a savage beast is beaten up using this technique, it would immediately submit to one. Back then, during the beast tamer examination, he used this technique to tame a Half-Zongshi Viridescent Eagle on the spot.”

Seeing incomprehension in the eyes of the two, Hall Master Feng explained.

Getting a savage beast to submit through beating it?

What the heck?

Shouldn’t beating savage beasts trigger the rebellious streak in them?

To submit after a pummeling…

How in the world could there be such a bizarre beast taming technique in the world? Why did it feel as though they were dreaming?

The duo only felt thunder rumbling by their ears, and their head was about to convulse from shock.

…

“Complete Submission… He actually tamed those Whirlwind Wolves in just a few breaths?”

At this moment, Wei Youdao and Jiang Nanping had finally recovered from their immense shock from the sight, and a dazed look appeared on their faces.

“Even though Whirlwind Wolves are only Zongshi realm advanced stage savage beasts, they possessed incredible speed and outstanding offensive ability. They’d definitely boost one’s fighting prowess significantly. That fellow is truly lucky…”

Jiang Nanping commented in envy.

He thought that given how rash this fellow was, he would definitely be torn to shreds by the fangs of the Whirlwind Wolves. Yet, not only was he fine, he even managed to tame four Whirlwind Wolves in a single go…

“Indeed. I don’t know what kind of secret technique he used to tame those Whirlwind Wolves, but it’s an extremely fortunate affair for a beast tamer to have a savage beast willingly pledge its servitude to him. That fellow must be overflowing with joy at this moment…” Wei Youdao said.

There were different stages to the taming of a beast: Inceptive Taming, Advanced Taming, and Complete Submission.

Only upon Complete Submission would a savage beast willingly sign a contract and serve one. This wasn’t just a show of acknowledgement by a savage beast, this was also a display of the capability of a beast tamer.

That fellow must be feeling proud at how he managed to get the proud Whirlwind Wolves lower their heads in such a short period of time!

Even if he failed the later stages, he would have already succeeded in making a name for himself…

“Indeed!”

Awed, the duo glanced downward to see the contract forming between the young man and the four savage beasts, but contrary to their expectation, the young man kicked them away impatiently.

“Scram to the side, don’t cause me trouble here!”

Peng peng peng peng!

Four sorrowful cries sounded as the Whirlwind Wolves were kicked to the side. Then, the young man started walking with large strides over to the next stage.

Wuu wuu wuu wuu!

Despite being kicked, not only did the Whirlwind Wolves not charge forward to attack Zhang Xuan out of anger, they even laid on the ground motionless, not daring to make a single move as they watched the other party off with gazes mixed with desire and frustration.

“The heck!”

Upon seeing this sight, all of the spectators were dumbfounded.

Chapter 418: Tiger Head Beast

Several hundred meters away from the Ten Beasts Cages stood a tall tower.

Two elders were standing by the windows with an incredulous look on their faces.

They were Xuanyuan Kingdom Beast Hall’s Hall Master Xie Jiuchen and Grand Elder Wei Yuqing.

And that Wei Youdao was the grandson of this Grand Elder.

When Zhang Xuan arrived at the Beast Hall, the first thing he did was to look for these two. To enter the Ten Beasts Cage, he needed the permission of these two.

“Did you see his movements clearly?” Xie Jiuchen asked in disbelief.

“I… only saw him beating up the Whirlwind Wolves. Other than that… I am unable to see through anything else!” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing’s face reddened.

As a 3-star beast tamer, his cultivation had reached Zhizun realm pinnacle, granting him vision much sharper than ordinary cultivators… He should have been able to at least comprehend the trick behind the other party’s actions, yet… just like everyone else, he was also completely baffled.

Just by thinking about it left him embarrassed.

“His movements were too fast, so it’s normal that you were unable to see anything! If I’m not wrong, on top of the means of a beast tamer, he has also utilized some master teacher techniques!” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen said with a grave face.

“Master teacher techniques?” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing asked doubtfully.

“Indeed. Even though it seemed as though he recklessly charged forward to attack those Whirlwind Wolves, every blow of his struck accurately on the meridians and acupoints of the other party. With just a few strikes, he managed to stimulate their cultivation, bringing their strength, which was capped by their bloodline, up to new heights!” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen explained,

“This is similar to clearing a cultivator’s meridians. After those strikes of his, even though there wasn’t any visible difference to the Whirlwind Wolves, their cultivation has already grown significantly. Raising their own strength has always been a huge difficulty for savage beasts. Given how the other party is able to induce such a huge growth in their strength just through a few strikes, it’s natural that the Whirlwind Wolves would submit willingly to him!”

“This…” Wei Yuqing widened his eyes in shock.

Even though the other party had put it simply, the difficulty in doing so was so great that it could be said to be impossible.

Every single Whirlwind Wolf possessed a different constitution and maturity, so their physical conditions, as well as the location of their meridians and acupoints, would differ from one another. To identify them in an instant and strike on them accurately…

What kind of eyes did the other party possess?

How in the world did he do it?

Putting him aside, even 4-star master teachers would be hard-pressed to do so.

“Other than this, I can’t think of any other possibilities!” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s eyes shone in agitation. “That lad might be young, but he possesses top-notch talent for beast taming!”

“Indeed. Let’s see how he’ll pass the second stage!” Wei Yuqing nodded.

To be capable of executing techniques so profound that even 3-star beast tamers were unable to decipher them, that lad was indeed impressive.

“In the second stage, he’ll have to face three Tiger Head Beast of the same cultivation realm as him.”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s face turned grim, “Different from Whirlwind Wolves, Tiger Head Beasts are solitary beasts, and they prefer to strike on their own. However, they possess formidable strength, and their bodies and claws are on the level of Phantom equipment. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that… they possess invincible defense. Ordinary swords and spears can never hope to pierce through its skin!

“It’ll be hard for him to use the same method from before and strike their acupoints and meridians.”

“Indeed!” Grand Master Wei Yuqing nodded in agreement.

As a 3-star beast tamer, he could deduce that much. Even though the four Whirlwind Wolves were fearsome adversaries, those who dared to challenge the Ten Beasts Cage were not ordinary beast tamers. At least eight to nine of the challengers would manage to get past the first stage.

The true test… only started from here onward!

Even though savage beasts possess superior physique, speed, and defense to cultivators of the same level, humans possessed an advantage in their intelligence and the heritage of battle techniques.

As long as one learned several formidable battle techniques, with one’s superior cultivation, it wasn’t impossible to subdue four Whirlwind Wolves.

However… Subduing three savage beasts of the same cultivation realm was clearly much harder.

Furthermore, the Tiger Head Beast was adept at individual brawling, and its defense was invincible among those of the same cultivation realm.

It was no joke to say that ten out of ten challengers would fail in this stage, ending up dead or crippled.

“Prepare to save him as soon as it seems like he’s in danger. Such talent is rare in the Beast Hall!”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen felt that it was a pity to see such a talent fall here, so he passed on a command.

“Un!” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing nodded.

Given that even he was unable to see through the beast taming technique that the other party used, it was likely that this Zhang Xuan either had an unbelievably formidable teacher or… he possessed an eye of discernment and talent far surpassing that of others.

Regardless of which one it was, the Beast Hall would have to protect him with all its might.

“Look, it’s starting…”

In the midst of the conversation between the duo, Zhang Xuan was already right before the three Tiger Head Beasts, and it seemed as though a battle would trigger at any moment now.

“Tiger Head Beasts possess a powerful physique and have a solitary and skeptical personality. It won’t be as easy to tame as the Whirlwind Wolves!”

Standing before the three massive gigantic beasts that resembled tigers, its information surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s head.

Mature Tiger Head Beasts could grow up to a height of three meters and a length of five meters. Given its impenetrable defense and massive physique, it already emanated a formidable pressure to face one, so one can only imagine the pressure of fighting three of them simultaneously.

Even without resorting to any techniques, just its charge would be sufficient to destroy an ordinary cultivator.

However, all of this meant nothing to Zhang Xuan.

Even though Zhang Xuan’s cultivation was still stuck at Zongshi realm pinnacle, his true fighting prowess was already equivalent to that of a Zhizun realm intermediate stage expert. Three Tiger Head Beasts truly meant nothing much to him.

With a thought, lines of insight surfaced in Zhang Xuan’s narrowed eyes.

The form of the three gigantic Tiger Head Beasts immediately changed. The layout of their muscle, the arrangement of their bones, the pathways of their meridians, the faults in their physique… All of them suddenly appeared right before Zhang Xuan’s eyes.

Eye of Insight!

After the Soul Tempering of a Mentor’s Calligraphy, not only was Zhang Xuan able to peer into the flaws of those a small cultivation realm stronger than him, the number of flaws he could see had also increased significantly.

These three Tiger Head Beasts may seem imposing to the others, but all he could see were flaws all over them.

“Let’s begin then, I’ll end this in an instant! So what if they’re difficult to tame? My goal isn’t to tame them anyway!”

With a slight smile, Zhang Xuan stepped forward.

His final goal was to pass the Ten Beasts Cage, not to tame the savage beasts in it.

Rather, even if he managed to tame them and they became attached to him, that would become troublesome.

Roar!

He took a step forward, and with this, he stepped into the territory of the Tiger Head Beasts. With a ferocious roar, the three massive figures immediately charged forward and surrounded him.

“Tiger Head Beasts possess outstanding defense. It’ll probably be a difficult fight…”

Wei Youdao narrowed his eyes.

“Indeed!” Jiang Nanping nodded in agreement. “If he can break through the other party’s defense, he might still stand a chance. Otherwise, he’s doomed…”

Peng peng peng peng!

Just as the duo was talking, the young man below began exchanging blows with the three gigantic beasts.

“He… Why did he strike the Tiger Head Beast’s abdomen? Is he insane?” Jiang Nanping’s face warped in shock.

“Different from other savage beasts, the abdomen is where its defense is the strongest. It often intentionally exposes it to lure others to attack it so as to create a momentary lapse in the other party’s defense to strike…”

Wei Youdao’s complexion looked awful as well.

Most savage beasts were unable to train their abdomen, so it was usually their weak spot. However… the Tiger Head Beast was different.

It had an additional bone at its abdomen, granting it unimaginable resilience.

This was precisely the reason why it often used it to bait cultivators to attack it. To strike at it, one would have to get into the range of the Tiger Head Beast’s offense. By then, wouldn’t it be free to do as it pleased?

Given how the youngster managed to tame the Whirlwind Wolves so swiftly, the other party should have an in-depth understanding of the habits and properties of savage beasts. How did he make such a low-level mistake?

Not only was striking the abdomen ineffective, one would be doomed the moment the Tiger Head Beast counterattacks!

“Look, the Tiger Head Beast is about to retaliate…”

While the duo was frowning at that sight, the man and the beast below had already come into contact with one another.

Upon seeing the fellow strike its abdomen, the Tiger Head Beast’s eyes glowed in excitement. Its thick tail immediately reached forward to pull the young man to him.

Yet, before its tail could reach the other party, the latter’s fist had already struck its abdomen.

Disdain and mock flashed across its eyes when a dull thud suddenly sounded.

Peng!

Immense force flowed through the other party’s arm onto its body.

The mock on its face froze, and its eyes widened in shock. Its tongue fell out of its mouth, and saliva started dripping uncontrollably down the corners of its mouth.

Sou!

The five-meter long gigantic tiger body flew backward and struck the cage.

Peng!

The figure of a massive tiger was imprinted on the steel cage.

Huala!

Then, falling from the sky onto the ground, a huge storm of dust rose. The Tiger Head Beast struggled, and large mouthfuls of vomit spilled from its mouth. It tried to get back up, but excruciating pain struck its abdomen, rendering it completely immobile.

“What?”

“He struck at the point where the Tiger Head Beast’s defense is the strongest, and he still rendered it powerless?”

“This… This…”

In an instant, the spectators standing in the perimeter of the cage fell silent.

The Tiger Head Beast possessed incredible defense. Under normal circumstances, the fist of a cultivator felt nothing more like an itch to it. Yet, to nearly kill it with a single blow…

How did the other party do it?

Are you sure that it is a fist, and not the leg of an elephant?

“It’s Heaven’s Path Fist Art!”

Among the crowd, Liu Yang tightened his fists and exclaimed with reddened eyes.

This was the Heaven’s Path Fist Art that teacher imparted to him. Even though the movements were the exact same as his, there was a world of difference between the might of his teacher’s punch and his own.

Given how the Zongshi realm pinnacle Tiger Head Beast was rendered powerless with a single blow, even a Zhizun realm primary stage cultivator would be unable to withstand the might of that fist!

“Looks like I should devote more effort to it in the future…” Liu Yang made up his mind.

“Roar…”

Oblivious to the shock among the crowd, after sending the first Tiger Head Beast flying, Zhang Xuan turned to the remaining two.

Upon meeting his gaze, the edges of the lips of the other two gigantic fellows immediately twitched, and they hurriedly retreated backward.

They didn’t possess the intelligence of a human, but they were no fools either.

The one who was sent flying was the strongest of them, but… at the moment, it looked as though it might just breathe its last at any moment now. Since that was the case, how could they possibly withstand that strike?

“Don’t be scared. Let me hit you once, and we can end this here. Otherwise, if you all don’t fall, I won’t be able to proceed on with the trial…”

Seeing the savage beast renowned for its ferociousness backing away from fear, Zhang Xuan was speechless. He clenched his fists and beckoned them forward.

Padah! Padah!

As soon as Zhang Xuan spoke those words, the sound of two heavy objects falling to the ground suddenly echoed. Then, they saw the two imposing Tiger Head Beast falling to the ground at the same moment with their four legs facing the sky. Their tongues were stuck out, and saliva flowed continuously out of their mouths.

“…” Zhang Xuan

“…” The crowd.

Chapter 419: Seven Meridians Vicious Bear

“What’s going on?”

“Are the two Tiger Head Beasts sick?”

“Sick my head! Can’t you tell? It’s obvious that they’re intimidated…”

“After the other party said that ‘if you all don’t fall, I won’t be able to proceed on with the trial’, those two fellows immediately dropped from fright…”

After a moment of silence, an uproar burst in the area.

They had seen savage beasts fighting resolutely against an opponent to their last breath.

They had seen arrogant savage beasts who disregarded all that came their way…

But they had never seen a savage beast who played dead even before the fight began…

How scared are you both of that fellow?

“Without making a move, he made the ferocious Tiger Head Beast so scared that they chose to play dead?”

Luo Tang and Fang Jin nearly bit their own tongues.

Wasn’t this way too exaggerated?

Those were Tiger Head Beasts, incomparably ferocious animals! They were existences who dared to bare their fangs against Zhizun realm experts! Yet, after witnessing a single punch, they immediately fell to the ground and allowed saliva to trickle from their lips…

Can you all be any more shameless than that?

What ever happened to the pride of a savage beast?

The backbone of the Dictator of the Forest?

The disposition of a Zongshi realm pinnacle?

Luo Tang and the others felt as though their worldly horizons were being pushed to new boundaries.

Ten minutes ago, they prided themselves on being invincible in the art of beast taming in Xuanyuan Kingdom. However, upon seeing Zhang Xuan, they realized how insignificant they were.

Despite inducing Complete Submission among a group of Whirlwind Wolves within a few breaths, that fellow… kicked them away as though they were nothing.

Alright, you might not necessarily need them, so I will grudgingly overlook it. But… to scare a Tiger Head Beast into playing dead with a single word, isn’t that way too exaggerated?

“If it were me… What would happen?”

Putting himself in the other party’s situation, Luo Tang immediately burst into tears.

If he was the one facing the three Tiger Head Beasts, he would probably immediately fall to the ground and play dead upon hearing the other party’s howl…

Before this, he thought that Hall Master Feng and the others were going overboard praising this fellow. However, only now did he know that there was a world of a difference between this fellow and him.

“I won’t be able to do so either…” Fang Jin shook his head with a bitter smile.

Even as a Half-Zhizun expert, he didn’t stand a chance against three Tiger Head Beasts at once. Under such circumstances, the best he could do was to run as far as he could. Subduing and taming it were completely out of question.

…

“The Tiger Head Beast’s defense is strongest at its abdomen, but it’s also where its strength originates from. Through striking at that spot with pure brute strength, that lad instantaneously destroyed its biological structure, resulting in its nausea and powerless!”

Seeing that sight, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen widened his mouth in shock. It took him a long moment before he recovered. “After seeing the sight, the two remaining Tiger Head Beasts knew that the same plight would befall them if they were to be struck…

“Once a savage beast loses its fighting prowess, it would be no different from dead. No matter how foolish they might be, it was clear what they should do!”

The primal instincts of a savage beast also taught them to avoid the strong. When facing a being far stronger than itself, even the most arrogant savage beast would back down.

“Indeed. However… to achieve this, one needs to possess more than brute strength. Above that, one has to have a complete understanding of the physique of a Tiger Head Beast so as to instantaneously determine the point of weakness among the muscles, bones, and meridians amidst its huge abdomen before one can subdue it with a single blow…”

Grand Elder Wei Yuqing was also stunned.

Those were Tiger Head Beasts! Even with his current strength, it was still impossible for him to instill so much fear in them with a single blow that they would play dead!

This was no longer just a matter of possessing immense brute strength. Only those who possesses complete understanding of the Tiger Head Beast, its habits, attacking pattern, physique, and such were able to do so!

Only then would one be able to achieve such a feat so easily.

Was… Was he still a human?

For a 2-star beast tamer who wasn’t in his twenties yet… How in the world did he do it?

“If I’m not wrong, he probably has a Tiger Head Beast as a tamed beast. After innumerable days and nights of companion, he managed to gain an in-depth understanding of the latter. Otherwise… it doesn’t make sense at all!”

After thinking for a moment, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen eventually spoke up.

It was impossible for such knowledge to appear from nowhere. It was only through books and practical experience that one could gain complete understanding over something.

Back then, there was a painter in the capital who, in order to bring out the spirit within bamboo, planted bamboos all around his house and observed them day after day. After twenty-seven years, he managed to produce a masterpiece and made a name for himself!

In order to better understand their tamed beast, some beast tamers would choose to accompany their tamed beast day and night. Some even went to the extent of mimicking their actions so as to learn more about their habits. Through this, they were able to create cultivation techniques that complemented their tamed beast, and they were also able to earn trust from their tamed beast as well.

Given that the other party was able to get the Tiger Head Beasts to admit defeat in an instant through means they were unable to think of, this could only mean that the other party’s understanding of this savage beast had far surpassed them.

Most probably, he had put a lot of effort into the study of Tiger Head Beasts.

And to do so, it was likely that he had tamed one.

“Indeed!”

Grand Elder Wei Yuqing nodded in agreement. Then, he glanced at the cage, and worry surfaced in his eyes, “He might be able to pass this stage due to his deep understanding of the Tiger Head Beast, but the third stage won’t be that easy!”

“For the third stage, he’ll have to face the Half-Zhizun [Seven Meridians Vicious Bear]

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s complexion slowly turned grim, “This kind of savage beast is extremely rare, and it’s nearly impossible to tame it. Thus, it’s impossible for him to have prior knowledge of it!”

“More importantly, it possesses immense strength. Even though its cultivation is only at Half-Zhizun, it’s very likely that its true strength has surpassed ten thousand ding!”

“Un. The Seven Meridians Vicious Bear only has seven meridians in its body, but it provides them with an advantage as well. To make up for the lacking quantity of meridians in its body, its meridians grew thicker, granting it with immense strength. If not for its slow movements, it would have been surely classified as a Zhizun realm savage beast!”

Grand Elder Wei Yuqing nodded.

The only reason why the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear was publicly acknowledged to be a Half-Zhizun realm savage beast was because of its lacking speed. However, in terms of strength, even Zhizun realm primary stage cultivators were unable to match up to it.

“In order to make up for the flaw of the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear, the area for the third stage of the Ten Beasts Cage is made narrower. This way, its limited speed wouldn’t become too much of a problem, and the challenger won’t be able to circumvent it. Given the strength of the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear, it’ll be difficult for that lad to get by using the two techniques he used for the previous two stages!” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen said.

Even though Zhang Xuan had passed the first two stages easily, there was a possibility that he might have prepared specially for them in advance.

If he had studied the flaws of the two savage beasts intensely beforehand, it wouldn’t be too difficult for him to pass the two stages.

But the third stage was different. Due to the narrow area, it would be difficult for one to escape from the assault of the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear. On top of that, the flaw of the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear was on its back, and given the limited area, it was impossible for one to sneak to its back and strike it. Thus, one would be forced to face it straight on.

It was one thing if Zhang Xuan’s cultivation equaled with it. However, not only was the savage beast’s cultivation one small realm higher than Zhang Xuan, he also had to face two at once…

The difficulty was unimaginable.

It was not an exaggeration to say that there was no hope of victory.

…

“Most probably… His challenge will come to an end here!”

Jiang Nanping’s tightly clenched fists slowly released.

It was true that the other party had shocked him with his feat with the Tiger Head Beasts.

But the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear was different.

Given the narrow space, one could only face it in a battle of strength.

Without sufficient strength, losing… was inevitable.

From the battle between the young man with the Whirlwind Wolves, it was clear that he was more adept in swift movements. Such cultivators often lacked strength.

After all, it was impossible for one to be skilled in everything.

“Even a Zhizun realm primary stage cultivator would be unable to subdue a Seven Meridians Vicious Bear. He’ll… surely be unable to withstand its attacks!”

Wei Youdao shared the same point of view.

If the second stage with the Tiger Head Beasts could be described as dangerous, then the third one with the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear would cause despair.

Even with its slow speed, it was impossible for a Zongshi realm pinnacle to triumph over it.

“Let’s see what weapon he’ll use!” Jiang Nanping commented.

Due to the overwhelming difficulty of the third stage, challengers were permitted to use their choice weapon from a selection provided by the Beast Hall.

However, due to the confined space, one had to choose carefully. If the weapon was too long, one would not be able to move freely, and it would become a burden instead. On the other hand, if it was too short, it would be difficult to deal significant damage to the massive body of the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear, thus rendering it useless.

If one didn’t choose wisely, it would almost be equivalent to forfeiting.

“He’s already in front of the weapon rack. I guess he’ll probably use a hammer or something similar. It allows him to launch powerful blows, and it is easy to use as well.”

“I think it should be a sharp dagger or something of the sort. It’ll be much easier to use them…”

The duo stared fixedly at the young man below as they spoke their conjectures. However, before they could finish their words, the sight below caused them to freeze.

The youngster below simply walked past the weapon rack as though he didn’t see it.

“He didn’t choose anything? What does this mean? It can’t be that… he intends to face the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear barehanded?”

“Barehanded? Is that fellow mad?”

The Seven Meridians Vicious Bear was known for his immense strength. Through the skillful utilization of one’s weapon, one might still stand a chance…

But barehanded, how could he possibly win?

This was no different from smashing an egg on a stone! This was courting death!

“It’s beginning… It’s too late to choose a weapon now…”

Just as the duo were shocked, the young man below had already walked into the attacking radius of the two Seven Meridians Vicious Bear.

Roar! Roar!

Two massive figures blocking the narrow passageway of the cage entirely roared furiously as they stared at the young man in savagery.

As though they would tear him apart.

“Not only does the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear possess immense strength, its defense is also top-notch. Under such circumstances, the narrow space is truly advantageous to it… This stage is a little tricky!” Zhang Xuan muttered as he looked ahead.

There was a lot of information on the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear within the books that he assimilated to his head, and thus, he knew how fearsome and powerful these two fellows were.

If he hadn’t cultivated the Heaven’s Path Golden Body 2-dan, he would surely find it difficult to face them. But now, they didn’t mean much to him.

As for weapons…

The spear art, sword art, and saber art that Zhang Xuan learned were way too sharp and powerful. If he were to accidentally kill the other party in the midst of the battle, wouldn’t the Beast Hall come after him?

Even in Xuanyuan Kingdom Beast Hall, Half-Zhizun savage beasts were rare.

“Alright, I should hurry up. I still want to gather a few more drops of spirit beast blood essence…”

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan dashed forward. In the blink of an eye, he was already standing right before a Seven Meridians Vicious Bear. Then, with both of his hands, he grabbed the arm of one of the massive fellows.

“Rise!”

Howling furiously, Zhang Xuan flipped it over.

“…”

“What’s this fighting method?”

Wei Youdao, Jiang Nanping, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen, Grand Elder Wei Yuqing, and the others were dumbfounded by the sight.

Chapter 420: I Want to Challenge Ten Beasts Cage (1)

“Roar? Roar? Roar?”

The Seven Meridians Vicious Bear was dumbstruck as well.

It thought that dealing with a Zongshi realm cultivator would be a walk in a park, but before it could even process what was going on, the fellow had already rushed up to him and flipped him over.

“What are you roaring for?”

The voice of a young man echoed before the head of the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear smashed onto the metal cage.

Peng peng peng peng!

Its massive body kept coming into intimate contact with the metal cage; sometimes, it would be the left side of his head, sometimes it would be the right side. The continuous smashing left its head spinning, and it was on the verge of spurting blood.

The other Seven Meridians Vicious Bear clearly didn’t expect this fellow to be so ferocious and powerful, bashing its companion around easily. It immediately prepared to charge forward to assist its companion.

“You wish to save it? Here you go!”

Before the other bear could charge up to the young man, a light chuckle sounded, and a massive shadow came flying straight toward it.

It didn’t have any time to react before it was struck squarely in the face, and the two bears came crashing to the ground.

“Do you two admit defeat?”

With his hands placed in his pockets, Zhang Xuan casually walked over to the two light-headed massive beasts.

Roar!

The second Seven Meridians Vicious Bear bellowed once more, and prepared to counterattack. However, Zhang Xuan simply shook his head, grabbed its arm, and started smashing it against the metal cage.

Peng peng peng peng!

Large holes appeared on the ground and the metal cage.

Gathering all of its strength, the first Vicious Bear, whose head was still turning from Zhang Xuan’s prior assault, weakly got to its feet, but at that moment, its companion, held by Zhang Xuan as though a club, was sent flying straight into it.

Padah!

Not too long later, the two massive fellows finally caved in. They lay on the ground faint-headed, devoid of the strength to climb back up.

Challenging me in a contest of strength?

You must be jesting!

Having cultivated Heaven’s Path Golden Body 2-dan, Zhang Xuan possessed a total strength of 15000 ding. No matter how strong those two fellows were, they didn’t stand a chance against him.

“To render the Tiger Head Beast who is known for its outstanding defense powerless with a single fist, and throw around the Seven Meridians Vicious Bear who is known for its unparalleled strength so easily…”

“Is he still a human?”

“Is he really just a Zongshi realm pinnacle cultivator?”

…

The surroundings were completely silent.

Everyone thought that the other party must have a screw loose to challenge the Ten Beasts Cage, but at this moment, it couldn’t be any clearer that he had the power to back it up!

What Whirlwind Wolves, Tiger Head Beasts, or Seven Meridians Vicious Bears…

Despite their fearsome reputation, they seemed no different from little chicks before him. They were sent flying about at his whim.

“His cultivation is really Zongshi realm pinnacle, just that… he seems to be using pure physical strength!”

It took a very long time before Hall Master Xie Jiuchen could shut his gaping mouth.

Previously, as the other party subdued his opponents swiftly through technique, he failed to notice it. But this time, the other party was clearly using strength beyond that of an ordinary Zongshi realm pinnacle, and there wasn’t even the slightest zhenqi disturbance from him…

To think that on top of his understanding of savage beast and outstanding eye of discernment, that lad’s strength would be at a fearsome level as well.

“It shouldn’t be just his strength itself… Given how he was so able to hold onto the Vicious Bear’s arm so easily, he probably… used some technique as well!” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing said.

“Indeed. Even though the Vicious Bear’s movements are slow, it is still a Half-Zhizun savage beast, and it has adapted over time to make up for its flaws. To be able to render it unable to retaliate so easily, his grip probably isn’t as simple as it seems. Most probably, he held onto the savage beast’s acupoint to prevent it from exerting strength!”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen was already at a complete loss for words.

Under normal circumstances, even if one were to grab onto the arm of a Seven Meridians Vicious Bear, given the savage beast’s massive physique and overwhelming strength, how could it possibly allow one to throw it around so easily?

Thus, it was highly possible that the lad had held onto the Vicious Bear’s vitals with his grip.

This vital was probably something similar to the mingmen of human cultivators. Once grabbed, it would render it completely powerless.

“Hall master, do you think that it is possible that… he has been raising a Seven Meridians Vicious Bear?” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing asked.

Previously the hall master said that it was likely that the other party had raised a Tiger Head Beast given his deep understanding of its physique.

Given how that lad was able to find the flaw on the Seven Meridian Vicious Beast so quickly as well… Could it be that he had been raising one as well?

“Cough cough…”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s face turned red, and he nearly choked to death on his saliva.

It was common to for a beast tamer to rear a tamed beast at home, but a bunch?

It wasn’t like the other party was operating a zoo. How could he possibly be rearing Whirlwind Wolves, Tiger Head Beasts… and now, a Seven Meridians Vicious Bear as well?

“He has passed through three stages already. Perhaps, this Zhang Xuan may become the first beast tamer in our Beast Hall to pass the Ten Beasts Cage!”

Knowing that continuing on the prior topic would just embarrass him, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen chuckled awkwardly and changed the topic.

There were people in the Beast Hall who challenged the Ten Beasts Cage before, but most of them couldn’t even pass the second stage. Yet, that lad was able to pass three stages as easily as though eating and drinking. Perhaps, he might be able to do the same for the fourth stage as well.

“Indeed, hall master. It seems like you’ll have to prepare a set of spirit beast blood essence!” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing chuckled.

The reward for a successful challenge of the Ten Beasts Cage was a drop of spirit beast blood essence. Given how easily the other party passed the prior stages, it was likely that he would succeed in a single go. By then, the Beast Hall would have to present the prize to him.

“Hehe!” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen stroked his beard and chuckled. “If a beast tamer can pass the Ten Beasts Cage, that can only mean that the talents in our Beast Hall are becoming more and more formidable. It’s just a drop of spirit beast blood essence, it’s nothing much! Not only will I present it to him, I’ll also announce that if any other geniuses were to pass the Ten Beasts Cage, they’ll be entitled to the same prize as well, and perhaps even more than that!”

For the past thousand years, there hadn’t been a single person who had passed Xuanyuan Kingdom Beast Hall’s Ten Beasts Cage. There were also very few successful challengers in the other Conferred Kingdom Beast Halls. With this record, he would be able to keep his head up high when meeting the other hall masters.

On top of that, he could also motivate the other geniuses to work harder. This matter was beneficial to the Beast Hall.

“Indeed!” Understanding this point, Grand Elder Wei Yuqing nodded.

Just as he was about to continue speaking, his gaze suddenly turned grim. “Look, he’s about to challenge the final stage!”

At that moment, all of the spectators turned their gazes to the cage below.

After rendering the two Seven Meridians Vicious Bears helpless, Zhang Xuan continued to proceed forward, and before long, he reached the final stage of the Ten Beasts Cage. Standing in front of him was Zhizun realm primary stage… Steel-armed Gold Ape!

“Steel-armed Gold Ape has a physique similar to that of a human, and this grants them agility and dexterity comparable to that of a human. On top of that, they possess superior strength, such that even a typical Zhizun ream intermediate stage cultivator would not be a match for it!”

“Zhang Xuan is probably in for a difficult battle!”

Hall Master Feng and Beast Tamer Wang glanced at one another, and they saw the worry in each other’s eyes.

To be honest, they had a good impression of this Beast Tamer Zhang.

Even though he was capable, he remained humble, unlike Luo Tang, who went around boasting despite knowing nothing at all.

The first three stages, the Whirlwind Wolves, Tiger Head Beasts, and Seven Meridians Vicious Bears, were only skilled in a single aspect. It was still possible for Zhang Xuan to exploit their flaws to achieve victory.

But not only did this Steel-armed Gold Ape possess a high cultivation, it was also an all-rounder, it had nearly no flaws that one could make use of.

Battling a Zhizun realm primary stage cultivator would be much less difficult than fighting against it.

“There’s no need to think too much into it. Beast Tamer Zhang’s strength has already surpassed our understanding. Maybe… he might really be able to achieve victory!”

Hall Master Feng shook his head.

A month ago, when he first met this Beast Tamer Zhang, the other party was only a Tongxuan realm cultivator. But in the short span of a month, the other party had already reached Zongshi realm pinnacle, and his fighting prowess was even beyond that of the Half-Zhizun realm Seven Meridians Vicious Bear.

His strength had already far surpassed them.

They wouldn’t be surprised if an expert of Zhang Xuan’s level were to possess such aces up his sleeves.

Under the worried gazes of the duo, Zhang Xuan walked up to the Steel-armed Gold Ape.

The Steel-armed Ape had watched how Zhang Xuan defeated the other savage beasts, and it could tell that even though he was still young, he wasn’t an easy opponent at all. Thus, without any hesitation, it immediately dashed forward without any warning to launch the first blow.

Boom!

As expected of a Zhizun realm primary stage savage beast, its might far exceeded that of the previous few savage beasts Zhang Xuan faced. Before its fist could reach Zhang Xuan, the shock wave from its punch had already ripped the air in the surroundings apart with sheer force.

“Powerful!”

Zhang Xuan’s face turned grim. He hurriedly faced it with a fist of his own.

Peng!

The two fists collided together, and both sides retreated several steps simultaneously.

“Hmm?” Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

He didn’t think that the Steel-armed Ape would be able to stand toe-to-toe with his Heaven’s Path Golden Body 2-dan.

Even though the previous savage beasts were famed for their fighting prowess, their true strength still paled far in comparison to Zhang Xuan. Yet, the Steel-armed Ape was able to clash head-to-head with him, and this in itself proved testimony to its fearsome might.

Hu hu!

That single blow seemed to have incited the Steel-armed Ape’s excitement. With speed as swift as a bolt of lightning, it dashed toward Zhang Xuan once more.

Just like the rumors, it possessed far superior reaction speed and agility as compared to those of the same cultivation realm, thus instilling a sense of helplessness in those who stood before it.

Peng peng peng peng!

Clashing several times, Zhang Xuan was forced to retreat continuously.

“This isn’t good. That fellow is extremely strong, and his defenses are hard to break as well. Even a momentary lapse in judgement could result in my loss, needless to say, defeating it!”

Zhang Xuan frowned.

In the end, Zhang Xuan’s zhenqi cultivation was still at Zongshi realm pinnacle. The only reason why he could face the other party was due to his powerful physical body.

However, the difference between Zongshi to Zhizun didn’t just lie in strength. Currently, Zhang Xuan’s reaction speed still couldn’t match up to Zhizun realm expert.

This made it difficult for him to keep up with the other party’s movements.

If the other party was only a small cultivation realm higher than him, he could still use the Eye of Insight to deduce his next movement. However, the Steel-armed Ape was two small cultivation realms above Zhang Xuan, rendering the technique useless.

Given that Zhang Xuan couldn’t predict its next move, and he couldn’t keep up with the other party’s movements, with just his physical strength, it was indeed difficult for him to triumph over it.

But of course, if this was a life-and-death battle, through using the Heaven’s Path techniques, Zhang Xuan could still kill the other party easily.

“Flaws!”

Knowing that it was difficult to defeat the other party barehanded, Zhang Xuan immediately made up his mind. With a thought, a book appeared in the Library of Heaven’s Path. He quickly browsed through the contents of the book.

“So that’s the case…”

After reading the contents, the edges of Zhang Xuan’s lips curled up.

…

“He might be strong, but it will be difficult for him to triumph over the Steel-armed Gold Ape!” Watching the battle, Grand Elder Wei Yuqing commented.

As a Zhizun realm pinnacle cultivator, he was able to gauge the flow of the battle accurately.

It was clear that Zhang Xuan was in a disadvantageous position.

“It isn’t just difficult, it is impossible… To think that despite clearing the first three stages so smoothly, he will fall here. It’s truly a pity!”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen shook his head in lamentation.

He was looking forward to the first successful challenger of the Ten Beasts Cage here, but in the end, it seemed like his hopes wouldn’t be realized.

Chapter 421: I Want to Challenge Ten Beasts Cage (2)

Zhang Xuan had probably learned some kind of incredible body tempering cultivation technique, allowing his physical strength to reach ten thousand ding, thus granting him the ability to challenge those beyond his cultivation realm.

However, the Steel-armed Golden Ape wasn’t an easy opponent!

Its greatest advantage lay in that it was an all-rounder. It had no flaws regardless of which angle one was looking from. Even though that young man wasn’t weak, he didn’t stand a chance at all.

As the battle continued on, flaws would only start appearing in the young man’s movements, thus providing the Steel-armed Ape an opening to strike at.

In Hall Master Xie Jiu Chen’s view, if Zhang Xuan didn’t have anything else, his loss would be inevitable.

“It’s truly a pity…”

Grand Elder Wei Yuqing also came to the same verdict, and he sighed as well. Just as he was about to speak, the edges of his mouth suddenly twitched. “Hall master…”

He didn’t need to speak any further. Hall Master Xie Jiuchen had also seen the sight, and his face turned pale, and his eyeballs were about to pop out from their sockets.

Unknowingly, the atmosphere between the man and the beast who were still fighting intensely below a moment ago suddenly turned amiable, as though they’d been buddies for several decades.

The ferocious Steel-armed Golden Ape, which was trying to tear Zhang Xuan into shreds a moment ago, was currently patting Zhang Xuan’s shoulder with a brotherly look that seemed to be saying ‘I’ll cover you’.

Not only were the duo shocked, the other spectators were also completely bewildered by this sudden situation.

This… What was going on?

Just a moment ago, they were still trying to rip each other apart. Yet, in the blink of an eye… such a matter happened?

Even if you two knew each other before, you should at least give some signs of it. What is with that sudden change in attitude?

“During the battle, I saw the young man whisper some words telepathically to the Steel-armed Golden Ape, and the latter’s attitude immediately changed! What words could he have said to induce such an abrupt change?” Jiang Nanping said in bafflement.

Ever since he missed out on the first twist with the Whirlwind Wolves, he had been looking intently on the situation before, not daring to avert his eyes in fear of missing out a single detail.

Thus, even though the change in the attitude of the human and the beast was swift, he still noticed some details——

When the Steel-armed Ape had the upper hand, the lips of the young man quivered slightly, and it seemed like he had spoken some words telepathically.

Then… the ferocious savage beast’s attitude changed all of a sudden.

“I also saw it… But could one sentence really cause the attitude of the Steel-armed Golden Ape to change so rapidly? This… should be impossible, right?”

Even so, Wei Youdao was still puzzled by the situation.

“I also think that it’s impossible, but… have you seen someone taming Whirlwind Wolves into cute domesticated dogs just by beating them up? Have you seen someone who made Tiger Head Beasts play dead with a single punch?” Jiang Nanping argued.

“This…” Wei Youdao’s face stiffened.

Honestly, if he hadn’t witnessed this sight himself, he wouldn’t even dare to entertain the possibility.

Even so, he still felt doubtful about the situation. He wondered if the savage beasts had intentionally gone easy on him, even though he knew that it was impossible given the fairness of the Beast Hall.

“However, even if that fellow earned the goodwill of the Steel-armed Golden Ape, it should be impossible for it to let him pass just like that! The Steel-armed Golden Ape is the tamed beast of Elder You, and since it has already promised to guard the final stage and prevent all challengers from getting past it, it should probably fulfill its responsibility…”

Taking another glance below, Wei Youdao still wasn’t able to make sense of the situation.

Even if that fellow used some trick to make the savage beasts in the cage go easy on him, it was impossible for the same trick to work on the Steel-armed Golden Ape.

After all, this was the tamed beast of Beast Hall’s Elder You! It had already given its promise to guard the final stage to its dying breath. That fellow might have succeeded in persuading the Steel-armed Golden Ape against fighting, but this didn’t mean that it would allow him to pass!

Before Wei Youdao could finish his words, the crisp voice of the young man below suddenly echoed in the air.

“Brother Ape, I need you to step aside so that I can pass!”

The Steel-armed Golden Ape nodded hurriedly, and without any hesitation, it immediately cleared the path. Then, it lifted its gigantic hands to bid the young man farewell.

“I think… it just chose not to fulfill its responsibility…” Jiang Nanping said.

“…” Wei Youdao.

…

Zhang Xian bade farewell to the Steel-armed Golden Ape.

No flaws could hide itself from the Library of Heaven’s Path. The Steel-armed Golden Ape was born with some deficiencies, and Zhang Xuan had given him the solution to the problem. Putting aside giving way for him to pass through, even if he were to tell it to become his tamed beast at this moment, it would surely accept the request.

As long as a savage beast hadn’t been completely tamed and a contract wasn’t established yet, there would not be any problems in changing owners.

It was just like the situation with the Viridescent Eagle. Even though Mo Yu had paid an exorbitant price to cultivate trust with it, it still betrayed her for Zhang Xuan after a beating.

Before long, Zhang Xuan reached the end of the Ten Beasts Cage. Lifting his hand, he touched the wall at the end of the road and a brilliant radiance shone.

Ten Beasts Cage trial, success!

“He has… passed just like that? How long did he take?” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen couldn’t help but ask.

“This…” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing’s lips quivered and he said, “Probably… around half a tea’s time!”

“Half a tea’s time?” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s eyebrows twitched.

Under normal circumstances, challenging the Ten Beasts Cage would take two hours.

A tea’s time is equivalent to a quarter of an hour.

And in half a tea’s time, an eighth of an hour, the other party subdued ten savage beasts and passed all four stages…

“More importantly… Most of the time expended was spent on walking. Counting the time that he was facing the savage beasts… it adds up to a total of only several dozen breaths!” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing continued.

Passing the Ten Beasts Cage in half a tea’s time was already an astounding feat. On top of that, to think that he only spent several dozen breaths against the savage beasts…

If not for witnessing this sight personally, if his subordinate dared to report such a matter to him, he would surely have the other party punished for lying so blatantly to him…

“Hall Master Xie, does this count as a pass?”

Just as his eyes were twitching non-stop from shock, a young man walked up toward him.

“You’ve passed, you’ve passed…” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen nodded vigorously.

If this wasn’t a pass, what could be considered as one?

“Then… my spirit beast blood essence!”

The young man stared at him.

“Let’s head to the balcony on top. I want to present it to you before the crowd!” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen smiled.

It was a glorious affair for someone to pass the Ten Beasts Cage under his leadership, so naturally, he wanted to advertise the matter.

“Alright!”

Knowing the other party’s motive, Zhang Xuan nodded silently.

Soon, the group reached the balcony.

“Fellow beast tamers and friends of the Beast Hall, I believe all of you have witnessed this young man’s valiant challenge of the Ten Beasts Cage.”

Upon reaching the balcony, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen took a jade box from one of the elders’ hands, surveyed the surroundings below, and announced with a clear voice.

“Incredible!”

“I wonder what that beast tamer’s name is. He shall be my idol from now on! I shall work hard with him as my goal.”

“With him as your goal? Don’t you think that you are being a little too ambitious here? You’ll only end up despairing in the future. In my opinion, you should just aim for Jiang Nanping and Wei Youdao. Or else, Luo Tang, Fang Jin, and the others will do as well!”

“… That makes sense!”

A commotion broke out below.

Upon hearing the discussions, Luo Tang, Fang Jin, Wei Youdao, and Jiang Nanping, who were vehemently vying for the top spot a moment ago, turned red in embarrassment. If there was a hole in the ground at that moment, they would surely have dived in instantly.

They thought that they stood at the very top of Xuanyuan Kingdom, but with this… they realized that the other party was way out of their league!

Clearing the Ten Beasts Cage in half a tea’s time, such a result was sufficient to leave them in despair.

“According to the rules of the Beast Hall, the reward for clearing the Ten Beasts Cage is a drop of spirit beast blood essence. Since Beast Tamer Zhang has succeeded in the challenge, I’ll present him with the reward now!”

Hal Master Xie Jiuchen’s voice reverberated in the surroundings.

He opened the jade box, and a droplet of blood swirling within a bottle appeared in everyone’s view. It seemed to exude the majesty of an unparalleled expert, exerting a strong pressure on those within its vicinity.

Spirit beast blood essence!

“Beast Tamer Zhang, congratulations!”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen presented the jade box over to Zhang Xuan with a bright smile.

“Un!” Zhang Xuan grabbed the jade box.

His main goal at the Beast Hall was this, and having achieved his primary objective, he was in good spirits.

“From today onward, I hope that everyone can view Beast Tamer Zhang as their role model and cultivate diligently. The Ten Beasts Cage trial shall always be open to all beast tamers to prove their capability!”

Knowing that this was an ideal occasion to promote the matter, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen stroked his beard and chuckled, “No matter who it is, as long as one passes the trial, the Beast Hall will bestow a droplet of spirit beast blood essence to them!”

“I believe I need not explain the significance of spirit beast blood essence to beast tamers! So, work hard. As long as you give it your all, the sky is the limit…” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen declared grandly.

Honestly speaking, his words were extremely motivational.

When everyone saw the reward, they saw the possibility of them standing in Zhang Xuan’s place…

As soon as the voice came to a halt, an uproar broke out below. Many of the younger beast tamers had their faces red in agitation, and their hands were tightly clenched together.

The spirit beast blood essence was extremely useful to both human and savage beast alike. Every single droplet was worth a fortune, and there was no beast tamer who could resist such a reward.

Since someone else passed the Ten Beasts Cage, why can’t I do the same?

In a moment, a wave of excitement swept across the crowd.

“Hall Master, I would like to challenge the Ten Beasts Cage as well!”

“I want to give it a try too…”

In just a few breaths, more than a dozen beast tamers had already rushed up to the tower.

Seeing the motivated faces below, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to speak, the young man beside him kept the spirit beast blood essence in his storage ring and started staring at him intently.

“Hall master, since everyone can challenge the Ten Beasts Cage, it shouldn’t be a problem for me to attempt it once more, right?”

The two drops that he obtained by Lin Ruotian only granted him a strength of 9999 ding. He didn’t even manage to reach Zhizun realm.

Even if this single drop were to help him to break through his bottleneck, he would still be a far way off from Zhizun realm pinnacle.

If he wanted to avenge Lu Chong, he needed to possess at least strength of that level.

Thus, he needed much more spirit beast blood essence.

“What did you say?”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen was taken aback by Zhang Xuan’s question, and for a moment, he couldn’t react.

“I said that… I want to challenge the Ten Beasts Cage again!” Zhang Xuan said.

“You want to challenge it again?” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s lips twitched. “Didn’t you just pass the challenge?”

“That’s right. However, you just said ‘No matter who it is, as long as one passes the trial, the Beast Hall will bestow a droplet of spirit beast blood essence to one’. I need a lot more spirit beast blood essence, so I would like to continue challenging it!” Zhang Xuan replied seriously.

“Continue challenging it?”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s body swayed vigorously.

You successfully completed the challenge in just half a tea’s time. If you were allowed to attempt it again and again, wouldn’t our Beast Hall fall into bankruptcy?

Given how valuable spirit beast blood essence was, even Xuanyuan Kingdom’s Beast Hall didn’t have too much of it…

“Indeed!” Zhang Xuan nodded seriously. He started taking out his fingers and started calculating. “Don’t worry, I won’t get too greedy. Just allow me to challenge it another twenty times!”

“…”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s body swayed, and he nearly fell over the railing of the balcony.

Chapter 422: Nightmare Beast

Twenty? And you said that you aren’t greedy?

Do you know how many drops of spirit beast blood essence are there in our Beast Hall?

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s face was turning green.

If only he’d known the intentions of this Beast Tamer Zhang in advance, he wouldn’t have made his previous declaration so valiantly.

He had just said that anyone who successfully clears the trial will receive a droplet of spirit beast blood essence, and this fellow immediately raised the topic.

Why did it feel as though he was tricked?

If he were to challenge it again and again, wouldn’t the Beast Hall have to present him with spirit beast blood essence again and again?

Even with the thousand years of heritage behind Xuanyuan Kingdom Beast Hall, spirit beast blood essence was still an extremely limited commodity. If that fellow was allowed to do as he pleased, the Beast Hall would surely fall into bankruptcy!

When other people challenged the Ten Beasts Cage, even if they were able to clear, it would likely to be a close call, and they would often have to remain in bed for three to five months to recuperate.

Yet, this fellow passed the challenge as though he was just strolling in the gardens. Not only was he fine… he even managed to collect a group of savage beast minions.

Just look at that, the sweetly smiling Steel-armed Golden Ape was still waving to him continuously, and it seemed as though its hands would tear off at this rate…

And not too far away, the Whirlwind Wolves were still staring at him with looks of desire.

Desire your head!

It had been awhile since they were captured under Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s orders, but due to their arrogant personality, most of the young beast tamers were unable to tame them. That was why he chose to put it in the Ten Beasts Cage as one of the stages…

Yet, after a beating, not only were they not angry, they stared at Zhang Xuan with a look of desire. Did they really crave for a beating so much?

He could already see that if Zhang Xuan were to be allowed to continue on, at this rate, not only would the Beast Hall go bankrupt, all of the savage beasts within would also become his…

What kind of monster was this?

“Since hall master has agreed to it, I’ll go down right now. Honestly speaking, the Ten Beasts Cage is quite an interesting challenge!” Taking the other party’s silence as consent, Zhang Xuan prepared to leap down.

He urgently needed the twenty droplets of spirit beats blood essence, and he had no time to waste. Since he had already decided on the matter, he planned to get it over and done with quickly.

“Wait a moment…”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen hurriedly walked over to stop him. With an awkward smile, he said, “There’s no hurry. You have just cleared the Ten Beasts Cage, so you must be exhausted. Why don’t you rest first? We can talk about it afterward!”

“There’s no need for that, I’m not tired! Actually, this challenge is also a form of training to me, so there’s no need for Hall Master to worry for me.” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Worry…

Who the heck is worried about you!

I am worried that you would collapse the entire Beast Hall…

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen hurriedly waved his hands, “I know that Beast Tamer Zhang possess extraordinary talents in beast taming, and challenging it consecutively isn’t a problem for you. But… gathering so many powerful savage beasts isn’t an easy feat… Even if you’re not exhausted, you should allow the savage beasts to rest for a moment.”

“Rest?”

Glancing downward, Zhang Xuan asked, “Are any of you tired?”

The Whirlwind Wolves, Tiger Head Beasts, and Steel-armed Golden Ape hurriedly shook their heads.

“Look, they’re not tired!” Zhang Xuan said.

“…” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen felt light-headed.

Say, how can someone as capable at beast taming as you lack EQ?

Isn’t my intention clear enough? I don’t want you to challenge the Ten Beasts Cage, why can’t you get the hint?

“Cough cough, Beast Tamer Zhang. Perhaps you don’t understand the hall master’s words. What he means to say is that since you have already cleared the Ten Beasts Cage once, you shouldn’t challenge it again. There’s not much significance to it like that!”

Seeing the conversation between the two, Grand Elder Wei Yuqing couldn’t help but interject.

“I can earn a droplet of spirit beast blood essence every time I clear it. This is extremely important to me!” Zhang Xuan replied with a serious expression.

Of course there is a significance to it! If not, I would not have been so bored as to travel this far just to challenge it.

“You…”

Grand Elder Wei Yuqing’s face turned gray in frustration. He had tried to beat around the bush, but the other party revealed his intentions straight…

How the hell can we continue talking if you are going to be just like that?

“Alright, I know that you’ll definitely clear the challenge. However, the opportunity must be given to the other beast tamers as well. Thus, let’s drop the matter!”

Unable to hold it any longer, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen waved his hands and made up his mind.

“This…” Zhang Xuan frowned.

He’d learned about the Ten Beasts Cage from a book in the Beast Hall, so he traveled the distance here to challenge it. He thought that if he could do it twenty consecutive times, he would have sufficient spirit beast blood essence to fuel his Heaven’s Path Golden Body 2-dan. Yet, the other party simply turned him down.

“It’s alright if you don’t allow me to challenge it as well!”

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan glanced at the duo and said, “I urgently require nineteen more droplets of spirit beast blood essence. Regardless of through buying or trading, I have to obtain them.”

“You still need nineteen more droplets?”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen and Grand Elder Wei Yuqing glanced at one another, light-headed.

Why in the world would he need so much spirit beast blood essence? To boil a stew?

Normal savage beasts would find it difficult to even absorb a single droplet of the blood essence. Yet, you asked for twenty at a single go… Are you trying to build an army of savage beasts?

“It’s possible for us to sell some to you. A single droplet of spirit beast blood essence costs five spirit stones. However, as you’re a beast tamer, we can give you a discount and charge you four spirit stones!” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen said.

“Four spirit stones for a single droplet?” Zhang Xuan widened his eyes. “Forget it, I guess I’ll challenge the Ten Beasts Cage after all. You all should hurry up and make preparations!”

He was also trying to find spirit stones to raise his cultivation as well!

Four spirit stones for a single droplet… Why don’t you rob a bank?

Grabbing onto his chin, Zhang Xuan started to calculate, “Since spirit beast blood essence is so expensive, after challenging the Ten Beasts Cage twenty times, I don’t really need anymore. If so, I can sell them back to you. If I challenge it a hundred times in a day, I can earn 400 spirit stones. Continue that for a month and I’ll have more than ten thousand spirit stones…”

“…”

The two leaders of the Beast Hall felt frenzied.

Brother, must you be so determined to wreck our Xuanyuan Kingdom Beast Hall?

What kind of grudge do you have against us?

“Alright, enough! We can give twenty droplets of spirit beast blood essence to you, but we have a condition!”

Feeling so stifled that his chest was about to burst apart, an idea suddenly appeared in Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s mind. He gestured grandly and harrumphed.

If he were to allow the other party to do as he pleased, not only would the Beast Hall fall apart, he would also become a laughingstock of the other Conferred Kingdom Beast Halls in the surroundings.

“A condition?”

“That’s right. Our Beast Hall has just captured a savage beast, but it’s proving difficult to tame. If you can find a way to tame it for the Beast Hall’s usage, we’ll be willing to give you ten additional droplets on top of your twenty!”

“But of course, if you fail, you are not to bring up the matter of challenging the Ten Beasts Cage anymore!”

“Ten additional droplets?” Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up. “Alright, I agree to your condition!”

Judging by how the other party kept pushing the matter down, it would be impossible for him to continue challenging the Ten Beasts Cage. Since the other party had already raised this condition, he would be a fool to not accept it.

Ten droplets were equivalent to forty spirit stones. It was a profitable business to earn this massive sum just by taming a savage beast.

“If you don’t agree to it, I’ll take it as you have forfeited the rights yourself. So, don’t ever mention the matter of challenging the Ten Beasts Cage ever again…”

Yet to process Zhang Xuan’s reply, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen continued on. But halfway through, he suddenly paused, and his eyes slowly widened. “What did you say? You agree to it?”

“That’s right. Why shouldn’t I agree to it?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“But… Do you know what savage beast you are going to tame? Why would you agree to it so readily?” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen was overwhelmed by so much shock that he was about to tear off his beard.

Even a 3-star beast tamer, a Zhizun realm pinnacle expert, like himself was unable to tame the savage beast, yet you agreed to the matter so readily?

Initially, he was only thinking of using this matter to deter the other party from bringing up the matter of challenging the Ten Beasts Cage ever again. After all, since even he was unable to tame it, he didn’t think that the other party was capable of doing so either.

Yet, before he could finish his words, the other party had already agreed to the matter.

“Who cares what savage beast it is!” Zhang Xuan waved nonchalantly.

Honestly, to Zhang Xuan, the type or strength of the savage beast didn’t matter to him.

What he was concerned about was whether he could earn sufficient spirit beast blood essence.

“… Alright!”

Seeing how confident the other party was, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen hesitated for a moment before nodding his head.

The truth of the situation wasn’t too far from what Hall Master Feng deduced. The reason why the Beast Taming Competition was suddenly brought forward was to bring all of the geniuses from the various kingdoms over here to brainstorm on a method to tame that savage beast.

Given how talented the fellow before him was, especially after seeing how he tamed a group of Whirlwind Wolves in the blink of an eye… Perhaps, he might really have a solution to their problem.

As long as he could tame that savage beast, even thirty droplets of spirit beast blood essence weren’t a big deal.

“Let’s go then. I’ll bring you to meet it!”

Coming to a decision, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen decided not to dawdle on it. He called for an elder and gave him some instructions before leading Zhang Xuan and Grand Elder Wei Yuqing to the depths of the Beast Hall.

Knowing that this was an opportunity for him to earn more spirit beast blood essence, Zhang Xuan hurriedly followed behind him without much hesitation.

“Teacher!”

“Young master!”

Along the way, Zhang Xuan met Zhao Ya, Sun Qiang, and the others, who were waiting outside for him.

“Let’s go together then!”

There weren’t many things Zhang Xuan needed to hide from these people. Thus, he invited them to tag along, and they soon arrived at a vast courtyard.

The courtyard was surrounded with high walls that were around a dozen meters thick, similar to city walls. The interiors were slightly blurred, and with a single glance, one could tell that a formidable formation was set up within.

“The savage beast is just inside! I’ll just say it first, it isn’t too late for you to back down now.”

The group came to a stop right outside the courtyard. With a grim expression, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen said, “The savage beast is actually a [Nightmare Beast]. Our Beast Hall paid a heavy price before we were able to capture it. Due to the hint of Dragon Bloodline it possessed, it has an extremely arrogant nature, making it nearly impossible to tame it.”

“Nightmare Beast? A Half-Transcension savage beast?”

Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Having assimilated the knowledge from the books in the Beast Hall, Zhang Xuan possessed knowledge of the savage beast.

It was known as the number one strongest savage beast beneath that of spirit beasts. Possessing a hint of Dragon Bloodline, it wielded incredible strength. Even Transcendent Mortal 1-dan primary stage experts would find it hard to face!

To think that the Beast Hall would actually manage to capture such a powerful beast, it was truly incredible!

“Indeed. This fellow has a ferocious nature, and it’ll be difficult to even approach it. I can bring you to meet it, but if you find yourself stumped, just give up. Don’t take the risk. But of course, once you give up, you mustn’t bring up the matter of challenging the Ten Beasts Cage ever again.” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen raised his conditions.

He was afraid that the other party would turn his attention back to the Ten Beasts Cage after realizing that he was unable to tame the Nightmare Beast. If so, all of his efforts would be in vain.

“Let’s go in and take a look!” Zhang Xuan prompted.

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen and Grand Elder Wei Yuqing nodded. They found the entrance to the formation and led the crowd in.

The courtyard was vast, and on top of the formation, a massive metal cage specially crafted by blacksmiths were laid out within. If a savage beast were to be trapped within it, it would be nearly impossible to escape.

After circling around the courtyard, they finally reached the perimeter of the metal cage. Within it, they saw a five-meters tall and ten-meters long massive savage beast lying quietly on the ground. Upon noticing the presence of outsiders, its eyes immediately turned red, and it released a deafening roar.

Chapter 423: Ancient Beast Language

Its roar was so loud that it threatened to burst the ear drums of everyone present.

Of the group, Yuan Tao, Sun Qiang, and the others who had weaker cultivation jolted upon hearing the roar. Their faces paled, and their bodies swayed weakly from side to side.

It seemed like they were injured just by the powerful roar itself.

“You all should leave first!”

Knowing that a powerful savage beast could kill one with its roar by itself, Zhang Xuan shook his hands.

Sun Qiang, Yuan Tao, and the others hurriedly left.

“This is the Nightmare Beast!”

A grim expression appeared on Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s face.

The Nightmare Beast was simply too strong; even he wasn’t a match for it. If not for the sturdy cage, the unique formation, and the multiple layers of traps laid out in the courtyard, it would have already escaped.

Spirit beasts possessed wisdom that was not inferior to a human in any way. Upon reaching this level, they could already cultivate on their own to raise their cultivation.

Even though the Nightmare Beast before them had not reached the level of a spirit beast yet, it was not too far from reaching that level. On top of that, it possessed a trace of Dragon Bloodline, augmenting its already fearsome prowess. If not for the unique circumstances, it would have been impossible for the Xuanyuan Kingdom Beast Hall to capture it.

“It’s injured?”

Zhang Xuan glanced at it briefly before frowning.

“Un!” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen nodded.

The ‘unique circumstances’ referred to this fellow being injured, thus giving them an opportunity to strike.

However, judging from its rate of recovery, it should be able to fully recover in less than a month. If they didn’t tame it within this period of time, it would surely escape from their grasp by then.

This was precisely the reason why they went to the extent of pushing forward the Beast Taming Competition just to try and find a viable method to tame it.

“Its internal injuries came from its failed attempt at breaking through the bottleneck of a spirit beast!” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen explained.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

That was indeed the case.

Even without the Library of Heaven’s Path and Eye of Insight, just based on his knowledge of savage beasts, he could tell this much.

At Half-Transcension, be it humans or savage beasts, they would hope to take the one last step to reach a higher order of existence.

This Nightmare Beast forcibly pushed itself to make that breakthrough, but it failed and a rebound occurred, reducing it to its current state. Unable to move, it could only roar to instill fear in its enemies.

Otherwise, if a Half-Transcension savage beast were to go on a rampage, even a Half-Transcension cultivator would be unable to withstand its might. It would have been completely impossible for Xie Jiuchen and the others to capture it and lock it here.

“As long as you can find a viable method to tame it, we’ll do it ourselves. If it works, we’ll give you thirty droplets of spirit beast blood.” Xie Jiuchen explained the terms of this exchange.

Given that young lad’s strength, it would be impossible for him to tame a Half-Transcension savage beast.

Thus, he only asked for a viable solution.

If he deduces it to be feasible, all of the 3-star beast tamers would cooperate together to carry it out. As long as they succeed, no price was too heavy to pay.

If they were to tame a savage beast of this level, the strength of the entire Beast Hall would be brought to whole new heights.

In contrast, thirty spirit beast blood essence wasn’t a heavy price at all.

“Find a viable method?”

Not expecting the other party’s request to be so simple, Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Delighted, he gestured, “Alright, go over and knock that fellow out then. After I observe him, I’ll give you a viable solution to the matter!”

The Nightmare Beast was too strong, so the Eye of Insight was ineffective against it. On the other hand, for the Library of Heaven’s Path to be triggered, the other party had to execute a battle technique or… be knocked out.

Given how that fellow couldn’t even stand up, it was impossible for it to execute a battle technique. The roar couldn’t be considered as a battle technique as well.

Thus, the only way to activate the Library of Heaven’s Path was to knock it out.

Only then could Zhang Xuan determine a viable taming method through its flaws.

“Knock that fellow out?”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen and Grand Elder Wei Yuqing thought that the other party might have some brilliant situation, so their ears were pricked to listen to whatever he had to say. However, after hearing those words, their eyelids twitched.

That fellow possessed the Dragon Bloodline! Knock it out?

They had to have the capability to do it first!

Those of the Dragon Bloodline possessed outstanding recovery capability, and their defenses were far superior to other savage beasts. Even a Half-Transcension expert couldn’t knock out a Half-Transcension savage beast easily, needless to say, them.

“You can’t do it?”

Zhang Xuan’s eyebrows shot up.

Given that the other party couldn’t demonstrate battle technique, and they couldn’t knock it out either, this situation was a little tricky.

“You should… think of another solution!” Xie Jiuchen said.

Zhang Xuan scratched his head.

There were many beast taming techniques, but given how even the experienced hall master was unable to come up with anything feasible, how could he have any ideas?

The usual method Zhang Xuan used was to raise the other party’s strength through the Heaven’s Path zhenqi, but given the huge disparity in strength, the effects of the Heaven’s Path zhenqi would be minimal.

He wouldn’t be able to earn the other party’s goodwill through inducing such insignificant growth.

“My opinion is still to… knock it out!”

After a long moment, Zhang Xuan could not find any good ideas. Thus, he could only reiterate his stand.

“…” Xie Jiuchen and Wei Yuqing.

“Actually, we’ve also thought of a feasible solution, but we aren’t able to carry it out!”

A long while later, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen suddenly spoke.

“Oh?” Curious, Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over.

“Since the Nightmare Beast attempted the breakthrough, it must know the method to do so. Such methods are normally left behind by ancient spirit beasts, and if we can find a beast tamer skilled in ancient beast language, he might be able to earn its respect. If so, it would be much easier to tame it.” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen said.

“Ancient beast language?”

“Un. While beast tamers can converse with their own tamed beast, it is still extremely inconvenient for them to communicate with other savage beasts. Back then, Empyrean Kong shi left behind a [Beast Language Scroll], and as long as one learns it, one would be able to speak with spirit beasts freely. This fellow isn’t a spirit beast, but it’s already extremely close to that level. On top of that, it also possesses a hint of the Dragon Bloodline, so it should be capable of basic conversation in that language. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be able to learn of the method left behind by ancient spirit beats either.”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen eyes gradually grew grim, and he spoke slowly, “If there were someone among us who was skilled in it, we’d be able to converse with it and know what it wanted. If so, taming it would be much easier.”

Zhang Xuan nodded in agreement.

There was some information on the ancient beast language through the books in Xuanluo Mountain Beast Hall.

However, there were very few people who were adept in it, and most of them were high-ranked beast tamers.

This was precisely the reason why these beast tamers could win the trust of savage beasts easily, and make them listen to them.

“Does our Beast Hall have books on the ancient beast language?”

Zhang Xuan couldn’t help but ask.

“We do have some, but most of them are from a faraway era. On top of that, most of them are just the deductions of our predecessors, and we’ve no way of determining whether they are authentic or not.” Xie Jiuchen shook his head bitterly.

Even though the complete heritage of ancient beast language had slowly disappeared, some sounds of words still remained in circulation. However… these were useless by itself. Putting aside whether they were real or not, it was impossible to determine their meaning just by the sound itself.

Countless predecessors of the Beast Hall had tried studying it, but most of the words originated from legends, and their meanings were lost. On top of that, some of these legends were fabricated, and it was impossible to discern truth from falsehood. Realizing the impossibility of the task, everyone eventually chose to give up on it.

Hearing those words, Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

“Can you bring me over to take a look?”

Others might not be able to discern truth from false, but he was different!

With the Library of Heaven’s Path, as long as they were in written form, it was a walk in the park for him to determine what was true and what was false!

Chapter 424: Bizarre Language [2in1]

“You want to look at those books?”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen and Grand Elder Wei Yuqing glanced at one another in confusion.

The ancient beast language sounded incredible, but its heritage had already been lost. The possibility of learning it through books was zero.

Even if the content of the book was authentic, without a tutor to guide one, it was impossible for one to verbalize the sound out accurately.

What made things worse was that each word of the ancient beast language had a special zhenqi circulation method to verbalize it. Without it, it was impossible to pronounce it accurately, especially with a human’s sound box.

Countless predecessors of the Beast Hall had devoted their lives in an attempt to decipher the language, but none had succeeded. Yet, this fellow said that he wanted to browse through those books to learn the language so leisurely… Did he really think that he could master it just by reading through those?

“Un!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

“This…” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen hesitated. Knowing the impossibility of the task, he tried to talk Zhang Xuan out of it, “Studying the ancient beast language isn’t something that can be accomplished all of a sudden. Without a proper tutor, I’m afraid that you might accidentally injure yourself…”

“I’m just taking a casual look. If, by chance, I were to succeed, perhaps I’ll be able to tame this fellow!” Zhang Xuan smiled.

Hearing the other party insisting on the matter, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen frowned in displeasure.

Given how the other party cleared the Ten Beasts Cage so easily, his talents and strength were definitely top-notch. But why would a genius like him choose to do something so pointless and foolish?

Do you think that the ancient beast language is something one can grasp just by reading books?

If that was the case, there wouldn’t be so little beast tamers who knew the ancient beast language.

By chance… If it were possible to succeed by chance, they wouldn’t be in such a dilemma.

You must be jesting!

“Fine. Elder Wei, lead him there. Feel free to browse through the books of the Beast Hall. However, I won’t tolerate you making a fuss over the Ten Beasts Cage after this!” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen said, suppressing his displeasure.

“Alright!” Zhang Xuan nodded.

Even though the Beast Hall had many savage beasts, it was still nigh impossible for them to gather a sufficient number of them for Zhang Xuan to challenge the Ten Beasts Cage another nineteen times. The reason why Zhang Xuan insisted on the matter previously was to force the other party to compromise.

After observing the Nightmare Beast for a while longer, Zhang Xuan was still unable to come up with a better idea, so he decided to follow behind Grand Elder Wei Yuqing to the library.

“The books on the ancient beast language are placed randomly throughout the library, feel free to browse through them!”

As the duo reached the library, Grand Elder Wei Yuqing gestured to the massive collection of books inside.

He shared the same thoughts as Hall Master Xie Jiuchen. To think of learning the ancient beast language just by reading books… You must be dreaming!

If it was that easy to take it on, beast tamers adept in the ancient beast language wouldn’t be so valued.

Grand Elder Wei Yuqing left with a look of disappointment on his face. Zhang Xuan noticed it, but he didn’t pay it any heed. In any case, he would prefer to be left alone here anyway.

The Xuanyuan Kingdom Beast Hall’s library was much larger than that of the Xuanluo Mountain Range branch. Countless books were placed upon tall bookshelves that extended all the way to the limits of one’s sight. Since Zhang Xuan was already here, he might as well just collect all of the books within. Thus, placing his fingers on the first book on the first row, he started running.

…

“Seems like he’s still too young. His outstanding accomplishment has led to his complacency!”

Returning to the courtyard, Grand Elder Wei Yuqing shook his head.

“Considering how he was able to become a 2-star beast tamer and could face a Zhizun realm savage beast despite his young age, it is no wonder that he would become complacent. But still, to attempt to learn the ancient beast language just by browsing through books, he is underestimating the occupation!”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen said with a slight frown on his face.

Initially, he bore great expectations of this young man… However, after hearing the solution the other party came up with, all of his goodwill for the other party vanished.

Knocking the Nightmare Beast out… You must be pulling my leg!

To tame a savage beast, one had to learn its habits, likes, dislikes, and such. Forcibly knocking the other party out would only incur its resentment.

That fellow had a proud nature. It was already difficult to tame, and if they were to really knock it out, the possibility would probably drop to zero.

“Indeed!” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing nodded in agreement.

“Let’s not talk about him. How are the challengers of the Ten Beasts Cage faring?” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen asked.

While the group was tending to the Nightmare Beast, the Ten Beasts Cage had been busy as well.

Many of the geniuses who came to Xuanyuan Kingdom were stirred by Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s speech, and they were spurred to give it a try.

“I took a look before coming here, and the challengers… aren’t doing too well!” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing flashed a bitter smile.

After bringing Zhang Xuan to the library, he took a look, and the sight he saw brought a bitter smile to his face.

Beast Tamer Zhang had pummeled the Whirlwind Wolves and easily passed the first stage previously, even winning their admiration in the process of doing so. As though emulating his success, the first few challengers also charged straight at the Whirlwind Wolves. However… they ended up as the one being pummeled instead, and two of them were even nearly gnawed to death.

One of the more formidable geniuses managed to get past the Whirlwind Wolves and proceeded on to face the Tiger Head Beast.

He imitated Zhang Xuan’s strategy and struck the other party’s abdomen. The result? His arms almost fell off from the rebound, and the momentary opening from that nearly turned him into a lump of meat paste.

In less than an hour, more than ten geniuses had already fallen. On top of that, the majority of them didn’t even clear the first stage.

Even the famous Jiang Nanping, Fang Jin, and Luo Tang had given it a try. A handful of them was even stronger than Zhang Xuan, but they were still defeated in the first stage.

Those wolves were obedient as though pugs before Zhang Xuan, so the challengers didn’t think of them as a threat. Yet, when it came to them, they showed their true might as predators of the forest.

“If it were that easy to clear the Ten Beasts Cage, there wouldn’t be no successful challenger for the past thousand years!”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen seemed to have anticipated this result, and he shook his head in lamentation.

He knew very well the difficulty of the Ten Beasts Cage. He didn’t underestimate it just because Zhang Xuan cleared it easily.

“Un!” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing nodded. At this moment, he suddenly recalled a matter and said, “Right, the ruckus Beast Tamer Zhang caused by challenging the Ten Beasts Cage is too great. I’m afraid that… even if we were to host the Beast Taming Competition now, there wouldn’t be much point to it!”

“Oh?” Hall Master Xie Jiuchen fell into deep contemplation.

“Beast Tamer Zhang is young, and he meets the prerequisites for the Beast Taming Competition… After he cleared the Ten Beasts Cage, his prestige has soared. Under such circumstances, there won’t be much point in winning the champion seat…” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing smiled bitterly.

“You mean that… everyone views Beast Tamer Zhang as their goal? So, even if we conduct the Beast Taming Competition and someone wins the champion seat, as long as the champion doesn’t clear the Ten Beasts Challenge, he won’t be recognized by the masses?”

Xie Jiuchen came to a realization.

If the jade that came before was too radiant, it would dull the glow of those trailing behind.

This Beast Tamer Zhang was clearly such a jade.

He cleared the Ten Beasts Cage in a single go, breaking the thousand year record of Xuanyuan Kingdom Beast Hall. Even if someone were to be hailed as the champion of the Beast Taming Competition, as long as he doesn’t clear the Ten Beasts Cage, the prestige of his achievement would surely be compromised.

“Indeed!” Grand Elder Wei Yuqing nodded.

“This…”

Hall Master Xie Jiuchen’s smiled bitterly.

Actually, it wasn’t that he’d neglected this matter. It was just that, from the very start, he didn’t expect that fellow to clear the Ten Beasts Cage, let alone clearing it so easily!

“Since that’s the case, pass down an order saying that… the content of the Beast Taming Competition this time around will be the Ten Beasts Cage. Whoever passes the challenge will be the champion!” After hesitating for a moment, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen continued, “Also, check which branch does Beast Tamer Zhang belong to. If no one clears the Ten Beasts Cage… He’ll be declared as the champion!”

“Alright!” Wei Yuqing nodded.

This was the only solution left.

If Zhang Xuan knew that he could win the champion seat on top of earning the spirit beast blood essence through challenging the Ten Beasts Cage, it would be hard to say what he would feel.

However, at this very moment, a helpless frown was etched deeply on his forehead.

After a day of hard work, he finally collected all of the books in the Beast Hall into the Library of Heaven’s Path.

Upon doing so, he thought that it should be easy for him to compile all of the ancient beast language books to create an accurate manual on the language. However… after taking a look, he finally understood why Xie Jiuchen and Grand Elder Wei Yuqing didn’t think well of him.

The predecessors had indeed left behind many books on the ancient beast language, and written in these books were their personal insights on the verbalization of the language. However… after verifying the contents with the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan realized that the words that were authentic… numbered less than ten!

How could one communicate with savage beasts with less than ten words?

To think that there would be only ten correct words in several hundred ancient beast language books…

It was no wonder that no one succeeded. With this level of accuracy in the ancient texts, it would take a miracle for one to successfully learn the language.

“Seems like learning the ancient beast language is impossible…”

Zhang Xuan shook his head in disappointment.

If he had mastered the ancient beast language through the Library of Heaven’s Path, it would be much easier for him to tame savage beasts in the future. However, from the looks of it now, it seemed like he had underestimated the matter.

The ancient beast language was a creation of Kong shi, and if one could learn it that easily, there would not be so many stumped beast tamers in the world.

“Hmm? There seems to be another book on the ancient beast language over there…”

Just as Zhang Xuan was about to leave the library to convince Xie Jiuchen to knock out the Nightmare Beast, his eyes suddenly caught sight of a book lying in the corner of the room.

It was a thick book with the word ‘Language’ written in an ancient script on its cover.

As it was placed in a remote corner, he didn’t notice it previously.

He walked over and took it out.

This book was around ten fingers thick, and a thick layer of dust cloaked its cover. Its pages had a yellowish tint, hinting at a long history behind them. It seemed to have been placed here for innumerable years, unnoticed by any.

“Flaws!”

Touching it, a similar book appeared on the shelves within the Library of Heaven’s Path.

“Hmm? This isn’t ancient beast language?”

Flipping it open, Zhang Xuan was taken aback.

Written within the book was the introduction of a unique language, as well as the way to verbalize it. However, there was a clear distinction between it and the ancient beast language. The book didn’t reveal what exactly was that language, and the details provided by the Library of Heaven’s Path didn’t reveal anything significant about its origin either.

“There is a total of three correct words!”

Zhang Xuan flipped through the book.

There were thousands of words described in the ten-fingers thick book, but after verification from the Library of Heaven’s Path, there were only three correct ones.

“Compile!”

Zhang Xuan gathered all of the correct portions to form an entirely new book.

“I should try these three words first…”

Taking a deep breath, Zhang Xuan drove his zhenqi according to the circulation method derived from the book through the Library of Heaven’s Path.

“Moo!”

A sound echoed, and the world around Zhang Xuan seemed to tremor violently for an instant. At the same time, his body swayed, and the sight before him turned dark.

“What… kind of language is this? How can it be so fearsome?”

The immense energy expenditure from verbalizing that single word had nearly knocked him out. He quickly took deep breaths to recover.

Just verbalizing a single sound had nearly sapped his zhenqi dry. On top of that, his instincts told him that if not for his incredibly pure Heaven’s Path zhenqi, even with the knowledge of the correct verbalization method, he wouldn’t have been able to verbalize that sound.

After studying the ancient beast language, he realized that even though it was difficult to verbalize the words, it wasn’t too hard to speak fluently once one grasps the correct zhenqi circulation method. This logic seemed to apply to the mysterious language as well.

But just verbalizing a single sound had nearly caused him to pass out! That was way too fearsome!

“It is said that the more formidable a language is, the more difficult it is to verbalize it. It will have a high requirement on the purity of one’s zhenqi as well. Could this language have some kind of impressive background to it?”

Zhang Xuan’s eyes lit up.

Even though he was bewildered by the existence of such a mysterious language, his bewilderment did little to dampen his agitation.

Having read innumerable books, he knew that humans weren’t the only race in the Master Teacher Continent. There were innumerable other races, and each of them had their own unique language; the more formidable a race is, the more powerful their words will be. At the same time, there would be a higher requirement on the purity of one’s zhenqi to verbalize those words.

On this aspect, Heaven’s Path zhenqi stood at the top, even among the ranks of superior zhenqi.

But despite this, Zhang Xuan was still unable to sustain the expenditure from voicing out the words. What kind of language did these three words originate from for them to be so powerful?

After studying it for half a day, he realized that he couldn’t interpret the contents of the ancient book. In fact, he couldn’t even read a single word. Thus, he shook his head and gave up.

“Given that I have only learned a few words, I can’t depend on the ancient beast language anymore…”

Zhang Xuan thought that he could return accomplished with the ancient beast language in his arsenal.

“But in any case, I should still try and see if I can hoodwink the Nightmare Beast with these words. It would be good if I succeed. Otherwise, I’ll have to look for other solutions!”

Stretching his back lazily, Zhang Xuan walked out of the library and headed toward the courtyard where the Nightmare Beast was housed.

Even though he had only learned a few words, through the Library of Heaven’s Path, he was certain that these were authentic words from the ancient beast language. Perhaps, he might be able to convince the other party with just these words.

If, on the off chance, he succeeds, he would be able to earn thirty spirit beast blood essence immediately.

Otherwise, he would have to find a way or another to knock the Nightmare Beast out.

“Beast Tamer Zhang!”

Soon, he arrived at the courtyard. Before walking in, he saw many figures walking anxiously about the previously remote courtyard.

The huge group of beast tamers that he saw above when he was clearing the Ten Beasts Cage were all here.

“What happened?”

Zhang Xuan walked in doubtfully, and he immediately saw two familiar figures amidst the crowd.

“Beast Tamer Zhang!”

The other party also saw him, and they walked up to him.

“Hall Master Feng and Beast Tamer Wang, why are you two here?”

Zhang Xuan was perplexed.

These two were the beast tamers from the Xuanluo Mountain Range branch, Hall Master Feng and Beast Tamer Wang.

“Why are we here?” Hall Master Feng and Beast Tamer Wang coughed. “The Beast Taming Competition has been brought forward, but we weren’t able to contact you. Thus, we came here in advance!”

“The Beast Taming Competition has been brought forward?” Zhang Xuan blinked his eyes in surprise.

If the other party hadn’t raised this matter, he would have already forgotten the issue.

Ever since arriving at Xuanyuan Kingdom Beast Hall, he immediately rushed to the Ten Beasts Cage. Right after that, he went to the courtyard to meet the Nightmare Beast before busying himself at the library. As such, he had no way of knowing that the Beast Taming Competition had been brought forward.

Besides, he didn’t explicitly agree to the competition then. Thus, he didn’t pay much attention to the matter.

“You didn’t know?”

Seeing the confused expression on the other party’s face, the two great beast tamers swayed.

“I didn’t!” Zhang Xuan confirmed their suspicions.

“But… you are the champion of the competition!” The two beast tamers scratched their heads in frenzy.

Are you for real? Just a moment ago… Hall Master Xie Jiuchen announced that Zhang Xuan was the champion of the Beast Taming Competition!

He even specially visited them to offer his congratulations…

Despite being the champion, Zhang Xuan actually didn’t even know that the competition had been brought forward…

Can you get any more confused than that?

“Champion? What champion?”

Not only were the duo baffled, Zhang Xuan was also bewildered by the situation as well.

I don’t even know when the competition is held, how in the world did I become the champion?

“The content of the Beast Taming Competition this time is the Ten Beasts Cage. Of all of the participants, you’re the only one who succeeded… So naturally, you became the champion!”

Seeing that the other party really knew nothing at all, Hall Master Feng could only explain the situation speechlessly.

To think that even someone as confused as him could become the champion, he was truly speechless.

For every single competition, their Xuanluo Mountain Range branch would always go around searching for talents to vie for a good placing. Yet, they had never succeeded…

This time, they managed to win the championship, yet the candidate himself didn’t even know what was happening.

“I see… Is there any prize for the champion?”

After hearing that he became the champion just because he challenged the Ten Beasts Cage, Zhang Xuan was speechless. But soon, recalling something, his eyes lit up.

Becoming the champion wasn’t anything much to him, what he was more concerned about was the reward!

If he could win twenty or thirty spirit beast blood essence, he could spare himself much hassle.

“The reward is five spirit stones. I have already claimed it for you, you can check on it!”

At which, Hall Master Feng took out a narrow jade box. Opening it, five spirit stones placed side by side appeared before Zhang Xuan’s eyes.

“Just these?”

Zhang Xuan thought that he would be able to earn generous rewards by winning the championship. Yet, for the reward to be only five spirit stones, the Beast Hall was truly miserly.

However, no matter how little the reward was, it was still useful to him. There was no reason for him to reject it.

After keeping the spirit stones into his storage ring, he glanced at the surroundings and asked, “What’s happening? Why are so many people gathered here?”

Yesterday, when he came, a formation was set up here, and no outsiders were allowed to enter. Why did the situation become like that all of the sudden?

“The Beast Hall caught a Half-Transcension savage beast, and they wish to tame it. However, they had been unable to find a feasible method to do so. The reason why the pushed forward the Beast Taming Competition was to gather the hall masters, elders, and talented beast tamers from all around Xuanyuan Kingdom here to brainstorm on a viable method to tame the Nightmare Beast!” Hall Master Feng explained.

The motive of pushing the competition forward was for this savage beast. Since the competition was already over, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen decided to gather all of the beast tamers here to brainstorm over this matter.

This led to the current commotion outside of the courtyard.

“Oh!” Zhang Xuan came to a realization.

It seemed like the other party didn’t think that he would succeed in learning the ancient beast language.

But it was no wonder why the other party would think so. Even with the prowess of the Library of Heaven’s Path, Zhang Xuan had only found a few correct words. It would take a miracle for anyone to learn the language through those books.

“Has anyone succeeded yet?” Zhang Xuan asked.

“No one has succeeded yet. A Half-Transcension savage beast is too strong, the possibility of succeeding is extremely low…”

Shaking his head, Hall Master Feng sighed.

Even a 3-star beast tamer like Hall Master Xie Jiuchen was helpless before the Nightmare Beast. How could normal beast tamers like them have any good ideas?

Several ideas were brought up, but they were all refuted.

“Look, the genius Wei Youdao intends to give it a try!”

“Wei Youdao? The genius who managed to reach the third stage of the Ten Beasts Cage yesterday?”

“Yes, that’s him…”

…

Just as the trio was talking, a commotion broke out among the crowd. Zhang Xuan turned around and saw a youngster walking toward the Nightmare Beast in the metal cage.

In front of the metal cage stood Hall Master Xie Jiu Chen, Grand Elder Wei Yuqing, and a few other beast tamers. A grim expression hung on their faces.

They also knew that it was unlikely for anyone to succeed, and they were already prepared for the worst-case scenario.