Chapter 10: Soul Power

"Ouch!"

Feng Qing'an lay on the bed, whimpering, with his pants rolled down to his thighs. A handsome, refined-looking young man, wearing a helpless smile on his face, was patiently applying some ointment on him.

"Hiss~ Big brother, be gentle, it hurts!"

"So you know it hurts?"

Feng Qingping laughed.

"I am not made of wood, how can I not feel the pain?"

"If you know it hurts, why did you announce in front of so many people that you want to become a Master Official? You deserved that beating!"

"Brother, don't you want me to become a Master official?"

Feng Qing'an leaned on his arms, tilting his head to look at his elder brother who was applying the ointment on him.

The severity of Yin Shi's beating was just that, it seemed cruel, but all it left on the body were some red marks. The real reason why Feng Qing'an had to lie on the bed was the beating from Feng Shouli.

The honest and straightforward farmer was enraged when he heard that his second son wanted to ride on the coattails of his elder brother and become a spendthrift. He grabbed a pole and started beating him without mercy. Luckily, others were there to stop him, otherwise Feng Qing'an's legs might have been broken.

"What kind of Master Official do you want to become?"

Feng Qingping asked with a gentle smile.

"Are there specifications for that?"

Feng Qing'an asked, rather surprised.

"While I was in the capital, I saw several privileged children indulging in extravagant clothing, beautiful women, singing, dancing, gambling, and hanging out in places of pleasure, not returning home for several months. On my way to the capital for the examinations, I also saw these same types of wealthy children using their family's power to bully men and women, forcibly taking villagers' women, and seizing farmers' lands, causing people's resentment to fill the streets."

"Left to drive Huang, right to support Cang, fur hats and mink coats, thousands of soldiers rolling on a plain, as far I am concerned, I like the first type you mentioned. Bullying and doing such mean things is certainly not my style, but cockfighting, dog racing, and spending nights at the brothel, are not bad."

Feng Qing'an didn't even need to think before he answered.

"You mean what you say?"

Feng Qingping looked seriously at Feng Qing'an, with the smile fading from his face.

"Brother, don't you know me yet?"

Feng Qing'an buried his head in his own arm, replying in a muffled voice.

"You want to pass the Imperial examination, get a minor official post, and then live comfortably."

"Yes, my greatest ambition is to pass the Imperial examination."

Feng Qing'an lifted his head with his eyes shining, but he soon became a bit despondent.

"But they want me to be like you, to become the top scholar, or at least an Advanced Scholar!"

"So you made up some nonsense?"

Feng Qingping couldn't help laughing out loud.

"It's not exactly nonsense, initially I set my goal to become a 'Scholar', I didn't expect you, my brother, to do so well. Now that you have become a 'Six Dominant Scholar', why should I suffer for ten years? It will be enough if I can share in your glory."

Feng Qing'an laughed, before today, he seriously considered studying hard to pass the exam, relying on others was not as good as relying on oneself. But now, he could cultivate immortality, the Imperial examination was put aside.

"Why don't you become a top scholar like me?"

Feng Qingping asked with a smile.

"Brother, don't you realize how outrageous you are? I am just an ordinary person, I just need to share in your glory and enjoy wealth and fame for the rest of my life. Why should I worry about becoming a top scholar? There must be a lot of old men in the examination hall, right?"

Feng Qing'an couldn't help but yell, not even fourteen and already a 'Six Dominant Scholar', if people say that he is a reincarnated star deity, he would not be surprised, since there are cultivators, and if there are immortals, then there is nothing surprising about it.

"Hmm!"

Feng Qingping thought about what he had seen in the examination hall and couldn't help but nod, too many people spent their whole lives on the examinations, and in their old age, they had accomplished nothing.

"So, if I act like a scoundrel now, they won't have such high expectations of me, and in the future, if I act a bit more normal, they will be very happy."

"Haha, you little rascal!"

After hearing Feng Qing'an's twisted logic, Feng Qingping found it even more amusing and couldn't help but laugh, then he said,

"You still need to read a lot of books, as for whether to participate in the Imperial examination and get an official title, it's all up to you."

Feng Qingping patiently cautioned him, after applying the ointment on him, he pulled up Feng Qing'an's pants and covered him with a quilt.

"The ointment has been applied, you should sleep on your stomach for the next few nights, don't roll around too much at night, otherwise, you'll be the one suffering from the pain!"

"Okay!"

Feng Qing'an happily agreed, then watched as his big brother left the room with the jar of ointment, leaving him alone in the spacious room, immersed in the rare ambience of tranquility.

"Big Brother!"

Feng Qing'an lay on the bed, dazed for a while, and in this process, his mood gradually calmed down, as the night turned even more serene.

"I can try it now!"

There is no particular requirement for the body position for the cultivation of a Guardian Beast master. So Feng Qing'an, lying on his stomach, began to attempt his first practice of cultivation in life.

In the darkness, a point of white light emerged. The light shimmered in the darkness, then, like a comet, it pierced through the darkness, fell into the infinite depths of nothingness, standing still, creating ripples of white light...

Ohwoooh——

The powerful crow of a rooster sounded at the dawn, Feng Qing'an, who had been lying on the bed all night, slowly opened his eyes, slightly surprised to see the faint light that leaked into the room from the window.

"A whole night has passed!"

Feng Qing'an lay still on the bed. He didn't know how long he had been cultivating, but it seemed that he had fallen asleep afterward. However, one thing was certain, he had successfully entered a state of cultivation.

At this moment, everything that came into his eyes seemed slightly different from before. However, he couldn't exactly say what the differences were, but he had a peculiar feeling.

And just as he was carefully trying to identify what was different about him after the exercise last night, what changes had happened, a mechanical voice devoid of wisdom and feelings arose.

"Sub-task: Far-sighted Perspective·Three"

"Explanation: A qualified Guardian Beast must have extraordinary wisdom to fight alongside its master."

"Requirement: Use the 'Spirit Attraction Blood Refinement Skill' to hone your Guardian Beast's physique and awaken its spiritual wisdom."

"Reward: Enables Guardian Beast identification function."

"..."

Feng Qing'an thought for a while, carefully reviewed the contents of the "Spirit Attraction Blood Refinement Skill", and then decided to pretend this task didn't exist for now. He hadn't even managed to successfully consolidate his first Soul Contract. With the pitiful amount of Soul Power he managed to cultivate, he was barely able to sense its existence, let alone use any secret techniques.

Moreover, unlike the cultivation methods, these secret techniques have risks. These risks don't exist for the Guardian Beast masters but for the Guardian Beasts. If a Guardian Beast master uses the "Spirit Attraction Blood Refinement Skill" and something goes wrong, the one who suffers would be the Guardian Beast. So he needs to be very careful. Unless he is absolutely certain, it's best not to use it recklessly.