421-425
Chapter 421: I Want to Challenge Ten Beasts Cage (2)
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
That 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 out 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 over.
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 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.
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Chapter 422: Nightmare Beast
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
Twenty? And you said that you aren't greedy?
Do you know how many drops of spirit beast blood essence is 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 were 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 about 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 whether I have to buy it or trade for it, I have to obtain it."
"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 to it 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. 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.
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Chapter 423: Ancient Beast Language
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
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 take 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!
/
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Chapter 424: Bizarre Language [2in1]
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
"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, we 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 only 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 that single sound he just made 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 it be that this language is extremely formidable?"
Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.
Even though he was baffled, it did little to dampen his agitation.
After reading through innumerable books, he knew that humans weren't the only race in the Master Teacher Continent. There were many races, and each of them had their own languages, the more formidable a race was, the more powerful their words would be. At the same time, the requirement on the purity of one's zhenqi would be much greater as well.
Heaven's Path zhenqi was definitely a top-notch existence even among superior zhenqi. 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, he actually didn't even know that the competition had been brought forward...
Can you be any more confusing 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 a worst case scenario.
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Chapter 425: Allow Me!
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: Millman97
At this moment, the Nightmare Beast was currently lying lazily on the ground. It wasn't even angry; it just couldn't be bothered to lift his head to glance at the other party. Instead, it seemed to be using some kind of unique method to heal the injuries it had sustained.
"Hall Master, I would like to give it a try!"
Walking forward, Wei Youdao clasped his fists.
"Go on!" Glancing at Grand Elder Wei Yuqing, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen nodded.
The grandson of his old friend had been blessed with exceptional talent for beast taming, and the other party had made a name for himself among the younger generation
If not for Zhang Xuan's abrupt appearance, Wei Youdao might very well become the number one genius of Xuanyuan Kingdom Beast Hall's younger generation.
In any case, there was no better solution for the matter at the moment. If the Nightmare Beast were to recover substantially from its injuries, it would be impossible for the Beast Hall to confine it any further. Since that was the case, he might as well grant everyone a chance. Perhaps, someone might just succeed.
"Thank you, hall master!"
Taking a deep breath, Wei Youdao walked up to the Nightmare Beast.
With a flick on his wrist, a jade bottle appeared in his palm.
Uncorking the cap, a dense fragrance wafted out, revitalizing everyone's spirit.
"It's the Seven-colored Honey from the Cloud Mist Mountain!"
"It's said that the Zongshi realm savage beast Heaven Snow Bee concocted this honey from the nectar gathered from seven different colored flowers. It has an alluring fragrance, and it's incomparably sweet. Even spirit beasts would find it difficult to rein in their craving!"
"This thing is incomparably expensive and rare. Even with plenty of spirit stones at hand, obtaining it is no easy matter. Yet, to think that he would have an entire bottle of it!"
"Since he is willing to take even that out, the Nightmare Beast should probably cave in!"
...
Catching a whiff of the fragrance from the jade bottle, a huge commotion was stirred in the surroundings.
The Seven-colored Honey was formed by seven different colored nectars. It possessed a fragrance that opened up one's pores with a single whiff.
Savage beasts tended to be gluttonous; it would be difficult for the other party to hold back from such a delicacy.
"The Seven-colored Honey is ranked fifth among the ten most favored objects of savage beasts. It is impressive that Wei Youdao was able to obtain such a good item, not bad!"
Hall Master Feng's eyes also lit up.
"Ten most favored objects of savage beasts? There's such a ranking?" Zhang Xuan was taken aback.
He had read nearly all of the books in the Beast Hall, but he had never heard of such a ranking.
"There is!"
Hall Master Feng chuckled. "Actually, we only created this list out of boredom, and it isn't officially recognized by the Beast Hall, so it isn't recorded in any book. Seven-colored Honey isn't just fragrant, more importantly, it has the effect of nourishing and expanding a savage beast's meridians! Usually, if a beast tamer were to take out a single droplet of it, he would be able to induce Complete Submission in a Zongshi realm savage beast. The jade bottle that Wei Youdao might be small, but there are at least several dozens of droplets in it. He must be truly determined if he is taking so many droplets out at once!"
"Nourish and expand a savage beast's meridians?"
Upon hearing the effects of the Seven-colored Honey, Zhang Xuan was astounded.
The meridians of humans and savage beasts had a certain cross sectional area. If one were to drive one's zhenqi too quickly, it might cause one's zhenqi to seep outward, resulting in severe internal injuries.
Expanding one's meridians was equivalent to increasing the quantity of zhenqi one could drive within a specific period of time. This quality made the Seven-colored Honey extremely valuable. Putting aside savage beasts, even the eyes of the cultivators in the area reddened in desire upon learning of the effects of the Seven-colored Honey,
"What other objects are there in this ranking?" Zhang Xuan couldn't help but ask curiously.
If he were to know the most favored objects of savage beasts, it might help him in taming powerful savage beasts in the future.
"As it's unofficial, it's mostly speculation. The publicly acknowledged number one object is Dragon Blood, number two is the inner core of spirit beasts, number three is ancient beast blood essence, number four is Godfall Flower, and number five is Seven-colored Honey!"
"I see!" Zhang Xuan nodded.
He had heard of the first four objects.
The Dragon Tribe was incomparably powerful. If a savage beast were to possess the slightest trace of the Dragon Bloodline, it would be significantly stronger than normal savage beasts.
Taking the Nightmare Beast for example, even though the Dragon Bloodline within it was so meagre that it could be disregarded, it still granted it the potential to reach Half-Transcension.
Just this in itself made the Dragon Bloodline a desired object that could send all savage beasts and spirit beasts into a frenzy.
As for the ancient beast blood essence, as shown in the Xuanluo Mountain Range branch, it possessed the same effects as well. If used appropriately, it could induce a Bloodline Evolution in a savage beast.
As for the inner core of a savage beast, it was something that spirit beasts nurture and cultivate day and night over a long period of time. It harnessed the essence of their cultivation and strength. If a savage beast could obtain it, even if it still wasn't able to make the leap to become a spirit beast, its cultivation would definitely be enhanced significantly.
As for the Godfall Flower, rumor had it that it could nurture a savage beast's spirit.
Of these four incredible objects, the very fact that the Seven-colored Honey could be placed at the fifth place proved testimony to its fearsome effects.
Zhang Xuan couldn't help but take a glance at the situation.
As expected, upon catching a whiff of the fragrance, the lazy Nightmare Beast in the cage was stirred into action. It lifted its massive head, and a glaring radiance pierced from its eyes.
It was clearly interested in the object.
Grabbing the Seven-colored Honey in his hands, Wei Youdao confidently declared, "I know that you understand the human language, and you know our purpose here. As long as you swear to the Dragon Bloodline within your body to remain loyal to the Beast Hall, this bottle of Seven-colored Honey will be yours!"
With this object, he didn't need to resort to any ploy. He only had to state his conditions.
"Roar!"
The Nightmare Beast was initially rather interested in it, but after hearing Wei Youdao's words, it began to lie back down lazily.
"I know that you've attempted a breakthrough to become a spirit beast and failed. The Seven-colored Honey can expand your meridians and heal your wounds. It could help you surpass your bottleneck, so why do you remain so obstinate? Besides, you're only pledging loyalty to the Beast Hall, not to an individual. If you do so, the Beast Hall will surely devote massive resources to your cultivation and your growth... I hope that you can consider this matter!" Wei Youdao said.
Even though his words were moving, the Nightmare Beast remained indifferent.
There was no difference to whom it would pledge loyalty to. In its eyes, it was still becoming the puppet of the humans. Rather than being restricted, it would prefer to venture out and live its life as it pleased.
"Seems like it's a failure!"
The crowd had finally seen a flicker of hope, but upon seeing this sight, their expression sunk again.
They thought that the Seven-colored Honey, ranked fifth on the list, could move the Nightmare Beast. However, they seemed to have underestimate the fellow's control.
"Even though the Seven-colored Honey is irresistible to ordinary savage beasts, this Nightmare Beast isn't too far away from reaching the level of a spirit beast. As such, its effects would be severely limited. On top of that, as a proud bearer of the Dragon Bloodline, how could it serve the humans for just a bit of Seven-colored Honey?"
Among the crowd, a 2-star pinnacle beast tamer commented.
"Indeed. The Dragon Tribe is one of the strongest tribes in the continent, and they have the pride matching their standing. Even though this fellow's bloodline might be weak, it still won't lower its head to humans just over such small benefits. The only way for it to work is to offer it Dragon Blood!"
"Dragon Blood? You must be joking! Do you think that it's that easy to find some? Putting aside how difficult it is to find a member of the Dragon Tribe, even if you manage to find one, it would be impossible to subdue it! Even the weakest of their members is a Half-Transcension, like this Nightmare Beast before us. It isn't a being that normal beast tamers like us can hunt down."
A commotion broke out.
The Beast Taming Competition had gathered dozens of hall masters and elders from the surrounding kingdoms. To be able to become the head of their organizations, their eye of discernment and knowledge far exceeded that of ordinary beast tamers.
The Seven-colored Honey was valuable, but it wasn't sufficient to make a savage beast with a hint of Dragon Bloodline lower its head.
"My apologies!"
After a moment of persuasion, the Nightmare Beast still remained unmoved. In the end, Wei Youdao could only retreat in defeat.
"Is there anyone else who likes to try?"
Expecting this outcome, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen sighed. Turning to the crowd yet again, he asked.
Silence.
Initially, after hearing this news, many people were tempted to give it a try. However, after seeing the 2-star pinnacle and 3-star primary beast tamers falling in defeat, the others lost their courage as well.
"Allow me!"
Suddenly, a faint voice broke the silence.
"It's Beast Tamer Zhang Xuan!"
"Since he managed to clear the Ten Beasts Cage so easily, he must have a deep insight into beast taming. Perhaps, he just might succeed!"
"I don't deny that his beast taming skills are incredible, but his cultivation is way too low!"
"That's true. It's already a formidable feat for a beast tamer to tame a savage beast one or two small cultivation realm above him... He is only at Zongshi realm pinnacle while the other party is at Half-Transcension. That's a total of six small cultivation realms. It's impossible for him to successfully tame it!"
"Indeed. If he were at Zhizun realm pinnacle, it might still be possible. But given his current strength... I don't think that he'll succeed!"
After identifying the source of the voice, the crowd flew into an uproar.
Zhang Xuan's feat of clearing the Ten Beasts Cage had awed everyone in the Beast Hall. Thus, almost everyone here had heard of his name.
His appearance had generated hope in some, but most simply shook their heads grimly.
Beast taming wasn't just about technique, strength also played a major role.
If one's cultivation realm differed too much from the savage beast, it would only look down on one. Given the lack of respect, how could it possibly allow one to tame it?
"I've heard that he came here to give it a try after clearing the Ten Beasts Cage yesterday, but he failed!"
"Then why is he still volunteering again? Does he have a better idea in mind?"
"I don't know. Let's wait and see then..."
There were some who knew that Zhang Xuan had already attempted yesterday. Even though they didn't know what had happened, given that the Nightmare Beast hadn't been tamed yet, it was clear that he had failed.
"You... succeeded in learning the language?"
Upon seeing Zhang Xuan, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen's eyes lit up.
That fellow ran to the library, claiming that he was going to learn the ancient beast language. Yet, he appeared here today. Did it mean that he had succeeded in learning the language?
"Succeed? I'm still far from that..."
Zhang Xuan shook his head.
It wasn't that the ancient beast language was too difficult, but that the level of this Beast Hall was simply too low. There were insufficient books here for the Library of Heaven's Path to work its wonders.
"Then..."
Hearing Zhang Xuan admit that he was still far from success, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen was baffled.
"I've only learned a few sounds, so I would like to give it a try. If it doesn't work, we can try the method I mentioned the previous time!" Zhang Xuan said.
"The method you mentioned?"
Hearing those words, Hall Master Xie Jiuchen fell speechless.
Given how that fellow ran off to the library to study, he thought that he had given up on the idea. To think that he was still harboring those thoughts!