NOVEL WEB Ch. 32
Chapter 32: Spirit Beast Pavilion
After the Formation Arts class ended, Xu Lingling suddenly slumped and said, "I really envy you two. I wish I could go to Fallen Dragon Mansion too."
Xu Ziqing cast a glance at her best friend. "Didn’t Uncle take you there a few times already?"
"That’s different," Xu Lingling muttered.
Her visits to Fallen Dragon Mansion were purely for sightseeing and leisure, while the purpose of Xu Ziqing and the others going was to contract a Companion Beast. The two situations simply couldn't be compared.
"Don’t worry. You’ll catch up with us soon," Chen Beiwu comforted.
"How do you know? Are you saying you can tell fortunes, Chen Beiwu?" Xu Lingling perked up.
"I don’t tell fortunes," Chen Beiwu shook his head, "but I believe in your uncle’s strength."
Even a small trickle of resources from a Golden Core True Person could greatly benefit a Foundation Establishment cultivator, let alone someone at the Qi Refining stage.
If her uncle was willing, Chen Beiwu wouldn’t be surprised if Xu Lingling broke through from the Fifth Level of Qi Refining to the Seventh Level within a month.
Hearing this, Xu Lingling was momentarily speechless and slumped over the desk, unable to respond.
She had considered relying on pills to advance, but the old man at home wouldn't allow it, insisting she cultivate the Nourishing Yang Method to improve the purity of her Spiritual Root.
"Did the homeroom teacher inform you?" Xu Ziqing asked gently.
"He did. We’re to gather at the school sports field at 7 a.m. tomorrow morning. The director will lead the group," Chen Beiwu said, waving his hand as he stood up and left under the two girls’ gaze.
...
At dawn the next day, Chen Beiwu rose early and headed for Shouhe No. 2 High School.
As he approached the school field, he saw eight young men and women standing near the grass, gathered in two small circles chatting.
They were all students from the same school, so Chen Beiwu naturally recognized these school celebrities.
The handsome male at the front was named Lin Yi, a senior in Class 5, nineteen years old, at the Seventh Level of Qi Refining. He possessed a Wood-Attribute True Root and was the son of the school’s director.
The lively female at the front was named Sun Yajing, a senior in Class 5, also nineteen, also at the Seventh Level of Qi Refining, possessing a Fire-Attribute True Root. She was one of only two student‑level artifact forgers at the school and was considered Xu Ziqing’s senior.
Noticing someone approaching, the chatting girls looked toward Chen Beiwu.
"Ziqing, your good classmate is here," Sun Yajing nudged Xu Ziqing teasingly. "Aren’t you going to introduce him?"
Despite being stared at by several older students, Chen Beiwu remained calm and politely greeted them.
"No need for introductions. At only sixteen, he’s already reached the Seventh Level of Qi Refining. Who at Shouhe No. 2 High School hasn’t heard of junior Chen Beiwu?" Lin Yi gave a gentlemanly smile and turned toward the school building.
"Is everyone here?" A middle-aged cultivator with an air of Daoist elegance walked over.
"Everyone’s here, Director Lin," Lin Yi replied.
"Excellent," Director Lin nodded with satisfaction. With a flick of his mind, he retrieved a jade-like Flying Shuttle Artifact from his Crimson‑Void Storage Ring.
"Rise!"
As he activated it with spiritual power, the Flying Shuttle Artifact rapidly expanded, transforming into a silver-white shuttle about five zhang long, exuding an impressive aura.
"Everyone, please board," said Director Lin as he was the first to step onto the shuttle.
Following behind Xu Ziqing, Chen Beiwu boarded the flying shuttle confidently, his curiosity unhidden.
Xu Ziqing leaned close and asked, "Do you really like Flying Shuttle Artifacts?"
"Yeah," Chen Beiwu nodded.
Xu Ziqing’s eyes twinkled as she said nonchalantly, "My family has a few Flying Shuttle Artifacts. If you have time, we can go on an outing to Still Abyss Lake together."
"No need for that," Chen Beiwu declined with a smile.
"Huh?" Xu Ziqing blinked in surprise.
The Spirit Beast Pavilion was located in Jinyang County of Fallen Dragon Mansion, nestled within a mist-shrouded unnamed immortal mountain and covered an expansive area.
After over an hour of flight, Chen Beiwu and the group finally arrived at their destination.
Seeing floating islands suspended in the sky like a celestial realm, Chen Beiwu couldn’t help but reveal a trace of awe in his eyes.
"So this is the Spirit Beast Pavilion?"
At that moment, a ray of spiritual light descended from the immortal mountain, transporting the shuttle to the nearest inspection station.
"Welcome to the Spirit Beast Pavilion, students. I am Wei Lian, Deputy Attendant of the Spirit Beast Pavilion, in charge of today’s inspection," a young cultivator in robes stepped forward to greet them.
Soon after passing through a complex inspection process, Chen Beiwu and the group, led by Attendant Wei, arrived at the main hall of the Spirit Beast Pavilion.
"You’ve attended plenty of Beast Taming Arts classes, so you should be clear on this: a cultivator’s Spiritual Root aptitude is hard to change and beyond choice, but a Companion Beast is different," Director Lin reminded them seriously.
"A suitable Companion Beast is crucial for a cultivator’s future path. If chosen well, even an ordinary Spiritual Root can yield twice the result with half the effort. But if chosen poorly, even a top-grade root could mean self-sabotaging your cultivation."
At this, Director Lin swept his gaze across the students. "So when choosing your Companion Beast, be cautious. Try to select a Spirit Beast with attributes matching your own Spiritual Root. Understood?"
"Understood," everyone responded in unison.
"Very good." Director Lin nodded and turned to Wei Lian. "I’ll leave the rest to you, Attendant Wei."
"Just doing my duty," Attendant Wei replied, and with a wave of his hand, several rays of light floated before the students.
"These jade slips serve as your identification and also as passes, valid for half a month.
They can connect to the pavilion’s artifact spirit to answer your questions. If you don’t understand something, just touch the slip with your spiritual sense.
Now, you may freely explore the Spirit Beast Pavilion and contract the Spirit Beast you desire."
Receiving the warm jade slip, Chen Beiwu looked at Xu Ziqing. "What kind of Companion Beast are you planning to contract?"
"The Scarlet Flame Fox, Firefeather Crow, Red-Tailed Sparrow, and Flamefang Tiger are all great. I plan to start testing with the Scarlet Flame Fox and see which Second-Tier Spirit Beast suits me best. What about you?" she asked curiously.
"I’m thinking of checking out the Azure Blue Spirit Salamander first, then the Abyssal Water Spirit Turtle and the Azure‑Wave Spirit Carp," Chen Beiwu said after some thought.
He wasn’t entirely satisfied with any of the three and wanted to interact with them before deciding.
After all, a Companion Beast could affect one’s entire path, and more options meant a safer choice.
Just then, Lin Yi walked over and extended an invitation. "Ziqing, want to head over to Sulfur Reef Island together?"
"Aren’t you supposed to go to Qingluo Island?" Xu Ziqing asked in confusion.
Lin Yi chuckled. "Sun Yajing already found a suitable candidate. I thought I’d drop by for some fun. We’ve got half a month to choose anyway."
Xu Ziqing smiled sweetly. "Sorry, I plan to go with a friend to Mystic Waterfall Island first."
Hearing this, Lin Yi turned away dejectedly, feeling a mix of regret and understanding.
Compared to Chen Beiwu, he truly fell short.
Chen Beiwu looked at Xu Ziqing in surprise.
"What? Is it not okay?" Xu Ziqing smiled sweetly. "I just want to explore Mystic Waterfall Island with you for a while."
"Of course it’s okay," Chen Beiwu replied without hesitation.