The Master of Beasts

Wanting to observe more, Chen Jiuge and Wen Ruo witnessed countless bizarre and eccentric Spiritual Beasts in the time that followed.

For example, some Spiritual Beasts that were clearly fish grew a pair of legs, were capable of freely breathing on land, could even breathe fire, and, after being eliminated, would sadly and angrily grill themselves on the spot to feed the nearby Disciples.

There were also super-cows that could continuously produce milk by absorbing Spiritual Energy, large green frogs that could drink water and spit fire, three-legged dogs, and eight-handed monkeys. It was said one such monkey's owner claimed it had even earned a Fourth Rank Spirit Chef certificate. These were just a few examples of the many bizarre Spiritual Beasts.

Just before a single White Mirror, such a chaotic spectacle unfolded. Chen Jiuge suddenly realized that having a Golden Finger and still being so conservative was truly a waste of resources.

The two watched until sunset, by which time there weren't many people left in the plaza.

Burping contentedly, Chen Jiuge said, "Senior Sister, I'm going to submit for scoring now."

When Chen Jiuge placed the tiny Silver King and the Jade Scroll with his records into it, the White Mirror before him suddenly displayed an image.

The image showed a multitude of Spiritual Chickens and Fire-Feather Chickens. Then a line of text suddenly appeared on the White Mirror: "Begin evolution? If anything unusual occurs during the evolution process, please notify us promptly."

So that's how it is, Chen Jiuge mused thoughtfully. No wonder those Disciples are always yelling in front of the White Mirror.

Then he quickly remembered he couldn't reveal his Golden Finger. I won't fail, of course. Although he was very worried, Chen Jiuge still added, "My Bloodline Transformation has already evolved into a Divine Skill. I've used Mithril to enhance these Spiritual Chickens."

After adding this sentence, Chen Jiuge had no choice but to choose to start the evolution.

He watched as the Spiritual Chickens and Fire-Feather Chickens continuously crossbred. The eighth generation produced the Fire Spiritual Chicken, the eleventh generation produced the White Spiritual Chicken, and it wasn't until the thirty-second generation that the Silver Iron Chicken finally appeared.

After the Silver Iron Chicken appeared, Chen Jiuge once again supplemented details about the Bloodline Transformation process.

Then, with the birth of the third-generation Silver Iron Chicken, a normal Silver Iron Eagle was finally born.

Fifteen generations later, the first mutated Silver Iron Eagle appeared.

Twenty-two generations later, a large number of mutated Silver Iron Eagles appeared.

Not until the thirty-sixth generation did a Silver Iron Eagle as powerful as Silver King emerge.

"Evolution complete. Beginning scoring."

"Total score: 100. Your score: 83. Congratulations on advancing to the finals of the Beast Breeding Competition."

Looking at the green Token in his hand, Chen Jiuge finally breathed a sigh of relief. That was terrifying; he had thought he might not pass. Without the variable of his Golden Finger, the resources and time required to cultivate a Silver Iron Eagle would likely be more than ten times greater.

Fortunately, he had passed smoothly.

Looking at the green Token in Chen Jiuge's hand, Wen Ruo smiled and said, "I knew Junior Brother could do it."

"There are three days until the final competition, Junior Brother. How about we stay at my friend's place for a few days?" Wen Ruo suggested.

"Okay, I'll have to trouble you then, Senior Sister." It would be too much trouble to go back and forth; there was nothing to do in Eden Garden anyway, so there was no need to return.

Generally, only Core Disciples, prospective Core Disciples, the nine Sect Elders, and their respective Direct Disciples could establish cave mansions in the Sect's Main Hall. Therefore, Wen Ruo's friend's status was likely not simple.

Unlike other Inner Sect Mountains, the Main Hall was quite deserted. Even on Hundred Herbs Peak, where most Spiritual Plant Masters were reclusive, Chen Jiuge would occasionally see a few people when he went down the mountain. They were all quite introverted, however, offering at most a greeting.

The Main Hall was different. He walked the entire way without seeing a single person, though there were many Spiritual Beast cubs with strong Bloodlines playing by the roadside.

"Senior Sister hasn't arrived yet?" Chen Jiuge said helplessly, looking at the four or five Spiritual Beast cubs draped over him.

He had no idea if it was because he raised Spiritual Beasts himself or because these little creatures rarely saw people, but in less than a quarter of an hour, four Spiritual Beast cubs were already sprawled all over him.

The most startling discovery was a Bai Ze cub, a creature renowned as both an Auspicious Beast and a Divine Beast. Chen Jiuge couldn't identify the other three Spiritual Beasts, but their companionship with a Bai Ze indicated they were far from ordinary.

"Junior Brother, just bear with it. The Main Hall is always like this. There are hardly any people here, just these little ones. They asked me to move here before, but I couldn't stand these rowdy little guys, so I've always stayed at Hundred Herbs Peak," Wen Ruo said with a light laugh, covering her mouth.

"Senior Sister, you're a prospective Core Disciple?" Chen Jiuge asked in shock.

"Yes. Didn't Master tell you?" Wen Ruo responded with some surprise.

At that moment, Chen Jiuge deeply appreciated his Senior Sister. She was beautiful, possessed a high level of Cultivation, had a gentle personality, and was even a prospective Core Disciple. Damn, what a supporter! He could barely resist the urge to latch onto those powerful thighs right then and there.

He barely suppressed the impulse to curry favor with such a strong backer and finally arrived at their destination.

Looking at the magnificent Palace before them, they had just stepped inside when they heard a furious roar.

"Damn that Qiongqi! Put my things down!"

"Dang Kang, what are you pulling at?"

"Star, if you don't kick them out, I'm going to stew you tonight!"

Chen Jiuge turned to Wen Ruo and carefully asked, "Senior Sister, is this your friend?"

Wen Ruo gave a bitter smile. "Bai Yao is just like that—fiery in temperament, but a good person at heart. Don't mind it. Let's go in."

Upon entering, Chen Jiuge saw a stunningly beautiful Female Cultivator berating dozens of Spiritual Beast cubs in the main hall.

The four cubs on Chen Jiuge's person perked up at the sight of their playmates and instantly joined the chaotic fray.

Noticing her best friend arriving with her Junior Brother, Bai Yao composed herself and said, "Xiao Wen, you're here. Is this your Junior Brother?"

"Yaoyao, what's all this?" Wen Ruo asked, hesitating at the sight of the feather-strewn, chaotic hall.

Speaking of which, Bai Yao gritted her teeth. "It's all Star's fault, that bastard! Not long ago, he went to the back mountain to drink with those shameless old Spiritual Beasts, got drunk, and agreed to babysit. Now, all the Divine Beast cubs from the back mountain keep flocking to my place!"

Following the direction Bai Yao pointed, Chen Jiuge saw a Star Dragon.

"This Star Dragon is so beautiful," Chen Jiuge said with envy. His own Fire Flood Dragon and Red Flood Dragon were nowhere near as impressive, and he wondered how long it would take them to fully transform into Dragons.

Hearing his master's complaints, Star turned away, firmly covering his ears. She loved them the most when they first arrived, he grumbled internally. Said they were wonderful and she could sleep cuddling them all day. Women, hmph!

Looking at Star feigning death and the screaming cubs scattered everywhere, Bai Yao really wanted to unleash her Divine Skills and blast them all away. If her best friend and her Junior Brother hadn't arrived, she might have done so.

"Forget it, let's go to the side hall. It's too chaotic here," Bai Yao said, struggling to suppress her anger.

「Inside the side hall」

After they stated their purpose, Bai Yao generously agreed and assigned Chen Jiuge and Wen Ruo the best guest room. "Feel free to make yourselves at home," she said. "Your Junior Brother is my Junior Brother too, right?"

"But Junior Brother, don't wander around recklessly these next three days. There are quite a few Divine Beasts running around the Main Hall, and with your Cultivation, you could easily get hurt."

Chen Jiuge nodded obediently, then found an excuse to slip away, leaving the two women to have their private chat.