The Master of Beasts

Let's not mention Chen Jiuge's frustration for now.

Having purchased two Silver Iron Eagles, Yan Bei was now extremely excited as he headed straight for Flying Fish Peak. As he drew ever closer to his arch-enemy, Yan Bei's excitement grew; he was about to have his moment of triumph.

"Chou Hai, get the hell out here!" Yan Bei shouted in midair.

Chou Hai, who was meditating in his cave mansion, was initially taken aback by the shout, but then he burst out angrily, "Yan Bei, are you courting death? It seems the lesson from last time wasn't enough for you!"

Fuming, Chou Hai rushed out of the cave mansion and yelled at Yan Bei in the air, "The lesson from last time wasn't enough for you? You want another round?"

"Hmph, it's not yet decided who will be teaching whom. I challenge you to a life-and-death Spiritual Beast battle, Fourth Rank," Yan Bei snorted coldly.

"Alright, alright, let's go." Chou Hai, underestimating Yan Bei, agreed immediately.

The life-and-death Spiritual Beast battle was a unique system of the Myriad Beasts Sect. Participating Spiritual Beasts had to be personally contracted by the disciple. Whether a Lifebound Spiritual Beast was used depended on the enmity between the two parties; in any case, the Sect had no restrictions against Lifebound Spiritual Beasts entering the arena.

Due to the Beast Breeding Competition, not many disciples remained on each peak. Consequently, even fewer spectators attended the Spiritual Beast life-and-death battles. However, some were still present. After all, there were times when one's Dao Heart could not find peace unless victory and defeat—or life and death—were decisively settled.

The arrival of the two attracted some attention from the disciples.

"Yan Bei and Chou Hai? These two are at it again? Hasn't Yan Bei been beaten enough? How many times has it been?" a disciple beneath the arena remarked in surprise.

"Maybe he has something to rely on now?" another nearby disciple chuckled.

"Chou Hai, today I will have my revenge and wash away my hatred!" Yan Bei declared coldly, staring at Chou Hai.

"Just with you? Enough nonsense, come at me!" Chou Hai stood beneath the now empty arena, raised his hand, and released a Fourth Rank Black Thunder Flying Fish.

"A Black Thunder Flying Fish?" exclaimed a disciple not far off.

The Black Thunder Flying Fish was a Mutant Spiritual Beast with a Sixth Rank Bloodline. While its rank seemed average, this fish possessed a powerful characteristic: during every Tribulation, it would absorb a portion of the Heavenly Tribulation's power. Upon reaching the Sixth Rank, it would transform into a Seventh Rank Purple Thunder Flying Fish, capable of wielding Thunderbolt and belonging to an extremely formidable type of flying fish.

Yan Bei's brow furrowed. The appearance of the Black Thunder Flying Fish unnerved him. He was unsure if the Silver Iron Eagles could handle it. But at this stage, there was no turning back.

He released his newly tamed Silver Iron Eagles, and the two Spiritual Beasts officially stepped onto the arena.

The interior of the arena began to transform, turning into a massive desert terrain. Unexpectedly, this arena was integrated with a mini Secret Realm.

The fighting instincts of Spiritual Beasts were actually far superior to the commands of ordinary disciples, unless one was a commanding genius, which was obviously not the case with either Yan Bei or Chou Hai.

Upon meeting, the beasts greeted each other with a display of Magic.

The collision of the fierce Black Thunder and the silver-white pillar of light was intense, leaving pits of various sizes on the desert's surface.

"What kind of Spiritual Beast is this that it can actually block the Black Thunder head-on?" Chou Hai exclaimed in disbelief.

In the sky, the silver-white avian form and the black fish clashed repeatedly. Feathers and scales occasionally drifted down, indicating a seemingly even match.

As time passed, the Silver Iron Eagle's silver talons caught hold of the Black Thunder Flying Fish's body, its sharp claws slowly piercing into its flesh. The intense pain caused the fish to erupt with a large amount of Black Thunder.

Under the brilliant lightning, the Silver Iron Eagle's body trembled continuously, yet its talons did not release their grip. The Black Thunder Flying Fish, less than two meters long, was dwarfed by the Silver Iron Eagle's nearly twenty-meter wingspan.

A miserable ROAR pierced through the arena's Barrier and reached Chou Hai's ears, striking his heart fiercely.

How could it lose? Chou Hai stared in disbelief as the Black Thunder Flying Fish, now barely clinging to life, was pecked at by the Silver Iron Eagle. His expression shifted repeatedly.

"Hahahaha, keep it up, Chou Hai!" Yan Bei laughed excitedly.

With an ugly expression, Chou Hai flicked his sleeve in anger and departed. He had other Fourth Rank Spiritual Beasts, but the Black Thunder Flying Fish was his strongest in battle. Sending any other Spiritual Beast would only lead to further humiliation.

Looking at the Silver Iron Eagle, now with many scorched marks on its body, Yan Bei, feeling a pang of sympathy, stroked it a couple of times and quickly fed it some precious Healing Pills.

The Silver Iron Eagle's combat prowess captivated many ordinary disciples. As the arena match concluded, several approached Yan Bei to inquire about it.

Yan Bei didn't hide anything and shared the origins of the Silver Iron Eagle with everyone. He had been oppressed for many years at Flying Fish Peak, primarily by Chou Hai's clique. Chou Hai himself was among the weakest of them, yet he had insulted Yan Bei the most.

"The Beast Breeding Competition? Chen Jiuge, a Direct Disciple of Hundred Herbs Peak?" Hearing these two names, the disciples almost thought it was a joke.

Wasn't Hundred Herbs Peak renowned for cultivating Spirit Plants? Could they truly breed such powerful Combat Spiritual Beasts? Even for a Direct Disciple, it seemed improbable.

And this Beast Breeding Competition—wasn't it merely the grand festival for relaxation held once every eight hundred years? Could there really be high-quality Combat Spiritual Beasts like the Silver Iron Eagle there?

Amidst the debate, Yan Bei spoke with dissatisfaction, "The Silver Iron Eagle came from there, believe it or not. Anyway, the Beast Breeding Competition has just started. Verifying it would only take a short walk. Why waste time here speculating?"

The others found his reasoning sound. Besides, Yan Bei had no grudges with them that would motivate him to deceive them. Most importantly, there was no apparent benefit for him in doing so.

「 」

On the other side, the defeated Chou Hai was filled with resentment, unable to accept that he had lost to 'trash' like Yan Bei; even his recently contracted Black Thunder Flying Fish had died.

After pondering for a long while, Chou Hai took out a Communication Stone, intending to contact his senior brother disciple.

"Junior Brother Chou?" A gentle voice came from the Communication Stone.

Even though the voice was very gentle, Chou Hai couldn't help but bow slightly as he cautiously recounted what had just transpired.

"I see, I understand. I will send someone to see you later. After all, you performed admirably in the task of suppressing the Yan Family's Young Master," Bai Xu said with a light laugh.

"Thank you, Senior Brother Bai!" Chou Hai exclaimed, his face alight with surprise.

After hanging up the communication, Chou Hai sneered. Yan Bei, oh Yan Bei, do you think I pick on you for no reason? You have no idea that your Yan Family has already backed the wrong side. Flying Fish Peak is destined to belong to the Bai Family, and Senior Brother Bai is destined to become the Peak Master. Winning once changes nothing. Let's see how you withstand what's coming for you.

Yan Bei was unaware that the oppression and humiliation he faced were because of his family. Currently, he was basking in his triumph, expressing his gratitude to Chen Jiuge, and had even brought along a group of disciples eager to see the Silver Iron Eagle for themselves.

"Did you win? It's good that you won. However, the Silver Iron Eagle has limited combat experience; it still needs more seasoning in battle," Chen Jiuge said matter-of-factly.

I cultivated this Spiritual Beast; isn't winning perfectly normal? Black Thunder Flying Fish? Never heard of it. Aren't fish just food for eagles?

Upon learning that the disciples Yan Bei had brought were all there to inquire about the Silver Iron Eagle, Chen Jiuge's smile became even more genuine.

After verifying the Silver Iron Eagle's strength, all the disciples who had come to see it firsthand were very satisfied with it. However, when it came to the final step—the price—many hesitated. Even if Yan Bei had fallen on hard times, he was still the Young Master of a True Immortal family and possessed considerable cultivation resources. Nevertheless, purchasing two Silver Iron Eagles was a significant financial strain for him, let alone for these ordinary disciples.