Who let him join the Sword Sect?!

The Dragon Palace is enormous, and the two walked and stopped along the way.

Li Jue introduced the black technology of their Beast Taming Sect to Zhang Ze as they walked.

"Look at that coral tree. It's actually fake. It's a magical artifact made from Sea Tree Stone, and just one can purify the water quality within a ten-mile radius."

Zhang Ze glanced in the direction Li Jue pointed, and a huge coral tree stood in the water. Without a close look, one couldn't tell it was a fake tree.

"Are those giant clams under the coral trees as well?" Zhang Ze asked.

Under the coral lay a group of giant clams with their shells wide open, motionless like a scenery, each mouth of the clams holding a huge pearl.

About as big as three human heads.

Thanks to these pearls, the lake bottom, which should have been dark, was as bright as daylight.

Li Jue was a bit embarrassed, "Those pearls are indeed magical artifacts, but the giant clams are alive..."

He pointed outside the Dragon Palace to a few bare stone pillars, "The magical pearls were initially mounted on them, but all were pried off by these big clams. We've disciplined them several times, but can't control them, so we let it be. Anyway, the effect is the same."

Talking about these big clams, Li Jue mentioned another use of this Dragon Palace, which was to provide a retirement home for some aquatic spirit beasts.

Disciples of the Beast Taming Sect choose spirit beasts not only based on their own talent but also on personal preference.

Some disciples, although naturally compatible with certain spirit beasts, choose different ones for personal reasons.

According to the Beast Taming Sect's own records, since its founding, the species of spirit beasts chosen the least, the second least, are the giant beasts.

Although the Beast Taming Sect currently provides various living subsidies for cultivators choosing giant beasts, the enormous size is still a hurdle.

It's quite troublesome traveling outside, as many cities do not have streets accommodating these giant beasts, so they can only be aggrievedly kept in the Beast Taming Ring.

Additionally, until these giant beasts learn transformation techniques, they have no place to perform their abilities when encountering tight caves or small hiding places.

While other cultivators choosing spirit cats, tigers, or leopards can roam around indoors with their spirit pets, these giant beasts can only block the door outside with their bodies...

But the most wretched are those aquatic spirit beasts...

Basically no one chooses them.

No matter how formidable they are in water, they're half as strong without it. Some can't even get onshore before the Golden Core...

For example, the Water Wolf Fish, a water simpleton, fears nothing underwater. As long as it falls in the water, it bites whatever it sees.

But once ashore, aside from a flopping salted fish, it can't do anything else.

Even clams in dire straits can close their shells and launch themselves as flying tools.

Yet spirit beasts like the Water Wolf Fish, without water, can only perform water splash and spray in a fish tank.

Many Beast Taming Sect cultivators can basically choose only one life spirit beast.

So not many people would choose a fish whose combat power on land is basically zero before Golden Core, adding unnecessary difficulty to their cultivation path.

"But there are exceptions, Elder Han's first spirit beast was Elder Wanjia." Li Jue said, waving his hand towards a peculiar reef outside the Dragon Palace.

With Li Jue's waving, the reef started wriggling, ripples spread, and the giant octopus that sent Zhang Ze down to the Dragon Palace revealed its form.

It gazed at the two with one eye for a while, then waved its arm-foot, probably a greeting.

After greeting, the taciturn, chat-obsessed Elder Wanjia blended back into the water and disappeared.

"Elder Han just loves aquatic spirit beasts. Besides Elder Wanjia, there's the Giant Spirit Fish Sinking Ship, the Flood Dragon Python Dannan Wilderness, and the Divine Sea Clam Guanyue Couple, all from the Aquatic Race."

"Guanyue Couple? Are they related to those big clams..." Zhang Ze asked.

"Yes, they're the offspring of those two, hence those small Divine Sea Clams keep snatching pearls to play with, and no one can control them," Li Jue shrugged.

"Doesn't Elder Han care?" Zhang Ze inquired.

Li Jue sighed at the question, "Since Elder Han he..."

"...left?" Zhang Ze asked softly.

Hearing Li Jue's tone, Zhang Ze immediately thought of the saying that some spirit beasts have longer lifespans than the human race.

Damn lifespan theory...

Li Jue looked blankly at Zhang Ze, "Left where? Elder Han is right in the Dragon Palace, I mean he's usually very busy, no time to care about these."

Zhang Ze, "..."

"Just ahead, I'll take you to meet Elder Han."

Speaking in a breathy manner, Li Jue waved past Zhang Ze's waist, leading him forward.

This Dragon Palace was built by Elder Han. After he felt his cultivation talent had peaked, he spent his extended time researching how to bring fish ashore.

He believed the Water Wolf Fish to be an excellent spirit beast, not rare, and after Golden Core, it ruled same-level in water and could fight aerially onshore, the future promising.

Once its uselessness on land before Golden Core was resolved, the Water Wolf Fish would be an outstanding spirit pet.

At least there would be no more new disciples with despairing faces when their most compatible spirit beast was the Water Wolf Fish.

Zhang Ze reckoned this was probably the obsession of a Water Series trainer.

"A lifetime ruined by biology," Zhang Ze grumbled quietly.

"Here we are."

Li Jue stopped Zhang Ze in front of a majestic bronze door, its surface carved with countless aquatic creatures, a giant dragon coiling in the center.

Gazing at this grand door, Zhang Ze momentarily couldn't imagine the scene beyond it.

What lies beyond the bronze door?

After all, being suddenly told that a group of brute fighters also dabble in biotechnology is somewhat hard to believe.