Chapter 424 - 322: Becoming a Family (Part 2)
Of course, the prerequisite for studying this tome was that the Spirit Beast had already reached the Golden Core Realm. Otherwise, its Divine Sense wouldn’t be strong enough to bear such a large amount of information.
A typical Golden Core Spirit Beast would need about a month to learn the contents of the tome, but Bear Wind grasped it all in a mere moment. This was truly astonishing, but considering Bear Wind’s cultivation level, Fang Qingyuan felt it was only natural.
Although he could never quite figure out Bear Wind’s true cultivation level, he estimated that Bear Wind was definitely not at the Early-stage Nascent Soul. First, there was his territory; Bear Wind’s territory was much larger than that of the Namo Cloud-Clawed Lizard. Furthermore, during the reclamation war three hundred years ago, Bear Wind had seized the opportunity to escape, which showed he was quite intelligent.
Among Ancient Beasts, higher cultivation didn’t necessarily mean higher intelligence; it depended on the species. For example, oxen were smarter than snakes, and snakes had more brains than a Cai’e. Monkeys and apes, on the other hand, were smarter than all of the above.
However, a Spirit Beast with a higher cultivation level was indeed more intelligent than one with a lower level.
By Fang Qingyuan’s estimation, Bear Wind’s true realm was Mid-stage Nascent Soul, and he might not even be far from the Late-stage Nascent Soul.
After receiving the gift from Fang Qingyuan, Bear Wind’s attitude towards him finally warmed up a little. He led Fang Qingyuan back to his cave dwelling, teasing Jinbao while making small talk with Fang Qingyuan.
He stuck out a foot and tripped Jinbao, sending him tumbling, then Bear Wind roared with laughter.
Jinbao didn’t get upset. He just pounced on Bear Wind and tried with all his might to knock him over, but obviously, that was an impossible task.
Fang Qingyuan watched this scene with a cheerful smile, feeling a bit more confident about what he was going to say next.
"Elder Xiong, over the past few years, I wonder if you’ve noticed that there has been a lot more human Cultivator activity in your territory?"
At the mention of this, Bear Wind’s expression soured. His home was already two or three thousand li from the Barbaric Border, yet those human Cultivators were still like flies, buzzing over at the first scent of blood or treasure. It was endlessly annoying.
"There have been many. I’ve killed them batch after batch, but it’s useless. After a while, new humans still show up. I don’t know where they keep sprouting from."
Fang Qingyuan chose his words carefully and said slowly,
"To be honest with you, Elder, I myself am from the Beast Taming Sect. These human Cultivators you’ve been killing are just greedy Loose Cultivators from White Mountain. But in less than ten years, disciples from the Beast Taming Sect will also come here to operate. If you kill too many of them, the Beast Taming Sect’s Nascent Soul Cultivators will come looking for you."
Bear Wind studied Fang Qingyuan for a moment, then said dejectedly,
"Then what can I do? I can’t afford to provoke the Beast Taming Sect, so I’ll just have to pretend I don’t see them. Will that work?"
Seeing this, Fang Qingyuan knew that Bear Wind must have witnessed the Beast Taming Sect’s power back in the day and naturally didn’t dare to provoke them. But Bear Wind’s timid response wasn’t what he was hoping for.
So, Fang Qingyuan began to analyze the situation for him:
"You can pretend not to see them, but these disciples from the Beast Taming Sect won’t be so polite. They will definitely dig three feet deep into the ground here just to gather information on you. When that happens, someday in the future—perhaps in a hundred years, or maybe two or three hundred—the next reclamation war will begin, and you will likely have no chance of survival."
Fang Qingyuan’s words weren’t just fearmongering; this was a foreseeable future. Bear Wind thought about this possibility and, for a moment, his spirits sank.
But after a moment, Bear Wind’s spirits lifted again. He said confidently,
"I managed to escape back then, and I can do it again in the future. When you humans are about to launch another reclamation war, I’ll just move deeper into the wilderness—that’s all. I’ll conquer a new Spiritual Land and continue living my life."
Seeing Bear Wind’s optimism, Fang Qingyuan reminded him,
"Perhaps you can, but what about the Bear Beasts in this thousand-li territory? Most of them are your children and descendants. When the time comes, how many will be able to leave with you? And even if they migrate, how many will survive in the end?"
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s words, Bear Wind’s expression turned cold. He stared at Fang Qingyuan and said,
"Did you come here just to say all this?"
Fang Qingyuan felt the powerful Spiritual Pressure, but he knew this was the moment he had to say the rest in one go. He forged ahead:
"My master is the Sect Leader of the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect, commanding several thousand Beast Taming Disciples in White Mountain. If you just nod your head and sign a contract with us, the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect will absolutely not make things difficult for you."
Bear Wind’s expression flickered, and he slowly asked,
"What kind of contract?"
"To become my master’s Companion Beast."
With a BANG, Fang Qingyuan was slammed against a nearby wall. Bear Wind rose to his feet and roared,
"Don’t think that just because you’re Jinbao’s guardian, I won’t dare to kill you! You’re overestimating yourself!"
"Jinbao, don’t move!"
Fang Qingyuan scrambled up from the ground and quickly stopped Jinbao, who was about to attack Bear Wind. He wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and continued,
"This is a partnership, not a threat. Otherwise, I could have just revealed your information to the sect’s upper echelons. You don’t really believe that the Nascent Soul Cultivators in the sect who don’t have a Companion Beast wouldn’t be the least bit tempted by a Nascent Soul Ancient Beast like you, do you?
You also know that the Beast Taming Sect’s methods are extremely domineering. If a Nascent Soul Cultivator came to subjugate you, they would surely place all sorts of controls on you. But my master is different. You would only need to sign a contract of equals. This would block the other Nascent Soul Cultivators. That way, you wouldn’t have to worry about becoming some other Nascent Soul Cultivator’s Spirit Pet, and you would retain the greatest possible freedom."