Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

Never mind how Jinbao and Jiang Wanqin were roughing it in the Barbaric Wilderness. Fang Qingyuan’s attention was fixed on the Spirit Field Puppet before him. Even this puppet’s simple construction was giving him a major headache.

As one of the many arts of cultivation, the Puppetry Technique had always been known to be easy to learn but difficult to master.

’No, it should be difficult to learn and difficult to master.’ If Fang Qingyuan hadn’t already stepped into the Golden Core Realm, with both his spiritual soul and divine sense a hundred times stronger than they were in the Qi Cultivation Stage, he likely wouldn’t have even scratched the surface of the Puppetry Technique in these past three years.

Fang Qingyuan could now manufacture Spirit Field Puppets on his own, but the price had been the wreckage of over a thousand failed attempts. And the result, as he had just witnessed, was a puppet that struggled just to walk, let alone do any actual work.

’Three years of research, and I still can’t make any real progress in the way of puppetry. It feels like I have one foot in the door and one foot out. This feeling of being so close, yet still so utterly clueless, is driving me crazy.’

Finally, Fang Qingyuan set down the materials in his hands, walked over to the Bee Queen, and sat in the Purple Bamboo Chair. He picked up the cup of tea at his side and began to sip it.

This "tea" wasn’t actually tea at all, but smoke gathered from burning a Top-Grade Fragrance. It had the marvelous effect of nourishing the spiritual soul and calming the mind, making it perfectly suited for Fang Qingyuan’s current state.

He inhaled the cloud of smoke, feeling his spiritual soul being nourished. Fang Qingyuan slumped contentedly into the Purple Bamboo Chair, temporarily putting the matter of the puppets out of his mind.

Seeing Fang Qingyuan in this state, a glint appeared in the nearby Bee Queen’s eyes. She then spoke to him via telepathy:

"Master, don’t be discouraged. The way of puppetry has always been a minor art. Its teachings are difficult to pass down, and it really isn’t suitable for most Cultivators these days. It isn’t your fault—the Puppetry Technique is simply obsolete."

’The Bee Queen really knows how to comfort people. All those books she read weren’t for nothing. Look at her, so thoughtful.’

Although Fang Qingyuan wasn’t taken in by the Bee Queen’s words, he was still happy to hear them. His original intention was to learn to manufacture the puppets himself so that he wouldn’t need outsiders to repair them if they broke down in the future.

If someone discovered his secrets in the process, it would be very troublesome. But on second thought, he realized he didn’t need to be an expert at everything. As a leader, it was enough for him to have a basic understanding; he could leave the rest to the disciples of the Qingyuan Sect.

Having come to this realization, Fang Qingyuan was no longer conflicted. He drank the Spiritual Mist, and his spiritual soul soared leisurely into the sky. From an altitude of nearly ten thousand meters, he looked down upon everything within the Immortal Mansion.

Countless Spirit Field Puppets dutifully tilled the soil in the Spirit Fields, tending to the young Spirit Rice seedlings. The endless plots of land, acre after acre, were covered in a vibrant green that made the entire Immortal Mansion brim with life.

In the distance, Yinbao sensed Fang Qingyuan’s aura. Its mountain-like body, wreathed in a massive cloud of water vapor, suddenly lunged forward.

Faced with an attack that could heavily wound a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, Fang Qingyuan simply chuckled. This was just Yinbao’s way of being affectionate. Fang Qingyuan’s spiritual form dispersed, enveloping Yinbao’s massive body.

As Fang Qingyuan’s spiritual soul merged with the water vapor, Yinbao immediately squinted its eyes in comfort. It felt as if ten thousand tiny hands were kneading every inch of its body.

Yinbao’s sensation wasn’t wrong. Fang Qingyuan was indeed kneading its body—an act not unlike petting a cat.

It was just like rubbing the Bee Queen’s little head, playing with Jinbao’s giant paws, tugging on Jinbao’s small ears, or stroking Nanli’s magnificent feathers—all effective ways for a Beast Master to build intimacy with their Companion Beasts.

When Yinbao was small, Fang Qingyuan could still scrub it clean with a brush. But now that its body was nearly two hundred feet long, it was simply too massive to groom. This method of transforming his soul into water vapor was something only a Golden Core Cultivator who was also an expert in spiritual soul cultivation could achieve.

In an instant, the water vapor around Yinbao swelled, shifting its form until it coalesced into a towering giant. The giant formed an enormous palm and cradled Yinbao within it.

Of course, this was only possible because Yinbao was deliberately playing along. Otherwise, Fang Qingyuan’s water vapor giant was all for show; Yinbao could have shattered it with a single exertion of its strength.

After playing with Yinbao for a while, Fang Qingyuan withdrew his spiritual soul. His physical body sensed a disciple calling for him outside his door.

Once his consciousness returned from the Immortal Mansion to his physical body, Fang Qingyuan let the disciple in. He frowned slightly upon seeing the Communication Flying Sword in the disciple’s hand.

Communication Flying Swords were generally reserved for the most urgent situations, as they were the fastest method but also expensive to create. Any other, less pressing matter would be communicated through other means.

He took the flying sword, dismissed the disciple, and extended his divine sense. A message immediately flowed into his mind.

"In the Thick Earth Desert, the Illusion Sword Alliance and the White Mountain Sword Sect are preparing to go to war with the Sharp Metal and Thick Earth alliances. The Spirit Wood Alliance and the Li Huo Alliance are also massing troops, preparing to move against the Pill Alliance. The situation is quite critical.

However, I want to talk about something else. Qingyuan, the Divinity Transformation Ancestor of Jixia City has issued a summons, gathering all Golden Core Cultivators with a chance of achieving Nascent Soul Formation for a grand event. I, your master, have two spots. What do you say to taking one?

Don’t be in a hurry to refuse. Come see me, and I’ll lay out all the benefits for you. It won’t be too late to make your decision after that.

—Lechuan."

Reading Lechuan’s message, Fang Qingyuan’s expression turned strange. ’My master has such a peculiar sense of humor. How did I never realize Lechuan had this side to him all these years?’

Fang Qingyuan looked down at the Communication Flying Sword in his hand. Now that its message had been read, its Spiritual Light had already dimmed.