Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

Dragonflies generally have four wings. Fang Qingyuan had never seen one with five.

It was strange. In Fang Qingyuan’s past life, according to science, dragonflies could be traced back to the age of dinosaurs. From antiquity to the present, their appearance had barely changed—not like toads, which could have three or even five legs.

Now, as Fang Qingyuan gazed at the five-winged Cyan Jade Dragonfly before him, he fell into deep thought. ’Such a rare mutation... Regardless of whether the outcome is good or bad, the mere fact that it broke through the constraints of its bloodline makes it worth keeping for research.’

’I can’t sell this. I’ll keep it for observation. It might even hold some surprises for me.’

With a thought, Fang Qingyuan carefully stored the five-winged Cyan Jade Dragonfly away and turned to find the other mature insects.

A few days later, Fang Qingyuan had collected most of this batch of Cyan Jade Dragonflies into his Qiankun Banner. The few that remained were flawed, inferior specimens. These dragonflies were not even given a chance to live; their souls were extracted directly, and their bodies were devoured by the other creatures in the marsh.

Fang Qingyuan only left behind a few of the finest male dragonflies and several dozen females as breeding stock to continue the next generation.

The Cyan Jade Dragonfly was a species that grew extremely fast. As an insect, it had a short lifespan and matured quickly; a new batch could be cultivated in just five months.

As long as he had enough resources, the Four-winged Dragonflies could be produced in a steady stream, earning Spirit Stone wealth for the sect.

After leaving the Immortal Mansion, Fang Qingyuan handed the harvested adult Four-winged Dragonflies to Jiang Tianfang. Jiang Tianfang’s face lit up with surprise at the sight of so many, but he was tactful enough not to ask where they were produced.

After sending Jiang Tianfang and the other Sect Disciples to sell the Cyan Jade Dragonflies, Fang Qingyuan returned to his Quiet Chamber to study the five-winged specimen.

After some research, Fang Qingyuan discovered that although the five-winged dragonfly had an extra wing, its flight speed was actually slower than that of its four-winged counterparts. With all five wings beating simultaneously, the dragonfly’s flight was clumsy and uncoordinated.

’As expected. Nature designed the Cyan Jade Dragonfly with four wings, and it has remained stable in that state. It must conform to the laws of nature.’

’It’s not that five-winged dragonflies have never appeared in history, but they never managed to pass down their bloodline. This proves that a five-winged dragonfly is ill-suited for survival in the wild.’

Fang Qingyuan wasn’t disappointed by this discovery. The five-winged Cyan Jade Dragonfly still had its merits. To make room for the fifth wing, its body was noticeably larger than the four-winged ones.

This increased its carrying capacity. While the main strengths of the Cyan Jade Dragonfly were its mobility and agility, making carrying capacity a low priority, this was still a potential direction for development, one worthy of Fang Qingyuan’s continued observation.

Besides, an idea sparked in Fang Qingyuan’s mind. ’A five-winged Cyan Jade Dragonfly is uncoordinated... but what if I add one more wing to make it symmetrical? Wouldn’t that solve the problem?’

If a Six-winged Dragonfly could be cultivated, it would truly make the Qingyuan Sect’s name. A sect that could not only breed a mutated insect beast but also produce it in stable numbers would truly have its own unique expertise. The sect could live off this in the future.

As for whether a Six-winged Dragonfly could actually be cultivated, Fang Qingyuan was about seventy to eighty percent confident. The source of his confidence was the Immortal Mansion.

The sect had been raising Four-winged Cyan Jade Dragonflies for over a decade with no reports of a five-winged one ever appearing. Yet, in his very first attempt at cultivation inside the Immortal Mansion, Fang Qingyuan had discovered a mutation. This was primarily because the Divine Techniques of the Immortal Mansion had stimulated—or rather, induced—this mutation in the Cyan Jade Dragonfly.

Fang Qingyuan had long been aware of this particular Divine Technique of the Immortal Mansion. He had verified it years ago through his experiments with the Iron-Seeking Rats. It was just that in the years since, he had been too busy with his own cultivation and lacked the motivation to continue inducing mutations in Spirit Beasts.

But now, for the sake of the sect’s livelihood, Fang Qingyuan decided to set aside some time and devote more of his energy to this endeavor.

Moreover, insects were far more prone to mutation than Iron-Seeking Rats. This was because they were more susceptible to external interference during their metamorphosis into adults.

Having decided to study these insect beasts more in the future, Fang Qingyuan returned to the Purple Bamboo Forest. He had seen with perfect clarity the envious look on the Bee Queen’s face as she watched the Cyan Jade Dragonflies’ wings.

To this day, the Bee Queen still couldn’t fly. The two small bulges on her back had yet to develop into wings.

Therefore, the Bee Queen generally got around by wriggling, which was also why she was usually too lazy to go out.

Wriggling was simply exhausting.

When the Bee Queen had advanced in rank, she had likely poured all her energy into her Innate Divine Techniques. As a result, her Divine Techniques were incredible, but she was left a mere wriggler, without even a pair of stubby legs to her name.

Inside the hive, the Bee Queen was performing Alchemy. Over the years, her Alchemy Skills had steadily improved. She could now refine second-rank, middle-grade Elixir Pills. By the standards of human Cultivators, the Bee Queen was now a second-rank, middle-grade Alchemy Master. If she were to go out into the world, she would be welcomed as a guest of honor by smaller sects and Cultivation Clans—provided, of course, that they could accept the fact that she wasn’t human.

He approached the Bee Queen and watched silently as she refined a furnace of Elixir Pills. Seeing her focused expression, Fang Qingyuan wondered, ’If the Bee Queen is fortunate enough to become a Divinity Transformation Demon Beast one day and learns to take human form, what kind of Female Cultivator will she be?’

Recalling the types of girls he had liked in his past life, Fang Qingyuan hoped the Bee Queen would become a mature, "older sister" type after she transformed. But considering her usual behavior, he wasn’t optimistic. ’It doesn’t matter, though. As long as she doesn’t turn into a whiny crybaby.’

Before Fang Qingyuan could finish his idle thoughts, the Bee Queen was already putting the finishing touches on her Alchemy. Only after she completed the refinement did she sense his presence.

"Master, I have something to tell you."

The Bee Queen used the Voice of All Things to communicate with Fang Qingyuan through their souls. Hearing her say this, Fang Qingyuan’s interest was piqued. For the Bee Queen to be so solemn, it couldn’t be a trivial matter.

"What is it?"

"Master, do you remember that Great Barrier-Breaking Pill you gave me to eat?"

"Hm? I thought I gave it to you to study?"

The Bee Queen’s little face flushed, but she continued as if nothing had happened.

"It’s all the same! Eating it *was* my research. After years of racking my brain, I’ve finally analyzed the spiritual medicinal components of the Great Barrier Breaking Pill."

Hearing this good news from the Bee Queen, Fang Qingyuan was stunned. If she could truly refine the Great Barrier Breaking Pill, the Qingyuan Sect would be set.

Elixirs that helped Cultivators break through bottlenecks were always the most expensive. Even with Lechuan’s status back in the day, he had only possessed three Great Barrier Breaking Pills in total.

"Ruoxi, you’re amazing! Tell me, can you replicate it?"

Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s question, a look of shame crossed the Bee Queen’s little face. She lowered her head and said:

"Ruoxi can’t. Even though I know the ingredients needed to refine this elixir, I always fail, no matter how I try. I don’t understand why. The components are identical, but the elixir I refine lacks that feeling... that feeling of overflowing spirituality."

"Oh? Are you sure all the components are the same?"

After the Bee Queen confirmed it again, Fang Qingyuan reached out to pat her on the head, comforting her.

"It’s perfectly normal that you can’t refine it. If the Great Barrier Breaking Pill were that easy to replicate, it would make Kurong Temple look incompetent. No one else can do it, so it’s no surprise you can’t either."

The Bee Queen felt a little better after being comforted by Fang Qingyuan. She continued,

"However, during the refinement process, I discovered my Innate Divine Technique was being faintly triggered. It’s as if, besides the spiritual ingredients in the Pill Furnace, the elixir was also craving... ’emotion’."

’Emotion?’

Fang Qingyuan was a little baffled. He didn’t really understand what the Bee Queen was talking about.

’How could an elixir be related to emotion? Does it mean the alchemist needs to be in a good mood?’

Fang Qingyuan couldn’t help but chuckle. He was about to tell the Bee Queen not to worry about it, that it didn’t matter if she couldn’t refine it. But just as he was about to speak, a flash of inspiration struck him, and he recalled the moment he had taken the elixir.

At that time, a burst of spiritual insight had flooded his mind. The cultivation bottleneck that had once been an impassable barrier became like a leaky sieve after he consumed the Great Barrier Breaking Pill. Under the ferocious torrent of insight, it was finally washed away in a single go.

Even now, Fang Qingyuan fondly recalled that feeling of being filled with spiritual insight. It was as if his comprehension had been amplified several times over, creating the illusion that he could achieve anything he set his mind to.

Thinking back on it now, he had only marveled at the elixir’s wondrous effects at the time, without considering where that spiritual insight came from. Was it his own latent potential being unlocked, or did the elixir itself bestow this extra insight upon the user?

If it was the former, then there was nothing more to it; one could only say the Monks of Kurong Temple were truly skilled. But if it was the latter, that was another matter entirely.

And connecting this to what the Bee Queen had just said—that when she refined the Great Barrier Breaking Pill, the elixir was ’crying out,’ craving something from her—it was obviously the second scenario.

’What on earth could be added to an elixir that would provide the user with extra spiritual insight?’

’Could the ’emotion’ the Bee Queen mentioned be just another name for this spiritual insight?’

These thoughts piqued Fang Qingyuan’s interest. He felt that if he could uncover the secret behind it, the Qingyuan Sect could claim a slice of the high-end market for precious, bottleneck-breaking elixirs like the Great Barrier Breaking Pill.

So, Fang Qingyuan told the Bee Queen not to rush. He then left the Immortal Mansion and went to his own sect’s Scripture Pavilion to look up information on Kurong Temple. However, the Qingyuan Sect’s Scripture Pavilion obviously didn’t contain much information about a Divinity Transformation Power like Kurong Temple. Only a few travelogues mentioned it briefly, and they were of no use.

Since the Qingyuan Sect had nothing, Fang Qingyuan set his sights on Lechuan’s Scripture Pavilion. He took Jinbao, flew all the way to the White Mountain Beast Taming Sect, and dove headfirst into their Scripture Pavilion to search through the records.

In the end, after looking through every book related to Kurong Temple, Fang Qingyuan finally had a more accurate, and more grandiose, term for the "emotion" the Bee Queen had mentioned:

"The wish-power of all sentient beings!"