I Tame Beasts by Feeding

Watching the group of disciples gathered around Li Minghan and spouting compliments, Yu Changsheng gave a small smile and walked over at Li Minghan’s gesture.

And Li Minghan, hearing their flattery, looked even more smug. He laughed heartily and said:

"Indeed, this Red-scaled Pangolin is truly a miraculous creature. Although this Spirit Beast’s Cultivation is currently very low, as long as it’s raised properly, given time it will surely become stronger than other Demon Beasts."

With that, Li Minghan made his way through the crowd, nodding and smiling at Yu Changsheng. "Ah, you’re here. These are all fellow disciples. Everyone, please look after each other in the future."

"Mm," Yu Changsheng agreed. He glanced at the crowd, understanding the situation completely as a smile appeared on his face.

The flattery in their words was too thick. They were obviously aiming for Li Minghan’s status, deliberately trying to get on his good side.

And Li Minghan didn’t seem to care about any of it.

"You must be Junior Yu, right? I’ve heard so much about you. I’m Jin Chenglu. A disciple as young as you surely isn’t too familiar with Demon Beast bloodlines. I can find some time to chat with you and help you understand a thing or two."

"I’m..."

Seeing Yu Changsheng, the others also chuckled and introduced themselves one by one, just to get acquainted.

Yu Changsheng simply nodded with a smile, responding to each of them in turn.

Meanwhile, he was secretly observing. The Inner Sect Disciples of Beast Taming Peak had more or less all arrived. The few who hadn’t come were either too busy to get away, not in the sect, or their Cultivation wasn’t up to par.

This included Miao Wenlun and Sun Shihan. Yu Changsheng knew the two of them were currently in seclusion, attempting to break through to the Foundation Establishment realm. He figured he wouldn’t be seeing them for a while.

’To think I’ve unknowingly surpassed so many people I once had to look up to,’ Yu Changsheng suddenly mused, sighing with emotion.

"Have you heard, Changsheng? This Spirit Dragon Sect is not to be underestimated."

Li Minghan hadn’t noticed anything unusual about Yu Changsheng. After putting his Red-scaled Pangolin away, he leaned in close and started sharing, in a low voice, the information he had gathered.

"This Spirit Dragon Sect... although their Beast Taming Lineage wasn’t established that long ago, their development and momentum in recent years have been fierce. They’ve even started to surpass our Wanxiang Sect."

"They say they’re here for an ’academic exchange,’ but let’s be real—they’re here to challenge us on our own turf. If our Beast Taming Peak wins, that’s one thing. But if we lose, our reputation will be in the mud."

Just as Li Minghan was whispering this to Yu Changsheng, a tremendous boom suddenly echoed from the sky.

RUMBLE!

The violent sound was earth-shattering, and astonishing fluctuations rippled through the void. A massive shadow fell over the plaza, and the disciples below looked up in stunned confusion.

A black dot appeared in the sky not far away. It was small at first, but in the blink of an eye, it swelled in size, tearing through the air with a whistling wind.

Only when it drew closer could they see its full form: a massive black dragon a hundred zhang long. It had the body of a lizard, six-clawed feet, and a tail that moved like a snake. It hovered in the sky, its speed like a flash of lightning, leaving behind only a faint afterimage in its wake.

This Black Dragon was incredibly majestic. Its Dragon Eyes were wide with fury, and the winding horns atop its head seemed capable of piercing the heavens. A closer look revealed scores of black, ant-like figures standing on its broad back. But the most eye-catching feature was the enormous black banner planted between its horns.

"Spirit Dragon!"

The two large words were written in a flamboyant, dancing script, unfurling in the wind. They shone brightly, made all the more eye-catching by the sunlight and the impressive Black Dragon.

The identity of the arrivals was thus made clear—it was none other than the Spirit Dragon Sect!

And the tremendous boom from before was the sound of a Sound Burst, caused by its incredible speed.

Mo Pengcheng’s figure had appeared at some point. His Peak Master’s Magic Robe billowed in the wind around his slender frame. He was flanked by several Inner Sect Elders from Beast Taming Peak, Yun Hejing among them. They stood firm in the void, watching the arrivals from the Spirit Dragon Sect with placid expressions.

"Hahaha, Peak Master Mo, long time no see! After all this time, your Wanxiang Sect is still just as it was, everything safe and sound!"

"You have it so good here, so orderly. Unlike my Spirit Dragon Sect—it’s a complete mess. Those disciples are a real handful."

The Black Dragon stopped, and a man flew down from it. He wore a black robe embroidered with the Spirit Dragon Sect’s signature Spirit Dragon emblem. He had a youthful face but white hair, and his complexion was ruddy. His gaze was as deep as water and sparkled like starlight, giving him a very kind and amiable appearance. He was stroking his beard and chuckling as he spoke.

This was the leader of the Spirit Dragon Sect’s delegation.

Mo Pengcheng paused, glanced at the man with an expression that betrayed neither joy nor sorrow, and said flatly, "So, it is Fellow Daoist Mu. It has been a while. I trust you’ve been well."

"The Wanxiang Sect is doing perfectly fine, so I won’t trouble you for your concern. On the other hand, I wonder how Fellow Daoist Mu’s Spirit Beast cultivation is coming along? I presume it’s going very well. For years, the outside world has been saying that your Spirit Dragon Sect’s Beast Taming Lineage has been looking up to us, hoping to one day become the *second* Beast Taming Peak of Wuzhou."

At these words, Mu Yongxian’s eyes narrowed, a flash of displeasure passing through them. It vanished in an instant, almost imperceptible, as he chuckled. "The Spirit Dragon Sect is doing splendidly, of course. As for the rumors, they are merely rumors. Isn’t that why we’ve come today for an ’academic exchange’?"

Mo Pengcheng knew full well that from the moment Mu Yongxian had opened his mouth, his words, while seemingly harmless on the surface, were actually dripping with hidden mockery.

Saying that everything was "just as it was" and "safe and sound" was, to put it plainly, a subtle jab that the Wanxiang Sect had stagnated and failed to improve. It was a veiled taunt about the decline of Wanxiang Sect’s Beast Taming Peak.

It implied that Beast Taming Peak had fallen so low that only a handful of Inner Sect Disciples were left, with no fresh blood to replenish the ranks. At the same time, he was showing off how his own Spirit Dragon Sect had been rising like the sun, attracting one good prospect after another. ’The disciples you Wanxiang Sect can’t recruit are all choosing to come to us now,’ was the unspoken message.

In response, Mo Pengcheng’s retort had been just as potent, a direct wave of mockery. ’Your Spirit Dragon Sect gets a little power and suddenly you’ve forgotten your place. No matter how strong your Beast Taming momentum becomes, people will, at best, only ever consider you the *second* Beast Taming Peak in Wuzhou. In the end, you are still beneath us.’

As the two leaders exchanged barbs, the Wanxiang Sect disciples in the plaza exploded into a flurry of discussion, whispering amongst themselves.

"Is that the guardian beast of the Spirit Dragon Sect? The Black Wind Spirit Dragon? It looks so cool and powerful!"

"Setting aside everything else, just based on looks, the Spirit Dragon Sect is definitely impressive."

"If I could form a Contract with a Spirit Beast like that, I would have no regrets in this life!"

While the people in the plaza were talking, the Black Dragon lowered its altitude and began a slow descent. As it drew nearer, the crowd could make out more details, down to every single scale on the Black Wind Spirit Dragon’s body.