I Tame Beasts by Feeding

The plaza was teeming with disciples from every peak, all standing together in neat, orderly rows. A quick glance suggested there were at least a thousand of them.

Most of them were at the Late-stage Qi Refining, with a considerable number at the Qi Refining Peak.

As soon as Yu Changsheng approached, he spotted Miao Wenlun waving at him from the crowd.

"Brother Yu! Over here! The Beast Taming Peak disciples are over here."

Yu Changsheng paused for a moment, then walked over to Miao Wenlun. Looking closer, he saw that the area around Miao Wenlun was indeed filled with disciples from the Beast Taming Peak. Sun Shihan was there too, standing beside Miao Wenlun. When she saw Yu Changsheng, she gave a cold huff and turned her head away.

Seeing Yu Changsheng approach, the other disciples from the Beast Taming Peak instinctively parted to create a path for him, greeting him with a touch of reverence.

"Senior Brother Yu."

...

Yu Changsheng smiled and nodded in response.

Most of these people had probably joined the sect long before Yu Changsheng, but in the Cultivation Realm, everything was determined by one’s cultivation level. Calling him Senior Brother Yu was perfectly acceptable.

After all, ever since the Beast Taming competition, Yu Changsheng had been secretly acknowledged as the number one Outer Disciple of the Beast Taming Peak.

"I just knew you’d be participating in this Inner Sect trial."

Miao Wenlun said with a chuckle.

"I’m just treating it as good practice. It doesn’t matter whether I succeed or not," Yu Changsheng said with a humble smile.

"Good practice?" Miao Wenlun gave Yu Changsheng a strange look and shook his head, clearly unconvinced. "You’re here, so you’re definitely aiming to pass. With your strength, your chances are very high."

Yu Changsheng shrugged. "We’ll see how my luck holds out. After all, the Inner Sect trial is incredibly strict, and the elimination rate is so high. I’ll just take it one step at a time."

"Alright then," Miao Wenlun nodded. "In any case, if we run into each other during the trial, let’s have each other’s backs. We’re all from the Beast Taming Peak, so it’s best if we stick together."

"For years now, Beast Taming Peak has had the fewest disciples—sometimes even zero—make it into the Inner Sect. If no one from our peak gets in this time, it’ll be the fourth year in a row. We’ll be a laughingstock for the other peaks."

After he spoke, Miao Wenlun glanced at Sun Shihan, who nodded in agreement.

"Alright." Yu Changsheng glanced up at Miao Wenlun and Sun Shihan. ’When my Odd Demon Pavilion opened, these two fools contributed a ton of Spirit Stones.’

Feeling pleased, Yu Changsheng’s expression softened as he readily agreed.

Miao Wenlun continued in a grave tone:

"Brother Yu, you’re well aware of the situation at Beast Taming Peak. You’re practically carrying half our peak’s reputation on your shoulders this time. You’ve got to give it your all."

Sun Shihan hadn’t said a word, simply watching Yu Changsheng quietly. A peculiar glint flashed in her eyes.

She couldn’t help but feel that there was something familiar about Yu Changsheng...

But she couldn’t quite place the feeling. Frustrated, she had an idea and summoned her Nine-Colored Silver Fox. The little creature perched on her shoulder, its nine fluffy tails swishing back and forth as it nuzzled affectionately against her.

He hadn’t seen the fox in a while. It was obvious Sun Shihan was quite fond of the little creature, and the little one trusted her a great deal in return. Even without a Contract, its cultivation had reached the Tier One Seventh Layer under her meticulous care. It seemed she hadn’t been stingy with the Celestial and Earthly Treasures.

Out of the corner of his eye, Yu Changsheng saw Sun Shihan reach out to play with the Nine-Colored Silver Fox, and his heart skipped a beat.

At that very moment, the Nine-Colored Silver Fox spotted Yu Changsheng. For a brief instant, the eyes of man and beast met.

"SQUEAK! SQUEAK! SQUEAK!"

Upon seeing Yu Changsheng, the Nine-Colored Silver Fox grew excited, hopping up and down on Sun Shihan’s shoulder and chittering nonstop. If it weren’t so attached to Sun Shihan, it probably would have leaped right onto Yu Changsheng.

The little creature knew full well that Yu Changsheng was the one who had given it these magnificent tails—the one who had changed its destiny.

Yu Changsheng’s heart skipped another beat. ’Oh no, don’t you dare!’ he wailed internally, frantically winking at the little fox.

At the same time, he focused his Divine Sense, condensing his voice into a thin thread and sending it silently into the Nine-Colored Silver Fox’s mind. After a moment of whispered instructions, the Nine-Colored Silver Fox nodded, seeming to half-understand.

"What are you doing?"

Sun Shihan shot Yu Changsheng a suspicious glance, then looked back at her agitated Nine-Colored Silver Fox, her brow furrowed slightly.

"Why are you suddenly so worked up?" Sun Shihan murmured in confusion, but she still gently soothed the Nine-Colored Silver Fox, stroking its fur.

The Nine-Colored Silver Fox let out two small squeaks and settled down, once again lying quietly on Sun Shihan’s shoulder.

"Maybe I’m just a natural with small animals," Yu Changsheng said with a laugh, taking the opportunity to both speak to Sun Shihan and change the subject.

"Your Spirit Pet is adorable, Senior Sister Sun. Nine tails? Don’t tell me it’s related to the legendary Nine-tailed Fox?"

With that, as if unable to restrain his affection, Yu Changsheng reached out and stroked the Nine-Colored Silver Fox’s little head. The fox, in turn, put on an expression of pure bliss.

"It’s no Nine-tailed Fox bloodline. It’s just a mutant, nine-tailed Silver Fox, bred using some unknown method."

Sun Shihan shook her head, but even as she said it, her gaze upon the Nine-Colored Silver Fox was filled with affection, showing no hint of disdain or dislike.

’You really lucked out with a good master,’ Yu Changsheng thought, feeling a little happy for the Nine-Colored Silver Fox.

"That’s not the whole story," Miao Wenlun suddenly interjected, leaning in conspiratorially. "This Spirit Pet didn’t come from just anyone. It came from a Golden Core True Master! There’s bound to be something special about it."

"A Golden Core True Master? That really is incredible!" Yu Changsheng exclaimed.

"That’s right! You know of the Odd Demon Pavilion that suddenly appeared in the Fish Market a while back, right? The one in charge there is a Golden Core True Master!"

Miao Wenlun’s voice was filled with reverence and admiration for the Golden Core True Master he had never met. He sighed with emotion and continued,

"I bet that senior is a Beast Master, too. A Spirit Beast that comes from him—how could it possibly be bad?"

"Mhm." Yu Changsheng wholeheartedly agreed with him.

"I’ll give you a heads-up before the next Odd Demon Pavilion auction. I’ll take you to see the Odd Demons they have. I guarantee you’ll be tempted."

Miao Wenlun slung an arm over Yu Changsheng’s shoulders, patting his chest as he made his confident promise.

"Great! Thanks, Senior Brother Miao. I appreciate you being willing to show me around."

Yu Changsheng nodded eagerly. The bizarre feeling in the pit of his stomach was intensifying, but thankfully, he was able to keep it under control, not letting a single trace of awkwardness show on his face.

"And it’s not just Senior Sister Sun who bought a Nine-Colored Silver Fox. I managed to get my hands on a rare Nine-colored Chicken King! They say it contains a trace of the Nine Heavens Phoenix bloodline!"

"Even though I know the odds of that are slim, this Nine-colored Chicken King is truly one-of-a-kind. I’ll let you see it for yourself in a bit!"

Miao Wenlun was in high spirits, his voice full of pride.