I Tame Beasts by Feeding

Although Yu Changsheng’s three spirit pets all had good potential, having three of them also meant that when he broke through to Foundation Establishment, he wouldn’t be able to help all three advance at the same time.

’I guess this is one of the drawbacks of having too many spirit pets.’

Of course, the benefits were also obvious. During his normal Cultivation, the three spirit pets would also boost his progress. But when it came to advancing a major Realm, they were simply not up to the task.

But now, the appearance of the Beast-Storage Pill had given Yu Changsheng an idea, solving his most pressing problem.

So, in the days that followed, aside from his daily Cultivation and feedings, Yu Changsheng dedicated himself to learning how to refine the Beast-Storage Pill.

Refining an ordinary Small Beast-Storage Pill wasn’t particularly difficult, and Yu Changsheng was capable of making them. However, to master the use of Void Fire, he would always perform a Void Fire Quenching in the final step before the pill formed.

This was also the most difficult step. At first, the moment the nearly-formed Elixir touched the Void Fire, it would instantly turn to ash, leaving nothing behind.

Later, under the control of his Divine Sense, he began to scorch it little by little. This kept it from turning to ash. But far from being able to further quench it to remove toxins and improve the Elixir’s quality, the more common outcome was that the medicinal properties would change and the quality would degrade.

A week passed by in a flash, and Yu Changsheng continued his Alchemy journey here in the Spirit Chicken Garden.

Although the Beast-Storage Pills he refined often had their medicinal effects altered, turning them into failed products, they were still perfectly fine for feeding the Spirit Chickens. And if there was a problem... well, after feeding them to the chickens, the problem was gone.

...

"Condense!"

A wave of heat washed over him as flames surged. While forming hand seals, Yu Changsheng’s mind was a sea of tranquility. A ball of Void Fire floated gently in the air. Under the control of his Divine Sense, the Beast-Storage Pill inside the Alchemy Furnace slowly drifted toward the Void Fire.

The instant they made contact, the surface of the cyan Elixir turned pitch-black. Fortunately, it was only a thin layer, and under the control of his Divine Sense, it didn’t disintegrate into ash.

Immediately after, the Void Fire condensed into a thin layer, gently blanketing the Beast-Storage Pill. The pill visibly shrank, and its cyan surface once again took on a scorched hue.

Seeing this, Yu Changsheng sighed in resignation and retracted the Void Fire. A smaller, bluish-black Beast-Storage Pill appeared before him. He waved his hand, and after carefully sensing its properties, his brow furrowed.

’Is it still a matter of the Flame’s intensity? I still can’t control the Void Fire’s power with enough penetrating, point-by-point precision. That’s why the medicinal effects were altered, the Elixir’s quality dropped, and even the necessary components got scorched.’

Yu Changsheng’s head ached. This was the first time he had ever found something so intractable.

He wanted to just add points, but looking at the massive amount of essence required for the Alchemy skill, he silently dismissed the thought.

’But I have made some progress. If I keep at it, I’ll get better and better. Besides, my control over the Void Fire is becoming more adept.’

Exhaling a breath of foul air, Yu Changsheng didn’t feel discouraged.

’All medicine is one-third poison. The purpose of the Void Fire is to perform the final Quenching step before the Elixir leaves the furnace to remove and reduce its toxins, thereby improving its quality.’

’But how could that possibly be easy? Plunging an Elixir into a Flame... the difficulty is such that even with my Divine Sense, I find it hard to control. Making any progress at all is a good thing.’

After a few moments of thought, Yu Changsheng glanced down at the scorched Beast-Storage Pill in his hand. Unconcerned, he casually tossed it into the flock of Spirit Chickens.

The Elixir landed, and after a chaotic flurry of flapping and squawking, one Spirit Chicken King overpowered the others, snatched the Beast-Storage Pill, and ate it with satisfaction.

[You have successfully fed a Spirit Chicken King. Consumed: Wasted Beast Essence Small Pill. Essence gained: 300]

These failed Beast-Storage Pills were completely useless for Yu Changsheng’s own Spirit Pets, but they still had some effect on these Low-Tier Spirit Chickens.

On a normal day, he would also refine some Small Beast-Storage Pills for his Spirit Pets to eat, skipping the Void Fire Quenching. Although their effects certainly couldn’t compare to the Two-Stripe Beast Storage Pills refined by Gongsun Yang, they were sufficient for daily nourishment.

After he finished feeding it all of the Beast-Storage Pills refined by Gongsun Yang, the Colorful Star Deer also successfully advanced to the Tier One Ninth Layer.

At this point, all three of Yu Changsheng’s spirit pets had reached the Tier One Ninth Layer, and his own Cultivation had reached the Ninth Heaven of Qi Cultivation.

’Now, if I were to claim I’m the strongest person below Foundation Establishment... that shouldn’t be a problem, right?’

Yu Changsheng’s imagination ran wild. After a moment, he gave a self-deprecating laugh and shook his head, dismissing the unrealistic thought.

’I might be unrivaled below the Foundation Establishment Realm here in the Wanxiang Sect, but across all of Wuzhou, that’s probably a joke. I have to keep cultivating diligently. Strength is everything.’

’I just need to keep going like this. Once I can refine the Great Beast-Storage Pill and get my hands on a Foundation Establishment Pill, my spirit pets and I will break through together!’

Time flew by... and in the blink of an eye, another three weeks had passed.

And today, the Inner Sect trial arrived as scheduled.

Yu Changsheng slowly opened his eyes, ending his Cultivation. Sensing a vibration from his Jade Tube, he checked the message:

"The annual Inner Sect trial has begun. All registered participants are to gather at the Sect Square within the next four hours."

’It’s starting?’

Yu Changsheng set off, a flicker of anticipation in his heart.

The Inner Sect trial was held once a year. There were five Inheritance Peaks, and over a thousand disciples signed up, but in the end, only ten would pass. This alone was enough to show how brutal it was.

This was why the treatment of Inner Sect Disciples and Outer Disciples in the Wanxiang Sect was worlds apart. Only by entering the Inner Sect could one barely be considered part of the Wanxiang Sect’s core.

The sect placed great importance on every Inner Sect Disciple. Because of this, the status of a Wanxiang Sect Inner Sect Disciple carried considerable weight outside the sect.

The death of any Inner Sect Disciple would trigger a formal investigation by the sect. If they died under suspicious circumstances, a relentless manhunt would be initiated—privileges that Outer Disciples did not possess.

And as for Cultivation Resources, that went without saying. They enjoyed all sorts of advantages, which was why so many people scrambled to enter the Inner Sect.

The Wanxiang Sect was a sect with a low barrier to entry but an extremely high ceiling for success. It was easy to join, but not even one in a hundred could make it to the core.

In reality, this was the situation in most sects. With the exception of Inner Sect Disciples and those of higher status, everyone else existed to serve them.

The sect used the resources of its periphery to recruit outer personnel, who in turn would provide all manner of services and assistance to meet the needs of the inner members. This was the reality of it: the true core of the sect was forever in the hands of those in the Inner Sect and above.

For all these reasons, the annual Inner Sect trial garnered immense attention within the sect. Those who performed exceptionally well might even catch the eye of an Inner Sect Elder and be taken as a personal disciple. That would be a true meteoric rise.

A select few controlled the resources of the vast majority.

As Yu Changsheng’s mind churned with these thoughts about the Inner Sect, the Sect Square came into view.

The plaza, normally sparse on any given day, was now a dense, dark sea of people when viewed from above. Disciples from every peak were present, packed tightly together.