I'm Just a Beast Tamer

"This is the Red Fire Phoenix."

After they had settled matters regarding the Secret Realm, Nangong Daoist Lord summoned her Spirit Beast.

A large, crimson bird appeared before Jiang Zuo.

The Red Fire Phoenix was about the same size as the Seated Mountain Eagle from before. Its body was covered in fiery red feathers that seemed to smolder like faint flames.

The moment it appeared, Jiang Zuo felt a faint wave of scorching heat wash over him.

After the Red Fire Phoenix emerged, it nuzzled against Nangong Daoist Lord before prostrating itself to the side, ignoring everyone else.

Jiang Zuo could tell with a single glance that something was indeed wrong with the Red Fire Phoenix, and it was related to how often Nangong Daoist Lord drew its blood.

Nangong Daoist Lord had likely noticed something was wrong, but she didn’t know the specific problem or how to solve it, which was why she had sought out Jiang Zuo.

The Red Fire Phoenix was already a fourth-rank Spirit Beast. If it could advance to the fifth rank, it would undergo a massive transformation; not only would its power skyrocket, but its intelligence would also increase significantly.

At that point, it would be able to communicate easily with humans, and Nangong Daoist Lord would no longer have to guess what the Red Fire Phoenix was thinking.

However, the Red Fire Phoenix still seemed to be a long way from the fifth rank.

But even as a fourth-rank beast, it was far stronger than Jiang Zuo.

The Red Fire Phoenix bore Jiang Zuo no ill will, but it wouldn’t warm up to him easily, nor would it convey its thoughts to him.

Jiang Zuo had the Pet Beast Diagnosis skill, but facing a completely unfamiliar Red Fire Phoenix whose Cultivation was so much higher than his own, he couldn’t easily identify the root of the problem.

"Nangong Daoist Lord, to be honest, my talent isn’t very effective when used on Spirit Beasts whose power far exceeds my own."

"However, it’s not entirely impossible. If you trust me, Daoist Lord, you can leave the Red Fire Phoenix with me for a while. Once it becomes familiar with me, I should be able to find the source of the problem."

Jiang Zuo said to Nangong Daoist Lord after a moment of thought.

’So Zhou Yong’s talent has such limitations.’

Upon hearing Jiang Zuo’s words, both Yan Bocheng and Nangong Daoist Lord had a moment of realization, feeling that such a constraint was only logical.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"That’s possible, but this child has always been arrogant. I’m just worried that before it gets familiar with you, it will grow restless from not seeing me and might accidentally hurt you."

"How about this? It’s familiar with Xueyan. I’ll have Xueyan visit you every day. If it starts to get impatient, she can bring it back to me for a bit."

Nangong Daoist Lord knew her Red Fire Phoenix very well. She thought for a moment before speaking.

"Alright, let’s do that."

Jiang Zuo had no objections.

In truth, he could have just visited her every day, but he didn’t want the hassle. Besides, there were some things he couldn’t easily reveal in front of Nangong Daoist Lord.

Seeing that they had reached an agreement, Nangong Daoist Lord saw Jiang Zuo and Elder Yan off.

At Taihao Peak, Nangong Daoist Lord gave the Red Fire Phoenix a few instructions before leaving it behind and departing alone.

Seeing Nangong Daoist Lord abandon it and leave, the Red Fire Phoenix seemed even more displeased. When Jiang Zuo approached, it completely ignored him.

After activating the Array, Jiang Zuo summoned Xiaoqing and Great Black.

The Red Fire Phoenix had been acting completely uninterested in Jiang Zuo, but after seeing Xiaoqing and Great Black, the look in its eyes suddenly changed.

This was especially true when it looked at Xiaoqing; one could clearly sense its desire to get closer to her.

’It’s just as I thought. For Spirit Beasts and Demon Beasts, bloodline is everything!’

Jiang Zuo mused to himself.

Xiaoqing’s Cultivation was still low. An ordinary Spirit Beast, being less perceptive, might not have reacted to Xiaoqing the way the Red Fire Phoenix did.

But Jiang Zuo guessed that the Red Fire Phoenix likely possessed some Fire Phoenix bloodline.

With such a bloodline, it was more capable of sensing how extraordinary Xiaoqing’s own bloodline was.

The reason Jiang Zuo had the Red Fire Phoenix come to him, rather than going to Nangong Daoist Lord’s residence, was precisely to avoid exposing Xiaoqing’s bloodline.

Since the Red Fire Phoenix wanted to get on good terms with Xiaoqing, it would be much easier for Jiang Zuo to improve its disposition toward him.

Although Xiaoqing possessed an extraordinary bloodline, she was long accustomed to dealing with countless weaker Pet Beasts. With her gentle temperament, she never put on airs. As a result, her relationship with the Red Fire Phoenix quickly became quite good.

Naturally, the Red Fire Phoenix’s opinion of Jiang Zuo improved rapidly as well.

「Meanwhile.」

"Master, why did you ask Junior Brother Zhou to enter the Phoenix Blood Secret Realm?"

"Although Junior Brother Zhou can hold his own against a Dao Foundation Cultivator and might even win..."

"...he’s still not a true Dao Foundation Cultivator. If his Spirit Beast is countered by his opponent and can’t protect him in time, he’ll be in grave danger."

"What’s more, Junior Brother Zhou will be facing five Dao Foundation Cultivators. Even if he isn’t in danger, his chances of obtaining the Phoenix Blood Fruit will be even lower."

"Why not send a Cultivator at the Perfection of Dao Foundation? The Black Tortoise Dao Sect has many skilled Cultivators at that level."

"With your guidance, Master, a Cultivator at the Perfection of Dao Foundation should have a decent chance of retrieving the Phoenix Blood Fruit."

Yu Xueyan said to Nangong Daoist Lord, her voice tinged with worry.

In her opinion, asking Jiang Zuo to enter the Phoenix Blood Secret Realm was not a good choice.

The Parasol Phoenix Blood Fruit was crucial for healing Nangong Daoist Lord’s injuries, so they should have been more cautious.

"Xueyan, your junior brother is not as simple as he appears on the surface."

Nangong Daoist Lord smiled faintly.

"Him, not simple? But even if he has other secrets, he can’t be stronger than a Dao Foundation Cultivator, can he?"

But Yu Xueyan was not convinced.

"When you manage to cultivate to the realm of Sword Heart Clarity, you will understand."

Nangong Daoist Lord shook her head, not intending to explain further.

「A day passed in the blink of an eye.」

"Master, I’m going to find Junior Brother Zhou!"

Yu Xueyan said, sounding rather impatient first thing in the morning.

She wanted to see for herself just how this Junior Brother Zhou was "not as simple as he appears."

Yu Xueyan flew off, but it wasn’t long before she came running back in a panic.

"This is bad, Master! I think he’s going to steal your Red Fire Phoenix! It’s only been one day, and the Red Fire Phoenix’s attitude toward Junior Brother Zhou has completely changed!"

As soon as she returned, Yu Xueyan found Nangong Daoist Lord and cried out.

"So quickly? It seems your Junior Brother Zhou is even more capable than we thought."

Nangong Daoist Lord couldn’t help but be surprised.

She knew her Spirit Beast’s personality; the Red Fire Phoenix was not so easy to win over.

Yesterday, when the Red Fire Phoenix came out, its attitude toward Zhou Yong had been the same as usual.

For such a change to happen in just one day meant that Zhou Yong had some secret abilities.

Every day after that, Yu Xueyan would make a trip to Jiang Zuo’s place.

But other than watching the Red Fire Phoenix grow closer and closer to Jiang Zuo, she made no other special discoveries.

「A month passed just like that.」

Jiang Zuo brought the Red Fire Phoenix back to Nangong Daoist Lord.

Compared to a month ago, the Red Fire Phoenix’s condition had clearly improved.

"The root of the problem is still the constant bloodletting. It probably used to have some playmates, and they would compare their progress in strength. With its blood constantly being drawn, the Red Fire Phoenix felt its power was falling behind. This made it anxious, causing its condition to worsen."

Before Nangong Daoist Lord could speak, Jiang Zuo stated the Red Fire Phoenix’s problem.

"I see. Thank you for your trouble, Zhou."

Nangong Daoist Lord sighed.

’In that case, there’s no way to solve this problem for now.’

She couldn’t just let her injuries continue to worsen.

As for the Red Fire Phoenix, she could only let it continue to suffer this grievance.

"I have a blood-replenishing formula for the Red Fire Phoenix. If you can find the corresponding Spiritual Medicines for this formula, Nangong Daoist Lord, it should be of some help."

Jiang Zuo took out a written prescription.

After he had become familiar with the Red Fire Phoenix, his Pet Beast Diagnosis skill had naturally taken effect.

If Jiang Zuo had wanted to take a further shortcut, he could have just added the Red Fire Phoenix to the advanced Beast Cage.

Then, any problems would have been clear at a glance.

However, the Red Fire Phoenix stayed by Nangong Daoist Lord’s side and would very likely advance to the fifth rank in the future.

At that time, the Red Fire Phoenix’s Spiritual Wisdom would greatly increase, and it might expose some of Jiang Zuo’s secrets.

"You have such skills, Zhou?"

Nangong Daoist Lord looked at Jiang Zuo with extreme surprise.

She had never heard that he could also treat Spirit Beasts.

Taking the prescription from Jiang Zuo, Nangong Daoist Lord began to read it immediately.

The prescription didn’t list specific medicinal ingredients, but rather any Spiritual Medicine with certain effects would suffice.

After reading it, Nangong Daoist Lord let out a sigh of relief in her heart.

Although she didn’t know how effective it would be, it wouldn’t be too difficult for her to gather a set of Spiritual Medicines according to the prescription’s directions.

This time, Jiang Zuo had been escorted by Yu Xueyan; Yan Bocheng was not with them.

However, he soon learned of the matter through a message from Nangong Daoist Lord.

’This kid can treat Spirit Beasts? And a fourth-rank one at that!’

Like Cultivators, it was extremely rare for Spirit Beasts to fall ill or have problems, but when they did, they were much more difficult to treat than Cultivators.

In the Far West Land, only the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect had relatively skilled Pharmacists capable of treating Spirit Beasts.

The Black Tortoise Dao Sect was also training veterinarians, but they could generally only treat common problems. For complex cases, they could only do their best and hope for a good outcome.

Jiang Zuo had given Yan Bocheng a huge surprise.

「In the blink of an eye, half a year passed.」

Jiang Zuo followed Yan Bocheng and once again arrived at Nangong Daoist Lord’s cave residence.

Nangong Daoist Lord had sent a message: the Phoenix Blood Secret Realm was about to open.

After Jiang Zuo arrived, he waited for a few hours.

Nangong Daoist Lord took out a fiery red Token and channeled her Mana into it.

A fiery red light burst from the Token, forming a hazy, crimson gate.

Nangong Daoist Lord handed the Phoenix Blood Order to Jiang Zuo. Under the watchful eyes of the others, he strode inside.

「At the same time.」

Western Divine Continent, Phoenix Feather Sword Pavilion.

Under the indifferent gaze of an old man, five young people with solemn expressions walked into a similar Light Gate together.

Every single one of them, shockingly, had a Cultivation at the Perfection of Dao Foundation.

’Nangong Girl, the Parasol Phoenix Blood Fruit is the best Spiritual Medicine to heal your injuries. I imagine you won’t give up on it so easily.’

’But I have prepared for this day for over a hundred years. There is no escape for you!’

Nie Xukui thought faintly.

These five disciples of his were no ordinary Dao Foundation cultivators.

Every one of them could have broken through to the Divine Body Realm long ago.

They had suppressed their Cultivation and held back from breaking through, all for this very day.

The scenery before Jiang Zuo changed, and he found himself at the foot of a fiery red mountain.

As far as the eye could see, the surroundings were filled with large trees bearing fiery red leaves.

However, Jiang Zuo had no time to admire the beautiful scenery before him.

A system prompt, long unseen, had appeared before his eyes.

"Fire Phoenix Egg discovered, nine li away!"