I'm Just a Beast Tamer

"Please choose between Cultivation and Enlightenment!"

As Jiang Zuo made contact with the Enlightenment Tower, an aged voice resounded in his mind.

A normal person would surely choose Enlightenment.

Cultivation could be done anywhere; at worst, it would just take a bit more time.

But Enlightenment was a rare opportunity, something one could only stumble upon, not seek out.

However, Jiang Zuo’s cultivation time was still too short. He hadn’t even reached a bottleneck with his current Cultivation Techniques, so seeking Enlightenment would be a waste of time.

"Cultivation!"

Jiang Zuo made his choice. With a flicker, his form vanished and he entered the Enlightenment Tower.

Before him was a sealed, snow-white chamber filled with an incredibly dense Spiritual Qi.

Jiang Zuo scanned his surroundings. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he sat down and began his daily Cultivation, just as he did on Taihao Peak.

As Jiang Zuo circulated his Cultivation Technique, the dense Spiritual Qi surged into his body like a tide.

Jiang Zuo felt that cultivating here was indeed much faster than on Taihao Peak.

But it didn’t seem *that* much faster.

Shaking his head, Jiang Zuo didn’t dwell on it.

’Perhaps my Five Elements Spirit Body is just too special, requiring so much Spiritual Qi for Cultivation that the speed increase doesn’t seem as significant.’

But faster was still faster, and since this opportunity had cost him nothing, Jiang Zuo wasn’t about to get picky.

But as he cultivated in the Enlightenment Tower, Jiang Zuo soon found himself entering a strange state.

He felt as if a long time had passed, yet at the same time, no time at all.

When he finally emerged from this state, Jiang Zuo was shocked to discover that he had broken through the fourth level of Qi Cultivation and his Cultivation had reached the fifth level.

Jiang Zuo quietly checked the system time and was startled.

He had reached the fifth level of Qi Cultivation in just three days!

’Looks like I can keep cultivating!’

Jiang Zuo’s spirits lifted.

’This Enlightenment Tower really is something mystical.’

He had already been close to the fourth level, but even assuming it took him the full three days to go from the fourth to the fifth level of Qi Cultivation, the speed was still astonishing.

Normally, it would take Jiang Zuo about seven years of cultivation to go from the fourth to the fifth level of Qi Cultivation.

In other words, three days in the Enlightenment Tower were equivalent to seven years of cultivation in the outside world!

Wasting no time, Jiang Zuo buried his head and continued to cultivate.

Meanwhile, just as Jiang Zuo had entered the Enlightenment Tower...

「Phoenix Feather Sword Pavilion.」

Nie Xukui’s face was ashen as he watched Yan Yuming and the other two get teleported out one after another.

He’d already had a bad feeling when Ning Xin and the other disciple were teleported out.

But he never imagined that even after Yan Yuming’s group of three had advanced to the Divine Body Realm, they would still all be forced out of the Secret Realm one by one, with one disciple so gravely injured he had nearly died.

"Tell me what happened!"

Nie Xukui didn’t even need to ask; he knew Yan Yuming’s group had failed.

Had they succeeded, they wouldn’t have returned so quickly.

The state they returned in was utterly wretched.

But he also knew that Yan Yuming would never disobey his orders. Their failure could only be due to the person the Nangong Girl had hired.

"Master, not only did that person conceal his Cultivation, but he’s also a Cultivator who has opened his Sea of Consciousness!"

"After the three of us advanced, we ambushed him in front of the Enlightenment Tower, but his Sword Control Technique caught us completely off guard."

"He has Divine Sense, has mastered the Sword Control Technique, and his physical body is stronger than ours. We didn’t stand a chance of winning!"

Yan Yuming said bitterly.

When the Phoenix Blood Secret Realm is opened outside of its normal cycle, the gateway to the realm can only withstand the Spiritual Power fluctuations of Dao Foundation Cultivators.

With Cultivation being restricted, the grade of Talismans that can be brought inside is likewise limited.

They had brought some second-grade Talismans with them, but against that person, second-grade Talismans were completely useless.

When you can’t win a fight, there’s no choice but to escape the Secret Realm.

"’A Cultivator who has opened his Sea of Consciousness and also has an exceptionally powerful physical body? Where did that Nangong Girl find such a genius?’"

Nie Xukui’s brow furrowed.

"Draw me a portrait of him."

Nie Xukui knew that at this point, words were useless.

He just wanted to know who had ruined his century-long plan.

He wasn’t worried that the appearance Yan Yuming’s group saw was inaccurate.

The Phoenix Blood Secret Realm had been personally created by the first patriarch of the Phoenix Feather Sword Pavilion, and all the rules of the realm were set by him.

The first patriarch was an upright and incorruptible man who detested the devious and scheming. He had long ago secretly decreed that anyone who entered the Phoenix Blood Secret Realm would be forced to show their true face.

However, the Phoenix Feather Sword Pavilion never mentioned this rule to its disciples.

"So young?"

Yan Yuming and the others quickly drew a portrait of Jiang Zuo from memory.

Nie Xukui was taken aback when he saw Jiang Zuo’s face.

"Do you know his name?"

Nie Xukui thought for a moment, then asked again.

"We don’t. He never mentioned it in front of any disciples."

Yan Yuming and the others shook their heads.

"No matter. Now that we know what he looks like, finding a Divine Body Realm expert who has opened his Sea of Consciousness and has a strong physical body shouldn’t be too difficult."

"Such a genius is rare, whether on the Western Divine Continent or the human race’s Ancestral Continent."

"Even if it takes some time, I will find you sooner or later!"

"You ruined my plans, so don’t blame me for destroying your future!"

Nie Xukui snorted coldly.

A genius like that siding with the Nangong Girl... if he were allowed to mature, wouldn’t that mean Nie Xukui would have one more powerful enemy?

No matter how he looked at it, he had to find and eliminate this person as soon as possible.

He would spare no expense.

...

「Inside the Enlightenment Tower.」

Time passed, and Jiang Zuo’s Cultivation advanced by leaps and bounds.

Sixth level of Qi Cultivation, seventh level, eighth level, ninth level!

"The time limit has been reached! The Phoenix Blood Secret Realm is about to close!"

Just as Jiang Zuo felt he was on the verge of reaching the Perfection stage of Qi Cultivation, a voice abruptly snapped him out of his trance.

He had been cultivating in the Enlightenment Tower for nearly a month without realizing it.

’What a pity. It would have been great if I could just hole up here and cultivate forever.’

Jiang Zuo felt a little regretful.

He was about to be forcibly teleported out of the Phoenix Blood Secret Realm, but Jiang Zuo had no intention of leaving voluntarily. He seized the last few moments to continue cultivating.

However, before he could even circulate his Cultivation Technique, the scenery before him suddenly changed.

’Am I being forcibly teleported out?’

Jiang Zuo thought, but then his gaze shifted, and he looked ahead.

He had appeared in a simple, ancient hall. Before him stood an old man with a full head of white hair.

"Senior, you are...?"

Jiang Zuo asked respectfully, having a faint guess.

"Me? I am the Spirit of the Phoenix Blood Secret Realm. However, I am different from an ordinary realm spirit. I am a remnant soul left behind by my original self before he ascended."

"But I’m also different from a typical Split Soul. All connection between my original self and me was completely severed at the moment of his ascension."

The old man said with a kind smile.

’A remnant soul of an Ascension Great Cultivator?’

’And probably the remnant soul of the peerless expert who created this Secret Realm in the first place!’

A look of yearning couldn’t help but appear in Jiang Zuo’s eyes.

At the same time, Jiang Zuo was secretly glad that he hadn’t acted recklessly in the Phoenix Blood Secret Realm.

’Otherwise, this Spirit of the Secret Realm might have kicked me out long ago.’

’It seems I’ll have to be extremely careful if I enter similar Secret Realms in the future.’

"Alright, enough pleasantries."

"Little fellow, of all who have entered this Phoenix Blood Secret Realm since its creation, you have the best aptitude."

"Not a single person has ever been like you, cultivating in the Enlightenment Tower right up until the Secret Realm closed."

"As for you, I have two small gifts here. You may choose one to take with you."

"The first is an Enlightenment Stone."

"The Enlightenment Stone’s function is similar to that of the Enlightenment Tower. you can use it for Cultivation or for Enlightenment."

"However, once most of the Enlightenment Stone’s power is depleted, it will become permanently ineffective."

"The second is a vial of Phoenix Blood Essence."

"I won’t elaborate on its specific uses; you can use it however you wish."

The old man praised Jiang Zuo’s aptitude, then placed two items before him.

One was an ancient, fist-sized stone—the Enlightenment Stone.

The other was a small jade vial.

This jade vial looked extraordinary, clearly no common object. Jiang Zuo sensed that it might be a fourth-grade Spiritual Artifact.

"Senior, could you perhaps give me both?"

Jiang Zuo thought for a moment. He wanted both items, so he asked shamelessly.

This senior’s remnant soul clearly had self-awareness, and his authority within the Secret Realm didn’t seem low. Jiang Zuo felt there was room for negotiation.

"You little rascal!"

The old man was stunned for a moment, then couldn’t help but laugh.

"Very well, you can have them both. If they stay here, who knows when someone capable of taking them will appear again. Letting you take them shouldn’t be a waste."

Jiang Zuo had expected the old man to refuse, but to his surprise, after a sigh, he actually agreed.

With a wave of his hand, the old man sent both the Enlightenment Stone and the Phoenix Blood Essence into Jiang Zuo’s hands.

Jiang Zuo was both shocked and delighted.

’Looks like being thick-skinned really pays off. How else could I have gotten both treasures!’

"Senior, do you know any ancient legends? Could you tell me some?"

Not wanting to leave just yet, Jiang Zuo spoke up again.

It was a rare chance to meet such an incredible ancient remnant soul. If he could learn some earth-shattering secret, this trip to the Phoenix Blood Secret Realm would be a massive jackpot. Although his current gains were already heaven-defying, Jiang Zuo would never complain about getting more.

"I would like to tell you, but alas, the very reason I have survived to this day is because I know so little."

"If I knew too much, this remnant soul of mine would have likely dissipated between heaven and earth long ago."

"Alright, the time limit has been reached. You should go."

The old man shook his head and, with a wave of his hand, sent Jiang Zuo away.

The Phoenix Blood Secret Realm was once again empty of any human presence, returning to its usual tranquility.

The old man’s figure appeared atop the Enlightenment Tower, his head tilted up toward the Secret Realm’s sky.

"’Original Self, what exactly did you encounter when you ascended to the Upper Realm?’"

"’With your abilities, how could you have failed to make a mark in the Upper Realm? And why, at the very end, did you only send back one message, telling me to give those two treasures to the one with the best aptitude?’"

The old man sighed.

He desperately wanted to know the answer, but unfortunately, he could never leave the Phoenix Blood Secret Realm.

In truth, the old man wasn’t particularly bothered by his original self’s death.

After all, there was always a higher mountain to climb. Although his original self was a heaven-gifted talent, there would always be someone more talented.

To be killed after unfortunately encountering a more powerful person was even less surprising.

What truly terrified him was that after his original self died, he had forgotten many things.

He had even completely forgotten his original self’s name, as well as his own.

Just what kind of Great Power had his original self offended to have met such a fate?