I'm Just a Beast Tamer

The three helped the disciple with the Celestial Eye Technique to his feet and rushed into the academy together.

Jiang Zuo followed close behind. Without a word, he entered as well.

After stepping through the academy’s gates, the scene before Jiang Zuo’s eyes changed abruptly.

Jiang Zuo found that he had become a wealthy man who had taken many beautiful concubines.

Naturally, women he’d had past relationships with, like Xu Xiuyun and Liu Hongshang, were there. But so were other beauties he had seen and found attractive; they were all present.

Among them was even the beautiful Nangong Daoist Lord.

What left Jiang Zuo even more speechless was that his mind was suddenly filled with countless memories of blissful moments with these beautiful concubines.

Even though he immediately realized it was all fake, Jiang Zuo still felt a hint of reluctance to leave.

If he hadn’t realized it was all an illusion and had immersed himself in it, he would surely have become hopelessly addicted.

Escaping this state was simple. With a flash of his hand as a blade, one beauty after another fell dead.

But as he killed them, those fabricated memories would surface again and again, trying to stop his hand. It made Jiang Zuo grit his teeth in annoyance.

’This mental trial really isn’t easy to pass.’

Fortunately, he had opened his Sea of Consciousness and possessed a Visualization World. This simple illusion couldn’t fool him.

As he cut down the last one, the Nangong Daoist Lord, Jiang Zuo couldn’t help but mutter to himself.

’When I get back to the outside world and see the real Nangong Daoist Lord, I’d better not give anything away.’

After all, the memories he’d had with her were a bit too... steamy.

After passing the trial of lust, the mental test wasn’t over.

The scene before him changed again, and Jiang Zuo felt his mind being filled with even more memories.

He had become the emperor of a great nation.

The empire was at its peak. As emperor, he possessed not only absolute power but also supreme, unrivaled martial strength.

He could do whatever he pleased throughout the entire empire.

With a single word, he could make any beauty in the world part of his harem. With a wave of his hand, he could annihilate an enemy nation.

There was nothing in the entire world he couldn’t do.

Life and death, glory and wealth—all were decided by his slightest whim.

"Supreme power is indeed intoxicating."

"My past self would have definitely been addicted to this, unwilling to leave."

Jiang Zuo sighed.

With a move of his hand, he took his own life before countless court officials.

The scene changed once more, bringing him to the final stage of the mental trial.

Jiang Zuo stared at his circumstances in this stage, remaining silent.

This time, he had become a Cultivator.

However, he didn’t have his Beast Taming System; he was just an ordinary Transmigrator.

The knowledge from his previous life was completely useless here.

After enduring countless hardships, he finally managed to begin his Cultivation.

But unfortunately, his aptitude was too poor. By the time his lifespan was exhausted, he had only reached the seventh level of Qi Cultivation.

He never even had the chance to risk his life for a breakthrough.

Immortality was nothing but a distant dream.

In the end, he could only die of old age in a foreign land, full of resentment.

Watching this scene, Jiang Zuo couldn’t help but feel a sense of emptiness.

"This mental trial is quite well-designed. If you can pass the first two stages, the third is no longer a test but a moment of self-realization. It makes you understand what you fear losing most, so you can better cherish the present."

Jiang Zuo sighed.

It was clear the founder of the Phoenix Feather Sword Pavilion had put a lot of thought into this.

This third trial had struck at Jiang Zuo’s greatest fear.

He silently took in his current state of mind, sighed softly again, and committed the feeling to memory.

With that, Jiang Zuo had passed all three trials.

When he came to his senses, Jiang Zuo found himself in a quaint courtyard.

There was nothing special about the courtyard’s surroundings, except for a three-meter-tall, fiery-red parasol tree growing in the center.

Hanging from the fiery-red parasol tree were three pear-sized, crimson fruits.

’Parasol Phoenix Blood Fruit.’

The three fruits were a brilliant, luscious red, pulsating with a scorching power.

Jiang Zuo took out three jade boxes from his storage bag.

These were special jade boxes given to him by the Nangong Daoist Lord. Storing Spirit Fruits inside them allowed for long-term preservation without letting their Spiritual Qi escape.

Just as Jiang Zuo picked the three Parasol Phoenix Blood Fruits and placed them in his storage bag, a flash of light appeared in the courtyard, and another figure materialized.

It was the disciple with the Celestial Eye Technique who had tried to launch a Mental Attack on Jiang Zuo.

When the disciple with the Celestial Eye Technique saw that Jiang Zuo had already entered before him, his face turned pale.

Before Jiang Zuo could make a move, a bloody light enveloped the disciple, and he was ejected from the Secret Realm.

"Decisive, aren’t we?"

Jiang Zuo snorted.

At this distance, there was nothing he could do to stop someone from leaving.

However, Jiang Zuo had expected this and wasn’t too concerned.

Paying it no more mind, Jiang Zuo simply looked at the Parasol Phoenix Blood Tree.

’Another rare Spirit Wood. Should I just dig it up and take it with me?’

After a moment’s thought, Jiang Zuo ultimately shook his head and decided against it.

’The Phoenix Feather Sword Pavilion will probably return to the Nangong Daoist Lord’s hands. In sixty years, my actions will be exposed.’

’At that time, the Nangong Daoist Lord will definitely demand an explanation from me.’

However, there was an even more important reason why Jiang Zuo didn’t act.

If the Parasol Phoenix Blood Tree were to leave this land stained by phoenix blood and be transplanted into a Spirit Garden, without the nourishment of the phoenix-blooded soil, the tree would most likely lose its ability to bear fruit and eventually become an ordinary tree.

Taking the tree would be a spiteful act that wouldn’t even benefit him.

And the person he’d be harming would be an acquaintance.

Jiang Zuo naturally wouldn’t do such a thing.

’I’ve got the Parasol Phoenix Blood Fruits. Where to next?’

Jiang Zuo walked out of the academy, pondering his next move.

’Should I stay and ambush the remaining three?’

’There’s no point. Besides, it’s not even certain if they’re still in the mental trial.’

Jiang Zuo’s guess was correct. Yan Yuming and the other two had long since admitted defeat and withdrawn from the academy’s mental trial.

"Junior Brother Ning Xin failed. That person got there before him and took the Parasol Phoenix Blood Fruits."

Before leaving the Secret Realm, the disciple with the Celestial Eye Technique sent a message to Yan Yuming.

"In that case, it seems our only option is the Enlightenment Tower," another disciple said in a low voice upon hearing the news.

"Let’s go!"

Yan Yuming didn’t waste words, striding toward the Enlightenment Tower.

The three of them were going to the Enlightenment Tower to advance to the Divine Body Realm!

They could have advanced to the Divine Body Realm long ago but had been suppressing their Cultivation for this day.

They never expected their enemy to be a Divine Body Realm expert who had concealed his Cultivation.

Now, their only hope of matching him was to advance to the Divine Body Realm themselves.

Under normal circumstances, advancing to the Divine Body Realm would require two to three months of seclusion at the very least.

But inside the Enlightenment Tower, if things went smoothly, they could break through in just one or two days.

Furthermore, advancing to the Divine Body Realm inside the Enlightenment Tower would bring them great benefits.

Their original plan was to go to the Enlightenment Tower to advance *after* killing or driving out the stranger.

Now, they were forced to advance first before doing anything else.

Otherwise, if they encountered that person anywhere else in the Secret Realm, their only option would be to flee it entirely.

...

’First, find the Fire Phoenix Egg!’

Meanwhile, Jiang Zuo had made his decision.

The Sword Dao inheritance from the Five Elements Sword Pavilion, the Divine Sword in the Sword Tomb, and achieving Enlightenment in the Enlightenment Tower... all of these were excellent opportunities.

But none of them were as important as the Fire Phoenix Egg.

By finding the Fire Phoenix Egg, not only could he hatch a Fire Phoenix Pet Beast, but more importantly, he could complete a fifth-tier Beast Soul Obsession.

He would receive a massive amount of Beast Soul Power and a fifth-tier Beast Pattern!

𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

Nothing else in the Phoenix Blood Secret Realm could compare.

Jiang Zuo followed the lead, traveling along the grassland and heading north from the academy.

An hour later, Jiang Zuo arrived at the shore of an azure lake.

The lake was surrounded by vast, gentle grasslands dotted with colorful flowers.

Some animals were drinking by the lake, but they all looked extremely vigilant and tense, ready to flee at the slightest disturbance.

’The Fire Phoenix Egg is in the lake, but it seems there’s a fierce beast in the water. For the lake to be this calm is also a bit strange.’

Jiang Zuo narrowed his eyes, studying the lake before him.

’Even unhatched, a Fire Phoenix Egg falling into a lake shouldn’t result in such tranquility.’

However, Jiang Zuo couldn’t be bothered to overthink it. He would know as soon as he entered the water.

The lake water was cool and clear, but just as Jiang Zuo jumped in and dove under, he saw a massive black shadow in the distance swimming rapidly toward him.

It was a Divine Body Realm Black Giant Fish!

However, after a brief assessment, Jiang Zuo sensed that this Black Giant Fish was only at the early stage of the Divine Body Realm.

If it were at the late stage, Jiang Zuo would have been a bit wary, but an early-stage Divine Body Realm was nothing to be afraid of.

Underwater, the Black Giant Fish should have had an unparalleled advantage. Even a mid-stage Divine Body Realm expert would have difficulty withstanding its attacks.

Unfortunately for the fish, Jiang Zuo could breathe underwater and possessed a Five Elements Spirit Body. Compared to the Black Giant Fish, his agility was not the least bit inferior.

And so, Jiang Zuo and the Black Giant Fish began to battle beneath the waves.

The Divine Body Realm Black Giant Fish was barely able to inflict some damage on Jiang Zuo.

But Jiang Zuo could also wound the Black Giant Fish in turn.

And while Jiang Zuo’s injuries could constantly heal, the Black Giant Fish’s wounds only grew more severe.

The Black Giant Fish wasn’t stupid. Seeing that it might actually be killed if the fight continued, it made a feint, then with a flick of its tail, it swam far away. It only watched Jiang Zuo from a distance, not daring to approach again.

Since it didn’t come over, Jiang Zuo couldn’t be bothered to go looking for trouble with it.

These Divine Body Realm Demon Beasts were all tough and thick-skinned. While Jiang Zuo’s defense was high, his attack power was still somewhat lacking, meaning he could only wear them down slowly.

’There’s an Array restriction at the bottom of the lake? And the Phoenix Egg is inside it?’

’This is going to be trouble.’

Jiang Zuo swam to the bottom of the lake’s center.

A fiery-red egg lay quietly on the lakebed.

However, the Fire Phoenix Egg was sealed off by a miniature restrictive Array.

He didn’t know if it was the work of the Phoenix Feather Sword Pavilion’s founder or someone else.

Jiang Zuo had little experience with Arrays, so for a moment, he had no idea how to retrieve the Fire Phoenix Egg from within.

However, just as Jiang Zuo was getting frustrated, the Fire Phoenix Feather he had previously absorbed suddenly flew out from his body.

The Fire Phoenix Egg at the bottom of the lake instantly seemed to answer a summons. It shot up from the lakebed, flew out of the restriction, and landed in Jiang Zuo’s hands.

[The Fire Phoenix Feather’s obsession has vanished!]

[Gained 3,000 Beast Soul Power!]

[Obtained Beast Pattern "Bloodbath Rebirth"!]

—Bloodbath Rebirth: A fifth-tier Beast Pattern. When one possesses an Ancient Bloodline, they can undergo a process like Phoenix Nirvana. When on the verge of death, they can consume the power of their Ancient Bloodline to be reborn. After rebirth, the power of the Ancient Bloodline will be completely awakened!