I'm Just a Beast Tamer

The Sect Leader is Crossing the Tribulation!

A group of elders hurriedly flew toward Black Tortoise Peak.

Luo Taidong brought Jiang Zuo along with them.

Jiang Zuo had been a disciple of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect for nearly sixty years, but he had never seen the Sect Leader’s face.

Over a hundred years ago, Gu Yunkui, the Sect Leader of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect, had entered seclusion to prepare for his breakthrough to the Manifestation Realm.

The Black Tortoise Dao Sect hadn’t produced a Manifestation Realm Great Cultivator in over three thousand years. Without one, the sect could only lie low and develop cautiously.

Although the Cultivation Realm was rich in resources, they could only watch as many high-level resources were claimed by others, lacking the qualifications to compete.

Without High-Tier cultivation resources, it was difficult for the sect to produce High-Tier Cultivators.

This vicious cycle had led to the Black Tortoise Dao Sect’s current decline.

If the Sect Leader could successfully break through, the Black Tortoise Dao Sect would once again have a place in the Cultivation Realm.

Around Black Tortoise Peak, a large number of elders and disciples had already gathered, their faces filled with excitement.

A Cultivator’s Tribulation Crossing was perilous, but the Black Tortoise Dao Sect’s ancestors had produced several Ascension Great Cultivators.

Although it had declined, the sect still possessed some of its foundational strength.

Compared to other small and medium-sized sects, the methods at Sect Leader Gu Yunkui’s disposal were far beyond their reach.

As long as he could trigger the Thunder Tribulation, he was basically halfway to success.

It was starting!

Above Black Tortoise Peak, a tribulation cloud no weaker than the one during the Ten Thousand Dao Scripture Tower’s tribulation began to rumble with thunder.

Then, terrifying bolts of lightning descended from the heavens.

The Thunder Tribulation for the Manifestation Realm, one of the most crucial for a Cultivator, had begun!

「Half a day later」

Astounding news spread throughout the human Ancestral Continent!

A double dose of good fortune had befallen the Black Tortoise Dao Sect! First, their Tier 6 Sect’s Treasure, the Ten Thousand Dao Scripture Tower, had undergone a minor advancement. Then, the Sect Leader of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect broke through to the Manifestation Realm, becoming one of the few Great Cultivators in the Cultivation Realm!

There were even rumors that the appearance of the Daoist Talisman Holy Land was related to the advancement of the Ten Thousand Dao Scripture Tower, and that the Black Tortoise Dao Sect had obtained a considerable number of keys to the Daoist Talisman Holy Land Secret Realm as a result.

Amidst all the swirling rumors, news also spread that Jiang Zuo had achieved Enlightenment during the Sound of the Great Dao, temporarily freeing himself from his Daoist Shackles and breaking through to the mid-stage Divine Body Realm in a short period.

Unfortunately, after his state of Enlightenment ended, the Daoist Shackles reappeared.

Such a genius was, in the end, still unable to resume his path of cultivation.

As the news spread, sects of all sizes sent important figures to the Black Tortoise Dao Sect to present congratulatory gifts.

In addition to returning the courtesy, the Black Tortoise Dao Sect also announced that a promotion ceremony would be held in half a year.

The entire Black Tortoise Dao Sect was immersed in a festive and joyous atmosphere.

Manifestation Realm Great Cultivators possessed vast Divine Techniques. Even if they were no match for opponents in the Second or Third Realm, as long as they weren’t killed in a single blow before they could react, they could use the Divine Tree Earth Escape Divine Techniques to abandon their physical bodies and escape with their lives.

Once they reached safety, they could take the time to cultivate a new physical body.

As long as they were careful, it was extremely difficult for a Manifestation Realm Great Cultivator to be killed.

This was why a sect’s status in the Cultivation Realm was completely different depending on whether it had a Manifestation Realm Great Cultivator.

As long as a sect had a Manifestation Realm Great Cultivator, they didn’t have to worry about stronger sects picking on them.

The Manifestation Realm Great Cultivators of the major sects generally followed an unspoken rule of not attacking Cultivators below the Manifestation Realm, at least on the surface.

Only an organization like the Celestial Eye Black Pupil so brazenly ignored the rules.

However, none of this had anything to do with Jiang Zuo; he wasn’t interested in these matters.

That day, after watching the Sect Leader pass the Thunder Tribulation, Luo Taidong took him and a group of elders to pay their respects to the Sect Leader.

Sect Leader Gu Yunkui was a middle-aged man. As the only Cultivator to break through to the Manifestation Realm in nearly three thousand years, his aptitude was naturally extraordinary.

Nearly a hundred years ago, at the age of four hundred, he had cultivated to the late-stage Dao Fruit Realm and then began his secluded Cultivation.

Now, at less than five hundred years old, he had broken through to the Manifestation Realm.

The lifespan of a Manifestation Realm Cultivator was three thousand years, meaning Gu Yunkui still had more than twenty-five hundred years left.

𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Even if his Cultivation went smoothly, his ascension would still be several hundred years away.

Having successfully broken through to the Manifestation Realm, Gu Yunkui was in high spirits.

After briefly stabilizing his Cultivation realm, he received the elders of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect.

Over the past hundred years, many things, both large and small, had happened in the sect.

Among them, inevitably, was news of the deaths of some acquaintances.

Listening to the events of the past century, Gu Yunkui couldn’t help but sigh softly.

When a few elders mentioned Jiang Zuo’s situation, Gu Yunkui couldn’t help but give him a few extra glances.

Learning that Jiang Zuo was burdened by the Daoist Shackles and that his path of cultivation was severed, Gu Yunkui said with regret, "What a pity!"

Then, he patted Jiang Zuo’s shoulder.

Afterward, Gu Yunkui spoke of his seclusion and his tribulation.

Only then did the elders learn that Gu Yunkui’s breakthrough and Tribulation Crossing at this time were largely thanks to the Sound of the Great Dao.

Gu Yunkui had been stuck at a breakthrough bottleneck for decades. When the Sound of the Great Dao descended, he had a sudden realization and entered a state of Enlightenment.

As soon as his state of Enlightenment ended, he immediately began Crossing the Thunder Tribulation.

"This time was actually extremely dangerous. I was trapped at my bottleneck for decades, and in my desperation to break through, I was on the verge of cultivation deviation without even realizing it."

"If not for the sudden arrival of the Sound of the Great Dao, in another few decades, even if I were lucky enough to survive, my Cultivation would have been severely damaged, and my path of cultivation severed."

"If any of you reach this step one day, you must not repeat my mistake!"

Gu Yunkui sighed, a lingering fear in his voice.

His promotion to the Manifestation Realm this time was truly a matter of fortuitous opportunity.

"In that case, it was Ancestor Yuan Yang who had the foresight to leave the Ten Thousand Dao Scripture Tower to the sect."

Hearing this, the elders all praised the Ancestor’s foresight.

Gu Yunkui still needed to enter seclusion to consolidate his Cultivation. After briefly meeting with everyone, he went into seclusion once more.

Jiang Zuo also returned to Taihao Peak with Luo Taidong.

With the Sect Leader’s successful breakthrough, the revival of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect was on the horizon, and Luo Taidong was ecstatic.

Although Jiang Zuo was much calmer, he also thought it was a very good thing for the sect to have a Great Cultivator.

This way, if he ever slipped up and revealed his secrets in the future, he wouldn’t have to worry about being attacked within his own sect.

While the entire Black Tortoise Dao Sect was busy preparing for the promotion ceremony in half a year, Jiang Zuo went to the Scripture Pavilion to pick up some introductory Secret Manuals on drawing Talismans.

In the Scripture Pavilion, Jiang Zuo met the Artifact Spirit.

After its breakthrough, the Artifact Spirit’s appearance had changed.

It was originally a child of seven or eight, but now it had become a teenager of thirteen or fourteen.

However, perhaps because of its connection to books, the Artifact Spirit was dressed like a Scholar’s Attendant.

Although its appearance had changed, the Artifact Spirit’s personality hadn’t altered much yet; it still felt like a seven or eight-year-old child.

It would probably take some time and more interaction with humans for a change to occur.

The Artifact Spirit was very enthusiastic about Jiang Zuo’s arrival, wanting to know if he had any more Beast Patterns.

Of course, he still had Beast Patterns, but they were only the two Tier 3 Beast Patterns: Limb Regeneration and Giant Elephant Impact.

As for the Tier 5 Bloodbath Rebirth, Jiang Zuo hadn’t been able to draw it yet, so it was even more impossible to trade.

While the two Tier 3 Beast Patterns were useful to the Ten Thousand Dao Scripture Tower, they wouldn’t be enough to make it undergo another Tribulation Crossing and advance again.

Jiang Zuo was in no hurry to trade them with the Ten Thousand Dao Scripture Tower for anything.

He would wait until he had a need for something in the future before making any plans.

After returning from the Ten Thousand Dao Scripture Tower, Jiang Zuo spent a considerable amount of time starting his research on Talismans.

He had already learned that after the Daoist Talisman Holy Land distributed the Secret Realm keys, the Secret Realm would open in about three years.

Jiang Zuo had been studying Beast Patterns all along, and Beast Patterns and Talismans were two sides of the same coin.

Since he had encountered the Secret Realm of an ancient sect that only appeared once every five thousand years, he was determined to go inside and take a look, no matter what.

However, one couldn’t enter the Daoist Talisman Holy Land just by having a key; there were two conditions for entry.

First, one had to be under two hundred years old. Second, one’s Cultivation could be no higher than the Three Flowers Realm.

Cultivators at the Three Flowers Realm were no longer much of a threat to Jiang Zuo.

However, this didn’t mean the Daoist Talisman Holy Land was a safe place.

Normally, this kind of Secret Realm, which was primarily focused on inheritance, would be very safe.

But each time the Daoist Talisman Holy Land had appeared in the past—whether someone intentionally placed them there or for some other reason—the Demon Beasts inside had become stronger and more numerous.

Now, reappearing after five thousand years, there was no telling how powerful the Demon Beasts within the Holy Land had become.

Jiang Zuo was a Divine Body Realm Cultivator, but he was burdened by the Daoist Shackles, leaving him with not even one-tenth of his true strength.

In the eyes of outsiders, if Jiang Zuo were to enter the Daoist Talisman Holy Land, it would be a one-way trip to his death.

For this reason, many elders and disciples from the sect had come to ask Jiang Zuo if he was willing to transfer the Secret Realm key in his possession.

The Black Tortoise Dao Sect had obtained a total of nine Secret Realm keys this time.

Compared to the number of disciples, this was far from enough to go around.

Other disciples might not have the authority to dispose of their Secret Realm keys, but as for the one in Jiang Zuo’s hands, even though outsiders thought he couldn’t use it himself, no one dared to come and demand it by force.

’That guy can’t even use it himself! Why won’t he trade it to me?!’

Luo Cheng was one of the many who came looking for Jiang Zuo.

His fifty-year punishment on Siguoya had long since ended.

Feeling that the Secret Realm key was useless to Jiang Zuo, Luo Cheng personally came to ask him to transfer the key to him.

But no matter what he said, Jiang Zuo refused.

After Luo Cheng left, he was furious.

But Jiang Zuo’s current status in the Black Tortoise Dao Sect was special. He wasn’t an elder, but his authority was actually greater than that of an elder like Luo Cheng.

Aside from fuming and cursing in private, there was nothing Luo Cheng could do about Jiang Zuo.

Jiang Zuo felt that this couldn’t go on, so he went to Luo Taidong and asked for his help in spreading the word that he had already given his Secret Realm key to someone else.

Luo Taidong didn’t know who Jiang Zuo had given the key to, but he didn’t ask.

Once the news spread, no one came to bother Jiang Zuo anymore.

’Maybe it’s because I’ve studied Beast Patterns so much, but these Talisman Secret Manuals seem incredibly simple!’

Four months passed in the blink of an eye, and Jiang Zuo’s progress in the art of Talismans was incredibly fast.

In Jiang Zuo’s view, a Beast Pattern was simply an advanced form of Talisman.

It seemed the reappearance of the Daoist Talisman Holy Land was most likely because the Ten Thousand Dao Scripture Tower had obtained the Beast Patterns, triggering the conditions for the Holy Land’s return.

Jiang Zuo felt that by the time the Daoist Talisman Holy Land Secret Realm opened, he would have already achieved some proficiency in the art of Talismans.

Soon, half a year had passed since Gu Yunkui’s breakthrough.

The promotion ceremony for the Sect Leader of the Black Tortoise Dao Sect was about to begin!