Chapter 248: Choosing a Spiritual Beast
"Here is a Qiankun Bag. I’ve put some Spirit Stones inside. Your senior brothers and sisters all received the same things."
Zhan Sheng accepted it respectfully.
"Thank you, Master."
Chu Qi, standing to the side, also watched with a smile.
’Master is fair to every disciple.’
’She’d received the same things back then, too.’
Master Lü Zhu nodded. "Study them well. I will be returning to seclusion. Come find me again when you reach the Core Formation Stage. Of course, if you need anything, you can always find your Senior Sister Chu Qi. She is still too young, so I’ve had her stay within the Sect. Her other senior brothers and sisters have gone on long journeys and are not in the Sect. You may not meet them for several years."
Generally, the plan for a disciple was to cultivate within the Sect for the entirety of a Realm.
They would only venture out when the time was right.
But that’s not what Zhan Sheng thought.
The disciples of her Longevity Sect were not ones to sit still. Cultivating in a sect for years on end meant she would have to stop her original sect’s activities.
’Oh, right. She was part of the Taixue Sect now...’
"Next, your Senior Sister Chu Qi will take you to the Hundred Beasts Garden. Go and pick a spiritual beast that shares a bond of fate with you."
Zhan Sheng nodded.
Chu Qi smiled. "Let’s go, Junior Sister. I’ll take you to the Hundred Beasts Garden."
As Zhan Sheng was about to leave, her modern habits, still hard to shake, slipped out. "Bye, Master—"
Realizing it wasn’t quite right, she immediately bowed. "Farewell, Master."
Master Lü Zhu raised a slight eyebrow. "Go on."
As Chu Qi led Zhan Sheng away from the Heavenly Palace, she added, "Master has given you a functional Magic Treasure. If you also need a Flying Magical Treasure, you can go to the All Things Hall to complete a mission and receive one."
Zhan Sheng asked, "What kind of missions?"
Chu Qi thought for a moment. "They’re mostly missions to take care of spiritual beasts. Some of the more difficult ones require you to go to specific places to capture spiritual beasts."
"Capture spiritual beasts?"
Chu Qi explained, "They’re actually our own free-range spiritual beasts. Since they’re raised in the wild from a young age, they’re much fiercer and harder to tame than the ones inside the Sect. So, they’re used to train disciples."
Realization dawned on Zhan Sheng.
The Hundred Beasts Garden wasn’t in the Heavenly Palace, but rather down below at its foot.
Chu Qi led Zhan Sheng to the other side of the Taixue Sect’s valley, where there were also many buildings.
When they reached a pavilion with a sign that read "Hundred Beasts Garden," Zhan Sheng peeked inside but didn’t spot any spiritual beasts.
They weren’t the only ones at the Hundred Beasts Garden; other disciples were lining up outside. When the Hundred Beasts Garden’s Steward saw Chu Qi arrive, he immediately came forward respectfully. "Chu Qi, you’re here?"
Apparently, Chu Qi was a frequent visitor and knew the Steward well.
Chu Qi nodded and said with a cheerful laugh, "I’m bringing my junior sister to pick up a spiritual beast."
The Steward smiled and handed her a token. "Then go on inside. Many of the spiritual beasts in the Hundred Beasts Garden are out today. See if you can find one that shares a bond with you."
Choosing a spiritual beast was clearly a matter of fate.
Just as Chu Qi was about to lead Zhan Sheng inside, a snide voice came from behind them. "Well, well, has Elder Lü Zhu taken a new disciple?"
Chu Qi’s expression changed.
Zhan Sheng turned to look as well.
She saw a man with a strange expression leading a girl in flowing white robes over.
The girl’s expression was cold, and she didn’t even bother to lift her gaze at the crowd.
Chu Qi pursed her lips. "Senior Brother Wei, what brings you here today?"
Then she reluctantly made the introductions for Zhan Sheng. "Junior Sister, these are Elder Danqiu’s disciples, Senior Brother Wei and Master Mi—just call her Senior Sister Mi."
Zhan Sheng nodded. "Senior Brother Wei, Senior Sister Mi."
But neither of them responded to her.
"My junior sister is about to reach Core Formation, so she needs to raise another spiritual beast," said Senior Brother Wei, lifting his chin. "And you’re here, leading your new junior sister to claim a spiritual beast?"
He glanced at Zhan Sheng, then suddenly sneered. "So old, and still only in the Qi Refinement Realm. It seems Elder Lü Zhu’s standards for picking disciples are getting worse and worse."
Everyone heard the gunpowder in his words, and the people around them fell silent as cicadas in winter.
Even the Steward didn’t dare to speak.
’These clashes between the disciples of elders are terrifying.’
Chu Qi frowned at his words. "Senior Brother Wei, do you have a problem with the disciple my master accepted?"
Chu Qi wasn’t very old, and she didn’t mince her words.
Senior Brother Wei’s expression changed, and he said reluctantly, his face twisted, "I wouldn’t dare."
Only then did Chu Qi turn her gaze to the girl. "Didn’t Junior Sister Mi just pick a spiritual beast a while ago?"
Thus addressed, Junior Sister Mi finally looked at Chu Qi and revealed a faint smile. "Yes. But I’m about to reach Core Formation, and I need more spiritual beasts to increase my proficiency with my mental method."
Chu Qi turned her head slightly, and Zhan Sheng saw her roll her eyes where the others couldn’t see.
She clearly didn’t have a good impression of this Junior Sister Mi.
Zhan Sheng said nothing either.
Senior Brother Wei then raised an eyebrow at Chu Qi. "Speaking of which, Junior Sister Mi is almost at Core Formation. When will you be, Junior Sister Chu Qi?"
Chu Qi bared her teeth. "I’m almost there too! I have things to do, so I won’t chat with you any longer, Senior Brother Wei. Please, help yourself."
With that, she took Zhan Sheng’s hand and entered the building.
Once inside, they saw that the center of the room was filled with mirror-like panels, with swirling vortexes within them.
Chu Qi led Zhan Sheng straight into the first one.
In just a moment, it was as if they had entered a whole new world.
It was a dreamlike dense forest, with lights of every color flowing and all sorts of rare and exotic beasts roaming about.
All the spiritual beasts recorded in the documents were now appearing right before Zhan Sheng’s eyes for real.
A chicken completely on fire?
There was also a small snake crackling with arcs of light.
There was even a beast with a single horn on its head.
Before Zhan Sheng could get a good look at everything, Chu Qi started complaining, "If you see those two in the future, stay away from them. Elder Danqiu and our Master have never gotten along. Back then, that Junior Sister Mi was supposed to become our Master’s disciple, but he didn’t accept her. Otherwise, she would have been my eighth junior sister."
"Good thing he didn’t!" Chu Qi leaned close to Zhan Sheng and whispered, "I don’t like her. I always feel like there’s something weird about her."
Zhan Sheng grew thoughtful.
She had only given the girl a simple glance earlier.
She looked to be only a few years older than Chu Qi. To reach Late-stage Foundation Establishment and be on the verge of Core Formation so quickly, her talent must be extraordinary.
But maybe it was just Zhan Sheng’s intuition.
She just felt there was something sinister about the girl.
But for now, choosing a spiritual beast was more important.
Chu Qi pointed at the spiritual beasts, introducing them one by one. "With spiritual beasts, a connection at first sight is the most important thing. It’s not just about you choosing a spiritual beast; the spiritual beast has to choose you, too. These are just ordinary spiritual beasts. I’ll take you to pick from the growth-types—huh? These spiritual beasts, why are they acting so strange?"
Spiritual beasts didn’t usually get close to Cultivators; in fact, they were generally afraid of them.
Tamed spiritual beasts weren’t particularly afraid of the Human Clan, but they would only get close to their own keepers.
But the moment Zhan Sheng entered, Chu Qi noticed that the surrounding spiritual beasts all seemed to be nudging their way toward her.