I Tame Beasts by Feeding

Chapter 110: Chapter 108: Yuntai Valley

And now, Yu Changsheng’s talent in Beast Taming was also evident.

This Spirit Beast competition would be the test of his progress!

Yu Changsheng left the Beast Garden and made another trip to the Spirit Chicken Garden. After arranging for their feed, he began to prepare for tomorrow’s Spirit Beast competition.

The Spirit Beast competition didn’t generate as much buzz as the Alchemy Conference, and disciples from other peaks wouldn’t come to spectate. In comparison, it was much quieter, something the other disciples of Beast Taming Peak were used to.

「The next day, at the entrance to Yuntai Valley.」

"Brother Yu, over here!"

As soon as Yu Changsheng arrived, he saw Fang Cai Feng waving at him.

Yu Changsheng walked over and said with a smile, "You’re here so early. Scoping out the competition?"

Fang Cai Feng grinned and said, "Of course. My Realm isn’t anything special among the Outer Disciples of Beast Taming Peak, so I have to come early to check out the opponents. That way, I’ll know who to avoid once we’re inside."

Yu Changsheng nodded and asked, "Do you know how many people signed up?"

"Probably fifty or sixty people. A mix of new and old disciples. There are even Beast Masters who were at the Qi Refining Realm ten years ago still signing up. See?" Fang Cai Feng leaned close to Yu Changsheng’s ear and whispered, pointing at a man.

"That’s Miao Wenlun, a real old-timer on our Beast Taming Peak. He used to be an outstanding Beast Master, but unfortunately, his beast-rearing skills got worse and worse. He tried to research Demon Beast mutations on his own, but it was a complete mess. As a result, he’s been stuck in the Outer Sect for seven or eight years without advancing, and his Realm has been bottlenecked at the Qi Refining Peak."

Hearing this, Yu Changsheng followed his gaze. The man was dressed in an elegant blue robe, with a tall, straight posture and the air of a sagely immortal. However, an irresolvable sorrow was etched between his brows, and his face was devoid of any smile—as expressionless as a dead man’s.

Yu Changsheng had heard of Miao Wenlun’s story before. The man was a minor celebrity on Beast Taming Peak, known for having considerable insight and his own unique ideas about raising beasts.

Beast Taming Peak never forbade disciples from researching Demon Beasts—studying their bloodlines, evolution, mutation, crossbreeding, and so on. Some Demon Beasts from the Beast Garden would even be taken by Inner Sect Disciples or Elders to be used as subjects for this kind of research.

But only those with ample funds and a strong background were qualified to play this game. Otherwise, if you went through several Demon Beasts with no progress, all those Spirit Stones would have been wasted.

Miao Wenlun had suffered such severe losses in Spirit Stones that his research ended in a complete mess. His Realm also progressed slowly, and by the time he came to his senses, he had reached an awkward age.

Some said he was foolish, some said he was too proud and ambitious, and some said he got what he deserved.

In any case, there were those who mocked him and those who admired him.

"What a pity. If he hadn’t been so eager to pursue bloodline mutation back then, he might have already been promoted to an Inner Sect Disciple," Yu Changsheng said with a sigh.

"Isn’t it? But he still has a chance this year. I heard he managed to create a mutated Blazing Tiger Beast, greatly increasing its power. I don’t know if it’s true, though."

Fang Cai Feng rubbed his chin and said, "Anyway, with his Realm at the Qi Refining Peak, getting into the top three shouldn’t be a problem. He’s an opponent I’ll have to be careful of."

Yu Changsheng chuckled. "There are a lot of people you need to be careful of."

"Oh?" Fang Cai Feng looked at him and teased, "Like you, for instance?"

Yu Changsheng nodded. "That’s right."

"Hahaha, don’t worry, Brother Yu, I definitely won’t underestimate you. When the time comes and you run into someone you can’t handle, just run my way. I’ll come save you!" Fang Cai Feng roared with laughter.

Yu Changsheng just smiled and didn’t reply.

’You know nothing of my true power.’

After about another incense stick’s worth of time, the Beast Masters who had signed up arrived one after another, including Lei Kai, whom Yu Changsheng had met before.

"Hmph, you’d better watch yourself, kid." Lei Kai sneered, then pointed at Yu Changsheng.

After that incident at the Affairs Hall, he had gone back and investigated Yu Changsheng, only to realize he’d been bluffed and intimidated.

The guy had made a name for himself at the Alchemy Conference and was a very talented Alchemist, but when it came to Beast Taming, he’d never heard of him doing anything unusual, nor did he have any kind of combat record.

Lei Kai figured that both Alchemy and Beast Taming required a great deal of time. Since Yu Changsheng looked to be only seventeen or eighteen and was already so strong in Alchemy, his Beast Taming skills must be absolutely terrible. That had to be why he had no combat record!

’A piece of trash like him dares to talk back to me? Just wait until we’re inside, I’ll teach you a lesson!’ Lei Kai shot Yu Changsheng a vicious glare, then walked off in another direction with a companion.

Shortly after, Mu Zeyu arrived as well.

"Senior Brother Yu!"

When Yu Changsheng saw him, he suddenly noticed that the Spirit Beast accompanying him was different. The last time he’d seen him, it was a Snow Leopard Beast, but this time, it was a Spirit Fox!

"What kind of Spirit Fox is that?"

Like the Snow Leopard Beast, the Spirit Fox was pure white. Its fur was fine and seemed as smooth as satin, but its claws were incredibly sharp. It would bare its fangs at unfamiliar Cultivators, looking quite ferocious.

The moment Yu Changsheng saw this Spirit Fox, he sensed there was something different about it.

Under his Divine Sense, he could tell the Spirit Fox’s Realm was at the Tier One Eighth Layer, and its Spiritual Power was very strong. Although it couldn’t compare to the Cyan Flower Deer from before, it wasn’t much weaker either.

And yet Mu Zeyu was only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer. How could he possibly have formed a Contract with both a Tier One Seventh Layer Snow Leopard Beast and a Tier One Eighth Layer Spirit Fox!

Did this person have a deeply hidden Beast Taming Talent? Or perhaps, was he a disciple from some great Beast Taming family, with a powerful background?

Hearing Yu Changsheng’s question, Mu Zeyu smiled and said, "It’s normal that you haven’t seen one before, Senior Brother Yu. This is a unique Spirit Beast from a snowy mountain near my home. It’s called a Hidden Heart Fox."

"A Hidden Heart Fox?"

Hearing the unfamiliar name, Yu Changsheng was a bit puzzled. After all, he considered himself a proper Beast Master and had read many catalogues of Demon Beasts.

Beside them, Fang Cai Feng seemed to have heard of it. His jaw dropped as he asked, "Is that the Spirit Fox that knows how to conceal its aura, moves as fast as lightning, and likes to steal the hearts of children?"

Mu Zeyu quickly explained, "That’s all a misunderstanding from the outside world. While the Hidden Heart Fox does like to attack the heart when killing its enemies, it doesn’t steal the hearts of children."

Clearly, Fang Cai Feng wasn’t convinced. Then, seeing Yu Changsheng’s blank look, he explained, "It’s a type of Spirit Beast from the snowy mountains up north. They’re pretty rare around here. The terrifying folktales about the Hidden Heart Fox are quite famous among common people, though. They’re even treated as a type of monster."

After Fang Cai Feng’s explanation, Yu Changsheng understood.

"This Demon Beast certainly has a lot of stories about it," he said with a smile.

Beside Mu Zeyu, the snow-white Hidden Heart Fox curiously sized up Yu Changsheng, wringing its little paws as if it really wanted to try climbing onto his shoulder.

For some reason, it sensed a pleasant smell coming from Yu Changsheng.

It felt a natural sense of closeness to him, like the feeling of its mother back on the snowy mountain.

"Looks like it really likes you," Mu Zeyu said with a smile, having also noticed the Hidden Heart Fox’s expression.

"It’s probably because I’m so handsome," Yu Changsheng joked.

"Alright, it’s time to go in. The Elders officiating the competition have arrived."

A group of five people was seen slowly approaching. The one in the lead was a white-bearded old man in a gray robe. His face was wrinkled, but his gaze was sharp, giving him an imposing and extraordinary air.

Following behind him were two men and two women, all dressed in black.

These people were Stewards, responsible for running the competition. And the white-bearded old man was none other than one of Beast Taming Peak’s few Golden Core True Masters!

"Everyone, we will be hosting this competition," the white-bearded Elder announced. "The competition will take place within Yuntai Valley, which contains a variety of dangerous environments. Only the Cloud Platforms are safe zones. Therefore, you must find and occupy a Cloud Platform. As long as you occupy a Cloud Platform for the time it takes an incense stick to burn, it will be considered yours, and others may no longer attack it."

"Now then, I won’t elaborate on the other rules. The main point of this competition is to test your Beast Taming abilities, so the use of items like Magical Artifacts and Talismans is forbidden."

The white-bearded Elder continued, listing the rules one by one.

"For now, everyone, rest for a moment. Once the mist ahead clears, you will enter the valley and the competition will begin!"