Chương 17: Beast Taming

The strongest of the purple spirit tiger cubs tensed every muscle in its body. It slowly arched its back, its violet eyes gleaming with raw ferocity. Roar! Without a moment's hesitation, it lunged straight at Zhang Huaijin, wild, untamed, and utterly reckless. Bang! Zhang Huaijin's expression didn't shift in the slightest. He lashed out with his palm and struck the cub squarely across the face. His physical body was now comparable to a cultivator in the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm.

But this cub had only just entered the first stage of the Qi Refining Realm. The gap between them was an insurmountable chasm. Boom! The half meter long tiger cub was sent flying backward from the force of Zhang Huaijin's slap. He pressed his advantage, his fists, each the size of a sandbag, raining down like a violent storm. The cub howled in agony with every blow. Zhang Huaijin didn't know any techniques for taming spirit beasts.

But he understood one fundamental truth: If he wanted this tiger to truly follow him from the depths of its soul, he had to beat it until it submitted completely. The cub's pitiful cries woke the other two unconscious brothers. The moment they saw what was happening, they charged at Zhang Huaijin as well. The outcome was brutal. Fifteen minutes later, all three purple spirit tiger cubs lay sprawled on the ground, barely clinging to life. They whimpered softly, too broken even to growl.

Zhang Huaijin stood over them, his expression blank, his eyes indifferent. Inside his storage pouch, black and white light swirled. The power of the Realm-Breaking Pearl surged forth, devouring the beasts' bodies. Zhang Huaijin had already stripped away any useful resources. Now, the power inside the Realm-Breaking Pearl visibly grew, and with it, Zhang Huaijin's physical body was strengthened once again. The spiritual power flowing through his meridians became more refined.

His cultivation base rose slowly but steadily. In his sea of consciousness, the Primordial Tai Chi Visualization Diagram spun like a chaotic divine millstone, constantly refining his soul and making it more robust. He was charging relentlessly toward the peak of the Qi Refining Realm. In the blink of an eye, seven days passed. The three cubs had been thoroughly beaten into submission. When their eyes looked at Zhang Huaijin now, they held nothing but fear. Zhang Huaijin's soul was extraordinarily powerful.

He condensed a thread of his soul force and sent it directly into each cub's weak sea of consciousness. If any of the tigers ever harbored treacherous thoughts, that single thread would be enough to annihilate its soul. Over those seven days, the spiritual rice in the fields of Heavenly Yang Mountain had already sprouted. The seedlings were growing vigorously. Zhang Huaijin checked on them often, tending to each plot with painstaking care. He then lit another transmission talisman to notify Zhang Lixian.

Fifteen minutes later, Zhang Lixian arrived at Heavenly Yang Mountain. Love what you're reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on.

"You found purple spirit tiger cubs?" Zhang Lixian looked at his son, then let his gaze fall on the three cubs lying nearby. The answer was obvious.

"I've tamed one. I'm handing the other two over to the family," Zhang Huaijin said with a faint smile.

"Good. I'll exchange them for resources of equal value. You won't be at a disadvantage." Zhang Lixian nodded, looking at his son with growing satisfaction. This son of his had been born with a powerful soul and exceptional comprehension. Even as a Five Spirit Root cultivator, his cultivation speed was no slower than someone with Three Spirit Roots. He had barely begun his cultivation journey, and already he had stumbled upon remarkable fortune.

As long as there was enough spirit beast flesh and blood, in about ten years, these tigers could be raised to tier 1, upper grade. In other words, Zhang Huaijin was delivering two combatants at the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm into the Zhang clan's hands. And if fortune favored them, these beasts might even break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm. Spirit beasts cultivated slowly, it was true, but they faced far fewer bottlenecks at major realm thresholds than human cultivators did.

If the Zhang family could tame these cubs, their foundation would be greatly strengthened. Spirit beasts were common enough, but cubs were not. For Zhang Huaijin to obtain three at once… his luck was truly extraordinary.

"The New Year's Festival is less than three months away," Zhang Lixian continued.

"When it arrives, I'll send someone to relieve you for a few days. When you return to Green Bamboo Mountain, I'll give you the resources and the clan's reward." He then glanced toward the thatched hut.

"Why has that kid suddenly become so diligent?" Inside, Zhang Wujian sat cross legged. The surrounding spiritual energy was being continuously drawn toward him. The techniques within his body cycled steadily, tempering his meridians and pushing his cultivation base forward. In the early stages of the Qi Refining Realm, taking pills was generally not advised if one wanted to preserve their future path.

One could only absorb ambient spiritual energy, constantly tempering their meridians and building a solid foundation.

"I promised him a spirit beast cub when he reaches the mid stage of the Qi Refining Realm," Zhang Huaijin replied, helplessness creeping into his voice.

"That rascal certainly knows how to make demands." Zhang Lixian chuckled.

"Father, I remember Uncle Hong's injury… it was caused by yin cold spiritual energy, wasn't it?" Zhang Huaijin's sudden question made Zhang Lixian pause.

"Yes. In a battle long ago, he was struck by an enemy's yin attribute spiritual energy. It caused a hidden injury and cut off his path to the late stage of the Qi Refining Realm." Zhang Lixian sighed. If Zhang Hong hadn't been injured, he would likely be at the ninth stage of the Qi Refining Realm by now. The Zhang clan would be stronger, able to secure more resources to support its members' cultivation. Zhang Huaijin nodded upon hearing this. He then took a jade box from his storage pouch and opened it.

Purple light swirled outward. The surrounding temperature rose noticeably.

"A Tier 1, Upper grade spiritual herb, Purple Sun Flower!" Zhang Lixian blurted out.

"Exactly. The clan doesn't have an alchemist. I hope the clan can arrange, at some cost, to have this refined into Purple Sun Pills. Uncle Hong has suffered from that yin attribute energy for a long time. If he can get a Purple Sun Pill, there's a good chance he'll recover. He might even use the pill's power to break through to the seventh level of the Qi Refining Realm!" Zhang Huaijin explained slowly. When he first acquired the flower, this idea had flashed through his mind.

If Zhang Hong could recover, the clan would gain another late stage Qi Refining Realm cultivator. And Zhang Huaijin himself might no longer need to guard Heavenly Yang Mountain. Of course, all of this depended on the Zhang clan successfully having the pills refined. Otherwise, it was just empty talk. The Zhang family had traditions in artifact refining and talisman crafting. After reaching the mid-stage of the Qi Refining Realm, most members would try their hand at these arts.

If someone showed talent, they would continue their studies. If not, they would usually become Spirit Plant Cultivators. While Spirit Plant Cultivation had its own requirements, the barrier to entry was much lower. Even a Five Spirit Root cultivator could become one by diligently practicing the Metal Finger Art and the Cloud Calling Artl. Most of the Zhang clan's members were Spirit Plant Cultivators. Zhang Lixian looked at the Purple Sun Flower in his son's hand and fell silent for a moment.

"What compensation do you want?"

"I want to leave the Heavenly Yang Mountain. And if the pills are successfully refined, I want one. I hope the clan can quickly cultivate someone to the mid stage of the Qi Refining Realm!" Zhang Huaijin stated his demands plainly. Heavenly Yang Mountain was fine, but its spiritual vein was only lower grade. It was still holding back Zhang Huaijin's cultivation speed.

"Alright." Zhang Lixian nodded. The things Zhang Huaijin had found were all remarkably useful to the Zhang clan. Keeping him stationed at Heavenly Yang Mountain was indeed holding him back. More importantly, what Zhang Huaijin had already provided was more than enough to silence any criticism from the rest of the family.

"The Purple Sun Pill is doable. I'll ask your uncle to refine it."