Chương 110: 1.107 In which Ning prays for luck~

Ning was refining pills again. He sat before his familiar pill furnace, carefully controlling the flame beneath it as several medicinal ingredients slowly dissolved within. Under his guidance, the different essences separated from their impurities before gradually merging together, the faint medicinal fragrance escaping through the furnace lid telling him that everything was proceeding smoothly. Fortunately, this was the same furnace Ning had always used.

He hadn't taken it with him into the Heavenly Origin Tower, which, in hindsight, could be viewed in two very different ways. On one hand, having a large metal furnace during everything that had happened might actually have been useful. It wasn't designed as a defensive artifact, but Ning imagined hiding behind several hundred jin of reinforced metal would still stop something.

On the other hand, considering the number of explosions he'd been caught in, there was a very real chance he would have returned carrying two halves of a pill furnace. Perhaps leaving it at the peak had been for the best. Ning adjusted the flame and glanced toward the communication talisman lying beside him.

"I wonder what Xiao Fan is doing. He hasn't answered me at all." He had already tried contacting him several times since returning. More importantly...

"That guy still has all my stuff." Ning's expression darkened slightly as he remembered exactly how much of his remaining property was currently sitting inside Xiao Fan. He really needed to get his things back. Ning sighed as he ran the Medicine King Technique. The Zhongting acupoint in his chest pulsed lightly in response, waiting like a small, empty reservoir. Beside the furnace, Fenghuang stood on a stone perch as white flame curled from his body and entered the furnace through the fire mouth.

This flame carried a purity and intensity that ordinary fire could not compare to, but it was also much harder to control. If Ning had used it directly before learning better flame manipulation, he would have ruined the entire batch and possibly the furnace along with it. Fortunately, he had the Crimson Flame Control Technique. Ning guided the fire with careful pulses of qi, shaping the path it took after entering the furnace.

The first stage created a stable flame seed, anchoring the white fire so it would not flare or collapse. The second stage divided it into two streams, one circling low around the heavier medicinal materials and the other rising toward the suspended essence near the upper chamber. This was Twin Flame Manifestation, the second stage of the Crimson Flame Control Technique. It was a smooth progression from Ember Awakening Stage. Frankly speaking, that stage had been rather basic.

After everything Ning had been through recently, his control over qi had noticeably improved. His spiritual energy responded more smoothly to his will, and manipulating two separate streams of flame no longer demanded his complete concentration. As for what he was refining? It was the Red Bud Pill. Ning still remembered the days when he had to scrape together every last spirit stone just to buy one.

Back then, a single Red Bud Pill had been a precious resource that could noticeably speed up his cultivation in the early stages. Now, he was making them himself. The furnace trembled lightly as the medicinal essences inside began to merge. Ning's eyes immediately lit up with a familiar luminous blue as he activated the Pure Eyes, allowing him to perceive the minute changes in spiritual energy within the furnace. But there was something new within those blue irises.

A thin ring encircled each pupil, divided into four barely distinguishable shades. With his current understanding of the Eternal Severance Art, the markings were still extremely faint, but Ning knew what they represented: spring, summer, autumn, and winter. Season-Reading Eye. Ning circulated the technique alongside the Pure Eyes. The world immediately became more detailed. Pure Eyes allowed him to see.

He could distinguish the different medicinal essences, observe the flow of qi within the furnace, and catch the smallest instability before it became a problem. Season-Reading Eye, however, helped him understand when. The changes were subtle, but Ning could sense the process unfolding in stages. The moment when the medicinal essence had finished extracting. The brief window before two conflicting properties began to repel each other.

The exact instant when the flame needed to rise, and when another breath of heat would become too much. The four-colored rings within his eyes slowly revolved.

"Lower it slightly." Fenghuang glanced at him before giving a soft caw. The white flame beneath the furnace immediately weakened. Ning watched. One breath. Two. The turbulent medicinal qi settled.

"Hold it there." Fenghuang chirped again, and the white flame steadied. Ning's lips curved upward. Frankly speaking, he had never possessed any exceptional talent for alchemy. His progress had come from practice, knowledge, and repeatedly refining pills until he understood exactly what he was doing. But talent wasn't necessarily something one had to be born with in this world. And this was the first talent Ning had built entirely for himself. As expected, pupil techniques really are overpowered.

Ning felt strangely satisfied as the faint rings within his luminous blue eyes continued to revolve. The medicinal essence within the furnace gathered, compressed, and slowly rounded into pill form. Ning circulated the Medicine King Technique at the same time, letting the faint alchemy qi born from the refinement process flow toward his Zhongting acupoint. It was not a large amount, because Red Bud Pills were still only useful within the Qi Condensation realm, but every batch counted.

The furnace gave a low hum as the pill settled. Ning reduced the flame, opened the lid with a movement of qi, and lifted the finished pill into a jade dish. It was round, faintly red, and carried a gentle warmth. A small bud-like mark had formed naturally across its surface, which meant the medicinal essence had stabilized well. Ning inspected it with Pure Eyes.

"Seventy-eight percent purity," Ning murmured after examining the finished pill. That was pretty good. Nothing exceptional by alchemist standards, but it was already good enough to be sold in ordinary shops. In fact, the Red Bud Pills he had once received from Fang Zhu had been around the same level of purity. Ning couldn't help but feel a little pleased. Finally, he had another reliable way to make money through alchemy.

Until now, the Fasting Pill and his Vitality Pill had been the only pills he could confidently produce for profit. With the Red Bud Pill added to the list, his options were slowly expanding. He was finally starting to look like a legit alchemist. At this rate, perhaps one day people would stop associating his pills with suspicious side effects. Ning placed the pill into a jade bottle and reached for the next set of ingredients.

Before he could begin another batch, however, footsteps sounded from outside the alchemy room. A moment later, Han Zan walked in. He was the disciple who had been helping Ning sell his Vitality Pills, and after dealing with each other for so long, the two had become fairly well acquainted.

"Senior Brother Ning." Han Zan cupped his hands in greeting. Ning looked up and waved him off.

"No need to be so formal. What happened?" Han Zan's gaze lingered on the Red Bud Pill for a moment before he spoke.

"The orders for the Vitality Pills have exploded." Ning paused.

"Exploded how?"

"Several times more than before," Han Zan said.

"At first, it was mostly outer disciples and some repeat customers, but recently quite a few cultivators from inside the sect have started asking for them directly." Ning's face slowly scrunched up. That was not good. He immediately remembered how the matter of his serialized novels had been exposed among certain elders and disciples. He had written those stories under a pen name, yet somehow, after one sect-shaking disaster and far too many people paying attention to him, details had begun circling.

The world had a talent for connecting things he wanted kept separate. Now it seemed the Vitality Pills had suffered the same fate. Past Ning had really screwed him over. To be fair, Past Ning had been broke and desperately needed spirit stones, so Present Ning completely understood why he'd done it. Hell, he probably would've made the exact same choice. Still. Screw you, Past Ning. Han Zan continued, "There's another matter as well. Harmony Palace contacted us." Ning looked up.

"Harmony Palace?"

"They want to purchase the Vitality Pills directly from us," Han Zan explained.

"Apparently, quite a few of their customers have already been using them, and the effects pair rather well with dual cultivation. They tested the pills themselves and now want a regular supply." Ning fell silent for a moment. He had created the Vitality Pill as a typical recovery pill, yet somehow his first major customer was about to be a dual-cultivation establishment. Well, spirit stones were spirit stones. He just needed to convince his master somehow.

"That sounds like good news. So what's the problem?"

"The amount." Han Zan gave a helpless smile.

"They aren't looking to buy a few bottles. They want a regular supply, and once we start selling to an establishment like Harmony Palace, this stops being a few disciples quietly selling pills on the side." Ning immediately understood.

"You need an Alchemist Jade."

"Exactly." Han Zan nodded.

"For small private sales, nobody cares much. But if we want to supply pills to an established business in large quantities, they need to come from a registered alchemist. Without an Alchemist Jade issued by the Alchemy Hall, Harmony Palace can't officially purchase them from us." Ning rubbed his chin. That was reasonable. Pills were ultimately something people consumed, and a badly refined batch could cripple someone's cultivation or simply poison them.

It made sense that large-scale sales required some proof that the person making them actually knew what they were doing. The proper solution was obvious. He needed the Alchemist Jade. Once he passed the sect's alchemist recognition and obtained the jade badge, he would not just be a disciple selling pills through a side channel. He would be a recognized alchemist of the Pure Qi Sect, which meant his right to refine and sell certain pills would be much harder to challenge.

But while Ning had reached the standard required to apply for the Alchemist Jade, he still wasn't completely confident in passing the examination. There was also his reputation to consider. With how much attention he had already attracted recently, officially supplying Vitality Pills to Harmony Palace might send that reputation in a direction Ning wasn't particularly eager to explore. These things had to be handled carefully. After a moment of thought, he tapped the bottle of Red Bud Pills on the table.

"For now, stop pushing the Vitality Pills so heavily. Sell these instead." Han Zan picked up the bottle and inspected it.

"The quality of the pills is quite good. As expected of Senior Brother."

"Do you think it will sell well?" Ning asked.

"It will sell," Han Zan said, though his tone was thoughtful.

"But probably not as wildly as the Vitality Pills. Cultivation pills are common, and there are already many options in the sect."

"That is fine." Han Zan hesitated.

"If Senior Brother wants, perhaps we could ask Senior Ling Xin for help. If your master supports the sales publicly, the problem would be solved much faster."

"No." Ning's answer came quickly enough that Han Zan straightened.

"My master can help me, and she has already helped me more than enough. But selling my current work under her name would be wrong." Han Zan paused. Ning continued, "These pills are useful, but they are still my subpar work compared to hers. If people buy them because they trust Ling Xin's reputation, then any flaw, any inconsistency, any complaint, even if minor, becomes a stain on her name. I can accept my own reputation rising slowly. I can also accept people saying my pills are not good enough.

But I will not borrow my master's reputation to sell something that does not meet her standard." The room became quiet for a moment. Even Fenghuang looked toward him. Han Zan studied him for a moment before realizing Ning had already made up his mind.

"I understand." After a moment, Ning continued, "The advantage is that these pills are cheap for me to produce. Most of the materials are from my own fields or can be grown with little extra cost. I will refine a larger number and keep the price slightly lower than comparable pills. The margin per bottle will not be amazing, but the volume should be steady." Han Zan nodded slowly.

"That is workable. If the price is low enough and the purity stays around this level, peripheral and poorer outer disciples will buy them."

"Good."

"Will Senior Brother be able to refine enough?" Ning looked at the furnace.

"Yes." That answer was not only about money. The more he refined, the more alchemy qi he accumulated. The Medicine King Technique had completely changed the value of alchemy for Ning. Spirit stones were still important, of course, but profit was no longer the only reason to stand before a furnace. Every refinement nourished his Zhongting acupoint and accumulated alchemy qi, and right now, accumulation was exactly what he needed. The seventh stage of Qi Condensation was infamous for a reason.

The first six stages were ultimately matters of qi. Absorb it, refine it, strengthen the meridians, and accumulate enough to advance. A poor spiritual root made the process slower and more difficult, but sufficient time and resources could compensate for quite a lot. The seventh stage was different. This was where spiritual sense was born. Opening the Ren and Du meridians was only the physical half of the breakthrough.

The truly difficult part was using the completed circulation to stimulate the mind and awaken the embryonic consciousness of the soul. Qi could be sensed and controlled directly, but the soul was far more elusive. Most Qi Condensation cultivators had spent their entire lives carrying one around without ever consciously perceiving it, yet at the seventh stage, they were suddenly expected to reach inward and awaken something they could barely even sense. No wonder so many cultivators became stuck here.

Fortunately, Ning had already prepared quite a few ways. He hadn't been able to develop the kind of intent that could serve as a shortcut. But after cultivating the Soul Ferrying Scripture and personally ferrying Lei Shen's remnant soul, the soul was no longer some vague concept he'd only read about in manuals. He had felt one directly, interacted with one, and, more importantly, gained a much clearer awareness of his own. That removed much of the uncertainty.

As for the rest, Ning glanced toward his Zhongting acupoint. That was what the Medicine King Technique was for. The ability to accumulate alchemy qi and expend it when encountering cultivation bottlenecks, using that stored foundation to assist his breakthrough. As long as Ning accumulated enough beforehand, he could push the Ren and Du meridians open, stabilize the transformation, and give himself as many advantages as possible when awakening spiritual sense.

Between his understanding of the soul and a sufficiently large reserve of alchemy qi, Ning intended to make the supposedly dangerous seventh-stage bottleneck as close to foolproof as cultivation ever allowed. Of course, not everyone had Xiao Fan's ridiculous luck. The guy had somehow stumbled through the hardest and most dangerous part ahead of schedule and awakened spiritual sense before even reaching the seventh stage. Ning couldn't help but wonder about that.

Would his spiritual sense become even stronger once he actually broke through to the seventh stage? After thinking about it for a moment, Ning decided the answer was probably yes. This was Xiao Fan they were talking about, after all. The protagonist rarely received something early just so it could become completely ordinary later. Han Zan stored the bottle carefully.

"Then I will begin shifting the sales. How many bottles can Senior Brother provide?"

"As many as I can refine without collapsing."

"Please take care of your health, Senior Brother," Han Zan said sincerely. After witnessing the normally calm and easygoing Senior Brother fight during the recent incident, Han Zan knew that Ning would seriously do that. It was difficult to look at someone quite the same way after seeing them covered in blood and still throwing themselves at enemies far above their cultivation.

"I'll be careful." Ning nodded.

"For now, just handle things as we discussed."

"I will arrange it." Han Zan hesitated before asking, "What about the remaining Vitality Pill orders? Should I slow those down as well?"

"Yes. Fulfill the existing orders gradually, but don't accept any large new ones for now. There's no need to refuse anyone outright; just tell them our ingredient supply is limited." Han Zan raised a brow.

"Is it?"

"It is now." Han Zan stared at him for a moment before a faint smile appeared on his face. He cupped his hands.

"Understood, Senior Brother." After a few more details about pricing, delivery, and which disciples should not be trusted with bulk purchases because they were obviously resellers, Han Zan left with the Red Bud Pills. Once he was gone, the alchemy room became quiet again. Fenghuang gave a soft caw beside him. Ning turned and found the white flame raven staring at the furnace, then at the ingredients, then at him.

"What?" Ning asked. Fenghuang tilted his head. Ning looked at the bird for a moment, then smiled.

"You worked hard too." Fenghuang lifted his head slightly, as if this was obvious. Ning reached out and gently stroked the feathers along his neck. Fenghuang allowed it with great dignity, though his eyes narrowed in the way they always did when he pretended not to enjoy attention.

"Since we are going to focus on alchemy for a while," Ning said, "it is time for us to get you an upgrade." Fenghuang stilled as his head tilted again, slower this time. Ning's smile deepened.

"It's time to get the Beast King Technique." Ning moved along the newly repaired paths of the Pure Qi Sect with Fenghuang perched comfortably on his shoulder, his presence muted beneath the first layer of the Phantom Veil Technique. With his current fame, using it had become something of a necessity. Ning had no illusions that the attention would last forever.

This was the cultivation world; greater geniuses would emerge, larger incidents would happen, and sooner or later, people would find something new to talk about. Give it a few months, perhaps a year, and most disciples would probably stop paying so much attention to him. For now, though, avoiding that attention made his life considerably easier. Besides, moving around like a ghost was admittedly pretty damn cool.

A passing disciple might catch movement from the corner of his eye, only for his mind to dismiss it as unimportant. Workers carrying timber would unconsciously shift aside to let Ning pass without ever wondering why. Even a tired deacon checking the repair work glanced directly at him before returning to his jade slip, his mind deciding there was nothing worth noticing. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Ning had only recently begun practicing the Phantom Veil Technique, yet his progress had been surprisingly fast. The reason was simple: he had already mastered Turtle Breathing. Turtle Breathing concealed his breath, heartbeat, qi fluctuations, and presence by quieting the body from within. Phantom Veil took that principle a step further. Rather than simply hiding his presence, it diminished the impression that presence left upon the minds of others.

The two techniques were fundamentally different, but there was enough overlap between their principles that Ning wasn't starting entirely from scratch. It was much like how his mastery of the Falling Leaf Spear had made certain aspects of the Cold River Spear Art easier to understand. Techniques weren't isolated islands. The more principles Ning genuinely mastered, the more connections he began to notice between them, and knowledge from one path could often shorten the distance along another.

Everywhere Ning looked, there were signs of reconstruction. Broken courtyards were being rebuilt, cracked walls were being replaced, damaged formations were being reinscribed, and half-collapsed training grounds were surrounded by disciples carrying stone, wood, metal plates, and bundles of formation flags. Earth-attribute cultivators were the busiest. Ning paused near a damaged residential district and watched three earth-attribute cultivators work together.

One placed both palms on the ground, causing slabs of stone to rise in clean rectangular sections. Another guided the shape with a chisel-like earth technique, carving supports, doorframes, and walls directly from the rock, while the third used a softer yellow light to bind the seams together until the newly raised house looked less like raw stone and more like a proper sect dwelling. It was quite impressive. Fenghuang tilted his head toward the half-built houses, and Ning understood what he meant after a moment.

"Yeah," Ning murmured, glancing toward the distant residential peaks.

"Our house should be finished soon too." Fenghuang gave a soft caw from his shoulder. There was another reason Ning had been staying on Spiritual Flower Peak besides medical supervision and Ling Yinran's firm refusal to let him wander around too much. He was currently homeless. His courtyard had been caught by a stray attack during the chaos, which had torn through the residence and reduced a good portion of it to rubble.

The fields had survived remarkably well thanks to the protective formations and Fenghuang's efforts, but the house itself had been considerably less fortunate. Normally, Ning would have mourned the loss far more. That courtyard had been his first proper home in this world, and he had slowly turned what had originally been a plain sect-issued residence into somewhere that genuinely felt like his. Watching it get demolished had hurt. On the other hand...

Since the sect was rebuilding it anyway, Ning had naturally submitted a few completely reasonable improvement requests. A larger kitchen. Better ventilation formations. A proper alchemy room instead of the cramped side room he'd been using. Reinforced storage. A few improvements to the defensive formation while they were at it. Nothing excessive. Certainly nothing that could be described as taking advantage of the sect's reconstruction budget.

Ning preferred to think of it as making sure they rebuilt the place correctly the first time. So while losing his home had been painful, there was at least a silver lining. The alternative was sitting down and calculating the total value of everything he'd lost. Ning had deliberately avoided doing that. There were some numbers a man simply did not need to know if he wished to remain mentally stable. Ning continued along the path toward Beast Taming Peak. The closer he got, the more obvious the damage became.

Beast Taming Peak had always been one of the more spacious areas of the Pure Qi Sect. Spirit beasts needed room, after all, and the mountain was dotted with everything from forests and ponds to caves and specialized enclosures built for different species. Now, much of it was a mess. Lei Fu's betrayal had hit this place especially hard. As one of the Beast Hall's highest-ranking cultivators, far too many of its spirit beasts had been trained by him or connected to the systems under his control.

When the incident began, many had gone berserk along with him. The result was still visible everywhere Ning looked. He walked along one of the repaired paths with his presence softened by the Phantom Veil. Nearby, a blue-horned deer lay beneath a tree with both hind legs bandaged while a disciple patiently fed it medicinal spirit grain.

Several exhausted beast handlers were trying to coax a group of fire-patterned foxes back into their rebuilt enclosure, while farther away, an elderly deacon sat atop the shell of a giant tortoise, carefully repairing the formation lines that had cracked across its back. Ning's gaze eventually passed over several empty enclosures. He paused briefly before continuing onward.

Considering what had happened, there were several possible explanations for why they were empty, and Ning suspected none of them would improve his mood. Something suddenly rushed toward him from the side. Ning's body reacted before his mind fully identified the attacker. His foot shifted, his presence tightened, and the Phantom Veil nearly broke as he prepared to dodge. Then a familiar voice suddenly cried out, "I knew it!"

Ning barely had time to turn before Jin Shu hurried over, her eyes bright with the satisfaction of someone who had just solved a particularly difficult mystery. Beside her trotted Hei Ya, the gray wolf Ning remembered from before.

"I thought I smelled something familiar," Jin Shu said proudly.

"It really is you, Ning. Your presence was so faint just now that I almost missed you." Ning blinked.

"You found me by smell?" Seems like that's another weakness I need to account for. His attention shifted to Hei Ya, and Ning smiled slightly.

"It's been a while, Hei Ya." Hei Ya stared at him for a moment, seemingly recognizing him. Then, to Ning's confusion, the wolf calmly turned around and presented him with his back. Ning's smile faltered.

"... Huh?" Thinking it might have been a coincidence, he stepped slightly to the side and tried to catch Hei Ya's gaze again. The wolf promptly turned his head in the opposite direction. Ning moved once more, and Hei Ya avoided him just as quickly.

"Did I do something to offend him?" Jin Shu watched the exchange for a few seconds before she could no longer hold back her laughter.

"You really don't know?"

"I genuinely don't." Ning shook his head. He hadn't interacted with the wolf much in the first place, certainly not enough to warrant this sort of reaction.

"He saw your fight through the water mirror." Jin Shu's laughter grew louder.

"You blew up that wolfman from the inside, Ning! Hei Ya watched the whole thing. You have to admit, it was pretty brutal."

"Ah." Ning looked back at Hei Ya and suddenly found the wolf's behavior much more understandable. Apparently, after watching Ning turn a wolf-shaped cultivator into an improvised explosive, Hei Ya had wisely concluded that maintaining a respectful distance was in his best interest. Great. Even the wolves have seen it. His reputation problem had officially crossed the species barrier. Jin Shu crouched down and rubbed Hei Ya's neck, still visibly amused.

"He's been wary of you ever since. But really, I'm glad you're alright. When I heard how badly you were injured afterward, I was worried."

"Thanks. I'm doing much better now." Ning's expression softened as he glanced at Hei Ya again. Perhaps sensing that the dangerous human was no longer discussing explosions, the wolf cautiously looked back. Their eyes met for barely a second before Hei Ya immediately turned away again.

"Jin Shu, why are you suddenly running off?" A calm, cool voice sounded from behind them. Jin Shu immediately stiffened before turning around with a somewhat sheepish expression.

"Senior Sister Yao Yi." A young woman in Beast Hall robes was approaching at an unhurried pace, her expression cool and composed. What caught Ning's attention, however, was the very familiar cat walking behind her. Its fur shimmered with faint golden streaks, its tail swaying like a silken banner, while a small wisp of flame flickered between its ears. Lumi. Ning's expression shifted slightly, and the cat seemed to recognize him at almost the same moment.

Lumi stopped in its tracks for a second before slowly raising one paw in a dignified greeting. After a brief hesitation, Ning raised his hand in return. The strange exchange naturally didn't escape Yao Yi's notice.

"You know him?" Jin Shu seemed equally surprised.

"I didn't expect you to know anyone else from the Beast Hall besides me." Ning coughed lightly.

"Well, I once worked as a spiritual rain dispenser in your fields. It was actually my first sect mission." He cupped his hands politely toward Yao Yi.

"Greetings, Senior Sister. You may have forgotten me since it was quite a while ago." Yao Yi blinked, seemingly searching through her memories for a moment. When nothing immediately surfaced, her attention drifted toward Lumi, whose raised paw had still not lowered.

"I see," she said simply. Her tone gave Ning absolutely no indication whether she had actually remembered him or was merely accepting Lumi's recognition as sufficient evidence. Jin Shu clicked her tongue.

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact that you used to be a spiritual farmer."

"I still am, you know." Farming had admittedly taken a back seat lately, but Ning had no intention of abandoning it. In fact, he already had several ideas for bringing it back up to speed. The season for planting several alchemy-related spiritual herbs was approaching, and there were far more profitable things he could grow now than simple spiritual rice.

"Grr... well, as long as you don't use poison." Jin Shu gritted her teeth, clearly remembering the rather unpleasant manner of her previous defeat. While they spoke, Lumi padded closer with the slow confidence of a cat that had never once doubted its own importance. Seeing the familiar creature again brought a small wave of nostalgia, and Ning instinctively reached out to pet it. A sharp peck landed on his finger. Ning's hand stopped halfway.

Fenghuang remained perched innocently on his shoulder, head turned aside as though absolutely nothing had happened. Ning narrowed his eyes. This guy wasn't jealous, was he? No. Surely not. Fenghuang was a dignified White Flame Raven, not some petty little bird that would peck its owner simply for trying to pet a cat. Perhaps he was just territorial. Ning considered that explanation for all of two seconds before giving up. Who am I kidding? My bird is a classic tsundere.

Lumi glanced between Fenghuang and Ning before calmly sitting down, seemingly content to watch the situation unfold. Jin Shu, meanwhile, had already become completely distracted by the raven.

"So this is your White Flame Raven." Her eyes brightened as she examined its glossy feathers.

"Its feathers are so shiny. You must take really good care of it."

"That's mostly Fenghuang's doing," Ning replied, which was entirely true.

"I heard White Flame Ravens are really strong, and they're quite rare too." Jin Shu's interest only grew as she leaned forward eagerly.

"So, how about it? Do you want to battle me? You promised me last time."

"I have some work to do first. How about later?" Jin Shu's eyes immediately narrowed.

"You said the same thing last time." Ning paused at that. She was not wrong.

"Did you forget you still have work to do, Jin Shu?" Jin Shu stiffened for the second time. Ning glanced at her.

"Work?" That single word was apparently all the invitation she needed.

"Yes. Work. An absurd amount of work." Jin Shu turned toward him, words immediately coming faster.

"Half the enclosures need to be inspected, injured spirit beasts are still being treated, contracts have to be checked, and every beast that Lei Fu or his people handled has to be examined again. Do you know how long that takes? And that's before the Discipline Hall starts asking who worked under whom, who took what mission, who signed which record-""Jin Shu." Yao Yi's warning slowed her down, though only slightly.

"I'm just explaining." Jin Shu lowered her voice before adding, "Anyway, it's a mess." Ning could understand why. Lei Fu hadn't merely been a powerful cultivator. As a Purple Mansion cultivator and one of the most influential figures in Beast Hall, his authority had touched almost every part of it. Now that he'd been exposed as a traitor, years of decisions made under that authority had suddenly become suspect.

The disciples who had worked beneath him needed to be investigated, even if most had simply been following orders. Worse, Lei Fu had tampered with beast-control methods during the attack, which meant every contract, control brand, enclosure formation, and spirit beast he might have influenced needed to be inspected again. Then there was the damage. Beast Hall's spirit beasts had rampaged through the sect, injuring disciples, destroying buildings, and ruining medicine fields.

It didn't matter that most of Beast Hall had nothing to do with Lei Fu's betrayal. People would remember where those beasts had come from. That explained the atmosphere Ning had noticed since arriving. Beast Hall wasn't simply cleaning up after the attack; its people were under scrutiny, its internal structure was being picked apart, and the trust it had built within the sect had taken a serious blow. Jin Shu crossed her arms, her irritation returning.

"And now everyone has an opinion. Formation Hall says the beast enclosures weren't secure enough, Treasury wants damage records for everything, Discipline Hall keeps calling people in for questioning, and I heard some elders are already arguing that our resource allocation should be reduced until the investigation is finished." She barely paused for breath.

"Which makes no sense! How are we supposed to repair everything with fewer resources? We need resources to fix the things they're complaining about, but apparently-""Jin Shu." Yao Yi's voice was quieter this time, but somehow that worked better. Jin Shu stopped, then muttered, "I'm just saying, it's not like the entire Beast Hall betrayed the sect." This time, Yao Yi didn't reprimand her. A trace of weariness passed across her otherwise composed expression.

"No," she said.

"But one of our pillars did." Jin Shu fell silent. Ning understood what she meant. Even those who had nothing to do with his betrayal would now have to live with its consequences. And that was perhaps the worst part of betrayal: the guilty person was rarely the only one who paid for it.

"One person's actions don't speak for the entire Beast Hall, Senior Sister," Ning said.

"From what I saw that night, plenty of people here risked their lives protecting the sect and the spirit beasts." Yao Yi regarded him for a moment, and some of the weariness in her expression eased.

"Thank you, Junior Brother. It is good to hear someone say that." She gestured farther up the path.

"Things may be somewhat chaotic here at the moment, but we can still receive guests. If Junior Brother has business with the Beast Hall, I can guide you."

"I can guide him!" Jin Shu immediately volunteered.

"You were supposed to be working before you ran over here. I'm not letting you slack off anymore." Yao Yi said sternly. Jin Shu suddenly found the ground very interesting. Ning had to suppress a smile. At least their exchange had lightened the atmosphere somewhat. Then again, with someone as energetic as Jin Shu around, keeping things gloomy for long was probably difficult in the first place. Leaving Jin Shu to contemplate the unfortunate concept of responsibility, Yao Yi turned back to Ning.

"What brings you to Beast Taming Peak, Junior Brother?"

"I came for the Beast King Technique." That immediately caught both of their attention. Even Jin Shu, who had been pretending to reflect deeply on her work ethic, raised her head.

"The Beast King Technique?" Yao Yi repeated. Ning nodded.

"It was granted to me as part of my reward for the recent incident."

"You're going to learn the Beast King Technique?" Jin Shu asked, glancing excitedly between Ning and Fenghuang. Whatever embarrassment she had felt moments ago vanished completely.

"Then we definitely have to battle once you learn it." Sometimes, Ning genuinely wondered whether Jin Shu had been born in the wrong world. She would probably thrive in one where trainers were obligated to battle the moment their eyes met. Before Ning could respond to the challenge, Yao Yi calmly cut in.

"After you finish your work." Jin Shu's enthusiasm dropped by perhaps ten percent.

"... After work." Apparently satisfied, Yao Yi returned her attention to Ning.

"If the Sect Master approved it, there should be no problem. However, the Beast King Technique is one of our core inheritances. With the Hall in its current state, the matter will have to go through Grand Elder Yun Feifei."

"That's what I expected." Ning reached into his robes and took out the sword-shaped token Ge Xuan had given him.

"The Sect Master gave me this." For the first time, Yao Yi's composure visibly slipped.

"You had that the entire time?" Ning looked down at the token.

"... Yes?"

"That is the Sect Master's Sword Token. You only needed to channel your qi into it when you arrived. Someone would have come to receive you directly."

"... The Sect Master didn't mention that part," Ning said. Jin Shu tilted her head.

"Maybe he thought you already knew?" Ning very much doubted that. Ge Xuan had spent enough time sitting in his courtyard eating his food, drinking his wine, inspecting his soul, discussing techniques, and generally making himself comfortable. The man had certainly not been in such a hurry that he couldn't spare five seconds to explain how the token worked.

More importantly, Ning still remembered how Ge Xuan had casually mentioned that the elders were waiting for the next volume of his book right before walking out, leaving Ning alone to deal with the resulting crisis. At this point, Ning was beginning to suspect that the Sect Master simply found messing with people entertaining. He certainly seemed the type. Ning sighed. Getting trolled by the same man twice was not how he had planned to spend his day. Yao Yi gestured toward the sword token.

"Try channeling some qi into it. Grand Elder Yun Feifei is temporarily overseeing the Beast Hall as Hall Master, so the token should alert her directly." That made sense. With Lei Fu gone and the Beast Hall thrown into its current state, someone needed to take charge. And the only Purple Mansion cultivator not associated with other halls was Yun Feifei, so there were probably few people more suitable for the position. Ning did as instructed.

The moment his spiritual energy entered the token, the tiny sword engraved across its surface lit up with a pale glow. A faint sword intent emerged from it, sharp enough that Fenghuang shifted slightly on his shoulder. Before Ning could examine it further, a streak of sword light descended from farther up Beast Taming Peak. It crossed the distance in an instant and landed several steps away, the light dispersing to reveal a familiar woman in elder robes.

"Grand Elder!" Jin Shu and Yao Yi greeted her together, cupping their hands. Ning was considerably more formal. He straightened and gave a proper bow.

"Disciple Ji Ning greets Grand Elder Yun."

"There's no need for such formality." Yun Feifei's gaze passed over the three of them before settling on the glowing token in Ning's hand.

"You activated the Sect Master's Sword Token?"

"Yes, Grand Elder." Ning presented it with both hands.

"Sect Master Ge Xuan gave it to me and instructed me to bring it to the Beast Hall." Yun Feifei accepted the token and swept it with her spiritual sense. Almost immediately, a trace of realization appeared in her eyes. Before she could say anything, Jin Shu eagerly supplied the explanation.

"Ning is here for the Beast King Technique."

"So that's what this is about." Yun Feifei nodded before returning the token to Ning.

"If Sect Master Ge Xuan has personally approved it and given you his Sword Token, then there is no issue. Besides, you performed exceptionally well during the recent incident. No one can say you haven't earned your reward."

"Thank you, Grand Elder." For a brief moment, Yun Feifei's gaze lingered on him. Something complicated passed through her expression before disappearing as quickly as it had come. Ning noticed none of it. He wasn't circulating the Pure Eyes, and he generally avoided using pupil techniques while speaking with cultivators far above his realm.

Someone like Yun Feifei could probably notice the moment he activated them, and secretly scrutinizing a Purple Mansion cultivator while having a conversation seemed like a remarkably efficient way to piss them off.

"Come with me," Yun Feifei said.

"The Beast King Technique isn't an inheritance that can simply be handed over through a jade slip. There is a ritual involved, and performing it here may disturb some of the spirit beasts. We'll go deeper into the inner region."

"Understood." Yun Feifei turned and began walking farther up the peak, with Ning following behind her and Fenghuang still perched on his shoulder. A few steps later, he noticed Jin Shu had fallen into step beside him as naturally as if she had been invited. Yao Yi noticed as well. She looked at Jin Shu, then toward Yun Feifei. When the acting Hall Master showed no intention of sending her back, Yao Yi could only sigh and follow after them.

Jin Shu smiled brightly, clearly delighted at having escaped her tedious work for the moment. Ning glanced at her and almost felt bad for the girl. She clearly had not seen the pain promised in Senior Sister Yao Yi's eyes. The deeper they traveled into Beast Taming Peak, the more the surroundings changed. Repair crews and damaged enclosures gradually disappeared, replaced by ancient forests, clear ponds, rocky valleys, and broad stretches of wilderness divided by enormous formations.

The spiritual qi grew noticeably denser as well, and Ning occasionally caught glimpses of powerful spirit beasts resting among the trees or watching their group from distant cliffs. There were few actual cages here. Instead, the inner region had been divided into vast territories where spirit beasts could roam relatively freely.

According to what Ning knew, many of these habitats had been arranged around the attributes associated with the Four Great Beasts: the Azure Dragon of the East, White Tiger of the West, Vermilion Bird of the South, and Black Tortoise of the North. The arrangement was made simply for the convenience of separating different environments and beast lineages. Water and wood-aligned beasts occupied the lush eastern territories, while the western region was more suited to fierce metal-aligned species.

Warmer habitats stretched toward the south, and the northern grounds contained colder valleys, caves, and deep pools. As they continued onward, a faint tremor suddenly passed beneath Ning's feet. Leaves rustled overhead, and somewhere deeper within the mountain came the muffled sound of something enormous shifting. Ning instinctively glanced toward the source, but neither Yun Feifei nor Yao Yi seemed particularly alarmed.

Another tremor passed beneath their feet, strong enough to shake loose a few leaves from the trees overhead. Jin Shu noticed his expression and quickly moved closer.

"You don't know what that is, do you?"

"I have no idea." Ning glanced at Jin Shu.

"You seem to know, though. Would Senior Jin be kind enough to enlighten this poor, ignorant junior?" Ning activated the ancient and profound art of asking the nearest knowledgeable person for exposition. It was super effective. Jin Shu, completely unaware of the technique being used against her, immediately began explaining.

"It's the Spirit Willow. The elders have been trying to calm it down ever since the incident. Elder Lei Fu controlled it for too long, so even after they removed his influence, it still hasn't completely settled. Whenever it gets agitated, half the peak starts shaking." Ning glanced toward the deeper reaches of the mountain. He had seen what the enormous Spirit Willow was capable of during the attack, so the fact that its version of being agitated involved shaking a mountain suddenly seemed quite reasonable.

"They still haven't managed to calm it?"

"Well, they-" Yao Yi glanced back. Jin Shu immediately remembered that perhaps discussing the Beast Hall's current problems at full volume while walking directly behind its acting Hall Master wasn't the wisest idea. Her next words came out considerably quieter.

"... They're making progress." Yao Yi continued walking. Jin Shu leaned closer to Ning.

"Grand Elder doesn't mind me telling you anyway." From ahead, Yun Feifei spoke without even turning around.

"Jin Shu, you truly inherited your mother's energy." Jin Shu immediately brightened.

"Really?"

"And unfortunately, very little of her restraint." Her smile faded just as quickly.

"Oh." Ning suppressed a laugh. From the casual way Yun Feifei spoke about Jin Shu's mother, it was clear the two knew each other rather well. He was mildly curious about their relationship, but with the Grand Elder only a few steps ahead, that curiosity could remain unanswered for now. Besides, it wasn't particularly surprising. Most of the sect's Purple Mansion cultivators had connections with its more influential families, and Jin Shu came from a prominent beast-taming clan.

In a sect that had existed for generations, the powerful families and senior cultivators were inevitably tied together in one way or another. After they had walked for a while, Yun Feifei spoke.

"Ji Ning, before we begin, I want to know how much you already understand about the Beast King Technique." Ning shifted his attention back to her.

"Only what I've heard about it, Grand Elder."

"Then tell me." Yun Feifei continued walking at an unhurried pace.

"What do you believe the Beast King Technique actually does?" Ning answered without hesitation.

"Synchronizing cultivation between the cultivator and their spirit beast." Yun Feifei considered Ning's answer as they continued along the forest path.

"Synchronizing cultivation... That's not wrong, but it's the answer most people give after hearing about the technique secondhand." Ning immediately caught the implication. Well, she wasn't wrong about him getting his information secondhand. Rather than explaining herself, Yun Feifei glanced toward Jin Shu.

"You've cultivated it. Explain." Jin Shu, who had been listening quietly for an impressive amount of time by her standards, immediately brightened.

"The synchronization part comes later. At the beginning, you mostly learn to understand your beast properly: what it's feeling, what it wants, how its qi moves. Once you become familiar enough with each other, you can start matching your circulation." She gestured between Ning and Fenghuang as she spoke.

"If one of you is stronger, you can also help pull the other along during cultivation."

"Better than I expected," Yun Feifei remarked. Jin Shu looked extremely pleased with herself.

"The Beast King Technique is divided into four stages," Yun Feifei continued.

"Everything Jin Shu described begins with the first: Beast Heart Communion. A normal contract establishes a connection between cultivator and beast. Beast Heart Communion teaches you to actually use that connection." Ning glanced toward Fenghuang.

"To communicate?"

"At first, only roughly. Emotions, physical condition, strong instincts and intentions. As the technique deepens, the connection becomes clearer, and eventually you can borrow portions of each other's perception."

"Although the beginning is mostly things like hungry, angry, happy, scared..." Jin Shu added thoughtfully.

"Or wanting to bite someone." Yao Yi finally spoke.

"That last one may be specific to your beasts." Jin Shu considered this seriously.

"... Maybe." Ning's thoughts shifted slightly. Maybe with this technique, I can finally understand what Fenghuang is actually feeling. After all, the greatest problem with tsundere-type creatures was that they were terrible at conveying their true intentions. Fenghuang remained perched on Ning's shoulder, completely unaware of the terrible fate awaiting it. Yun Feifei continued without missing a beat.

"Sharing perception is more useful than it sounds. A bird does not experience the world the same way a human does. Neither does a wolf, a serpent, or any other spirit beast. But do not become greedy. If you try to process senses too different from your own, your mind may be overwhelmed." That immediately gave Ning several ideas.

Fenghuang perceived heat and spiritual flame far better than he did, which could be useful for alchemy, while experiencing how a spirit beast sensed its surroundings might even reveal weaknesses in his Phantom Veil. And once their connection became strong enough, sharing Fenghuang's perception while he flew would make scouting considerably easier.

"The second stage is Twin Path Resonance," Yun Feifei continued.

"That is the part you were thinking of earlier. Once the bond is sufficiently stable, the cultivator and beast can gradually bring their qi rhythms into resonance. Cultivating together becomes easier, and the stronger side can guide the weaker."

"So if Fenghuang falls behind me, I can help him cultivate faster?" Ning asked.

"To an extent." Jin Shu nodded eagerly.

"Think of it like walking together. You can help someone keep pace, but you can't pick them up and throw them to the destination." That was surprisingly sensible. Ning looked at her with newfound appreciation. Crude or not, Jin Shu's explanation had made the principle remarkably easy to understand. Yun Feifei nodded.

"Exactly. Resonance only works while both sides cultivate together, and pushing beyond what the weaker side can handle will injure them." That made the technique far less broken than Ning had initially imagined. Its real value was allowing a cultivator and their beast to support each other without one falling too far behind. Still, one obvious loophole came to mind.

"What if someone contracts a beast much stronger than themselves? Couldn't they use its cultivation to progress much faster?"

"That," Yun Feifei said, "is an excellent way to cripple yourself." Jin Shu nodded seriously.

"A beast much stronger than you isn't a walking cultivation pill. If its qi is too powerful, you simply can't keep up." Ning understood. So much for finding an easy cultivation exploit.

"So compatibility and the difference in cultivation both matter."

"Exactly," Yun Feifei said.

"The Beast King Technique rewards growing together. Trying to exploit the bond for power usually ends badly."

"The third stage is Beast Shadow Calling," Yun Feifei continued.

"Once the bond becomes strong enough, distance becomes less of an obstacle. At first, your beast will simply sense your call and be able to follow the connection back to you. With greater mastery, however, you can summon it directly across a short distance."

"This one is the best," Jin Shu declared without hesitation.

"Once you master it, you hardly ever have to be separated from your beast. I hated leaving Hei Ya behind during the tower trials. The tower was so stingy about when we could bring our contracted beasts inside." Yao Yi glanced at her.

"The Heavenly Origin Tower was built to test you, not Hei Ya."

"I know," Jin Shu muttered.

"Still stingy." Ning was already considering the possibilities. Fenghuang could remain somewhere safe until needed, guard his fields while Ning was nearby, or appear unexpectedly during a fight. Combined with Phantom Veil, that last option could create some thoroughly unpleasant surprises.

"The final stage is Beast King Union," Yun Feifei continued.

"At that point, simple resonance becomes something much deeper. For a short period, cultivator and beast can synchronize their senses, qi, intent, and movements to fight almost as one." Jin Shu's eyes immediately brightened.

"That's the ultimate stage! Beast and cultivator moving as one, with both of their strengths supporting each other. The increase in combat ability is supposed to be incredible." She sighed wistfully.

"I wonder how long it'll take Hei Ya and me to reach it."

"Quite a while, if you keep skipping your cultivation to watch beast fights," Yao Yi remarked. Jin Shu suddenly became quiet. Ning, meanwhile, was already thinking about what that could actually mean in battle. Fenghuang's white flame might be able to flow alongside his own techniques, while shared perception could let them coordinate attacks without words or signals. Even his spear arts could change when he effectively had a second pair of eyes watching the battlefield from above.

And that was with Fenghuang as he was now. Soon, amid their conversation, they arrived before one of the larger buildings in the inner region. Unlike the elegant pavilions found elsewhere in the sect, this hall was built from heavy dark stone, with carvings of countless spirit beasts running along its walls and pillars.

"This should do," Yun Feifei said before turning her attention to Fenghuang.

"Before we begin, I assume this is the spirit beast you intend to cultivate the Beast King Technique with?"

"Yes, this is Fenghuang." Ning reached up and lightly brushed his feathers. Yun Feifei naturally already knew who he was after their conversation on the way here, but this was the first time Ning had properly introduced him.

"He's been my partner for quite some time." Fenghuang raised his head proudly, apparently satisfied with the introduction. Yun Feifei gave him a closer look.

"I've been meaning to ask. Have you ever had his bloodline properly tested?"

"No." Ning shook his head.

"Then we should check before forming the bond." Yun Feifei turned to Yao Yi.

"Bring a Bloodline Resonance Stone."

"Right away, Grand Elder." Yao Yi cupped her hands and left. Ning looked back at Yun Feifei.

"Does his bloodline affect the Beast King Technique?"

"Quite a bit. The technique creates a much deeper resonance than an ordinary beast contract. Knowing his bloodline, attributes, and any abnormalities beforehand will make establishing that resonance much safer. More importantly, it will tell us which aspects of the technique are most suitable for the two of you." Jin Shu had already moved closer, looking considerably more excited about the examination than Fenghuang himself.

"Maybe he has some ancient bloodline. White Flame Ravens occasionally produce mutations, you know."

"That mostly comes down to luck," Yun Feifei said.

"Until we test him, there's no point guessing." Luck? Ning's expression turned thoughtful. He had gotten Fenghuang from Xiao Fan in the first place, and if there was one thing he had learned by now, it was that anything passing through the hands of a protagonist deserved a second look. His gaze slowly shifted toward the proud little raven on his shoulder. Alright, protagonist halo. Don't fail me now.... Thanks for reading~