There was no denying the Dongxu Gourd’s strength. In any case, it would surely prove to be an invaluable fighting force if he could help it to break free of its seal.
Since Kong shi had given him a token that allowed him to acquire as many cultivation resources as he required, it shouldn’t matter how much he took from the Ethereal Hall.
Superior Immortal Pills might be rare, but as long as he were to make the request, the Ethereal Hall would still gather the amount he demanded.
It was just that it would be slightly more troublesome.
However, it’s probably impossible to use that token within the Myriad Beasts Hall … Zhang Xuan thought.
He figured that it was likely that the Myriad Beasts Hall would have its own ‘local Ethereal Hall’ as well, similar to the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion. The token which Kong shi had given him couldn’t be used here.
It seemed like he would have to drop by a larger city after leaving the Myriad Beasts Hall.
There are simply too many things that I need to do. I’ll have to move on quickly after I browse through the books here…
Zhang Xuan sighed deeply.
…
While Zhang Xuan was still questioning the Dongxu Gourd, Elder Liao and the others had already arrived at the Myriad Beasts Hall’s Elder Council.
“Hall Master Qin!”
Standing right in front of them was a middle-aged man who appeared to be in his early forties. Despite his seemingly young appearance, he emanated an aura of atrophy, reminiscent of one who had lived for a very long time.
“The beast core of the Eternal Youth Beast allows me to retain my youthful appearance, but my body is more honest than how I look. Given the severe injuries I have accumulated over the years, I’d only have another five more years to go before I succumb,” Hall Master Qin sighed deeply.
Turning to Elder Liao and the others, he asked, “How did it go? Are the results out yet? Who is the victor? Is it Yuan Zhou or Liu Ran who succeeded?”
Yuan Zhou was the one who had the Northern Sea Dragon Orb but was played like a fool by the White-eared Fox whereas Liu Ran was the elder who had been killed by the alliance of the three immortal beasts.
If not for his lifespan coming to an end, he wouldn’t be in such a rush to find a successor either, going to the extent of proposing such a dangerous trial.
“Hall Master Qin, neither of them succeeded!”
Elder Liao swiftly explained everything that had happened earlier.
“The unaffiliated cultivator known as Zheng Yang managed to tame the Serpentine Dragon, Nine-headed Fiery Phoenix, and Seven-tailed Swordfang Tiger within two short minutes? And despite that, his cultivation is only at Heavenly True Immortal realm?” Hall Master Qin was bewildered by what he was hearing.
“That’s right,” Elder Liao replied with a nod. “Elder Yuan and Elder Liu have made a move personally, and many of us have followed along to assist the two of them, but even so, we still ended up sustaining huge losses… If news were to spread, it would surely be a huge blow to the Myriad Beasts Hall’s prestige. Thus, I invited Zheng Yang back to our sect. I was thinking that as long as we acknowledge him as one of our sect elders, not only would there be no harm to our reputation, it might even bring greater prestige to our sect!”
“I understand what you mean.” With a nod of his head, Hall Master Qin rose to his feet and began pacing around the room. “Due to my lifespan coming to an end, the Myriad Beasts Hall has been in a weakened position compared to the rest of the Six Sects. The sect needs a young and powerful leader to lead it forward. If Zheng Yang is really as formidable as you put him out to be, I won’t oppose to him becoming my successor.
“Not too long ago, the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion has announced that Han Jianqiu has stepped down as the sect leader, passing down his seat to a young man known as Zhang Xuan. As long as there’s a suitable candidate, I don’t mind giving up my position either. However, I would like to test him first.”
“Hall Master Qin, are you worrying that he might be from the Hall of Gods?” Elder Liao asked.
“The Hall of Gods has always taken on a lofty position on the Forsaken Continent, choosing to steer clear of conflicts and political struggles as long as it didn’t touch on their bottom line. But for some reason, it has been showing ambitions of wanting to annex the Six Sects in recent years. I think that it’s better for us to be cautious,” Hall Master Qin replied.
“I understand, Hall Master Qin. How do you intend to test him?” Elder Liao asked.
“Bring him to be Atrium of Myriad Beasts to meet the old ancestor. The old ancestor is particularly sensitive toward those from the Hall of Gods, so it should be able to see through him right away,” Hall Master Qin nodded.
“Understood. I’ll have it done, Hall Master Qin!” Elder Liao replied.
The old ancestor that Hall Master Qin spoke of was a Blue Infernal Beast, and it was the tamed beast of the 17th Hall Master. It was nowhere close to being the strongest beast in the history of the Myriad Beasts Hall, but it was known to possessed spirituality unrivaled by any.
Those from the Hall of Gods usually emanated a unique aura that the Blue Infernal Beast was able to discern them by.
“As long as he isn’t from the Hall of Gods, his capability in beast taming is enough for him to become the next hall master. Once he manages to reach Heavenly High Immortal realm, he might be able to tame even stronger beasts. By then, our Myriad Beasts Hall wouldn’t have to worry about being overshadowed by the Ascendant Cloud Sword Pavilion. The next time I meet Han Jianqiu once more, I would be able to tell him proudly that our Myriad Beasts Hall is filled with capable talents a well!” Hall Master Qin clenched his fists tightly.
Nodding in agreement, Elder Liao bade his farewell and backed out of the room. Two hours later, he returned with a conflicted expression on his face.
“How is it?” Hall Master Qin asked.
“I have heeded your instructions and brought Zheng Yang over to the Atrium of Myriad Beasts. However…” As Elder Liao recalled what he had witnessed earlier, his eyelids just couldn’t stop twitching.
“However? Did the old ancestor say that he’s from the Hall of Gods?”
“To be honest, I don’t really know. The old ancestor made a huge fuss about wanting to acknowledge Zheng Yang as its master, and we had to drag it out in order to stop it from doing so…” Elder Liao said awkwardly.
“The old ancestor wanted to acknowledge him as its master?” Hall Master Qin was stunned.
“That’s not all… As you know, the Atrium of Beasts Hall is where most of the beasts of our sect reside. After Zheng Yang took a short look around the area, there are already three hundred sage beasts and twelve immortal beasts that are intent on acknowledging him as their master. This matter has caused a huge uproar in the sect, and many elders are dissatisfied with it…” Elder Liao reported as he pinched his nose bridge in distress.
“Those beasts want to acknowledge him as their master? What’s going on over here? I only told you to bring him over to the Atrium of Myriad Beasts, right? Why are those beasts acting in such a manner?” Hall Master Qin was a little overwhelmed by what he was hearing as well.
It should have just been a simple identity verification, but why would such a huge mess be stirred up within a short span of two hours?
The reason why the Myriad Beasts Hall was able to rise to the position as one of the Six Sects was because every single one of the elders, core disciples, and inner disciples had a tamed beast each. Through the tight coordination of the beast tamer and tamed beast, they had a decisive advantage over peers who were at the same cultivation realm as them.
If the beasts of the sect were to all submit to a single person, wouldn’t the very foundation that made the Myriad Beasts Hall strong in the first place collapse?
This mustn’t be allowed to happen!
“When the old ancestor heard that Zheng Yang was able to tame the Serpentine Dragon and the others within two short minutes, he scoffed at the story, thinking that it was a fib. Thus, he ordered the sage beasts and immortal beasts in the area to encircle Zheng Yang and teach him a lesson… I swiftly moved to stop them, but my strength was limited. Then, before I knew it, the situation has already become like that…”
Recalling everything that had happened earlier, Elder Liao was on the verge of bursting into tears. It was not as if he didn’t want to stop the mess from happening, but what could he do against the old ancestor and hundreds of beasts?
And that Zheng Yang was even more of a monster. Despite facing so many opponents at once, he actually managed to floor all of them in less than three minutes… That wasn’t all. It would be one thing if Zheng Yang was powerful, but as it turned out, all of the beasts which he had pummeled suddenly began groveling before him like a loyal lapdog, insisting on acknowledging him as their master…
Even the old ancestor was no exception to the rule either!
That was the tamed beast of a predecessor many generations before them… If the old ancestor were to acknowledge Zheng Yang as its master, what would become of their seniority?
It would be as if they had become his grand-grand-grand-grand… grand disciple all of a sudden!
His heart wouldn’t be able to take it if he had to change from addressing the other party from ‘Brother Zheng’ to ‘Old Ancestor Zheng’ all of a sudden!
Hall Master Qin also didn’t expect so many things to happen within two short hours. With a sharp intake of breath, he said grimly, “Bring me to him. I would like to meet him in person!”
…
“What a bother!”
Zhang Xuan looked at the massive congregation of beasts before him with a conflicted look on his face,
Elder Liao came by earlier to bring him over to what Atrium of Myriad Beasts. But shortly after he arrived at the destination, he suddenly came under the assault of these beasts.
In order to protect himself, he could only beat all of these fellows up. Then, before he knew it… all of them had already submitted to him!
It sure was hard to maintain a low profile!
But that being said, the matter that was bugging his mind at the moment was that he still had no idea what Elder Liao was up to.
Did the other party bring here to tame these beasts? But he already had the Serpentine Dragon and the others, so he didn’t need these weaklings!
“All of you should disperse. I already have my tamed beasts, and I have no intention of accepting any more!”
If he were to tame all of these beasts too, he would pretty much be escorted by an army wherever he went. If so, how could he remain discreet?
The Hall of Gods would have come knocking before he could even get far!
“Even if you don’t accept them, you should at least accept me. My cultivation has already reached High Immortal realm. While my fighting prowess is nowhere on par with that of the Serpentine Dragon and the others, I am blessed with extreme spiritual sensitivity at birth. I have a sharp sense for danger, and I can warn you in advance!” the Blue Infernal Beast said with a smile as it walked over.
Zhang Xuan fell into deep thoughts upon hearing those words.
It was just as what the other party had said. Even though its cultivation was only at Lesser High Immortal, its senses were indeed extraordinarily sharp. It was able to move in advance to dodge the brunt of his attacks in advance in the face-off earlier. It would indeed be a valuable ally.
“Very well, I’ll accept you as my tamed beast,” Zhang Xuan nodded.
Just as he was just about to seal the Soul Contract, a middle-aged man suddenly rushed into the room and called out, “Brother Zheng, please wait for a moment!”
Zhang Xuan turned his gaze over.
Following behind the middle-aged man was Elder Liao, and he quickly introduced, “Brother Zheng, this person over here is Hall Master Qin Yuan, the sect leader of the Myriad Beasts Hall!”
Nodding slightly, Zhang Xuan clasped his fist and greeted, “Paying respects to Hall Master Qin!”
“Brother Zheng, there’s no need for you to be so formal with me,” Hall Master Qin replied with a smile. “I have heard of your exploits from Elder Liao, and I am deeply in awe of your beast taming skills.”
As the leader of the Myriad Beasts Hall, there was hardly anyone in the Forsaken Continent who could compete with him in the field of beast taming. He thought that he had already reached the zenith in the field, but when he saw the middle-aged man before him, he realized that he still had a long way to go.
His prided beast taming skills were nothing much compared to that of the middle-aged man before him… They weren’t worth a mention at all!
Initially, he thought that Elder Liao had exaggerated the matter quite a bit, but after witnessing the sight before him, he realized that he had been severely underestimating the capabilities of this Zheng Yang.
Several hundred beasts submitting to a single person simultaneously…
Even in the long history of the Myriad Beasts Hall, there had never been a single person who had accomplished such an illustrious feat before.
“Beast taming is actually not as complicated as many think it out to be,” Zhang Xuan remarked.
“It would be my delight to listen to Brother Zheng’s words of wisdom,” Hall Master Qin clasped his fist in response.
“Just like humans, beasts are beings with pride and dignity, and they should be treated as so too…” Zhang Xuan said slowly.
If he were to claim that he was the number two beast tamer on the Master Teacher Continent, there would be no one who would dare claim himself to be number one, not unless he wished to be beaten to death.
Seeing that the two of them were interested in listening to his teaching, his instincts as a teacher kicked up, and before he knew it, he was already lecturing them.
After listening to Zhang Xuan’s words for a moment, incredulity could be seen reflected in the depths of Hall Master Qin’s eyes.
He had studied the Way of Beast Taming for many years, and he had never thought it would be possible to interpret the art in such a manner. It was as if a brand new world had opened before him, bringing his understanding of beast taming to a whole new level.
Some time later, Elder Liao couldn’t help but sent a telepathic message over, “Hall Master Qin, do you think that Zheng Yang is qualified to become the next sect leader?”
“Of course!” Hall Master Qin replied in agitation
The very fact that the old ancestor was willing to take Zheng Yang as its master showed that the latter wasn’t from the Hall of Gods. On top of that, the latter had shown that he had unique insights regarding beast taming, and if his insights could be compiled and passed down to the later generations, it would surely bring the average capability of the beast tamers in the sect to higher grounds!
Given so, there was no doubt that this middle-aged man was the most suitable candidate to succeed him as the next hall master!
With such thoughts in mind, Hall Master Qin looked at the middle-aged man before him and asked with a quivering voice, “Brother Zheng, would you be interested to become the hall master and take charge of the entire Myriad Beasts Hall?”
“You want me to become the hall master?” Zhang Xuan was stunned.
I have only been here for two hours, but the current hall master was already asking me if I want to take his position…
Are the sects in the Azure so loose about the succession of leadership?
