Chapter 293: Zhu Xingzheng, Selling His Spirit Beast

Chapter 293: Zhu Xingzheng, Selling His Spirit Beast

In the distant sky, a Golden-horned Purple Star Elk trots through the air, its spirit vibrant and cloaked in a purple aura. On its back sits a young man with a round face, a slight paunch, and a goofy smile.

Zhu Xingzheng, riding his spirit beast, mutters to himself: "The Yu State Alliance is so weak. That Yu Gao guy is useless. The head alliance actually sent me to intimidate the proud ones of Yu State. What kind of proud talents can there be in this declining land? My rival should be Cui Huayu. Those old fogies in the head alliance don't even know who the true proud ones are. I, Zhu Xingzheng, am destined for the Proud List. Sending me to Yu State? They must be blind."

Despite the goofy smile on his face, Zhu Xingzheng grumbles under his breath, clearly dissatisfied with the elders of the head alliance.

Suddenly, Zhu Xingzheng is startled. Someone below is waving at him.

"Could they not have noticed that I'm riding a sixth-rank spirit beast and still have the guts to wave at me?" he wonders.

"Hmm, those two ladies are so beautiful. I wonder if they're in some kind of trouble. I should go help them," Zhu Xingzheng says to himself as he rides his Golden-horned Purple Star Elk towards Li Xuan and his group.

He dismounts gracefully and jogs over to Su Lingxiu and Yue'er, his round face breaking into an even broader grin. "Ladies, are you in some kind of trouble?"

Su Lingxiu and Yue'er give him a strange look. He seems sincere and friendly, but his eagerness to help feels a bit suspicious.

Li Xuan, meanwhile, has been circling the Golden-horned Purple Star Elk, examining it from all angles. The more he looks, the more pleased he becomes. The elk's head sports a golden horn, its body is speckled with purple spots, and a faint purple glow surrounds it.

"Yet another sixth-rank spirit beast," he thinks. "Riding this one won't diminish my status as an unrivaled master."

"Hey, fatty, how much for your spirit beast?" Li Xuan asks, grabbing Zhu Xingzheng, who had been fawning over his disciples, by the arm.

"Not for sale!" Zhu Xingzheng exclaims, immediately on guard.

"This is my spirit beast that I tamed and trained with great difficulty. Don't even think about taking it from me. No matter how many spirit crystals you offer, I won't sell!" he declares firmly, standing protectively in front of the elk.

"Come on, fatty, name your price. My master needs a mount," Su Lingxiu says.

"My master is a revered master. We don't engage in forced buying or selling. Taking someone's mount by force would be unbecoming of a master," she explains. "So, we'd like to buy it."

"Yeah, name your price, fatty!" Yue'er chimes in.

Zhu Xingzheng looks at Li Xuan, surprised to learn that these two ladies are his disciples.

Now he's in a dilemma, his face contorting with conflict. "It's not that I'm unwilling to sell, but you ladies don't understand. Little Gold and I have been inseparable for ten years. Ten years! Even a mosquito would develop emotions after that long. How can you ask me to sell him? It's not just about the spirit crystals anymore..."

Su Lingxiu produces a bottle of pills. "These are pills refined using rare spirit herbs like the Earth Soul Flower. And their effects are incredible..."

After explaining the pills' effects, she asks, "So, will you sell it now?"

"Are these pills really that amazing?" Zhu Xingzheng asks, half-believing.

"Try one and see for yourself," Su Lingxiu says, tossing him a pill.

Zhu Xingzheng catches the pill and examines it closely, his expression turning serious. He senses that this pill is no ordinary medicine; it seems to hold a wondrous power.

Without hesitation, he feeds the pill to the Golden-horned Purple Star Elk. "Little Gold, eat up! Don't waste it!"

Li Xuan watches this exchange with amusement. This fatty is quite interesting.

Su Lingxiu's face darkens slightly. This jerk probably thinks the pill is poisoned, yet he claims to have a deep bond with his spirit beast. And now he's using it to test the pill.

After consuming the pill, the Golden-horned Purple Star Elk's spirit becomes noticeably more vibrant and excited. "Delicious! I feel nourished and strengthened!"

The purple spots on its body glow with an even brighter purple light.

Zhu Xingzheng's eyes light up at the sight. Could these pills truly be so effective? He looks at the bottle of pills in Su Lingxiu's hand, his heart wavering. "Lady, this bottle seems a bit small. My spirit beast is a sixth-rank, you know. Look at its hide, its stance. Riding it would be so prestigious and awe-inspiring!"

Su Lingxiu can't help but laugh. "There are twelve pills in this bottle, which is quite a lot. These pills are very rare. Even with the right herbs, it would take years to refine this many.

Zhu Xingzheng listens intently, finding her argument reasonable. Such miraculous pills must be difficult to refine. Twelve pills should be enough to strengthen his spirit and maybe even help him break through to the next minor realm.

"Deal!" he agrees readily.

Zhu Xingzheng is overjoyed to have secured the pills, but the Golden-horned Purple Star Elk is stunned, its spirit fluctuating wildly. "You're selling me just like that? I've been with you for ten years! Ten long years!"

It stomps its hooves on the ground, agitated and displeased, feeling betrayed.

Li Xuan watches this scene, speechless.

Zhu Xingzheng pats the elk's head, his face serious. "Little Gold, I'm doing this for your own good. How is this selling you? I'm helping you find a better life!"

The elk's spirit fluctuates violently, and it roars, "Was my father sold too? You told me he left to seek opportunities, but did you sell him as well?"

It feels a sense of angry betrayal.

"Back then, I thought you were being generous and letting my father go to seek his own path. I was so grateful to you, but now I realize he was sold too!" the elk bellows, its hooves kicking up a storm as its purple glow intensifies.

Li Xuan and the others exchange strange looks, unsure what to make of this situation.

"Little Gold, listen to me and calm down!" Zhu Xingzheng soothes, stroking the elk's head. "I'm truly doing this for your benefit. Think about it. Those pills are amazing, right? If you follow this beautiful lady's master, won't you be able to get more pills? And with those pills, you'll become stronger and might even surpass the sixth rank. But what can I offer you if you stay with me? It's better for you to follow this beautiful lady and live a more comfortable life. How can you doubt my good intentions? I, Zhu Xingzheng, consider you a brother. If I didn't want the best for you, would I be selling you to her at a bargain?"

The Golden-horned Purple Star Elk stares at Zhu Xingzheng with wide eyes, feeling that his words make sense, but something still doesn't sit right.

"What about my father?" the elk asks, thinking of its parent. Zhu Xingzheng had told it that its father had left to seek great opportunities.

"You know about the Utmost Powerhouses, right? One of them was lacking a companion, so I arranged for your father to join him. Isn't that a great opportunity?" Zhu Xingzheng says, squeezing out a few tears as he wipes his eyes. "When your father and I parted ways, I cried for so long. Little Gold, how could you misunderstand me like this?"

The elk lowers its head, looking ashamed. "I'm sorry, I misunderstood you."

The more it thinks about it, the more it feels that Zhu Xingzheng's explanation makes sense. Being able to accompany an Utmost Powerhouse is indeed a great opportunity.

He had sold another beast and profited even more this time!

In his opinion, such precious pills wouldn't be casually fed to a mount; he was merely trying to deceive the elk.

"Young lady, Little Jin is now in your care. Here is his command token!"

Zhu Xingzheng rejoiced inwardly as he took out a blue token from his storage bag. Imprinted on it was a wisp of the elk's soul essence.

This was the command token. Should the Golden-horned Purple Star Elk ever go out of control, this token could be used to forcefully suppress its soul and compel obedience.

Typically, to control a spirit beast, one would either raise it from a young age, having it acknowledge its master willingly, or forcefully subdue it and forge a command token, thereby dominating the beast.

Zhu Xingzheng, however, chose a third path—one of deception and trickery.

Li Xuan reached out and took the elk's command token, examining it briefly before understanding its nature. The token was crudely made, and its control over the spirit beast wasn't particularly strong.

However, due to the lack of cultivation methods in the Spirit Domain, beasts relied solely on their bloodlines to grow stronger. Thus, once a wisp of their soul essence was imprinted on the command token, they would fall under its control, unable to break free.

For beasts below the sixth rank that had not yet condensed their soul essences, a wisp of their spiritual consciousness would be captured and sealed within the token instead.

This command token dominated the spirit beast through a special material that could contain its spiritual consciousness or soul essence, rather than relying on artifact refining techniques.

Such a token would have no effect on a beast like Red Cat.

However, it did provide a significant amount of control over the beasts of the Spirit Domain.

As Li Xuan played with the command token, Zhu Xingzheng continued to fawn over Su Lingxiu and Yue'er, all the while 'training' the elk, claiming that he was teaching it how to please its new master to earn pill rewards...

Under Zhu Xingzheng's guidance, the elk became noticeably more obedient, craning its neck and lowering its head, its tongue lolling out in a display of affection.

"Young lady, I haven't asked for your name yet," Zhu Xingzheng asked with a goofy smile.

"Su Lingxiu," she replied.

"Yue'er," the other girl introduced herself.

Zhu Xingzheng beamed with delight. As he pulled out a reins rope and fastened it around the elk's neck, he handed the rope to Su Lingxiu, saying excitedly, "So, it's Miss Su and Miss Yue. I am Zhu Xingzheng, walking the path of righteousness with integrity and honor."

The Golden-horned Purple Star Elk looked bewildered as the reins were placed on it. It stared at Zhu Xingzheng, suspecting that it had been deceived!

"Where are the two of you ladies headed? The Spirit Domain isn't very peaceful these days. Little Jin here doesn't have the best temperament, so please bear with him.

"Here, take this whip as well."

Zhu Xingzheng pulled out a whip and handed it to Su Lingxiu.

Then, he kicked the elk's leg and said, "What are you waiting for? Transform into your larger form. How can you carry people in this small size? Be quick and don't dawdle."

The elk huffed and puffed, blowing air from its nostrils. Zhu Xingzheng patted its head and scolded, "If you keep acting like this, who will give you pills? I'm doing this for your own good. Don't you understand?"

Under Zhu Xingzheng's cajoling, the elk calmed down, feeling that his words made sense. How could it expect pills if it didn't please its new master?

Li Xuan marveled at Zhu Xingzheng's ability to deceive the spirit beast.

He couldn't help but wonder if all the beasts in Tianling State were this easy to fool.

If that were the case, wouldn't they all be susceptible to Red Cat's tricks as well?

And Red Cat was certainly not a friendly tiger.

As the elk enlarged its body, Li Xuan placed the seats on its back, finally having a mount for their journey ahead. The rest of the trip would be much more comfortable.

Shi Er, Zhou Ying, and Meng Shushu also breathed a sigh of relief, no longer needing to travel arduously on foot and feeling relieved that they wouldn't slow the group down. They, too, climbed onto the elk's back and took their seats.

"Senior, what a pleasant outing!"

Zhu Xingzheng hadn't left yet. He respectfully and enthusiastically served tea and water to Li Xuan, addressing him as 'senior' with great fervor.

"Zhu Xingzheng, you should go on and continue your own business. We don't need you here anymore," Su Lingxiu said.

"I have nothing else to do," Zhu Xingzheng replied. "What you don't know, young lady, is that the Spirit Domain isn't very peaceful these days. With me around, I can help resolve a lot of potential dangers. Moreover, Little Jin and I share a deep bond. Now that he's leaving me, I should at least see him off properly."

Zhu Xingzheng had a thick skin.

Su Lingxiu rolled her eyes, too lazy to bother with him.

The Golden-horned Purple Star Elk took to the skies, heading toward Luo State, with Zhu Xingzheng joining the group, showing no signs of leaving.

He claimed that he wanted to send off the elk due to their deep bond...

As for the mission assigned to him by the Wan Shi Alliance, he had long forgotten about it.

That small place, Yu State, held no interest for him.

"Little fatty, are you one of the prideful geniuses of the Wan Shi Alliance?"

Li Xuan asked with a smile.

"Yes, yes!"

Zhu Xingzheng nodded eagerly. "Senior, may I ask which wandering cultivator you are? Your prowess must be extraordinary."

In his opinion, Su Lingxiu and Yue'er's strengths weren't remarkable, but their master's must be at the Divine Refinement Realm, and definitely not weaker than his own.

After all, he couldn't see through their cultivation levels.

As for Shi Er and the other two, their strengths were even more inferior, appearing to be mere followers.

He had no idea that Su Lingxiu and Yue'er had concealed their true powers, which was why he couldn't discern their levels.

Li Xuan smiled but didn't answer. Instead, he asked, "In the Wan Shi Alliance, how many geniuses like you are there?"

"Not many," Zhu Xingzheng replied proudly. "After all, my talent, Zhu Xingzheng, is exceptional. I can easily venture into the mountains of Tianling State and deceive a spirit beast to fight for me.

"The members of the Spirit Command Palace often rely on beasts to assist them, thinking it's their due right. Well, I, Zhu Xingzheng, am also adept at this.

"If we're talking about the most powerful members of the alliance, there are only two of them, already at the late Divine Refinement Realm. Their strengths are absurdly high, especially that cold and icy young lady. She's so proud..."

Zhu Xingzheng didn't know why, but he ended up spilling everything he knew.

He introduced all the prideful geniuses of the Wan Shi Alliance, their numbers, and their respective strengths.

Among them, two individuals stood out as the most powerful, having already reached the late Divine Refinement Realm before the age of thirty.

Those two had declared their intention to claim the top two spots on the Prideful List, leaving only the first place to be contested between them!

Li Xuan listened and nodded, impressed by the Wan Shi Alliance's capabilities in producing such strong geniuses.

However, the top two spots on the Prideful List were out of the question. The first and second places were destined for Xu Yan and Meng Chong.

If Su Lingxiu were to join as well, the top four spots would be occupied by his disciples.

As Li Xuan and his group entered Luo State, Xu Yan had already set off to challenge Yu Changfeng of the Sword Pavilion.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end