Chapter 363: Beast Taming - Dancing Cranes
Chapter 363: Beast Taming - Dancing Cranes
"The Foulbug Grass... yet another powerful addition to my collection in the Underworld Garden."
Lu Chen retrieved the Foulbug Grass spirit seed, intending to transplant it to his courtyard in Jianmen Town as the pure spiritual energy within his Inner Sect residence was not suitable for its growth.
"Feeding on filth and miasma, capable of corrupting a cultivator's eyes and mind. One must be cautious during cultivation to avoid tainting one's own heart and vision."
He suddenly realized that every spirit plant in his Underworld Garden was of exceptional quality—the Fourth-Rank Blood Spirit Palm Ginseng, the Fifth-Rank Blood Sin Flower, the exotic Longevity Peaches, the Saint Infant Fruits, and now the newly acquired Foulbug Grass. Each one was extraordinary.
"However, the spirit fields are still too small, and the spiritual energy isn't dense enough. It's not an ideal environment for cultivating various exotic spirit plants. I'll need to find a better place when I have the chance."
Lu Chen made a mental note to himself.
On this day, as he was cultivating the spirit plants, an unexpected visitor arrived.
"Brother Zhong, what brings you here?" Lu Chen greeted his guest with a smile. It was none other than Zhong Hao, the one who had raised the pair of Howling Yin Beasts.
"Haha, one doesn't visit the Three Treasures Hall without a good reason. I'm here on a matter concerning spirit beasts," Zhong Hao replied with a hearty laugh, casually observing Lu Chen's cave abode as he spoke.
"The spirit beasts in Brother Lu's abode seem to be thriving. Although their ranks aren't particularly high, each one is lively and full of vigor." Zhong Hao remarked as he caught glimpses of the Cloud-Treading Lynx and the Wind Falcon among other spirit beasts.
"They're far inferior to the ones Brother Zhong raises," Lu Chen humbly acknowledged.
"Indeed, I've come regarding a matter related to spirit beasts. In addition to my own, I'm also responsible for helping the sect tame and train spirit beasts, especially the high-rank ones," Zhong Hao explained.
"The sect has acquired a new batch of high-rank young beasts that need to be tamed. The last time, Brother Lu helped me with the birthing issue of the Howling Yin Beasts, and our subsequent conversation revealed your impressive knowledge in beast husbandry. So, I'm here to ask if you'd be willing to tame this new batch?"
Lu Chen expressed his confusion to the burly cultivator, "If we establish a direct contract with the spirit beasts, won't they obey us willingly? Why is there a need for taming?"
"There's more to it, Brother Lu," Zhong Hao explained, "Those spirit beasts aren't owned by any individual, so we can't have a specific sect member establish a contract with them."
"Each of them has its purpose—guarding secret realms, producing cultivation resources, serving as the sect's means of transportation, and so on. Taming them allows us to instill various commands, erode their beastly nature, and ultimately, serve the sect better."
"If we don't establish a contract, can't we just use artifacts to control them?" Lu Chen recalled the imitation Binding Dragon Ring artifact he had used to control the giant flood dragons and pythons in Qianlong Lake.
"Those are high-rank spirit beasts, and the artifacts required to control them would naturally also be of high rank. That would increase the cost significantly. Moreover, even with artifacts and arrays, the beastly nature within the spirit beasts must be tamed, or else there's a risk of them suddenly erupting in a frenzy, causing catastrophic losses," Zhong Hao elaborated.
"I see," Lu Chen nodded in understanding.
"Then I'll give it a try. Thank you, Brother Zhong, for the recommendation," Lu Chen said.
"It's all thanks to your own abilities, Brother Lu," Zhong Hao replied.
Through their conversation, Lu Chen learned that the pair of Howling Yin Beasts had successfully mated after several months and were now expecting offspring, though it would take a few more years for the birth to occur.
After some casual chatter, Lu Chen followed Zhong Hao towards the location where the young beasts awaiting taming were kept.
As they passed by a vast water marsh, Lu Chen's steps faltered as he beheld the hundreds and thousands of spirit cranes soaring freely in the marsh.
As he turned to leave, suddenly, one of the Spirit Cranes spotted him and let out a crisp, excited call.
This call seemed to set off a chain reaction, and crane cries echoed throughout the marsh. Thousands of Spirit Cranes flapped their snowy wings, tracing beautiful arcs as they sped towards Lu Chen.
The man was back! Even after more than a decade, the entire Spirit Crane clan still remembered the change Lu Chen had brought to them.
Without his intervention, the Spirit Cranes might still be like they were before, carrying cultivators day and night for meager pay, struggling to survive.
If this had continued, the entire clan would have eventually given up, stagnating like stagnant water.
"Shoo, quick, get back!"
Suddenly, an outer sect disciple flew over, worried that the Spirit Cranes might crash into the two inner sect uncles before him. He hurriedly shooed the cranes away.
"Sirs, please forgive my Spirit Cranes for their lack of manners if they bump into you."
The disciple who had flown out had tanned skin and was a cultivator who had perfected his energy cultivation. At this moment, he bowed deeply, his expression anxious.
"It's fine, we were just catching up. Fellow Daoist Xu, you needn't worry," Lu Chen said gently, recognizing the disciple as Xu Yi. He remembered him from years ago when he had taken on the task of helping the Spirit Cranes reproduce.
Hearing Lu Chen's voice, Xu Yi looked up, his eyes widening in surprise.
"Brother Lu... Brother Lu!"
He hadn't expected to meet Lu Chen like this. More than a decade ago, Lu Chen had been a newly initiated high-level Qi Refining cultivator, and they had gotten to know each other through the Spirit Crane reproduction task.
And now, here they were meeting again, with Lu Chen having become an inner sect disciple.
Meanwhile, Xu Yi was still at the peak of Qi Refining, unsure when he would be able to attempt the breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment realm.
"Fellow Daoist Xu, it's good to see you're doing well," Lu Chen said.
"Thank you, Brother Lu, for your concern. I'm doing alright. I plan to further temper my physical body and spiritual sense for a few more years before attempting to advance to the Foundation Establishment realm," Xu Yi replied, bowing slightly.
Lu Chen sighed inwardly and looked around at the countless Spirit Cranes surrounding him, dancing in the air with glee.
"Have there been any changes in the lives of these Spirit Cranes since our last meeting?" Lu Chen asked.
"Thanks to you, Brother Lu, the Beast Taming Hall heeded your suggestions. They commissioned the Array Formation Hall to forge spirit artifacts with functions like positioning and communication, freeing most of the Spirit Cranes from labor," Xu Yi explained.
"At the same time, we increased their transport fees, expanded their living area, and improved their living conditions."
"With these changes, the entire Spirit Crane clan gradually entered a positive phase, and everything started to develop in a favorable direction."
"That's good to hear," Lu Chen said with a nod, feeling relieved. He offered a few words of encouragement to Xu Yi before continuing on his way with the burly cultivator by his side, flying towards the distant mountains.
The Spirit Cranes cried out in unison, following Lu Chen of their own accord, their calls filled with reluctance to part.
"Alright, off you go now. Go and live the life you want," Lu Chen said, waving at the cranes. He increased the speed of his flying sword and looked back at the Spirit Cranes soaring freely in the air, feeling genuine joy for them.
(End of Chapter)
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