Taoist Longshan took the Ice Silkworm Strength, quickly skimmed through it, and revealed an expression of admiration.
"The predecessor who created the Ice Silkworm Strength was indeed a rare genius. It’s a pity there are only the first three levels; otherwise, it would surpass those Stacking Strength Skills you cultivate."
Upon hearing Taoist Longshan’s evaluation, Ye Qinghe couldn’t help but be surprised, realizing he had underestimated the Ice Silkworm Strength.
He felt a bit regretful in his heart.
But Taoist Longshan did not dwell on the Ice Silkworm Strength; instead, he asked another question.
"You mentioned earlier that the White Ape consumed a red fruit. Describe its characteristics in detail."
Taoist Longshan’s expression was somewhat solemn.
Seeing this, Ye Qinghe dared not be negligent and immediately described the appearance of that red fruit.
"Bright in color, its stem is mysterious yellow, and the body is perfectly round..."
Even though he only held the red fruit for a few breaths, with Ye Qinghe’s memory, he still managed to recall it completely.
Moreover, the red fruit indeed looked extraordinary.
She couldn’t help but ask curiously:
"Master, do you know what strange object this red fruit is?"
Taoist Longshan slightly furrowed his brow:
"It resembles the legendary Vermilion Fruit, but the Vermilion Fruit can transform the body, refine the essence, and cleanse the marrow. If it is as you said, the White Ape consumed more than one Vermilion Fruit, its strength would undoubtedly be formidable, perhaps you might not even be its match. The chances of the red fruit being the legendary Vermilion Fruit are slim."
"This red fruit can enlighten wisdom, yet the White Ape’s strength is only that of an ordinary beast, what a phenomenon indeed."
Then he shook his head.
"In the vast world, there are all kinds of wonders; the exact nature of the Exotic Fruit doesn’t matter. Since it fell into this little ape’s hands, it’s its destiny. You two need to maintain your perspectives and not give rise to delusions."
Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe composed themselves and respectfully said:
"Thank you, Master, for the guidance."
The True Martial Sect has always maintained such principles, where disciples uphold righteousness and abstain from committing evil deeds.
Taoist Longshan nodded in satisfaction, trusting the character of his disciples; he beckoned to the White Ape.
The White Ape first looked nervously at Ning Qi, and upon seeing the encouragement in his eyes, respectfully walked over to Taoist Longshan, knelt, kowtowed, and made repeated prostrations.
Taoist Longshan stroked his beard and laughed:
"Indeed its spiritual insight is remarkable."
"White Ape, I ask you, will you join my True Martial Sect? Know this, once you join True Martial, you must not commit reckless acts or wanton violence!"
Taoist Longshan’s voice was thunderous, exuding great authority.
The White Ape was overjoyed.
It nodded repeatedly.
Almost blurting out ’I am willing, Master.’
Seeing the White Ape receive the master’s approval, Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe exchanged smiles.
Taoist Longshan looked over:
"Jiu, since you brought back the White Ape, let it stay with you for now, it’ll be good for you in case you need each other."
He shared the same thoughts as Ye Qinghe. Having such a spiritual White Ape accompany the young disciple was better than solitary cultivation every day.
"Since the little monkey has joined our True Martial Sect, why not give him a name?" Ye Qinghe suggested.
"Very well." Taoist Longshan nodded, "Since the White Ape wants to follow Jiu, let Jiu choose."
Ning Qi did not decline.
He pondered for a while, looked at the White Ape, and said:
"Since you are from the Ape Race, let’s give you the surname Yuan, you wander the mountains alone, unique, yet possess various opportunities, born from Heaven and Earth, how about calling you Yuan Tiancheng?"
Taoist Longshan and Ye Qinghe were still pondering the meaning behind the name, while the White Ape’s eyes widened with excitement, if it weren’t the wrong occasion, it would’ve started flipping and jumping; yet even so, its scratching and itching movements betrayed its feelings.
Evidently, the White Ape was quite satisfied with the name.
The three of them smiled.
Ning Qi suddenly spoke:
"I have a question I want to ask Master."
"This time, the disciple went into the mountain with the senior sister and encountered several Exotic Beasts, some whose strength could rival the Inner Essence Realm, and others were even weaker than the Bone Refining Realm. Why is there such a disparity in the strength of these Exotic Beasts? Do they have any cultivation methods?"
Though the Scripture Pavilion also contains records on Exotic Beasts, it’s not comprehensive.
Taoist Longshan glanced at the White Ape, then said:
"The origin of Exotic Beasts is no longer traceable, only hearsay. According to legend, initially, some beasts, by chance, gained Heaven’s favor, allowing them to directly temper their bodies using the Power of Heaven and Earth, even wield this power, thus known as Heavenly Beasts."
"However, bearing the cause and effect of Heaven’s favor isn’t simple, and something seemingly went wrong, leading to backlash and the decline of Heavenly Beasts."
"Since then came the era of Exotic Beasts, who are said to have the bloodline of Heavenly Beasts."
"Exotic Beasts don’t possess inherently powerful wisdom like our Human Race. Though they start higher, unlike us who have methodical cultivation means, their path to strength is to tap into their Heavenly Beast bloodline, until they reach the limit of their bloodline."
For Ning Qi, hearing this perspective for the first time, his eyes showed astonishment.
The Heavenly Beasts could directly channel the Power of Heaven and Earth to temper themselves; their starting point exceeds the Human Race by far, as humans can only resonate with Heaven’s power upon reaching the Celestial Human Realm.
"So, whether Exotic Beasts are strong depends entirely on the power level of the bloodline within them?"
"Indeed, such as the Iron-Armed Ape you encountered before, its maximum potential is only comparable to a Body Tempering Martial Artist, unless it has other ancient bloodlines within. In the Hundred Rivers Lake of Great Yan, there’s a Flood Dragon Monarch, whose bloodline is extremely top-notch; it has now grown into its own strength, and even Celestial Being Strong Persons do not dare to provoke it lightly."
The White Ape listened intently but felt slightly melancholic, feeling that there shouldn’t be any strong bloodline within him; only after consuming several red fruits did he gain more understanding.
Taoist Longshan glanced at the White Ape and said:
"However, theoretically speaking, humans and other beast types have no specific difference. The Human Race has cultivation paths because generations of predecessors have created them. If beasts with great wisdom could create suitable cultivation paths for themselves, perhaps they could be similar."
"But the body structures of every beast type differ greatly, which makes it very challenging."
Suddenly, hope gleamed in the White Ape’s eyes.
Ning Qi understood even further.
It’s not that beasts cannot cultivate, but there aren’t any corresponding Dharma Methods.
It’s just a general term for beasts, for example, those of the Snake Race need snakes of significant wisdom to create and pioneer a cultivation path for themselves, and only then could they be akin to the Human Race.
But contemplating it reveals the difficulty; snakes gaining wisdom is already scarce, then requiring great wisdom and generations of effort, reaching fruition might come tens of thousands or millions of years later.
Ning Qi gently shook his head within.
"However, for apes, having a similar body structure to humans, though different, they can adjust to accommodate Human Martial Arts, making it far easier."
"To me, it serves as mutual validation."
A thought came to him.
Ning Qi already had ideas; he bowed and said:
"Thank you, Master, for clearing my doubt."
He felt he still needed to mature, as even with strong comprehension, some knowledge needed continuous accumulation.