The next day, Chen Jiuge, feeling a bit groggy, shook his head. Looking at the disarray in the small courtyard, he chuckled to himself, Really, it’s wise to drink less of this stuff.
A small Hurricane Technique swept through, piling heaps of trash into a small mound. This was followed by a Fireball Technique, requisite for beginner Cultivators, which turned the trash to ash and smoke. With a simple Cleaning Dust Technique, the courtyard was restored to its former cleanliness.
Although Chen Jiuge was a Body Refiner, he wasn’t the kind of ancient Body Refiner who only relied on physical strength; he could manipulate Spiritual Energy too. He wasn’t the type who converted all Spiritual Energy into qi and blood, as a specialized Body Refiner would. Of course, those specialists possessed stronger Life Force and were more formidable in battle.
First, I’ll go check out the little Secret Realm to see which Spiritual Beasts I should contract, Chen Jiuge thought, shaking his head as he remembered his ideas from last night.
Inside the little Secret Realm, all was still peaceful. As a team of intelligence-challenged members, they didn’t enjoy fighting. Besides eating, drinking, defecating, and urinating, they only liked to stare blankly and sleep.
The attention-seeker of the Secret Realm was still the Fire Flood Dragon, with its rooster-like arrogance. Chen Jiuge, unable to repress his annoyance, pointed at the Fire Flood Dragon and said, "Let’s start with you."
These Spiritual Beasts with intelligence issues generally had bloodlines with Sixth Rank or even Seventh Rank potential. Of course, there were also a few with special Fifth Rank bloodlines that had unique effects.
In terms of strength, the most powerful among them mostly had Fourth Rank Cultivation. Naturally, Chen Jiuge had also taken basic precautions, such as using a Fifth Rank Spiritual Beast Ring, so he wasn’t worried about them rebelling.
Although a Spiritual Beast Ring was not as convenient and reliable as a Contract, it could still make a Spiritual Beast understand some basic commands, like fighting.
The Fire Flood Dragon was the first to take the stage. Despite Chen Jiuge’s constant complaints, it was indeed one of the few in the small Secret Realm with a Seventh Rank bloodline. Its Cultivation was at the late Fourth Rank, equivalent to the late Nascent Soul Stage, so its combat power was not weak.
After a full inspection, Chen Jiuge brought out another Flood Dragon from the Secret Realm—the Red Flood Dragon. It had a Sixth Rank bloodline, not far from the Seventh. The Red Flame Sheep reproduced much more slowly than Spiritual Chickens, but their Cultivation levels weren’t currently far apart. This Red Flood Dragon also possessed significantly higher Spiritual Wisdom than the Fire Flood Dragon.
Two nearly twenty-meter-long Flood Dragons faced off. If one ignored the Fire Flood Dragon’s vacantly innocent gaze, they did look rather intimidating.
After issuing the command to start fighting, Chen Jiuge levitated and retreated several hundred meters, giving them enough space.
The more intelligent Red Flood Dragon flew up and struck the Fire Flood Dragon with a claw, making it yowl, and then—?
Chen Jiuge watched, dumbfounded, as the Red Flood Dragon was slapped to the ground by the Fire Flood Dragon and cowered in fear.
What’s going on? Chen Jiuge couldn’t understand.
He forced the cowering Red Flood Dragon to advance and fight again. Then, Chen Jiuge witnessed a scene of unspeakable brutality.
A flurry of slaps, continuous pecks, mighty kicks from its rear legs, and a fierce blast of dragon flame left the Red Flood Dragon half-dead and well-done. Embarrassed, Chen Jiuge landed beside it and said, "It seems I misjudged you. It wasn’t that you didn’t try; you just couldn’t win."
A Phantom Beast, a variant of the Golden Dog, and various other Spiritual Beasts with Fourth Rank Cultivation went up one by one, and one by one, they were sent flying back.
Chen Jiuge stared incredulously at the injured Spiritual Beasts lying scattered across the ground. He then glanced again at the Fire Flood Dragon, its eyes now clear yet still foolish, and the corners of his mouth twitched uncontrollably.
The outcome was clear: the strongest was this Fire Flood Dragon, which had evolved from a Spiritual Chicken. Both its strength and bloodline were a significant cut above the other Spiritual Beasts.
Moreover, after this battle, Chen Jiuge realized that some Spiritual Beast variants with unknown bloodlines weren’t actually strong in combat. They just seemed to have high-ranking bloodlines but might actually be at the bottom among their peers of the same rank.
The simple Guardian Beast selection had ended, and Chen Jiuge now had a few options in mind.
The Fire Flood Dragon was a definite choice, regardless of its low intelligence. At most, Chen Jiuge would need to spend some Spirit Stones on a Wisdom Opening Pill. It was impossible to give up such a powerful combatant due to mere prejudice.
Next was the Red Flood Dragon. Although it had suffered a terrible beating from the Fire Flood Dragon, it was one of the few Spiritual Beasts that could endure for so long. Once the population of Red Flame Sheep increased further and their bloodline limit broke through to the Seventh Rank, its strength should increase even more.
The third was a Phantom Beast, also a variant of the Red Flame Sheep. This type of Spiritual Beast was recorded in the Myriad Beasts Record and possessed the talent for creating illusions. It was very fast, had good concealment abilities, and its bloodline limit also reached the Sixth Rank, making it suitable for a Contract.
The last one was the Violent Rabbit, a variant of the Moon Rabbit. Chen Jiuge hadn’t seen this breed of rabbit in the Myriad Beasts Record, but it possessed enormous strength, even greater than the Fire Flood Dragon. If it weren’t for its inability to withstand the Fire Flood Dragon’s flames, it might have had a chance to make a comeback.
Having tentatively decided on these four Spiritual Beasts, Chen Jiuge had no plans to keep them in the Secret Realm. It was time to take them out and let them get acquainted with his Lifebound Spirit Beasts. But before that, he needed to go out and buy some Wisdom Opening Pills to enhance their intellect.
Watching the four Spiritual Beasts fall into a deep slumber after being fed the Wisdom Opening Pills, Chen Jiuge nodded with satisfaction, thinking with some anticipation, I wonder if their intelligence can be raised to that of a normal Fourth Rank Spiritual Beast?
Digesting the Wisdom Opening Pills would take some time. During this period, he not only had to supervise Yue Meng’s Cultivation but also needed to strengthen his own Divine Soul. Otherwise, when it came time to form a Contract at the Nascent Soul Stage, his Divine Soul might not be strong enough.
Additionally, after forming the Contracts, he would also have to choose appropriate Cultivation Techniques for the four Spiritual Beasts. After all, even though the Fire Flood Dragon appeared invincible in the Secret Realm, it couldn’t compare to genuine Spiritual Beasts.
Who had ever heard of a Nascent Soul Stage Spiritual Beast that only knew how to engage in physical brawls? Apart from their Innate Divine Abilities, they were completely ignorant of any other Spells.
He dragged the still-sleeping Yue Meng from her nest. \n(o)v.e\l.com
"What’s the matter?" Yue Meng said, puffing up her cheeks in anger at the master who had disturbed her pleasant dreams.
"It’s time to cultivate," Chen Jiuge said sternly.
"I know, I know," Yue Meng replied with some impatience, pursing her three-lobed mouth.
Time flew by; seven years passed in the blink of an eye.
Chen Jiuge looked at Yue Meng, whose aura was now perfect and flawless, and nodded with satisfaction. "Finally, we’ve reached the last step."
Who knew how Chen Jiuge had managed these past seven years? He not only had to supervise Yue Meng’s Cultivation but also couldn’t neglect his own.
The four Spiritual Beasts that had consumed the Wisdom Opening Pills didn’t initially show much improvement in their Spiritual Wisdom. Only after a steady diet of numerous Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, along with Elixirs, did they finally reach the intelligence of an average human, though they still couldn’t speak.
He also spent a great deal of Merit to select appropriate Cultivation Techniques for them, then coached them one by one, helping them get started. The process was nothing short of torture.
Besides all that, the Medicine Snake would knock on his door every so often in the middle of the night, bringing Blood Crystals to exchange for Moonlight Dew.
He really wanted to shout, Like an old father, I’m wearing my heart out for you all!
"Of course! How could such trivial matters ever stump the great Lady Yue Meng?" Yue Meng replied disdainfully to Chen Jiuge’s words.
Giving her a rap on the head, Chen Jiuge said speechlessly, "What are you showing off for? Do you have any idea how many resources you’ve consumed in these seven years? Enough for countless Spiritual Beasts to advance from Golden Core to Nascent Soul!"
Elixirs enhanced with Moonlight Power were several times more expensive than ordinary elixirs that merely boosted Spiritual Power, and the higher the level, the greater the difference. These seven years had nearly drained Chen Jiuge’s wallet. If it weren’t for the Red Flame Sheep’s decent growth during this time, which had somewhat replenished his funds, he might not have even had enough to sustain his Cultivation.