"Junior Brother, are you planning to enter Fierce Tiger Mountain to train?" Senior Brother Ouyang asked.
"I had that idea, but due to the Tiger Demon, I'll have to change to another peak," Lin Jing replied helplessly.
Even walking consumes a lot of energy.
Someday I need to ask what status one must have to ride an immortal crane.
At this moment, Lin Jing realized the benefit of choosing a buffalo as a pet beast. Along the way, he saw many disciples traveling on buffalo.
As for him, his pet rides on him; excessive!
Upon hearing this, Senior Brother Ouyang looked at the Guardian Peak Elder.
"Elder, I am here to subdue the Tiger Demon."
The Guardian Peak Elder glanced at Ouyang Hao, and said, "Got it, go on in."
Senior Brother Ouyang chuckled and then looked at Lin Jing, "Junior Brother, would you like to join me? Once I subdue the Tiger Demon, you can train normally."
"Is that possible?" Lin Jing was surprised.
"Of course, no problem at all. With me here, no accidents," Senior Brother Ouyang looked at the Guardian Peak Elder again, and asked, "Elder, I'll bring this Junior Brother inside with me as well."
"Go ahead, go ahead." The Guardian Peak Elder seemed to know Senior Brother Ouyang's strength and didn't mind, saying, "You go on, I'll continue writing my review."
He looked irritated.
...
"Senior Brother Ouyang, that predecessor guarding the peak mentioned a review... what is the situation?"
After entering Fierce Tiger Peak, Lin Jing asked.
"Fierce Tiger Peak unexpectedly nurtured Spirit Plants, and he didn't discover it in time, allowing wild demon beasts to eat them, surely he needs to write a review to confess and receive punishment."
"Now he must hate that Tiger Demon, but unfortunately, when facing such demon beasts, he can't directly deal with them. As long as the demon beasts haven't harmed people, the sect's first consideration is to subdue, not kill."
"Subduing demon beasts is also a technical task. As long as the situation isn't particularly serious, it's usually entrusted to disciples within the sect who have potential to try and train."
"After all, subduing such 'wild demon beasts' is also a skill Beast Taming Sect disciples need to master."
"As disciples, it's possible to select and contract Spirit Beasts or demon beasts cultivated by the sect, but to progress further, one must go into the vast Cultivation Realm to seek out those powerful creatures and subdue them!"
"I want to bring you in mainly to show you how I subdue a wild demon beast and make it willingly submit." Senior Brother Ouyang explained thoughtfully.
"So that's it." Lin Jing was surprised, "I thought you were here for a tiger whip."
Ouyang Hao: "If this Tiger Demon doesn't accept enlightenment, I can only laugh and accept."
Lin Jing and Ouyang chose to enter the forest on foot, with bird songs and insect chirping along the way—a scene of tranquility with a distance still to the Tiger Demon.
Right then, Lin Jing remembered he had an unresolved curiosity!
Elder Mo mentioned that once Senior Brother Ouyang becomes a True Disciple, he might be apprenticed to the Sect Leader!
The reason wasn't mentioned, quite cryptically, which sparked Lin Jing's curiosity.
Last time at the Scripture Pavilion, he forgot to ask. This time he intends to seize the opportunity to ask in person.
"Senior Brother, I heard the Sect Leader intends to take you as a disciple?"
"Even that you know? It's already spread to the outer sect?" Senior Brother Ouyang turned around in surprise.
"Not really, it's what Elder Mo said," Lin Jing coughed lightly.
"Senior Brother, teach me! How did you manage this?"
Only by becoming a True Disciple can one learn the true secret techniques of the sect, becoming a core member of the Beast Taming Sect.
And to become a True Disciple, one condition is to apprentice under someone in the sect who has Golden Core Cultivation or higher.
Apprenticing is akin to marriage, nothing short of a second chance at life. Having a good master makes the path of cultivation much smoother.
Senior Brother Ouyang's ability to connect with the Sect Leader is quite impressive.
"This..." Senior Brother Ouyang gave Lin Jing a peculiar look, shook his head abruptly, and said, "Junior Brother, my situation may not be suitable for you."
"Why?" "Squeak Squeak?"
Lin Jing and the pine needle mouse kept probing.
Senior Brother Ouyang sighed, paused for a moment, and finally said thoughtfully, "Alright, it's not really a secret, I'll tell you, but remember not to spread it around."
"I remember you took books on the history of Beast Taming Sect from the Scripture Pavilion, right?"
"Our Beast Taming Sect's first Sect Leader was a mortal body. Such physique originally had no chance on the immortal path, but he unexpectedly came upon a beast taming cultivation technique from the Immortal Palace."
"The Immortal Palace's beast taming cultivation technique mainly enslaved beasts, allowing the cultivator to decide the life and death of the contracted beast with just a thought... Using this technique, he enslaved countless powerful demon beasts, reaching Divinity Transformation, and the Beast Taming Sect flourished."
"Unfortunately, the method of forcibly enslaving pet beasts has drawbacks, and eventually he perished due to the backlash from a pet beast."
"Witnessing this, the second Sect Leader began to ponder how the true relationship between beast taming cultivators and pet beasts should be, eventually concluding that beyond being master and servant, beast tamers and pet beasts should be companions, brothers, and sisters."
"Thus, he started reforms within the sect, advocating disciples to practice from the Qi Cultivation Stage along with young beasts, strengthening their bond, rather than forcibly enslaving those wild demon beasts. Even if one must subdue a wild demon beast, it should sincerely recognize and follow without coercion."
"The second Sect Leader laid a solid foundation for the Beast Taming Sect. Since then, this sect regulation has passed down to this day. Normally this would be perfect, but up to now... the fifth generation Sect Leader, the current Sect Leader, has taken this emotional bond with pet beasts one step further."
"He became a dao companion with a pet beast, becoming true family."
Lin Jing: "..."
This isn't recorded in the books.
"Which one?" Lin Jing and even the pine needle mouse were greatly shocked.
"That one from the Celestial Crane clan... Though not publicly acknowledged, she can be deemed the Sect Leader's wife," Senior Brother Ouyang said respectfully.
At this time, Lin Jing's brain was still somewhat in chaos.
Wait, hang on!
"Senior Brother, you being favored by the Sect Leader, could it be..." Lin Jing suddenly fell silent.
"Exactly." Senior Brother Ouyang sighed, "Hong'Er was originally a small injured fox that I rescued while I was still a mortal. Later, it became very close to me, so I kept it by my side."
"Until I was brought back to the Beast Taming Sect by Elder Mo and formed a blood contract with Hong'Er, I realized it had developed those kinds of feelings towards me."
"Although it's a beast, its affection is real, and true feelings shouldn't be forsaken, wouldn't you say so, Junior Brother?"
Lin Jing looked to the sky.
All mysteries were unveiled.
However, considering this is a cultivation world, Lin Jing no longer struggled with the differences among species.
It's just that 'The Legend of the White Snake' became 'The Legend of the Celestial Crane' and 'The Legend of the Red Fox.'
"Bless you both," Lin Jing said.
"Squeak, squeak..."