Jian Dan, led by the young White Crane beast, arrived at Bai Jue's residence. It seemed Bai Jue had long known she would come to see him, for he had already prepared spirit wine and several dishes of snacks, inviting her to take a seat.
"Jian Lu Zūnshàng, please."
Once Jian Dan was seated, Bai Jue poured a cup of spirit wine and slid it toward her. "This is a brew made by the Golden-Eyed Snow Monkeys of my beast clan. The taste is excellent. Zūnshàng may try it."
"Since you recommend it, it must be good. I'll have a taste."
Jian Dan lifted the cup and took a small sip. The flavor was clear and sweet at first, followed by a faint spiciness as it lingered in her mouth, ending with a rich, lingering fruit aroma.
"It truly is excellent, a fine brew."
Setting the cup down, Jian Dan gave her appraisal.
Then, she removed a storage ring from her finger, something she had prepared before coming."Bai Jue, this is a little something I prepared for Yingge. If you see him, please give it to him for me."
Bai Jue accepted the storage ring, scanning it with his divine sense. Inside were spirit fruits Yingge enjoyed, some spirit plants useful for cultivation, a few spirit stones, and most notably, a white jade bottle containing three drops of golden liquid.
"Undying Liquid?" Bai Jue murmured under his breath.
Jian Dan nodded slightly. "I obtained this when I killed a mother insect. I handed part of it to the sect, kept a portion for personal use, and did not trade any of it away. These three drops I specifically saved for Yingge. I am not sure if your beast clan can make use of it."
Bai Jue cupped his hands in gratitude. "Many thanks, Zūnshàng, for thinking of Yingge. This liquid is also of great benefit to our beast clan. It can strengthen the body and greatly speed up healing from injuries. It is a rare treasure indeed."
"Good. I only wanted to make sure the gift would not harm Yingge."
Bai Jue nodded, then updated her on Yingge's situation. "Ever since Yingge began cultivating, he has buried himself in training within the clan grounds, working hard to advance. After receiving the 'Phoenix Bloodline' you gave him, and refining half of its power, his cultivation speed has only increased. He has already reached the fourth rank in no time."
Jian Dan listened with a faint smile as Bai Jue spoke of his younger brother, occasionally nodding.
"After you left with the demon sect on your last mission, Yingge briefly left seclusion. When he learned you had already reached Divine Transformation, he rested for a while, then returned to training. Not long ago, he reached the fifth rank and was sent by the Nine-Tailed Beast King into the 'Myriad Beasts Hall' for tempering."
"With him advancing so fast, could this speed harm his foundation?" Jian Dan frowned. She knew Yingge had only begun cultivating after reforging his root bones. To reach the fifth rank in just a hundred years was unusually fast for a beast cultivator.
Bai Jue lowered his gaze and was silent for a moment before speaking. "From the moment Yingge was born, his fate was different. Lao Yin from Fangcun Mountain once said that if he met the right person, he would soar to the heavens, though at a price."
Jian Dan raised a brow. Yingge had once told her in the Purple-Rank secret realm that she was that person. As for the so-called price, she had only taken three drops of his blood and Bai Jue's phoenix pendant.
Bai Jue continued. "Yingge has his own mission. As his elder brother, I cannot hold him back. All I can do is give him every resource possible, teach him how to survive, and help him grow strong enough to fight for his own life in the future."
The two fell into a long silence.
Jian Dan closed her eyes. A flash of light crossed her mind before fading away. Slowly opening her eyes, she looked at Bai Jue and said softly, "Bai Jue, do you remember the first time we met?"
Bai Jue was momentarily taken aback before replying, "I do. Outside the Purple-Rank secret realm, when I came to fetch Yingge. You were with him then."
"Yes. At that time, you seemed untouchable to me, like an exiled immortal."
Bai Jue was caught off guard by such direct praise, unsure why the topic had suddenly turned to him.
Jian Dan smiled faintly and went on. "Back then, I was only at the late Foundation Establishment stage. I'd only advanced because I took a Purple Heart Fruit in the secret realm."
She paused, looking straight at him. "In a hundred years, I have reached the Unity stage, my cultivation now above yours."
Bai Jue looked sharply at her, finally understanding her meaning.
"A cultivator's path goes against the heavens. The gears of fate are already turning, and we are but parts that push it forward. As you said, if it cannot be changed, then we must raise our strength and face whatever comes with composure."
"Yes, Jian Lu Zūnshàng. Bai Jue understands."
"You are too polite. These are just casual words."
Jian Dan lifted her cup and took another sip. "The beast clan's cultivation path has its own heritage. I cannot help Yingge in that regard, only offer him external support in hopes it will aid him."
"Then on Yingge's behalf, I thank Zūnshàng. The Undying Liquid will be very useful to him. It will temper his body and let his physique keep pace with his rapid advancement."
"Good. If it is not enough, contact me. I have more stored away."
"Many thanks, Zūnshàng."
With Yingge's matters settled, Jian Dan turned the topic to Mo Ran's tribulation.
"Patriarch Bai, I have another contracted spirit beast preparing to advance to the sixth rank. I hope to borrow your clan's grounds for the tribulation."
Bai Jue looked at her with mild puzzlement. A spirit beast of Zūnshàng could easily undergo tribulation in the Heavenly Sword Sect without issue, so why come to the beast clan?
"You know my other identity. This spirit beast cultivates using demonic qi, so it is not convenient for it to undergo tribulation in the Heavenly Sword Sect."
Understanding dawned on Bai Jue, and he nodded. "The beast clan has special grounds for tribulation, and my White Crane clan has its own location. If your spirit beast is ready, it can face the tribulation tomorrow morning."
"That is fine. By the way, regarding this Ten Thousand Beasts Hall, could you allow Mo Ran and Jade to enter for tempering as well? They could accompany Yingge."
Jian Dan's tone was courteous. She was asking for a favor, after all.
"Zūnshàng, that would be difficult. The Ten Thousand Beasts Hall is the beast clan's inheritance and trial ground, rarely open to outsiders. Even though your spirit beast is a beast cultivator, it was not born here. Moreover, opening it requires the Beast Lord's involvement, so…"
"In that case, I won't trouble you. I'll ask the Nine-Tailed Beast King myself."
"Very well."
"Tomorrow at dawn, I will come find you. We will have Mo Ran undergo the tribulation first."
"Understood. I will be here waiting."
The next morning, Jian Dan did not alert anyone in the Heavenly Sword Sect. She simply stepped into the meeting spot she had agreed upon with Bai Jue.
Bai Jue said nothing extra. After greeting her, he led her to the White Crane clan's tribulation ground.
Behind a grove of towering ancient trees lay a vast, scorched expanse, five hundred square meters in size.
Sweeping her gaze over the place, Jian Dan understood why the beast clan's bodies were so resilient. This truly was a tribulation ground without a single protective formation. Here, one could only withstand the heavenly lightning with one's own strength.
Jian Dan sent Mo Ran a voice transmission. "Mo Ran, we are in beast clan territory now. If you are ready, I will release you for the tribulation."
"Master, Mo Ran has been ready for a long time."
"Good. But there is no protection here. Do you want me to set up a defensive array for you?"
"There is no need. I will take all six bolts of tribulation lightning head-on, forging my body to transform into a flood dragon."
"I see."
Picking a suitable spot, Jian Dan flicked her wrist. In a flash of black light, Mo Ran appeared in the clearing. Instantly, thunder roared and lightning flashed across the sky.