「Two days later.」
Cangmu Banner, Hall of Medicine, Chamber J-13.
Inside the chamber, hundreds of shelves of all sizes were filled with medicinal herbs, making the whole place resemble a library.
Each major section was saturated with a different herbal fragrance—some pungent, others sweet and refreshing. The scents invigorated the senses.
"Ah Yang, Xiaohui, your task today is to thoroughly read the Medicinal Scripture and learn to identify the herbs within."
His Second Uncle, Fang River, said with a smile, "If there's anything you don't understand, you can ask Lingfang. In ten days, I will come to test you. Whoever takes first place will receive a special reward from me."
Hearing this, Sen Hui, in a rare show of initiative, glanced at Fang Yang before quickly looking away. Her eyes, however, burned with a competitive fire.
Fang Yang simply acknowledged the instructions and made no other move.
Nearby, Lingfang, who had only recently been promoted to a Tier One Alchemy Master, felt a pang of envy at the treatment Fang Yang and Sen Hui were receiving.
Her backer, the Myriad Birds Silver Tribe, had gone to great lengths just for her to become Fang River's disciple...
In an instant, Lingfang reined in her thoughts.
She walked forward and handed a copy of the Medicinal Scripture to both Fang Yang and Sen Hui.
The Medicinal Scripture was a tome that taught one to identify the herbs of the Xuan Region. It was an extremely precious text, valuable enough for a Bronze Tribe to treat it as a family heirloom.
If not for their privileged backgrounds, how could they have obtained such an inheritance so easily?
"Don't you two slack off too much. I'll drop by to check on you occasionally." Second Uncle Fang River waved his hand, bidding them farewell and leaving them with only the sight of his dashing back.
It made sense. This was just basic herbology; he could leave it to his disciple to teach.
Soon, under Lingfang's direction, Fang Yang and Sen Hui took up positions on opposite sides of the room and began to study their copies of the Medicinal Scripture.
A gentle breeze drifted through, carrying the fragrant scent of herbs.
Fang Yang held the heavy Medicinal Scripture, his fingertips tracing the pages as he flipped through them, his head bowed in study.
Within the pages of the Medicinal Scripture were records of various medicinal ingredients, complete with their names, images, and functions.
Memorizing all of it was no simple task.
In truth, this was also a contest of talent!
But neither Fang Yang nor Sen Hui felt much pressure.
Fang Yang hailed from the Fang Clan and had been immersed in a rich medicinal environment since childhood. Not to mention, he was a Transmigrator with the disposition of a true seeker of the Dao.
As for Sen Hui, she possessed an Yimu Spirit Body, allowing her to commune with the spirits of plants and trees. She could rapidly memorize all kinds of herbal scents, so studying the Medicinal Scripture posed little difficulty for her.
As a result, their progress in mastering the Medicinal Scripture was simply astonishing!
In just half a day, both of them had already studied a tenth of the book.
The questions they asked grew increasingly tricky, leaving Lingfang feeling like she was sweating bullets.
'Is this the talent of the Golden Clan's chosen? It's terrifying,' Lingfang thought, dumbfounded by their exceptional performance.
When Lingfang compared their progress to her own, she was instantly discouraged and fell silent.
She had been quite pleased with herself for becoming a Tier One Alchemy Master within five years, even feeling a bit arrogant.
But in front of Fang Yang and Sen Hui, she was once again reduced to a humble, studious little girl.
...
While preparing for the Medicinal Scripture test, Fang Yang had another important matter to attend to: hatching the White Feathered Eagle beast egg!
The red sun was sinking in the west but had not yet fully set.
Inside the dimly lit bedroom, Fang Yang stood before the White Feathered Eagle egg. His expression was cloaked in shadow, making it hard to discern.
The White Feathered Eagle egg now rested in a gilded bronze cauldron. The inside of the cauldron was lined with various Spirit Grasses, forming a nest, and was further enhanced by several layers of Yuan formations.
In terms of Yuan Stones, these arrangements would cost at least ten thousand!
This wasn't Fang Yang's doing; he didn't even have a hundred Yuan Stones to his name. This was the work of his Second Uncle.
DRIP...
DRIP DRIP...
Fang Yang suddenly took out a small knife, pierced the palm of his hand, and let his blood drip onto the eggshell, which absorbed it.
At the same time, a Fire Eagle Illusion slowly emerged from his aperture and circled the White Feathered Eagle egg, their auras intertwining.
Under these conditions, the White Feathered Eagle egg began to glow with a dim, red light, causing Fang Yang's face to flicker in and out of view and lending him an eerie air.
'This beast-taming technique is so bizarre... I'm starting to feel like my Ancestor Fang Nian didn't come from a righteous and orthodox background at all.'
He couldn't help but think this as he recalled the essential methods recorded in the Inheritance Jade Scroll.
As the new generation's Fire Eagle Spirit Body, Fang Yang had received the complete Daoist treasury inheritance from Ancestor Fang Nian with the tacit approval of the Fang Clan elders. Nothing was held back.
And so, Fang Yang was shocked to discover that the cultivation Skills just from Tier One to Tier Three included a one-sided Yin-Yang plundering technique.
And that Yin-Yang plundering technique was just one of the more *ordinary* skills...
Just as Fang Yang was pondering what kind of person his ancestor truly was, the gilded bronze cauldron emitted a strange noise.
The noise grew louder and louder, completely shattering Fang Yang's contemplation.
It was the sound of a shell cracking—the White Feathered Eagle was about to be born!
A bright red and white light shone from within the cauldron. The eggshell began to crack from top to bottom. A bare, fleshy wing poked out, followed by half of its body.
The process was clearly difficult, but thankfully, it finally managed to break free.
The White Feathered Eagle hatchling, completely covered in mucus, was now fully revealed before Fang Yang.
The hatchling's body was mostly snow-white, with mottled, fiery red patches between its wings.
Even though it was sparsely feathered and looked like a young chick, Fang Yang still found it cute.
Because once the White Feathered Eagle matured, even as just a Tier Two beast, it could help him scout for information and, if necessary, even carry him soaring through the sky.
In any case, gaining another tool for survival was definitely worth it!
At this moment, the White Feathered Eagle blinked its bright, black eyes at Fang Yang and slowly crawled forward, showing a great deal of dependence on him.
Fang Yang's expression, however, was cold. He shot out a hand and snatched it up.
Ignoring its struggles, Fang Yang took advantage of its weak will and branded it with his own mark.
The Fire Eagle Illusion, carrying a drop of Fang Yang's heart's blood, brutally forced its way into the White Feathered Eagle hatchling's body.
With the help of the cauldron, a five-pointed array of light formed beneath Fang Yang.
This was an enslavement technique, and such techniques were a contest of Soul Foundation!
In a way, the Fire Eagle Illusion was an extension of Fang Yang's Soul Foundation.
In the void, it was as if a colossal Fire Eagle was brutally suppressing the White Feathered Eagle...
"CHIRP, CHIRP CHIRP!!!"
Out of self-preservation, the White Feathered Eagle hatchling began to struggle in Fang Yang's palm, flapping about wildly.
But it was useless.
His preparations over the past few days had not been for nothing.
Within a few breaths, Fang Yang completed the process, and the five-pointed array of light faded away.
Only then did Fang Yang let out a sigh of relief.
Compared to the "bonds and trust" of beast tamers, he trusted himself more.
However, his method went against the true meaning of beast taming and contradicted the mainstream belief within the Golden Clan: a Pet Beast is a partner!
'I've solidified its loyalty, but it's lost some of its spiritual intelligence. My technique is still a bit crude.'
'This loss of intelligence can be remedied if I'm willing to pay the price, but the White Feathered Eagle is only a Tier Two beast. It's not worth spending too many Yuan Stones on.'
'If it doesn't have a great opportunity of its own, I'll just use it as a consumable. There's no need to deliberately expend effort to fix it.'
Fang Yang thought to himself as he gazed into the White Feathered Eagle's now somewhat vacant eyes.
The next moment, he issued a cold command, "Go. Eat the entire eggshell."
It took a full quarter of an hour for the White Feathered Eagle to respond, clumsily scrambling back toward the shell.
Compared to traditional eagle-taming methods, Fang Yang's was a shortcut, but it also came with greater hidden dangers.
And this was only from the low-level part of Ancestor Fang Nian's inheritance.
Given all this, it was no wonder Fang Yang suspected his ancestor wasn't as righteous and noble as the records claimed.
Ahead, the White Feathered Eagle lowered its head and began to gnaw on the eggshell.
Fang Yang once again summoned his Fire Eagle Illusion, mimicking the White Feathered Eagle's actions to comprehend the profound mysteries within.
The White Feathered Eagle was a lesser species of the Fire Eagle, with a degenerated bloodline.
Although its flame power was far inferior to a Fire Eagle's, they shared the same origin.
Essentially, the White Feathered Eagle was a lower-tier substitute for the Fire Eagle.
Currently, the Fang Clan's overall situation was not ideal, so the elders could only find a White Feathered Eagle for Fang Yang to practice on for now.
'Eat up. Grow up fast.'
Fang Yang folded his arms and coldly scrutinized the White Feathered Eagle.
Raising a beast was like keeping a lover; it consumed a great deal of both Yuan Stones and energy.
'If it can't help me, then it can just die. I never keep anything useless!'