“Don’t move, I’ll help you with that wound.” Bai Xiaochun quickly cleaned the wound, and then put some medicinal powder on it. Finally, he released the tiger.
It flew up into the air, and then roared at Bai Xiaochun. A moment later, though, it looked in shock at its previously wounded leg. With a final glance at Bai Xiaochun, it flew off into the distance.
Smiling, Bai Xiaochun watched it fly off.
After finishing his day of observing the beasts, he returned to his residence. Up above, the sky was starting to grow dark. Standing there, he retrieved a wooden box from his bag of holding.
After opening it, he produced a fist-sized seed which pulsed with a strong life force, almost like a heartbeat. It was even possible to see something squirming around inside.
“Beastbirth Seed!” he murmured, eyes shining brightly. He had acquired this item back when the Luochen Clan had turned traitor. It had been inside the bag of holding of one of the Luochen Clan cultivators. Of course, it was a legendary item within the cultivation world.
In the years that followed, Bai Xiaochun had done some research into the item, and had learned from the five volumes of spirit creatures that if it absorbed the quintessence of one or more beasts, it could naturally give birth to a bloodline descendent of those very beasts.
Back on the south bank, Bai Xiaochun had considered what it would be like to have his own battle beast, but had never been able to meet all the requirements. Now that he was here on the north bank, however, he did.
“A Beastbirth Seed can give birth to a baby beast. However, an ordinary beast wouldn’t be fitting for me as a Prestige disciple and the Junior Brother of the sect leader. I need to tend to this Beastbirth Seed very carefully. After it blooms, I’ll collect the quintessence of all the most powerful beasts. That way, it will give birth… to a beast that has the inherited the strong suits of all beasts! It will be unprecedented since ancient times, and something no one will ever see in the future…. It will be the ultimate battle beast!” Eyes shining with brilliant light, and feeling in higher spirits than ever, he took a deep breath and took the wooden box back to the rear courtyard of the honor guard station.
There, he had set up a small garden to grow spirit plants, which was located within the protective spell formation of the honor guard station. He had even performed a threefold spirit enhancement on the spirit soil, just to be safe.
He carefully buried the Beastbirth Seed in the ground, eyes shining with anticipation.
“According to the information in the five volumes of spirit creatures, it won’t take too long for the Beastbirth Seed to grow….” He stayed in the garden looking at the spot where he’d planted the seed until night fell. When it was dark, he left. Moments later though, he returned. Only after checking that the spell formation’s defenses were all in order did he finally go back inside.
He didn’t rest well that night, and went out frequently to check on the spot where he’d planted the seed.
Another half month passed before he finally managed to get his excitement and anticipation under control, and devote himself fully to observing the beasts. Other than that, he had his daily cultivation routine, and his study of the sect rules.
Occasionally, other north bank disciples would show up in the Beast Conservatory. They would pay some merit points at the stone stele for an opportunity to observe the beasts, or to attempt to bond them as battle beasts.
However, Bai Xiaochun kept the rear courtyard under tight guard. He had even made some adjustments to the spell formation nodes to ensure that no one could trample the garden.
Time passed. Half a year went by in complete peace and quiet.
During that time, Bai Xiaochun never stepped out of the Beast Conservatory even once. He spent all day in the jungle, with the beasts as his companions. He treated injuries among quite a few of them, and even created some simple medicinal pills for them that got their qi and blood pumping healthily.
Because of Bai Xiaochun’s constant care, and his medicinal pills, the beasts soon began to develop a good relationship with him. As they grew more accepting, it became easier to approach them more closely and observe them in more detail. Although he didn’t bond any of them, they became very similar to battle beasts, and would listen to every word he spoke.
One day as he was strolling along through the jungle, three north bank disciples approached the stone stele outside the honor guard station. After purchasing three days’ worth of time in the Beast Conservatory, they entered the jungle.
One of them was the previous honor guard, Inner Sect disciple Sun Wen, who had handed his duties over to Bai Xiaochun half a year before.
He was flanked by two Outer Sect disciples, one male and one female. The male disciple was short and babyfaced, while the female disciple was young, with a curvaceous body and a beautiful face.
Looking around excitedly, the young woman said, “Thanks, Elder Brother Sun. With you here, I’m much more confident in getting my own battle beast.” She looked over at Sun Wen with open admiration.
“Yeah, that’s right,” said the short male disciple, equally excited. “Elder Brother Sun is an Inner Sect disciple, and served as honor guard in the Beast Conservatory for several years. He’s adept at controlling the beasts here. I’m sure they all remember exactly who he is.”
“I think you’re exaggerating a bit,” Sun Wen replied, although he seemed very pleased. “Although it is true that I can command many of the beasts here. If you see one you like, I’ll see what I can do. I’m sure I can at least spare you some effort.
“However, you have to remember that there are ten particular battle beasts here with fiery tempers. For example, there’s the skyflame bear, the nightstalker ape, the scarlet flying tiger, and worse of all, the plated mountain juggernaut. Sometimes, people need to be careful even when they come here with protection. Remember not to provoke any of the beasts.” When Sun Wen looked at the female disciple, his heart surged a bit, but inwardly, he sighed.
There was a lot of under-the-table profit to be made in the Beast Conservatory, especially if you were posted there. You could help people find the right beasts using the jade slip, and could even make it easier for them to bond them.
If he’d had his way, he would never have left his post. However, the sect had given him no other choice than to hand it over to Bai Xiaochun, a decision which he resented. Thinking about these things, he led the other two disciples into the jungle, and before long, they had seen quite a few beasts. Many of them came to Sun Wen when he called out to them; clearly, they still remembered him.
“How about this kiwi-deer?
“What about that flying cloudmouse? That’s considered one of the top six hundred beasts here. Want it?
“You two have pretty good luck. This saber-toothed mustang ranks in the top three hundred. When I first saw it, years ago, it wasn’t even close to being this big.
“Eee? It’s a dancing flame butterfly! Hahaha! It’s in the top three hundred, and can cast hallucination magic. Do you want that one?” As they walked along, the two disciples looked at Sun Wen with admiration bordering on worship. Many of the beasts in the area, upon catching sight of him, would stop what they were doing, as if they were simply waiting to be bonded.
The male disciple excitedly picked the saber-toothed mustang, but the female disciple hesitated a bit before abandoning the dancing flame butterfly. She turned to Sun Wen, clearly hoping to get a better beast.