"Welcome to the Spirit Beast House!"
A scantily clad woman stood behind the counter, greeting Shen He, whose face was veiled by a long scarf, with a professional yet still enthusiastic smile. "What would you like to order?"
Shen He lowered his gaze, glanced at the counter, and then said, "Five basic healing potions, five basic antidotes, and twenty basic constitution-enhancing potions."
"Okay, please wait a moment."
The woman nodded, wrote down the order form, and turned to leave. Shen He took the opportunity to examine the other items.
This
Spirit Beast House mainly sold potions, but it also had a considerable number of other items, including spirit beast eggs.
These spirit beast eggs weren't actually the eggs of spirit beasts, but rather eggs created by spirit masters who captured various spirit beasts and sealed them using special methods.
Therefore, there are a great variety of spirit beast eggs, almost encompassing all types, not just those of oviparous spirit beasts.
Right now, you can see from the counter rows of crystal-clear spirit beast eggs, resembling round crystals, each containing a different spirit beast. The vast majority are jackals, wolves, tigers, and leopards, but there are also a few rare and exotic creatures.
Compared to spirit tamers, determining the strength of spirit beasts is far more complex. Besides the seven ranks corresponding to spirit tamers, a spirit beast's race, potential, and attributes also significantly impact its strength. Therefore, in addition to ranks, spirit beasts are also divided into "species ranks":
Common, Superior, Elite, Leader, Monarch, and Emperor.
Species ranks not only affect a spirit beast's strength but also determine its growth potential and potential. For example, a common spirit beast can only grow to a mid-level at most, with almost no chance of becoming a high-level spirit beast.
Li Taiyi's former companion, the Ancient Dragon King, was an Emperor-type spirit beast with the potential to grow to the sixth rank. After signing a contract with Li Taiyi and gaining the power of heroism, it broke through to the seventh rank, becoming a top-tier Destiny Spirit Beast
on the Spirit Control Continent. If the Ancient Dragon King hadn't died, even if it was reverted to its original form after its destiny ended, Li Taiyi could have relied on it to start anew, becoming a sixth-rank Emperor-level Spirit Master and securing a place for himself on the Spirit Control Continent.
Unfortunately, it died, vanishing into thin air, leaving no trace.
So now…
the spirit beast eggs in the display case are mostly common breeds, with only a few superior breeds priced at astonishing levels.
Although Yin Nianyun had given him a substantial breakup fee, more than enough to buy a superior spirit beast egg, Shen He still suppressed the idea.
"Sir, here are your potions."
The woman returned to the counter and placed several boxes of potions in front of Shen He: "A total of eighty-five low-grade crystal coins."
Shen He nodded, took out a bag of low-grade crystal coins from his waist, counted out eighty-five, and handed them to her.
These crystal coins were a strange mineral, storing the power of a substance called "spirit crystals." Not only could they be absorbed and utilized by spirit beasts, but they could also be used to create potions and spirit-taming weapons. They were the common currency of the Spirit Taming Continent, circulating among both commoners and spirit tamers.
Yin Nianyun's breakup fee for Li Taiyi included over a thousand mid-grade crystal coins and several thousand low-grade crystal coins. As long as he didn't think about making a comeback, these crystal coins were enough for him to find a remote city and live a comfortable life for the rest of his days.
Shen He was grateful to her for this; without this breakup fee, he might have had to retreat into the deep mountains again and spend another few years surviving in the wilderness.
The mountains in this world were not easy to traverse!
Now that he had money, everything was easier.
Shen He stored the potion in his Spirit Ring and left the Spirit Beast House, heading to the largest inn in town.
"A mid-level room, three months' stay, and send me twenty catties of cooked sand bream meat."
"Yes, sir, here is your crystal card."
"..."
Inside the room, in the bathroom.
Shen He took off his face towel and looked at himself in the mirror. Unshaven, weathered, he looked like a decadent middle-aged man, a far cry from the spirited man he was three years ago.
A Fated Spirit Master possesses a destiny, and their growth rate is astonishing. According to Li Taiyi's memories, he became a lower-level Spirit Master at fourteen, obtained the Chapter of Valor at eighteen, became a Fated Spirit Master at twenty, and sealed the Dark Demon King at twenty-two.
Now it's the third year since the Dark Demon King was sealed, meaning he's only twenty-five.
Twenty-five years old, looking like this—it's clear how decadent his life has been these past three years.
But Shen He was quite satisfied with this appearance, because it perfectly concealed his identity.
After sitting in the room for a while, a waiter soon came and handed him the ordered Shaluo meat.
Shaluo is also a kind of spirit beast, the lowest level of ordinary spirit beast. Its appearance is similar to the black pig in Shen He's memory. Its special feature is that it can eat a lot and is not picky about food. Its meat is succulent, tender and juicy. It is a spirit beast that is mainly raised for consumption and is loved by humans and carnivorous spirit beasts.
Shen He put a piece of meat into his mouth. Sure enough, the meat was fragrant, tender, and juicy, possessing a unique power. In terms of nourishment, it even surpassed the tigers and leopards he had hunted in the deep mountains.
This was spiritual energy, the spiritual energy contained within the meat of spirit beasts.
Unfortunately, humans didn't utilize it well. Even long-term consumption only strengthened their bodies, turning them into humanoid sand monsters, offering little resistance against other carnivorous spirit beasts.
In this world, the correct way for humans to utilize spiritual energy was to strengthen their spirit, becoming a Spirit Master, and then using their spiritual power (Spirit Mastery Power) to form a contract with a spirit beast.
After the contract was signed, the Spirit Master would grow together with the spirit beast. Spirit beasts utilized spiritual energy far more efficiently than humans, especially in terms of physical strength. At this point, the Spirit Master could enhance their physical power by nurturing the spirit beast.
In other words, after signing a contract, the benefits that the spirit beast brings to the spirit master from eating its meat far outweigh those of the spirit master eating it themselves. Therefore, many spirit masters would rather eat bread and drink cold water themselves than let their spirit beasts suffer.
The spirit beasts are responsible for strengthening the physical body; the spirit master only needs to leverage their superior intelligence and focus on improving their spirit mastery. The stronger the spirit mastery, the more spirit beasts they can contract, and the more significantly their physique and lifespan will improve.
Although Shen He currently has no spirit beasts, he possesses the Devouring Yuan Technique, which is quite effective.
Soon, twenty catties of Sand Lion beast meat were swallowed by Shen He. A warm current rose within his abdomen, spreading to his limbs and bones, nourishing his weak and empty body.
After signing a contract, although the spirit master can grow together with the spirit beast, if the spirit beast is harmed or even dies, the spirit master will also be affected.
Li Taiyi is a prime example. As a Celestial Spirit Master who grew alongside the Ancient Dragon King, his physical strength during the sealing of the Dark Demon King Beast was already comparable to that of an ordinary sixth-tier spirit beast; splitting mountains and shattering rocks was effortless for him.
However, with the death of the Ancient Dragon King, he also suffered immense damage. In the end, he not only lost the power of a Celestial Spirit Master, but his physical body, which was comparable to that of a sixth-tier spirit beast, was also reduced to its original form, making him a completely ordinary person.
It was only because the contract provided a final guarantee that the Spirit Master wouldn't die; otherwise, Li Taiyi might not have survived to this day.
Sensing the spiritual energy flowing within his body, Shen He's eyes narrowed, and he immediately stood up to practice Xingyi Quan.
But he quickly stopped, his brows furrowed, and his eyes revealed surprise and doubt.
"The effects of Devouring Yuan Technique and Xingyi Fist have been weakened by as much as 50%?"
"Is it because this body's aptitude is poor, affecting its performance, or is there some special rule restricting this world, where humans can only cultivate spiritual power and spirit beasts can only cultivate physical power?"
"If that's the case, then I'll have to buy a spirit beast egg tomorrow. The effect of martial arts cultivation is really too poor."
Shen He frowned, flipped his hand, took out a potion, and poured it into his mouth.
A basic physique enhancement potion!
As mentioned before, humans have extremely low efficiency in utilizing spiritual energy, except for spiritual cultivation. Therefore, this physique enhancement potion is not for humans, but for beasts.
But Shen He still tried to give himself one to see if it could improve the effect of martial arts cultivation.
The result...
"A little, but not much."
"It seems I still have to rely on the power of a spirit beast, or unlock a profession and break through the limitations with the power of the profession panel."
Feeling the effect of the potion and the changes in his body, Shen He muttered to himself and continued practicing Xingyi Fist.
Although the effects of his martial arts training had drastically decreased, he still didn't intend to give up. After all, every additional method meant more confidence. As long as he could strengthen himself, even a drop in the ocean could add up.
But while adding up little by little was fine, he didn't plan to go down a single path to ruin; he intended to pursue a two-pronged approach.
So…
the next morning, at the Spirit Beast House.
A scantily clad woman appeared before Shen He again: "What do you need?"
Shen He cut to the chase: "Do you have any Sand Beast eggs?"
"Sand Beast?"
The woman looked at Shen He with a strange expression: "Are they ordinary Sand Beast eggs?"
Shen He understood her implication: "Do you have any unusual ones?"
"Of course we have them."
The woman pointed to a spirit beast egg in the display case. "Ordinary Sand Beasts, besides their fast growth rate and delicious meat, have no special abilities. They are the lowest-grade meat-type spirit beasts, and basically no spirit master would choose them. Therefore, our shop does not stock Sand Beast eggs.
However, we have an Earth Sand Beast egg. It is a variant of the ordinary Sand Beast, a superior species. Not only does it grow faster and have a stronger physique, but it can also mobilize the power of the earth, making it an excellent melee-type spirit beast.
If you sign a contract with it, the spirit master can not only obtain its physical strength but also the power of the earth, giving them a great advantage in ground combat. It's on special offer now, only 10,000 low-grade crystals."
The woman tried her best to promote this spirit beast egg to Shen He.
Shen He looked at the little black pig in the egg: "How much does it eat?"
"Well..."
the woman hesitated for a moment, "Its appetite is more than ten times that of an ordinary sand beast, but its growth rate and physical strength are also more than ten times that of an ordinary sand beast. And now, we're giving away a thousand catties of sand beast feed with every purchase."
Shen He smiled: "Five thousand!"
"No way!"
the woman shook her head repeatedly: "This is a superior spirit beast, it costs at least fifteen thousand crystal coins. We're selling it for ten thousand crystal coins now, which is already a 60% discount, not to mention we're giving away a thousand catties of feed."
"Six thousand!" "Nine thousand!" "Seven thousand
!
"
"Eight thousand!"
"Deal!"
After some haggling, Shen He pocketed the spirit beast egg and the free thousand catties of pig feed, and walked out the door satisfied.
The woman watched him leave, feeling a pang of heartache and reluctance, but mostly a sense of relief.
Thank goodness, he finally got rid of this money-losing beast.
As livestock, the boar-like beast is undoubtedly impeccable, but as a spirit beast, it's utterly useless.
It can only eat, not fight; its hide is thin, its meat is flimsy, and its speed is pitifully slow—it embodies a thousand flaws.
Therefore, very few spirit masters would sign a contract with them, not even the superior mutated species. Otherwise, why would she be selling
it off at such a desperate price? It's unclear what this person would do with it—use it as a meat shield, or as a breeding beast to improve the quality of their livestock?
Inside the inn room, Shen He first poured a bowl of feed, then activated his spiritual power to release the seal on the spirit beast egg.
"Bang!"
"Gurgle!"
The seal was released, the crystal shattered, leaving only a small black pig standing in place.
It was the Earth Sand Beast! (
This book is first published on Taiwan Novel Network, which offers a wide selection of chapters, including error-free and ordered chapters.)
The little black pig shook its crystal eggshell, then was attracted by the bowl of Sand Beast feed, rushing to the edge and burying its head in it to eat.
Shen He stood to the side, his hands forming a hand seal, his spiritual power gathering, preparing to sign a contract.
A normal Spirit Master needs to master a lot of professional knowledge. First, there's the method of cultivating Spirit Power, and second, the techniques for using Spirit Power, such as the Contract Seal that Shen He is currently using.
Both cultivation methods and techniques have secret inheritances, equivalent to the divine martial arts manuals in the martial arts world.
Logically, as a destined Spirit Master, Li Taiyi should possess top-tier cultivation methods and Spirit Master skills.
However, after searching through his memories, Shen He discovered that this guy truly doesn't play by the rules.
What top-tier cultivation methods?
What secret Spirit Master techniques?
Sorry, none of them!
Just a basic Spirit Master technique, and all the Spirit Master skills are commonplace, completely unrelated to divine martial arts manuals. Even his spirit beast combat skills were something the Ancient Dragon King comprehended on his own.
He showed Shen He through his own experience what it means for even a pig to take off when standing in the right place at the right time.
Because of the blessing of destiny, the effect of his cultivation of the basic spirit control technique was no different from that of the top-level spirit control technique. As for spirit control secrets, even common ones became divine manuals in his hands. And spirit beast combat techniques were even more extraordinary; the Ancient Dragon King himself had mastered the most advanced spirit beast combat techniques, so there was no need for him to bother collecting them.
Therefore, he left Shen He nothing but a basic spirit control cultivation method and some common spirit control techniques. Forget about kings and emperors; even a novice low-level spirit control master could rival him in this regard. It
was practically a trap!
Fortunately, the Sand Lion Beast was docile, and the difficulty of forming a contract with it was extremely low, even for superior species. As long as it was fed well, it could be easily captured.
Shen He pushed forward with both hands, and the contract seal flew down, causing the hardworking little black pig to stiffen slightly, but it quickly recovered and continued fighting with the feed in the bowl.
The contract was complete!
At the instant the contract was completed, a faint yellow light emerged from the little black pig's body and rushed directly into Shen He's body.
Then, Shen He felt a strange force flowing through his body, causing his blood and qi to rapidly strengthen.
Spirit Contract, life energy.
And the earth power of the Sand Lion Beast made Shen He feel a sense of familiarity with the stone and earthen floor beneath his feet.
Seizing the opportunity, Shen He began to practice his fist techniques, preparing to condense the blood and qi in his body into internal force.
After an unknown amount of time, Shen He unleashed a powerful punch, with a faint sound of air exploding, and his blood and qi condensed, achieving internal strength.
Internal force mastered, first level of martial arts!
"Lulu?"
Seemingly sensing its master's change, the Sand Lion Beast raised its eyes in confusion, but unable to discern anything, it could only lower its head and continue happily eating.
Shen He stood still, looking at the job panel.
"Job Successful!"
"You have unlocked a Tier 1 job—Spirit Master!"
"You have acquired the job talent—Sand Beast Breeder!"
Li Taiyi (Shen He)
Job: Spirit Master (Spirit Masters can gain a small amount of job experience through cultivating Spirit Master techniques, Spirit Master battles, and raising spirit beasts. Each job level increases slightly, enhancing mental strength.)
Job Rank: Tier 1, Level 1.
Job Talent: Sand Beast Breeder (Having come from a rural background, you have expert-level knowledge of raising Sand Beasts, significantly improving the effectiveness of raising them and having a small chance of causing them to evolve.) Job Skills:
None.
Job Items: None.
General Skills: Xingyi Quan, Devouring Yuan Gong.
...
A cheat, though late, has arrived.
Looking at the newly unlocked job panel and the "Sand Beast Breeder" talent, Shen He was both amused and exasperated.
Spirit Master, the basic job in the Spirit Master system, is standard and unremarkable.
If there were professionals in the Spirit Taming Continent, they would definitely scoff at this talent of raising sand monsters. After all, no matter how well you raise a sand monster, it won't amount to much; at most, you'll earn a little money, and you'll still be exploited by those nobles.
But in Shen He's eyes…
"Eat up, eat up!"
"Lulu!"
Watching the little black pig burying its head in its food, Shen He smiled indulgently, poured it another bowl of sand monster feed, and mixed in a basic physique enhancement potion.
For a regular Spirit Tamer, contracting a spirit beast like a sand monster wouldn't offer much of a future.
But he wasn't a regular Spirit Tamer; his main combat strength was himself. The sand monster's role was to enhance his physical strength through the Spirit Taming Contract, thereby improving the effectiveness of his martial arts cultivation.
Therefore, the sand monster's combat power was irrelevant to him; what mattered was its physical growth.
Although the sand monster wasn't particularly good in this aspect, ninety-nine percent of things in this world could be solved with money, and this problem was no exception.
Average growth?
Weak physique?
"Then let's give it some drugs. After a few hundred doses of physique-enhancing potions, even a sand monster can become a giant Vajra.
" "It's a pity the spirit beast's rank is too low to unlock its intelligence. This sand monster is especially known for its low intelligence. Otherwise, I could try teaching it Xingyi Quan and the Devouring Yuan Technique."
"Spirit beasts are naturally gifted in physical development. If they could also cultivate Xingyi Quan and the Devouring Yuan Technique..."
"It's not possible now, but that doesn't mean it won't be possible later. Third-tier superior spirit beasts can converse with humans, and fourth-tier spirit master-level spirit beasts possess intelligence comparable to humans." "
At that time, maybe we can really let them practice martial arts!"
Shen He planned for the future.
Meanwhile, the little sand monster, after finishing two large basins of feed, happily lay down on the ground and fell fast asleep.
It truly ate its fill and slept, slept its fill and ate.
Seeing its appearance, Shen He sighed helplessly and silently counted the crystal coins in his Spirit Control Ring.
This earth-eating sand beast eats ten times more than an ordinary sand beast. Combined with his profession's effects and the "Sand Beast Breeder" talent, the little guy's appetite and growth rate can only be described as terrifying.
In other words, the feed alone will be a huge expense. If he also has to feed it enhancement potions and spiritual items to strengthen its physique, then the breakup fee given by Yin Nianyun probably won't last more than a few years.
How will he get the money to continue raising pigs then?
Shen He fell into deep thought.
...
And so, a year later.
Shen He left the inn, traveling lightly towards the edge of town, preparing to head to the Tianmu Mountains.
"Hmm?"
"Finally decided to come out?"
"Go report to the boss quickly."
Several eyes hidden in the shadows also quietly moved at this moment.
"This guy is a new face!"
"A year ago, he came to White Stone Town. He first bought healing and antidotes at the Spirit Beast House, then stayed at the White Stone Inn in a mid-level room, staying for a year." "
Later, he went back to the Spirit Beast House and spent eight thousand crystal coins to buy an Earth Sand Beast egg. After that, he continuously bought Sand Beast feed and physique-enhancing potions from the Spirit Beast House, spending tens of thousands of low-level crystal coins in total. He even used mid-level crystal coins to exchange for other items."
"Buying healing and antidotes means he was injured and poisoned at the time."
"Buying spirit beast eggs, Sand Beast feed, and physique-enhancing potions means his spirit beast was injured, or even dead, so he needed to raise a new one to replace it."
"Having mid-level crystal coins and being able to spend them like this, he's at least a mid-level or even high-level Spirit Master."
"The boss checked him with his Spirit Eye before; his spiritual power was only low-level, clearly indicating his spirit beast died, causing his rank to drop."
"A Spirit Master who lost his spirit beast and fell to a lower rank, only has a newly trained Sand Lion Beast at his disposal..."
"A fat sheep, a very fat sheep!"
Those in the shadows waited for their chance to strike.
Outside White Stone Town, Shen He seemed oblivious, strolling through the wilderness, soon arriving at the outer edge of the Sky Curtain Mountains.
Then...
"Roar!!!"
A furious roar shook the forest, revealing a giant bear, menacingly blocking his path.
Shen He stopped, turning back to see another roar, and a striped tiger leaped down, directly blocking his retreat.
A second-tier common spirit beast—Iron-Armed Bear! A
second-tier common spirit beast—Blazing Tiger!
A bear and a tiger, blocking his way from both sides.
Not only that, but spirit beasts also darted about in the surrounding forests, eyeing him menacingly.
After the spirit beast, several more figures strolled over with cold smiles: "Kid, you've kept the White Stone Hunters waiting!"
"White Stone Hunters?"
Shen He murmured, looking around at the formation: "Are robberies this blatant these days?"
"Hmph, enough nonsense!"
The leader sneered: "I know you used to be a mid-level spirit master, maybe even a high-level one, but that's all in the past. Now you only have a Sand Lion Beast, right? And it's newly trained. What, want to fight us?"
Shen He smiled: "That's hard to say."
"Still being stubborn even when you're about to die!"
The bandit leader's expression grew even colder: "Either release your Sand Lion Beast, or leave everything you have, and maybe we'll let you go."
"Let's see then."
Seeing this, Shen He was decisive. The Azure Star on his wrist flashed, releasing a giant shadow that crashed down in front of the bandits. A deafening
"Bang!!!"
shook the mountains and forests. The bandits stood frozen in place, staring in astonishment at the massive, mountain-like figure.
The figure, over three meters tall, resembled a small, fleshy mountain. Its purplish-black skin bulged high, its bulging muscles stretching into a terrifying arc, radiating a chilling aura of power.
A Sand Beast?
A Sand Beast over three meters tall?
Didn't they say he'd only bought that spirit beast egg a year ago? How the hell did they raise it?
And what about those muscles? How many physique enhancers did he feed it? This damn Sand Beast, or a giant bull?
The bandits were horrified, but thankfully their leader snapped out of it in time.
"Don't panic! No matter how big it is, it's still a Sand Beast!"
"Speed is its Achilles' heel. I'll use the Iron-Armed Bear to restrain it, the rest of you use hit-and-run tactics to control its movements."
"Second brother, you and Blazing Tiger deal with this brat. As long as the Spirit Master is dead..."
"Roar!!!"
Before the words were finished, a golden dragon's light and shadow roared proudly through the mountains and forests.