Chapter 2014: Qin Yuan, the Sect Leader

The gourd's strength was beyond doubt. For now, no matter what, it had to break the seal first.

Since Master Kong had given that token, he surely wouldn't care how much he used.

That being the case, even if top-grade Immortal Origin Pills were scarce, as long as he asked, the Divine Communication Hall should still be able to produce them.

It would probably just be a bit troublesome!

"But now, inside the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, the Divine Communication Talisman probably can't be used..."

The Ten Thousand Beasts Sect should be like the Lingyun Sword Pavilion, having its own local network; the Divine Communication Talisman of the Divine Communication Hall would likely be of little use.

Moreover, his current strength had reached the True Immortal realm. To purchase more medicinal herbs, he would need to use a talisman of this realm, which he didn't have yet.

It seemed he had to leave the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and find a larger town first.

"So, I need to finish reading the books quickly and leave this place..."

He rubbed his brow.

...

While Zhang Xuan was asking the gourd, Elder Liao and the others had already arrived at the Elder Hall of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect.

"Sect Leader!"

Before them stood a middle-aged man who looked only about forty.

Though he appeared young, the aura within his body had clearly begun to age, as if it might dissipate at any moment.

"Although the beast core of the Evergreen Beast can make one look perpetually young... the body is honest. I suffered a severe injury, my lifespan is damaged, and I have at most five years left. I can no longer hold on!"

Shaking his head, the middle-aged man sighed, then turned to Elder Liao and the others: "How did it go? Any results? Back so soon—did Yuan Zhou succeed, or Liu Ran?"

Yuan Zhou was the elder who had brought out the North Sea Dragon Pearl and was tricked by the White-Eared Fox; Liu Ran was the one who had been surrounded and killed by the flood dragon earlier.

If his lifespan weren't nearly exhausted, he wouldn't have been so anxious to find a successor, even putting his disciples in danger.

"Reporting to the Sect Leader... neither of them succeeded!"

Elder Liao stepped forward and recounted the matter in detail.

"You say... this rogue cultivator named Zheng Yang tamed a flood dragon, a Nine-Headed Fire Phoenix, and a Seven-Tailed Saber-Toothed Tiger—three peak Immortal Lord realm immortal beasts—within just two minutes, while his own cultivation is only at the peak of the True Immortal realm?"

The middle-aged Sect Leader was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help asking.

"Yes!"

Elder Liao nodded: "Elder Yuan and Elder Liu personally took action, and with so many of us assisting, we still failed, with nearly half the casualties... If news leaks, it will be a fatal blow to the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. So... I invited this Zheng Yang over. As long as he acknowledges being an elder of our sect, not only will our reputation not suffer, it might even flourish!"

"Hmm."

Nodding, the middle-aged man stood up: "With my lifespan nearly over, the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect has been weak among the six great sects. If this Zheng Yang is as formidable as you say, it wouldn't be unacceptable for him to inherit the sect! News from the Lingyun Sword Pavilion says that Han Jianqiu just passed the position of Pavilion Master to a young man named Zhang Xuan, simply because he comprehended the Divine Sword Intent... If there's a suitable candidate, I too can step down and yield to the worthy!"

"But... he still needs to be tested!"

"Does the Sect Leader fear he is... from the Divine Hall?" Elder Liao's expression turned grave.

"The Divine Hall has always been aloof, detached from worldly affairs, but in recent years, it seems to be encroaching on the six great sects. We must be cautious!" the middle-aged man said.

"How should we test him?"

Not daring to dwell on the Divine Hall, Elder Liao asked instead.

"Take him to the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall and invite the Azure Nether Beast Ancestor. It is naturally sensitive to people from the Divine Hall. If he is one, it will surely spot him at a glance!" the middle-aged man nodded.

"Alright!" Elder Liao acknowledged.

The Azure Nether Beast Ancestor was the beast companion of the seventeenth Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. Though not the strongest in strength, its spiritual sensitivity was unmatched.

If the other party truly came from the Divine Hall, he would inevitably carry a special aura that could be easily detected.

"As long as he's not from the Divine Hall, this beast-taming skill alone qualifies him to become Sect Leader. With such ability, if he breaks through, he might tame even stronger beast companions. Then why would our Ten Thousand Beasts Sect fear falling behind the Lingyun Sword Pavilion? Next time I see Han Jianqiu, I can proudly tell him... they're not the only ones with geniuses; we have them too!"

The middle-aged man clenched his fists.

Elder Liao withdrew. An hour later, he returned with a complicated expression.

"How did it go?"

The middle-aged man looked over.

"As per your orders, we brought Zheng Yang to the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall. But the result..." Elder Liao's face twitched.

"What result? Did the Azure Nether Beast Ancestor see whether he... is from the Divine Hall?"

"I don't know if it saw anything, but I only know that the Azure Nether Beast Ancestor... clamored to acknowledge him as master, and we barely managed to pull it back..."

Elder Liao said awkwardly.

"Clamored to acknowledge him as master?"

The middle-aged man was dumbfounded.

"Not only that... The Ten Thousand Beasts Hall is where all the sect's disciples' sacred beasts and immortal beasts gather. This Zheng Yang took a walk around, and already over three hundred sacred beasts and twelve immortal beasts want to acknowledge him as master. The whole sect is in an uproar, and many elders are complaining..."

Elder Liao hurriedly said.

"Acknowledge him as master? What exactly happened? I only told you to take him to the Ten Thousand Beasts Hall. Why provoke these sacred beasts and immortal beasts?"

The middle-aged man was stunned, nearly going mad.

He only wanted to confirm the latter's identity. How, in just one hour, did so many beasts want to acknowledge him as master?

The reason the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect was powerful was that almost every core disciple, inner disciple, and elder had a beast companion. Their own cultivation combined with their pets made them nearly invincible at the same level...

If all these beast companions were tamed by one person, wouldn't the entire sect collapse?

All the rules and order would be ruined!

"It was the Azure Nether Beast Ancestor. It heard that Zheng Yang could tame beasts like the flood dragon in a short time and didn't believe it, so it spread the news to many sacred beasts and immortal beasts. They then attacked him, and... I didn't stop it in time, and this happened!"

Recalling the earlier events, Elder Liao felt like crying.

It wasn't that he didn't want to stop it, but he simply couldn't!

So many sacred beasts and immortal beasts charged at him, and within three minutes, they were all beaten down by this Brother Zheng... He thought that was the end of it. Who would have thought that every beast that got beaten would rush over like a lapdog, wanting to acknowledge him as master...

The Azure Nether Beast Ancestor was no exception...

It was an ancestor-level immortal beast... If it acknowledged him as master, what would happen to their seniority?

Wouldn't they suddenly drop several ranks?

Originally, Brother Zheng was called quite well; suddenly having to call him 'Ancestor'... that was unbearable!

Having so many things happen in just one hour, the middle-aged man's eyes went wide: "Take me to see this Zheng Yang!"

...

"So troublesome..."

Looking at the sacred beasts and immortal beasts kneeling before him, Zhang Xuan was full of distress.

Not long after Elder Liao left, he came to find him, saying he wanted to take him to some Ten Thousand Beasts Hall. But as soon as he arrived, he was attacked by many sacred beasts.

To defend himself, he had to beat them all up...

And then... they submitted!

Keeping a low profile was so hard!

But even now, he still couldn't figure out what Elder Liao's purpose was.

Could it be just to have him come and tame beasts?

But... he already had the flood dragon and the others; he didn't need so many!

"All of you, leave. I already have beast companions; I won't take any more."

If he took all these creatures out, it would almost be like a whole sect. How could he remain inconspicuous?

Before he could go far, he would probably be discovered by the Divine Hall and killed outright.

"If you won't take them, take me. My strength has reached the Immortal Lord realm. Though not as strong as the flood dragon and the others, I have a keen sense of smell and natural sensitivity. I can detect danger and prevent it in advance!"

Crawling over, the Azure Nether Beast had a smile in its eyes.

Zhang Xuan frowned.

This Azure Nether Beast, though only at the early Immortal Lord realm, was indeed naturally sensitive, able to foresee danger as it said.

"Alright, then you shall be my beast companion..."

Pausing, Zhang Xuan nodded and was about to complete the acknowledgment ceremony when he saw a middle-aged man flying over urgently: "Brother Zheng Yang, please wait!"

Zhang Xuan stopped.

"Brother Zheng, this is our Ten Thousand Beasts Sect's Sect Leader, Qin Yuan!"

Elder Liao, following behind, quickly introduced him.

"Sect Leader?" Zhang Xuan was startled, then quickly cupped his hands: "Greetings, Sect Leader Qin!"

"Brother, no need to be polite..." Sect Leader Qin Yuan smiled wryly: "I am truly convinced by your beast-taming skills..."

As the Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, there was almost no one in the entire Upper Firmament who could surpass him in beast taming. He thought he had reached the limit, but seeing this young man, he realized... he still had a long way to go!

His proud beast-taming techniques were nothing in front of this man... utterly insignificant!

He had thought Elder Liao was exaggerating, but witnessing the scene before him, he understood that not only was there no exaggeration, but it was understated!

Hundreds of sacred beasts and immortal beasts submitting to one person...

In the entire history of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect, such a thing had never happened.

"Beast taming is actually not as complicated as it seems," Zhang Xuan said.

"Please enlighten us..." Sect Leader Qin Yuan cupped his hands.

"It's simple. Beasts, like humans, need respect and have dignity..." Zhang Xuan began to explain slowly.

On the Master Teacher Continent, his beast taming had reached the pinnacle, unmatched by anyone. Seeing that they wanted to listen, he immediately spoke in detail.

After listening for a while, Sect Leader Qin Yuan's body trembled, and his eyes were filled with disbelief.

He had studied beast taming for many years, never imagining there were such profound theories.

After listening, he felt enlightened, his understanding of beast taming advancing by more than a step!

"Sect Leader, does he... have the qualifications to become the next Sect Leader?"

After who knows how long, Elder Liao couldn't help but transmit his voice.

"Of course!"

Sect Leader Qin Yuan was filled with excitement.

The fact that he could make the Azure Nether Beast Ancestor willingly acknowledge him as master proved he was definitely not from the Divine Hall. Now, with such profound beast-taming methods, if he organized and passed them on to the sect, the entire Ten Thousand Beasts Sect's beast-taming level would rise significantly!

He had strength, was skilled in beast taming, and was not from the Divine Hall... He was absolutely the most suitable candidate to become Sect Leader!

Thinking this, he could no longer hold back. Looking at the young man before him, his voice trembled slightly: "Brother Zheng Yang, are you interested... in becoming the Sect Leader of the Ten Thousand Beasts Sect and governing the entire sect?"

"Become Sect Leader?"

Zhang Xuan was dumbfounded.

He had only been here for an hour, and they wanted him to be Sect Leader... Were the sects in the Upper Firmament always this frivolous?