Chapter 240: The Beast Hall

"How is that possible?"

"Am I seeing things?"

The surroundings erupted.

Although Yun Tao's subordinates said nothing, they shared their prince's thoughts: it was impossible for a cultivator to catch that strange bird through movement technique and speed alone.

As the prince's subordinates, they had seen many Tongxuan realm experts and knew many who were fast, but the scene before them still left them utterly bewildered.

In the blink of an eye, crossing dozens of meters, appearing from beside them to beside the strange bird—this... was too fast!

Was this really movement technique?

"Could it be... we underestimated him? This Zhang Xuan is... a Grandmaster?"

The several of them shuddered simultaneously.

Although the Cold Martial Kingdom had Grandmasters, they rarely made a move, and even they did not know exactly how fast they were.

But legend had it that a Grandmaster of the eighth level of martial arts, stationed in one region, possessed unfathomable power, unimaginably strong.

The young man before them, with one hand suppressing the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard into submission, catching the strange bird with two fingers—his profound strength made all of them combined not worth a fraction of his power. Could he really be such an expert?

Grandmaster realm... this was the strength of a founding patriarch in a second-rank kingdom, a living fossil, yet appearing before them, looking less than twenty years old...

Could it be that he was not from Tianxuan Kingdom, but a young master from some titled kingdom's great clan?

Otherwise, how could he be so young and possess such strength, along with such exquisite movement technique?

Regardless, none of them dared to offend him.

The several men swallowed their saliva, not daring to breathe loudly.

"Faster than Wang Ying..."

Shen Biru's pretty face also turned pale.

Although she had mentally prepared herself for Wang Ying, seeing Zhang Xuan's execution still shocked her beyond measure.

If he were to strike at her, he probably wouldn't even need a technique; she would be crushed to death.

"Croak..."

Yun Tao and the others were nearly frightened senseless, while the strange bird's eyes bulged.

It had planned to turn and flee as soon as they approached or moved their weapons, then come back to cause trouble. But who was this person who suddenly appeared?

If it had known someone was so fast that even it couldn't react, it wouldn't have come to cause trouble...

"Not that fast after all!"

Holding the strange bird, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

Earlier, when Yun Tao described it as miraculous, saying it was so fast that arrows couldn't hit it, he thought it was truly formidable and used the complete version of his movement technique. But the result...

What a load of rubbish!

It was as still as a zombie. If he had known, he would have used the incomplete version!

His speed was so great that his body was torn with pain. If he hadn't cultivated the Heavenly Dao technique, this forced acceleration would have made him vomit blood.

His voice was not loud, but everyone was a martial artist and heard clearly, all twitching their mouths.

This... it wasn't that the bird was slow, but that your speed was too monstrous. The creature hadn't even reacted yet...

Ignoring everyone's shock, Zhang Xuan circulated his technique for one cycle to recover from the pain, then turned and instructed: "Come and tame it!"

"Yes!"

Yun Tao quickly walked over, took out a special rope, bound the strange bird so it couldn't fly, then released the hand that was suppressing it.

Seeing him try to tame it, Zhang Xuan focused his attention and watched for a while, then lost interest.

In fact, it was like taming dogs or cats at home: prepare many good things that the beast couldn't refuse to attract it, then use other means to gradually build goodwill and gain its trust.

"Normally, taming a savage beast to voluntarily form a contract with a human takes at least three or four days. Now His Highness is building rapport with it. Once the rapport reaches a certain depth, it may submit. Then, the human and beast cultivate a technique that complements and enhances each other's strength, and it's completely controlled!"

A subordinate, fearing Zhang Xuan might grow impatient, stepped forward.

"Three or four days?"

"Yes, and that's for easy-to-tame ones. Some powerful beasts require immense effort even from professional tamers. Hu Qun, the tamer of our Cold Martial Kingdom, once spent three years in a swamp to tame a half-step Grandmaster-level beast, offering its favorite food every day. Over time, he moved it, and it finally submitted, becoming a celebrated tale."

The subordinate nodded.

"This... is considered a celebrated tale?"

Zhang Xuan was truly exasperated.

Spending three years to tame a beast—what a waste of time. He certainly didn't have that kind of patience or leisure.

"Yes, savage beasts have strength and dignity. If you don't move them or give them a reason, how can they willingly submit?"

The subordinate's eyes burned with fervor: "Not to mention three years, even ten years would be worth it for a half-step Grandmaster-level beast's allegiance."

Seeing the man's excitement, Zhang Xuan paused, then understood.

True, others didn't have the Heavenly Dao Library; they couldn't break through as easily as he did, like drinking water or eating.

Some people, once their potential was exhausted, would be stuck in place for life, with no hope until death.

Take Shen Hong, Liu Ling, and the others—if they hadn't met him, further breakthroughs would have been nearly impossible.

In such a situation, if one could tame a beast of that strength, their power would surely increase greatly.

For instance, in Tianxuan Kingdom, if Emperor Shen Zhui could tame one, even if Shen Hong truly fell, the kingdom could rest easy without worry.

After all, beasts not only could challenge those above their level, but their lifespans were also incomparable to humans.

Taming one would ensure the kingdom's safety for at least a century. Forget three or five years—if it were possible, they would gladly spend ten or twenty years.

After all, others couldn't, like him, overpower the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, known for its strength, suppress it without resistance, and break its shackles in a short time.

"How long will it take him to tame this strange bird?"

Having understood this, he lost interest in watching the tamer's methods and asked.

"I'll ask for you, senior!"

The subordinate hurried over and returned shortly: "Reporting to senior, His Highness says he has communicated with it. About two days, and it can be initially tamed. For the tamer assessment, initial taming is sufficient; full submission is not required."

"Initial taming?"

"That means the bird will stay by his side and won't leave even without special restraints."

The subordinate explained.

"Two days just for that?" Zhang Xuan shook his head. "Too slow."

Spending two days and countless effort just to get a beast to follow—if it's this troublesome, it's better to rent one from the Beast Hall. It seemed... this taming technique wasn't worth learning.

"Let's go take a look."

After a moment's hesitation, he walked over and approached Yun Tao and the strange bird.

"Senior!"

Suspecting that the man before him might be a Grandmaster, Yun Tao was even more respectful.

"You need two days to initially tame this creature?" Zhang Xuan looked at him.

"Yes!" Yun Tao looked at the strange bird, full of excitement. "I just communicated with it in a way beasts can understand. As long as it stays with me, it can have as much of that honey as it wants. It agreed to try staying with me. Two days is the probation period. If I can get the honey, it should succeed!"

"Croak!"

Hearing this, Zhang Xuan looked up at the strange bird. The creature held its head high, looking arrogant, as if it were doing Yun Tao a favor by evaluating him.

"Can't it be faster?" Zhang Xuan frowned and asked.

"Croak! Croak! Croak!" The strange bird called out several times.

After listening, Yun Tao's face showed some embarrassment: "It says that senior's rough handling earlier made it very angry. Two days is already short. If we haggle, it will extend it to ten days or a month..."

"Short?" Seeing the bird's arrogance, Zhang Xuan shook his head. "I don't think so. I think it will submit in less than ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" Yun Tao was stunned, then gave an awkward smile. "That's impossible..."

Taming a Bixue realm beast in ten minutes was utterly impossible.

Not even the most skilled taming grandmaster in the Beast Hall could do it.

"Very simple!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head and reached out: "Give it to me!"

"Yes!" Although he didn't know what he intended, Yun Tao didn't dare refuse and handed over the bird.

Taking the creature, Zhang Xuan looked at it.

"Submit now and become his beast pet."

"Croak!"

Hearing this, the strange bird's eyes bulged, its head held high, clearly displeased, as if demanding why.

Its expression seemed to say: If you want me to be a beast pet, show some respect.

"Fine, if you won't, then die."

Too lazy to waste words, Zhang Xuan slapped it.

Smack!

Before the bird could react, it was slapped to the ground, dizzy and disoriented.

"Senior..." Yun Tao's mouth twitched; he nearly went crazy.

Who tames a beast like this?

Even if it submits, it might be half-hearted, causing more trouble later.

The others were also dumbfounded.

Was this really taming?

He was trying to kill it!

"Croak!"

Clearly not expecting this man to be so fierce, slapping it nearly to death, the strange bird's eyes turned red with rage. It struggled to resist, but before it could get up, a foot kicked it.

Whoosh!

Like a ball, the bird flew up, slammed into a huge rock, and fell dizzy, spitting blood.

"Last chance: submit, be completely loyal, and I'll heal your injuries and boost your cultivation. Otherwise, die!"

Expressionless, Zhang Xuan looked at the bird.

"Croak..."

Struggling to open its eyes, the bird hesitated for a moment, then called out.

Hearing this sound, Yun Tao was stunned, then flushed with excitement.

"Senior... it, it says it agrees..."

"It agrees?"

Yun Tao's subordinates and Shen Biru felt dizzy, nearly collapsing.

How the hell did that work?

When did taming become so easy?

"Good that it agrees. I thought it would be chaste and hold out to the death."

Just a little beast, bullying the weak and fearing the strong, gluttonous, wanting to be served—Zhang Xuan wouldn't indulge it. If it didn't want to live, he'd just kill it. The Xuanluo Mountains lacked many things, but not beasts like this.

"Sign the contract."

Too lazy to waste more words, he grabbed the bird and tossed it over.

Hastily catching the bird, Yun Tao followed the earlier procedure and signed the pact between human and beast.

"Done, give it to me."

Seeing the contract completed, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger, knocking the bird unconscious. As he had done with the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, he touched it, then had Yun Tao wake it again.

The next moment, his fingers tapped rapidly on the bird's body.

Fingers like wind, true qi like swords.

Streams of pure true qi entered the bird's body, causing a fundamental transformation.

Crackle!

After dozens of breaths, a series of bone cracks sounded. The bird, previously on the verge of death, suddenly grew a size larger, its aura surging, reaching the middle stage of Bixue realm.

Along with the increase in cultivation, its previous injuries healed completely.

"Croak?"

Feeling the change in its body, the bird's eyes widened, staring at Zhang Xuan in disbelief.

The reason it loved that honey wasn't just for taste; most importantly, it increased its strength.

Yun Tao had stolen the honey, cutting off its path to advancement, which was why it was so angry and came to cause trouble every day, wasting time.

Earlier, this man had beaten it into submission. It had planned to agree temporarily, then find a way to get back at him for today's humiliation. It never dreamed that the one who beat it would make it break through with just a few touches!

This was a barrier that had plagued it for years, broken in an instant...

Suddenly, the bird felt that submitting to a human might not be a bad thing...

With this thought, its previous pretense turned into genuine sincerity. It bowed its body and lowered its head respectfully, no longer proud.

"This..."

Beasts couldn't fake or hide their feelings. Everyone saw the bird's attitude and stared in amazement.

Others taming beasts had to beg and plead, serving them comfortably, and still might not succeed. But this man beat it once and gained its complete submission. They had thought the earlier Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard was a coincidence, but with this second one, even a fool could see it was true skill.

"This can't be learned."

"I can learn the first step—beating the beast—but the second step, making it break through and heal its injuries, I could never do even if it killed me."

"To be honest, you can't even learn the first step."

"Why do you say that? Isn't it just a good beating?"

"A beating? It's not that simple! If you want to tame a beast, you won't really kill it, so you'll hold back. That reduces the beast's fear. But this Senior Zhang Xuan would have actually killed the bird if it didn't submit. And most importantly... he surpassed it in speed, and with his undisguised killing intent, he made the bird feel genuine panic and fear from the depths of its heart. Otherwise, with a beast's pride, how could it have given in so easily?"

"When you put it that way... it's true..."

...

Although he made taming look easy, the others knew that not only could they not learn it, even professional tamers couldn't do it.

The bird excelled in speed; crushing its confidence in speed alone would stump countless experts.

"Now that this creature has submitted, can we go?"

He had helped just to leave quickly. Since it was tamed, there was no need to stay.

"Yes!"

Yun Tao was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly.

He had thought that with the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard tamed by the other, this assessment was doomed to fail. He never dreamed that this man would step in and succeed.

He looked at Zhang Xuan again, full of gratitude.

With matters settled, the only thing left was the return journey. Zhang Xuan and Shen Biru rode on the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, while Yun Tao and the others ran until they were nearly out of breath.

As he ran, Yun Tao shed tears.

The other sat majestically on the beast's back, while he could only hug that stupid bird and run behind, breaking his legs.

Both had tamed beasts, but the difference was huge...

An hour later, a huge valley appeared before them.

"Such rich spiritual energy!"

As soon as he arrived, Zhang Xuan immediately sensed something unusual.

The spiritual energy in the entire valley was nearly double that of other places. Stepping into it, every pore of his body involuntarily opened, and the spiritual energy continuously washed his flesh, giving him a feeling like soaking in a hot spring.

Cultivating here year-round would definitely yield much greater results than outside.

"The Beast Hall has arranged the entire valley into a spirit-gathering array, so that better spiritual flowers and herbs can grow, and the beasts' physiques will improve, increasing their chances of breakthrough!" Shen Biru said.

She had been equally shocked when she first came.

Turning the entire valley into a grand array and doubling the spiritual energy—what a grand gesture!

Probably only the Beast Hall, which never lacked money, had such boldness!

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan nodded, taking a deep breath, feeling every cell in his body become more active.

The first seven levels of martial arts: first, Gathering Breath; second, Dantian; third, True Qi; fourth, Skin and Bone; fifth, Cauldron Strength; sixth, Opening Acupoints; seventh, Tongxuan.

The first three levels required little spiritual energy, so they need not be mentioned. The fourth level, Skin and Bone, uses true qi to nourish the body; the fifth, Cauldron Strength, refines true qi application to increase strength; the sixth, Opening Acupoints, opens all acupoints; the seventh, Tongxuan, merges true qi smoothly, unimpeded through meridians.

These seven levels did not demand high spiritual energy, so even in a place as barren as Tianxuan Kingdom, they were easily reached.

But without sufficient spiritual energy, breaking through to the Grandmaster realm was difficult.

Grandmaster: accommodating all directions, with internal power vast as an ocean. Without enough spiritual energy and accumulation, a breakthrough was nearly impossible.

Take Zhang Xuan for example: even with the Heavenly Dao technique, without sufficient spiritual energy support, it would be futile.

If the Grandmaster realm was a vast ocean, the spiritual energy of Tianxuan Kingdom was a trickling stream. To fill it would take decades of accumulation, but with a river's flow, the speed would be much faster.

This place had only double the spiritual energy of other places, but the cultivation speed would increase geometrically.

Looking around, the vegetation was clearly denser than outside. From time to time, birds and beasts flew by, all with robust bones and strong builds.

"In terms of my past life, the Beast Hall is like an airport, built far from the city. People who need to travel long distances and are in a hurry come here specifically."

Looking up at the many flying savage beasts darting about, Zhang Xuan had an idea.

Earlier, he had wondered why the Beast Hall wasn't built inside the royal city; seeing these enormous savage beasts, he now understood.

These creatures, each of immense size, would easily cause conflicts if placed within the royal city—no king, it seemed, would be willing to see that.

"The Beast Hall is inside; let's hurry in!"

Following the path along the valley, the group moved forward.

Before long, a town-like structure appeared before them.

Spanning dozens of li, the buildings stood in orderly rows, magnificent and beautiful; the streets were bustling with people. Though slightly inferior to Tianxuan Royal City, it was already comparable to some second-tier cities.

"This... is the Beast Hall?" Zhang Xuan blinked.

He had originally thought the Beast Hall, like the Alchemist Guild, was just a small hall, isolated in the mountains—never in his dreams had he imagined it would be such a prosperous city.

"At the beginning, there was indeed only a single hall here, but as time passed, some came to trade, others were descendants of the Beast Hall, and more and more people settled here, gradually evolving into a city."

Yun Tao explained.

Zhang Xuan nodded.

With many kingdoms surrounding the Xuanluo Mountain Range, there were not a few who wanted to ride flying savage beasts or purchase savage beasts to guard their families. Coupled with the abundant spiritual energy here, it was only natural that over time, it grew to such a scale.

Just like an airport, after being established for a long time, it also forms a huge industrial chain, attracting countless people.

No wonder Shen Biru had that expression when I said earlier that the Beast Hall's people didn't come out to buy things. Now it seems she had been here before and knew the situation.

"Let's go to the Beast Hall!"

Entering the city, they walked along the street for a while without finding anything of interest. At Zhang Xuan's command, they headed straight for the tallest building in the center.

As the foundation of this city, the Beast Hall was towering and majestic, entirely bluish-gray, soaring hundreds of meters into the clouds. At its entrance stood two enormous ferocious beast sculptures, hideous and terrifying, exuding a sense of power.

Directly in front hung a horizontal plaque tens of meters long, bearing the two large characters "Beast Hall" in a dazzling red, written with some unknown substance that gave a sense of oppression.

"It's the blood of high-level ferocious beasts!"

Yun Tao said, "Such ferocious beasts are inherently powerful; even after death, their intimidation does not disappear. The large characters written with their blood make people feel fear at first glance, daring not to act recklessly here."

"Hmm," Zhang Xuan nodded to himself.

It must be said that the Beast Hall had indeed done well in terms of spectacle. Not to mention others, even he felt a sense of awe before even entering.

Stepping through the gate, inside was a spacious hall like the Alchemist Guild, bustling with people. Many strong individuals moved about, some even forming long queues, making it quite lively.

"That's... a peak Acupoint Opening realm? That's a mid-stage Meridian Unsealing realm? And... a peak Meridian Unsealing realm?"

Looking around for a while, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.

Previously, in the Tianxuan Royal City, the lofty Meridian Unsealing realm experts were as common as cabbages here, visible everywhere. Even an unremarkable old man waiting in line might possess peak Meridian Unsealing cultivation.

And the Acupoint Opening realm experts, who could become elders of a family, were the most inconspicuous here, easily encountered in numbers.