Chapter 243: Cloud Lightning Ancient Sparrow

Beast Hall Tamer: A Good-for-Nothing?

At the sound of this voice, everyone erupted.

"What did he say?"

"Who is this guy? Looking for death?"

"Daring to mock the tamer? I think he's tired of living!"

...

The crowd turned their gazes in unison, as if ready to kill.

The Beast Hall was renowned throughout the world precisely because of its tamers, who could control savage beasts. Was this fellow out of his mind, or had he lost his wits, to dare mock them to their faces here?

Beside him, Shen Biru's delicate body trembled, and she hurriedly tugged at the young man, nearly fainting.

Where was this?

The Beast Hall!

Calling the tamer a good-for-nothing here, directly targeting Master Hong—wasn't that asking for trouble?

This was no longer a matter of acting on impulse; it was a blatant provocation!

She had always thought this Teacher Zhang had a lot of nerve, but she never imagined it was this much!

"What did you say?"

Sure enough, Master Hong's anger surged to his face, his skin flushed as if bleeding, as he turned his head: "Yun Tao, is this your attitude toward the Beast Hall?"

Zhang Xuan stood together with the people of Hanwu Kingdom, and everyone assumed he was one of Yun Tao's subordinates.

"Senior..." Yun Tao quickly looked over.

When Zhang Xuan said those words, he too thought it was madness.

Even if they had suffered unfair treatment this time and couldn't pass the assessment, they could always start over and retake it next year.

But saying this meant completely offending the Beast Hall, making it impossible to ever take the assessment again.

Although he hadn't known this Senior Zhang Xuan for long, the man was highly skilled, composed, and methodical in everything he did. How could he be unreliable at such a critical moment?

He looked anxiously at the young man not far away, only to see him calm and indifferent, as if he didn't care at all.

Didn't care?

Yun Tao's mouth twitched.

Was this a big heart, or absolute confidence in his own strength?

The Beast Hall had thousands of savage beasts, the weakest of which had reached the Aperture Opening realm. Causing trouble here meant even a Grandmaster couldn't escape!

Just as he was frantic, wanting to dissuade him and feeling the pressure was too much to bear, he saw the young man opposite him smile faintly, clasp his hands behind his back, and look over.

"Ignoring rules without following them, failing to recognize a savage beast before you, acting willfully based on personal likes and dislikes, jumping to conclusions without investigation or debate... if that's not a good-for-nothing, what is?"

His voice was calm and unhurried, showing no trace of panic, as if he didn't care at all about the enraged Master Hong.

"Is he... lecturing Master Hong?"

"Who is this guy?"

"Even Hall Master Feng wouldn't talk like that, would he?"

...

Seeing the young man's demeanor and tone, as if he were scolding a student, everyone felt their minds nearly stop.

They had seen arrogant people, but never one this arrogant.

This kid was asking for trouble!

Who did he think he was?

Master Hong was a renowned tamer of the Beast Hall. Accusing him of acting on personal likes and dislikes and jumping to conclusions... this was no longer just speaking up for Yun Tao; it was a direct slap in the face, questioning his ability and profession.

"You say I don't follow the rules? Don't recognize savage beasts?"

Accused to his face, Master Hong's aura surged, as if it might burst out at any moment.

"I, Hong Feng, have been a tamer for thirty-seven years, tamed twenty-four savage beasts, taught eighteen students, three of whom became official tamers. Though I don't claim deep expertise in the art of taming, I am no reckless talker! And you dare say I don't follow rules, don't recognize savage beasts? Very well, very well. If you can't give a reason today, no matter who you are in Hanwu Kingdom, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

His aura boiling, Master Hong revealed his cultivation—a peak Tongxuan realm expert, not far from half-step Grandmaster.

Roar!

As he grew angry, a huge savage beast also burst out and stood side by side with him.

It was a red-eyed giant ape, about three meters tall, whose slightest movement gave a sense of earth-shattering pressure.

When a tamer fought, they always coordinated with their beast companion.

This red-eyed giant ape had also reached the peak of Tongxuan realm, its ferocious aura surging like a tide, giving even greater pressure than Master Hong himself.

Seeing this, everyone turned pale with fear and involuntarily stepped back.

If this man and beast truly fought, with their strength and coordination, they could even take on a half-step Grandmaster!

"What? Wrong and unwilling to correct, and you want to fight me?"

Flicking his sleeve, Zhang Xuan remained completely unfazed by the pressure.

Although the opponent was strong, he too had reached the peak of Tongxuan realm, and with his many techniques, even if ten more such opponents came, they couldn't harm a hair on his head.

"What's going on?"

Just as Master Hong was about to strike and the atmosphere in the room was at its most oppressive, a loud shout rang out, and three figures strode over.

"It's Hall Master Feng and the two two-star tamers, Lu and Wang!"

"Didn't Master Hong just say they were busy?"

"This kid is clearly challenging the authority of the Beast Hall. Even if there's trouble, he'll definitely come!"

"This kid is finished, and so is Yun Tao!"

"Indeed, the Cold Martial Kingdom is merely a second-rate kingdom. How can it withstand the wrath of the Beast Hall!"

…

Seeing the three appear, the crowd erupted in uproar.

The Beast Hall had a total of three two-star beast tamers, and now they had all come.

Zhu Jinhuang, Zhou Xuan, and others looked over with schadenfreude, full of smugness.

Earlier, insulting Beast Tamer Hong was just a personal conflict, with room for resolution. But now that the hall master had personally appeared, if things escalated, it would become a conflict between the Beast Hall and the Cold Martial Kingdom, hard to reconcile.

On the side, Miss Mo Yu couldn't help but shake her head.

Yun Tao bringing a bird to take the beast tamer exam was foolish enough, but this subordinate was even more foolish!

He even dared to provoke Beast Tamer Hong. How could Hong let it go?

If things blew up, the Cold Martial Kingdom would be the one to suffer.

She stood with her hands behind her back, like an aloof fairy, her face expressionless.

Whether Yun Tao was about to face misfortune or not had nothing to do with her; she couldn't be bothered.

"Hall Master, Beast Tamer Lu, Beast Tamer Wang!"

Seeing them arrive, Beast Tamer Hong stepped forward and, though still angry, recounted what had just happened.

"You say Hong Feng broke the rules and doesn't recognize savage beasts?"

After hearing the account, Hall Master Feng turned to look over, his gaze like lightning.

Hall Master Feng was an old man in his sixties, tall and imposing, with a distinctive bearing in every move.

He was actually a Grandmaster-level expert!

The remaining Beast Tamer Lu and Beast Tamer Wang seemed the same. Though they stood quietly, they gave off a sense of mountain-like stability, as if unshakable.

Three two-star beast tamers, three Grandmasters!

It was precisely because they presided over the hall that, despite the Beast Hall's high prices, no one dared to talk back here.

"Correct," Zhang Xuan nodded.

"Do you realize that saying this is questioning his ability? For a beast tamer, this would mean total loss of reputation?" Hall Master Feng narrowed his eyes.

No wonder Beast Tamer Hong was angry. By saying this, the young man was essentially doubting his professional competence. If word got out that a dignified beast tamer couldn't even recognize a savage beast, how could he face anyone?

Zhang Xuan didn't explain. He stepped forward to the center of the room and flicked his finger.

Woo woo woo!

The strange bird on Yun Tao's shoulder flew over.

Compared to Yun Tao, this strange bird was more willing to listen to Zhang Xuan. Although he had given it a good beating, he had also helped it improve its cultivation.

The strange bird landed on Zhang Xuan's hand. He then looked up and smiled lightly.

"I'd like to ask the four beast tamers: what is the name of this bird?"

"Name?"

Seeing that he didn't answer but instead asked about the bird's name, everyone looked over.

Beast Tamer Hong's face darkened, and he snorted: "Though this creature is rare, I have read detailed descriptions in books. It's called the 'Bone-Wing Bird.' Legend has it that this bird has one more bone in its back than normal birds, used to support its body. This bird is ornamental, with no combat ability at all, so naturally it doesn't count as a savage beast. What? Are you trying to say it's not?"

"Indeed, that description matches the Bone-Wing Bird."

Beast Tamer Lu on the side stroked his beard: "The Bone-Wing Bird lives deep in the dense forest, sings at sunrise, its voice reaching the heavens, very pleasant. This creature, as Beast Tamer Hong said, is for ornamental play, quite valuable, but using it to test for a beast tamer—that's difficult!"

Hearing their words, Zhang Xuan's face showed no expression. Instead, he smiled lightly and looked at Hall Master Feng not far away.

"What does the hall master think?"

"This should be a Bone-Wing Bird. One can clearly see a bone sticking out diagonally from its back," Hall Master Feng also nodded.

Hearing that all three beast tamers had reached this conclusion, Zhang Xuan shook his head, sighed, and looked over: "Since you've judged it to be a Bone-Wing Bird, can any of you tell me the detailed characteristics of the Bone-Wing Bird?"

"The Bone-Wing Bird has a black back, a red beak, and golden-yellow claws. Especially on its back, there are three hollow feathers that, when it flies, catch the wind and produce a clear chirp. Therefore, its melodious song does not come from its throat but from the feathers on its back..."

Before the three beast tamers could answer, a faint voice sounded.

It was Miss Mo Yu, who had just passed the beast tamer exam.

She recited the characteristics of the Bone-Wing Bird as recorded in books.

But before she finished, she stopped. Her fair face turned somewhat unpleasant, and her eyes were full of doubt.

"You're right. The Bone-Wing Bird's melodious song does not come from its throat but from its back feathers. That is, whenever it flies, it makes a sound... Just now, as it flew around, did any of you hear it?"

Zhang Xuan smiled slightly.

"This..." The crowd was stunned.

This strange bird had flown back and forth several times just now, yet no one had heard any sound. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't even have known it had come.

If what Miss Mo Yu had recited was correct, then... was this really not a Bone-Wing Bird?

"This strange bird has golden-yellow claws, but there are red spots on the pads, and a fleshy crown on its forehead. On its back, instead of one bone, there are three. It also lacks the feathers that produce sound. Most importantly... its body is light, and it flies extremely fast!"

Zhang Xuan lifted the strange bird in his hand and explained each characteristic one by one.

With each explanation, Beast Tamer Hong's face darkened a few shades.

Because by now, he too could see that this strange bird was indeed somewhat different from the Bone-Wing Bird.

"If it's not a Bone-Wing Bird, then what do you say it is?"

He couldn't help asking.

Zhang Xuan clasped his hands behind his back and smiled lightly.

"It is an ancient relic beast—the Cloud Lightning Ancient Sparrow!"