Chapter 246: Are You Taking the Beast Tamer Exam?

"Beat... him up?"

Everyone was stunned.

Hall Master Feng's mouth twitched, and he nearly fainted.

This was an ancient remnant beast, the second of its kind that might not exist in the entire Xuanluo Mountain Range. One should treasure and care for it... beat it up?

Moreover, taming requires building rapport and increasing compatibility. Beating it might force it to submit outwardly, but over time, various problems would arise.

But... if he used forceful means to subdue this Cloud Lightning Ancient Sparrow, what was with the forty loyalty points?

Coercion could indeed tame a beast; there had been precedents. But under coercion, even with a contract, loyalty was the lowest among fully tamed beasts, around thirty-one.

Forty points of loyalty meant genuine submission, without any reluctance!

"Could it be... that ancient remnant beasts need to be tamed this way?"

Hall Master Feng, Beast Tamer Lu, and Beast Tamer Wang exchanged glances, each lost in thought.

Ancient remnant beasts had never been tamed before; no one knew how. They had assumed it required care, attention, and friendship like other beasts, but... could it be the simplest method: violence?

"Um... this Senior Zhang Xuan you mentioned, where is he? Could we visit him?"

After thinking and failing to understand, Hall Master Feng couldn't help asking.

In his view, this senior who studied ancient remnant beasts must be venerable and no less knowledgeable about taming than they were.

"Visit? No need. Senior Zhang Xuan is right here..."

Startled, Yun Tao pointed over.

"He is... Senior Zhang Xuan?"

Hall Master Feng was taken aback, his vision swimming.

Yun Tao, after all, was a prince of the Hanwu Kingdom, twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old. For him to call someone 'senior,' they expected someone in their fifties or sixties. But it turned out to be this young man, barely twenty, who had just identified the Cloud Lightning Ancient Sparrow...

"Yes, though Senior is young, his taming skills are solid. See that Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard beside him? He tamed it just now. From meeting to taming, it took less than ten minutes."

Afraid Hall Master Feng and the others wouldn't take him seriously, Yun Tao quickly praised Zhang Xuan.

"Less than ten minutes... taming a Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard?"

"Is this a dream?"

"There's a limit to nonsense. Even the simplest beginner taming takes three to five days. Less than ten minutes?"

"I feel like I'm hearing a joke."

...

Yun Tao's voice was not muffled; everyone in the room heard it. They exchanged glances again, frozen in place.

Not to mention Mo Yu, Zhou Xuan, and the others, even the guards behind them had participated in the taming process and knew how difficult it was to tame a beast.

First, one needed to understand its condition, habits, whether it had a mate, likes and dislikes...

After familiarizing oneself with all that, one had to devise a plan without being abrupt... In short, to tame a beast, including preparation, it took months. Ten minutes... who would believe that?

Forget taming a beast at the Aperture Opening realm; give you a dog, could you make it follow you home in ten minutes?

Miss Mo Yu couldn't help but look at the young man who had rejected her, full of disbelief.

Taming a beast in ten minutes?

If true, challenging him... wouldn't that be asking for trouble?

To tame this Green Eagle Beast, she had spent a long time, preparing for two full months...

"Taming a Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard in such a short time? What method did he use? Mate attraction? Food attraction? Strength attraction... or some other technique?"

Beast Tamer Lu couldn't help asking, listing a dozen common taming methods.

"No, those methods are basic and slow. I think it's a multi-method fusion, peeling away layers step by step, quickly capturing the beast's interest so it can't bear to leave..."

Hall Master Feng spoke.

"Those methods are too many; they can't be completed in a short time. I guess it's a single method..." Beast Tamer Lu shook his head.

The two were devoted to taming, having immersed themselves in the profession. Hearing about such a short taming time, they first thought of the method used.

"Ahem, Hall Master Feng, Beast Tamer Lu, Senior Zhang Xuan... didn't use any of those methods!"

Hearing their discussion grow more complex, even trending toward academic research, Yun Tao couldn't help but interrupt.

"None of them? Then... is it a new taming method?"

Hall Master Feng and the others' eyes lit up.

A new taming method, like a new alchemy technique, would cause a huge stir.

Being able to tame a powerful Aperture Opening realm beast in ten minutes—if such a method spread, it would shock everyone.

"Not a new method, but..." Yun Tao scratched his head, still finding it unbelievable: "Senior Zhang Xuan also beat this Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, and then... it submitted!"

"What?"

"Beat it too?"

Hall Master Feng and the others were dumbfounded.

Taming an ancient remnant beast by beating it might work due to its unique species, but the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard had been tamed before in the Beast Hall. It was proud, fast, and unsociable; the best method was mate attraction...

Beating it into submission...

"Yes, actually, I originally planned to tame this Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, but I underestimated its strength and nearly got killed. Senior Zhang Xuan appeared and saved us. He beat the beast, and it submitted completely, even asking to sign a contract. Honestly, Senior was a bit reluctant; if I hadn't persuaded him, he might not have agreed."

Recalling the experience, Yun Tao couldn't help saying.

"Beaten and submitted? Completely submitted, asking to sign a contract?"

"The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard wanted to submit, and he was reluctant..."

"Others tame beasts as if going through life and death, spending fortunes and shedding skin. He beats it once and it submits..."

...

Hearing this, everyone swayed again, nearly spitting blood.

Especially Zhou Xuan and Zhu Jinhwang, who trembled all over, about to faint.

To tame their beasts, they had mobilized manpower and resources from their kingdoms, spending countless money. Even so, it was only basic taming; the beast could quit anytime. But this guy casually beat one and got complete submission...

When did taming become so easy?

"Beating it once tames it, and he can identify and tame ancient remnant beasts. Whatever method he uses, he's a taming genius!"

After the shock, Beast Tamer Lu's eyes shone.

"By the way, is he... a beast tamer?"

Suddenly remembering something, Beast Tamer Wang couldn't help asking.

Able to tame beasts so easily, he should already be a beast tamer. But if so, why wasn't he registered in the Beast Hall?

"He's not yet; he hasn't taken the exam. He just learned taming as an amateur!" Yun Tao said.

On the way, he had asked; Senior Zhang Xuan had never taken any beast tamer exam.

There were indeed many geniuses among the common folk who never took exams but had special talents.

"Not yet taken the exam? Great! Ask him if he's willing to take the beast tamer exam. If he is, I'll personally administer it!"

Hall Master Feng said eagerly.

Able to tame beasts so easily, with astonishing skill, once he became a beast tamer, he would surely shine. This Beast Hall branch might even become famous. Most importantly, if he truly had the ability to tame beasts by beating them, participating in that competition... he would definitely win first place!

Of course, he still needed to test him personally and see for himself.

"Take the beast tamer exam? I'll ask..."

Yun Tao nodded and walked over to Zhang Xuan: "Senior, Hall Master Feng says if you're willing to take the beast tamer exam, he'll personally administer it..."

"I'll pass..."

After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Xuan refused.

He could tame beasts because of the library. If he actually took the exam, he knew nothing and would be exposed immediately.

But given enough books to read, he could solve that. The key issue was that taking the exam would take half a month, with many stages beforehand.

He had to deal with the poison in his body as soon as possible; he really didn't have time to waste here.

"This is a great opportunity, with Hall Master Feng personally administering..."

Unexpectedly, he refused outright. Yun Tao couldn't help saying.

Hall Master Feng offering a special exam was a rare chance, something many dreamed of but couldn't get.

"I have urgent matters to attend to. Since you're already a beast tamer, just help me pick a good flying beast. Taking the exam doesn't matter." Zhang Xuan said.

"This..."

Seeing he had little interest in the exam, Yun Tao shook his head regretfully: "Actually, taking the beast tamer exam doesn't necessarily take half a month; you just need to tame a suitable beast. Moreover, becoming a formal beast tamer lets you choose your own beast, ride Beast Hall beasts for free, and even change mounts at any Beast Hall..."

"No fees?"

Before he finished, he saw the usually calm Zhang Xuan suddenly appear before him, eyes shining.

"Yes, formal beast tamers have that privilege. One-star beast tamers can borrow beasts below the Grandmaster realm for free. Two-star beast tamers can borrow Grandmaster realm beasts for free, and so on. The higher the rank, the higher the status..."

Yun Tao explained, but before he could finish, Senior Zhang Xuan looked at him seriously, his tone firm.

"Free stuff is trivial, no need to elaborate! How do you take the beast tamer exam..."

"Maybe... I'll give it a try!"