Cultivating Chai

63:

“Is the difference truly so vast?” Xiao Feng asked, his tone incredulous. His predecessor had known that Nascent Soul beasts were rare, but he had never delved deeply into the matter. Dealing with such threats would have fallen beyond his purview on the battlefield, after all.

“The swiftness you need to burn Qi for comes to my Liulian naturally. As an umbral fang, each member of her species possesses a natural affinity of darkness Qi and the knowledge needed to cultivate it comes to her instinctively,” Beast Master Zen paused, giving Xiao Feng some breathing room to absorb his words.

“With every breath, her beast core draws unattuned Qi from the environment. A part of it is distributed along her meridians, strengthening her bones, making her blood more resistant to infection, disease and weaker poisons and improving her already keen eyesight while the rest is used to maintain her Qi reserves,” He continued, his tone failing to sound objective as more than a hint of pride leaked into his tone.

“Don’t human cultivators have arts and techniques they can use to bridge the gap?” Xiao Feng offered, trying to counter the assertion that had been laid out before him.

“What is a technique?” Beast Master Zen rhetorically asked. “A way to cultivate your Qi with higher efficiency than the norm. What about an art?” He continued, his tone sounding dismissive. “No more than a method of channeling the Qi you have cultivated down pathways that are most suited for combat.”

Xiao Feng did not interject, for the definitions Beast Master Zen had offered him were accurate.

“Both of those things come to a spiritual beast naturally. A few may choose to improve upon those techniques, but such cases are rare beneath the Nascent Soul stage with an exception. Can you guess what that is?” Beast Master Zen asked, a twinkle in his gaze that hinted at the answer.

“Bonded beasts,” Xiao Feng blurted out, catching on to the hint.

“Correct,” Beast Master Zen replied. “Though even then, it is not exactly a common phenomenon. Tell me, why do you wish to learn how to tame beasts? Do you have a beast egg in your possession or a way to obtain one?” Beast Master Zen asked, his tone curious.

“Is obtaining an egg the only way?” Xiao Feng asked, not letting any of the hesitation he felt leak into his tone.

“Seldom is there only one path in Sephari,” Beast Master Zen replied. “I could tame a recently hatched beast, but beyond that it is a lost cause. The same wild instincts that grant them such power will not allow them to submit to another beast, let alone a human. The historical records I have studied have recorded such attempts and they have been ugly,” He admitted, his tone somber.

“How so?” Xiao Feng asked.

“It is possible to defeat a spiritual beast. It is also possible to break them. Many have tried, but the results have always disappointed them. Shattering a spiritual beasts will is to shatter their instincts. They become inert shadows of their former selves, incapable of following commands. And if their will is not truly broken, then they will either strike back against their masters or seek freedom by escaping,” Beast Master Zen explained.

“Does that make a spiritual beast egg very valuable?” Xiao Feng asked, seeing no reason to dance around the topic given how close Beast Master Zen was to Lianhua.

“Not exactly,” Beast Master Zen replied. “What I told you is true for most spiritual beasts, not all of them. Tier 1 Spiritual Beasts in particular, are the most likely ones to feed on spiritual plants and lack most of the instincts of higher tiered beasts. While finding them in the wild unharmed is not easy, once they have been domesticated, their eggs are not particularly hard to obtain.”

“The Bi-horns?” Xiao Feng guessed.

“Indeed,” Beast Master Zen replied. “Feeding them good quality spiritual herbs yields purer bi-horn milk, which I believe is an auxiliary ingredient in a few popular pill recipes.”

“What about the higher tier eggs?” Xiao Feng asked.

“Tier 2 beast eggs are still something that money can buy. There is no guarantee that the one who finds it has any interest in raising a beast, after all,” Beast Master Zen explained. “But only a fool would sell a Tier 3 beast egg for coin. No, they would ask for something much greater.”

“I see,” Xiao Feng replied, his lips pursed in thought. “There is a chance I might be able to acquire a beast egg, but I am unsure what rarity it will be. If such a situation comes to pass, I wish to be ready,” He explained and technically, not a single word he had spoken was false.

What he had in his possession was a damaged beast egg, with a possible way to save it. There was no guarantee that the egg was capable of repairing itself, even if he did refine a high quality beast-bonding pill in time.

“Then you are learning how to refine the beast-bonding pill?” Beast Master Zen asked, his tone intrigued.

“More like trying to,” Xiao Feng sheepishly admitted. “But if there’s one thing I have, it’s resources. If I keep trying, I’ll eventually refine one.”

“Hah, that’s new,” Beast Master Zen chuckled. “But if that was all there was to beast taming, every Elder and Grand Alchemist would have a beast following them along.”

“It isn’t?” Xiao Feng blinked, confused.

“The Beast-Bonding pill establishes a connection, but it is one of friendship. The newly hatched beast will sense familiarity from your Qi and that will be enough to imprint your presence upon it. They will grow alongside you and if you treat them well, they will come to your aid when you are attacked. But that is not truly a bond, not a partnership between equals,” Beast Master Zen explained.

“How do I achieve that?” Xiao Feng asked. If there was such a pronounced difference, then he wished to see if he could attain it.

“To achieve a true bond, you must first find your own soul.”