Chapter 24: Trial of the Beast-Taming Heart |
Saintess Jiang Fuxue sat upright on the tiger’s back, as though she had long since grown accustomed to everyone’s admiration. She merely raised her chin slightly, her gaze sweeping across the disciples of the various sects below, before pausing once more on the Moyu Die Dragon for a moment.
“Very well, the ‘Trial of the Beast-Taming Heart’ now begins! Disciples of every sect, please come up and undergo the trial yourselves!” Lord Wanshou announced perfectly.
The atmosphere immediately became tense.
The first to step onto the stage were those disciples with relatively steady temperaments or those who seemed somewhat lacking in confidence. Most of them chose spirit beasts with gentle dispositions that were easy to communicate with.
The disciples released their spiritual power and patiently communicated with the spirit beasts. They quickly established preliminary contact with the spirit beasts, closed the distance with them, and won enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Their masters naturally felt proud as well, and when introducing their disciples, they accepted the praise with restrained satisfaction.
After that, the difficulty gradually increased.
Some disciples began attempting to communicate with more alert or ill-tempered spirit beasts, such as Flame Squirrels and Armored Rhinoceros cubs.
Some succeeded, while others failed.
But the one drawing the most attention in the entire venue was undoubtedly the Beast Taming Sect’s saintess, Jiang Fuxue.
She was not in a hurry to attempt the most difficult Moyu Die Dragon. Instead, she first chose a “Phantasmal Light Marten,” a kind of marten famous for its vigilance, agility, and difficulty in approaching.
That marten was incredibly fast and could also release dazzling light and shadow. Two disciples had already tried to communicate with it, only to be toyed with into dizziness by its tricks and ultimately fail.
Saintess Jiang Fuxue lightly leapt down from Baihu’s back and slowly walked toward the stone platform.
She did not hastily release her spiritual power, but quietly observed the marten for a while first. Then, she let out a few soft syllables that sounded somewhat like the marten’s cries.
At the same time, with Saintess Jiang Fuxue at the center, an invisible yet clearly perceptible ripple seemed to spread through the air.
This was not a fluctuation in the quantity of mental energy, but a purer release of spiritual force, like the first ray of sunlight in early spring melting accumulated snow, or like the clearest stream in a forest flowing gently onward.
The marten’s originally nimble and light body paused slightly. It turned its head and looked at her in confusion.
The corners of Saintess Jiang Fuxue’s lips curved faintly upward. At her fingertips, she gathered a small ball of water-attribute true qi, which seemed to be mixed with some sort of aura that made spirit beasts feel comfortable.
She gently pushed the water ball toward the marten.
The marten sniffed at it and hesitated for a moment. In the end, it was unable to resist that scent and the harmless intimacy conveyed by Saintess Jiang Fuxue’s spiritual power. It carefully approached, licked the water ball, then gave a cheerful cry and proactively rubbed against the finger she had extended.
“She succeeded! And so quickly!”
“As expected of Fairy Fuxue! This kind of control over spiritual force and understanding of spirit beast habits is truly astonishing!”
“Look at that marten, it really likes her!”
The crowd burst into fervent praise.
Looking at the marten by her side, Saintess Jiang Fuxue curved her lips into a smile and extended her slender fingers, gently stroking the soft fur atop the marten’s head.
Her easy victory in the first round had clearly further stirred her interest and pride.
She did not choose to rest. Her gaze locked directly onto the next, more challenging target—the Ghostflame Fox.
This type of spirit fox possessed the ability to control a kind of frigid netherfire and had an extremely strong resistance to mental energy.
Of the three people who had tried before, either their mental energy had been rebounded by the Ghostflame Fox’s icy mental barrier, or they had been disrupted by its violent emotions, making it impossible to establish effective communication.
Saintess Jiang Fuxue walked toward the new stone platform, the eager light in her eyes growing even brighter.
She liked challenges, especially those that could prove how extraordinary she was.
She closed her eyes and concentrated her mind.
This time, the spiritual power she released no longer drifted like a spring breeze, but became more condensed. Like the calmest undercurrent at the bottom of a thousand-year frozen pool, it slowly approached the Ghostflame Fox.
The moment it made contact, it encountered powerful resistance.
The Ghostflame Fox’s mental barrier was icy and hard, carrying a strong sense of rejection, like a bronze and iron wall covered in frost.
Saintess Jiang Fuxue’s mental energy was firmly blocked outside.
Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, but the corners of her lips lifted into an unruly arc.
Saintess Jiang Fuxue was neither impatient nor annoyed. Her spiritual force did not force a breakthrough, but lightly brushed against that layer of barrier while continuously conveying emotions of understanding, respect, and goodwill.
It was as though she was using her spiritual force to patiently knock on a door, softly explaining her purpose.
This was a chess match that required patience.
A flicker of movement passed through the Ghostflame Fox’s cold vertical pupils. The sense of rejection seemed to weaken slightly, but the barrier still remained.
The audience below gradually fell silent, and everyone held their breath as they watched.
Fine beads of sweat appeared on Saintess Jiang Fuxue’s forehead. She adjusted the frequency of her spiritual tapping and the emotions she was conveying, striving to find the point of resonance with this aloof spirit fox.
Time passed second by second. Just when some people thought she was about to fail as well, Saintess Jiang Fuxue’s mental energy suddenly simulated a complex emotional fluctuation—loneliness intertwined with pride.
The Ghostflame Fox’s body visibly stiffened. Its tail, which had been held high, slowly lowered, and the netherfire around its body also dimmed noticeably.
Its icy gaze fixed sternly on Saintess Jiang Fuxue.
Seizing this moment of slight relaxation, Saintess Jiang Fuxue let her spiritual force seep in even more gently, soundlessly wrapping around the Ghostflame Fox.
At last, a low and indistinct hum emerged from the Ghostflame Fox’s throat, which counted as its tacit consent to this communication.
Although it did not proactively approach her as the Phantasmal Light Marten had, its mental resistance barrier had already disappeared.
Saintess Jiang Fuxue opened her eyes. Fine sweat beaded on her forehead, but her eyes were bright and spirited, shining with the joy and pride of success.
She nodded to the Ghostflame Fox. When she turned and walked back to Baihu’s side, her steps were light, and the silver bells at her ankle jingled crisply, as though cheering for her.
She patted Baihu’s enormous head and said with a radiant smile, “Look, another one.”
“She succeeded again! She could even communicate with a Ghostflame Fox!”
“This kind of ingenious use of mental energy is simply miraculous!”
“With a woman like this in the Beast Taming Sect, there will probably be very few people in the next hundred years who can rival them on the path of beast taming!”
Saintess Jiang Fuxue had won two rounds in a row, and both spirit beasts she had chosen were rather troublesome. Her performance could only be described as dazzling.
Watching from the side, Elder Sun clicked his tongue in amazement.
“Truly incredible! Though this little girl from the Beast Taming Sect is young, her attainments in beast taming are already this profound! She truly deserves to be called the saintess!”
Jin Le was captivated as well, and said in a low voice, “Master, I am far inferior to her.”
Elder Sun patted her shoulder. “Everyone has their own path to walk, and you are already very good as well. Go on, you should give it a try too. Choose one that suits you. Don’t let Lingyun Sect’s reputation collapse like the Spirit Beast Garden did.”
Jin Le nodded, took a deep breath, and walked onto the stage.
She chose a “Jade Water Kite,” whose attributes matched her own cultivation method, and whose temperament was also relatively gentle.
Relying on her solid foundation and meticulous communication, she also successfully won the Jade Water Kite’s affection, drawing many approving looks.
Seeing this, Elder Sun felt gratified and smiled as he stroked his beard.
After Jin Le returned, fully satisfied, Elder Sun immediately turned his burning gaze toward Lu Fengmian, who had been standing quietly at his side all along, full of expectation.
“Martial Nephew Lu, well? You’ve seen enough by now, haven’t you? Do you also want to go up and give it a try?” Elder Sun leaned closer to Lu Fengmian and lowered his voice, his tone full of encouragement and inquiry.
“I, your junior martial uncle, have placed great hopes on you! Don’t bury your talent. Let this bunch of beast-taming experts see the strength of our Lingyun Sect!”
He was wholeheartedly intent on using Lu Fengmian’s mysterious abilities to win enormous prestige at this grand assembly!