Chapter 23: The Heavenly Beast |
Daoist Longshan took the Ice Silkworm Force manual, flipped through it quickly, and a look of admiration appeared in his eyes.
“The senior who created the Ice Silkworm Force truly was an extraordinary talent. It’s a pity only the first three layers remain. Otherwise, it would even surpass the force-stacking techniques you’ve been practicing.”
Hearing such high praise from Daoist Longshan, Ye Qinghe was taken aback, realizing she had underestimated the Ice Silkworm Force.
A trace of regret surfaced in her heart.
But Daoist Longshan didn’t dwell on the Ice Silkworm Force. Instead, he raised a different question.
“You just mentioned the White Ape swallowed a Red Fruit. Describe the characteristics of that fruit in detail.”
Daoist Longshan’s expression turned somewhat grave.
Seeing this, Ye Qinghe didn’t dare be careless and immediately described the Red Fruit.
“Brightly colored, with a dark yellow stem, round and smooth all over...”
And that fruit did indeed look extraordinary.
She couldn’t help but ask curiously:
“Master, do you know what kind of mystical item this Red Fruit is?”
Daoist Longshan frowned slightly.
“It somewhat resembles the legendary Vermillion Fruit. But the Vermillion Fruit can reshape the body and cleanse the marrow. If what you said is true, and the White Ape consumed more than one Vermillion Fruit, its power shouldn't be weak—perhaps even beyond your ability to handle. So it’s unlikely that fruit was a Vermillion Fruit.”
“This Red Fruit can enlighten the mind, yet the White Ape’s strength remains that of an ordinary beast. How strange.”
He shook his head.
“The world is vast, full of wonders. What kind of fruit it is doesn't matter. Since the little ape received it, then it was its destined opportunity. You two must keep your hearts steady and not give rise to improper thoughts.”
Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe straightened up and respectfully replied:
“Thank you, Master, for your guidance.”
Such had always been the way of Zhenwu Sect—disciples upheld justice and refrained from cruelty or senseless slaughter.
Daoist Longshan nodded in satisfaction. He had full confidence in the character of his disciples. He beckoned toward the White Ape.
The White Ape looked nervously at Ning Qi at first, but seeing the encouragement in Ning Qi’s eyes, it respectfully stepped forward, knelt before Daoist Longshan, and kowtowed repeatedly.
Daoist Longshan stroked his beard and smiled.
“Truly remarkable spiritual intelligence.”
Then he solemnly asked:
“White Ape, let me ask you: are you willing to enter our Zhenwu Sect? Know that once you do, you may no longer act recklessly or harm others without cause!”
Daoist Longshan’s voice rang out powerfully, full of authority.
The White Ape was overjoyed.
It nodded repeatedly.
It was only one step away from shouting, “Disciple is willing!”
Seeing that the White Ape had received their master’s approval, Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe exchanged smiles.
Daoist Longshan looked over and said:
“Little Nine, since you were the one who brought the White Ape back, let it live with you from now on. That way, it’ll have someone to rely on.”
His thoughts were much like Ye Qinghe’s. Having such a spiritual White Ape to accompany his young disciple would be far better than letting him train alone every day.
“Disciple accepts.”
“Now that the little monkey is part of our Zhenwu Sect, how about giving him a name?” Ye Qinghe suggested.
“Excellent idea,” Daoist Longshan nodded. “Since the White Ape wishes to follow you, Little Nine, you should name him.”
Ning Qi didn’t refuse.
He pondered for a moment, then looked at the White Ape and said:
“Since you’re of the ape tribe, we’ll use the character Yuan for your surname. You wander the mountains alone, unique and fated with many encounters. Born of heaven and earth, your name shall be Yuan Tiansheng. How’s that?”
As his words fell—
While Daoist Longshan and Ye Qinghe were still reflecting on the meaning behind the name, the White Ape’s eyes widened with excitement. If it weren’t for the solemn setting, it would’ve already started flipping and jumping. Even so, its ear-scratching and cheek-rubbing gave away its delight.
Clearly, the White Ape was very pleased with the name.
All three smiled.
Then Ning Qi suddenly said:
“I have a question I’d like to ask, Master.”
“On this trip into the mountains with Senior Sister, we encountered many exotic beasts. Some were powerful enough to rival the Inner Origin Realm, while others were weaker than even Bone Refinement Realm. Why is there such a disparity in strength among exotic beasts? Do they have a way to cultivate?”
Although the Scripture Pavilion recorded some information about exotic beasts, it wasn’t comprehensive.
Daoist Longshan glanced at the White Ape, then said:
“The origins of exotic beasts can no longer be verified—only legends remain. It’s said that in the earliest times, some beasts were favored by the heavens and earth by chance. They could temper their bodies using nature’s power and even wield it directly. These were called Heavenly Beasts.”
“But such favor from heaven and earth came with immense karma. It wasn’t easy to bear. Something went wrong, and they suffered backlash. Heavenly Beasts gradually vanished.”
“Then came the era of exotic beasts. It’s said all exotic beasts carry the bloodline of Heavenly Beasts.”
“Exotic beasts do not possess our human innate intelligence. Though they start at a higher baseline, they lack a structured cultivation path like ours. Their path to power lies in awakening the Heavenly Beast blood within them—until they reach its full potential.”
This was the first time Ning Qi had heard such an explanation, and his eyes widened in astonishment.
Heavenly Beasts could directly use nature’s power to temper themselves—what an overwhelmingly superior starting point. After all, humans could only resonate with nature after reaching the Heaven-Man Realm.
“So the strength of an exotic beast depends entirely on the strength of its bloodline?”
“That’s right. For example, the Iron-armed Ape you met earlier—its limit is at best comparable to a body-tempering martial artist. Unless it carries some other ancient bloodline. In Great Yan’s Baichuan Lake, there’s a Flood Dragon Lord with an extremely pure bloodline. It has already taken shape—even Heaven-Man experts dare not provoke it lightly.”
The White Ape listened, completely entranced, though it also seemed a little downcast. It figured it didn’t have any powerful bloodline—just ate a few Red Fruits, which gradually made it smarter.
Daoist Longshan glanced at the White Ape and said:
“However, in theory, humans and other beasts aren’t fundamentally different. The reason we humans have cultivation paths is because generations of our ancestors forged them through trial and error. If a beast possessed great intelligence, perhaps it too could create a cultivation method suitable for its kind.”
“It’s just that every type of beast has a different body structure—so it’s very difficult.”
The White Ape’s eyes lit up instantly, a flicker of hope rising in its heart.
Ning Qi understood even more deeply now.
It wasn’t that beasts couldn’t cultivate—it was simply that there was no suitable method for them.
‘Beasts’ was merely a catch-all term. Take the snake tribe, for instance—if they were to create a cultivation method for themselves, it would require a serpent with astonishing intelligence to pioneer the path, generation after generation, just as humans had done.
But even imagining it revealed how difficult that would be. Serpents developing wisdom was rare enough—add to that the need for great intelligence and long-term effort... it might take hundreds of thousands or even millions of years.
Ning Qi subtly shook his head.
“However, apes are closer to humans. Even though their physical structures are different, it’s much easier to adapt human martial arts for them.”
“For me, it could even serve as a form of cross-verification.”
With that thought—
Ning Qi had already made up his mind. He bowed and said:
“Thank you, Master, for resolving my doubts.”
He sensed he still needed to grow. No matter how high his comprehension, his knowledge would have to be built up bit by bit.