Chapter 507 - 445: Yanmen County, Reunion with an Old Friend

Chapter 507: Chapter 445: Yanmen County, Reunion with an Old Friend

It was New Year’s Eve, a time for family reunion.

"Come over here. This is the New Year’s money your uncle has for you."

Zhao Lin called his two nephews and one niece over, giving each of them one hundred Spirit Coins and a bottle of medicinal pills.

Zhao Jingzhi and Zhao Wan were not cultivators, so Zhao Lin gave them pills to strengthen their bodies. For Zhao Changxing, he provided a Jade Marrow Pill, which could improve the quality of one’s Spiritual Root.

"Thank you, Uncle."

Zhao Jingzhi and Zhao Wan thanked him obediently.

"A Jade Marrow Pill!"

Zhao Changxing was so happy he nearly jumped for joy. Grinning from ear to ear, he said, "Uncle, when I graduate from the Spirit Dao Institute, can I come work at your shop?"

"That’s a year from now. We’ll talk about it then."

Zhao Lin didn’t agree outright, but he began to consider it.

Zhao Changxing had a high-grade Spiritual Root and had reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer in just two years. His cultivation talent was undeniable. However, the path he studied was Spirit Plants, which was rather arduous and didn’t accumulate merit quickly.

Having him work at the shop would be beneficial for his cultivation, and the shop just so happened to need more hands. It would kill two birds with one stone.

Thinking of this, Zhao Lin added, "No matter what you do, focus on your cultivation first."

Zhao Changxing nodded in understanding. "I know, Uncle."

A few days later, after the new year had turned, the Spirit Dao Institute welcomed its new class of disciples.

Zhao Lin paid a visit to the other two Foundation Establishment cultivators at the institute—Dean Zhou and Elder Nie.

Afterward, he bid his family farewell and boarded a Spiritual Vessel bound for Yanmen County.

The vessel station in Han Chi County wasn’t large, with only a dozen or so Spiritual Vessels. Out of habit, Zhao Lin released an ultrasonic wave to monitor his surroundings and unexpectedly overheard a conversation between two cultivators.

"That Spiritual Vessel is heading to Yanmen County, right? What’s he going over there for?"

"Maybe he’s making a transfer?"

"Impossible. Yanmen County is remote and desolate; it’s a terrible place for a transfer. It’s most likely his final destination."

"Makes sense. Let’s stop guessing and notify the Patriarch immediately..."

The two cultivators were sitting on a Spiritual Vessel over a hundred zhang away. Thinking Zhao Lin couldn’t hear them, they didn’t use a Sound Transmission Skill or a sound-insulating barrier.

Zhao Lin realized they were undoubtedly spies from the Li family of Three Mountains County, tailing him.

’They never let up. How annoying!’

A moment later, the Spiritual Vessel took off. Zhao Lin glanced down, thinking to himself, ’Sooner or later, I’ll take care of these clowns.’

Half a day later, the Spiritual Vessel arrived at Yanmen County.

Yanmen County was located in the western part of Nanhe Province, bordering a vast, primordial jungle.

The jungle was filled with tall mountains, gorges, deep abysses, and great marshes, home to countless Demon Beasts.

As the saying goes, "live off the mountains if you’re near mountains, live off the water if you’re near water." Most cultivators in Yanmen County made their living by beast taming—capturing Demon Beasts and domesticating them into Spirit Beasts, or harvesting them for cultivation materials.

Yanmen County had a large marketplace, bustling with a constant, unceasing flow of people.

In front of the marketplace stood a notice board covered with announcements about acquiring or hunting Demon Beasts.

Zhao Lin passed through the market, walked to the mountain gate, and showed his Body Stone to the guards to enter the county.

After a moment’s thought, he decided to visit his old friend first.

Zhao Lin had been corresponding with Liang Song, so he knew he was at a place called the "Earth Hall." After asking for directions, he arrived before a sprawling mountain peak.

Before the peak lay a vast pasture, its grass as green as a blanket.

The pasture was surrounded by a fence. Earth Demon Apes, Earthen Deer, Violent Earth Rats, Stone Rock Turtles, Plate-Horned Oxen, Black Pool Beasts...

Dozens of types of Spirit Beasts were either strolling leisurely or lying quietly on the grass.

A few young cultivators stood in the pasture. Some were using Magic to communicate with the Spirit Beasts, some were observing their growth, and others were feeding them.

Cultivators and Spirit Beasts coexisted in harmony, creating a rather peaceful scene.

"Brother Liang!"

Zhao Lin spotted a familiar figure and called out.

Liang Song turned his head, his eyes lighting up. After saying a few words to a cultivator beside him, he strode over quickly and said excitedly, "Brother Zhao, what are you doing here? You didn’t even say you were coming!"

A look of surprise then flashed through his eyes. "It really is you! You’ve broken through to the Qi Refining Seventh Layer!"

Liang Song had also reached the Qi Refining Seventh Layer, but when they had last met, he was at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer while Zhao Lin was only at the Second Layer. Their cultivation speeds were simply incomparable.

"I had some business here, so I thought I’d stop by and see you."

Zhao Lin said with a smile, glancing at the pasture. "Are you still busy?"

Liang Song hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "For a little while longer. If you don’t mind waiting here for a bit, Brother Zhao, I’ll be right back."

Zhao Lin waved his hand. "Don’t worry about it. This is a perfect chance for me to see how you all handle your beasts."

"Honestly, it’s not much different from raising pigs and feeding chickens."

Liang Song said self-deprecatingly, cupped his hands in a brief salute, and returned to the pasture to continue his work.

Zhao Lin found a large rock to sit on and observed the Spirit Beasts in the pasture.

Demon Beasts and Spirit Beasts were actually the same species. The difference was that Demon Beasts lived in the wild, were relatively ferocious, and mostly fed on flesh and blood.

Spirit Beasts, on the other hand, were Demon Beasts that had been domesticated, or had been in contact with humans since birth. Having shed most of their wild nature, they could become a cultivator’s Spirit Pet.

The relationship between the two was a bit like that of wolves and dogs.

After observing for a while, a thought suddenly occurred to Zhao Lin: ’Most Demon Beasts have innate skills. I wonder if the Spirit Cultivation Map can capture them?’

’It should be possible. As long as there are Mana fluctuations, the Spirit Cultivation Map should be able to analyze it, regardless of whether a cultivator or a Demon Beast is casting the skill.’

’But my Tier One skill slots are already full, and my Tier Two slots are all planned out. I’ll have to wait until I start practicing Tier Three skills.’

After about the time it takes to eat a meal, Liang Song leaped over the fence and strode over. "All done! Quitting time!"

Zhao Lin stood up and said, "These Spirit Beasts seem quite docile."

Liang Song chuckled. "Not necessarily. No matter how smart they are, they’re still beasts, and their wild nature is hard to tame. Just a couple of days ago, a colleague was attacked by a Spirit Beast and nearly lost his life."

Zhao Lin let out a soft "oh" and asked, "The pasture only has a fence. Aren’t you worried they’ll run away without even a single Array set up?"

Hearing this, Liang Song burst into laughter. "There’s something you don’t know, Brother Zhao. Of course these Spirit Beasts want to run. And we did set up an Array."

"The moment they touch the barrier, the Array attacks with stone rollers and ice arrows. After being taught a harsh lesson a few times, most of the Spirit Beasts don’t dare to run out anymore, even if the Array is turned off."

He then pointed to a few large, gray-furred apes in the pasture and said, "These Earth Demon Apes are very smart. They know when the Array is off and often try to sneak away."

"We just beat them up every time we catch them. They’ve learned their lesson now."

Zhao Lin laughed as well, reminded of a famous experiment from his past life.

After chatting for a bit, Liang Song suddenly slapped his forehead. "Right, you said you had business in Yanmen County?"

Zhao Lin nodded. "I’m here to see Elder Shi Zhenyue."

"What business does Brother Zhao have with Elder Shi?"

"Elder Shi is an expert in Fire Element Skills. Elder Wu recommended I come here to learn a Tier Two Fire Element Skill from him."

Liang Song nodded slowly, a hint of worry in his voice. "Elder Shi is the Hall Master of the Fire Hall. He’s usually very busy, so I’m afraid he might not have time to teach you a skill."

Zhao Lin thought to himself, ’As long as Shi Zhenyue performs the Fire Cloud Spirit Whip just once, the Spirit Cultivation Map can capture the skill. That’s all I need.’