Chapter 93: Too Powerful to Control?!

Ding!

[Congratulations, Host!]

[The exotic beast has successfully recovered from its near-death state!]

[Exotic beast rank advancement successful!]

[Obtained: Tier 3 Exotic Beast, Black Flame Leopard × 1]

[The Black Flame Leopard is a rare Double-Bloodline Exotic Beast.]

[It possesses an Enhancement-Type C-Grade Top-Tier Bloodline, Black Leopard, and a Transformation-Type C-Grade Top-Tier Mutated Bloodline, Abyssal Black Flame.]

[The Black Leopard Bloodline grants it a robust physique and incredible movement speed.]

[Abyssal Black Flame possesses an extremely high temperature and delivers a neurotoxic effect upon contact, causing the target’s movements to become sluggish and stiff.]

[When the neurotoxin accumulates to a certain level, it can trigger Abyssal Illusions, causing targets to harm themselves or attack their allies.]

[Its strength realm has successfully advanced to Tier 3, and it has awakened the ability of Aerial Flight.]

WHOOSH!

The next moment, the Boundless Creation Furnace expelled the beast pouch. It floated briefly in midair before slowly descending.

"What?! It actually advanced to Tier 3?!"

Ryan’s pupils contracted, and his face lit up with unrestrained joy.

"Excellent! Isn’t that equivalent to the Initial Stage of the Origin Ascendant Realm?!"

He had never expected the Creation process to produce such a result. Instead of merely enhancing the Black Flame Leopard’s Bloodline, the furnace had directly advanced its rank!

He had actually obtained a Tier 3 Black Flame Leopard capable of Aerial Flight!

WHOOSH!

Suppressing his excitement, Ryan quickly reached out and caught the descending beast pouch. Holding it securely, he injected a trace of Origin Energy into it.

HISS!

The moment his Origin Energy entered the pouch, its middle section gradually turned translucent.

Looking inside, Ryan spotted a miniature Black Flame Leopard wreathed in dark flames. It was darting wildly around the confined space, seemingly furious about its restricted surroundings.

Strictly speaking, until Ryan completed the blood-dripping acknowledgment of master, the Black Flame Leopard remained a newly subdued wild exotic beast.

Exotic beasts were naturally difficult to tame. Most possessed strong instincts and an aversion to confinement, so it was perfectly normal for one to become agitated when trapped inside a beast pouch.

Moreover, beast pouches possessed a special restrictive effect that suppressed the strength of the exotic beasts inside. Under normal circumstances, a beast’s strength within the pouch would be reduced to less than one-tenth of its full power.

This restriction prevented exotic beasts from easily breaking out of their confinement. It also prevented them from gathering sufficient energy to detonate their Beast Cores, thereby protecting them from such a destructive outcome.

Still, Ryan had to admit that the beast pouch’s ability to make its contents visible was extremely convenient.

From the outside, he could clearly observe the exotic beast inside, although its appearance had been reduced to a miniature version of its actual size.

At present, the Black Flame Leopard looked particularly tiny.

With black flames dancing around its body and its little fangs bared in a ferocious snarl, it should have appeared intimidating.

Instead, it resembled an adorably fierce puppy.

Ryan couldn’t help finding the sight amusing.

The three Ghost Bees he had obtained previously were only about the size of broad beans, so the difference between their actual size and their miniature appearance inside the beast pouch had been relatively insignificant.

The Black Flame Leopard, however, was an entirely different story.

Its transformation in size made the pouch’s special function all the more striking.

"Huh? Wait a minute... Tier 3?!"

Ryan’s amusement abruptly disappeared.

His eyes widened as a terrible realization struck him, and his expression changed dramatically.

"Damn it! I forgot that the Black Flame Leopard had advanced to Tier 3! How am I supposed to control it now?!"

He suddenly slapped his thigh, his face twisting with regret.

"How could I have forgotten something so important? Its strength realm is far above mine now! Even if I break through to the Initial Stage of the Origin Spirit Realm and master Mental Awareness, I still won’t be able to control it!"

Ryan was so frustrated that he nearly beat his chest in despair.

A moment ago, he had been focused entirely on saving the Black Flame Leopard. When the furnace unexpectedly advanced its rank, he had been overwhelmed by excitement and completely forgotten the fundamental requirements of beast taming.

Now, he had a powerful exotic beast right in front of him, yet he might not be able to make use of it at all.

Ryan forced himself to calm down and desperately searched his memories for the beast-taming knowledge he had learned at the Bloodline Institute.

Since he had failed to awaken a Bloodline in the past and was currently only at the Seventh Stage of the Origin Sea Convergence Realm, he had never had an opportunity to put that knowledge into practice.

Over time, much of what he had learned had faded from his memory. He could almost imagine his former instructors demanding that he return all the knowledge he had borrowed from them!

Fortunately, after concentrating for a while, he gradually recalled the fundamental principles.

Beast taming was generally divided into two categories: Pet Beasts and Natal Beasts.

1. Pet Beasts

A Bloodline Fighter could begin controlling Pet Beasts after reaching the Origin Spirit Realm and mastering Mental Awareness to the point where it could be projected outside the body.

Provided they could afford the enormous cost of raising them, there were no strict restrictions on the number or types of Pet Beasts they could keep.

In theory, one could raise as many as one wished.

The primary method of establishing control over Pet Beasts was the blood-dripping acknowledgment of master.

However, the absence of restrictions on quantity did not mean that a Bloodline Fighter could control exotic beasts of any rank.

Controlling Pet Beasts required a continuous expenditure of Mental Awareness, and the consumption could be considerable.

The stronger one’s Mental Awareness, the longer one could maintain control, the more Pet Beasts one could command simultaneously, and the higher the rank of the beasts one could control.

In particular, the strength gap between a Bloodline Fighter and their Pet Beast had to remain within certain limits.

Generally speaking, a Bloodline Fighter at the Initial Stage of the Origin Spirit Realm could control an exotic beast no stronger than a peak Tier 2.

Attempting to control a Tier 3 exotic beast would usually result in failure. The beast might refuse to obey, escape from its master, or, in the worst-case scenario, turn on and devour them.

Even a Bloodline Fighter at the Peak of the Origin Spirit Realm could generally control only a newly advanced Tier 3 exotic beast at the Initial Stage.

Anything stronger would still be difficult to control and could result in the same dangerous consequences.

Of course, these were merely general rules.

Bloodline Fighters whose Mental Awareness was exceptionally powerful could sometimes overcome these limitations.

For instance, Object Control-Type Bloodline Fighters generally possessed stronger Mental Awareness than others at the same cultivation level, giving them a natural advantage when controlling exotic beasts.

Certain sects and powerful families also specialized in beast taming and possessed unique techniques that allowed them to surpass the usual limitations.

Ultimately, the highest rank of Pet Beast one could control depended primarily on the strength of one’s Mental Awareness.

The stronger the Mental Awareness, the higher the rank of exotic beast one could potentially command.

2. Natal Beasts

Unlike ordinary Pet Beasts, Natal Beasts were far more closely connected to their masters.

A Bloodline Fighter could begin raising and controlling a Natal Beast after reaching the Origin Ascendant Realm and opening their Natal Origin Mansion.

Within the Natal Origin Mansion, a Natal Beast could cultivate, comprehend profound insights, and recover from injuries. The special environment allowed it to achieve twice the results with half the effort.

More importantly, a Natal Beast could establish a mental link with its master, allowing the two to communicate through their minds.

Controlling a Natal Beast required very little Mental Awareness, and there were no restrictions on the exotic beast’s rank or type when establishing the bond.

However, there was one extremely important limitation.

A Bloodline Fighter could form a Natal Beast bond only once in their entire lifetime.

Unlike the blood-dripping acknowledgment used for ordinary Pet Beasts, establishing a Natal Beast required a special ritual known as the Soul Blood Pact.

During the ritual, the Bloodline Fighter had to personally defeat or suppress the exotic beast they intended to bind.

Assistance from others was strictly forbidden. If someone else helped subdue the beast, the Soul Blood Pact would fail because the exotic beast would not recognize the bond as valid.

Once the pact was successfully established, the Natal Beast would become the Bloodline Fighter’s most loyal companion.

From then on, the difference in their respective strength realms would no longer threaten the bond.

Even if the master remained at the Initial Stage of the Origin Ascendant Realm while their Natal Beast advanced all the way to Tier 9, the beast would never abandon or devour its master because of the disparity in strength.

Of course, the beast might occasionally become moody, but that was an entirely different matter.

However, the Soul Blood Pact also carried serious risks.

If the master died first, the Natal Beast would perish alongside them because of the pact.

If the Natal Beast died first, the master’s soul would suffer severe damage. Although the master would survive, they would lose the ability to establish another Natal Beast bond for the remainder of their life.

Consequently, choosing a Natal Beast was an extremely important decision that demanded careful consideration.

After all, a person had only one opportunity to make that choice, and their Natal Beast would accompany them throughout their cultivation journey.

Some perfectionist Bloodline Fighters would spend their entire lives searching for the ideal Natal Beast. Even after reaching the Peak of the Origin Ascendant Realm, they might still refuse to settle for anything less than their perfect choice.

As a result, some would go their entire lives without ever forming a Natal Beast bond.

...

After reviewing everything he could remember about beast taming, Ryan’s expression grew increasingly troubled.

"This is bad..."

He stared at the miniature Black Flame Leopard inside the beast pouch, his heart aching as he recalled what had happened.

"I thought the Boundless Creation Furnace would turn the dying Black Flame Leopard into a treasure, perhaps even improving its Bloodline. That’s why I hurriedly threw it inside without thinking things through."

He let out a long, bitter sigh.

"But who could have expected it to advance directly to Tier 3?"

Ryan had originally hoped to obtain a powerful companion who could assist him in battle. Instead, he had created a problem that might prove difficult to solve.

He couldn’t simply repeat the Creation process, either. The Boundless Creation Furnace’s rules explicitly prohibited recreating something it had already transformed.

He had spent tens of thousands of Origin Stones to save and upgrade the Black Flame Leopard, only to discover that its new strength might make it impossible for him to control.

"I can’t recreate it, and I thought I was about to gain a powerful helper. But now..."

Ryan looked at the beast pouch again and could only sigh.

"What am I supposed to do with a Tier 3 Black Flame Leopard?"

His mood plummeted.

Worry had truly clouded his judgment this time. In his eagerness to save the dying exotic beast, he had acted without considering the possible consequences of a successful Creation.

Now, he had a perfectly healthy Tier 3 Black Flame Leopard in his possession.

Unfortunately, for the time being, all he could do was look at it.

He had saved it, strengthened it, and given it an entirely new level of power.

Yet he couldn’t even be certain that he would be able to make it his own.