Chapter 238: Taming

"What?"

Yun Tao and the others nearly fainted.

What was going on?

This was a Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard at the Aperture Opening realm, with strength comparable to an early Profound Passage expert and unmatched defense, yet it was sent flying backward, foaming at the mouth...

What kind of attack had it suffered?

They all turned to look at the ignorant youth not far away, who walked up to the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard with helplessness, crouched down, and looked at it with disappointment.

"I told you, the ones who want to catch you are them. Please stop bothering me..."

Pfft!

Hearing this, Yun Tao and the others twitched.

Damn it!

Don't be like this.

Anyway, meeting is fate; we should be on the same side. What do you mean by this?

Who instigates a wild beast to cause trouble for their own people?

Roar!

Hearing his muttering, the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, full of shame and anger, struggled to its feet, roared again, and slammed a claw down at the chattering guy.

"After all, it's a wild beast. I've been talking to you for so long, and it's like talking to a wall..."

Under the tense gaze of the crowd, this guy named Zhang Xuan ignored the descending claw and continued muttering. Just as the claw was about to land on his head, he raised his palm.

The claw, which could shatter steel, froze in midair as if time had stopped.

Whoosh!

Then, with a flick of his palm, he swung the four-to-five-meter-long, several-thousand-jin Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard into the air, casually threw it to the ground, then swung it up again and threw it down again.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The ground was immediately smashed into a large pit.

Yun Tao and the others felt their whole bodies tremble, on the verge of going mad.

This was a Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, one of the fiercest wild beasts in the mountains, with immense strength. Now it was being grabbed by the claw and used as a whip?

What kind of strength was this?

"He... probably at least reached the peak of Profound Passage, maybe even... Half-Step Grandmaster!"

A subordinate's lips trembled.

"Half-Step Grandmaster? I actually mocked a Half-Step Grandmaster earlier? Said I'd teach him a lesson, that killing him would be too light..."

Yun Tao felt like vomiting blood.

Why be so cruel?

If you're a Half-Step Grandmaster, why didn't you say so earlier? Even if I had the guts, I wouldn't dare offend you...

"Watch closely this time. The ones who want to catch you are them, not me!"

After swinging it a few times, seeing that the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard was about to be knocked unconscious, Zhang Xuan finally stopped.

The crowd was frustrated, but he was even more frustrated. He was just passing by, kindly pointing out that the formation might be unreliable. Not only did they not believe him, but they also made him look like a braggart.

He couldn't be bothered to argue, thinking it would be over. But then... this beast came to cause trouble too.

The one who wanted to test for Beast Tamer was Yun Tao, and the one who set up the formation was also him. Why come after me instead of the culprit?

A wild beast is a wild beast, with no discernment at all!

"Let's go."

After a few strikes left the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard battered and nearly dead, Zhang Xuan shook his head and looked at Shen Biru.

"Mm."

Teacher Shen walked over.

She had long known that Zhang Xuan's strength had reached the peak of Profound Passage, so the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard was no match for him. This outcome was not surprising.

"You two..."

Just as the two were about to leave, Yun Tao was about to call out to them when he saw the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard on the ground struggle to its feet again, block Zhang Xuan's path, and kneel with its front legs on the ground, its eyes full of expectation.

"Is this... voluntary submission? The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard wants to submit to him?"

As a Beast Tamer apprentice who could take the Beast Tamer exam at any time, Yun Tao knew the habits of wild beasts very well.

The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard before him, in this state, had clearly been intimidated by Zhang Xuan's absolute power and intended to submit.

It was the beast he wanted to tame to pass the Beast Tamer exam. He had been chasing it for over ten days, and now that he finally encountered it, it was going to submit to someone else?

Yun Tao felt a tightness in his chest, almost vomiting blood.

However, there was nothing he could do. Once a wild beast submitted, it meant it had developed a deep fear of its master from the bottom of its heart and would never dare to resist again. Even if he ran over now and used all his methods, it would probably be useless.

A wild beast only recognizes one master in its lifetime. Now that it had voluntarily knelt, it meant it had already developed a heart of submission. Whatever he did now would be too late.

"It's mine..."

Tears streaming down, he grieved silently but dared not say more.

Just as he thought the other party would be overjoyed at the submission, he saw the young man frown: "Are you done or not? Get out of the way, or I'll beat you again!"

"Whimper, whimper."

The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard lowered its head and whimpered incessantly.

"What, still not convinced?" Zhang Xuan raised his foot to kick it.

"Ahem, Senior Zhang Xuan..."

Seeing that this guy had no idea the beast had completely submitted, Yun Tao couldn't help but step forward.

Earlier, he thought Zhang Xuan was just a follower and didn't care. Now that he knew he might be a Half-Step Grandmaster, he no longer dared to put on airs.

"Senior?"

Zhang Xuan was surprised that this pretentious guy called him that, but after thinking about it, he understood.

"This Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard has completely submitted to you. If you are willing to accept it, reach out and stroke its forehead, let it swallow a drop of your blood, and it will be completely loyal until death. If not, just turn and leave!"

Yun Tao said.

Now he could see that although this guy was strong, he knew nothing about beast taming.

Otherwise, he would never fail to recognize the gesture of a wild beast submitting.

"Complete submission?" Zhang Xuan was stunned.

After beating it once, it submitted?

It seems beast taming is easy too...

If Yun Tao knew what he was thinking, he would surely vomit blood in frustration.

To make a wild beast willingly submit, there are many methods: temptation, gratitude, suppression...

The so-called suppression is to use the opponent's most adept attack moves to beat it until it dares not resist.

The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard's physical defense was invincible, and it was fast. These methods would give even ordinary Profound Passage experts a headache, but for Zhang Xuan, who had trained in the Heavenly Path Movement Technique and Heavenly Path Golden Body, it was as easy as child's play.

No matter which aspect, it was no match for this human, so the beast was completely willing to submit.

It sounded simple, but in reality, it was very difficult to achieve.

Not to mention others, below the Grandmaster realm, it was almost impossible to find someone with physical strength surpassing Zhang Xuan. And even if found, who would specifically come to tame a mere Aperture Opening realm Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard?

Of course, he just didn't know the difficulty and thought it was simple.

"Whimper, whimper!" The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard looked at him expectantly.

"Can you fly?"

Seeing its state, Zhang Xuan hesitated and asked.

The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard nearly fell over.

It was a land-dominating wild beast; how could it fly?

"If you can't fly, you're useless..." Zhang Xuan frowned.

He was going to the Tianwu Kingdom, tens of thousands of kilometers away. Even if this beast ran fast, it would take at least a month or two, far slower than a flying beast.

Moreover, its strength was no longer of much use to him.

In other words... he could take it or leave it.

Seeing his hesitation, Yun Tao and his subordinates were going crazy.

Brother, do you have to be so conflicted?

We chased this beast for over ten days, and the preparation took over two months. When we tried to tame it, it wouldn't even look at us. But you, it sincerely submits, and you're still unwilling...

Why is there such a gap between people?

"Fine, since you want to acknowledge me as your master, I'll accept you."

Without hesitating too long, Zhang Xuan nodded.

He didn't have a beast anyway. Since this one was willing to submit, he might as well take it. Having an Aperture Opening realm wild beast should be quite impressive.

Following Yun Tao's instructions, he reached out and stroked its forehead, letting it swallow a drop of his blood.

The blood entered its body, initiating some kind of ritual. His spirit formed a bridge with it. As the master, he could kill it at will if he wished.

Moreover, through this bridge, he could clearly feel the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard's submission and could easily give it commands, as if controlling his own arm.

No wonder beast tamers were feared; just the ability to control beasts in battle was terrifying enough.

"Since you've submitted to me, be my mount. You'll carry me to the Beast Hall."

Zhang Xuan waved his hand grandly.

After saying this, he saw the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard look at him pitifully, struggle a couple of times, and fall to the ground again, unable to get up.

He had been too harsh earlier, injuring it severely. Now it could barely stand, let alone serve as a mount.

"Senior Zhang Xuan, it's badly injured. It looks like it needs half a month to recover before it can walk freely," Yun Tao said after a glance.

"Half a month?"

Zhang Xuan frowned.

The reason he went to the Beast Hall to rent a flying beast was to save time. The poison in his body was a hidden danger with each passing day.

If he had to wait half a month here for a useless beast, it would be a waste.

"You're a Beast Tamer apprentice. Is there a way to make it recover quickly?"

He couldn't help but ask.

When humans are injured, they can take pills or use techniques to alleviate and quickly heal.

Wild beasts should have similar methods, right?

He didn't know about these things, but Yun Tao, who was about to take the Beast Tamer exam, should know something.

"The physique of wild beasts differs from humans, but the methods to quickly heal injuries are basically the same. The first is to find suitable medicine and refine it into healing pills that it can take. These pills can quickly alleviate injuries. If you can find the right ones and apply them correctly, it can recover in about two days."

Yun Tao thought for a moment and said.

"Two days?" Zhang Xuan shook his head, feeling it was still too long. "Are there other methods?"

"The first method is the alchemist's way, the most common. The second is a unique healing method for beast tamers, which requires being a formal Beast Tamer and only works on one's own beast..."

Yun Tao glanced at him.

Beast tamers have unique methods to heal their beasts, requiring both to practice a special technique together to build compatibility, which takes at least half a year. This guy knew nothing about beast taming and had just tamed the beast, so it was hopeless.

"The third is the master teacher's method. This Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard is fierce and has reached the peak of Aperture Opening. If it can break through to Profound Passage, its injuries should heal immediately."

After mentioning the second method, Yun Tao hesitated and continued.

There were only three ways to quickly heal a wild beast's injuries.

They were the methods of alchemists, beast tamers, and master teachers.

Any one would work, but now it seemed none were easy to achieve.

"Let it break through? Its injuries can heal immediately?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up.

For the first method, even if there were medicines, two days was too long.

As for the second, he knew nothing about beast taming, so it was out of the question.

As for the third, with the Heaven's Path Library, helping people or beasts break through was very easy.

Earlier, he had helped the Explosive Sky Lion resolve its hidden problem and even raised its cultivation by one level to Profound Passage.

Elder Shangchen had been fired from his teaching position for protecting his grandson and targeting him, which was his own fault. But the so-called 'deliberate oppression' was a charge Zhang Xuan had fabricated to shake off his predecessor's influence, a baseless accusation.

To make amends, before leaving, he specifically resolved the Explosive Sky Lion's hidden problem.

With a Profound Passage realm beast guarding him, even if he lost his teaching position, he should still thrive.

That was enough to repay him.

Because of this experience, what seemed the hardest method to others was the easiest in his eyes.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xuan looked at the beast expectantly.

"Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, try throwing a punch... ahem, I mean, attack me!"

When it attacked him earlier, no defect awareness had formed in his mind, so no book appeared. Now, to help it break through, he first needed to know its physical condition.

"..."

Shen Biru, Yun Tao, and the others exchanged glances, all speechless.

What was this guy trying to do?

He had been told three methods but didn't choose any. Instead, he wanted the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard to attack...

Was he crazy?

The beast couldn't even stand. Attack him? Did he want to beat it again?

"Roar?"

The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard was also bewildered.

"Hurry up!"

Seeing it hesitate, Zhang Xuan urged.

If it didn't attack, no book would form, and he wouldn't know its problems, making it impossible to help it break through.

"Roar!"

The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard lowered its head.

It dared not attack its master, and even if it wanted to, it didn't have the strength!

It couldn't even stand after being beaten; how could it attack?

"When I tell you to attack, you don't; when I tell you not to, you're faster than anyone."

Seeing the beast motionless, docile as a kitten, Zhang Xuan was speechless.

Earlier, when I told you to attack Yun Tao, you chased after me instead. Now you're like this...

After all, it's a wild beast, impossible to reason with.

Fine, I'll do it myself.

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan approached the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard with a kind expression: "Don't be nervous, lift your head..."

The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard raised its huge head.

The others also watched closely, wondering what he was going to do.

"Mm, that's right, like this..."

Seeing the beast obediently lift its head, Zhang Xuan reached out and slapped it. "Slap!"

"Roar?"

The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, not expecting to be hit even after submitting, let out a resentful roar, then its huge body swayed and fell to the ground with a thud, unconscious.

"Huh?"

The others looked at each other, feeling even more dizzy.

This was your beast, and... weren't you going to heal it? Why knock it out?

Ignoring the shocked crowd, Zhang Xuan touched the beast's body.

Hum!

A book appeared in the library.

He opened the book, read through it slowly, then nodded in satisfaction and looked at Yun Tao not far away: "Um... it's unconscious. How do I wake it up?"

"..."

Yun Tao and the others felt they were going mad.

Everyone thought you were asking about healing methods to treat your beast, but you slapped it unconscious.

Everyone thought you had some purpose, but then you want to wake it up...

Brother, can you act normally?

What exactly are you trying to do? Totally unpredictable!

"What? No way?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"There is, there is!"

Suppressing the urge to tear his hair out, Yun Tao quickly stepped forward.

He knew the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard's habits well. He pressed a spot on its body, and after a short while, the huge beast slowly woke up.

"Roar..."

The awakened Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard looked at Zhang Xuan again, its eyelids twitching, on the verge of tears.

"Don't make that face. I ask you, do you want your injuries to heal immediately and your strength to break through to Profound Passage?"

Ignoring its resentful expression, Zhang Xuan said: "If you agree, don't waste words. If not, I'll leave immediately. You'll still be the king of the mountains, and I'll still be myself. It's as if you never submitted."

If this beast couldn't recover quickly, it was useless, so there was no need to dawdle.

"Roar!"

Though hesitant, the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard nodded.

"Good, you agree."

Zhang Xuan nodded, moved to the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, and slapped its huge body.

Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap! Slap!

Thirty-six light sounds in succession, each slap landing on the beast's acupoints, accompanied by a stream of pure true energy flowing through.

"This..."

The others didn't understand, but Yun Tao, as someone about to become a Beast Tamer, immediately saw what he was doing!

"Doesn't he know nothing about beast taming? How can he accurately hit the acupoints on the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard?"

His mouth wide open, Yun Tao trembled.

The body structure of wild beasts is completely different from humans, so human cultivation methods naturally don't apply. Logically, someone who knows nothing about beast taming would be lucky to even know the acupoints, let alone hit them.

From what happened earlier, he knew this guy was utterly ignorant of beast taming. Yet, such an ignorant person, while moving, casually struck the beast's acupoints without missing a single one!

What was going on?

And... what was he doing by hitting those acupoints?

Could it really be, as he said, to help it break through... to Profound Passage?

Was it true or false?

This was something even a formal beast tamer couldn't do.

Astonished, Zhang Xuan had already finished tapping the acupoints, and the pure true qi within him now surged wildly along the thick meridians of the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard.

Whoosh!

He stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Sure enough, helping a savage beast improve was different from helping a human.

This creature was simply too large, requiring several times more true qi than a human. If not for his cultivation of the Heavenly Dao Divine Art, which gave him pure and abundant true qi, he would have been drained dry and collapsed on the spot from weakness, let alone help it improve.

Even so, it had consumed most of his true qi, leaving him somewhat exhausted.

Crackle! Crackle!

As he stopped, sounds like frying beans came from inside the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard.

Under normal circumstances, a savage beast's strength was determined by its race and talent; unless its bloodline evolved, it was difficult to improve.

After all, although their intelligence far surpassed that of ordinary beasts, they were still far inferior to humans and could not cultivate techniques or the like.

Because of this, even a formal beast tamer would find it extremely difficult to help their own beast companion improve.

But... Zhang Xuan was different. Advanced savage beasts were nothing more than pure bloodlines. The Heavenly Dao true qi within him could surge into their acupoints, wash away impurities in their bloodline, and make it purer.

With fewer impurities in the bloodline, their rank would rise, and their strength would naturally increase.

Rumble!

The crisp sounds inside the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard didn't last long before its body began to swell like a balloon, rapidly expanding from four or five meters in length to six or seven meters. The entire beast's aura underwent a tremendous change, becoming more powerful and terrifying.

Stomp! Stomp! Stomp!

Feeling the pressure emanating from it, Yun Tao and the others stepped back in unison, their faces changing color.

This...

Even fools would understand that this creature's strength had broken through!

With a casual slap on its body, he made a Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard at the Cave Opening Realm break through to the Mystic Understanding Realm?

Yun Tao felt dizzy and couldn't believe it.

He had spent years in the Beast Hall and knew how difficult it was to upgrade a beast's bloodline.

Even the two-star beast tamers in the hall couldn't do it without several years of effort!

But this guy in front of him... completed it in a few breaths?

What was going on?

Not only him, but Shen Biru beside him also stared wide-eyed, her red lips parted, unable to close.

She had guessed that Teacher Zhang might do something unexpected, but this scene still made her dizzy—it was too unexpected.

Casually making a Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard break through...

Even an ordinary master teacher couldn't do that!

What had this guy learned from Teacher Yang?

Whoosh!

Amid the shocked and awed gazes of the crowd, the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard finally completed its bloodline evolution, and its strength fully stabilized, reaching the early stage of the Mystic Understanding Realm.

Roar!

With its strength surging, its internal injuries indeed healed completely. It suddenly stood up and let out a long roar that shook the surroundings and echoed through the sky.

After roaring, the now larger Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard walked over to Zhang Xuan, lay down, its eyes filled with admiration and attachment, no longer doubtful.

Earlier, when he knocked it unconscious, it had wondered if it had chosen the wrong master. Now it knew that its master's methods were endless and vast as the ocean.

From then on, it submitted sincerely, with no second thoughts.

"Since you've broken through, let's set off!"

Leaping onto the back of the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, Zhang Xuan called out to Shen Biru, waved his hand, and continued toward the Beast Hall.