Chapter 239: The Strange Bird

"Senior Zhang Xuan..."

Seeing the two about to leave, Yun Tao hurried forward.

"We're heading to the Beast Hall, so we won't delay you in continuing to catch savage beasts. Farewell!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand.

They had met by chance. He hadn't left earlier for fear of alarming the prey and ruining the other's plans. Now that the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard had been subdued, that reason no longer held, and there was no need to stay.

"Continue catching..."

Yun Tao nearly cried.

The beast tamer examination had a time limit. Chasing this Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard had already consumed most of it. Even if he went looking for another, he'd have to find one... And even if he did, like before, if the formation didn't work, it was hard to say whether he'd survive, let alone tame it.

"Senior, may I ask you something?"

Pushing aside his frustration, Yun Tao clasped his fists.

"Hmm?" Zhang Xuan looked over.

"Just now... how did you know my formation was flawed and couldn't trap the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard?" Yun Tao asked.

Not only was he curious, but the others also fixed their gazes on Zhang Xuan, even Shen Biru's eyes were bright.

From his words and actions, it was clear that this fellow knew nothing about formations, yet he had spotted the problem at a glance—it was hard to believe.

"Very simple!" Zhang Xuan didn't hide it and turned to look: "The Greenwood Trapping Formation uses greenwood as formation flags and requires wood attribute to maintain. The place you chose, with dense grass and trees, indeed meets the conditions for setting up the formation, and you set it up without any mistakes. Unfortunately, there's one thing you overlooked!"

"Please enlighten me, Senior!"

After thinking hard for a long time and finding no issue, Yun Tao couldn't help but speak.

"The mountain range beneath our feet!" Zhang Xuan looked up at the peaks, his expression calm.

"Mountain range?"

Yun Tao was even more confused.

What was wrong with this mountain range?

He had set up this Greenwood Trapping Formation before, and it worked fine! Even experts at the initial stage of Tongxuan realm would find it hard to break.

"This mountain range runs north-south, steady and grand. The air currents sink rather than rise. In places with little soil, the vegetation appears withered and yellow. Looking at the rock cross-sections, they are slightly reddish..."

Zhang Xuan sat on the back of the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, pointing casually: "From these, it can be seen that there must be an iron ore deposit beneath this mountain range! Among the five elements, wood overcomes earth, and metal overcomes wood. The trapping formation is countered by the metal attribute—how could it exert its maximum power?"

"This..."

Yun Tao's whole body trembled.

He had once heard his teacher say that setting up a formation required not only strictly following the formation diagram but also leveraging the surrounding environment, the momentum of heaven and earth, even the sun, moon, and stars.

He had thought it was nonsense, never dreaming... it was true!

From just the rock cross-sections and the mountain range's direction, he could tell there might be iron ore below, affecting the Greenwood Trapping Formation... What kind of eyesight was that?

Even a three-star formation master would find it hard!

And he had just put on airs in front of such a person, asking if he understood...

Yun Tao felt his face burning with pain.

Not only was he shocked, but Shen Biru, also sitting on the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard's back, twitched at the mouth and nearly fainted.

Brother, didn't you just say you knew nothing, not even what a formation was?

How, in the blink of an eye, could you see iron ore, rock faults, and air currents?

Did you have to be so heaven-defying?

Ridiculous that she had thought he was talking nonsense...

"This guy..."

Thinking of her previous experiences, she was full of helplessness.

This guy really couldn't be judged by common sense, or else you'd be crushed to death.

"That's all I have to say. If there's nothing else, farewell!"

Having explained the formation issue, Zhang Xuan waved his hand, said no more, and prepared to leave again.

"It's too late to catch a savage beast now. I'd like to return to the Beast Hall with you, Senior, if I may?"

Since the examination was ruined, he decided to let go and try to befriend this person.

Whether in strength, the method of making the savage beast breakthrough just now, or his study of formations, Senior Zhang Xuan was too mysterious, worth every effort to connect with.

"As you wish. The Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard is fast—keep up if you can!"

Although this fellow liked to put on airs, he was genuinely capable, and as a beast tamer apprentice, he might help find a better flying savage beast, making Zhang Xuan's journey to Tianwu Kingdom smoother.

However, the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard's back was already a bit crowded with two people; there was no room for more.

"Thank you, Senior!" Hearing his agreement, Yun Tao sighed in relief and quickly nodded.

"Let's go!"

Ignoring the other, Zhang Xuan moved his mind, and the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard immediately walked forward quickly.

Before its breakthrough, the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard was already very fast; now it was as swift as a galloping horse. Despite the complex mountain terrain, it showed no sign of slowing down.

Yun Tao and the others could keep up at first, but after a while, as their true qi consumption grew, their faces turned pale, and they ran as if they were about to vomit blood.

"Let's rest!"

After walking for nearly an hour, seeing that they were indeed exhausted, Zhang Xuan and Shen Biru jumped off the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard's back and rested on the spot.

Originally, walking to the Beast Hall would take a day and night; with this beast, they would arrive in at most another hour, so there was no rush.

"Senior!"

Knowing that the other had stopped to accommodate him, Yun Tao sighed in relief, adjusted his breathing for a moment, and when he felt recovered, stepped forward with a respectful attitude.

"You're taking the beast tamer examination. Now that I've tamed the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, does that mean you can't pass?"

On the way, Zhang Xuan had figured it out: the other had chased the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard for over ten days, but in the end, he had reaped the benefit. One savage beast was a small matter, but the other's beast tamer examination might fail.

"This..." Yun Tao's face showed embarrassment: "If Senior hadn't tamed the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, we might have all died. Compared to our lives, failing the examination is nothing."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

This fellow, though cocky, was reasonable.

If the Greenwood Trapping Formation couldn't hold the Iron Coin Leopard and he hadn't been there, this fellow and his subordinates would surely have died. Although he had taken the beast, he had also saved their lives.

"What steps are involved in the beast tamer examination?"

After half a day of travel, he knew that having a savage beast as a mount saved a lot of effort. If he could casually obtain a beast tamer title, traveling long distances would be much more convenient.

If Yun Tao knew this thought, he would be depressed to death.

He had spent years studying with savage beasts to pass the beast tamer examination and still hadn't succeeded, while this guy just thought traveling was tiring and wanted to learn...

"First, you need to become a beast tamer apprentice. The apprentice examination includes a theory test and identifying savage beasts. After passing, you qualify for the formal beast tamer examination, which also has two steps: first, gaining the recognition of a savage beast; second, taming a real savage beast."

Yun Tao said.

"Gaining the recognition of a savage beast?"

"Yes, the examinee must be alone with five savage beasts. Within an hour, they must gain their recognition so that the beasts do not attack. If they can't, it shows they don't understand savage beasts. As for taming a savage beast, there's also a requirement: it must be one level higher than the examinee's own strength."

Yun Tao explained: "Otherwise, if the strength is too low, one could use force to subdue it, which wouldn't highlight the beast tamer's skill."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

In essence, the beast tamer examination was somewhat similar to the alchemist examination.

Both required theoretical knowledge for the apprentice level, and practice to become a full member.

The latter involved refining first-grade pills, while the beast tamer involved taming a savage beast stronger than oneself.

No wonder this fellow was chasing the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard. He was at the peak of the Dingli realm, and the latter was exactly one level higher. If he succeeded, he would pass.

"Taming a savage beast has a time limit of no more than half a month. I spent over ten days just finding this Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard. It's obviously impossible to find another now. Besides, if I encounter one fiercer than this, I might lose my life..."

Yun Tao was also resigned.

He had survived this time entirely because of the young man before him; next time, he might not be so lucky.

It seemed that if he wanted to take the examination again, he needed to prepare more thoroughly to ensure nothing went wrong.

Otherwise, if he failed the beast tamer exam and died, he wouldn't even have time to cry.

Every year, quite a few apprentices lost their lives to savage beasts during the beast tamer examination.

"It's good that you can accept it. However... I did delay your matter. How about this: if you still want to tame a savage beast, I can help." Zhang Xuan said.

He mainly wanted to see how one tames a beast stronger than oneself.

From the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, he knew that if the beast wasn't willing to submit, it was hard to establish a contract, let alone tame it.

Even if he didn't take the beast tamer exam, taming a savage beast would be necessary for fast travel.

He couldn't always encounter beasts weaker than him that were easy to subdue.

What if he encountered a strong one?

He could take this opportunity to watch how this fellow did it and learn a thing or two.

Of course, he couldn't say that directly, or the 'senior' image he had built would collapse immediately.

From his experience with Yang Shi, he knew that playing the 'senior' made many things easier.

However, if he played it poorly, he might get beaten to death, so he needed to handle it carefully.

"Senior... will help me?"

Hearing his words, Yun Tao trembled with excitement.

He had seen Senior Zhang Xuan's strength. If he acted, he could easily catch a Dingli realm savage beast, and once caught, there would be a way to tame it.

"Yes." Zhang Xuan nodded, looking profound.

"That's wonderful! With Senior's help, I'm sure to succeed..."

Clenching his fists, Yun Tao's eyes reddened with excitement.

"Don't get excited yet. Even if I help, can we find a suitable savage beast?" Zhang Xuan said.

"Savage beast..."

Yun Tao's face immediately fell.

True, it had taken over ten days to find a Dingli realm Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard. Without a suitable one, even if the other agreed to help, it was useless.

"Your Highness, have you forgotten that one?"

A subordinate stepped forward.

"Which one?" Yun Tao was puzzled.

"The one that comes every day to cause trouble..." the subordinate said.

"That one?" Yun Tao remembered something and showed an awkward expression.

"It's too late to find another savage beast now. If we can catch and tame that one, it would count as passing the examination. Once you become a beast tamer, you can tame other beasts slowly later."

The subordinate continued.

"This..." Yun Tao hesitated for a moment, then looked at Zhang Xuan: "Senior, there is indeed a savage beast that might require your help."

"Oh?" Zhang Xuan looked over.

"It's... a strange bird." Yun Tao said.

"A flying savage beast?"

This Yun Tao was at the peak of Dingli realm. If it was stronger than him, it would be at the Dingli realm, and being a bird, he wouldn't be trying to tame a flying savage beast, would he?

They had encountered flying savage beasts on the road, soaring thousands of meters; even if they wanted to catch them, they couldn't.

"It's not really a flying savage beast. It's small, only... a bit bigger than a palm." Yun Tao's face reddened.

"Palm-sized?" Zhang Xuan was astonished.

From Shen Biru, he knew that flying savage beasts were several zhang long, with wingspans of two or three zhang. Only such size could carry a person soaring through the sky.

Palm-sized... indeed, it couldn't be considered a flying savage beast, just a type of bird.

"Yes, but although it's small, it's a real savage beast, and its strength has reached the initial stage of Dingli realm, slightly stronger than me... However, it's not a combat type, so it's no match for me. But it's extremely fast, and I can't catch it."

Yun Tao explained in detail.

"Small and fast? Even if you want to tame it, it might not be easy to find." Zhang Xuan frowned.

Large, slow savage beasts were hard to find; a palm-sized, extremely fast flying savage beast, hiding in the vast mountains—how could it be found?

Moreover, it could fly freely in the sky... taming it would probably be harder than the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard.

Hearing this, Yun Tao felt a bit embarrassed: "Finding it is definitely impossible, but these past few days, it has been harassing us constantly. Even if we don't look for it, it will definitely come."

"Harassing?"

Zhang Xuan was curious. Although he didn't know much about savage beasts, they were naturally wary of humans. Usually, if they couldn't win, they would hide as far as possible. How could it come to harass them every day?

"Well... I raided its nest, and the bird was so angry that it comes every day..."

Soon, Yun Tao recounted the whole story.

After hearing it, Zhang Xuan shook his head, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

This strange bird liked to eat wild honey from the mountains. Yun Tao, unaware, had stumbled upon its nest and the honey stored there, and took it all. The bird, having stored it for who knows how many years, was furious when it found it stolen and chased after them.

However, it was small and not good at fighting, so it couldn't defeat Yun Tao and his subordinates. Unable to retrieve the honey, it followed them every day, coming at fixed times to cause trouble.

This had been going on for seven or eight days. By his reckoning, it should be coming again today.

"It seems this bird is quite persistent..." Zhang Xuan chuckled lightly at the feud between the man and the bird.

"How does it cause trouble?" Shen Biru on the side couldn't help but ask curiously.

Since it came at fixed times to cause trouble, with so many Dingli realm experts, couldn't they think of a way to catch it?

"It..." Yun Tao's face was as red as an apple: "Ahem, when it flies directly above me, it defecates..."

"Ah?"

Zhang Xuan and Shen Biru exchanged glances, barely holding back their laughter.

They had to admit, this bird was indeed quite peculiar.

"It almost always gets on me. After that, it flies a few dozen meters away, looking very provocative. When we chase it, it flies off again. It torments us for one or two hours every day..."

As for this strange bird, to be honest, Yun Tao was at his wit's end.

He had only stolen its honey, and it harassed him every day, driving him nearly mad.

If not for wanting to pass the beast tamer examination, he would have considered whether to mention it, because it was too embarrassing.

The Seventh Prince of Hanwu Kingdom, used as a toilet by a strange bird every day, which flew over whenever it felt the urge...

Just thinking about it was infuriating.

"Then why don't you just return the honey?"

Shen Biru covered her red lips.

"I did return it, but this bird... still comes to cause trouble every day... It's too fast; even arrows can't hit it. I was planning to deal with it after taming a savage beast. Since taming the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard didn't work out, if I can catch and tame this one, I'll pass the examination."

Yun Tao hesitated for a moment: "It's just... this bird is too fast; even arrows can barely catch it. Catching it is really too difficult. Does Senior have any method?"

"I don't even know what this bird looks like or how fast it is. How can I have a method if you ask me now?" Zhang Xuan shook his head.

He had never even seen this strange bird; how could he have a way to catch it?

"Oh, by the way, didn't he just say that this strange bird, when it comes to cause trouble, flies a few dozen meters ahead to provoke? At that time, it's not flying. You could rely on your movement technique to dash over and catch it!"

Shen Biru thought of something and looked at Zhang Xuan.

She had seen Wang Ying use her movement technique, which was as fast as teleportation. Even if this bird was fast, it should be no problem for Teacher Zhang.

"Yes, that could be considered..."

Zhang Xuan nodded.

As his cultivation reached the Tongxuan realm, the distance and number of times he could use the Heavenly Dao movement technique had increased.

Previously, with full exertion, he could dash twenty meters in a tenth of a breath; now, in a tenth of a breath, he could cover forty meters.

Moreover, the number of times had increased from one to two.

Of course, that was with full exertion. If he used a simplified version like Wang Ying, with his true qi reserves, twenty or thirty times would be no problem.

However, the speed would be much slower.

The full version covered forty meters in a tenth of a breath; the simplified version covered only three or four meters in a tenth of a breath, and the strain on the body was much less. That was why Wang Ying could use it five or six times in a row during her fight with Du Lei before feeling exhausted.

Even so, it was still formidable.

In one-tenth of a breath, three or four meters; in one breath, likewise thirty or forty meters. Many people might not even react before being struck.

Even if this bird is fast, it's only at the Acupoint-Opening realm. Compared to the Heavenly Way movement technique, it's surely far inferior.

"Relying on movement technique? That probably won't work..."

Yun Tao heard their conversation and couldn't help shaking his head.

The most advanced movement technique in their Cold Martial Kingdom, the [Turtle's Heavenly Sound Steps], was very fast, but compared to this strange bird, it was still far behind.

Moreover, human energy is limited. This elder Zhang Xuan before him excelled in power attacks, so he likely had a weakness in speed. Even if he knew a formidable movement technique, catching the strange bird would be very difficult. Besides, the man came from the Tianxuan Kingdom—what impressive movement technique could he have?

As far as he knew, the best technique in that kingdom, the [Phantom Nine-Palace Steps], was merely mediocre, falling far short of the Turtle's Heavenly Sound Steps—not even on the same level.

If the latter couldn't catch up, the former was even less likely.

Thinking this, Yun Tao continued, "This strange bird is very alert. It always stops within a range where it can react. Arrows can't hit it, and catching it barehanded is basically impossible. I was thinking, like before, if we could set a trap or something... maybe we'd have a chance!"

"We've set traps before, but not once have they succeeded!"

A subordinate said.

Hearing this, Yun Tao nodded helplessly and rubbed his brow. "Yes, we've set traps before, but after several attempts, none worked. This strange bird knows we're prepared and absolutely refuses to be fooled..."

Woo woo woo!

Before he finished speaking, a whistling wind sounded in the air, as if something was falling from above, heading straight for Yun Tao's head.

"Here it comes!"

Hearing the wind, Yun Tao's face darkened. He knew the strange bird was coming again. Without time to look up, he swayed and dashed to the side.

Plop!

But... he had only dodged a few steps when he felt a stench and found his body covered with sparse white spots.

Without looking, he knew he'd been hit again!

Feeling the foul stench on his body, Yun Tao wanted to cry but had no tears. Turning to look, he saw that the spot where he had been standing was now marked only by a small stone.

The strange bird seemed to have known he would dodge, deliberately dropping the stone as a feint to strike him squarely.

"This creature can anticipate movements?"

Watching this scene, Zhang Xuan was startled.

He had heard before that this strange bird had a strong vengeful streak, but he hadn't expected it to be so clever.

It seemed completely different from the reckless Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard.

Looking up, he saw a small bird come into view. As described, it was slightly larger than a palm, pitch black, resembling a crow, with a sharp aura similar to that of an Acupoint-Opening realm expert.

Beasts came in all sizes; just as there were some as large as the Golden Body Iron Coin Leopard, naturally there were also small ones.

Having soiled Yun Tao, the strange bird was very pleased. It cawed twice, flew to about thirty meters from the group, and fixed its black eyes on them, seemingly full of mockery.

"Damn..."

Soiled again, Yun Tao was more frustrated than angry.

Before he could think of a plan, the creature had arrived. Catching it was certainly impossible now.

As he was agonizing over what to do next, he saw a blur before his eyes. A figure suddenly appeared in front of the strange bird, gently pinching it between thumb and forefinger.

Whoosh!

The bird, which flew like lightning, hadn't even reacted before it landed in the other's palm.

"This... is a movement technique? How is that possible?"

Yun Tao stood frozen.