Chapter 251: Taming

"What?"

Yun Tao and the others nearly fainted.

What was going on?

This was a Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard in the Aperture Acupoint realm, a beast whose strength rivaled an early-stage Transcendent Mortal expert and whose defense was practically invincible. Yet, it had been sent flying backward, foaming at the mouth…

How powerful was the attack it had just endured?

They all simultaneously looked at the seemingly ignorant young man nearby. He walked up to the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard with a helpless expression, squatted down, and looked at it with a frustrated "why can't you do better" look.

"I told you, *they're* the ones trying to capture you. Please, stop bothering me..."

Hearing this, Yun Tao and the others' faces twitched.

Are you kidding me?!

This isn't how things are done! We met by chance, so we should be on the same side. What exactly do you mean by instigating a savage beast to attack us?

Hearing the young man's rambling, the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard's face filled with shame and anger. It struggled to its feet, roared again, and swung a claw at the incessantly chattering figure in front of it.

"It's just a savage beast after all. I talked to it for ages, but it was all for nothing..."

Under everyone's anxious gaze, the young man named Zhang Xuan ignored the descending claw and continued to mutter. Just as the claw was about to land on his head, he casually raised his hand. The claw, capable of shattering steel with a single strike, froze in mid-air as if time itself had stopped.

Immediately afterward, he flicked his palm, and the four to five-meter-long, thousand-pound Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard was swung into the air, casually slammed to the ground, then swung up again, and thrown down once more.

*Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!*

A large crater instantly appeared on the ground.

Yun Tao and the others felt their entire bodies tremble; they were on the verge of going mad. This was a Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard, one of the most ferocious and powerful savage beasts in the mountain forests. Yet, it was being grabbed by its claw and used as a whip?

What kind of strength was this?

"He... he's probably at least at the peak of the Transcendent Mortal realm, or perhaps even... a Half-Step Grandmaster!" a subordinate stammered.

"A Half-Step Grandmaster? I actually just mocked a Half-Step Grandmaster? And I even said I'd teach him a good lesson, that killing him casually would be getting off lightly..." Yun Tao felt an urge to cough up blood.

Why did he have to be so misleading? If you're a Half-Step Grandmaster, why didn't you say so earlier? Even with my courage, I wouldn't dare offend you...

"Now, listen carefully! *They* are the ones who want to capture you, not me!"

After swinging it a few more times, seeing that the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard was on the verge of unconsciousness from the beating, Zhang Xuan finally stopped. Everyone else was frustrated, but Zhang Xuan was even more so. He was just a bystander, merely passing by. He had kindly warned them that the formation might be unreliable, and not only did they not believe him, but they made him out to be a braggart. He couldn't be bothered to explain further, thinking the matter was over. But who knew... this beast also came to bother him. Yun Tao was the one trying to pass the Beast Tamer assessment, and he was also the one who set up the formation. Why bother him instead of the real culprit? Savage beasts are savage beasts; they have no discernment whatsoever!

"Let's go!"

The Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard was battered and bruised, on the verge of collapse from the repeated beatings. Zhang Xuan shook his head and looked at Shen Biru.

"Mmm!" Teacher Shen walked over. She had long known that Zhang Xuan's strength had reached the peak of the Transcendent Mortal realm, so it was no surprise that the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard was no match for him and that this situation had occurred.

"You two..."

Seeing that they were about to leave, Yun Tao was about to go over and call out to them. Just then, the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard, which had been lying on the ground, struggled to its feet again, blocking Zhang Xuan's path. It knelt on its front paws, as if bowing, and its eyes showed an expression of anticipation.

"This is... voluntary submission? The Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard wants to submit to him?"

As a Beast Tamer apprentice who could take the Beast Tamer assessment at any time, Yun Tao knew the habits of savage beasts very well. The current posture of this Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard clearly indicated it had been intimidated by Zhang Xuan's absolute power and intended to submit. This was the very beast he had been trying to tame for over ten days to pass his Beast Tamer assessment. He had finally found it after so much effort, and now it was going to submit to someone else? Yun Tao felt a suffocating frustration in his chest, almost spitting blood.

However, there was nothing he could do. Once a savage beast submitted, it meant it had developed a deep-seated fear of its master and would no longer dare to resist. Even if he tried every method he knew, it would likely be useless. A savage beast only acknowledges one master in its life. Its current act of kneeling indicated its intention to submit, and it was too late for anything else.

"It was mine..." Tears welled up in his eyes; he felt secretly heartbroken but dared not say more.

Just as he thought the young man would be delighted to see the beast's submission, he saw the young man across from him frown. "Are you done yet? Move aside, or I'll beat you up again!"

"Woo woo woo!" The Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard lowered its head and whimpered continuously.

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

"Cough cough, Senior Zhang Xuan..." Seeing that this fellow apparently had no idea the beast had completely submitted, Yun Tao could no longer hold back and stepped forward. Before, he had thought Zhang Xuan was just a follower and didn't care. But now, knowing he might be a Half-Step Grandmaster, he no longer dared to act presumptuously.

"Senior?" Zhang Xuan hadn't expected this pretentious fellow to address him in such a way, but after a moment's thought, he understood.

"This Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard has completely submitted to you," Yun Tao explained. "If you wish to take it as your beast, simply place your hand on its forehead and let a drop of your blood be ingested by it. It will then be absolutely loyal to you until death... If you disagree, just turn around and leave!"

He now understood that this person, despite his formidable strength, knew absolutely nothing about beast taming. Otherwise, he wouldn't possibly be unaware of a savage beast's gesture of submission.

"Completely submitted?" Zhang Xuan was stunned. It submitted just because he beat it up? It seems being a Beast Tamer is quite easy... If Yun Tao knew what he was thinking, he would surely be so frustrated he'd spit blood.

To make a savage beast willingly submit, there were many methods: temptation, gratitude, suppression... The so-called "suppression" method involved using the opponent's strongest attack techniques to beat them into submission until they dared not resist. The Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard had invincible physical defense and great speed. These qualities were a headache even for ordinary Transcendent Mortal realm experts. However, against Zhang Xuan, who had cultivated the Heaven's Path Movement Art and Heaven's Path Golden Body, they were as easy as child's play. None of its abilities were a match for this human, which was why it had completely and willingly submitted.

It sounded simple, but in reality, it was incredibly difficult to achieve. Apart from anything else, it would be almost impossible to find anyone below the Grandmaster realm whose physical strength surpassed Zhang Xuan's. Even if such a person existed, who would specifically come to tame a Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard that was only in the Aperture Acupoint realm? Of course, Zhang Xuan was unaware of the difficulty, thinking it was simple.

"Woo woo woo!" The Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard looked at him with an expectant expression.

"Can you fly?" Seeing its hopeful look, Zhang Xuan hesitated for a moment, then looked at it.

The Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard almost stumbled. It was a savage beast that dominated the land. How could it fly?

"If you can't fly, you're no use to me..." Zhang Xuan frowned. He needed to go to Tianwu Kingdom, which was tens of thousands of kilometers away. Even if this beast ran as fast as possible, it would still take one or two months to get there, far slower than a flying savage beast. Furthermore, its current strength was not particularly useful to him anymore. In other words... this beast was optional for him.

Seeing his hesitant expression, Yun Tao and his subordinates on the side were on the verge of going crazy. Big brother, do you really have to be so conflicted? We chased this beast for over ten days, and our preliminary preparations took more than two months. We wanted to tame it, but it completely ignored us. And here you are, with it sincerely submitting, and you're still reluctant... How could there be such a huge difference between people?

"Fine, since you want to acknowledge me as your master, there's no harm in taking you in!" Without much hesitation, Zhang Xuan nodded. He didn't have a savage beast anyway, so since this one was willing to submit, he might as well take it. He figured having an Aperture Acupoint realm savage beast would be quite impressive.

Following Yun Tao's instructions, he reached out and placed his hand on the beast's forehead, while also letting a drop of his blood be swallowed by it. As the blood entered the beast's body, it seemed to initiate a ritual. A bridge formed between his spirit and the beast's. As its master, he could kill it at will if he wished. Moreover, through this bridge, he could clearly feel the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard's intent to submit, and he could easily issue commands to it, as effortlessly as moving his own arm. No wonder Beast Tamers were feared; the ability to control savage beasts in battle alone was terrifying.

"Since you've submitted to me, you can be my mount. You'll take us to the Beast Hall!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand grandly.

As he finished speaking, he saw the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard look at him with a wronged expression. It struggled twice, then collapsed back to the ground, unable to get up no matter what. He had hit it too hard earlier, inflicting serious injuries. It was now difficult for it to even stand, let alone carry him as a mount.

"Senior Zhang Xuan, it's severely injured. It looks like it will need half a month to recover before it can move freely!" Yun Tao glanced at it and said.

"Half a month to recover?" Zhang Xuan frowned. The reason he was going to the Beast Hall to rent a flying savage beast was to save time. After all, every extra day the poison remained in his body meant another day of potential danger. Waiting here for half a month for a savage beast that wasn't particularly useful would be a waste of time.

"You're a Beast Tamer apprentice, do you know of any way to make its injuries heal quickly?" He couldn't help but look at Yun Tao. When humans were injured, they could take pills or circulate their cultivation to alleviate and quickly treat their wounds. Savage beasts should have similar methods, right? He wasn't clear on these things, but Yun Tao, who intended to take the Beast Tamer assessment, should know something.

"Savage beasts' physiques are different from humans'," Yun Tao pondered. "But the methods for rapid healing are fundamentally similar. The first method is to find suitable herbs and refine them into healing pills that it can consume. These pills can quickly alleviate injuries, and if the right ones are found and prescribed correctly, it could almost fully recover in about two days!"

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

"The previous method is what Alchemists use, and it's also the most commonly used by ordinary people. The second method is a unique healing technique for Beast Tamers, but you'd need to be a formal Beast Tamer to use it, and it's only effective on your own beast pet..." Beast Tamers had unique methods for healing their beast pets, requiring both the human and beast to cultivate special techniques together to build compatibility, ideally over half a year. Since Zhang Xuan knew nothing about beast taming and had only just tamed it, there was certainly no hope for this method.

"The third method, however, is a Master Teacher's technique!" Yun Tao hesitated slightly, then continued. "This Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard is so fierce, having already reached the peak of the Aperture Acupoint realm. As long as you help it break through to the Transcendent Mortal realm, its injuries should instantly heal completely!"

There were only these three methods to quickly heal a savage beast's injuries: the methods of Alchemists, Beast Tamers, and Master Teachers, respectively. Any of them could work, but currently, it seemed difficult to achieve any of them.

"Make it break through? And its injuries will instantly heal?" Zhang Xuan's eyes lit up. For the first method, setting aside whether the herbs were available, even if they were, two days was too long. As for the second, he knew nothing about beast taming, so that was out of the question. As for the third method, for him, helping either humans or beasts break through was quite easy.

Previously, he had helped that Exploding Heaven Lion resolve its hidden issues and, incidentally, raised its cultivation by one level, reaching the Transcendent Mortal realm. Elder Shang Chen was expelled from his teaching position for trying to protect his grandson and oppose him, which was his own doing. However, the so-called "deliberate oppression" was a fabricated charge he had left for Elder Shang Chen to escape the original body's influence. To compensate, before leaving, he specifically resolved the Exploding Heaven Lion's hidden issues. With a Transcendent Mortal realm savage beast protecting him, even if Elder Shang Chen was expelled from teaching, he would likely still thrive and not be in a worse position. It was a way of being fair to him. Precisely because of this experience, what seemed to be the most difficult method to others was, in his eyes, the simplest.

Thinking of this, Zhang Xuan looked over, an expectant expression on his face. "Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard, try throwing a punch... cough cough, I mean, attack me!"

Earlier, when the beast attacked him, no flaw consciousness emerged in his mind, so no book appeared. To help it break through now, he first needed to know its physical condition. Shen Biru, Yun Tao, and the others exchanged glances, all rendered speechless. What exactly was this guy trying to do? Three methods were suggested, but instead of choosing one, he wanted the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard to attack him... What kind of madness was this? The beast couldn't even stand up. Attack him? Did he want to beat it up again?

"Roar?" The Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard was also bewildered.

"Hurry up and attack!" Seeing its hesitation, Zhang Xuan continued. If the beast didn't attack, no book would be formed, meaning he wouldn't know its problems and couldn't help it break through.

"Roar!" The Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard lowered its head. Firstly, it didn't dare to attack its master. Secondly, even if it wanted to, it didn't have the strength! It had been beaten so badly it couldn't even stand; how was it supposed to attack?

"When I want you to attack, you don't. When I don't want you to, you're faster than anyone!" Seeing the beast motionless, as docile as a kitten, Zhang Xuan was speechless. Just a moment ago, he told it to attack Yun Tao, but it chased him instead. Now it was acting like this... It was a savage beast after all; it couldn't be reasoned with. Fine, I'll do it myself!

Shaking his head, Zhang Xuan walked up to the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard, his expression benevolent. "Don't be nervous. Lift your head..." The Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard lifted its massive head. The others also watched intently, wondering what he was going to do.

"Mmm, that's right, just like that..." Seeing the docile beast lift its head obediently, Zhang Xuan extended his palm and delivered a loud *smack!*

"Roar?" The Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard hadn't expected to be hit again after submitting. It let out a mournful roar, then its massive body swayed, and with a *thud!*, it collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

"Gasp?" The others exchanged bewildered glances, each feeling on the verge of fainting. This was *your* beast pet, and... weren't you supposed to be healing its injuries? Why knock it out?

Ignoring the stunned onlookers, Zhang Xuan placed his palm on the beast's body. A book appeared in the Library of Heaven's Path. He opened the book and slowly read through it. Only then did he nod in satisfaction, looking at Yun Tao nearby. "Um... it's unconscious. How do I wake it up?"

Yun Tao and the others truly felt like they were going insane. Everyone thought you were asking about healing methods to treat your beast pet's injuries, but then you slapped it unconscious. Everyone thought there might be some purpose behind knocking it out, but then you want to wake it up... Big brother, can you please act normally? What exactly are you trying to do? It's completely impossible to guess!

"What? You don't know how?" Zhang Xuan frowned.

"Yes, yes!" Suppressing the urge to tear out his hair, Yun Tao hurried forward. He was very familiar with the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard's habits. He pressed a spot with his finger, and before long, the massive beast slowly regained consciousness.

"Roar..." The awakened Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard looked at Zhang Xuan again, its eyelids twitching as if it were about to cry.

"Don't make that face. I'm asking you, do you want your injuries to heal immediately? And for your strength to break through to the Transcendent Mortal realm?" Ignoring its resentful expression, Zhang Xuan said, "If you agree, no more nonsense. If not, I'll leave right now, and you can go back to being the overlord of the forest, and I'll be myself. Just pretend you never submitted!" If the beast couldn't recover quickly, keeping it was useless, so there was no need to waste time.

"Roar!" Though hesitant, the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard nodded.

"Good, you agree!" Zhang Xuan nodded. With a flicker of his body, he appeared before the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard and began patting its massive body.

*Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap! Clap!*

There were thirty-six consecutive light taps, each landing on an acupoint of the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard, accompanied by a stream of pure zhenqi flowing within.

"This..." The others didn't understand what was happening, but Yun Tao, being on the verge of becoming a Beast Tamer, immediately recognized what he was doing! "Didn't he know nothing about beast taming? How can he pinpoint the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard's acupoints so accurately?" Yun Tao's mouth hung open, and his body trembled. The physical structure of savage beasts was completely different from humans', so human cultivation methods were naturally useless on them. Logically, someone who knew nothing about beast taming, let alone finding the acupoints on a beast's body, would be doing well just to be aware of their existence. After the previous incident, he knew that this person knew absolutely nothing about beast taming. Yet... this person, who knew nothing, moved his body and casually tapped the beast's acupoints with pinpoint accuracy! What on earth was going on? And... what was he doing by tapping these acupoints? Was he really going to help it break through... to the Transcendent Mortal realm, as he claimed? Is that true? Even a formal Beast Tamer couldn't achieve this.

Despite his inner shock, Zhang Xuan had already finished tapping the acupoints. Inside the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard, pure zhenqi now surged wildly along its large meridians. He stopped and wiped the sweat from his forehead. Indeed, helping savage beasts advance was different from helping humans. This beast was simply too large, requiring several times more zhenqi than a human. If he hadn't cultivated the Heaven's Path Divine Art, with its pure and abundant zhenqi, let alone helping it advance, he would probably have been drained of zhenqi and collapsed on the spot from weakness. Even so, it had depleted most of his zhenqi, leaving him feeling somewhat exhausted.

*Crack! Crack!* As he stopped, popping sounds, like stir-fried beans, emanated from within the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard. Normally, a savage beast's strength was determined by its race and talent. Unless its bloodline evolved, it was very difficult for it to advance. After all, while their intelligence far surpassed that of wild beasts, it was still far inferior to humans, preventing them from cultivating techniques and the like. Because of this, even formal Beast Tamers found it very difficult to help their beast pets advance. But... Zhang Xuan was different. High-level savage beasts merely possessed pure bloodlines. The Heaven's Path zhenqi within him could surge forth, cleanse impurities in the bloodline, and make it even purer. As the bloodline impurities decreased, its rank would rise, and its strength would naturally increase.

*Boom!* The crisp cracking sounds inside the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard didn't last long before its body rapidly expanded as if it were a balloon, growing from four to five meters long to six or seven meters. The entire beast's aura also underwent a tremendous change, becoming even more powerful and terrifying.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!* Feeling the oppressive aura emanating from it, Yun Tao and the others simultaneously retreated, their faces changing color.

"This..." Even if they were dull, they understood that this beast in front of them had broken through in strength! He just casually patted its body, and a Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard in the Aperture Acupoint realm broke through to the Transcendent Mortal realm? Yun Tao felt his head spinning; he couldn't believe it. He had spent years in the Beast Hall and knew how incredibly difficult it was to help a savage beast advance its bloodline. Even the two-star Beast Tamers in the hall couldn't achieve it without several years of effort! Yet this person... completed it in a few breaths? What on earth was going on?

It wasn't just him; Shen Biru on the side also had her beautiful eyes wide and her red lips parted, unable to close them. She had long guessed that Teacher Zhang might do something unexpected, but this scene still made her dizzy. It was... far too unexpected. Casually making the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard break through... Even an ordinary Master Teacher couldn't do that! What exactly did this guy learn from Master Yang?

Under everyone's shocked and terrified gazes, the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard finally completed its bloodline evolution. Its strength completely stabilized, reaching the early Transcendent Mortal realm. With its strength soaring, its internal injuries were indeed perfectly healed. It suddenly stood up, let out a long roar that echoed across the land and pierced the sky.

After roaring, the now even larger Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard took a few steps to Zhang Xuan, knelt down, its eyes filled with worship and devotion, devoid of any doubt. Earlier, when Zhang Xuan had knocked it unconscious, it had wondered if it had submitted to the wrong master. Now, it realized that its master's methods were infinite and vast as the sea. From then on, it would truly and sincerely submit, with no second thoughts.

"Since you've broken through, let's go!" Zhang Xuan leaped onto the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard's back, called out to Shen Biru, and with a grand wave of his hand, continued heading towards the Beast Hall.