Chapter 253: Beast Hall

"How is that possible?""Am I seeing things?"

The surroundings instantly erupted.Although Cloud Tao's subordinates didn't say anything, they shared their prince's belief: it was impossible for a cultivator to catch the strange bird using only movement techniques and speed. As the prince's subordinates, they had seen many experts at the Tongxuan realm and knew many fast individuals, but the scene before them still completely baffled them.

In less than a blink of an eye, he covered dozens of meters, appearing beside the strange bird from their side. This... was too fast! Was this truly a movement technique?

"Could it be... that we underestimated him? Is this Zhang Xuan... a Grandmaster expert?"

A chill ran down everyone's spines simultaneously.Although there were Grandmasters in the Hanwu Kingdom, they rarely made a move, and even these subordinates didn't know how truly fast they could be. But legend had it that an eighth-level Martial Artist Grandmaster could oversee a region, possessing unfathomable and incredibly powerful abilities.

This young man before them had single-handedly subdued the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard, and now he caught the strange bird with just two fingers. His profound strength was something they, all combined, couldn't even begin to match. Could he truly be such a master?

A Grandmaster... This was the level of power held by the founding ancestors of a second-tier kingdom, a living fossil, and he had appeared before them, seemingly under twenty years old... Could he not be from the Tianxuan Kingdom, but rather a young master from a great family in a titled kingdom? Otherwise, how could someone so young possess such power and such exquisite movement techniques?

Regardless, he was not someone they dared to offend.Several of them swallowed hard, not daring to breathe.

"Even faster than Wang Ying!"

Shen Biru's pretty face also paled.Although she was mentally prepared due to Wang Ying, seeing Zhang Xuan's display still left her utterly astonished. If he were to attack her, she would probably be crushed to death without him even needing to use any specific techniques.

"Squawk..."

Cloud Tao and the others were almost fainting from fright, while the strange bird's eyes widened.It had originally planned to turn and flee the moment anyone approached or used weapons, and then return to cause trouble. What was with this person who suddenly appeared? If it had known someone was so fast that even it couldn't react, it wouldn't have come to cause trouble...

"It's not that fast, really."

Holding the strange bird, Zhang Xuan shook his head.He had heard Cloud Tao describe its speed as godlike, claiming even arrows couldn't hit it. He thought it was truly formidable and had directly used the complete version of his movement technique, but the result... What a joke! It was as still as a zombie. If he had known this, he would have used the incomplete version!

His body was even a little sore from the tearing sensation due to his excessive speed. If he hadn't cultivated the Heaven's Path Divine Art, this sudden acceleration would have made him vomit blood.

His voice wasn't loud, but as martial artists, everyone heard him clearly, and their mouths twitched. This... it wasn't that the bird wasn't fast, but that his speed was simply absurd. The creature hadn't even had time to react...

Ignoring the others' shock, Zhang Xuan circulated his cultivation technique for one cycle, recovering from the pain in his body. Only then did he turn and instruct, "Come and tame it!"

"Yes!"

Cloud Tao quickly walked over, took out a special rope, and bound the strange bird, preventing it from flying. Only then did he release his hand that had been restraining it. Seeing him attempt to tame it, Zhang Xuan focused his attention, but after watching for a while, he lost interest. It was essentially the same as training a dog or cat at home: prepare many irresistible treats to attract the beast, then use other methods to gradually build rapport and gain its trust.

"Normally, it takes at least three or four days to tame a spirit beast and have it willingly form a contract with a human. His Highness is currently building a bond with it. Once that bond reaches a certain depth, it might submit. Then, the human and beast can jointly cultivate a technique that allows them to cooperate and enhance each other's strength, which amounts to complete control!"

One of the subordinates, fearing Zhang Xuan would grow impatient, stepped forward.

"It takes three or four days?"

"Yes, and that's for one that's relatively easy to tame. Some powerful spirit beasts require immense effort even from a certified beast tamer. Beast Tamer Hu Qun from our Hanwu Kingdom once spent three years in a swamp accompanying a half-Grandmaster level spirit beast to tame it. He brought its favorite food every day, and over time, he moved it to completely submit, becoming a widely told tale." The subordinate nodded.

"This... is considered a great story?"

Zhang Xuan was truly exasperated.Spending three years to tame a spirit beast was an extreme waste of time; he certainly didn't have that much time or patience.

"Yes, spirit beasts have power and dignity. Without moving them or tempting them with something they desire, how could they willingly submit?" As the subordinate spoke, a fervent look appeared in his eyes: "Let alone three years, even ten years for a half-Grandmaster level spirit beast's loyalty would be worth it."

Seeing the man's excited expression, Zhang Xuan paused, then suddenly understood.Indeed, others weren't like him; breakthroughs and advancements weren't as simple as eating and drinking. Some people reach their potential and remain stuck, hopeless for their entire lives until their death. Just like Shen Hong, Liu Ling, and others before him, without meeting him, it would have been almost impossible for them to break through.

In such circumstances, if they could subdue a spirit beast of that power, their strength would undoubtedly increase significantly. Leaving aside other matters, consider the Tianxuan Kingdom: if Emperor Shen Zhui could subdue one, even if Shen Hong truly perished, the kingdom could rest easy, without worry.

One must know that spirit beasts can not only challenge opponents beyond their level but also have lifespans far surpassing humans. Subduing one would ensure the kingdom's safety for at least a century. Forget three or five years, they might truly be willing to spend ten or twenty years. After all, others couldn't be like him, surpassing the strength-renowned Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard, suppressing it without any resistance, and even allowing it to break through its limitations in a short time.

"How long will it take him to tame this strange bird?"

Having understood these points, Zhang Xuan lost interest in watching the beast tamer's methods and asked.

"I'll ask for you, Senior!"

The subordinate rushed over and returned a moment later: "Reporting, Senior, His Highness said he has communicated with it and it will take about two days for initial taming! For the Beast Tamer assessment, initial taming is sufficient; complete submission isn't required."

"Initial taming?"

"It means the strange bird will stay by his side and won't leave, even without special restraints!" the subordinate explained.

"Two days just for that?" Zhang Xuan shook his head, "That's too slow."Spending two days and countless efforts just to get a spirit beast to follow him—it seemed more trouble than it was worth. He might as well just rent one from the Beast Hall. It appeared... that this method of beast taming wasn't worth learning.

"Let's go take a look!"

After a moment of hesitation, Zhang Xuan walked over to Cloud Tao and the strange bird.

"Senior!"

Guessing that this person might be a Grandmaster, Cloud Tao was even more impressed and adopted an even more respectful attitude.

"You need two days to initially tame this fellow?" Zhang Xuan looked at him.

"Yes!" Cloud Tao looked at the strange bird before him, full of excitement: "I just communicated with it using a method spirit beasts can understand. I told it that if it stays by my side, it can have as much of that honey as it wants, and I'll make sure it eats its fill. Only then did it agree to try getting along with me. Two days is the probationary period. As long as I can provide the honey, it's pretty much a success!"

"Squawk!"

After Cloud Tao finished speaking, Zhang Xuan looked up at the strange bird, seeing it raise its head, acting extremely haughty, as if to say, "I'm evaluating you, and it's for your own good."

"No way to speed it up?" Zhang Xuan asked, frowning.

"Squawk! Squawk! Squawk!" The strange bird squawked several times in a row.

Cloud Tao's face showed some embarrassment after hearing it: "It says that Senior's rude capture earlier made it very angry, and two days is already short. If we haggle further, it will extend it to ten days or a month..."

"Short?" Seeing how arrogant the strange bird was, Zhang Xuan shook his head: "I don't think so. I believe it will submit in less than ten minutes."

"Ten minutes?" Cloud Tao was stunned, then gave an awkward smile: "How is that possible..."Wanting to tame an Aperture Acupoint realm spirit beast in ten minutes was simply impossible. Not to mention him, even the most powerful Beast Tamer Grandmaster in the Beast Hall couldn't achieve that.

"It's very simple!"

Zhang Xuan shook his head and extended a hand: "Give it to me!"

"Yes!" Although he didn't know what Zhang Xuan intended, Cloud Tao didn't dare to refuse and handed the strange bird over.

Taking the creature, Zhang Xuan looked at it."Submit immediately and become his tamed beast."

"Squawk!"

Hearing this, the strange bird's eyes widened, and it held its head high, full of displeasure, as if questioning why it should. It seemed to be saying, "If you want me as a tamed beast, show some respect."

"Alright, if you won't, then you can die!"

Too lazy to waste more time, Zhang Xuan slapped it.

*Thwack!*

Before the strange bird could react, it was swatted to the ground, disoriented and dazed.

"Senior..." Cloud Tao's mouth twitched; he was almost going mad. Who tames spirit beasts like this? Even if it were tamed this way, if the beast became disloyal later, it would be even more troublesome.

The other few people were also dumbfounded.Are you truly taming it? You're trying to kill it!

"Squawk!"

Evidently, it hadn't expected this fellow to be so fierce, almost knocking the breath out of it with one slap. The strange bird's eyes turned red with anger, and it struggled to resist. However, before it could even get to its feet, a foot kicked it.

Like a soccer ball, the strange bird flew directly into a huge rock, tumbling dizzily and vomiting large mouthfuls of blood.

"I'll give you one last chance: submit, pledge complete loyalty, and I'll heal your injuries and help you advance your cultivation. Otherwise, die!" Zhang Xuan looked at the strange bird expressionlessly.

"Squawk..."

Struggling to open its eyes, the strange bird hesitated for a moment, then let out a squawk.

Hearing this sound, Cloud Tao was stunned, his face flushing with excitement."Senior... It... it says it agrees..."

"It agreed?"

Cloud Tao's many subordinates and Shen Biru were all dizzy, almost collapsing.This is actually working? When did beast taming become so simple?

"Good that it agreed. I thought it would be more stubborn and resist until death!"

It was just a small spirit beast, prone to bullying the weak and fearing the strong, and also fond of treats and being waited on. Zhang Xuan wouldn't indulge its bad habits. If it didn't want to live, he would just beat it to death. The Xuanluo Mountain Range lacked many things, but not spirit beasts.

"Go ahead and sign the contract!"

Too lazy to waste more words, he casually picked it up and tossed it over.Cloud Tao frantically caught the strange bird and, as instructed, signed the contract between human and beast.

"Alright, give it to me!"

Seeing the contract completed, Zhang Xuan flicked his finger, knocking the strange bird unconscious. Just like with the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard, he touched it, then had Cloud Tao wake it up again.

The next moment, his fingers rapidly tapped the strange bird's body.His fingers moved like wind, and his *zhenqi* was like a sword.Streams of pure *zhenqi* entered the strange bird's body, causing a fundamental transformation.

*Crackling sounds!*

After dozens of breaths, with a series of bone clicks, the previously dying strange bird suddenly grew a size larger, its aura surged, reaching the mid-Aperture Acupoint realm. As its cultivation increased, its previous injuries were also fully healed.

"Squawk?"

Feeling the changes in its body, the strange bird's eyes widened, staring at Zhang Xuan not far away, filled with disbelief.Its fondness for that honey wasn't just a matter of taste; more importantly, it could increase its strength. Cloud Tao stealing it was equivalent to severing its path to advancement, which was why it was so angry and willing to waste time to cause trouble every day.

Just now, this fellow had beaten it into submission, and it had planned to agree temporarily, then find a way to harm its opponent later to avenge today's humiliation. It never dreamed that the very person who beat it would, with a few light touches, help it break through! This was a barrier that had constrained it for years, and it broke through in an instant...

The strange bird suddenly felt that perhaps submitting to a human wasn't a bad thing after all...With this thought, its previous perfunctory agreement turned into genuine sincerity. Its body bent, and it respectfully lowered its head, shedding its former proud demeanor.

"This..."

Spirit beasts couldn't feign or conceal their emotions. Everyone saw the strange bird's attitude, and their eyes widened in astonishment.When others tamed spirit beasts, they begged and pleaded, making the beast extremely comfortable, and even then, success wasn't guaranteed. But this fellow, after a good beating, completely submitted. They had thought the earlier Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard was just a coincidence, but with this second instance, even the most foolish among them understood it was genuine skill.

"This cannot be learned!"

"I can learn the first step, beating the spirit beast, but the second step, making it break through and recover from injuries, is something I can't do even if I tried to death!"

"Honestly, you can't even learn the first step!"

"What makes you say that? Isn't it just giving it a good beating?"

"A beating? It's not that simple! If you want to tame a beast, you definitely won't genuinely beat it to death; you'll hold back. This way, the beast's fear will decrease! But Senior Zhang Xuan, if the strange bird hadn't submitted just now, he would genuinely have killed it! Furthermore, the most crucial part is... he surpassed it in speed, and combined with his undisguised killing intent, that's what truly made the strange bird feel panic and terror deep down. Otherwise, with a spirit beast's arrogance, how could it yield so easily?"

"When you put it that way... it's true..."

Seeing his simple method of taming, the others also knew that not only could they not learn it, but even certified beast tamers couldn't achieve it. The strange bird excelled in speed, and breaking its confidence in that very aspect alone was enough to stump countless experts.

"This fellow has submitted, so we can leave now, right?"

He had offered help precisely to leave quickly. Now that the beast was tamed, there was no need to stay.

"Yes!"

Cloud Tao was overjoyed, nodding repeatedly.He had thought that with the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard being tamed by the other party, this assessment was doomed to fail. He never dreamed that this person would step in and succeed in one go. Looking at Zhang Xuan again, his eyes were filled with gratitude.

With the task completed, all that remained was the journey back. Zhang Xuan and Shen Biru rode on the back of the Golden-Bodied Iron-Armored Leopard, while Cloud Tao and the others still ran until they were almost breathless. As he ran, Cloud Tao's tears streamed down his face. The other party looked majestic riding on the spirit beast's back, while he could only carry that foolish bird and follow behind, running his legs off.

Both had tamed spirit beasts, but the difference was truly vast...

An hour later, a huge valley appeared before them.

"Such dense spiritual energy!"

As soon as he arrived, Zhang Xuan immediately sensed something was amiss.The spiritual energy throughout the valley was almost twice as dense as elsewhere. Stepping into it, all his pores involuntarily opened, and spiritual energy continuously cleansed his body, giving him a sensation like soaking in a hot spring. Cultivating here year-round would undoubtedly lead to much greater advancements in cultivation than outside.

"The Beast Hall has arranged the entire valley into a Spirit Gathering Array. This allows better spiritual flowers and herbs to grow, increases the physical constitution of spirit beasts, and makes breakthroughs more likely!" Shen Biru explained.

She had been greatly surprised the first time she came here too.Setting up such a grand array throughout an entire valley and doubling the spiritual energy... How grand a gesture was that? Perhaps only an organization like the Beast Hall, which clearly had no shortage of money, would possess such daring!

"Indeed!" Zhang Xuan nodded, taking a deep breath, feeling his entire body's cells become much more active.

The first seven levels of martial artists are: first level Gathering Breath, second level Dantian, third level Zhenqi, fourth level Skin and Bone, fifth level Cauldron Strength, sixth level Aperture Acupoint, and seventh level Tongxuan.The first three levels require less spiritual energy, so they need no further mention. At the fourth level, Skin and Bone, *zhenqi* nourishes the body; at the fifth level, Cauldron Strength, *zhenqi* is skillfully applied to increase power; at the sixth level, Aperture Acupoint, all acupoints in the body are opened; and at the seventh level, Tongxuan, *zhenqi* flows freely through unobstructed meridians.

These seven levels don't demand excessive spiritual energy, making them relatively easy to achieve even in places like the Tianxuan Kingdom, where spiritual energy is scarce. However, with insufficient spiritual energy, it becomes difficult to attempt a breakthrough to the Grandmaster realm.

A Grandmaster encompasses all directions, possessing boundless power within their body. Without sufficient spiritual energy and accumulation, a breakthrough is almost impossible. Taking Zhang Xuan as an example, even with the Heaven's Path Divine Art, it would be futile without enough spiritual energy to support him.

If the Grandmaster realm were a vast ocean, the spiritual energy in Tianxuan Kingdom would be a mere trickle. To fill that ocean would require decades of accumulation, but using a river to irrigate it would be much faster.Although the spiritual energy here was only twice as much as other places, the speed of cultivation would certainly increase exponentially. Looking around, the surrounding vegetation was noticeably denser than outside, and from time to time, flying birds and spirit beasts would appear, all with massive bones and imposing physiques.

"To put it in terms of my previous life, the Beast Hall is like an airport, built far from the city. People who need to travel long distances and are in a hurry would make a special trip here!"

Looking up at the many spirit beasts flying around, an idea popped into Zhang Xuan's mind.Previously, he had wondered why the Beast Hall wasn't built within the royal city. Seeing these massive spirit beasts now, he finally understood. These creatures were enormous, and if they were in the royal city, conflicts with people would easily arise. No king would likely want to see that.

"The Beast Hall is inside; let's go in quickly!"

Following the road in the valley, they walked forward.It wasn't long before a town-like structure appeared before them. Spanning dozens of *li*, various buildings stood in orderly rows, beautiful and magnificent. The streets were bustling with people. Although slightly inferior to Tianxuan Royal City, it was already comparable to some second-tier cities.

"This is... the Beast Hall?" Zhang Xuan blinked.He had originally thought the Beast Hall, like the Physician Guild, was just a small branch, isolated in the mountains. He never dreamed it would be such a bustling city.

"Initially, there was indeed only one branch here, but as time passed, more and more people came to trade, and descendants of the Beast Hall settled here, gradually developing it into a city," Cloud Tao explained.

Zhang Xuan nodded.With kingdoms surrounding the Xuanluo Mountain Range, many people wanted to ride flying spirit beasts or purchase spirit beasts to guard their families. Combined with the abundant spiritual energy, it was reasonable for such a scale to form over time. Just like an airport, after being established for a long time, it would also form a massive industrial chain, attracting countless people. No wonder Shen Biru had that expression when he previously asked why people from the Beast Hall didn't come out to buy things. Now it seemed she had been here before and knew the situation.

"Let's go to the Beast Hall!"

Entering the city, they walked along the streets for a while, finding nothing of particular interest. At Zhang Xuan's command, the group headed straight towards the tallest building in the center.

As the foundation of this city, the Beast Hall was tall and majestic, entirely grayish-green, over a hundred meters high, reaching straight into the clouds. At its entrance were two enormous, terrifying spirit beast sculptures, exuding a sense of power. Above the main entrance hung a tens-of-meters-long horizontal plaque. The two large characters "Beast Hall" were dazzling crimson, written with an unknown substance that radiated an oppressive aura.

"It's the blood of high-level spirit beasts!"

Cloud Tao explained, "These spirit beasts are naturally powerful, and even after death, their deterrence doesn't disappear. The characters written with their blood instill fear at first glance, making people not dare to cause trouble here."

"Mmm," Zhang Xuan nodded to himself.It had to be said that the Beast Hall certainly made a grand impression. Let alone others, even he felt a sense of awe before stepping inside.

Stepping through the grand entrance, the interior, like the Physician Guild, was a spacious hall. People came and went, with many experts moving through, some even forming long queues, making it quite lively.

"Is that... an Aperture Acupoint realm peak? And that one, a Tongxuan realm mid-level? And... a Tongxuan realm peak?"

After looking around for a while, Zhang Xuan couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement.The Tongxuan realm experts who were highly respected in Tianxuan Royal City were as common as cabbages here, visible everywhere. Even an inconspicuous old man waiting in line might possess peak Tongxuan realm cultivation. As for Aperture Acupoint realm experts, who could become family elders, they were the most unremarkable here; one could easily encounter several.