Chapter 258: Miss Mo Yu's Challenge

Shen Biru grew increasingly perplexed by the young man before her.

The Beast Forest was a place where savage beasts were kept; it was filthy and messy. While feeding the beasts was tolerable, the main task involved daily cleaning of their droppings, bathing and grooming them, and even trimming their fur. For a dignified official beast tamer, being confined there for three years was considered a severe punishment.

Any beast tamer, even an apprentice, or anyone who had merely visited the Beast Hall, knew what this implied...

Yet he asked what kind of place it was and if the punishment was severe...

Are you joking with me?

If he didn't understand beast taming, that would be one thing. But the crucial point was that he had easily tamed the Golden Body Iron Money Leopard and the Cloud Ethereal Ancient Finch, helped them advance, and even recognized an ancient relic beast that Hall Master Feng and others couldn't identify...

He spoke of obscure matters that even Hall Master Feng knew nothing about with great familiarity, yet he was completely ignorant of the simplest common knowledge...

If it were anyone else, she would have assumed they were finding an excuse to get close to her and gain her favor. But with this young man, she understood that he genuinely didn't know!

Because... if he wanted to get close, she would be willing even without him saying a word!

"The Beast Forest is..."

Suppressing the frustration in her heart, she explained the Beast Forest. Finally, she couldn't help but ask, "Do you really not understand beast taming?"

"Yes!" Zhang Xuan nodded.

Although the Hidden Library of Tianxuan Kingdom contained records about beast tamers, it only had fragmented information with no substantial content. His ability to help the Golden Body Iron Money Leopard and the Cloud Ethereal Ancient Finch advance was due to the purity of the true qi within his body...

Strictly speaking, he truly knew nothing about beast taming.

"Alright!"

Hearing his confirmation, Shen Biru was utterly speechless, feeling completely bewildered.

Knowing nothing, he casually tamed a savage beast, forcing the Hall Master of the Beast Hall to punish an official beast tamer and leaving four other beast tamers utterly speechless...

If he truly understood, wouldn't he turn the Beast Hall upside down?

He doesn't understand formations, yet he points out their flaws; he doesn't understand beast taming, yet he tames savage beasts... Big brother, if there's anything else you "don't understand" in the future, could you teach me?

To be honest, I also wish I could "not understand" things in such a way...

Shen Biru was so frustrated she felt like spitting blood, while Yun Tao, on the side, was so excited he was nearly delirious.

Having been reprimanded by Beast Tamer Hong, he had thought it impossible to pass the assessment today. He never expected that Senior Zhang Xuan would resolve everything in just a few words.

Most importantly... this strange bird was actually an ancient relic beast, the Cloud Ethereal Ancient Finch!

As a beast taming apprentice, he knew how precious savage beasts with ancient beast bloodlines were; if not priceless, they were very close.

Such a precious thing, yet he casually gave it away, making it acknowledge him as its master...

"Once the beast tamer assessment is over, I'll find a way to sever my master-servant relationship with it..."

His heart stirred, and an idea surfaced.

Although ancient relic beasts were excellent, with his current strength, he still couldn't control or protect it.

Moreover, the Ancient Finch was clearly closer to Senior Zhang Xuan. Once the beast tamer assessment was complete, he would sever the relationship and let this ancient relic beast follow the master it truly belonged to.

If Zhang Xuan knew of this idea, he would surely shake his head with a smile.

Just an ancient relic beast, he truly didn't value it much.

Possessing the Heavenly Dao True Qi formed by the Heavenly Dao cultivation method, he could, as his cultivation improved, easily purify the blood within savage beasts. Given enough time, he could even artificially elevate ordinary savage beasts into ancient relic beasts!

Most importantly, even if the Cloud Ethereal Ancient Finch had a strong bloodline, its size was too small. Not only could it not carry a person, but it also had to perch on his shoulder every day. To him, it was completely useless.

If it were a flying primeval exotic beast capable of carrying a person, he might consider it. Taming one or two ancient relic beasts for fun was fine, but carrying them every day, cultivating techniques together, achieving master-servant synchronization, and going through all sorts of adjustments... just thinking about it felt troublesome. He'd rather not.

Hall Master Feng personally conducted Yun Tao's assessment. The rest was just a matter of procedure. Zhang Xuan knew the Ancient Finch was completely tamed and its loyalty was unquestionable, so he bothered to pay no further attention.

He stretched, considering how to find the Poison Hall in Tianwu Kingdom, when a fragrant breeze wafted towards him. A pretty figure appeared before his eyes, her hands clasped behind her back, her eyes shining with an arrogant, unyielding light.

"To be able to recognize the Cloud Ethereal Ancient Finch, your knowledge is not shallow. You must also be a beast tamer, right!"

It was Mo Yu, the genius from earlier.

Originally rated as first-class, she should have been the recipient of countless admiring gazes. However, this guy had instantly stolen all the thunder, making her curious about him.

From birth until now, with one exception, she had excelled in everything she pursued, whether in professions or cultivation. She had originally thought she would definitely take first place in this beast taming assessment, but now, it seemed impossible.

Although her Transcendent Realm Azure Eagle Beast was not weak, compared to an ancient relic beast, it was still far inferior.

Having spent some time with Yun Tao, she knew he definitely didn't possess such ability. The only one capable of helping him tame a savage beast was probably this seemingly unremarkable guy right in front of her.

"No!" Glancing at her, Zhang Xuan shook his head.

"No? Then how did you know this was a Cloud Ethereal Ancient Finch? And how could you tame this Golden Body Iron Money Leopard and make the Ancient Finch so close to you?"

As a Master Teacher apprentice, she naturally had discerning eyes. The Golden Body Iron Money Leopard was exceptionally close to the young man, and the Ancient Finch was clearly very attached to him. If it wasn't the work of a beast tamer, she wouldn't believe it.

"Oh, perhaps my character is just good!" Zhang Xuan waved his hand casually.

Others thought she was the Third Princess of Tianwu Kingdom, incredibly noble and a genius in her own right, worth currying favor with. To him, it made no difference.

"Character?"

Mo Yu stumbled.

Beast taming emphasized emotions, various techniques, endless strategies, and outsmarting savage beasts. Character... what the heck was that?

When others spoke to her, they would pretend to understand what they didn't, make all sorts of exaggerations, and speak eloquently. This guy, however, if he didn't want to talk, he simply wouldn't, not even bothering with perfunctory responses...

Character... if that could tame savage beasts, who would bother painstakingly assessing to become a beast tamer?

From childhood to adulthood, she had been pampered, and everyone spoke to her with utmost respect. Who dared to speak to her like this!

A wave of frustration washed over her.

Seeing the dignified Third Princess of Tianwu Kingdom also suffer a silent setback against Zhang Xuan, Shen Biru, on the side, secretly shook her head.

To be honest, when she first started interacting with this guy, she almost died of exasperation.

Now that she had adapted, it was much better. Aside from being constantly challenged and feeling her face slapped every day, she had at least adapted to his way of speaking.

Not even knowing his temperament and character, coming over to chat was definitely asking for trouble.

Unaware of Zhang Xuan's "glorious deeds," Miss Mo Yu took several deep breaths before steadying her breathing, her neck arched like a white swan.

"It's fine if you don't say. To make a savage beast willingly submit shows some ability! How about this: dare you compete with me in beast taming? If I win, you'll tell me how you captured the Cloud Ethereal Ancient Finch and gained its favor! If you win, I can give you a jade token for a lesson from Master Teacher Jiang Shu, a two-star Master Teacher!"

"Master Teacher Jiang Shu, a two-star Master Teacher?"

"I heard he's the most powerful Master Teacher in Tianwu Kingdom, having reached the peak of two-star, and he's also in charge of the Tianwu Master Teacher Hall. His lessons, even for just an hour, are extremely hard to come by!"

"This isn't something you can buy with money... If I could get it, my cultivation would definitely break through to the Transcendent Realm, or even higher!"

"Using this just to break through to the Transcendent Realm is too wasteful. You should at least use it when you're attempting to break through to Half-Zongshi, to maximize its effect!"

Many people around were paying attention to Miss Mo Yu's every move. Seeing her speak to this guy, they all pricked up their ears. Hearing the wager, their eyes lit up with excitement, and their breathing quickened.

A jade token for a two-star Master Teacher's lesson, even if it was just for an hour, was something countless people dreamed of.

One might even break through their current realm and aim for higher!

Anyone would find this temptation hard to refuse.

Just as everyone thought this guy would surely agree immediately, Zhang Xuan pursed his lips and shook his head, "Not interested!"

Having posed as a Master Teacher for so long and having specifically discussed with Master Liu and others, he naturally knew what a lesson jade token was and what its purpose was.

However, for his cultivation and advancement, as long as he had enough secret manuals, guidance was irrelevant.

Let alone a mere two-star Master Teacher; even three-star or four-star Master Teachers held no appeal for him.

No matter how high the star rank, could it surpass the Heavenly Dao?

Nothing could hide under the Heavenly Dao. Let alone three or four stars, even seven or eight stars were nothing.

"Not interested? Have you thought this through..."

She had expected that after throwing out such a big bait, the other party would surely agree immediately. However, upon hearing this answer, Miss Mo Yu was stunned. Just as she was about to speak, she saw Yun Tao in front had already passed the assessment. The Heart-Questioning Crystal flashed, and a line of numbers slowly appeared...

"What? Forty loyalty? This... this is advanced taming?"

Hall Master Feng was startled, suddenly stood up, his eyes filled with disbelief.

Not just him, the entire room immediately erupted in an uproar. Even Miss Mo Yu shivered in shock, forgetting what she was about to say.

Beast taming is divided into: elementary taming, advanced taming, and complete taming.

Elementary taming has a loyalty level between fifteen and thirty, meaning the beast tamer can summon the savage beast to follow them wherever they go, somewhat similar to a domesticated pet.

For advanced taming, the savage beast's loyalty is between thirty-one and forty-five. The beast tamer and the savage beast sign a contract, allowing for mutual communication.

As for the more profound complete taming, with loyalty above forty-five, it requires years of integration, cultivating techniques together, and progressing together.

For a dignified ancient relic beast, even elementary taming would be impressive. Yet its loyalty reached forty... This meant it had already surpassed the following stage and a contract had been signed!

This... how was this possible?

"You... how did you do it?"

Hall Master Feng couldn't help but ask.

"Well..." Yun Tao hesitated.

"If it's inconvenient to say, then don't!" Seeing his attitude, Hall Master Feng thought there was some secret he couldn't reveal, and quickly added.

"That's not it, actually..." Yun Tao scratched his head. "It's Senior Zhang Xuan's doing. He gave this Ancient Finch a good beating, and it just got tamed..."