Chapter 706: Qin Sect Leader

“Finished learning?”

Everyone was stunned. The elder, in particular, turned pale, his expression grim.

Others didn't know how many books were in the room, but he was perfectly aware. For fifty years, he had utilized the guild's resources to collect records, rare editions, and ancient texts on beast language—hundreds of thousands of them. Even he had spent a full decade just to read through them once. Yet, the other person went in and came out in less than ten minutes, actually claiming to have... finished learning!

"Even if you're going to lie, at least make it believable!"

"What do you mean by 'finished learning'?" the old man couldn't help but snort, unable to contain himself.

"Oh, it means... I've pretty much learned it; basic communication shouldn't be a problem," Zhang Xuan replied.

As soon as he entered the room, he had started running around collecting books. In just a few minutes, he had absorbed hundreds of thousands of books into his mind and then processed them to find the correct content. To his surprise, he had actually found quite a lot. While many of these books contained speculation and much haphazard writing, their sheer volume meant that a significant number of correct phrases could be accumulated. An entire book compiled common phrases from ancient beast language, along with pronunciation methods. Learning these would make difficult conversations challenging, but general communication was no longer an issue.

"'Basic communication... is no longer a problem?'" As the other person's claims became more outlandish, the elder's face turned ashen. "Nonsense!"

He had studied for fifty years and hadn't learned anything, causing the red-furred hamster to vomit violently with a single word. And you're saying you learned it after just a short time inside? If that's true, then all his years of research and study had gone to utter waste! Even if you're going to lie, at least make it more credible!

"I..."

Knowing that telling the truth would certainly be questioned, Zhang Xuan was about to explain when a young man rushed over.

"Elder, this is bad! That... Purple-Winged Skyspan Beast is here again!"

"Again?" The elder's face darkened. "Lead the way!"

"Yes!" The young man hurried out, followed closely by the elder.

"Let's go take a look too!" Seeing him leave in a hurry, Zhang Xuan glanced at Luo Qi Qi and the others, then followed. They had come specifically to find a flying spirit beast. Since this Purple-Winged Skyspan Beast was a half-step ninth-level creature, taming it would undoubtedly be a huge help, significantly speeding up their journey to Hongyuan Empire.

"Understood!" Han Chong also recognized the seriousness of the situation and followed closely. As they walked, talking with him, Zhang Xuan learned that his teacher, Elder Qian, was one of the Beast Hall's most senior and respected elders. Because the Purple-Winged Skyspan Beast was connected to him, Elder Qian would rush to deal with it every time it appeared. Although Han Chong hadn't been at the Beast Hall for long, he had witnessed this several times. Thus, he had a particularly vivid memory of this huge creature.

"This fellow, every time it shows up, it either causes destruction or kills other spirit beasts, leading to numerous complaints from customers!" Han Chong was full of frustration when talking about the Purple-Winged Skyspan Beast. Injuring people was one thing, but more critically, it harmed many spirit beasts. Some customers would wait for days to finally get a spirit beast, only for it to be injured and unable to move, significantly damaging the Beast Hall's reputation.

The Beast Hall had set up many traps, but this creature seemed to know about them in advance every time. Coupled with its formidable strength, it could escape even if truly surrounded, and would often return, causing even more trouble. They had reported it to headquarters, and the Hongyuan Empire Beast Hall even dispatched a six-star beast tamer. However, the creature sensed the danger and didn't appear for several months. As soon as the beast tamer left, it immediately returned. After several such incidents, everyone at the Beast Hall was frustrated but helpless. They had no choice but to let it cause trouble, with Elder Qian being sent to deal with it every time.

Strangely enough, whenever Elder Qian approached, no matter how fierce the creature was, it would turn and leave, never daring to harm him in the slightest. He hadn't understood it before, thinking it was due to his teacher's powerful beast-taming ability that prevented the creature from attacking. Now, it seemed likely that it was related to the deceased Rock Dragon Beast. If his guess was correct, the Purple-Winged Skyspan Beast must have promised something to the Rock Dragon Beast. Even if it was displeased with his teacher, it wouldn't dare to harm him.

"It's just ahead!"

After chatting for a while, Han Chong's eyebrows shot up, and he quickly rushed forward. Zhang Xuan and the others followed closely, soon seeing a massive purple spirit beast circling in the air, its powerful claws clutching a small, third-level Transcendent Mortal creature. Elder Qian, who had arrived earlier, was standing nearby, looking anxious. Not far from Elder Qian were seven or eight white-bearded old men. The one in the center bore a strong resemblance to Qin Zhong, whom they had seen before; he was likely Hall Master Qin.

"I didn't expect that guy to return so quickly..."

Behind the many white-bearded elders, Zhang Xuan saw another familiar face: Qin Zhong, the one who 'couldn't fly'. He had thought that without his spirit beast, this fellow would take some time to return, but unexpectedly, he was already at the Beast Hall.

"The Dragon-Winged Beast must have gone to pick him up," Luo Qi Qi whispered.

Zhang Xuan nodded. They had released the Dragon-Winged Beast as soon as they arrived at the Beast Hall. Knowing its master was still unconscious in the pit, it naturally went to rescue him. The Beast Hall wasn't far from here, so a round trip wouldn't take much time. Qin Zhong was currently wrapped up like a dumpling. Although severely injured, his life was not in danger. His eyes were fixed intently on the Skyspan Beast in the air, completely unaware that his adversaries had arrived.

"Quickly, put it down! Even if we have a conflict, please don't involve the Beast Hall. Otherwise, even if the Rock Dragon Beast were alive, it would certainly be displeased..." Elder Qian looked at the Purple-Winged Skyspan Beast flying in the air, his fists clenched, and spoke.

"Roar!"

Hearing him mention the Rock Dragon Beast, the massive creature in the air snarled, not only refusing to release the spirit beast in its grasp but tightening its hold, appearing ready to crush it at any moment.

"Elder Qian, Hall Master, please save my spirit beast..." A four-star beast tamer looked up at the sky, utterly distraught, almost bursting into tears. Clearly, the spirit beast caught in the air was his tamed beast. He had painstakingly tamed it after much effort. If it were crushed to death, all his hard work would be for naught.

"Beast Tamer Li, don't worry, I will definitely save it..." Elder Qian offered reassurance. He understood the pain of a tamed beast being killed and didn't want the younger generation to suffer the same fate.

"Skyspan Beast, if you release it, whether it's beast blood stones or spirit stones, as long as I, Qian, can do it, I will spare no expense!" After comforting the other person, Elder Qian spoke to the sky again.

"Elder Qian, you mustn't agree! Over the years, nearly all your savings have been given away. If this continues, I'm afraid it will hinder your cultivation..." Hall Master Qin frowned upon hearing this and quickly tried to dissuade him. By his talent, Elder Qian should have long since broken through to the ninth level of Transcendent Mortal. Unfortunately, all his savings had been given to this creature, leading to a scarcity of cultivation resources. Conversely, this creature would extort him every so often, and using those resources, it had already broken through to the half-step ninth level. If they didn't stop this and continued to supply it, the creature would grow stronger and pose an even greater threat to the Beast Hall.

"I owe the Rock Dragon Beast..." Elder Qian shook his head.

"But..." Hall Master Qin's face turned grim.

"There are no 'buts.' If not for the Rock Dragon Beast, I would have died long ago. Being able to cling to life for so long is a huge favor. Forget my savings, even if it meant my immediate death, as long as it brings it peace of mind, I would be willing!" With a determined look, Elder Qian flicked his wrist, and a pile of beast blood stones, mid-grade spirit stones, and some precious medicinal herbs appeared before him. The quantity wasn't large, indicating that over the years, this elder had indeed been thoroughly depleted.

"You owe the Rock Dragon Beast, but you don't owe this Purple-Winged Skyspan Beast. Elder Qian, what you are doing is truly inappropriate!" Just as Elder Qian was about to give his meager possessions to the massive creature in the air, a faint voice rang out.

Hearing the voice, everyone turned to look and saw a young man approaching.

"Father, he's the one who hurt me so badly... You absolutely must not let him go!" Qin Zhong's eyes turned green with rage, unable to believe this person dared to swagger right up to them.

"He?" Hall Master Qin's face darkened, and he turned to Elder Qian. "Elder, do you know this person?"

"He's Han Chong's benefactor, a four-star master teacher and beast tamer..." Elder Qian frowned, looking at the approaching young man, and waved his hand. "This matter has nothing to do with you. If you wish to borrow a spirit beast, please leave immediately!"

The one walking over was indeed Zhang Xuan. Seeing Elder Qian's endless concessions and helplessness, he stepped forward. Hearing this, just as he was about to say something, Yu Fei'er's voice rang out from behind him.

"What if we don't leave?"

"If you don't leave, then forget about borrowing any more spirit beasts..." With a dismissive wave, Elder Qian was about to finish his sentence when he saw Hall Master Qin beside him turn pale, his lips trembling uncontrollably. At the same time, Hall Master Qin kept winking at him: "Ahem, Elder Qian, please don't speak so quickly..."

"What's wrong?" Seeing the Hall Master act so strangely, Elder Qian was full of doubts. Before he could ask, the girl who had been following Zhang Shi like an attendant stepped forward, looked at Hall Master Qin, and smiled faintly.

"If I'm not mistaken, your name is Qin Zhao, correct? So you're the Hall Master of the Beast Hall here!"

"Qin Zhao pays respects to Princess Yu Fei'er!" Hall Master Qin turned pale and quickly clasped his fists in greeting.

"You still recognize me?" Yu Fei'er scoffed, her hands clasped behind her back, exuding a princess's majesty without needing to express anger.

"I... I had the good fortune to meet the Princess once while accompanying my esteemed teacher to the Imperial Palace..." Hall Master Qin quickly clasped his fists again, but before he could finish speaking, he heard the furious roar of his severely injured son echoing from a distance.

"Father, it's this woman and that young man! They're in cahoots, none of them are good people! You absolutely must avenge me..." Qin Zhong was blocked by the crowd and hadn't seen his father's attitude. Thinking his father was about to avenge him, his eyes gleamed red with excitement.

While he was delighted, Hall Master Qin, standing in front, swayed upon hearing this, almost fainting on the spot. He wanted to scream, "Don't call me that! I'm not your father; you're more like mine! Everyone else has filial sons, but you're just dragging your father down!"