Chapter 112: Recognizing the Master

He was filled with disbelief.

This small spiritual beast's talent was actually spatial teleportation! No wonder it could ignore the restrictions around the cave and come and go as it pleased every time.

Seeing the spiritual beast about to run off again, Jiang Fan rushed forward and grabbed it. "You little thing, still trying to escape?"

Realizing it couldn't get away, the spiritual beast showed a pleading expression.

Jiang Fan stroked his chin and said, "You seem to have some use; it would be a shame to kill you."

"But if I don't kill you, you'll just run away again."

Hearing this, the spiritual beast quickly pressed its forehead against Jiang Fan. Faintly visible beneath the fur on its forehead was a triangular white light.

"You want to acknowledge me as your master?"

Jiang Fan recognized this as a demonic beast actively requesting to acknowledge a master. By injecting a wisp of one's soul into the white light, a psychic connection could be established with the demonic beast. At the same time, this wisp of soul remaining within the demonic beast could harm it, serving to control it. However, the prerequisite was that the master's soul must be stronger than the demonic beast's. Otherwise, the demonic beast could, at any time, use its own powerful soul strength to erase the master's mark, ultimately devouring the master.

How could he still hesitate? He immediately extended a wisp of his soul and injected it into the white light.

Instantly, the spiritual beast's thoughts appeared in his mind. "Stinky guy, I'll endure this for now!"

"When you're not paying attention, I'll give you a surprise."

"You, a mere mortal, want to plant a soul mark in my body?"

Hearing its inner thoughts, Jiang Fan showed a faint, knowing smile. He said, "You can try, you know."

The spiritual beast was instantly startled. Knowing its thoughts had been exposed, it quickly tried to erase Jiang Fan's soul mark. But with that attempt, it panicked completely. With its own soul power, it couldn't erase it at all!

"What?! This stinky guy's soul power is even stronger than mine?"

It tried several times, but to no avail. Instead, with a single thought from Jiang Fan, the spiritual beast let out a painful shriek. It felt as if a dagger had been brutally stabbed into its brain. Within moments, it was exhausted from the pain, twitching and rolling on the ground. A voice of surrender echoed in its mind.

"Little Qilin was wrong, Master, spare me."

Seeing it yield, Jiang Fan stopped. Looking at its furry, panda-like appearance, he asked in astonishment, "You're a Qilin?"

Its entire body didn't resemble a Qilin at all.

The little Qilin groaned in pain, "Even if my appearance isn't mighty enough, can't I still choose a more imposing name?"

"Uh—"

Appearance lacking, so make up for it with the name?

"What kind of demonic beast are you?" Jiang Fan asked curiously.

The little Qilin shook its head, thinking, "I don't know either. I was born all alone. Last time, I was chased by many demonic beasts and human experts, which is how I escaped here."

Jiang Fan mused, "There aren't many types of demonic beasts with spatial talent."

"I'll help you look it up when I have time."

"Alright, go play somewhere else. I need to cultivate."

Untying the wire rope from the little Qilin, Jiang Fan seized the opportunity to cultivate. As he sat cross-legged, he took out a top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill and put it into his mouth.

Just as he was about to circulate his cultivation technique, he heard a slurping sound by his ear. He turned his head to see the little Qilin drooling while staring at something in Jiang Fan's embrace.

"What? You like eating this stuff?" Jiang Fan took out a Foundation Establishment Pill.

The little Qilin's eyes widened. It stood on its hind legs, bowing with its front paws repeatedly. Jiang Fan chuckled and tossed the pill to it.

The little Qilin snatched it with its mouth, grunting as it swallowed the pill, then wagged its tail, looking at Jiang Fan expectantly.

"Do you think these fall from the sky?" Jiang Fan rolled his eyes at it.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Fan took out a dose of top-grade Black Soul Bone Regeneration Paste.

The little Qilin's eyes lit up again, and it wagged its tail once more. Jiang Fan realized that the little Qilin seemed to like anything containing spiritual energy. Both the top-grade Foundation Establishment Pill and the top-grade Black Soul Bone Regeneration Paste were refined from rare materials.

"So you like these? That makes things easier then."

Jiang Fan casually threw out several portions of the top-grade Black Soul Bone Regeneration Paste and said, "I am a Soul Master."

"From now on, if you follow me, you'll have plenty of spiritual pills to eat."

Hearing this, the little Qilin looked at Jiang Fan in shock. Clearly, it also knew what a Soul Master represented. An uncontrollable thought flashed through its mind: "From now on, I'll wake up to spiritual pills every day. No more hard work searching for heavenly treasures, or being chased by others."

"It seems following him isn't so bad after all."

Thinking this, it grinned, gathered the several portions of top-grade Black Soul Bone Regeneration Paste into its embrace, took a bite from one on the left, licked one on the right, utterly delighted.

Jiang Fan pursed his lips and continued cultivating.

The next day.

He instructed the little Qilin to stay home and not go out. Jiang Fan went to the front of the main hall to wait for Gong Caiyi.

Unexpectedly, there was a group of unfamiliar guests. Each of them was burly, dark-skinned, and had muscles as hard as iron. Gong Caiyi's brows were slightly furrowed as she gazed at the formidable man before her, who stood over two meters tall.

"Sect Master Kong, why have you come to the Azure Cloud Sect?"

The man before her was none other than the Sect Master of the Giant Sect, Kong Yuanba!

"Heh heh, of course, just like Sect Master Gong, I'm simply looking around," Kong Yuanba said, a faint, knowing smile on his rugged face. His hand impudently reached out to pat Gong Caiyi's shoulder, trying to take advantage of her.

Gong Caiyi quickly stepped back, lightly saying, "Kong Yuanba, please show some respect!"

Kong Yuanba chuckled, "Sect Master Gong's charm remains as captivating as ever. Seeing your peerless grace from back then, I couldn't help myself for a moment. My apologies, my apologies, ha ha ha."

Gong Caiyi was furious. Without another word, she drew an ancient-looking shuttle, and streams of vital energy swirled around her. Clearly, she was about to explode in anger.

Jiang Fan touched his nose. This woman had quite a temper. She resorted to action without a second thought. Hadn't she been very gentle with him these past few days?

Just as he was about to step forward and persuade her to stop, Liu Wenchen arrived upon hearing the commotion, anxiously calling out, "Sect Master Gong, wait!"

But Gong Caiyi acted as if she hadn't heard him, saying, "This fellow won't restrain himself unless he's taught a lesson!"

Seeing that even her master couldn't persuade her, Jiang Fan could only casually say, "Sect Master Gong, why bother stooping to his level?"

As soon as she heard Jiang Fan's voice, Gong Caiyi's expression changed. She quickly reined in her anger, resuming her previous gentle and approachable older sister image. She tucked the shuttle into her waist, turned back, and smiled faintly. "Alright, I'll listen to Jiang Fan."

Liu Wenchen froze. "I couldn't persuade her, but Jiang Fan managed to in an instant?"

"Am I, the Sect Master, so lacking in authority?"

Kong Yuanba also couldn't help but look at Jiang Fan, scrutinizing him. "A disciple from Azure Cloud Sect's main peak, whom Sect Master Gong values so highly."

"Could it be Sect Master Liu's beloved disciple, that prodigy who cultivates both spirit and body?"

Beside Kong Yuanba, a robust disciple with a rugged face but very youthful eyes, showed a challenging glint. "Is that so? How about a match with me?"

Liu Wenchen was startled. The person before them was Kong Yuanba's nephew, Kong Wushuang, a body cultivation prodigy personally trained by Kong Yuanba. Although he had just been accepted as a disciple, his physical prowess was far beyond what Jiang Fan, who had no spiritual roots, could match.

He quickly said, "Sect Master Kong, you flatter him. This is my unworthy disciple, Jiang Fan. His aptitude is inferior and not worth mentioning."

These words made Gong Caiyi inwardly question his assessment. "Inferior aptitude, not worth mentioning?"

Was Liu Wenchen being humble?

However, Kong Wushuang continued to stare at Jiang Fan, his eyes narrowing. "No!"

"My intuition tells me this person is very strong!"