Beast Taming: I Have an Immortal Mansion

Chapter 192 - 156: The Beauty of the Dragon Spirit

At most, one might use Tier Three Spiritual Materials when breaking through a major bottleneck. But for daily improvements to one’s Spirit Root aptitude, it was better to use cheaper materials—ideally free ones, like when he’d exploited the resources of the Earth Cave Fire Domain.

Three months later, Yuanling Mountain was exceptionally stable, its development booming. On Yuanling Mountain, Liao Wenlamp seemed to have found a new lease on life. He worked tirelessly and without complaint, keeping the entire mountain in perfect order. With him around, Fang Qingyuan could dedicate most of his time to cultivation with peace of mind.

Fang Qingyuan had also released the Fire-Bright Young Bird from his Immortal Mansion. After being disciplined by Fang Qingyuan, Jinbao rarely bullied the little one anymore. It no longer waited for Fang Qingyuan to look away before giving the young bird a big smack. In fact, due to the boredom on the mountain, Jinbao now had a playmate to pass the time with.

The Fire-Bright Bird was also a War Beast, similar in nature to Jinbao, but Fang Qingyuan didn’t hold out much hope for it. ’With Jinbao around, I’ll just let this Fire-Bright Young Bird raise itself.’

It would take several years for the Fire-Bright Young Bird to become combat-ready, and by then, Fang Qingyuan would have already reached Foundation Establishment. By the time the bird reached the Foundation Establishment level, who knew how high Fang Qingyuan’s own cultivation would be. He would have no use for it at all.

Compared to humans, Spirit Beasts cultivated much more slowly. Their long lifespans, however, meant they could be left as a legacy for one’s descendants. But Fang Qingyuan had no intention of having any.

He wasn’t even looking for a partner, let alone visiting brothels. His only thoughts were on cultivation and making money. In Fang Qingyuan’s mind, nothing was more important.

After Fang Qingyuan led the charge to eliminate the Li Family, foot traffic in Yuanling Square Marketplace had surged, and revenues naturally followed. More than half a year had passed, and Fang Qingyuan had already collected nearly twenty Top-grade Spirit Stones. At this rate, the total for the year might even surpass thirty—and this was with him only holding a forty percent share of the marketplace.

In addition, a Black Market had been quietly established in the area around the main Marketplace. It brought Fang Qingyuan an extra twenty thousand-plus Low-grade Spirit Stones every month. The goods sold there were generally high-value items, their contraband nature ensuring high profits.

Fang Qingyuan sent the vast majority of this money to Lechuan and Zhao Liangde, keeping only a small portion for himself. Doing so gave him significant peace of mind.

「A few days later.」 A reply from Xu Taichu arrived. Fang Qingyuan felt a pang of disappointment as he read the letter. Xu Taichu first thanked him for the invitation, then explained that he was currently occupied with urgent matters and had no time to travel to the Southern Border. He would visit in two or three years, once he had finished his work.

For a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, this wasn’t a long time at all. But for Fang Qingyuan, and especially for Jiang Kui, it was far too long.

’It seems I’ll have to go to the Qi Yun Territory to find Xu Taichu myself. But before I do that, I need to reach Foundation Establishment.’

Both Xu Taichu and Jiang Shang hailed from major sects in Qi Yun. To people like them, Fang Qingyuan’s local status held no sway. The only thing that mattered was his cultivation level.

’No matter how promising, a Qi Cultivation Cultivator simply doesn’t command the same respect as a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Since I’m going to ask for a favor, it’s best to have the highest status possible. If I wait until I reach Foundation Establishment, Xu Taichu’s attitude toward me will be completely different.’

With this in mind, Fang Qingyuan returned to the Quiet Chamber on the mountain’s peak and entered seclusion. This time, his goal was to push his Wood Spiritual Power to the peak of Qi Cultivation Ninth-Layer Perfection. Then, he would convert it to Fire Spiritual Power and begin his journey to Foundation Establishment.

Aided by his high aptitude of thirty-two from his Top-grade Wood Spirit Root, a mid-grade Tier Two Spiritual Land, various Elixir Pills and Magical Artifacts, and, most importantly, the assistance of his Dragon Spirit, Fang Qingyuan managed to advance his cultivation to the realm of Qi Cultivation Ninth-Layer Perfection in just one year, well ahead of schedule.

...

The Quiet Chamber was pitch-dark. But in the next moment, a tiny draconic form flew out from Fang Qingyuan’s hair and hovered in mid-air. As it shook its head and wagged its tail, an incredibly dense wave of Wood Spiritual Power emanated from its small body. The faint glow cast by the spreading power instantly illuminated the surroundings.

Fang Qingyuan sat cross-legged on the Meditation Cushion, his eyes closed. Sensing the dense Wood Spiritual Power, he flared his nostrils and took a sharp, deep breath. In the next instant, all of the power flowed into his abdomen, where it was completely refined and assimilated into his own Spiritual Power.

After a long moment, Fang Qingyuan slowly opened his eyes. The instant he did, the dim Quiet Chamber flashed with a brilliant light before returning to its previous state.

’A flash of white from the void, a gaze like lightning... These are truly the signs of Qi Cultivation Perfection. I never thought I’d reach the peak of a Qi Cultivation Cultivator today. This is even faster than I imagined.’

’Normally, I should be able to sense my Foundation Establishment Opportunity within the next six months. If I can seize it, I’ll become a Foundation Establishment Great Cultivator. My lifespan will soar, and I’ll leap from the shallows into the deep. If I fail to grasp it, I’ll have no choice but to let time wear me down, wasting away year after year.’

Fang Qingyuan muttered to himself, feeling a little apprehensive about this most critical juncture in his life. But then he thought about everything he possessed, and a surge of bold confidence rose within him. ’With an Immortal Mansion and an Earth Tier, Upper Grade Cultivation Technique, if I still can’t achieve Foundation Establishment, then I’d truly be beyond saving.’

After expelling the pure Spiritual Power, the Dragon Spirit seemed tired. It listlessly flew to Fang Qingyuan’s head, attached itself to his hairpin, and transformed into a lifelike green dragon pattern, unwilling to move.

The Dragon Spirit was originally created from Fang Qingyuan’s own Wood Spiritual Power using his cultivation technique, the *True Scripture of the Five Spirits’ Form-Refining Transformation*. Although the technique was mystical and granted the spirit some traits of a living creature, it was nothing like its current form. It was only after Fang Qingyuan had a fortuitous encounter and acquired a Tier Three, Upper Grade Fish Dragon, which he let the spirit devour, that it underwent such an incredible change.

A single emission of pure Wood Spiritual Power from the Dragon Spirit was equivalent to a highly potent Tier Two, Upper Grade elixir pill, but without any of the toxic pill residue. It was precisely because of this that Fang Qingyuan’s cultivation was so rapid; his progress during the Late-stage Qi Cultivation was even faster than it had been during the Mid-stage.

Going from the Qi Refining Fourth Level to Qi Cultivation Ninth-Layer Perfection had taken him less than fifteen years in total. Among the many beast-taming Qi Cultivation Disciples, this speed placed him firmly in the top tier.

Seeing the Dragon Spirit’s listless state, Fang Qingyuan took out a longan-sized Spirit Gathering Pill and held it out. The moment the Dragon Spirit saw it, it perked up, flew off the Jade Hairpin, and swallowed the Elixir Pill in one gulp.

The Dragon Spirit was now a true living creature, and it loved nothing more than these cultivation-enhancing Elixir Pills. However, with its current level of intelligence, it didn’t yet understand that the pure Spiritual Power it painstakingly converted from these pills would ultimately end up benefiting Fang Qingyuan.

However, the Dragon Spirit and Fang Qingyuan were two parts of a whole, inseparable from one another. More than half of the nascent consciousness within the Dragon Spirit’s mind was constructed from Fang Qingyuan’s own soul. In a sense, his soul had birthed the Dragon Spirit, and it could be regarded as a newborn version of himself.

Even so, Fang Qingyuan refused to interfere with or manipulate the Dragon Spirit’s growth. The remaining portion of its soul—the part not from him—was the most crucial element. It was a miracle of creation, still growing and evolving. The mysteries it held were profound enough to attract the research of even a Divinity Transformation Cultivator, and Fang Qingyuan knew his own limitations well enough to stay out of it.

Feeding the Elixir Pill to the Dragon Spirit, only to have the spirit transfer the refined Spiritual Power back to him—Fang Qingyuan quite enjoyed this little shell game.

This was because letting the Dragon Spirit consume the Elixir Pill was far safer than taking it himself. A moment later, the pill was completely digested. The Dragon Spirit then gave a violent shudder, and the toxic residues from the pill were shaken loose, falling to the ground.

Having recovered some of its vigor, the Dragon Spirit began to circle Fang Qingyuan, darting up and down. Its form flickered, at times solid and at others dispersed.

’It’s time.’ He could feel the Spiritual Power within him was harmoniously complete, having clearly reached its limit. He could probably continue to absorb Wood Spiritual Power and increase his cultivation even further, but going too far would be as bad as not going far enough. An excess of uncontrolled power would only shatter the perfect state he had now achieved.

’It’s not worth the risk for a sliver more Spiritual Power.’ With this thought, Fang Qingyuan’s gaze grew resolute. He began to circulate the technique from the *True Scripture of the Five Spirits’ Form-Refining Transformation*, starting the process of converting his body’s pure Wood Spiritual Power into Fire Spiritual Power.

Wood begets fire. The nature of wood is warm, with fire lying dormant within. Just as drilling wood creates a flame, he only needed to find that single spark. With it, he could ignite his Wood Spiritual Power and transform it into a conflagration that could scorch the heavens.

To unearth this spark, he would have to delve into the deepest parts of his soul. With that, Fang Qingyuan began to cast his mind back, searching through his memories.