The Master of Beasts

"Miaomiao, I think we should establish our romantic fate ahead of time," Aunt Liu urged.

Miaomiao also felt it made sense. "Okay, let me get dressed up."

「...」

"I was careless this time," Feng Shanyang said, looking unhappily at Chen Jiuge.

"Mhm," Chen Jiuge nodded.

"Hey, what do you mean by that?" Feng Shanyang felt Chen Jiuge was mocking him.

"Hahaha, Feng Shanyang, are you here to be funny? Complaining because you lost?" A small golden Dragon floated in from outside, laughing derisively.

"Long Xiao, what business is it of yours?" Veins throbbed on Feng Shanyang's forehead.

"It's indeed none of my business. It's just that someone lost, that's all," Long Xiao replied nonchalantly.

"You..."

"Enough. A loss is a loss. If this were a true battle of Fighting Techniques, you'd already be dead," a clear female voice intervened.

Feng Shanyang instantly deflated. "Got it, Sister."

"Human Clan Cultivator, I'm very much looking forward to a match with you," the woman's voice sounded from outside, but she did not enter the room.

After Long Xiao and the woman outside had left, a somewhat dispirited Feng Shanyang sat down, grabbed the wine gourd at his waist, and began to guzzle from it.

「...」

"It's Miss Miaomiao."

"It seems that Human Clan Cultivator has quite taken Miss Miaomiao's fancy."

"That's obvious. If you could defeat Feng Shanyang, you could too."

Amidst the noisy crowd, Aunt Liu and Miaomiao arrived.

"So this is the Spiritual Fox who wants to form a bond of romantic fate with you?" Feng Shanyang casually glanced at Miaomiao.

"Yes."

"A Spiritual Fox of romantic fate, tsk tsk tsk," Feng Shanyang shook his head.

Aunt Liu and Miaomiao had already felt uneasy seeing Feng Shanyang there, and their expressions changed even more after hearing his words.

"Da Bai, close the door," Chen Jiuge said, perceiving that something was amiss.

"I think we should have an honest discussion, Brother Shanyang," Chen Jiuge said, looking at Feng Shanyang.

"You defeated me, so I can help clarify some of your doubts. Consider it a lesson," Feng Shanyang said.

「...」

"So, you're saying the benefit of this romantic fate is a blessing from the Heavenly Dao, but to receive this benefit, one person and one fox must truly love each other. If only one party is smitten, they will merely become the other's slave?" Chen Jiuge asked with a cold laugh.

"Did Brother Chen think there were only benefits?" Feng Shanyang seemed quite surprised. "Do you really take the Fox Clan for great benefactors? You should know, that Nine-tailed Heavenly Fox has enough slaves under her command to form an entire army."

"Miss Miaomiao, I need an explanation," Chen Jiuge said, tapping the table.

Da Bai and the Three Beasts quickly surrounded Miaomiao and Aunt Liu.

"I did conceal a bit, but to gain something, one must pay a price. Isn't that normal?" Miaomiao said, her expression flickering for an instant.

"Mm, that makes sense. What else?"

"What else?"

"Still going to be stubborn?" Chen Jiuge looked at Miaomiao, somewhat puzzled. Aren't foxes supposed to be the smartest? Even at this point, are they still trying to hide something?

"Never mind, I'll tell you," Feng Shanyang said disdainfully.

"Firstly, all Spiritual Foxes of romantic fate have been afflicted with the Heartless Curse, making it very difficult for them to develop true feelings. Secondly, not just anyone can assimilate the blessings of this romantic fate. After all, it's a bestowal from the Heavenly Dao; strength, innate talent, and intelligence are all indispensable. Lacking any one of these means failure. Brother Chen, you might still have a chance to overcome these two points."

"But now for the most crucial point. Hehehe. A Spiritual Fox of romantic fate can extract the romantic fate itself. This means that no matter how hard you try, if you can't make this fox fall for you completely, heart and soul, then of the so-called blessing from the Heavenly Dao, you'll only get to enjoy a tiny fraction."

Looking at the tiny gesture Feng Shanyang made, Chen Jiuge laughed. I knew it. There's no way such good fortune would just fall into my lap.

"So, will you two leave on your own, or shall I 'invite' you out?" Chen Jiuge said with a beaming smile.

"Phoenix brat, if you don't understand, don't spout nonsense and tarnish the reputation of our Fox Clan!"

The sudden voice startled everyone in the room.

"Did I say anything incorrect?" Feng Shanyang asked, looking quite calmly at the woman who had suddenly appeared.

The woman was stunningly beautiful; every gesture she made seemed to bewitch the hearts of those around her. The eight tails trailing behind her further proved her identity as an Eight-tailed Heavenly Fox.

Seeing Feng Shanyang still so brave when facing a Spiritual Fox who was at least a Golden Immortal, Chen Jiuge was impressed. He truly is a Phoenix from the Phoenix Clan.

"What you said isn't wrong. But have you ever considered why a Spiritual Fox of romantic fate, who has genuinely fallen in love, would extract the romantic fate of her Daoist couple? If this were merely a scam, then why would Disciples from those Major Sects still be willing to form such a bond?" the woman said indifferently.

"Human Clan Cultivator, whether you are willing or not is entirely up to you." Having said that, the woman left, seemingly without explaining anything further.

But Chen Jiuge understood. While this romantic fate undoubtedly had its pitfalls, it was likely designed primarily to protect the Spiritual Foxes. Nevertheless, Chen Jiuge rejected such an inexplicably binding 'opportunity.'

After sending away the two ashen-faced Spiritual Foxes, Chen Jiuge suddenly realized that Cultivation wasn't just empty talk; the world was indeed fraught with traps.

For instance, eating sugar is sweet, but it causes cavities. This 'opportunity' was just like that—tempting, but dangerous.

In that instant, Chen Jiuge recalled a line from a movie in his past life: "A person must rely on themself."

Feng Shanyang looked at Chen Jiuge by his side strangely. What's the matter? Why does this Human Clan member suddenly seem so much more detached? Could rejecting a Spiritual Fox of romantic fate really have this effect?

「...」

After becoming a high-level contestant, Chen Jiuge finally saw Yue Meng.

Yue Meng was surrounded on all sides by countless beast-girls. She was still munching on what looked like Immortal Rank Spiritual Medicine, and her attire was so lavish it practically blinded Chen Jiuge.

"Yue Meng!!"

"Eh, Master, why are you here? Did you come to see me?" Yue Meng asked, her slightly chubby, babyish face filled with surprise.

「...」

After some conversation, Chen Jiuge finally understood what had happened.

It turned out that when the Spiritual Beasts had first arrived here together, Da Bai and Yue Meng had demonstrated their skills in Artifact Refining and Alchemy respectively.

Da Bai, a Fourth Rank Artifact Refiner, was decent but still considered somewhat lacking. The salary offered wasn't high, so the money-minded Da Bai refused and chose to become a gladiator like Li Kui and the others.

Yue Meng, however, was a Seventh Rank Alchemist and an ancient Divine Beast—the Moon Rabbit. She caught the attention of the top figures here. Even the Heavenly Immortal Qiongqi personally offered her an astronomical remuneration, his aim being for Yue Meng to help train new Alchemists.

Spiritual Beasts, you see, tend to revert to their true forms when fighting. Apart from a few specific types, most Spiritual Beasts aren't skilled with weapons. Therefore, they placed greater importance on Alchemists.

"So, you're now the chief Alchemist here?" Chen Jiuge still found it hard to believe. Could the Beast Clan really be so generous as to let a Spiritual Beast of unknown origin hold such a position?

"Yeah," Yue Meng said disdainfully. "I wasn't at first, but those old geezers wouldn't accept it. So, I had a competition with them. They were all trash."

「...」

Ten years later.

These ten years were a period of pure Cultivation for Chen Jiuge. He sweated profusely in the arena every day. Though it was his opponents who shed blood, it only served to demonstrate the seriousness of Chen Jiuge's training.

"Excellent! Our contestant, Ivy, wins again! Let's break out the champagne to celebrate!" the commentator, still the same big-headed frog, announced. This time, it held a bottle of champagne in its hand.

Looking at the spectating Spiritual Beasts, each holding champagne and spraying it wildly, the scene was quite peculiar.

Chen Jiuge, somewhat weary at heart, looked helplessly at the wild scene. Da Bai truly is a social genius.

The main culprit behind all this was Da Bai.

From what Chen Jiuge had gathered, about seven years ago, Da Bai had unexpectedly become acquainted with the highest authority in this place, the Heavenly Immortal Qiongqi, Wang Hai. For some reason, the two hit it off immediately and became sworn brothers.

At Da Bai's suggestion, Wang Hai introduced many elements from the small world gifted by the Demon Clan into the Beast King Arena. Furthermore, with Da Bai's help, numerous modifications were made, transforming the entire Beast King Arena into something akin to the performance boxing matches from Chen Jiuge's previous world.

Not only did it lose its bloody atmosphere, but it also became a form of entertainment. Even its name was officially changed to the "Spiritual Beast Brawl Arena," completely losing its former gravitas.