The Master of Beasts

In Chen Jiuge's fantasy, the Dragon Palace of the East Sea should be majestic and splendid, with delicious—no, formidable shrimp soldiers and crab generals standing guard at the entrance.

Inside, the maids would be lithe and graceful little Dragon Girls of various types. The food would include everything that flies in the sky, runs on the ground, and swims in the sea, with drinks being Jade Dew.

The banquet guests would be either dignified Immortals or dominant Beast Kings, along with many defiant and unruly True Dragons. He, meanwhile, would use his Golden Finger to make a multitude of friends and thus have friends all over the world.

***

"Is this Da Bai?" Wen Ruo asked with some uncertainty.

Upon hearing this, Chen Jiuge looked over and muttered, I must be dreaming.

Where the Dragon Palace's great hall was originally set for the banquet, a huge stage now stood. Hanging above it was a banner that read, "Supreme Beast Clan Game King Championship."

Below it were rows upon rows of five-beast teams, various Spiritual Beasts frantically operating devices akin to mobile phones from a previous life. Every now and then, a beast, its rage surging, would smash its Magic Artifact to pieces. The old Dragon King above, citing disruption to other contestants as the reason, would then kick them flying, triggering bursts of laughter from the Spiritual Beasts below.

"Isn't this my little baby? Why aren't your parents here yet?" The Dragon Queen, upon seeing Little Treasure, hugged him to her chest with a look of tender affection.

"Auntie, I've grown up now; you can't call me 'little baby' anymore. You can call me Little Treasure," Ao Bao complained, wriggling uncomfortably.

"Alright, alright, Little Treasure it is," Ao Ling said with an indulgent aunt's smile.

Chen Jiuge hadn't yet recovered from this shocking scene when two members of the Dragon Clan appeared behind him.

Ao Xuan said somewhat helplessly, "Sister, Little Treasure is becoming too spoiled."

"Sis," Ao Ning greeted.

"You're here. Do you want to play for a bit, or eat something first?" Ao Ling asked with a beaming smile.

"Let's eat something first. I'm not very interested in this," Ao Ning declined.

"Okay, I don't really like it either, but it's still fun to watch others enjoy it. The liveliness isn't bad, and the little Qilin Wang Hai brought is quite good."

After greeting Ao Bao's family, Ao Ling finally noticed Chen Jiuge and his two companions. Upon learning they were friends brought by her own Little Treasure, she immediately arranged for them to sit at the best table.

***

Biting into some eel meat, Chen Jiuge looked frostily at Da Bai, who was excitedly commentating above. My goodness, this is why you haven't returned for so many years—you've been having far too much fun out here!

"Junior Brother, actually, if you look at it another way, it's not so bad. At least Da Bai hasn't encountered any danger, right?" Wen Ruo offered, somewhat at a loss for how to comfort him. It was rare to see such a wild Spiritual Beast like Da Bai.

Games must come to an end, and after six hours, the Spiritual Beast Game King competition finally concluded.

The team that garnered the title was none other than Wang Hai's squad from the Qiongqi Clan.

***

Wang Hai, with his younger brother and sister, gave Da Bai a thumbs up. "Little Bro, your idea is really interesting, and playing felt great! Isn't once every ten years a bit too long, though?"

Da Bai shook his head. "I think ten years is too short."

"Alright then, let's go have a drink," Wang Hai said, slinging an arm around Da Bai's shoulder with a chuckle.

Coincidentally, Wang Hai and his party were seated next to Chen Jiuge. Glancing at the familiar back, Da Bai inwardly mused, Why does that silhouette look so much like Master and Senior Sister Wen? That's impossible, right? I must have been away from home for too long. When I get a chance, I'll ask Brother Wang to take me back for a visit.

Once seated, Da Bai pulled out a stack of cigars and began to offer them around. "Everyone, eat well and drink up! Come on, have one?"

"What? You don't know how? How can we Spiritual Beasts not know how to smoke cigars? That would be losing face for all beasts!"

"Come on, I'll teach you."

"Females can smoke too! Haven't you heard, 'Women should not be outdone by men'? Here, take one, take one."

As he was distributing them, it soon became Senior Sister Wen's turn.

Looking at the smiling Wen Ruo, the cigar in Da Bai's hand dropped to the ground. Am I dreaming? Maybe I drank too much last night and still haven't woken up. I've definitely been away from home for too long.

After slapping himself hard twice on the face and feeling the sting, Da Bai realized he wasn't dreaming. He looked up, trembling, towards the figure next to Senior Sister Wen.

Chen Jiuge revealed his bright white teeth and chuckled. "Da Bai, you've been living quite the carefree life recently, haven't you?"

Da Bai said with a woeful face, "Master, would you believe me if I said I just... let myself go a little wild?"

***

「One hour later」

Chen Jiuge, a cigar dangling from his lips, said with a speechless expression, "So, you're telling me you first got into trouble by gambling? Then, lacking Spirit Stones to pay your debts, you were dragged off by a black-hearted workshop to toil at Artifact Refining day and night, eventually becoming a Fifth Rank Artifact Refiner."

"Then, when you realized that workshop had no intention of letting you leave, you sent a Sound Transmission Talisman to Wang Hai for help. And then, somehow, Huo Yaozi got beaten up by Wang Hai's father so badly that even his Dao was shattered, and he's still recovering now?"

"Afterward, you followed Wang Hai back to Beast City and honed your skills in the arena. But after Qi Zhen thrashed you until you cried, you refused to fight anymore and instead cooked up this whole gaming business."

"And when Wang Hai came to the Dragon Palace for fun, you proposed the idea of the Spiritual Beast Game King Championship, and it developed to what it is now?"

"Master, actually, we could have left out the part about Qi Zhen making me cry," Da Bai quietly rebutted.

"Little Bro, that's not right of you," Wang Hai said casually. "So what if you were thrashed until you cried? What's the big deal? It's not like it was the only time. All the Spiritual Beasts in Beast City know about it."

I want to die, Da Bai thought. My glorious reputation, utterly ruined by Qi Zhen! Sooner or later, I'll make him cry too! Except, the current Qi Zhen had, after making Da Bai cry multiple times, felt so elated that he achieved immortality on the spot. There was currently no hope for revenge.

"My summary is accurate, right?" Chen Jiuge asked, exhaling a puff of smoke.

"That's roughly correct," Da Bai mumbled, his head hanging low.

"Brother Chen, actually, I think Little Bro Da Bai is a really good sort. All my brothers and sisters from the Qiongqi Clan are fond of him. Everyone likes him; he's just too soft-hearted," Wang Hai said, trying to help his little bro.

Watching the little Qiongqis nod in unison, Chen Jiuge felt the atmosphere was a bit strange. Besides, I don't plan on doing anything to Da Bai. Why are they all so tense?

"I'm just here to attend the banquet." Chen Jiuge decided to let Da Bai off the hook this time. After all, the root cause was his own action of leaving Da Bai in Jade Immortal City.

"Brother Chen, you're so magnanimous!" Wang Hai said mysteriously. "There's even better stuff coming up next. I guarantee you won't want to blink, or you'll miss it. It's also Little Bro Da Bai's handiwork, you know!"

Chen Jiuge grew curious. He glanced at Da Bai, who looked somewhat nervous. "Is that so? Then I'll have to watch carefully."

It's over! I'm doomed! Should I make a run for it? Da Bai screamed internally.

***

As the somewhat bizarre banquet progressed to its halfway point, the main attraction finally made her appearance.

The Little Dragon Girl was a White Dragon. Her form was completely human, with the phantom of a white dragon hovering behind her. She looked quite imposing. At least in my eyes, this is what the Dragon Clan should look like, Chen Jiuge thought.

Not like those four Four Seas Dragon Kings at the main table, smoking cigars and playing mahjong. That's just too out of character!

"Pause the game for a moment! My daughter has arrived; I need to show my support," Ao Chun, the East Sea Dragon King, said, flicking his cigar ash and pushing down his mahjong tiles.

"Count me in, count me in! I haven't given my niece her coming-of-age gift yet," another Dragon King chimed in.

Chen Jiuge had expected the Dragon Clan to organize some competitive games for Cultivators next, with prizes to make it more exciting. He had only guessed half right.

There were indeed small games, but they were purely for entertainment.

There were stakes, yes, but they involved penalty drinks.

Watching a large group of Spiritual Beasts enthusiastically playing finger-guessing games, Chen Jiuge felt he really shouldn't have come to this Dragon Palace of the East Sea.

"Hey, where's Tian Que?" Chen Jiuge had intended to pet Lu Wu to soothe his mood, but his hand landed on the little Qiongqi next to him instead. No wonder the fur felt different.

"He's over there," Wen Ruo said, sipping her Spirit Fruit juice.

Little Treasure was leading Tian Que on a tour around the entire banquet. Wherever the two beasts passed, the food on the tables virtually disappeared. Fortunately, everyone else was too engrossed in their finger-guessing games to notice or eat.

"Senior Sister, do you think perhaps we shouldn't have come?" Chen Jiuge asked with a wry smile.

"Junior Brother, you're overthinking it," she replied. "The Heavenly Realm has always been rather nonsensical. Every major power controls numerous minor worlds, and many things from these minor worlds get spread by the occupying powers, adding to the Cultivators' amusement."

"For example, many disciples of the Galaxy Sacred Land love racing, and disciples of the Flower Fairy Valley enjoy dancing. Further away, at Myriad Swords Mountain, the Sword Cultivators enjoy Spirit Sword beauty pageants. Most famously, the Thirty-three Heavens even hosts fashion pageants," Wen Ruo explained, offering examples.

"Is that so?" Hearing this, Chen Jiuge felt much better. That makes sense. But if that's the case, the Heavenly Realm sounds genuinely interesting. Should I go and experience it for myself?

"What this Fellow Daoist says is correct," Ao Mei, the Little Dragon Girl, chimed in as she approached. "The Heavenly Realm is a world that accommodates all things. There are many strange and wonderful competitions. For instance, the Triple Sect was destroyed by the Demon Clan. It's said this happened because they held a football competition; otherwise, the Demon Clan wouldn't have been able to break through their defenses in just over a hundred years."

This world is truly insane, Chen Jiuge thought. Their Sect was on the brink of annihilation, and they were still playing football!

"Fellow Daoist Ao," Wen Ruo greeted, standing up.

"Actually, I think the Dragon Palace is quite nice now. At least it's much livelier than before," Ao Mei commented, smiling at the noisy hall.

Seeing Chen Jiuge's somewhat puzzled expression, Ao Mei explained further, "Fellow Daoist, you must not venture out much, I presume?"

Chen Jiuge first introduced himself and then admitted that he indeed seldom ventured out.

"If it's possible, I would like to invite you to form a football team with me," Ao Mei suddenly proposed.

Chen Jiuge echoed, a bewildered look on his face. "A football team?"

"Yes. It's not only the Triple Sect that plays football; many sects have this activity. The trials for the tri-millennial football competition are about to begin. I've wanted to represent the Four Seas Dragon Palace and qualify since before I came of age, but my mother always prevented me. This time, I absolutely must make it through the preliminary rounds!" Ao Mei asserted confidently.

"Fellow Daoist, your vital energy and blood are so potent; you are extremely suitable! Join my team. If you can lead our Four Seas Dragon Palace to achieve a ranking, then as long as it's something our Dragon Palace possesses, we can definitely satisfy your request," Ao Mei invited, extending her delicate hand.

Wen Ruo, being only about two thousand years old, naturally didn't know about this tri-millennial football competition and thus couldn't provide Chen Jiuge with an explanation.

"Agree to my daughter's request. Whatever you want, I can satisfy you," Ao Chun's voice transmission sounded in Chen Jiuge's mind.

"I want a Dragon Ball," Chen Jiuge stated his desire.

"Hmph. Pass the preliminaries, and you'll receive one True Immortal Level Dragon Ball. If you demonstrate True Immortal Level strength and win the championship, I'll give you a Golden Immortal one," Ao Chun transmitted.

After the transmission ended, Chen Jiuge stood up and grasped Ao Mei's small hand. "I accept this task!"