The Master of Beasts

Chen Jiuge certainly wouldn't spend all his time nurturing Spiritual Beasts. After handling the most urgent orders, he dedicated only a little time each day to processing the remaining ones. He believed that since they had already waited so long, a little more time wouldn't matter.

「A year later」

The intense soccer competition had ended, and the champions were the Qilin Clan of the Desolate World.

According to his Eldest Senior Brother, the Qilin Clan's Luck had exploded this time, with five Earth Qilins emerging within the clan. In the presence of such Divine Beasts, which could possess infinite strength simply by standing on the ground, all Spiritual Beasts and Cultivators paled in comparison.

「Main Hall of the Sect」

Jun Linseng came to Great Elder Ye Sheng's cave mansion and said, "Your nephew-disciple is about to undergo his Tribulation."

Ye Sheng hesitated a moment and replied, "It's too soon."

"He's already suppressed it for so many years and can't hold it back any longer. Why don't you go and persuade him again?" Jun Linseng suggested.

"No. The desire to avenge his junior brother is too deeply rooted in Tianming's heart," Ye Sheng shook his head.

"Once he makes a breakthrough in his Cultivation, we should let him go to the Infinite Star Sea."

"Aren't you afraid your nephew-disciple will perish there? That Chaos Giant Beast is only half a step shy of becoming an Immortal Daluo Golden Immortal, isn't it?"

"With the Supreme Ancestors there, Tianming won't die. Experiencing some Kutou is not a bad thing."

"That's true."

「Back Mountain」

Wen Tianming contemplated the golden figure formed from the Great Dao and began to expound on his own Dao.

The golden figure would occasionally rebut, and sometimes nod in agreement.

As their discussion on the Dao grew longer, the ordinary Spiritual Objects nearby began to develop Spiritual Wisdom. It was truly a case of "when one person attains the Dao, all around them ascend."

"Good."

Following the golden figure's satisfied voice, a golden rain descended from the sky. Each drop of rainwater contained the Law of the Dao that Wen Tianming followed—the Dao of the Spring Breeze.

Golden Lotuses burst forth from the earth, and auspicious purple qi drifted from the east.

The Myriad Beasts Sect had added yet another Golden Immortal to its ranks.

Chen Jiuge had almost forgotten he even had a Master until a traditional summons prompted him to visit Wen Tianming's cave mansion.

Wen Tianming hadn't changed much in appearance, but his aura had vastly improved, giving off a feeling of profound depth.

"Master, you've become a Golden Immortal?" Chen Jiuge knew Wen Tianming was preparing for the Golden Immortal Tribulation, but how many years had it truly been? His Master had actually become a Golden Immortal!

Thinking of having a real Golden Immortal as his backing, Chen Jiuge's posture straightened instantly. Who could possibly stand against him now!

Looking at his disciple, who had also become a True Immortal, Wen Tianming still felt a bit guilty. His own breakthrough had indeed taken a long time—over a thousand years. However, his disciple also possessed extraordinary talent, becoming an immortal in such a short period. Impressive!

"Jiuge, due to my breakthrough, I haven't been able to guide you properly. Now that you've become an immortal, although the Dao you follow differs from mine, it's fortunate that it's the Life Dao, which shares many commonalities. Take this Law; study it well, and you should gain some understanding from it," Wen Tianming said, handing over a small bottle of golden raindrops.

"Having just become a Golden Immortal, I don't have any remarkable Treasures to give you. Moreover, I will soon head to the Infinite Star Sea. From now on, you and your Senior Sister must support each other. Regarding your family and parents, I've already spoken to the Sect Master. They will receive a certain level of support. You don't need to worry too much; just focus on your Cultivation."

Wen Tianming spoke at length, covering many details and making numerous arrangements. Afterward, he even examined Chen Jiuge's Cultivation, answering many of his questions until Chen Jiuge couldn't absorb any more. Only then did the meeting conclude.

「In the small courtyard of Eden Garden」

Chen Jiuge gazed at the small bottle of golden raindrops with fascination. These were the Laws bestowed by the Dao after a Golden Immortal's Tribulation, items far beyond the value of any Spirit Stones. This was the Dao itself!

"Don't rush, don't rush," Chen Jiuge muttered, forcibly subduing the desire in his heart. "First, deeply comprehend the Life Dao. When I reach a point where I gain no further insights, then I'll use this Law to draw parallels by analogy."

Now that his Master had become a Golden Immortal, what changes would follow? The most immediate consequence was that many people would come to visit. Indeed, even in the world of Cultivation, personal connections mattered greatly.

The most notable change was that Chen Jiuge had finally become an Elder, almost effortlessly.

In fact, the Sect Master had asked Chen Jiuge whether he wanted to strive to become a Core Disciple or an Elder. Chen Jiuge chose to become an Elder.

The status of a Core Disciple was high, but so were the expectations. After witnessing the strength of Fu Siguang, a Core Disciple from the Triple Sect, during the last competition, Chen Jiuge realized there was still a significant gap between his strength and that of the Core Disciples.

Especially after sparring with his Eldest Senior Sister and other prospective Core Disciples, Chen Jiuge almost thought that all the Cultivators he had met outside were as fragile as paper; such was the disparity.

No wonder, despite the rapid speed of his Cultivation progress, no one had previously nominated Chen Jiuge to become a prospective Core Disciple. It turned out he really lacked the strength.

"Junior Brother, I have good news!" Wen Ruo said, beaming as she arrived at Eden Garden.

"What good news?" Chen Jiuge had been somewhat reclusive recently, focusing almost entirely on Spirit Beast Breeding and not paying attention to outside news.

"Isn't our Junior Brother a master of Spirit Beast Breeding? The Sect Elders feel it's a waste for a True Immortal Spirit Beast Breeding master to simply work at Hundred Herbs Peak."

"So, they've specially approved a Pocket World for you, where you'll be in charge of raising some of the Sect's Spiritual Beasts," Wen Ruo said with a smile.

"Uh, Senior Sister, how is this good news? I'm already struggling to handle the orders for Eden Garden," Chen Jiuge said helplessly.

"Junior Brother, it's not the same thing. The Pocket Worlds provided by the Sect are typically the former domains of fallen Golden Immortals. Leaving aside the concentration of Spiritual Energy and the resources within, the sheer size of these worlds far surpasses that of Eden Garden."

"Most importantly, the Sect is truly generous. As long as you meet the quota for Spirit Beast Breeding every hundred years, you can freely use the resources within the Pocket World. It's like directly inheriting the bulk of a Golden Immortal's estate," Wen Ruo explained.

"Really? I can use them as I please?" Chen Jiuge was tempted. The conditions were quite favorable.

"Of course. The official appointment should come down in the next few days. Don't forget your Senior Sister when you make it big!" Wen Ruo joked.

"How could I? I can't handle it all alone. I'll definitely need your help, Senior Sister. In fact, I'll be begging for it!"

"Okay."

The Golden Immortal Cave Heaven truly arrived, and the one escorting it was Eldest Senior Brother Wudao Tian.

Looking at his Eldest Senior Brother, who seemed to be struggling to carry a golden sphere about the height of a person, Chen Jiuge asked with a puzzled expression, "Is this the Golden Immortal's Pocket World?"

Wudao Tian set the huge sphere down at the entrance of Eden Garden, and the entire Hundred Herbs Peak shook.

"This is it. It almost killed me," Wudao Tian said, stretching his body.

"Drop your blood on this Token. From now on, this Pocket World will be temporarily under your control. As long as you don't damage its foundation, everything will be fine. Oh, and Junior Brother, if you're inclined, you can also transfer the populations from those small world territories you acquired earlier," Wudao Tian advised.

"Population transfer?"

"Yeah. With so many Spiritual Beasts, even a True Immortal would be exhausted doing it all alone," Wudao Tian said matter-of-factly.

After binding the Token, Chen Jiuge planned to see just how many Spiritual Beasts there were that could exhaust a True Immortal. After all, his own breeding methods were quite simple.

With a brief probe of his Divine Sense, Chen Jiuge broke out in a cold sweat. Good heavens, the number of Spiritual Beasts in just a small area of this Pocket World already outnumbered the entirety of Eden Garden! This could actually work him to death!

Chen Jiuge didn't understand how to transfer populations, but he wasn't worried. He knew someone who did.

With the help of Jun Sandao, Chen Jiuge successfully transferred the populations from Taiyuan City in the Martial Arts World and the Northern Territory in the Spirit Void Realm into the Golden Immortal Cave Heaven.

Oh, right, this Pocket World was named the Heavenly Bull Realm.

The Heavenly Bull Realm, as its name suggested, primarily housed various types of cattle: dairy cows for milk, oxen for hauling, beef cattle for meat, and fighting bulls. It truly had them all.

"Junior Brother, the handover is now complete. This is the quota of Spiritual Beasts you need to breed every hundred years; it's the minimum requirement. As long as you meet it, you can distribute the resources within the Heavenly Bull Realm as you wish."

"Of course, if you can breed more Spiritual Beasts with even better potential, the Sect will offer additional rewards. It might even be possible for the Sect to transfer ownership of the Heavenly Bull Realm directly to you," Jun Sandao conveyed the information to Chen Jiuge.

"Junior Brother, do your best. This is a really good opportunity, not something ordinary Spirit Beast Breeding masters get," Jun Sandao encouraged.

After sending off Senior Brother Jun, Chen Jiuge planned to familiarize himself with the distribution and general strength of the Spiritual Bulls in the Heavenly Bull Realm.

「Three years later」

Chen Jiuge had finally gotten a rough understanding of the situation.

"The ordinary Spiritual Bulls can be handled by the people from those two small worlds. I only need to occasionally extract some Bloodlines and purify the herd's. The real trouble lies with those fighting bulls. Their Cultivation levels are not weak, and the cultivators from the two small worlds are somewhat lacking in strength!" Chen Jiuge frowned slightly.

His own development had been too rapid, and he simply didn't have enough manpower. Not long ago, Li Qiwen had sent a message requesting personnel, and now the Heavenly Bull Realm faced a huge deficit. What a headache! When one was in doubt and couldn't make a decision, the best course of action was to seek help.

Chen Jiuge first went to ask his Eldest Senior Sister, Wen Ruo. "Eldest Senior Sister, do you have any suggestions regarding our manpower shortage?"

Wen Ruo gave an unexpected answer. "Junior Brother, given your current status and position, you could actually recruit some Stewards who possess average talent and are stuck at the Mahayana stage. Most of them come from humble backgrounds or Small Families. As long as they swear a Great Dao Oath, they can be trusted to some extent."

"However, perhaps your reputation, Junior Brother, is still a bit lacking."

Eldest Senior Sister Wen Ruo's idea was good, but Chen Jiuge's fame was indeed still lacking. After sending out messages, very few were willing to join, and the manpower shortage remained significant.

It wasn't until a message from Li Qiwen that Chen Jiuge thought of another group—the most numerous cultivators in the Heavenly Realm: Loose Cultivators!

"Junior Brother, are you really planning to recruit Loose Cultivators?" Wen Ruo frowned slightly. The quality of cultivators among Loose Cultivators varied greatly.

"Senior Sister, I don't really have another choice, do I?" Chen Jiuge said somewhat helplessly. "I'll require them all to swear a Great Dao Oath. This should tide us over temporarily until the populations from those two small worlds develop further, and we no longer face a manpower shortage."

"That could work. In that case, be careful when you go out, Junior Brother."