I tamed beasts and achieved immortality in the world of cultivation.

The Lingyun Sect is located in the Lingyun Mountains, covering an area of ​​five thousand miles. Its main peak, Tianzhu Peak, is the core of the sect, surrounded by eleven side peaks and numerous lower peaks.

Sunset Peak is the residence of outer disciples, while Chen Qing and Xiao Chunan are heading to Spirit Beast Peak.

They descended the bluestone steps, passed through the gate of Luoxia Peak, and stepped onto the plank road leading to Lingshou Peak.

All twelve peaks of Lingyun are connected by iron chain walkways.

Although it is called a plank road, it is actually a set of steps carved into the rock at the edge of a cliff. There is only an iron chain on the outside, and the clouds and mist surge underfoot. If you are not careful, you will be smashed to pieces.

However, cultivators all possess the ability to lighten their bodies, so they are not afraid to walk on this plank road.

Xiao Chunan walked ahead, munching on green dates as she went, mumbling indistinctly, "Chen Qing, have you heard? Last month, there was an unlucky guy in the outer sect who got hit by a mid-grade first-level Ironback Boar on Spirit Beast Peak and broke three of his ribs. He was bedridden for half a month before he could get out of bed."

"Mid-grade?" Chen Qing raised an eyebrow. "Doesn't Spirit Beast Peak only raise low-grade spirit beasts?"

"Who knows? I heard it was temporarily sent from Beast Taming Peak." Xiao Chunan shrugged. "That Iron-Spine Boar is irritable during its mating season. The junior brother in charge of feeding it forgot about it. As soon as the gate was opened, the beast rushed out, hit people, and then ran out and wreaked havoc on half of the spirit field. In the end, Master Xu had to personally intervene to subdue it."

Chen Qing shook his head, "If someone gets accidentally hit and killed, who can they complain to?"

"I'm not going to die. Cultivators don't die so easily." Xiao Chunan spat the jujube pit off the cliff and watched it disappear into the clouds. "But I'll be lying in bed for a few months. Luckily, Beast Taming Peak gave me a lot of spirit stones to buy pills, otherwise I would have lost a lot."

The two continued talking as they walked.

About two incense sticks later, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

In the distance, a range of mountains stretched out, with more than ten peaks of varying sizes scattered about. The highest peak was steep and shaped like a crouching tiger, with clouds and mist swirling around its waist, where the outlines of pavilions and palaces could be vaguely seen.

Among these mountains, one can see vast stretches of sacred fields, fences, ponds, and wooden houses and stone dwellings of all sizes.

Occasionally, birds would be startled from the forest, or the cries of beasts would drift from afar, rising and falling in waves.

We've arrived at Spirit Beast Peak.

To be precise, this large area in front of us is called Spirit Beast Peak, which is a collective name for the more than ten low peaks surrounding it.

The tallest one in the middle is "Beast Taming Peak", one of the Twelve Peaks of Lingyun.

"That is Beast Taming Peak."

Xiao Chunan raised his hand and pointed to the main peak, his tone tinged with emotion, "One of the Twelve Peaks of Lingyun, the proper main peak."

Chen Qing followed his finger and looked at the palace on the peak for a moment. Suddenly, he asked, "Brother Chu Nan, why do you think Beast Taming Peak has fallen into decline? Twelve hundred years ago, when that Nascent Soul Ancestor was alive, this lineage was incredibly glorious."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Chunan's nonchalant expression softened, and he sighed, "What's there to not understand? That's just how the cultivation world is. Every emperor brings his own officials. When that ancestor was alive, Beast Taming Peak was naturally glorious, but after he passed away, the lineage was broken, and with no one to carry on the legacy, it slowly declined."

"How could the lineage have been broken?" Chen Qing frowned. "Didn't the Nascent Soul Ancestor have any direct disciples?"

"Yes, I heard that the old ancestor had three Golden Core disciples, each of whom was an outstanding individual."

Xiao Chunan shook his head. "I heard from my sister that the old ancestor's beast-taming method was too special. He himself only got to that level by chance. None of his three disciples had that chance. They only learned the basics and couldn't hold their own."

After saying that, Xiao Chunan leaned closer and whispered, "Moreover, I heard that the ancestor and his three disciples died together in a secret realm back then."

Chen Qing silently pushed Xiao Chunan away: "So, once that ancestor left, Beast Taming Peak had no Nascent Soul cultivators left?"

"It's not just that there's no Nascent Soul stage."

Xiao Chunan lowered his voice, "I heard that the Beast Taming Peak lineage doesn't even have a Golden Core cultivator now. The strongest is just a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator, and they only barely maintain the title of main peak because of the sect's support. Otherwise, why do you think the Beast Taming Peak has become like this?"

Chen Qing gazed thoughtfully at the wooden houses and fences atop the low peaks.

"In the past, the Spirit Beast Peak raised first-tier, second-tier, and even third-tier battle beasts. They were raised to enhance the combat power of the disciples of the Beast Taming Peak. When they went out to fight or went down the mountain for training, each person had several spirit beasts, making them very impressive."

Xiao Chunan's tone was tinged with a hint of melancholy, "And now? They're raising only low-grade and mid-grade first-tier meat beasts. Their main purpose is to slaughter them and sell them for money, or to produce some spirit eggs or spirit milk to exchange for spirit stones for the sect."

Chen Qing was silent for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "That's good too. Meat beasts are docile, so it's safe for us to work. If we were raising those irritable Ironback Pigs, I might have to lie in bed for half a month one day."

"You're quite optimistic." Xiao Chunan rolled her eyes at him. "Let's go, or Master Xu will start nagging again."

The two continued on their way, and after rounding a bend in the mountain path, they saw a stone courtyard appear in the middle of a large bamboo forest.

The courtyard was small, with three tiled houses standing side by side. In the center of the courtyard was a stone table and several bamboo chairs. A middle-aged man with three long tufts of beard was sitting in front of the stone table, holding a book in his hands, his brows slightly furrowed, as if he was pondering something.

It was the steward in charge of Chen Qing's area—

Xu Gui.

Despite his middle-aged appearance, he is actually over eighty years old.

Xu Gui was originally a menial disciple with the aptitude of four spiritual roots. After cultivating to the sixth level of Qi Refining, he felt hopeless about reaching the Foundation Establishment stage, so he used his connections to get this job, which was in charge of the daily chores in the Spirit Beast Peak area.

He's not a bad person, but he loves to ramble on and on about the smallest things.

"Master Xu".

The two stepped forward to greet each other.

Xu Gui looked up and saw Chen Qing and Xiao Chunan. His brows relaxed. "Oh, you're here? I thought you two were going to be late today."

"No way, Mr. Xu, what are you saying?"

Xiao Chunan grinned and leaned closer, "We're right on time, aren't we?"

"On time? I'm counting; it's half an incense stick later than yesterday."

Xu Gui put down the booklet, stood up, and said, "Alright, stop joking around and get to work. The water in your spirit fish pond has been a bit murky these past few days, remember to change it. And you—"

He looked at Chen Qing: "You need to clean the manure off your batch of spirit sheep chickens. Don't delay, or the smell will become too strong. Old Zhou next door, who raises musk deer, has already complained three times."

"Understood, Mr. Xu."

Chen Qing nodded in agreement.

The two bid farewell to Xu Gui and continued walking along the mountain path.

Passing through this dense bamboo forest, a clear stream comes into view. The stream flows down from the Beast Taming Peak and meanders through this valley, its water crystal clear.

On both sides of the stream were where Chen Qing and Xiao Chunan usually worked.

To the left is a wide pond, consisting of five sections arranged in a stepped pattern. The ponds are connected by bamboo pipes, allowing the stream water to circulate. Several water lilies float on the surface, and fish occasionally leap out, creating ripples.

It was the Green Carp Pond that Xiao Chunan was in charge of.

On the right is a long row of chicken coops, made of bluestone and wooden fences, totaling five. Each chicken coop has a small courtyard enclosed by a fence for the Lingyang chickens to roam.

Chen Qing's work is located here.

There are more than ten such places around here, all under Xu Gui's management—Chen Qing and Xiao Chunan are just one of them.

"I'll head over then. Shall we have lunch together?"

Xiao Chunan waved to Chen Qing.

"OK."

Chen Qing nodded and turned to walk towards the chicken coop.

As soon as I took a few steps closer, a faint, fishy stench wafted towards me.

Without changing his expression, he took out a cloth from his waist and tied it to his face, then took out a green fruit and bit it into his mouth before pushing open the gate and walking into the open space in front of the chicken coop.

Although they are called chickens, these Lingyang chickens are actually much larger than ordinary domestic chickens. The smallest ones weigh seven or eight pounds. Their feathers are grayish and they have a tuft of upright feathers on their heads. At first glance, they look somewhat like wild pheasants.

They are called Lingyang chickens because this type of chicken has a unique characteristic—

The poop comes out in small, round pellets, like sheep droppings.

When Chen Qing first heard about it, he was stunned for a long time. Later he learned that this thing was specially cultivated by the seniors of Beast Taming Peak because the chicken manure could be used to feed the spirit fish, saving the trouble of processing fish food and forming a cycle.

It was similar to the mulberry-dike fishponds he had heard about in his previous life.

"Coo coo coo—"

Upon seeing Chen Qing enter, the Lingyang chickens in the henhouse immediately stirred, flapping their wings and crowding towards him.

Chen Qing picked up a wooden bucket from the side, scooped half a bucket of spirit grain from the granary next to him, and sprinkled it into the feeding trough while counting the amount.

He started raising these Lingyang chickens five months ago. There are fifty of them in total, and they are all plump and strong now. They will be ready for market in another half month.

The sect's dining hall will send someone to collect them. At three low-grade spirit stones per chicken, this batch can be sold for one hundred and fifty.

Of course, the money didn't go to Chen Qing; it all went to the nearby Beast Taming Peak.

He only received a fixed monthly allowance of three spirit stones, plus a few spirit fruits occasionally given as a reward by the steward.

To be honest, the fact that I was able to get an extra spirit stone compared to ordinary disciples was all thanks to Xiao Chunan's sister.

That Golden Core cultivator wouldn't concern himself with such trivial matters, but she had several Foundation Establishment disciples under her tutelage—since Xiao Chunu called him "Senior Brother," someone would naturally be happy to help with such a small matter.

As for Chen Qing, he naturally addressed him as "Uncle-Master".

"Coo coo coo—"

The chickens swarmed around, scrambling for food. Chen Qing squatted to the side, watching them pecking at the food, calculating how many spirit stones he could get in half a month, and then how he could spend money to buy some pills.

Just then—

His gaze swept over the nearest spirit sheep chicken, and he suddenly froze.

Above the chicken's head, four small characters appeared, gleaming with a faint golden light:

【"Contract" / "Harvest"】

Chen Qing blinked hard, thinking she was seeing things.

But those four words were still there, hovering above the head of the spirit sheep chicken, motionless and crystal clear.

He suddenly stood up and turned to look at the other one next to him.

The same four characters.

Let's look at the next one.

It's still four words.

Chen Qing stood there blankly, still holding the wooden bucket in his hand, the clucking of the spirit sheep chicken in his ears, but his mind was buzzing.

What's going on?

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and stared intently at the four words on the head of the nearest chicken.

"contract"?

"Harvesting"?

What does this mean? What contract? What harvest?

He tried reaching out and making a grasping motion towards the chicken's head—

Nothing happened.

Those four characters remain there, unchanged.

Chen Qing slowly withdrew his hand, a guess forming in his mind.

Traveling through eighteen years.

Could it be that—

Eighteen years east of the river, eighteen years west of the river, his golden touch is finally about to arrive?