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

The Lingyun Sect has been established for 6,700 years and occupies a 5,000-mile radius of the Lingyun Mountain Range.

The main peak, Tianzhu Peak, stands majestically, towering over ten thousand feet high. Waterfalls cascade down from the sky, and a rainbow bridge spans across it, making it the core of the sect.

On Tianzhu Peak, important sect locations such as the Council Hall, Scripture Pavilion, Law Enforcement Hall, and Transmission Hall are all gathered.

The mountaintop is shrouded in clouds and mist year-round, and sword lights and escape lights sometimes rise and fall. These are the comings and goings of Golden Core cultivators, and ordinary disciples don't even have the right to look up at them.

Sunset Peak stands alone on the easternmost side of the Twelve Peaks. Its terrain is gentle and its spiritual energy is sparse. Thousands of small courtyards are densely packed together to house outer disciples. Every morning and evening, groups of Qi Refining disciples can be seen coming and going, either meditating or descending the mountain together. It is the most bustling and most common of the Twelve Peaks.

Apart from these two peaks, the remaining ten peaks are collectively known as the "Ten Peaks of Lingyun," each with its own lineage and each in charge of a specific path.

Danxia Peak, a branch of Daoist alchemy.

A thousand acres of spiritual fields have been cultivated on the peak, where various spiritual herbs are planted. There are also thirty-six earth fire chambers for disciples to refine pills. When the pills are completed, a strange fragrance often wafts out, which can be smelled across several mountain peaks.

Qi Dingfeng, the lineage of weapon crafting.

The entire mountain peak is hollow, drawing in earth fire to keep the furnace burning day and night. Legend has it that a fire vein is suppressed at the bottom of the peak. Disciples of Qiding Peak spend their days bare-chested, wielding hammers to forge magical artifacts and flying swords, the clanging sound never ceasing day or night.

Fu Zhao Peak, the lineage of Fu Dao.

This peak is like a screen, with its sun-facing side smooth as a mirror. It is a natural place to carve talisman arrays. The disciples of Talisman Peak are the most mysterious. They spend most of their time in quiet rooms studying talismans. Occasionally, they come down the mountain with bulging talisman pouches at their waists, and when they do, talismans rain down from their hands.

Sword Echo Peak, the lineage of swordsmanship.

Lingyun Sect is founded on the sword, and Sword Echo Peak is a gathering place for sword cultivators. There is a sword-sparring platform at the top of the peak, where sword cultivators spar and fight every morning. The sword light is dazzling and the sword energy is soaring into the sky. It is the most formidable peak among the ten sects.

Xuanzhen Peak belongs to the lineage of array formations.

The entire mountain peak is a large array. Ordinary disciples would get lost every three steps and trapped every five steps. Without a disciple specializing in arrays to guide them, they would not be able to find the way up the mountain at all.

Faxiang Peak specializes in cultivating supernatural powers and techniques.

The disciples on this peak are the most diverse, some practicing martial arts, some practicing escape techniques, some practicing eye techniques, a wide variety of styles, encompassing everything.

Baicaofeng specializes in cultivating spiritual plants.

Terraced fields have been carved into the peak, irrigated by spiritual springs, making it spring-like all year round. Spiritual grains and herbs are harvested three times a year, serving as the sect's granary and the source of spiritual herbs for Danxia Peak.

Wanshufeng is a repository of classic texts from around the world.

This peak is different from the Sutra Repository; it houses miscellaneous knowledge—tales of mountains and rivers, anecdotes about local customs, ancient manuscripts, and illustrations of monsters and beasts. Disciples often search for ancient books here, hoping to find opportunities within them.

Ling Shu Peak is in charge of all the sect's affairs.

This peak specializes in cultivating management talent. The disciples on the peak do not learn how to fight and kill, but rather how to calculate, coordinate, schedule, and negotiate.

Most of the disciples of Ling Shu Peak have four or five spiritual roots. Knowing that they have no hope of achieving the Great Dao, they changed their minds early on and devoted themselves to the path of general affairs. Seven or eight out of ten of the managers and stewards of Lingyun Sect come from this peak.

All the positions, from general affairs of each peak, supervision of spirit mines, management of markets, liaison with dispatched personnel, and even procurement for the canteen, are held by people from Ling Shu Peak.

The Golden Core Elders and Nascent Soul Ancestors are only concerned with cultivation; they have no time to bother with such trivial matters.

Over time, the daily operations of the sect fell entirely into the hands of the disciples of Ling Shu Peak.

Xu Gui —

These are the kind of "management talents" with impeccable credentials.

Finally, there's the one Chen Qing plans to join—

Beast Taming Peak.

Beast Taming Peak was once a glorious place. When the Nascent Soul Ancestor was in charge 1,200 years ago, this peak was the head of the ten peaks, with herds of spirit beasts and countless battle beasts on the peak.

Unfortunately, with the passing of the ancestor, the lineage was severed, and now only a late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator remains to barely keep it going.

Beyond the ten main peaks, there are over a hundred other low peaks, which serve as warehouses, guesthouses, or residences for servants and disciples, but none of them are of significant importance.

These are the Twelve Peaks of Lingyun: one main peak, one outer peak, and ten peaks of inheritance.

The grand scale of six thousand years of history flows and ebbs between these ten peaks.

……

Chen Qing gazed at the Beast Taming Peak not far away, pondering information about the Lingyun Sect.

Although Beast Taming Peak has declined over the past 1,200 years, even a fallen camel is bigger than a horse, and there must still be many spirit beasts of considerable quality and potential on the peak.

Any one of those spirit beasts is ten thousand times stronger than the spirit sheep chicken.

"We need to find a way to get into Beast Taming Peak."

Chen Qing sat up straight and began to make plans.

To enter the Beast Taming Peak, one must first break through to the fourth level of Qi Refining.

According to the rules of Lingyun Sect, outer disciples are only qualified to choose which branch to join once they reach the mid-stage of Qi Refining. Those at the third level of Qi Refining or below can only stay in the outer sect, do chores, accumulate contribution points, and wait for a breakthrough.

Take Xiao Chunan for example. He is a disciple of Jianming Peak, but because of Chen Qing, he lives on Luoxia Peak.

"Qi Refining Level 4..."

Chen Qing sensed the spiritual energy within his body.

He has been stuck at the third level of Qi Refining for almost a year. Although he has not missed any cultivation in the past six months, his progress has been pitifully slow. With his three spiritual roots and without the aid of pills, relying solely on meditation to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, it will take him at least another six months to break through to the fourth level.

"We need to get some pills."

Chen Qing was making plans in his mind.

This batch of spirit sheep chickens will be ready for market in another half month. At that time, Xu Gui should be able to share some of the profits with him. With the spirit stones he has saved up over the past few months, he can grit his teeth and buy a bottle of Lesser Rejuvenation Pill to break through the bottleneck. That should be enough for him to make a big push.

Once you reach the fourth level of Qi Refining, you can participate in the introductory test for the Ten Meridians.

And the test at Beast Taming Peak...

Chen Qing's lips curled up slightly.

He has an advantage that others don't.

He has a system.

Although we don't know the specifics of the test at Beast Taming Peak yet, since it's part of the Beast Taming lineage, it's likely related to spirit beasts. We can just wait and see what happens; it's better than wasting time in the outer sect.

Just then, Xiao Chunan's shout came from afar:

"Chen Qing! Have you finished your work? It's time to go to Master Xu's!"

Chen Qing snapped out of his daze, looked up, and saw that the sun was already setting in the west, and it was almost dusk.

He stood up, dusted himself off, and came out from behind the chicken coop.

Xiao Chunan was standing by the stream, holding two still-swishing blue carp in her hands. She shook them at him and said, "Master Xu told us to go over there, so I caught two fish on the way. We're in for a treat tonight!"

Chen Qing walked over with a smile: "Is it alright to catch and eat the fish from your pond?"

"One or two, who can count them all?" Xiao Chunan winked. "Besides, with Master Xu backing us up, what's there to be afraid of?"

The two smiled at each other and walked along the mountain path toward Xu Gui's courtyard.

……

As the sun sets, the distant Beast Taming Peak is bathed in the evening glow, and the pavilions and palaces above the mountainside appear and disappear, like a fairyland in the clouds.

As Chen Qing walked, he glanced back at the main peak.

almost.

Once this batch of spirit sheep chickens is ready for market and he breaks through to the fourth level of Qi Refining, he will go to Beast Taming Peak and select two spirit beasts with the highest potential to raise from a young age.

Only then did he truly embark on this path.

A moment later.

As the two arrived outside Xu Guiyuan's courtyard, they smelled the aroma of stewed chicken mixed with the sweet fragrance of spiritual grains, which made their mouths water.

Xu Gui was sitting at a stone table with a steaming earthenware pot in front of him, along with several small dishes and a pot of wine.

Seeing the two enter, Xu Gui waved:

"Come on, we've been waiting for you."

Xiao Chunan approached, carrying two fish: "Master Xu, I brought some fish, how about we stew them together?"

"Okay." Xu Gui was not surprised at all by Xiao Chunan's act of stealing from his own post. He took the fish and cleaned it up neatly, muttering to himself, "This fish is good, quite plump. Chen Qing, I've started stewing your chicken. Try my nearly 100-year-old cooking skills."

Chen Qing sat down with a smile, watching Xu Gui put the fish into the pot, and then added some lingzhi mushrooms and ginseng to the earthenware pot, making the aroma even richer.

Before long, the fish was cooked.

The three sat around the stone table, each with a bowl of chicken soup and a chopstick of fish, their mouths greasy with oil.

"Chen Qing, your chickens are doing well." Xu Gui took a sip of wine and said slowly, "They'll be ready for market in another half month. When the canteen comes to collect them, I'll talk to them and get you a few extra."

Chen Qing's eyes lit up: "Thank you, Master Xu."

"No need to thank me, you did a great job, I'm proud of you too." Xu Gui waved his hand, "Keep up the good work, I'll think of you again when there are good things in the future."

Xiao Chunan interjected, "Master Xu, what about me?"

"You?" Xu Gui glanced at him. "Just take good care of your fish and don't slack off every few days."

Xiao Chunan chuckled, not annoyed at all.

The three chatted and laughed, and before they knew it, the moon was high in the sky.

Chen Qing bid farewell to Xiao Chunan and walked towards Luoxia Peak under the moonlight. The night breeze was cool, and the chirping of insects rose and fell on both sides of the mountain path.

Xiao Chunan walked ahead, then suddenly turned back and asked in a low voice:

"Chen Qing, do you think we'll have a chance to reach the Foundation Establishment stage in this lifetime?"

Chen Qing was slightly taken aback.

In his view, before today, Xiao Chunan would have had a 70% chance of achieving Foundation Establishment, after all, Xiao Chunan had a good younger sister, while he himself only had a 30% chance.

But now, things are different.

Chen Qing smiled and said, "Of course, we are the future Nascent Soul Ancestors, and the Deity Transformation stage is within reach."

Xiao Chunan chuckled upon hearing this, saying "How presumptuous!" but the hint of melancholy between her brows quietly disappeared.

The two disappeared into the moonlight, one after the other.