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

The next morning.

Chen Qing awoke from his meditation and felt the spiritual energy within him, which was nearly half as abundant as yesterday. A smile involuntarily appeared on his lips.

Fourth level of Qi Refining.

Nine years have passed, and we've finally overcome this hurdle.

Chen Qing nodded in satisfaction, got up to wash up, and then meditated for a while to regulate his breathing. Only after his spiritual energy was circulating smoothly did he push open the door and go out.

On Luoxia Peak, early-rising outer disciples were already practicing breathing exercises in their respective courtyards. Various colors of spiritual light could be faintly seen flashing. In the distance, the sea of ​​clouds surged, and the twelve peaks appeared and disappeared. The highest peak, Tianzhu Peak, had already been tinged with the first ray of golden light.

Chen Qing withdrew his gaze, determined the direction, and used his lightness technique to head towards Beast Taming Peak.

……

Located on the west side of the Twelve Peaks of Lingyun, adjacent to Jianming Peak, Yushou Peak is shaped like a crouching tiger and is over 8,000 feet high. The upper part of the mountain is shrouded in clouds and mist.

Chen Qing stood at the foot of the mountain and looked up.

This peak is completely different from the bustling Danxia Peak and the desolate Jianming Peak—ancient trees reach for the sky on both sides of the mountain path, vines hang down, and birdsong can be heard from the forest from time to time, but not a single person can be seen.

At the mountain gate stands a tall blue stone tablet, over ten feet high, inscribed with three ancient characters:

Beast Taming Peak.

The writing is faded and worn, clearly indicating that it hasn't been repaired for many years.

What left Chen Qing speechless was that there wasn't even a single disciple on duty at the mountain gate.

"..."

Chen Qing's lips twitched.

Although he hadn't visited many of the Ten Peaks of Lingyun, he had heard Xiao Chunan mention them before.

Disciples are always on duty at the entrance of Jianming Peak. Every sword cultivator who enters and exits walks with his head held high and his sword aura is imposing. The foot of Danxia Peak is even more lively, with a constant flow of people buying medicine, handing in quests, and seeking alchemy services.

Even at the most obscure Wan Shufeng, there was an old man dozing off at the entrance.

But this Beast Taming Peak is different; there's not a soul in sight.

"It really has declined."

Chen Qing shook his head, not caring, and started walking up the mountain.

The stone steps wind their way up, the trees on both sides grow denser and the birdsong grows louder, and occasionally you can hear the roars of beasts coming from the deep mountains, whether they are mythical creatures or wild animals, it is hard to tell.

Chen Qing had been walking for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn when he suddenly heard a hearty laugh coming from ahead.

He looked in the direction of the sound and saw a young disciple sitting under an old pine tree not far away.

The disciple wore a blue outer sect disciple robe, identical in style to his, except for a silver-lined beast claw pattern on the chest.

It is the insignia of the disciples of Beast Taming Peak.

He was about twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with a robust build, thick eyebrows, and big eyes. He was sitting cross-legged under a tree, holding a book in his hands, reading it with great interest.

What's most eye-catching are the two spirit beasts following him—

One was a pure white Silver Moon Wolf, the size of a calf, with smooth fur like satin, and a pair of eerie green eyes warily scrutinizing Chen Qing.

On the other side was a grayish-brown rock-armored bear, slightly smaller in size, probably not yet an adult. It followed its master with a silly look on its face, chewing half a spirit fruit in its mouth.

Chen Qing glanced at the scene and his heart skipped a beat.

Since activating the system half a month ago, he made a special trip to Wanshu Peak and spent a spirit stone to buy a book called "The Complete Book of Monsters in the Canglan Domain".

It's worth mentioning that spirit beasts are actually demon beasts—

Those that can be tamed by cultivators are called spirit beasts, while those that cannot be tamed are called demon beasts.

This is blatant double standards.

Chen Qing naturally recognized the two types in front of him.

The Silver Moon Wolf, when fully grown, can reach the second rank (early Foundation Establishment stage) and is a combat spirit beast extremely skilled in tracking and fighting.

Rock Armor Bears can reach the second rank (mid-stage Foundation Establishment) when they grow up. They have thick skin and flesh, and are incredibly strong. They are rare guardian spirit beasts.

"You just randomly bump into a disciple, and he's accompanied by two spirit beasts with second-tier potential?"

Chen Qing nodded to himself, thinking to himself that he had come to the right place.

But he soon noticed another detail.

Although the silver moon wolf was wary, it showed no hostility and simply stood quietly beside its master. The rock-armored bear paid no attention to him, munching on fruit and occasionally nuzzling its master's leg with its head, making soft, whimpering noises.

The Beast Taming Peak disciple with thick eyebrows and big eyes didn't seem to mind at all. He reached out and rubbed the Rock Armor Bear's head, then patted the Silver Moon Wolf's neck, his movements so natural, as if he had done it a thousand times before.

Chen Qing raised an eyebrow slightly.

In his previous life, he had read many cultivation novels. In those novels about taming beasts, most of the stories involved cultivators using their divine souls to suppress spirit beasts or forcibly enslaving them through contracts. The spirit beasts would tremble in fear like mice before a cat when they saw their masters, and they would never dare to act coquettishly.

But what I'm seeing now...

If I had to describe them in one word, it would be—family.

Chen Qing seemed to be deep in thought, but he didn't stop walking. He stepped forward and cupped his hands in greeting:

"Excuse me, senior brother."

The disciple was slightly taken aback when he saw that Chen Qing was wearing the robes of an outer disciple, and then returned the greeting:

"Junior brother, is something the matter?"

"May I ask, senior brother, where do I take the Meridian Entrance Test at Beast Taming Peak?"

Upon hearing this, the disciple's already large eyes widened suddenly, and a clear look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Pulse penetration test?"

He looked Chen Qing up and down, his tone tinged with disbelief, "Junior Brother, you're here to participate in the Meridian Entering Test?"

"Exactly."

"..."

The disciple was silent for a moment, then suddenly turned to the Silver Moon Wolf behind him and muttered, "Silver Wolf, did I hear that right? Someone's here to take the test?"

The Silver Moon Wolf naturally didn't speak; it simply flicked its tail.

The disciple turned back, his eyes now filled with eagerness as he looked at Chen Qing: "Junior brother, wait a minute! I'll take you to Senior Sister Zhou! Senior Sister Zhou handles this!"

As he spoke, he turned and walked back, and the rock-armored bear followed him eagerly, glancing back at Chen Qing with its round eyes full of curiosity.

Chen Qing followed, casually asking, "May I ask how I should address you, Senior Brother?"

"My name is Song Yang," the disciple said with a smile. "And you, junior brother? How many years have you been in the sect? What made you decide to come to our Beast Taming Peak?"

"Chen Qing, it's been nine years since I joined the sect," Chen Qing replied. "I just broke through to the fourth level of Qi Refining and thought I'd give it a try."

"Nine years? Junior Brother's aptitude is decent." Song Yang nodded, then sighed, "Junior Brother, you don't know, our Beast Taming Peak hasn't had a new disciple take the test for almost a year. Two came last year, and neither passed. Going back further, we only accepted one disciple every three years..."

Chen Qing remained silent.

He only accepted one disciple in three years...

This isn't just decline; it's downright deserted.

Song Yang lived up to his appearance—cheerful, forthright, and chattering as he walked:

"But don't worry, junior brother. Although we have few people on our peak, we have a lot of spirit beasts! And they are all excellent. Look at Ah Yin, she grew up with me since she was a child, and we are closer than siblings; Little Bear was given to me by Uncle Shentu ten years ago. It was only the size of my palm back then, but now it can help me carry things..."

Song Yang talked on and on the way, and Chen Qing listened and nodded, getting a general idea of ​​the situation at Beast Taming Peak.

There are few people but many beasts. The relationship between disciples and spirit beasts is extremely close, more like partners than master and servant.

This coincides with the core principles of his system.