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

The two people, the wolf, and the bear walked along the mountain path for about half an hour before finally arriving at a cluster of buildings.

The buildings are built against the mountain, with green tiles and white walls, arranged in a staggered manner. The eaves and brackets reveal hidden patterns and luster. Although the stone steps in front of the door are covered with moss, they cannot hide the grandeur of the past.

Behind the house, a grove of bamboo rustles in the wind; in front, a neat herb garden is shrouded in mist, and several cranes stroll along the stream. An old silver-horned deer lies beneath an ancient pine tree, its antlers glowing faintly, its age unknown.

It is peaceful and serene, yet possesses a profound depth that has been accumulated over thousands of years.

Song Yang led Chen Qing to a central hall, its foundation made of bluestone, its beams of paulownia wood, and an ancient plaque hanging above the doorway—

Beast Taming Pavilion.

Song Yang knocked on the door:

"Senior Sister Zhou, are you there?"

"Come in."

A clear, cold female voice came from inside the door.

Song Yang pushed open the door and entered, with Chen Qing following behind.

The hall was spacious and bright. Behind a sandalwood table sat a woman dressed in a blue robe with animal claw patterns embroidered on her chest. On the wall behind her hung a huge panoramic view of the Beast Taming Peak, painted with exquisite brushstrokes, showing mountains, rivers, pavilions, and animal enclosures all in one view.

The woman was about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, with delicate features. Her black hair was tied up with a jade hairpin, and she had a scholarly air about her, but her eyes were clear and bright, indicating that she was an efficient person.

Three spirit beasts were crouching or lying beside her—

A crimson fire spirit fox, a turquoise gale, and a mountain king with menacing scales.

The three spirit beasts are all at the late stage of the first tier, with the potential to reach the second tier.

Chen Qing glanced at it and nodded inwardly.

This Senior Sister Zhou doesn't look as old as Song Yang, but she's at least in the late stage of Qi Refining—

It's unclear whether she has taken any beauty-preserving pills.

Song Yang stepped forward, his tone tinged with joy:

"Senior Sister Zhou, this is Junior Brother Chen Qing, here to participate in the Meridian Entering Test!"

Senior Sister Zhou paused slightly with her brush in her hand, raised her head, and looked at Chen Qing with a hint of surprise in her eyes.

"Pulse penetration test?"

She put down her pen, carefully examined Chen Qing, and asked, "Qi Refining Level 4?"

"Yes." Chen Qing cupped his hands in greeting. "Outer disciple Chen Qing greets senior sister."

This is the advantage of being in a sect: within a sect, fellow cultivators address each other as fellow disciples; once outside the sect, it's not appropriate to call someone "senior brother."

Take Chen Qing for example, this Senior Sister Zhou could beat ten of him; if you add those three spirit beasts, there are probably more than ten.

Senior Sister Zhou nodded and then asked, "Do you know that there's only one chance to pass the Meridian Entering Test? If you fail, you can never set foot on Beast Taming Peak again?"

"Know."

"Have you thought it through? Beast Taming Peak is not what it used to be; resources are scarce, and there are even fewer people."

"Logically, the Meridian Entrance Test should be presided over by the Foundation Establishment Master Uncle, but our Beast Taming Peak currently only has one Foundation Establishment Master Uncle, Shen Tu, and the rest are all Qi Refining disciples, so I will temporarily take over these miscellaneous tasks."

"If you go to places like Jianming Peak and Danxia Peak, your future might be even brighter."

Senior Sister Zhou spoke calmly, as if stating facts, without any exaggeration or concealment.

Chen Qing smiled slightly: "Senior sister, I've made up my mind."

Senior Sister Zhou stared at him for a couple of moments, then suddenly smiled gently: "Alright, then come with me."

She stood up, walked to the door, glanced back at Chen Qing, and added, "By the way, my name is Zhou Ruoqing, the senior sister of Beast Taming Peak."

……

The test site was located in a valley halfway up Beast Taming Peak.

It is called "Valley of a Hundred Beasts".

Zhou Ruoqing led Chen Qing and Song Yang to the entrance of the valley. Chen Qing looked around and his pupils contracted slightly.

This Valley of a Hundred Beasts is extremely vast, stretching as far as the eye can see.

The valley has a complex terrain: winding streams, dense forests, piled-up rocks, and even a lake.

In this complex terrain, spirit beasts roam freely, their shadows indistinct.

Chen Qing glanced at them briefly and saw more than a dozen kinds—spirit deer drinking water by the stream, spirit monkeys leaping in the forest, spirit snakes slithering in the grass, and others flying in the sky, swimming in the water, and crawling in the crevices of rocks…

They were densely packed together, numbering at least several hundred.

However, their grades are not high, mostly between the lower and middle grades of the first rank.

Chen Qing didn't see any of the two with second-tier potential like Song Yang, and he didn't know if they were hiding or if he hadn't noticed them.

Zhou Ruoqing stopped and turned to look at Chen Qing:

"Junior Brother Chen, the Meridian Entrance Test at Beast Taming Peak is simple in some ways, but difficult in others."

Chen Qing cupped his hands in greeting: "Please enlighten me, Senior Sister."

"However many spirit beasts you can bring out of this valley before sunset today, that's how many you'll count." Zhou Ruoqing pointed into the valley. "No matter what method you use, as long as you can get a spirit beast to follow you out of the valley, that counts as one. We'll count them at sunset; the more you have, the better your score."

Chen Qing was slightly taken aback.

Is it really that simple?

He had originally thought that the test at Beast Taming Peak would involve something like fighting spirit beasts or taming ferocious beasts, but he never expected it to be in this form.

"Senior sister, is any method acceptable?"

"Either is fine," Zhou Ruoqing nodded.

It will be all right?

Chen Qing was a little confused, wondering where to start, when he suddenly noticed a gaze falling on him.

The fire spirit fox had somehow walked over from Zhou Ruoqing's side, squatted down in front of Chen Qing, tilted its head to look him over, and gently swayed its fiery red tail.

After a while.

It stood up, moved closer to Chen Qing, sniffed the hem of his clothes, then looked up at him and let out a low whimper.

The voice was soft and gentle, carrying a hint of intimacy.

Chen Qing was taken aback.

Zhou Ruoqing was also stunned.

Even Song Yang, who was following behind, stared wide-eyed, his face full of disbelief.

Although this Fire Spirit Fox is cute, its cultivation level at the late stage of the first rank is no joke. Moreover, it is extremely arrogant and ignores everyone except its master, Zhou Ruoqing.

What's going on today...

A strange light flashed in Zhou Ruoqing's eyes, and she suddenly spoke softly:

"Junior Brother Chen, have you ever raised spirit beasts before?"

"I've never raised spirit beasts," Chen Qing shook his head. "But I did raise spirit sheep chickens for a few years on Spirit Beast Peak."

Zhou Ruoqing was silent for a moment, then suddenly spoke:

"Junior Brother Chen."

Chen Qing looked up: "What advice do you have for me, Senior Sister Zhou?"

Zhou Ruoqing looked at him, her tone still calm, but her eyes held a deeper meaning:

"Most of the spirit beasts in this valley are of low rank and are docile. Be careful when you go in."

Chen Qing's heart stirred, and he cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Sister Su."

Of course he understood.

Don't use violence, use your heart.

But the problem is...

Chen Qing looked at his small frame, which was only at the fourth level of Qi Refining, and felt powerless to do so.

However, Chen Qing turned to look at Zhou Ruoqing's Fire Spirit Fox and remembered the system's description of "[can enhance the host's affinity with beasts]".

So this is how "affinity" is used.

He raised his head and looked at the hundreds of spirit beasts in the valley, a slight smile playing on his lips.

Before sunset?

enough.