Mortal: I, Zhang Tie, started by joining forces with Han Li to kill a strategist.

At this moment, the black crow flew down to the tree, raised its head and let out two cries. Zhang Tie understood what it meant: there were originally two fruits here, but it had eaten them!

"You good-for-nothing! No wonder your soul strength is comparable to the mid-Foundation Establishment stage!" Zhang Tie muttered to himself.

Xuan Ya tilted its head and looked at Zhang Tie, seemingly watching his reaction.

"This tree is a treasure, we'll take it!"

Seeing Zhang Tie preparing to uproot the tree, the black crow immediately let out a protest cry, but when it saw Zhang Tie's eyes and remembered how it had been beaten without any power to fight back, its voice gradually lowered.

It couldn't defeat this person; its demonic form was gone, and so was the spirit tree!

Zhang Tie ignored it and used some effort to break open the cliff wall. The roots of the Phoenix Fruit Tree were extremely deep and intertwined. Zhang Tie carefully put it into his storage bag.

Although the Phoenix Fruit Tree only bears fruit once every hundred years, and he has no way to deal with it, Han Li has a way!

The elixir in the little green bottle should be able to speed up the fruiting of this Phoenix Essence Fruit tree, right? I'll have Han Li try it out then.

After taking one last look at the bottom of the valley and confirming that there were no spiritual objects left behind, Zhang Tie turned and flew out of the valley. Xuan Ya hesitated for a moment, but still followed.

It was already evening when they returned to Moyu City. Zhou De was pacing anxiously back and forth at the city gate. When he saw Zhang Tie, he quickly came to greet him.

His gaze fell on Mo Ya at Zhang Tie's feet, and his expression immediately changed. He subconsciously took a few steps back.

"Uncle-Master...this...this is..."

"The Black Crow has been subdued by me; from now on, the Black Crows of Qixia Mountain will no longer harass the city!"

Zhou De stared wide-eyed at the enormous black crow before him, which was unusually docile, and his heart was filled with turmoil.

Subduing a level-two demon beast is an extremely troublesome task even for a Foundation Establishment cultivator, right?

This Uncle Zhang is really amazing!

"Congratulations, Uncle-Master, on acquiring a new spirit pet! On behalf of the great cultivator of Moyu City, I thank you, Uncle-Master!" Zhou De bowed deeply, his voice trembling slightly.

Zhang Tie waved his hand: "Mission accomplished, I should return to my sect!"

Seeing Zhang Tie about to leave, Zhou De quickly said, "Uncle-Master, the three clan leaders have prepared a banquet and would like to invite you to join them..."

"No need, I have other things to do!" Zhang Tie interrupted him directly, leaped onto the back of the Black Crow, and the Black Crow's cave wings kicked up a cloud of dust before turning into a streak of light and disappearing into the horizon.

Zhou De stood at the city gate, watching the black crow's figure disappear into the distance, and let out a long sigh of relief.

The three clan leaders rushed over from behind, and when they saw the empty sky, they looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Deacon Zhou, where is the senior?" the Zhao family patriarch asked.

"Uncle Zhang has subdued the level-two Black Crow and returned to the sect to report!"

The three clan leaders were stunned for a moment, and then they all showed expressions of shock.

...

Two days later, the flying boat landed on Spirit Beast Mountain.

Instead of riding the Black Crow directly back to Spirit Beast Mountain, Zhang Tie put it into his Spirit Beast Bag.

After handing in his mission at the Affairs Hall, Zhang Tie's contribution points on his token had reached over 600. However, instead of returning directly to his cave, he wandered around the market and gathered some information.

News of what happened to the Xie family has reached the sect. The deaths of four Foundation Establishment cultivators on the territory of Spirit Beast Mountain have shocked and enraged the higher-ups of the Law Enforcement Peak!

Although two of them were notorious leaders of the Earthly Fiend Stronghold, this was still a provocation against Spirit Beast Mountain.

Unfortunately, the cultivators from the Enforcement Peak did not find any evidence at the Xie family's residence.

Xie Changkong, Tang Zixu, and Liu Kun were imprisoned in the Enforcement Hall's dungeon, awaiting trial by the sect's higher-ups.

The Xie family originally only had three Foundation Establishment cultivators, but now two have died and one has been imprisoned. The Xie family members are in a state of panic, and many have begun to look for new backers.

"The Xie family is finished!" Zhang Tie thought to himself.

What alarmed Zhang Tie even more was that Xie Changkong and the other two actually took all the blame for embezzling spirit stones.

As for the senior brother behind the scenes, it's as if he doesn't exist!

Zhang Tie secretly rejoiced that he hadn't impulsively reported the group; otherwise, the powerful late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivator behind the Xie family would never have let him off the hook.

...

Zhang Tie did not return to his cave dwelling, but instead went to the scripture pavilion on Spirit Beast Peak.

This was his third visit to the Scripture Pavilion. This time, his goal was clear: to exchange for a Spirit Beast Mountain inheritance technique, the Spirit Control Technique.

He went straight to the second floor, where a mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator stood behind the counter. Zhang Tie clasped his hands in a respectful greeting and said, "Senior Brother, I would like to exchange for the Spirit Control Technique!"

The mid-Foundation Establishment cultivator raised his eyes and took out a disposable jade tube from a tightly sealed cabinet behind him.

"Spirit Control Technique is one of the sect's core secret techniques and must not be passed on to outsiders; otherwise, it will be dealt with according to sect rules. This jade slip will expire after one use, costing 300 contribution points!"

Zhang Tie wasn't surprised; he had been the same way when he first learned the Spirit-Seeking Technique.

He took out his identity token and handed it over. The Foundation Establishment mid-stage steward took the token, deducted 300 contribution points, and then took the jade tube. Zhang Tie did not stay on Spirit Beast Peak for long and returned directly to Spirit Immortal Peak.

Back in his cave, after breaking the seal, Zhang Tie sat cross-legged on the stone bed and probed the jade tube with his divine sense.

The information in the jade tube flooded into Zhang Tie's mind like a torrent.

The secret techniques of the Spirit Beast Masters of Spirit Beast Mountain are not just a method for controlling demonic beasts, but also a complete system for cultivating spirit beasts.

From selecting and taming spirit beasts to feeding, breeding, and even evolving them, it covers everything.

What Zhang Tie needs most is the Spirit Contract.

A spiritual contract is a contract mediated by divine consciousness. A cultivator plants a spiritual imprint in the soul of a demon beast, establishing a spiritual connection with the beast.

Furthermore, once a spiritual contract is established, unless the spirit beast's spiritual power far surpasses that of its master, the spirit beast cannot betray it; otherwise, it will suffer the backlash of the spiritual contract and be annihilated, both in spirit and soul.

Of course, if a spirit beast is willing to voluntarily break its spiritual contract, like the Bone Monster at the bottom of the lake, it can also gain its freedom.

Instead of crying and laughing as he began cultivating the Spirit Control Technique in his mind, Zhang Tie closed his eyes and sensed the Book of Cause and Effect in his sea of ​​consciousness.

[Spirit Control Technique detected. Do you wish to consume 200 points of Karma Points to begin learning it?]

200 points? Zhang Tie was slightly surprised. He remembered that when he learned the Spirit Seeking Technique, it only required 100 points. It seems that the Spirit Control Technique lives up to its reputation!

He now has over three thousand causal points, so two hundred more won't make a difference!

"Confirm consumption!"

As the Book of Cause and Effect shone with golden light, Zhang Tie felt a surge of clarity in his soul. The previously complex information about the Spirit Control Technique was sorted out and summarized one by one.

After an incense stick had burned, Zhang Tie opened his eyes.

He had thoroughly mastered the entire content of the Spirit Control Technique, and the method of constructing the Spirit Contract even borrowed some elements of the Dao of Array Formation.

With a pat on his spirit beast pouch, Xuan Ya transformed into a streak of black light and appeared inside the cave. Its dark blue eyes warily surveyed the surroundings, and when it saw Zhang Tie's mocking gaze, it lowered its head secretly.

Zhang Tie sneered inwardly. This guy was indeed not as honest as he had imagined.

Reaching Xuan Ya, Zhang Tie slowly extended his hand, his eyes warning, "Don't move!"

The black crow instinctively tried to dodge, but Zhang Tie's hand was already on its head, and a gentle divine sense flowed from Zhang Tie's palm, probing into the black crow's consciousness.

Xuan Ya's divine sense was not large, but it was much broader than that of an ordinary level two demon beast. In the center of its sea of ​​consciousness, a ball of dark blue light floated, which was the core of Xuan Ya's divine soul and the place where the spirit contract was inscribed.

"What...what are you going to do?" Zhang Tie's divine sense detected a faint child's voice coming from the ball of light, the voice carrying a hint of panic.

"Cooperate honestly, and I won't harm you!"

Zhang Tie's divine sense slowly approached the ball of light, and following the instructions of the Spirit Control Technique, he quickly inscribed a golden spirit contract on it.

The black crow's body jolted violently, but it quickly returned to normal, only feeling a sharp pain in its head.

The spiritual contract is complete.