Beast Taming Immortal Clan

Twenty-four chimes of the bell signify a joyous occasion in the family.

As the twenty-four melodious and cheerful chimes faded away, the gates of the Zhou family mountain at Tuyunling opened wide to welcome guests from all directions.

Instantly, many cultivators who had been waiting outside the Zhou family mountain gate overnight surged towards the gate like a tide.

These people came without invitations, purely to freeload, broaden their horizons, and share in the joy of the Golden Core cultivators.

This might be the only chance they ever have in their lives to see a Golden Core cultivator!

Those of high status and influence would not arrive so early; they would definitely not appear until after 7 a.m.

However, according to custom, all invited guests must be present before noon, otherwise it would be considered impolite.

On such an important occasion, being late is a very serious matter and will be seen as disrespectful to the cultivators holding the Golden Core Ceremony.

Therefore, unless there are unforeseen circumstances, it is impossible for anyone to be late for such an occasion!

By the time the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) arrived, the number of uninvited cultivators who came to offer their congratulations in Tu Yunling had exceeded a thousand.

As the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) began, one after another, cultivators carrying invitations appeared.

"The Sun family of Jinfengling presents a congratulatory gift: an 800-year-old Yellow Jade Ginseng, to congratulate Senior Zhou on achieving the Golden Elixir and living to a ripe old age!"

"The He family of Qingzhu Mountain presents a congratulatory gift: an 800-year-old Solomon's Seal plant, to congratulate Senior Zhou on achieving the Golden Elixir..."

"The Wang family of Red Medicine Valley presents a congratulatory gift: a thousand-year-old Yellow Jade Ginseng, to congratulate Senior Zhou on achieving his Golden Elixir..."

All that could be heard was the voice of Zhou Zhengyong, a cultivator from the Zhou family's Purple Mansion, who was in charge of announcing the greetings. His voice was strong and loud, and could be clearly heard throughout most of Tu Yunling.

Those family cultivators who were invited to participate in the Golden Core Ceremony were led by Zhou family cultivators to the main venue of the ceremony on Huanglong Peak after presenting their congratulatory gifts.

As for those uninvited cultivators, unless their cultivation reaches the Purple Mansion stage, they can only take their seats in the square at the foot of Huanglong Peak.

Of course, the cultivators who arrive first often represent those of lower status.

The powerful clans of the Purple Mansion didn't appear until after midnight, and the gifts they presented became increasingly precious.

Basically, one thousand-year-old medicinal herb is the minimum requirement!

"The Xie family of Yunzhou presents a congratulatory gift: a thousand-year-old purple-stamen flower, to celebrate Senior Zhou's great achievement in the Golden Elixir and his long life of a thousand years!"

"The Zhao family of Cangzhou presents a congratulatory gift: a piece of magical treasure and spiritual material, the 'Millennium Black Iron,' weighing seventy-eight catties and six ounces, to congratulate Senior Zhou on achieving the Golden Core and wishing him a long life of a thousand years!"

"The Wu family of Jiangzhou presents a congratulatory gift: a thousand-year-old Bixia Grass, to congratulate Senior Zhou on achieving the Golden Elixir and wishing him a long and healthy life!"

Within Tuyun Ridge, Zhou Zhengyong's voice continued to ring out. Each time his voice rang out, a Purple Mansion stage cultivator would lead a junior cultivator towards Yellow Dragon Peak.

The Zhou family will determine how many people the invitee can bring to the main venue of the celebration based on the invitee's circumstances.

Generally, the stronger the power, or the better the relationship with the Zhou family, the more people they can bring.

Normally, families with only Foundation Establishment stage cultivators can only bring two people into the venue with their invitations.

Cultivation clans will allow up to three people, while Golden Core families will allow up to five or more.

By the time there was still a quarter of an hour left before the end of the Chenshi (7-9 AM) period, the main venue for the celebration on Huanglong Peak was already mostly full, with only the seats at the front remaining empty.

Only then did the truly powerful forces that deserved to sit in the front row begin to appear.

Zhou Zhengyong's voice suddenly rose a notch, booming like a bell as he proclaimed, "The Su family of Jiangzhou presents congratulatory gifts: a piece of the magical treasure and spiritual material, Golden Essence, weighing nine catties and seven taels; a thousand-year-old spiritual herb, the Nine-Petaled Golden Lotus; and a thousand-year-old spiritual herb, the Purple Smoke Lingzhi. Congratulations to Fellow Daoist Zhou on achieving the Golden Elixir and wishing you a long and healthy life!"

Wow!

These words immediately caused a sensation both on and off the mountain.

It's not surprising that the Su family of Jiangzhou, being related to the Zhou family by marriage, and whose spouse is indeed the main person in charge of today's Golden Core Ceremony, would choose to be the first to appear and support the Zhou family.

But their generous gift was truly astonishing.

Especially that piece of gold essence; a piece of gold essence of that weight would cost at least two or three hundred thousand spirit coins to acquire!

As for Core Formation spiritual items like the [Extreme Yang Fire Spirit Liquid], they are only worth this price.

Meanwhile, the two thousand-year-old spiritual herbs that followed were also rare and precious, unlike the ordinary thousand-year-old spiritual herbs offered by those great immortal cultivation clans.

The fact that the Su family is willing to send such a generous gift shows how much they value Zhou Chun!

"I have long admired Fellow Daoist Su's reputation, and today I am finally fortunate enough to see your true face. It is a pleasure to meet you!"

On Huanglong Peak, Lin Hongyu saw the Su family patriarch who had personally brought Su Yuzhen and five other Su family cultivators to the scene, and immediately stood up with a smile to greet him.

Zhou Chun is the main character today, so naturally he won't come out to greet the guests personally, nor will he make an early appearance.

Therefore, the person responsible for entertaining the Golden Core stage cultivators, including the Su family patriarch, could only be Lin Hongyu, a Golden Core stage cultivator.

In response to Lin Hongyu's greeting, the Su family patriarch laughed heartily and said, "Hahaha, I have long admired Fellow Daoist Lin's reputation. Seeing your valiant figure today, I can confirm that your great reputation is well-deserved!"

After exchanging pleasantries, the Su family patriarch was invited to a private seat reserved for Golden Core cultivators.

Su Yuzhen, as Zhou Chun's Daoist partner, sat down next to Zhou Mingde and the others.

Just as the Su family patriarch took his seat, Zhou Zhengyong's voice rang out again.

"The Zhu family of Yanzhou presents a congratulatory gift: a third-grade superior flying magic artifact, the Thunderfire Flying Chariot, to congratulate Fellow Daoist Zhou on achieving the Golden Core stage and living to a ripe old age!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a red fiery cloud carried five figures to Huanglong Peak, among which appeared the figure of Zhu Wuyai, a Golden Core cultivator.

Upon seeing this, Lin Hongyu naturally rose again to greet and entertain them.

Then one after another, Golden Core families and Golden Core cultivators appeared on stage.

"The Li family of Fengguo's Three Immortal Mountains presents congratulatory gifts: one bottle each of the Crimson Essence Pill and the Black Nirvana Pill, to congratulate Fellow Daoist Zhou on achieving the Golden Elixir and wishing him a long and healthy life!"

"The You family of Fengguo's Three Immortal Mountains presents a congratulatory gift: a complete set of the Five Directions Miro Formation technique, to congratulate Fellow Daoist Zhou on achieving the Golden Core and living to a ripe old age!"

"Su Yunniang, a Golden Core cultivator from the Moon Wheel Sect, presents a congratulatory gift: a box of [Heavenly Fragrance Hundred Flowers Ointment], to congratulate Fellow Daoist Zhou on achieving the Golden Core stage and wishing him a long and healthy life!"

"Wei Yong, a Golden Core cultivator from the Moon Wheel Sect, presents a congratulatory gift: two eggs of the intermediate-level demonic beast, the Golden Flower Poisonous Python, to congratulate Fellow Daoist Zhou on achieving the Great Perfection of his Golden Core and wishing him a long and healthy life!"

"Wang Qingyun, a Golden Core cultivator from Tianjing Manor, presents a congratulatory gift: a Black Dragon Flag, a high-grade third-tier magic artifact, to congratulate Fellow Daoist Zhou on achieving the Golden Core stage and wishing him a long and healthy life!"

……

As noon approached, Zhou Zhengyong's chanting became increasingly urgent.

By the time the hour of Chen (7-9 AM) had completely passed and the hour of Wu (11-11 AM) had arrived, the number of Golden Core cultivators who had come to attend Zhou Chun's Golden Core Ceremony on Huanglong Peak had reached eleven!

The fact that so many Golden Core cultivators attended Zhou Chun's Golden Core Ceremony was a great honor for him.

It should be noted that when the Su family patriarch held the Golden Core Ceremony, the number of Golden Core cultivators present was less than half of what Zhou Chun is experiencing today.

The main reason Zhou Chun was able to invite so many Golden Core cultivators to his Golden Core Ceremony was his previous reputation in the war, which demonstrated his extremely strong potential.

Therefore, most of the Golden Core cultivators who came today to support him value his potential and specifically came to establish a good relationship with him.

When noon arrived, at Lin Hongyu's command, the nine Foundation Establishment cultivators of the Zhou family immediately flew into the sky and cast spells in the sky outside the Zhou family's mountain gate, setting off dazzling magical fireworks.

Boom boom boom!

Amidst the booming explosions, multicolored lights shone brightly in the sky, creating magnificent scenes such as dragons and phoenixes bringing good fortune and unicorns offering auspicious omens.

Just as everyone's attention was drawn to the dazzling magical fireworks in the sky, a real dragon's roar suddenly rose from Tuyun Ridge.

Immediately afterwards, a silver dragon, several dozen feet long, rose into the air from the back of Huanglong Peak, soaring gracefully and slowly flying towards Huanglong Peak.

Anyone who sees this silver dragon cannot ignore one person, a man as dazzling as the sun!

Zhou Chun was wearing a gold-embroidered robe, his body shimmering with a golden light that was bright but not dazzling. Even the Qi Refining stage cultivators who came to freeload at the foot of the mountain could see his handsome and heroic face.

He stood atop the silver dragon's head, his hands behind his back, and with a calm expression, rode the silver dragon slowly towards Huanglong Peak.

At this moment, from various angles of Tu Yunling, Zhou family cultivators were using image-recording beads to capture this precious moment.

In the future, this scene will surely be frequently played in the Zhou family's academy for the elementary school children, so that they will aspire from a young age to become a great Golden Core cultivator like the clan leader Zhou Zhengchun!

A cultivator who doesn't aspire to become a Golden Core cultivator is not a good cultivator!

This is a letter of admonition left by Zhou Chun after he successfully formed his core, which was hung in the most conspicuous place in the classroom.

At this moment, countless cultivators in Tu Yunling stared wide-eyed at the man riding the dragon, revealing envy and awe.

Even those Golden Core cultivators had envy in their eyes.

Riding a third-tier dragon, and a four-clawed thunder dragon that is destined to become a fourth-tier demon beast in the future, is a privilege that few Golden Core cultivators can enjoy!

"This is what a man should do!!"

At the foot of the mountain, Xu Fu, who had also taken the day off to maintain order, looked up at the scene in the sky and cried out in his heart with immense envy.

But he could only shout it in his heart; he absolutely dared not say it aloud.

And so, under the watchful eyes of countless envious and awe-inspiring gazes, Lei Jiao carried Zhou Chun and slowly descended to the ceremony site, landing on the specially cleared main stage.

It stood coiled on the main platform, slowly lowered its head, and placed it on the ground, allowing Zhou Chun to easily leap off its head and land on the ground.

Then, with a low murmur, it transformed into a streak of silver light and flew into the spirit beast pouch at Zhou Chun's waist.

Zhou Chun then flicked his robes, smiled broadly, clasped his hands in a gesture of respect to all directions, and said loudly, "Dear friends and fellow Daoists, welcome to the Zhou family today to participate in my Core Formation celebration. On behalf of myself and the Zhou family, I extend my warmest welcome to you all!"

As soon as he finished speaking, all the cultivators, including Lin Hongyu, Zhou Mingde, and other members of the Zhou family, bowed to him in unison with ancient etiquette, saying, "Congratulations, Fellow Daoist Zhou (Senior) on achieving the Great Perfection of the Golden Core! May you live to be a thousand years old!"

"Thank you all for your congratulations. May you all one day condense your golden core and form your nascent soul!"

Zhou Chun returned the greeting with a smile, also offering his congratulations.

Then he recounted his cultivation journey, from the age at which he entered the Daoist path, to the major and minor events he experienced during that time, as long as he was willing to talk about them, until he formed the Golden Core.

The purpose of saying all this is to tell the younger generation how difficult it is to achieve the Golden Core stage, and how arduous it was for him to achieve it.

Finally, of course, he wanted to tell those cultivators who hadn't yet formed their Golden Core that his own success in doing so was the result of his own hard work and struggle!

The reason I was able to form my Golden Core is because I have extraordinary abilities.

To put it bluntly, it's just him praising himself!

After saying this, Zhou Chun took his seat at the main table, raised a cup of spirit wine, and loudly proclaimed to the many guests present at the ceremony: "Today is a day of double joy, everyone, let us drink to our victory!"

"Cheers!"

The cultivators raised their cups in response and drank the spiritual wine in one gulp.

It was already well past noon, and time to begin the feast.

With a command given, various spiritual dishes prepared by the chefs were brought out one by one by the Zhou family cultivators.

At today's Golden Core Ceremony, seating arrangements were based on cultivation level: Golden Core cultivators sat at individual tables, Purple Mansion cultivators sat in pairs at tables, and Foundation Establishment cultivators sat in groups of four at tables.

The food varies depending on the price range.

The food on the tables of those Golden Core cultivators cost thousands of spirit coins just for the various ingredients alone. Among them were fish slices made from the flesh of the Five-Colored Dragon Fish and fish bone soup made from fish bones and medicinal herbs that had been brewed for hundreds of years. These were delicacies that were hard to come by even if you had the money.

Even on the tables of cultivators at the Purple Mansion stage, there were spiritual dishes cooked with the flesh and blood of third-order demonic beasts. These demonic beast flesh and blood were items that the Zhou family had previously stored. Although they had been stored for a while, they still tasted excellent and were very nourishing under the chef's cooking!

And the Golden Core cultivators were all discerning individuals.

As soon as they ate the slices of fresh, tender, colorful dragonfish meat and felt the pure and rich nourishing energy, they were all shocked and showed expressions of surprise.

"Could this fish meat be the flesh and blood of a fourth-tier fish demon?"

The Su family patriarch looked at Zhou Chun with surprise and asked the question that all the other Golden Core cultivators wanted to ask.

Then Zhou Chun chuckled and said, "Hehehe, Ancestor is indeed knowledgeable. This is a slice of meat from a fourth-tier fish demon. Its flavor is tender and refreshing, and when paired with this fish bone soup, it's an absolute delight!"

Upon hearing his answer, all the Golden Core cultivators present changed their expressions slightly.

Then, Wang Qingyun, a Golden Core cultivator from Tianjing Manor, looked at him with a face full of surprise and doubt and whispered, "To be able to make a spiritual dish from the flesh of a fourth-order fish demon, doesn't that mean that Fellow Daoist Zhou has already killed a fourth-order demon beast right after successfully forming his core?"

His words were full of surprise and disbelief, clearly indicating that he himself found it hard to believe.

After all, the strength of most fourth-tier demonic beasts is no weaker than that of human Golden Core cultivators of the same tier, and many with powerful bloodlines are even stronger than ordinary human Golden Core cultivators who only have one natal magic weapon.

How long has Zhou Chuncai been at the Core Formation stage?

At this point, they probably haven't even refined their natal magic weapon yet!

Under such circumstances, even if he had magic treasures left by his predecessors, his strength would at most be comparable to those early-stage Golden Core cultivators who had refined their own natal magic treasures.

How could he possibly kill a fourth-tier demon beast?

Wang Qingyun was clearly not the only one with this doubt; even the Su family patriarch and Su Yunniang were looking at Zhou Chun with surprise and disbelief.

But Zhou Chun smiled faintly and said, "It was nothing more than a clever trick, and it was also due to that beast's carelessness!"

He clearly didn't want to go into the details.

But his answer alone was an implicit admission of Wang Qingyun's words.

Therefore, upon hearing his words, all the Golden Core cultivators present changed their expressions drastically.

Those Golden Core cultivators from major sects, like Wei Yong, who were at the mid-stage of the Golden Core realm, were somewhat better off. Although they were surprised by the powerful strength Zhou Chun displayed, they were not worried about anything.

However, the other Golden Core cultivators were somewhat frightened.

Their strength is probably only comparable to some low-grade fourth-order demonic beasts. Zhou Chun has only recently formed his core, yet he was able to kill a low-grade fourth-order demonic beast.

Does this mean that Zhou Chun now also has the strength to kill them?

Think carefully!

With that thought in mind, even the rare and precious fourth-tier fish meat in front of me didn't seem so appealing anymore.

Seeing the group of Golden Core cultivators suddenly fall silent, Zhou Chun seemed oblivious to their thoughts. He simply smiled, picked up a piece of fish, dipped it briefly in the boiling broth, and slowly chewed, saying, "Why aren't you eating, fellow cultivators? This fish doesn't keep well after thawing. Please finish it as soon as possible, so as not to waste my good intentions!"

I was busy all day and only got home to write this in the evening. It looks like I won't finish 6,000 words until midnight, so I'll just post 4,000 words for now and finish 8,000 words tomorrow!