Celestial Beast Taming

Wen Tao was a bit surprised by Zhong Yi’s request. Both the Oasis Mandala and the eye of a Vitality Spring were extremely hard to find.

The Vitality Spring was a special type of Spiritual Spring that could only be found deep within vast forests.

The water from a Vitality Spring could cure illnesses and heal injuries. One could say that every Vitality Spring was a blessing for the animals in its forest.

The Oasis Mandala, on the other hand, was a special plant-type Guardian Beast that grew in vast deserts.

Whenever an Oasis Mandala bloomed, a large oasis would form around it in the desert.

The Oasis Mandala would use its roots to absorb water and Energy from the desert, expanding the oasis sustained by its root system.

Every time an Oasis Mandala appeared in a great desert, a multitude of creatures would make the oasis their home.

But just when the Oasis Mandala reached its most beautiful, full bloom, it would enter its next cycle of withering and flourishing.

The moment the Oasis Mandala withered, its massive root system would no longer lock in water and Energy.

The oasis would collapse in less than a day, and all the creatures living in it would be reduced to bleached bones along with the Oasis Mandala’s withering.

Buried by sand and wind, they would enter the next cycle of rebirth.

One could say the Oasis Mandala was the gentlest, yet also the most malevolent, creature in the desert.

The fact that Zhong Yi could name the required materials directly showed that he had his own distinct ideas about how to cultivate his Order Beast.

Wen Tao recalled Lin Zhuo mentioning last night that Zhao Kai, the Four-finger Peak Creator, had been successfully healed by Zhong Yi and had chosen to follow him.

He figured these two materials were most likely suggested by Zhao Kai based on Zhong Yi’s own ideas.

"I have the eye of a Vitality Spring on hand, and I know someone who has an Oasis Mandala in their collection."

"But it will take at least a week to get the Oasis Mandala. I’ll give you both the Oasis Mandala and the eye of the Vitality Spring then."

When Wen Tao gave the Instant Jade to Zhong Yi, he had, in truth, already come to see himself as Zhong Yi’s Guardian.

But a Guardian wasn’t the same as a parent; they wouldn’t give unconditionally.

Both the eye of the Vitality Spring and the Oasis Mandala were extremely precious materials.

Wen Tao had paid a great price to obtain the eye of the Vitality Spring back then.

And the price to acquire an Oasis Mandala from someone else would likely be even greater.

If this had been two hours ago, Wen Tao would never have been willing to make such a sacrifice for Zhong Yi.

The reason Wen Tao was doing this now was, firstly, because he knew Zhong Yi was a grateful person, having given the Heart of the Secret Realm to Lin Zhuo through him.

Even a great sacrifice for someone like that would be repaid in kind.

And secondly, it was because Zhong Yi had helped Lin Zhuo and fulfilled one of their wishes.

This had truly pleased Wen Tao!

Zhong Yi had been worried about the materials needed to upgrade the Resurrection Celestial Lord’s Tier and Quality. Hearing that Wen Tao could get them for him in a week was like a huge weight being lifted from his shoulders. He said happily,

"Brother Tao, just calculate the cost of these two materials in Potential Points for me. I’ll pay you back as soon as I have enough."

With two Mythical Tier Bizarre creatures hiding in Starlight City, Lin Zhuo and Wen Tao both had a lot to deal with.

After informing Wen Tao and Lin Zhuo of the situation, Zhong Yi had done all he needed to do.

So, he took his Guardian Beast Vehicle back to the Evolution Shop.

When Zhong Yi returned to the Evolution Shop, Zhao Kai, Zhong Ling, and Zhong Chenghuai hadn’t come back yet.

Shen Xuan, however, had already cleaned himself up. He was wearing a beige-gray tracksuit and waiting anxiously for Zhong Yi at the door.

This beige-gray tracksuit was the most worn-out piece of clothing in the wardrobe of Zhong Yi’s predecessor.

Zhong Yi’s build and height were similar to Shen Xuan’s.

Since he had been in a hurry on the way back, Zhong Yi hadn’t bought any clothes for Shen Xuan, so he had just told him to pick something from his own wardrobe to change into after his shower.

But Shen Xuan had ended up putting on the most tattered outfit, one that even had a rip in the cuff. Zhong Yi couldn’t help but feel a little exasperated.

After washing up, the grease was gone from Shen Xuan’s hair, but his skin still looked to be covered in purple marks of varying shades.

With his whole face clean, the Slave Mark from the Greenfield Tavern on his left cheek became even more conspicuous.

Seeing Zhong Yi return, a relieved smile immediately broke through the tension on Shen Xuan’s small face.

He quickly trotted over to Zhong Yi and was about to kneel the moment he reached him.

This whole routine was exactly what the Greenfield Tavern trained its slaves to do.

Seeing this, before Shen Xuan could fall to the ground, Zhong Yi forcefully pulled up the boy, whose knees had already bent.

"Shen Xuan, I’ve already told you. I bought you from the Greenfield Tavern, so you don’t need to see yourself as a slave anymore."

"I’ll find a way to remove the Slave Mark on your face, but you’ll have to endure some pain."

When Shen Xuan first arrived at the Evolution Shop, he had been very happy.

He had truly left a place like the Greenfield Tavern and arrived in a brand-new environment.

And Zhong Yi was so full of kindness toward him!

Meeting Zhong Yi was the first time Shen Xuan had ever known what it felt like to be cared for.

But before he had even entered the bathroom, his heart had begun to pound with anxiety.

He was afraid that Zhong Yi would leave and not come back for a long time, and even if he did, he might not notice him anymore.

Shen Xuan knew very well that, covered in purple marks, he had no way to compete with others.

Forget competing—he would consider it a sign of respect if people didn’t just treat him like a monster.

When he went to find clothes to wear, he didn’t even dare to look for something he liked.

He only dared to carefully pick out the most tattered item to put on.

This was because Shen Xuan had extremely low self-esteem; he felt from the bottom of his heart that he was unworthy of doing many things.

If he actually did them, he would most likely be despised.

When he finally saw Zhong Yi return, Shen Xuan subconsciously used the methods he’d learned at the Greenfield Tavern for pleasing a master on him.

But Zhong Yi had once again emphasized that he shouldn’t see himself as a slave.

Not only that, but he could even help him remove the Slave Mark on his face.

Ever since the Greenfield Tavern’s Slave Mark was branded on his face, there hadn’t been a single day Shen Xuan didn’t hate its existence.

This Slave Mark was constantly eroding Shen Xuan’s spirit, reminding him of his slave status every time he looked in the mirror.

’This mark can actually be removed!?’

If it could be removed, forget enduring a little pain—Shen Xuan would be willing to feel a small knife carving his flesh every day.

"Master, can I really get rid of the Slave Mark?"

Looking at Shen Xuan’s joyful yet anxious expression, Zhong Yi led him into the shop.

He gently patted Shen Xuan’s shoulder and said,

"It’s not just the Slave Mark. The purplish-black marks on your body can be removed too."

Shen Xuan’s emotions had been on a roller coaster all day. He was already overwhelmed with excitement just hearing that the Slave Mark on his face could be removed.

Now, hearing that the purple marks on his body could also be removed, Shen Xuan was so overcome with emotion that his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

Seeing Shen Xuan’s reaction, Zhong Yi decided to go ahead and tell him that he would become a Celestial Destiny Seeker after awakening his Soul Base.

He also explained the status of Celestial Destiny Seekers among humans.

Shen Xuan was utterly bewildered by Zhong Yi’s words.

For a moment, he couldn’t grasp the meaning of what Zhong Yi was saying at all and just stared at him blankly.

After all, just awakening a Soul Base had once been an extravagant hope for him. He simply couldn’t comprehend the meaning and significance behind terms like "Celestial Destiny Seeker" and "Order Beast."

Zhong Yi knew very well that Shen Xuan needed time to process this information.

Zhong Yi glanced at the tattered gray clothes on Shen Xuan and said,

"Let’s remove the Slave Mark from your left cheek first. Then you can go change your clothes."

"Otherwise, you’ll just get blood all over them and have to change again anyway."

"After you become a Celestial Destiny Seeker, I hope you’ll join my team and become my teammate."

"If you don’t want to and would rather form your own team, that can be arranged for you as well."

Zhong Yi originally had two plans for Shen Xuan, but after thinking it over, he decided to let Shen Xuan make the choice himself.