Chapter 40: Earth Spike Technique
The tea had grown lukewarm, and Xu Xiuqing had left.
Ye Jingcheng was momentarily stunned, wanting to call her back, but she had already vanished around the street corner.
He didn't call out and shifted his focus. Xu Xiuqing and he were ultimately on different paths; he couldn't exert himself fully to save Old Xu or keep Xu Xiuqing with the Ye family.
Turning around, he found Ye Xinghe observing him with interest. This made Ye Jingcheng feel uncomfortable, so he excused himself and retreated to the back yard to inspect the Golden Scaled Beast.
Since Xu Xiuqing had gifted him the Golden Scaled Beast, he made no attempt to be polite. He wanted to bond with the beast and establish a blood contract.
[Translator: sauron]
He took out some spiritual pills and body-tempering pills and began feeding them to the Golden Scaled Beast. The beast, feeling gloomy due to the rain, was initially unenthusiastic. However, upon seeing Ye Jingcheng, it immediately perked up, excitedly moving its forepaws and emitting a low growl.
The Golden Scaled Beast was highly intelligent. After consuming the spiritual pills, it extended its head toward Ye Jingcheng, who, following the usual procedure, infused it with a bit of spiritual light from the treasure book.
Unlike the Red Flame Fox, which had experienced a lot of spiritual light, the Golden Scaled Beast only received a brief moment of it, after which it lay down peacefully, its earthy-yellow eyes fixed on Ye Jingcheng. Occasionally, it rubbed its forehead against Ye Jingcheng's hand.
Ye Jingcheng then began the blood contract ritual. As a drop of his blood fell, he experienced the familiar sensation from the treasure book. With the blood contract established, he could clearly sense the emotional fluctuations of the Golden Scaled Beast, which eagerly awaited the next infusion of spiritual light.
However, it did not consider that the scarcity of spiritual light was due to Ye Jingcheng's limitations rather than the exhaustion of the spiritual light itself.
Additionally, a new alchemical formula appeared in the ancient book. The formula depicted a spiritual image that differed from the Red Flame Fox. While the Red Flame Fox could grow a second tail after consuming the pills, the Golden Scaled Beast would grow spiked scales, becoming more formidable.
The formula was complex, mostly involving earth attribute spiritual herbs, but it was still a first-tier superior grade, not overly advanced.
Ye Jingcheng released the Golden Scaled Beast from its cage. The beast hesitated at first, used to confinement after months, but soon darted outside, running and roaring at other spiritual beasts in the inner courtyard.
The Golden Scaled Beast showcased its sharp fangs. While the Red Flame Fox's strength lay in its fire control, the Golden Scaled Beast relied on its scales and claws.
Ye Jingcheng let the beast wreak havoc in the inner courtyard while using the family's specific taming methods to cultivate its fierceness. After being confined so long, the beast's aggression had dulled. However, Ye Jingcheng's experience with training the Red Flame Fox gave him confidence in taming the Golden Scaled Beast.
Ye Jingcheng was curious if the Golden Scaled Beast could master basic spells. He tried to communicate via the blood contract, but the beast failed to perform the Earth Spike technique correctly. It managed to produce two stone pillars but did not form effective spikes.
Ye Jingcheng wasn't disappointed. Considering the beast's long confinement, this level of proficiency was commendable. With further training, it would improve.
The Earth Spike technique was practical in combat. During Qi and Foundation Establishment stages, although cultivators could fly using swords, it was highly energy-consuming. Casting spells from the ground saved energy and reduced exposure to attacks. Ye Jingcheng had practiced Earth Spike before but found it slow and weak. Properly training the Golden Scaled Beast in this technique would be beneficial.
With continued feeding of spiritual light and pills, the Golden Scaled Beast's improvement would accelerate.
After an hour, the Golden Scaled Beast grew disinterested. Ye Jingcheng brought it inside and introduced it to the Red Flame Fox and the Jade Ring Mouse. The two beasts did not get along well. The Red Flame Fox's aggression made the Golden Scaled Beast retreat, and the fox stayed close to Ye Jingcheng, behaving like a loyal guard.
The Jade Ring Mouse, constantly chased by the Golden Scaled Beast, was annoyed and tried to bite back, but the Golden Scaled Beast's thick scales rendered it ineffective.
Ye Jingcheng anticipated that once the Golden Scaled Beast's scales were fully developed and it learned the Stone Armor technique, it would complement the Red Flame Fox in combat, one fighting from a distance and the other up close.
He was pleased with the progress.
The Jade Ring Mouse, overwhelmed, screeched with its large ears flapping furiously.
"Little Gold, stop the mischief!" Ye Jingcheng called out, pulling the Golden Scaled Beast away. Training aggression was fine, but it needed moderation.
After calming the three beasts, Ye Jingcheng began his own cultivation. Whether taming beasts or refining pills, a cultivator's core strength was their own abilities.
He did not forget this fundamental point. Currently, practicing the Li Huo Gong was particularly effective, making his cultivation progress smoothly.
After several rounds of practice, Ye Jingcheng began refining pills again. He continued to make Green Spirit Pills, with a high success rate and good market value. His increasing consumption of resources for maintaining three spiritual beasts deepened his understanding of the family's financial struggles.
The days continued to pass.
Before he knew it, Ye Jingcheng had been in the market for two years. During this time, he had attended two auctions, acquiring two sets of spiritual medicine for the Red Flame Fox on his second visit.
On this day, he laid out the medicinal materials on a stone table and took out a three-ear pill furnace.
(End of Chapter).