Great Love Sect, Green Bamboo Peak.
Hundreds of towering mountain peaks, surrounded by mist, create the vast and serene landscape of the Great Love Sect.
As a gust of dark wind sweeps past, Yuan Liang and Xu Hong arrive at the sect.
The Green Bamboo Peak is covered with lush, vibrant bamboo trees, while clouds churn around the mountain.
Yuan Liang finds himself in a simple courtyard, taking in the fresh air that fills him with peace.
"Back already?" A woman's voice rings out from the courtyard.
A beautiful woman dressed in a black robe enters the scene.
Her hair styled into a bun with a jade hairpin, wisps of hair by her temples swaying gently in the breeze.
"Lord," Black Tiger greets her respectfully.
"Elder Huo," Xu Hong also greets her with respect.
Yuan Liang follows their example, bowing as they do.
"Disciple takes his leave," Xu Hong says, taking his leave as Black Tiger transforms into a dark wind and departs.
Now only Yuan Liang and Elder Huo remain in the courtyard.
"What's your name?" Elder Huo asks, turning her gaze to him.
"Elder, my name is Yuan Liang."
"What's your purpose in pursuing cultivation?" Elder Huo's penetrating gaze fixes on Yuan Liang.
In truth, Yuan Liang wishes to return home, though he's also intrigued by the prospect of immortality.
After a moment of contemplation, Yuan Liang answers solemnly, "To repay the sect for saving my life."
"Once I master cultivation, I aim to capture all kinds of spirit beasts for the Great Love Sect, so every disciple may have dozens—no, hundreds—of spirit seasts!"
Elder Huo's mouth twitches in surprise. "That won't be necessary, but I appreciate the thought."
For some reason, she has a sense that Yuan Liang might not be entirely normal and just hopes he won't cause trouble in the future.
"We are fated to meet," she continues. "From now on, you are an outer disciple of the Great Love Sect."
Yuan Liang nods earnestly. "Understood, Elder. Thank you."
Elder Huo then asks, "Do you know the levels of cultivation for humans and Spirit Beasts?"
Yuan Liang shakes his head. "I'm not sure..."
"There are nine levels for both humans and spirit beasts."
"The lowest is the Black Iron Realm, which contains too many impurities in the Qi, and the highest is the Solar Realm, a realm spoken of only in ancient legends."
"For new disciples, we typically provide a Spirit Beast at the early stage of the Black Iron Realm," Elder Huo explains. "Xu Hong must have mentioned this?"
"No, we threw up all the way here, Elder Black Tiger is too fast," Yuan Liang recalls with a pale face, legs shaking.
Elder Huo continues, "Spirit Beasts differ from humans. They rely more on their bloodline."
"Generally, Spirit Beasts reaching the Diamond Realm have a chance to awaken their bloodline."
"Some gain spatial abilities, others time manipulation."
"Some can even regenerate from a drop of blood, achieving immortality."
"Certain ones can move freely between heaven and earth, appearing anywhere."
"However, bloodline awakenings are extremely rare, making such Spirit Beasts exceptionally precious."
It's Yuan Liang's first time hearing about this, and he realizes this world is far more unique than his alchemical one.
"The sect recently recruited a large batch of outer disciples, so there aren't many Spirit Beasts left to choose from."
Once Yuan Liang has absorbed all this information, Elder Huo speaks again.
"A strong Spirit Beast would be a burden to a beginner like you."
"Understood, Elder. I'll follow your guidance," Yuan Liang replies obediently.
Elder Huo nods.
"Currently, there are four basic Spirit Beasts you may choose from: the Rain Serpent, Fire-Feathered Bird, Black-Hoofed Bull, and the One-Horned Caterpillar."
"The Rain Serpent is proficient in water and can help irrigate the fields."
"The Fire-Feathered Bird can be of use at the forge to aid in weapon crafting."
"The Black-Hoofed Bull is usually tasked with transporting goods for the sect."
"Finally, the One-Horned Caterpillar is skilled at producing silk, which we use to make various garments."
"If you'd like, I can have someone guide you to observe each of them."
After finishing, Elder Huo summons a white crane, which descends from the sky and lands gracefully before them.
"Greetings, Elder Huo," the crane speaks in a clear, feminine voice, bowing respectfully.
"Please take him to select a basic Spirit Beast," Elder Huo instructs.
Soon, Yuan Liang finds himself guided away by the white crane.
...
"May I know how to address you?" Yuan Liang asks as he follows the crane.
"Just call me Yu. And you?"
"I'm Yuan Liang, a new outer disciple of the Beast Taming Faction."
"That's wonderful. We're family now," Bai Yu replies warmly.
Their destination, a selection area for Spirit Beasts, lies at the foot of the mountain, and Yuan Liang finds himself thoroughly exhausted by the journey.
Led by Yu, Yuan Liang finally arrives at a small building.
"Let's start with the One-Horned Caterpillar."
"The other Spirit Beasts are on different peaks, so the distance might be a bit far," Yu says.
At this, Yuan Liang nearly stumbles.
He had assumed all the Spirit Beasts were kept here, not spread across various peaks.
Waving his hands quickly, he says, "No need. I think the One-Horned Caterpillar suits me perfectly. I've always preferred staying home."
As he pushes open the wooden door, Yuan Liang sees an abundance of white silk threads.
A young man inside notices Bai Yu and greets her with a respectful bow. "Elder."
"Please assist him in choosing a One-Horned Caterpillar. I have other matters to attend to."
Yu says, before hurriedly leaving the room with a look of apprehension, clearly unwilling to engage further with the young man.
Yuan Liang respectfully bows to the young man, who nods and gestures for him to follow.
"This is where silk production happens."
"The sect uses this silk for clothing worn by everyone from elders to disciples."
The room is filled with multi-layered wooden racks.
Each rack houses a variety of caterpillars in different forms and colors.
"Do you have any suggestions, senior brother?"
"I'm new here and have no idea which one to pick," Yuan Liang asks, feeling overwhelmed.
"My surname is Luo. You may call me senior brother Luo," the young man replies.
"These caterpillars are all similar, except for one unique One-Horned Caterpillar."
Yuan Liang's curiosity piques. "What's different about it?"
"That particular caterpillar refuses to make a cocoon or transform into a butterfly."
"Why?"
"Probably just laziness," Luo Xiangming shrugs helplessly.
Soon, Yuan Liang meets the special One-Horned Caterpillar.
The caterpillar is leisurely munching on mulberry leaves, looking utterly relaxed.
Noticing Yuan Liang's arrival, it raises its head.
They lock eyes.
"It's just an ordinary caterpillar," Yuan Liang mutters, unimpressed.
"What caterpillar?" Luo Xiangming replies with a serious expression. "This Is Clearly a Dragon!"
"Huh? senior brother Luo, don't joke around. A caterpillar turning into a dragon? That's impossible."
"There's a legend that the first Elder of the Beast Taming Faction also had a One-Horned Caterpillar as his first Spirit Beast."
"After a bloodline awakening, the Elder's One-Horned Caterpillar transformed into a Void-Horned Undying Dragon."
"He joined the Great Love Sect with the aid of this Void-Horned Undying Dragon, establishing the Beast Taming Faction as it is today."
Luo Xiangming's tale leaves Yuan Liang awestruck.
"Then why are so many other caterpillars left unchosen?"
"Ah, bloodline awakenings are exceedingly rare," Luo Xiangming sighs.