Vol 4 Chapter 119: Star Beasts

It must be said that the First Ancient Emperor arrived just in time. Otherwise, after Lin Jing completed his cultivation inheritance, Yu Xun'er might not have been trained by him, but rather by his arch-nemesis—the reincarnated Mo Pine, leader of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

With this matter resolved, a weight lifted from the First Ancient Emperor's heart. However, Lin Jing soon made another request.

"Your Majesty, could you divine the most suitable location for my next contracted beast?"

The First Ancient Emperor felt a headache coming on. Last time Lin Jing had asked this of him, the divination had led to a Longevity Body with imperial bloodline. Now, being asked again, he was genuinely apprehensive.

"Fine... I'll attempt a brief reading." The First Ancient Emperor sighed and activated the True Dragon Qi Observation Technique.

With the assistance of the Fortune Dragon Emperor's power, he wouldn't exhaust himself to the point of dissipation. Moments later, the First Ancient Emperor suddenly looked toward the heavens and gasped.

"Did you find something?" Lin Jing was surprised by the speed—this was the First Ancient Emperor with the Fortune Dragon Emperor's aid, after all.

"Yes and no!"

Lin Jing: ?

The First Ancient Emperor frowned. "I was observing where on the Tianyuan Continent might hold your most compatible next beast. Strangely, the result pointed outward."

"Outward? Not the Tianyuan Continent?" Lin Jing was taken aback.

"Indeed, outward." The First Ancient Emperor fell into deep thought. "The fortune points toward the starry void."

"It doesn't indicate a specific individual, but rather an entire species."

"In the starry void, there exist many Star Beasts that feed on starlight and meteors to cultivate. During my travels there, I encountered many—some powerful enough to rival Demon Emperors."

"The implication is that contracting a Star Beast would be most beneficial for you!"

Lin Jing also gazed at the starry sky, not doubting the accuracy of the First Ancient Emperor's divination.

Star Beasts, huh? But the problem was that the Tianyuan's Seekers of the Way had recently reinforced the world's barriers, making entry and exit exceedingly difficult. Where was he supposed to find a Star Beast to contract?

"Forget it." Lin Jing wasn't in urgent need of his next beast. Since he now knew Star Beasts suited him, he could wait for another opportunity.

Four-legged Dragon Carps were hard to find, but Star Beasts were practically everywhere.

"Off I go." Having pointed Lin Jing in the right direction, the First Ancient Emperor departed to attend to his own affairs.

Meanwhile, Lin Jing's eyes glinted before he changed direction and headed straight for the Heavenly Secrets Tower.

At the tower, the former leader—Old Man Heavenly Secrets, also known as the Azure Ox Taoist—awaited Lin Jing's arrival.

"Young Saint..." The old man greeted him with a smile, offering an explanation for his actions in selling Lin Jing to the Yin Household Sect.

"I kept watch over you throughout your imprisonment in the Yin Corpse Sect. Only after the Beast Master Sect took you away—confirming your safety—did I leave."

"That explanation doesn't erase the fear I felt at the time." Facing this Seeker of the Way, Lin Jing showed none of the courtesy he extended to others. No matter the reasons, the fact remained that he'd been sold to a demonic sect.

The excuse of "for the ancient kingdom's prosperity" didn't cut it—the kingdom wasn't his family's, so its rise or fall had nothing to do with him back then.

"This old one admits fault in arbitrarily deciding another's fate." Old Man Heavenly Secrets bowed in apology. "As compensation, how about I provide you with crucial intelligence?"

"Speak."

"Young Saint, you possess two Rare Beasts that mutated during their contract with you, correct?" The old man chuckled.

"When ordinary Demonic Beasts form contracts via the 《Beast Taming Art》 with cultivators of special physiques, there's a chance they mutate into Rare Beasts. Does this theory sound familiar?"

Lin Jing nodded. This was precisely the theory Elder Mo had obtained from a Heavenly Secrets Tower cultivator—though to date, he remained the only successful case.

"That theory actually came from me—disguised as a tower member—to the Beast Master Sect." The old man stroked his beard.

"So it was you." You're the one who turned Elder Mo into a gambling addict.

"Indeed. However, the theory was incomplete at the time." Old Man Heavenly Secrets continued, "I'd been researching Rare Beasts, seeking methods to improve mutation rates for ordinary Demonic Beasts."

"During my travels, I discovered the Beast Master Sect—a unique sect. Their 《Beast Taming Art》, derived from immortal origins, combined with a special physique, creates ideal conditions for mutation."

"I've even taught the original 《Beast Taming Art》 to other special-physique cultivators, guiding their contracts. Yet apart from you, none succeeded out of hundreds."

"I initially thought my deductions were flawed. But now, I've developed a more complete theory. Would the Young Saint be interested? For a beast tamer like yourself, this intelligence should hold significant value."

"Value can only be determined after hearing it."

"Very well." The old man nodded. "Through decades of research, I've found that all Demonic Beasts bathed in starlight harbor dormant Rare Beast bloodlines. The lower their cultivation—ideally none—the more this bloodline accumulates. Upon reaching Foundation Establishment, it dissipates faster than it accumulates."

"The 《Beast Taming Art》 and special physique contracts can awaken this bloodline, but not all physiques work. The stronger the physique's origin power, the higher the success rate. A divine physique cultivator has far greater chances than ordinary spiritual physiques. Additionally, the physique must be innate—acquired ones won't do."

"Most crucially, the cultivator's and beast's cultivation levels mustn't differ greatly, or it hinders awakening. Thus, a qi-training beast tamer with a divine physique contracting a qi-training cub has the highest success rate!"

"Of course, failure remains possible."

"This summarizes my century of research on Rare Beasts, the 《Beast Taming Art》, and special physiques' influence. Well, Young Saint? Is this intelligence sufficient? It might elevate the Beast Master Sect to become the continent's premier sect."

Lin Jing's eyes gleamed. This old man...

"How do I verify this intelligence's accuracy?"

Old Man Heavenly Secrets smiled. "It's about ninety percent reliable. Compare it with your own case—the Longevity Body, though unranked among divine physiques, possesses origin power surpassing most, nearly rivaling immortal physiques."

"Your two beasts—the squirrel and carp—were contracted before Foundation Establishment."

"As for the Ice Soul Gu, its unique lineage and multiple reincarnations place it outside this discussion." He stroked his beard.

"...Is that so? If this method fails to produce Rare Beasts, I'll take your tower's Rare Beasts for observation." Lin Jing pondered. But the attempt's cost seemed excessive. Innate divine physiques—even in this golden age—were exceedingly rare. These prodigies could excel in any path—who would gamble on Rare Beasts? Unless success was guaranteed, the risk seemed unjustifiable.

Moreover, if the gamble failed, dissolving the 《Beast Taming Art》 would harm the cultivator more than other techniques—not only requiring energy dispersion but also enduring contract dissolution's backlash.

Yet no matter the cost, producing more Rare Beasts would be worth it. Lin Jing resolved to bring this intelligence back to the Beast Master Sect.

As for his next Star Beast, the criteria became clearer—it must be a cub before Foundation Establishment. Better yet, one that had already awakened its Rare Beast bloodline, since his own circumstances no longer fit the old man's "perfect combination."