Chapter 069: The First Signs of Beast Taming Ability

Although Feng Jun had not exposed Xiao Lan, the overwhelming strength of the two still far surpassed that of other wandering illusionists. Even here, at the remote borderlands of the Bakra Empire, it was likely to attract the attention of those with ulterior motives.

Without the power to protect the secrets within her body, Shen Duo decided to act with caution. She had already stirred the main city of the Shen family in Luo City, and now, prudence was her only safeguard.

Rather than returning to Niwei City, the two camped by the upper reaches of the Tianqing River, choosing a spot of rare beauty. They took two tents from their storage pouches, lit a campfire, and ate some dried rations, enjoying the scenery of purple reed forests lining the riverbanks.

After their simple meal, Shen Duo glanced at the overturned river crocodile they had tossed aside, her voice tinged with helplessness. “What do we do with this creature?”

Xiao Lan wrapped her tail around a piece of dried meat, chewing contentedly. Hearing Shen Duo’s words, she looked to Feng Jun for an answer.

Feng Jun knew full well that Shen Duo was not an illusionist; in his view, she had no use for a magical beast. He suggested, “Why not sell it?”

If those at the auction house saw a one-star divine magical beast, they’d surely lose their minds with excitement...

Shen Duo narrowed her eyes, sizing up the river crocodile as one would a slab of pork. The severely injured beast trembled, shrinking further in fear under her scrutiny.

“This creature has a mutated wood-attribute stealth skill from its advancement—selling it so casually would be a waste.”

Moreover, it would be far too conspicuous to openly take a one-star divine magical beast to the auction house for listing.

Feng Jun frowned, his handsome brows furrowing. “Even if I had enough mental power to form a contract with this river crocodile, where could I find a beast-taming master? Without a beast-tamer, high-level magical beasts are little more than curiosities.”

Shen Duo was reminded: ordinary illusionists needed beast-tamers to tame magical beasts before forming contracts, while her own companions, Yu Sha and Ben Yi, had contracted directly with the Saint Mang energy, bypassing this troublesome process.

Back in the Flaming Mercenary Corps, Ao Defan had been the only beast-tamer among tens of thousands of mercenaries, underscoring how rare and precious the profession was. Within the corps, Ao Defan’s status was second only to the leader, Lei Lie. He alone provided magical beasts for the entire corps. Beast-tamers expended mental power when taming beasts; the higher their rank, the greater their mental strength. A typical beast-tamer could tame only two to three magical beasts per month, which made their value all the more evident.

On the Saint Mang Continent, the number of beast-tamers supported by a family was once used to measure the strength of the four great clans—a telling sign.

Even Ao Defan, the beast-tamer of the Flaming Mercenary Corps, was only a beast-master, capable of taming saint magical beasts at most. To tame a one-star divine magical beast like the river crocodile, one needed a beast-taming grandmaster.

Finding such a grandmaster was no easy feat. Most had been recruited by the four great clans, or, those who resisted such lures, resided in the main cities of the great empires or famous academies across the continent. The difficulty of meeting such individuals aside, the fortune required to tame a divine magical beast was immense.

This was one reason why many high-level illusionists lacked magical beasts of the same rank.

Thus, even if Zoe and her group managed to keep the river crocodile, successfully contracting it would be a tremendous challenge. In a small nation like the Bakra Empire, beast-masters were simply unheard of.

“How did you contract with Xiao Lan before?” Shen Duo asked, recalling that Xiao Lan was a divine magical beast—the eight-headed giant serpent—whose strength rivaled the river crocodile, and even possessed traces of ancient magical beast blood.

Feng Jun did not hide the truth. “When I contracted with Xiao Lan, she was only a five-star saint magical beast. As a direct descendant of the Feng family, once I reached a certain strength, the family could directly assign me a magical beast of the same rank.”

Such was the privilege of a direct descendant.

During his years of tempering himself outside, Feng Jun had caught many high-ranked magical beasts, but lacked beast-tamers. Even if he had the ability to contract a second beast, it was impossible.

This situation was indeed troublesome, and Shen Duo was loath to simply give the beast to the auction house.

“Do you have any beast-taming grandmaster friends?” she inquired.

“I do, but he’s in the Feng family’s main city,” Feng Jun replied calmly.

Shen Duo had a rough understanding of the continent’s geography. The Feng family’s main city was near Hope City, the capital of the Xierui Empire, southwest on the Saint Mang Continent, midstream along the Tianqing River. From here, the journey would take at least a month.

Moreover, Feng Jun's trial was not over; it would not be worth it to return just for a magical beast.

Shen Duo cast a regretful glance at the river crocodile and spread her hands. “Then we’ll have to sell it.”

Feng Jun cultivated spiritual illusion energy of the water element, and the river crocodile was a water-attribute magical beast, with the rare mutated wood-attribute stealth skill. If he could contract it, it would be perfect.

Just as the two were discussing how to sell the river crocodile, Yu Sha, holding a cup of sweet dew, sent her a telepathic message: “Xiao Duo, why don’t you tame this little beast yourself?”

Shen Duo asked, bewildered, “Huh? I’m not an illusionist—how could I tame a magical beast?”

“Who says beast-tamers have to be cultivators of spiritual illusion energy…” Yu Sha shook his white tiger head, rolling his eyes dramatically.

In this realm, beast-tamers were usually illusionists, and the higher the beast’s rank, the greater the tamer’s ability. Shen Duo had fallen into the misconception that all beast-tamers were illusionists.

Taming magical beasts depended mainly on powerful mental strength; those with such power were rarely weak otherwise.

“But I’ve never tamed a magical beast before, and this one requires a beast-taming grandmaster,” Shen Duo argued, doubtful.

Yu Sha boasted, “Xiao Duo, don’t forget you have Saint Mang energy within you. Otherwise, how could a swordswoman without spiritual illusion energy contract with us? Saint Mang energy is the continent’s supreme treasure; it makes contracting high-level magical beasts effortless. Taming a mere river crocodile is child’s play.”

Even Shen Duo, usually so calm, was astonished by Yu Sha’s words. She knew Saint Mang energy was extraordinary, but had not imagined it would be so powerful.

“Feng Jun, should I try taming this river crocodile?” Shen Duo asked seriously, her clear eyes fixed on him.

Feng Jun, usually impassive, couldn’t help but size her up. She wasn’t even an illusionist—could she really tame a magical beast, and a divine one at that? Yet he knew Shen Duo wasn’t one for empty boasts; perhaps she truly had the ability...

It was worth a try. Even if it failed, nothing would be lost. Though Feng Jun did not expect much, he nodded.

Shen Duo rose, brushed the dust from her illusionist’s robe, and walked toward the river crocodile.

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More votes, please! Tomorrow I’ll do a double update~~