The City Lord sighed. He had been doing so unbidden for many times in the past few days. The troubles were piling up one after another. The most annoying thing was, he was unable to find a viable solution to them.

He recalled the scene that took place in the last City Council Meeting. He felt like gnashing his teeth in anger every time he remembered it.

Something abnormal was happening in the Magical Forest that bordered next to them. There were chances of a beast horde approaching the city. It only meant one thing: a powerful magical beast had appeared. As if to cement that thought, one month ago, minor lightning tribulation was observed in the Magical Forest. It meant that a Nascent Soul Beast had appeared!

Abnormalities were occurring, big deal! In the end, how was this his fault in the first place?

But oh no! Those from Yu Clan simply wouldn’t have it. They managed to chalk up everything to his incompetence.

In the end, the only thing he could do was sent some of his best forces as punitive to subdue the Nascent Soul Beast. He would suffer from losses but there was nothing he could do. He could only grit his teeth in silence and bear through it.

Just when he was about to send for his assistant, the assistant entered his office with an unusually anxious expression. Normally, he would have gotten angry with the assistant for entering his office without permission but the face the assistant was making stopped him. He knew his assistant. He was a calm person. He was rarely flustered.

“My lord, we have a situation,” he said.

“Byakko, look at this seed. A plant like this would grow from this. Later, it would grow big like the tree over there.” I was trying to teach how to cultivate a Dao Seed. I was already finding how advantageous it was to have the best of both worlds. Naturally, I also wanted Byakko to have this advantage.

But this little fellow…

“But I don’t like plants. They don't taste nice,” he said, adamantly.

It was proving much more difficult than I thought it would be.

I sighed. After creating ‘Heart’s Yearning’, I took a while to analyze the cultivation method. Through it, I was able to learn that it was possible to give a human’s advantage to a beast, just like how it was possible for me to possess a beast’s advantage. The first thought I had in my mind was to strengthen Byakko. This guy ran around too much. If he had the strength to back it, he would have less trouble at hand later. So far, it was proving a futile attempt.

He was unable to comprehend the concept of germination and growth. I raised his comprehension by giving him Clear Spirit Fruit but it seemed, some things couldn’t be solved with high stats.

I tried various things to teach him the concept. First, I simply explained it. How difficult could it be? That was my thought. Next, I tried drawing diagrams for him. He got enamored with the skill of drawing instead of what I was trying to convey. Guess it was something new to him. I had to provide him drawing lessons for a while. Our cave was now covered in so many weird scribbles that in the future, the archaeologists (if this world had it) would have a field day with it. But I was unable to accomplish what I set out to do. That’s how we reached here.

In the end, even a life demonstration was useless.

With the amount of comprehension he had, it should be a cinch. But that’s not how it worked. I guess there were certain other factors I was unable to recognize that didn’t allow beasts to learn concepts easily. Incidentally, this is how his stats ran.

GENERAL

Name

Byakko

Age

7 months old

Race

White Tiger

Realm

Qi Gathering 9

(999/1000 Essence)

Lifeforce

1540/1540 (Regeneration: 2% per second)

Qi

1520/1520 (Regeneration: 2% per second)

ATTRIBUTES

Strength

144

Physique

154

Movement

155

Control

155

Soul

152

Comprehension

147

Charm

25

Fate

16

INNATE TRAIT

Wings of the Heavenly Tiger

Bonded to: Su Ren

QI SKILL LIST

Slot

Skill Name

Rating

Level

1.

Heavenly Tiger Transformation

Epic

5/10

2.

Claw Swipe

Epic

4/10

He had been stuck at Qi Gathering Layer 9 for quite a while. He had reached some sort of bottleneck in his training.

Does it have to be a plant? I wondered. I could use a different approach. Growth happened to everything. Everything needed nurturing. There was no need to stick with plants.

I thought of a new idea. Since this cultivation method had a lot to do a lot with one’s yearning, the seed it planted should be one filled with one's emotions and attachment.

“Byakko, do you like eggs?” I asked him.

“Hmm! They are delicious.” He nodded firmly. “It also reminds me of how I first met father. I like it a lot,” he added as an afterthought.

When he reminded me of how I first met him, I felt guilt come back to haunt me. I was ashamed of the unsavory thoughts I had at that moment.

“Byakko also came out of an egg, do you know?”

He nodded.

“Imagine this, Byakko was really really tiny in the egg. Then, you ate all the things that filled the egg and grew bigger. Finally, when you had eaten everything, you came out. Can you imagine it?”

The little cub corked his to the side, looking very adorable. I could make out his forehead scrunched in thought. After a few moments, his eyes lit up. “Yes~” he purred in excitement.

“Good. Now, what will happen if you eat more and more?”

“I will become bigger and bigger?”

“Yes. So, Byakko needs to create an egg from which something that will help to fulfill your desire will come out. At the same time, you will have to give it food, the world essence, in other word. Do you get me?” I asked.

The little fellow thought for a few moments and nodded.

“Okay, let’s go outside and try it out.”

We went to the place I had overcome my tribulation. It was a place with a good flow of world essence.

“Byakko, give it your best!” I cheered him on.

“Yes, father~ I will try my best!” he said with a determined look in his eyes.

He closed his eyes. From the fluctuating essence around him, I knew he had begun.

I waited. It was taking him far longer than it had for me. But it was fine. As long as he was able to create a Dao Seed, his strength would go up in leaps and bounds.

The swirl of essence around him grew stronger and stronger. It only stopped when two days had passed.

Byakko opened his eyes.

“Father, I did it!” he yelled out to me in excitement. “I also broke through to Foundational Stage.”

I smiled at him and nodded. But I didn’t make my way towards him to congratulate him. There was still one last hurdle he had to overcome. Well, more than a hurdle, it was more of process.

The dark clouds gathered in the sky.

“Father~” the little guy whimpered. It was the first time I had seen him with a terrified look on his face. “The tribulation lightning is about to befall me. I-I am scared.” Magical beasts were innately afraid of lightning. I could vaguely make out the reason why but I was not hundred percent sure.

“Byakko, do you trust your father?” I asked him.

He nodded.

“You are going to be just fine, trust me.”

His face eased a little. Well, children usually trusted their parents. They believed their parents would hold the world for them. I could still find traces of nervousness on him but he was not a bundle of nerves like he was in the beginning. He should be fine.

The first lightning struck. The second lightning struck. The third lightning struck. Byakko looked at the dissipating dark clouds with disbelief written all over his face. I could make out that he was shocked because nothing had happened to him.

I smiled. I knew this would happen.

My Cultivation Method ‘Heart’s Yearning’ was impervious to lightning tribulation. I wanted to be strong against all sorts of trouble. That adamant determination had come out in the Cultivation Method I created. Lightning tribulation could do nothing against it. Rather, it served as a tonic to further cement the foundation.

“I am fine?” the little cub was still not over his disbelief.

I went and picked him up in my arms. “What did I tell you? There was nothing to worry about, right?” I rubbed his head.

“Nuu~” Byakko purred. He nodded in agreement.

I rechecked his status window.

GENERAL

Name

Byakko

Age

7 months old

Race

White Tiger

Realm

Foundational 1

(2/2000 Essence)

Lifeforce

1540/1540 (Regeneration: 2% per second)

Qi

1520/1520 (Regeneration: 2% per second)

ATTRIBUTES

Strength

199

Physique

209

Movement

210

Control

210

Soul

207

Comprehension

202

Charm

26

Fate

19

INNATE TRAIT

Wings of the Heavenly Tiger

Bonded to: Su Ren

QI SKILL LIST

Slot

Skill Name

Rating

Level

1.

Heavenly Tiger Transformation

Epic

5/10

2.

Claw Swipe

Epic

4/10

3.

4.

I nodded in satisfaction. ‘Heart’s Yearning’ gave ten points to all six basic attributes when I leveled up instead of the measly five Byakko got. It seemed the forty-five points he missed out was compensated.

Now that this thing was off my chest, it was time to move to the next order of things. I had put it on hold for a while. It was about time I gave it some deep thought. I opened my status screen.

GENERAL

Name

Su Ren

Age

10 years old

Cultivation Method

Heart’s Yearning

Realm

Qi Gathering 2

(183/300 Essence)

Lifeforce

2990/2990 (Regeneration: 10% per second)

Qi

2990/2990 (Regeneration: 10% per second)

ATTRIBUTES

Strength

299

Physique

299

Movement

299

Control

299

Soul

299

Comprehension

299

Charm

42

Fate

31

INNATE TRAITS

Innards of a God

Kaleidoscope Eye

Photosynthesis

Eternal Stratum (Incomplete)

############

Bond:

Byakko (White Tiger)

QI SKILL LIST

Slot

Skill Name

Rating

Level

1.

2.

I was yet at another bottleneck. I didn’t raise my level up just in case I lost the attribute points I would gain when I gained a level. It seemed my worry was unfounded. Looking at Byakko’s situation, the attribute points would be compensated. That was a small piece of good news.

Yet there was a need for me to break through the second shackle.

That’s beside the point. The main thing here was, I got the Qi Skill Slots. I could now learn Qi Skills.

Learning a skill was apparently very easy, as long as you had high comprehension, that is.

The problem is: I comprehended a little too many skills. It was difficult to pick two from the list and assign it to the slots. Once I slotted the skills, I would not be able to change it. Of course I could slot the skills I comprehended now to the slots I opened later. But the first two slots would determine the route I would take in the future. I absolutely have no intention of taking the Jack-of-all-trades or master-of-all-trades route. Once your power reached an overwhelming state, it would eclipse everything. Why trouble myself and learn stuff I may or may not need?

I opened the skill options that were available to me.

The following skills are available to you:

No.

Name

Rank

Effect

1.

Radiant Sword

Epic

Infuses the sword with Qi to increase damage.

2.

Fist Burst

Epic

Fires a burst of Qi from the fist

3.

Qi Arrow

Unranked

Creates arrow with Qi.

4.

Flash Steps

Epic

Increases the Movement Speed.

5.

Minute Steps

Epic

Enables to make minute movements.

6.

Earth Step

Epic

Creates a stable footing.

There were many more but I eliminated them from the list because some were way too complicated, some really unsuited for me and some, they had low ranks. Incidentally, skill rank went like this: Common >> Uncommon >> Rare >> Epic >> Legend >> Celestial >> Divine >> God. I only learnt it after acquiring the skill slots.

I already had the two skills I preferred in my mind. Still, I wanted to give it more thoughts. It never hurt to be careful.

would naturally take me on the path of a Sword Cultivator. If you added , I would be on my way to be a high-speed swordsman. If were to be added, I would take the path of a swordsman who made very little but effective moments. As for , it would turn me into a defensive Swordsman. Frankly, I was quite attracted to this style of fighting. Paving my way with the wave of a sword, just like those xianxia characters did.

As for , it would make me tread the path of a close-combat specialist. Adding on the movement skills, a speedy one with , an effective one with and a defensive one with .

would make me embark on the path of an Archer. and didn’t suit it. The only movement skill that suited it, would enable me to exert more strength when firing arrow.

I thought through the three paths carefully. But in the end, I went with Archer. My traits and personality suited much more with a long-range style. It was not romantic at all, I know. Swordsman and Close-Combat Specialist sounds so much cooler. I tried to find justifiable reasons to tread another path but in the end, came up with nothing. In a way, this fighting style was tailor-made for me. I couldn’t just hand my life to some random whims that came to me.

I slotted and to the skill slots.

QI SKILL LIST

Slot

Skill Name

Rating

Level

1.

Qi Arrow

Unranked

1/10

2.

Earth Steps

Epic

1/10

I checked the details I was unable to check it before I slotted them.

QI ARROW (Unranked)

Level 1

Generates arrows with Qi.

Cost: Depends on strength and number of the arrows

EARTH STEPS (Epic)

Level 1

Enables you to have stable footing.

Cost: 10 Qi per second

I was unable to say whether the skills were good or bad. I could only try to find out.

I used a tiny amount of Qi to generate a small arrow. A mental image of pulling a bow appeared in my head. The arrow flew and hit a tree. The arrow tip sank into the tree. Moments later, the arrow made of Qi dissipated, leaving a tiny scratch-like hole on the bark of the tree.

Disappointing.

I generated another tiny arrow. This time, I added rotation to it as a test before releasing it. Boom! It drilled a hole though the tree and passed through it. I was dazed. I never thought it would be this effective. I had heard that bullets worked on that principle, so I gave it a try.

Ding!

You have found a new way of using a skill.

Congratulations!

Your skill had leveled up!

Oh! I can work with it, I thought as I closed all the notifications.

The City Lord surveyed the people in the Council Room. Everyone had grim expression on their faces. He found the Patriarch of Yu Clan among them. His face was equally grim. The City Lord wanted to gloat at the failure of Yu Clan Patriarch’s plan to make him suffer losses but he was not in the mood.

A second Nascent Stage Beast had appeared. It was more than what they had bargained for. There were only eleven Nascent Stage Cultivators in the city. If they wanted to take on the two Nascent Stage beasts, the strength of at least eight of them would be required. There were even chances of suffering casualties. But who is to say that there would be only two Nascent Stage beasts. Moreover, beasts were generally more powerful than human cultivators.

Even the Yu Clan Patriarch couldn’t be shameless enough to push everything to the him now.

“What should we do now?” The City Lord asked to open the floor. It was a pretty rhetoric question. There was only one way to tide over the situation.

“What can we do? We can only pool our strength and fight. We can only hope that there are only two Nascent Stage beasts,” an old man, the ancestor of Hua Clan said.

Everyone nodded. There was nothing to argue. If they didn’t take action, a beast horde would come to their city. The amount of damage and casualties the city would suffer would be enormous. Although everyone had their own hidden agenda, they couldn’t compromise with the safety of their city. The repercussion would simply be too strong for them to bear.

“It’s settled, then. Let’s mobilize our troops in fifteen days.” The City Lord settled the matter.

“What should we do about the Yearly Beast Hunt Ceremony? It just so happens to fall on the same day we mobilize the army. Should we postpone it?” another member of the council broached the topic.

“We can’t,” an old man, who served as the Chief Advisor in the council, refuted. “It’s an age old tradition. We can’t just play with it. No matter what, the Hunt has to take place on that day.”

“We can’t risk the lives our young talents,” another member raised the issue.

The City Lord nodded. This year, his daughter had just come of age. She would be one of the participants in the Hunt. Naturally, he didn’t want to send his daughter to the Magical Forest if he could.

“You know the Law,” the Chief Advisor said. “As long as you are fine with your children staying mediocre, I don’t mind.” The single statement wiped away all the oppositions.

The City Lord sighed, yet again. “We can only let the Hunt continue. We will try to arrange escorts to watch over them. Until and unless they don’t run into the two Nascent Stage beasts, they should be safe.”

Thereafter, the discussion went towards the details of the troop and the matter of the escorts. It was one of the few City Council Meetings that was not rife with conflict of interests, secret agendas, hidden daggers and other stuff that made politics.