Chương 111: 1.108 Aura Farming is not a choice, it's a lifestyle~

Actually, Ning had considered having Fenghuang's bloodline tested more than once. Bloodline testing was hardly uncommon in this world. For beast tamers, knowing the ancestry and potential of their spirit beasts was basic knowledge. Beast Taming Peak had specialized tools for it, and even some shops in Blackthorn City offered cruder tests for anyone willing to spend the spirit stones. The reason Ning had never taken Fenghuang for one was simple. He had been cautious.

Fenghuang had come from Xiao Fan, and that alone was enough reason to think twice. Anything that passed through the protagonist's hands deserved a certain degree of suspicion. Something that looked like an ordinary spirit beast today could easily turn out to possess an ancient bloodline or an unheard-of mutation. Even without considering Xiao Fan's protagonist halo, Fenghuang was special enough.

White Flame Ravens were already rare, but Fenghuang's flame was unusually pure and powerful, his intelligence was high, and he was far too proud for a bird that still relied on Ning for meals. Though, thinking about it, Xiao Fan's spirit fox had a similar temperament. Perhaps every spirit beast around that guy came with a complimentary tsundere personality. Ning was beginning to suspect Xiao Fan had some undiscovered Tsundere Beast Affinity hidden among his protagonist talents.

With how wild some talents were, this was not even that far-fetched to encounter. More importantly, Ning had deliberately kept a low profile back then. If Fenghuang's bloodline turned out to be extraordinary, the best-case scenario was people offering to buy him. A worse scenario involved someone trying to take him, while the truly troublesome one was some powerful elder or beast tamer deciding that such a valuable spirit beast was wasted in Ning's hands.

Ning preferred not to create situations where people could say things like that and actually have the strength to back them up. Some mysteries were better left mysterious until you had enough strength to enjoy the answer. There was a time and place for everything. Now, however, things were different. Ning had already become famous whether he liked it or not. He was Ling Xin's disciple, Fu Xuan's lineage stood behind him, and even Sect Master Ge Xuan had personally acknowledged him.

His position in the sect was no longer so fragile that someone could casually take what belonged to him. Besides, the Pure Qi Sect had only just finished dealing with one betrayal. Anyone who tried to snatch Fenghuang now would either need balls of steel or a lack of self-awareness rivaling the protagonist. In other words, testing Fenghuang was still a risk, but it was no longer the kind of risk Ning had to avoid at all costs.

With that in mind, he watched as Yun Feifei prepared the Bloodline Resonance Stone on a low stone platform. Fenghuang hopped down from Ning's shoulder and landed beside it with his usual grace, his white feathers catching the light of the formations around them. He showed no sign of nervousness at all. If anything, he looked mildly offended that anyone thought his magnificence needed verification. Truly, self-confidence, thy name was Fenghuang. Jin Shu immediately leaned in for a closer look.

"His feathers really are unusually clean. Most White Flame Ravens have a little ash-yellow around the edges, especially when they're young, but Fenghuang doesn't."

"Jin Shu," Yao Yi warned.

"Be careful not to disrupt the process."

"I'm only looking." Jin Shu reached out to pet Fenghuang, only for the raven to smack her hand away with one wing. She pulled her hand back, looking aggrieved.

"Why me?"

"That's what you get for trying to act familiar with a spirit beast that clearly doesn't want it." Yao Yi gave her a serious look.

"You should pay more attention during your beast-taming lessons."

"Alright, alright..." Jin Shu reluctantly stepped back, thoroughly aggrieved by the treatment she was receiving from both senior sister and bird. Truly, kindness was becoming increasingly difficult to find these days. Yun Feifei paid no attention to the exchange. Considering the personalities of some of the elders in the Pure Qi Sect, Ning suspected the ability to ignore nonsense happening directly beside you was practically a requirement for reaching her position.

"Before we test him, there is something you should understand about spirit-beast cultivation," Yun Feifei said.

"Humans cultivate through spiritual roots, meridians, techniques, and comprehension. Spirit beasts are different. For them, bloodline plays a much greater role. Much of what a human would seek from a cultivation inheritance is already carried within their bodies." Ning nodded. He had read enough about spirit beasts to know the basics, but his knowledge had always been broad rather than specialized.

"A fire-aligned beast, for example, does not necessarily need to study a fire technique as we would," Yun Feifei continued.

"If the inheritance exists within its bloodline, cultivation will gradually awaken it. Instincts become abilities, abilities strengthen, and some eventually develop into innate divine abilities."

"So a stronger bloodline generally means better innate abilities and a higher potential ceiling," Ning summarized.

"Generally," Yun Feifei nodded. Ning understood the basic idea. Bloodlines were essentially spiritual roots for spirit beasts, except they also carried inherited abilities, racial traits, and evolutionary potential.

"And if the bloodline is poor," Jin Shu added, "you can feed it all the expensive treasures you want, and sometimes all you get is a very fat beast." Yao Yi gave her a look.

"You really need to work on how you explain things."

"What? It's true." Jin Shu protested her treatment.

"Being correct is not the issue." Yao Yi sighed. Somehow, she had ended up babysitting an overly energetic junior when she already had more than enough work waiting for her. Ning had to admit, though, Jin Shu's version was probably the one he would remember. In simple terms, humans studied manuals, while spirit beasts were born with part of the manual already written into their blood. Cultivation was simply the process of slowly turning those pages. Of course, reality was never quite that simple.

There was always something more to it.

"Bloodline determines much of a spirit beast's natural path, but it isn't absolute," Yun Feifei said.

"Bloodlines can be purified or strengthened, ancestral traits can awaken, and mutations or evolutions are possible under the right circumstances. What matters is knowing what you're working with before interfering." Jin Shu nodded enthusiastically.

"Especially with evolution. Giving a beast some powerful treasure just because the attributes match is a terrible idea. Best case, nothing happens. Worst case..." She made a small exploding motion with her hands. Fenghuang turned toward her with what Ning could only interpret as disdain. Ning couldn't blame him. Cultivation had a strange relationship with explosions. Fail at alchemy, something exploded. Mess up a formation, something exploded. Cultivate the wrong way and, somehow, you exploded.

Funny, for people supposedly pursuing immortality, cultivators certainly spent a lot of time inventing new ways to blow themselves up. Yun Feifei picked up the dark crimson Bloodline Resonance Stone.

"This won't tell us everything, but it should reveal his dominant bloodline and detect any significant ancestral traces or abnormalities. That will be enough for our purposes." Yun Feifei placed the stone before Fenghuang.

"We'll need a drop of blood." Fenghuang stared at it for a moment before slowly turning toward Ning with obvious displeasure. Ning immediately understood.

"Oh, come on. I've seen you get clawed bloody in a fight without making a sound, and this is where you draw the line?" Fenghuang continued staring at him. Apparently, battle wounds were a matter of pride. Voluntarily giving blood was an entirely different issue.

"What do you mean I should give my blood? It's your bloodline test," Ning reminded him. Fenghuang remained unmoved. Ning sighed. He knew when negotiations had reached an impasse.

"Extra spiritual fruit tonight." Fenghuang immediately extended a claw toward Yun Feifei. Yun Feifei watched the exchange with a faint shake of her head.

"It seems the two of you already understand each other well enough."

"Of course. Our relationship is built on mutual trust." Ning smiled. He was actually rather proud of how well he had learned to read Fenghuang. Pure Eyes certainly helped him catch the smallest changes in the raven's expression and posture, but by now, most of it had become instinct. Jin Shu immediately ruined it.

"And spiritual fruit." Ning ignored her. With a small movement of her qi, Yun Feifei made the tiniest cut across Fenghuang's extended claw. A single bead of blood formed at its tip before falling onto the Bloodline Resonance Stone. Ning watched as the drop of blood disappeared into the Bloodline Resonance Stone. Despite himself, he found his attention completely fixed on it. Somehow, waiting for Fenghuang's result was making him more nervous than any test of his own had.

He finally understood why parents could become so invested in their children's examination scores. It was nerve-wracking. The crimson stone pulsed again, and thin golden veins spread outward from where the blood had fallen. Yun Feifei watched the changes closely until the light stabilized, then brought out the Heat Purity Jade.

"Bloodline is stable. Now the flame." Fenghuang needed no bribing this time. He raised his head and released a tiny bead of white fire toward the jade. The effect was immediate. White light spread through the clear tablet, growing brighter as the flame sank deeper. There was none of the orange or yellow discoloration Ning had seen in ordinary fire-testing jades. Instead, the light became increasingly pale until it was almost colorless.

Only then did something else appear: a faint silver thread running through the center. Jin Shu's earlier excitement gave way to genuine surprise. She leaned closer to the tablet, looking almost tempted to grab it just to make sure.

"Senior Sister... am I seeing that correctly?"

"You are." Yao Yi had stepped closer as well, though unlike Jin Shu, she remembered to keep her hands to herself.

"There's a second trace." Yun Feifei picked up the jade and examined the silver line for several moments before checking the Bloodline Resonance Stone again. Eventually, Yun Feifei set the stone down.

"His dominant bloodline is exactly what we expected. White Flame Raven, and a fairly pure one at that. There's no instability or obvious conflict." That was good news, but Ning could tell from the silver thread that there was more coming.

"There is, however, another bloodline mixed into it. A very faint one."

"From one of his parents?" Ning asked. That was the obvious conclusion.

"Possibly. It could also be an older ancestral bloodline resurfacing." Yun Feifei tapped the jade lightly.

"White Flame Ravens rarely breed outside their own kind, and when they do, the offspring aren't necessarily better for it. Mixed bloodlines can weaken each other just as easily as they can produce something extraordinary."

"We had a mixed-blood fire lizard here once," Jin Shu said.

"It looked impressive when it was young, but as it grew, the two bloodlines started interfering with each other. In the end, neither developed properly." Yao Yi nodded.

"That's actually a good example." Jin Shu brightened immediately.

"See? I'm learning." A faint smile appeared on Yao Yi's face.

"You are." Ning almost smiled before returning his attention to Fenghuang. So mixed blood wasn't some automatic upgrade. Two powerful bloodlines might sound impressive together, but whether they actually complemented each other was another matter entirely.

"Fenghuang seems to have been fortunate," Yun Feifei continued.

"The second bloodline is faint enough that it never competed with his dominant one. Instead, some of its characteristics appear to have merged naturally into his flame." Ning glanced at the silver thread within the jade.

"Grand Elder, may I ask if you can tell what the other bloodline is?"

"I have an idea." Yun Feifei turned the jade slightly, watching the silver trace shift beneath the light.

"If I'm not mistaken, it comes from an Ashless Moon Crow." Jin Shu's eyes widened.

"An Ashless Moon Crow? That's even rarer than a White Flame Raven."

"Only a trace," Yun Feifei cut in before her excitement could gather momentum.

"We don't know how much of it Fenghuang can actually awaken."

"Ashless Moon Crow..." Ning asked.

"What kind of spirit beast is that?" This time Yun Feifei answered without looking away from the jade.

"A rare yin-flame spirit bird. Unlike most fire-aligned beasts, its flame isn't valued for raw heat. It specializes in burning things ordinary fire struggles to touch-ghost qi, corpse qi, resentment, yin poison, and certain forms of demonic corruption." That caught Ning's attention immediately. It looked like Fenghuang was going to be his secret weapon against enemies like Lei Shen now.

"White Flame Ravens already possess a degree of purification," Yun Feifei continued, "which is probably why the two bloodlines were able to coexist so well. But the Ashless Moon Crow takes that property further. Its flame is said to leave remarkably little spiritual residue behind." Ning thought about it for a moment before the distinction became clear. Burning something away and cleansing it completely were not necessarily the same thing.

Demonic qi could be destroyed while leaving traces of corruption behind, just as scattered resentment could linger and slowly gather again. A flame capable of removing those remnants entirely was far more valuable than one that simply burned hotter.

"So Fenghuang might inherit that ability?"

"Might," Yun Feifei emphasized.

"He hasn't awakened it. For now, all we know is that the bloodline trace exists and has already influenced the purity of his flame." Yao Yi examined the faint silver thread within the jade.

"Which also means you'll have to be more careful with the resources you give him. Ordinary fire treasures may not always be suitable." That was the part Ning really needed to hear.

"Because strengthening the White Flame Raven bloodline too much could suppress the other one?" Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.

"Precisely. But the opposite is just as dangerous," Yun Feifei said.

"Trying to force the Ashless Moon Crow bloodline to awaken before his body is ready could destabilize what is already working perfectly well. For Fenghuang, purity and stability will be more important than simply making his flame stronger." Ning nodded. That was manageable. He glanced at Fenghuang and found the raven sitting noticeably straighter than before, his chest puffed out. Ning narrowed his eyes.

"You understand this means you have to work harder now, right?" Fenghuang immediately gave an offended caw.

"What? Did you think having a good bloodline meant you could slack off?" Ning reached over and smoothed his feathers.

"Your ego was already difficult enough to feed. I'm not letting your cultivation become the same." Jin Shu laughed.

"You should be happier. That's a really good result."

"I am happy." Ning looked back at the testing jade.

"I'm also the one who has to buy all those carefully selected resources from now on." That part had certainly not escaped him. A rare bloodline trace meant specialized resources. Simply put, he could already see his future storage pouch weeping at its own emptiness. Yun Feifei gave the testing tools one final look before nodding.

"His bloodline is quite good. Even if the hidden trace never develops further, reaching Foundation Establishment should not be difficult once he matures. If it awakens properly, Purple Mansion is not out of reach either. If he goes even further beyond... I remember the Ashless Moon Crow itself descended from-no, that's too unlikely to consider." She shook her head.

"Anyway, take good care of your bird. His potential is immense." Ning looked at Fenghuang, who seemed to sit a little straighter after hearing that. Foundation Establishment was already a respectable natural ceiling for a spirit beast, while Purple Mansion was another matter entirely. If Ning had to force a comparison with human cultivators, Fenghuang had essentially been born with the beast equivalent of a high-grade spiritual root with potential to upgrade to a top-grade one.

In other words, the bird had better natural talent than him. He had kind of figured it out already, since Fenghuang's progression in cultivation was faster than his own, despite Ning cheesing it in different ways. Fortunately, Fenghuang being talented was entirely to Ning's benefit. The Beast King Technique was built around both sides supporting each other; if Fenghuang grew faster, Ning could benefit from that strength, and if Ning pulled ahead, he could return the favor.

Yun Feifei returned the Bloodline Resonance Stone to the tray.

"This also means the Beast King Technique should suit the two of you well. Your cultivation can help stabilize his growth, while his flame can benefit you in return. Considering that you practice alchemy, you've already experienced some of that."

"That I have," Ning agreed. Yao Yi had been studying Fenghuang with renewed interest.

"Where did you find him?" Ning paused. Now that was a surprisingly complicated question with an extremely simple answer.

"I commissioned a mission for a spiritual beast." That was not technically a lie. Yao Yi looked from Ning to Fenghuang.

"You commissioned a mission... and got him?"

"Yes." Jin Shu stared at Fenghuang before turning back to Ning.

"What kind of mission are you commissioning?"

"A normal one," Ning answered. That was completely true. He had simply asked Xiao Fan to find him a spiritual beast. In hindsight, perhaps outsourcing the job to a protagonist had been the cultivation-world equivalent of secretly increasing the luck stat. Jin Shu clearly reached a different conclusion.

"Can I commission one too?"

"You can," Ning replied.

"I make no guarantees about the results." She looked genuinely disappointed by the lack of a repeatable method. Yun Feifei, meanwhile, seemed content to leave good fortune as good fortune. She handed the testing tools back to Yao Yi and turned toward the formation at the center of the hall.

"Whatever the circumstances, Fenghuang's bloodline is stable, and the two of you are compatible enough to proceed. We can begin the bond ritual." Ning straightened slightly.

"The bond ritual?"

"Yes. The first step of the Beast King Technique requires one. It isn't particularly complicated, but the initial resonance is easier to establish with the proper materials and an elder guiding the formation." Ning understood. Unfortunately, the mention of proper materials immediately brought another question to mind. How much were these proper materials going to cost? Yun Feifei seemed to read the concern on his face and gave a soft laugh.

"Don't worry. The sect will cover the materials this time. Consider it part of your reward for what you did during the attack." Ning's expression immediately became much more solemn.

"Then this disciple thanks the sect." Yun Feifei led them through a side passage into a smaller chamber behind the main hall. The room was circular, with beast-patterned formation lines covering the stone floor and four jade plates positioned around a central ring. A faint mixture of spirit herbs and incense lingered in the air. While Yao Yi checked the formation plates, Jin Shu eagerly moved to help.

Her enthusiasm lasted until she discovered that helping meant inspecting every outer groove one by one rather than doing anything interesting near the center. Under Yun Feifei's direction, Ning entered the formation and sat down. Fenghuang hopped from his shoulder and settled opposite him.

"The first resonance depends less on how much qi you can control and more on whether Fenghuang accepts the connection," Yun Feifei explained.

"You need to find something the two of you genuinely share. Once that intent aligns, the formation will help establish the first mark." Ning considered her words.

"So we need to think about the same thing?"

"Not exactly. You're a human, and Fenghuang is a spirit beast; expecting your thoughts to work the same way would be foolish. What matters is that the intent behind them agrees. Trust, protection, companionship, even a memory that carries strong meaning for both of you can serve as the foundation." From the edge of the formation, Jin Shu immediately offered, "Food usually works." Yao Yi didn't even look up from the groove she was inspecting.

"If you solve every problem by feeding him, eventually Fenghuang will expect payment whenever you ask him to do anything." Ning decided she had a point. Fenghuang already possessed an alarming understanding of negotiation despite having received absolutely no formal training. There was no need to encourage his budding career as an extortionist.

"Try something the two of you have experienced together," Yao Yi continued.

"A battle, a moment of danger, protecting each other- anything Fenghuang would remember as strongly as you do."

"That would be easiest," Yun Feifei agreed.

"Don't force it. The clearer and more natural the connection, the more stable the first resonance will be."

"I know!" Jin Shu's eyes immediately lit up. She turned toward Yun Feifei.

"Grand Elder, how about letting us fight?" Yun Feifei regarded her calmly.

"Explain."

"They're trying to synchronize, right? Sitting here and forcing it clearly isn't working, but if they fight together, they won't have time to overthink everything. Their rhythm might come out naturally." Yao Yi gave her a knowing look.

"And this has absolutely nothing to do with wanting a rematch after losing to Junior Brother Ning."

"Ah, you got me." Jin Shu showed no shame whatsoever.

"But that doesn't mean I'm wrong." She turned eagerly toward Ning.

"Besides, you like fighting too. Come on, wouldn't a proper rematch be fun?" Ning was about to deny it, but unfortunately, the first half of her argument made a disturbing amount of sense. The cultivation world had many strange rules, but one of the most reliable was that fighting somehow helped people improve. In that respect, xianxia and shounen were quite similar. So there was a good chance Jin Shu's idea would actually work. After all, forming bonds during the heat of battle was as cliché as they come.

Ning remembered one small problem.

"Unfortunately, Friendship-my spear-is still being repaired. I don't think the rematch would be quite as satisfying without it." Besides that, Ning knew the chances of injury would be quite high during this battle, and he didn't want to overwork his body too much just yet. He still needed energy to do alchemy later. Jin Shu stared at him.

"You named your spear Friendship?" She paused, then shook her head.

"Never mind, that's not important. But I wanted a proper rematch."

"We can still have one later." Ning smiled slightly as another idea came to him.

"Let me try something first. If it doesn't work, we'll fight." Jin Shu brightened again and readily agreed.

"Fine. But you promised." Ning nodded, then turned his attention back to Fenghuang. There were plenty of memories he could have used. Fenghuang had guarded his fields, burned pests from his crops, and helped him control the furnace during alchemy. He had warned Ning of danger, fought beside him, and stayed close throughout his recovery. Somewhere along the way, the raven's presence had become so ordinary that Ning rarely stopped to consider how much time they actually spent together.

All of those memories mattered, but Ning suspected he was approaching the problem from the wrong direction. He was thinking about what he valued. The ritual needed something that came naturally to both of them. Ning studied Fenghuang for a moment. The raven stood proudly within the formation, pale feathers immaculate, head raised just enough to give the impression that everything happening around him was beneath his concern. Then it came to Ning. Fenghuang liked aura farming. No, liked was putting it too mildly.

The bird cultivated coolness as though it were a Dao of its own. He perched wherever the sunlight struck him best, turned his head away whenever someone praised him, and somehow always spread his wings at exactly the right angle to look impressive. If there was anything Fenghuang pursued with greater dedication than cultivation, it was looking cool while cultivating. Ning's expression gradually became thoughtful. Perhaps there really was something here.

He glanced around the chamber until he found a broad shaft of sunlight falling through one of the high windows. Ning stepped into it, checked the angle, shifted half a step to the left, then reconsidered and moved slightly back. Jin Shu blinked at his strange behavior.

"What are you doing?"

"An experiment," Ning replied simply. He placed one hand behind his back and turned slightly, allowing the sunlight to catch the side of his face. His shoulders relaxed, his chin rose slightly, and he gazed out the window with a calm, aloof expression. Better, but he could do more. Pure Eyes activated. A luminous blue glow spread through Ning's eyes, immediately adding several points to the overall presentation. He considered using the Season-Revolving Eye as well, but decided that would be excessive.

Aura farming required restraint. If one tried too hard, the aura was ruined. His robes presented another problem. The chamber was far too still, with no wild gust of wind in sight. A subtle circulation of qi fixed that. A gentle breeze curled around him, lifting the ends of his hair and causing his sleeves to flutter naturally in the sunlight. Ning then activated Turtle Breathing, suppressing his breath and heartbeat until his entire figure became unnaturally still beneath the moving robes.

Finally, he circulated the Phantom Veil. He did not fully conceal himself. Instead, Ning kept the technique at its weakest level, allowing that strange quality of being present yet difficult to focus upon to settle around him. Combined with the glowing blue eyes, motionless posture, and gently stirring robes, it gave him the distant air of someone who was clearly standing only a few steps away yet somehow seemed separated from everyone else by an invisible boundary. Ning quietly evaluated the result. Excellent.

By now, Jin Shu had completely forgotten whatever she had been doing. Yao Yi was watching in baffled silence, while even Yun Feifei seemed unable to determine why this disciple was unleashing such techniques. Fenghuang, however, had not looked away once. Ning slowly turned his luminous blue eyes toward him. Their gazes met. Ning didn't explain. He merely raised one eyebrow. Well? Their gazes held for a moment before Fenghuang seemed to understand exactly what Ning was suggesting. Ning's lips twitched into a smile.

Of course Fenghuang understood. This was his area of expertise. With a powerful beat of his wings, Fenghuang flew across the formation and landed beside Ning directly within the sunlight. He shifted once, apparently dissatisfied with the angle, then took another small step until the light fell perfectly across his pale feathers. Ning almost laughed. Of course he checked the lighting. Fenghuang spread his wings. White flame blossomed across them.

The fire drifted gently along his feathers, outlining his body in pale radiance while tiny wisps of flame rose around him like motes of light. He raised his head and turned slightly away from everyone else, adopting the exact expression Ning had seen countless times before. Naturally, Ning couldn't let Fenghuang outdo him. He sent a little more qi through his robes, making his sleeves and hair flutter more dramatically as his luminous blue eyes added to the effect.

Fenghuang immediately responded by brightening his white flames and spreading his wings wider. Ning raised his chin slightly, adding another layer of aloofness to his pose. Fenghuang answered by lifting his head just as proudly, his white feathers gleaming beneath the sunlight. Man and raven stood side by side beneath the sunlight, Ning with his robes and hair gently stirring around him and his eyes glowing a luminous blue, while Fenghuang spread his wings amid wisps of pure white flame.

The light caught them at just the right angle, making Fenghuang's pale feathers gleam almost silver and casting Ning's long shadow across the formation beneath their feet. For all the ridiculous thought that had gone into it, the result was genuinely impressive. One man and one raven had somehow turned shameless posing into a scene picturesque enough to belong on a painting. Yao Yi stared at them with wide eyes, while Jin Shu seemed torn between laughing aloud and staring in awe.

Even Yun Feifei looked between the two for several seconds before finally asking, "What exactly are you two doing?" Before Ning could answer, the formation lit up. The first golden line flared beneath his feet and soon the second one followed. Light raced through the carved grooves, spreading outward before circling back toward Fenghuang. The jade plates positioned around the chamber hummed, and spiritual qi suddenly surged through the entire formation. Everyone froze for a brief moment.

Ning's amusement disappeared as he felt something brush against the edge of his consciousness. Fenghuang. His gaze immediately returned to the raven. Fenghuang was already looking at him. For a brief moment, Ning felt Fenghuang's emotions with a clarity he had never experienced before. Pride, satisfaction, familiarity, and an almost childish delight at how magnificent the two of them currently looked flowed freely through the connection.

But beneath those lighter emotions was something far stronger: Fenghuang's burning desire to improve. He wanted to grow stronger, to keep pace with Ning and continue standing beside him, no matter how far their path eventually took them. Fenghuang, in turn, seemed to feel something from him as well. Their eyes met beneath the sunlight. They had finally found their shared state of mind. The formation erupted into golden-white radiance.

A warm current passed through Ning's senses as the connection settled into place, faint but unmistakable. Across from him, Fenghuang's white flames flickered in perfect rhythm with the light beneath their feet. Yun Feifei stared at the completed formation for several seconds, her expression complicated. Of all the ways she had seen cultivators establish their first resonance with a spirit beast, this clearly had not been among them. Jin Shu was the first to recover.

"That actually worked?" Ning glanced at Fenghuang, still standing proudly beside him.

"Apparently, our shared desire to look impressive was enough to align our minds." Simply put, they had aura farmed so hard that even the formation had no choice but to recognize the motion. That explanation somehow made Jin Shu's expression even stranger. Yun Feifei shook her head with a faint laugh.

"In all my years overseeing Beast King rituals, this is certainly the first time I've seen anyone establish a connection this way. Still, I suppose finding your own common ground is the entire point of the ritual." She looked between the two of them again.

"Creative, if nothing else." Yao Yi was quiet for a moment before muttering, "I think I'm beginning to understand why you and Jin Shu get along so well." Ning looked at her.

"What does that mean?"

"You're both a little strange."

"Senior Sister!" That was enough to finally break Jin Shu. She burst into laughter, nearly dropping to the floor as she clutched her stomach.

"You posed! You both stood there trying to look cool, and it actually worked!" She struggled to catch her breath before looking at Ning again.

"I really want to know what goes on inside your head sometimes. How do you even come up with something like this?" Ning considered defending himself, but one glance at the still-glowing formation made the answer obvious.

"It worked, didn't it?" Jin Shu laughed even harder. [Beast King Technique: Beast Heart Communion (1/100)]"Now that Beast Heart Communion has formed, you must remember the restrictions of the Beast King Technique." Yun Feifei spoke. Ning straightened.

"Yes, Grand Elder."

"The first restriction is number. A Beast King bond is not an ordinary beast contract. It occupies part of your qi rhythm and spiritual foundation. At Qi Condensation, you may form only one true Beast King bond. When you reach Foundation Establishment, you may attempt a second, but only if your first bond is stable." Ning nodded. That was reasonable. A normal beast tamer might contract multiple beasts, but the Beast King Technique was deeper than that. It was linking the cultivation path of man and beast.

Yun Feifei continued, "The second restriction is compatibility. If you form another contract in the future, don't choose a beast simply because its bloodline is powerful. Its temperament and spiritual attributes should suit your own. With the Beast King Technique, how well you connect matters far more than having the strongest beast you can find."

"Like me and Hei Ya," Jin Shu said proudly, reaching down to rub the wolf's head.

"Though Hei Ya also happened to be the biggest and strongest wolf in his litter, so I got both." Hei Ya raised his head with obvious pride. Yao Yi glanced at them.

"And apparently matching temperaments."

"Exactly!" Ning nodded in understanding. After what he had just experienced with Fenghuang, the reasoning was obvious. The technique relied on resonance; choosing a powerful beast that he constantly struggled to understand would defeat half the purpose. Strength could be cultivated over time, but compatibility was much harder to manufacture. His gaze moved between Jin Shu and Hei Ya. And, well, Yao Yi had a point. Those two really did match each other.

Yun Feifei ignored them and said, "The third restriction is willingness. The Beast King Technique can be guided by ritual, but it cannot be forced into true depth. If the beast rejects you, the first stage may form weakly, but the later stages will be blocked." That was the most basic of it all. Yun Feifei's gaze softened slightly.

"As for future bonds, the sect may provide ritual support once, but next time you will need to prepare the materials yourself. Do not treat this casually."

"I understand." That was about what he had expected. The sect rewarding him once was already generous; he could hardly expect them to fund every spirit beast he decided to contract in the future. Yun Feifei then handed him a jade talisman.

"This contains the first volume of the Beast King Technique. It covers Beast Heart Communion and the foundation of Twin Path Resonance. Study it carefully, but for the next few days, focus on becoming familiar with the bond you've already formed." Ning accepted the talisman with both hands and stored it away.

"Thank you for your guidance, Grand Elder."

"You earned the opportunity. Use it well." With that, his business at Beast Taming Peak was finally finished. Jin Shu, however, had apparently not forgotten their earlier conversation.

"Since the ritual is over, we could still have that battle."

"No," Yao Yi said.

"The ritual is over, which means we're going back to work." Jin Shu's enthusiasm vanished.

"Can't I fight him first? Our rematch keeps getting pushed farther away." Ning wisely began walking toward the exit and waved over his shoulder.

"Another time. Good luck with work." Jin Shu stared after him.

"You're escaping!" Ning did not deny it. Fenghuang gave a pleased caw from his shoulder as they left. As they made their way down Beast Taming Peak, Ning glanced at Fenghuang on his shoulder.

"Since the technique relies so much on compatibility, maybe we should start keeping an eye out for another spirit beast to join us. I actually have one in mind already. What do you think?" Fenghuang went completely still. Through their newly formed bond, however, his reaction was anything but. Ning felt a mixture of suspicion and displeasure rise almost immediately, accompanied by something faintly possessive that made his lips twitch.

"I said, eventually. I'm not bringing another one home tomorrow." That did little to improve Fenghuang's mood. Ning reached up and gently stroked the raven's feathers.

"You know I'm not going to replace you or leave you behind." Fenghuang finally turned his golden-white eyes toward him, and Ning smiled. There was no need to convince him with words anymore.

"You can feel that now, can't you?" Fenghuang could. Through the faint connection between them, Fenghuang could sense what had always been harder to read beneath Ning's words. His human was strange; that much Fenghuang had understood long ago. Ning thought too much, worried about things that had not happened yet, and sometimes treated the simplest matters as though they required careful planning. Even when he laughed and joked, there was always a calmness beneath it.

But Fenghuang could feel something else now as well. Warmth. The displeasure flowing through the bond gradually eased. Ning felt it happen and smiled. This Beast Heart Communion was going to be useful for more than cultivation. By the time he returned to Spiritual Flower Peak, the sun was already beginning to set. Ning kept his presence subdued out of habit as he followed the familiar path back, Fenghuang perched comfortably on his shoulder.

He had almost reached his destination when he noticed someone waiting beneath a flowering tree. A white-haired girl stood beneath its branches, pale petals drifting around her in the evening breeze. Ning recognized her immediately. She watched him approach in silence, her clear eyes fixed on him until he drew close enough to speak.

"Brother Xiao Fan told me you shot him through the chest with an arrow. Is that true?" the girl asked gently. Her voice was soft, yet Ning felt an inexplicable chill run down his spine. What the hell had Xiao Fan told his sister? And why could he suddenly hear boss battle music again?

"Well, fuck."... A/N: Ning vs the yandere, the promised battle. As always, thanks for reading ~