Chapter Forty-Eight: The Promise

With a resounding thud, the azure bird plunged headfirst into the earth. It pulled itself out, its beady eyes glinting with confusion, unable to fathom why it had angered its leader. But its heart was ever large; undeterred, it spiritedly fluttered back once more.

Su Li spared the foolish bird a glance, sharp claws springing from her soft pads. She was about to educate her subordinate on the dangers of careless metaphors when, all at once, darkness fell before her eyes. Before she could react, the young man seized her in an unyielding embrace.

Su Li: …

Shen Luo, detached and indifferent, wore a cold expression as he issued a direct order to leave. “Aren’t you going yet?”

Gu Hongshang was momentarily at a loss for words. She shrugged, then soared on her sword toward the direction of the sect.

Only when her crimson silhouette dwindled to a mere dot did the furrow between Shen Luo’s brows finally ease. He turned, to find Shen Hao looking at him with mischievous amusement, his expression unchanged.

“Good lad,” Shen Hao said, clapping him on the shoulder. “That lady cultivator is stunning, gifted, and her temperament is excellent. She’s taken a fancy to you, it seems.”

Shen Luo’s features remained unmoved, unwilling to respond.

Shen Hao felt a bit awkward.

At that moment, he was startled to see the white beast in the youth’s arms stretching its neck to gaze at him. Its look was as if it were staring at a fool.

His cheeks burned in embarrassment, stifling his discomfort, when he suddenly spotted a familiar figure in front of him. His eyes lit up, and he greeted joyfully, “Elder Ke!”

Ke Rongzi nodded, noticing that Shen Hao had deliberately come over but then fell silent and walked beside him. He wondered if perhaps the man was a bit dim-witted. Considering that he was Shen Luo’s elder, Ke Rongzi suppressed his thoughts, halted before the youth, and spoke gently, “A Luo, what are your plans? When will you ascend Yunyuan Mountain?”

Su Li perked up, her feline ears standing tall.

Yunyuan Mountain naturally referred to Jiutian Mingyu—the greatest sect in the world. Jiutian Mingyu was famed for its six peaks, each presided over by a master of the Out-of-Body Realm or higher. The Pill Sect held Yunyuan Mountain, the Sword Sect ruled Xuyu Peak, Beast Taming took place at Yandang Mountain, Illusion and Arrays resided in Purple Bamboo Forest, Artifact Refining on Lingxiao Peak, and Summoning at Qingmu Cliff.

Compared to other continents, Nan Cheng was far less burdened by restrictive rules, offering greater freedom. Children of noble families could choose to cultivate within their clans or seek selection as disciples among the great sects. Interestingly, in the comic, Shen Luo also entered Jiutian Mingyu, though he chose Yandang Mountain.

Su Li’s lively eyes flashed with intrigue; observing the nervous tension between Ke Rongzi’s brows, she could more or less guess his intention.

Within the Qishan secret realm, the youth had already demonstrated remarkable talent as a beast tamer. Each contracted beast was formidable and monstrous in power, destined for fame—Ke Rongzi was surely anxious that someone else might try to poach him.

Shen Luo pondered for a moment and replied, “In two months.” He needed to prepare thoroughly before ascending Yunyuan Mountain, such as spending half a month in seclusion to solidify his cultivation.

Ke Rongzi was regretful but respected his wishes. “Very well, I’ll wait for you at the sect. When the time comes, simply carry the jade token and present my name at the foot of the mountain.” Remembering something, he asked worriedly, “Do you still have enough pills?”

Hearing this, Su Li’s eyes brightened. She half-emerged from the youth’s embrace, only to be gently pushed back by a hand. The youth’s slender fingers scratched her head, a sensation she found delightful. She even lifted her chin unconsciously, hinting for more scratches.

Her lips curled, but were quickly suppressed. Shen Luo, somewhat embarrassed, said, “Uncle Ke, do you have any more supreme Soul-Calming Pills?”

The ever-calm youth’s ears flushed faintly. For the sake of these beasts, he had nearly abandoned his principles.

Ke Rongzi’s eyes flickered with surprise, his gaze settling on the white beast. Frowning, he was about to warn against spoiling the contracted beasts, but seeing the youth’s precious charge, he swallowed his words. Fine, he thought; these low-grade pills were plentiful anyway—if his disciple wanted to pamper them, so be it.

Originally intending only to give him Soul-Calming Pills, Ke Rongzi ended up adding fifth-level Detoxification Pills, Blood-Replenishing Pills… In the end, he simply sorted out a whole storage ring and tossed it to the youth. Yet he remained dissatisfied, muttering, “Just rubbish, nothing good here. Use them for now. When I return to the sect, I’ll make some real pills.”

Everyone present twitched their lips, their expressions dazed. These so-called “rubbish” pills were worth a fortune. Well, he was an alchemist after all.

This scene undeniably strengthened Shen Luo’s resolve to become an alchemist himself. He emptied the storage ring, removed a large portion of the spiritual herbs and fruits he’d found in the secret realm, and placed dozens of ghost sunflower fruits inside, handing them to Ke Rongzi with earnest words: “I can’t always accept your gifts without reciprocating. This is my token of gratitude. Please accept it.”

Ke Rongzi quickly scanned the ring with his spiritual sense and instantly lost his composure. Eighth-level Dragon Pattern Grass? Double-faced five-petal ghost sunflower demon flower fruit? Not to mention other rare spiritual herbs… He was eager to refine them into pills immediately. “A Luo, I’ll wait for you at the sect,” he said, hurriedly taking off.

Su Li marveled—it fit the comic’s depiction perfectly. This Ke Rongzi was indeed a true pill fanatic.

“What exactly was in the storage ring?” Shen Hao was baffled.

Shen Luo replied casually, “Just some spiritual herbs I found in the secret realm.”

Though Shen Luo didn’t elaborate, Shen Hao was oddly convinced the herbs must be extraordinary. After a moment’s reflection, he asked, “Are you coming back to the clan with us?”

Su Li suddenly reached out a paw and patted his arm.

Shen Luo understood. “I need to look for the Tiger Soul first, then I’ll try to catch up with you.”

When Shen Fengling and the others returned, Shen Luo explained his intention to search for the beast, and naturally, no one objected. Thus, with his two beasts, he took his leave.

One youth, two beasts, headed northwest.

After the battle, the secret realm was riddled with wounds, ravines crisscrossing the land. The journey was somewhat rough, but proceeded smoothly.

The Tiger Soul was hidden in a cave, its injuries grave. Though its spiritual form showed no wounds, its soul was noticeably thinner than before.

“Tiger Bro!” The azure bird darted over. “Tiger Bro, how are you?”

The Tiger Soul barely managed to lift its eyelids. Seeing the familiar beast and person, its taut nerves instantly relaxed. Suddenly, a terrifying surge of divine beast aura erupted from its center, overwhelming and majestic, instilling dread. Just as quickly, it vanished.

Its absolute domain enveloped the entire cave.

Su Li leapt from Shen Luo’s embrace to the Tiger Soul’s side, raising a tiny paw to touch its forehead.

A surge of pure beast power poured in, startling the Tiger Soul. When had the boss absorbed the power of the stone talisman?

Gradually, its soul stabilized.

Su Li withdrew her paw, her gaze sweeping over the foolish bird and Tiger Soul, her expression tinged with dissatisfaction.

The master’s foolish, and so are the beasts! How can they smoothly cultivate immortality like this? How can they show off or put rivals in their place? How will they happily recruit new little brothers?

The more she thought about it, the more she felt it necessary to educate her subordinates and correct their values. So she said, “Yu Jiao, you come out too. I have something to say to you.”