CHAPTER 66: THE MAIN CHARACTER CAN'T BE TOO ARROGANT

"Squeak."

Sensing Lu Chen's concern, Eggy slowly struggled to get up. It affectionately rubbed against him with its round and plump body.

Lu Chen gently placed Eggy back on his shoulder and fed it two spirit qi orbs. "Haha, alright, alright, I get it. You're fine now."

Nantian Wan'er walked up behind Lu Chen and stroked Eggy's fur. "Lu-gege, what do we do now? Eggy's body still hasn't recovered yet."

"If Eggy hasn't recovered yet, we'll have to delay our plans for the Tower of Time. Let's head to the center of the secret realm first."

Lu Chen picked up Eggy and channeled his spirit qi, sending it through a portal into the Heavenly Pool to heal. "We've already wasted too much time here. It's time to leave this secret realm."

He stood up, formed a series of hand seals, and granted the four chieftains access to the Beast King's authority, instructing them to oversee the beasts within this miniature world properly.

In the past, it had always been the five chieftains and eighteen beast leaders who helped the Beast King oversee the elemental and traditional beasts.

Upon hearing Lu Chen's orders, the four chieftains readily agreed.

Meanwhile, an unnatural look briefly flickered across Wind Dragon's face. Nevertheless, he chose to remain silent for the time being.

With the chieftains and leaders all present, the atmosphere grew solemn and commanding. Across the small world, countless spirit beasts began to show signs of intelligence. Order quickly spread as they organized into a clear hierarchy and ceased their fighting.[1]

Just a few days ago, Lu Chen had been troubled over how to manage more than a hundred thousand spirit beasts. Now, with these leaders in place, the task had become far easier.

Seeing the order take shape, Lu Chen smiled slightly. "Flame Demon, you and the others are new to this world. There's still much you don't know. Let Bai Ze show you around."

Flame Demon and Bai Ze replied in unison, "Yes, my king."

"Wind Dragon, let's go. It's time to deal with what's left."

Sensing the outside world's situation, Lu Chen opened a portal and prepared to head for the center of the secret realm.

However, Wind Dragon didn't move. After a brief pause, he suddenly called out, "Little Lu."

"Hm? What is it?"

Lu Chen turned back and caught the hesitation on Wind Dragon's face, as if something heavy was weighing on his mind.

Wind Dragon said in an uncertain tone, "I may not be able to stay with you for a while..."

Sensing his hesitation, Lu Chen responded quickly, "If something's bothering you, just say it."

Wind Dragon glanced at the beast chieftains beside him, then let out a long sigh. His expression turned resolute. "I am too weak right now. I can't help you in dangerous situations. I've decided to stay in the Beast King Manor and train for a while."

Lu Chen immediately understood what Wind Dragon had been struggling to say. He stepped forward and met Wind Dragon's gaze, then said in an increasingly arrogant tone. "Is that all? You're forgetting you're a weapon spirit now. You don't need to train like they do. As my strength grows, so does yours."

"But..."

Hearing the arrogance in Lu Chen's tone, Wind Dragon glanced at Flame Demon once more, and his gaze grew firm.

He circulated his spirit qi, and his entire demeanor shifted. When he spoke, his words carried a commanding authority that drew the attention of the surrounding spirit beasts. "I have to go. Only by becoming stronger as a weapon spirit can the Hunyuan Greatsword reach its full potential.

"Besides, have you ever considered how fast you've grown these past six months? When Lord Green Emperor was still around, his luck was perhaps ten percent, maybe not even one percent of what you've had so far."

Wind Dragon turned toward the space around him, pointing at the hundred thousand spirit beasts within the Beast King Manor. "Lord Green Emperor only earned all these spirit beasts and enchanted treasures step by step after he became a legendary figure.

"That means your future won't be that of an ordinary cultivator. You'll face far greater dangers and challenges. However, your current strength isn't enough to control everything you now possess."

Lu Chen trembled slightly at Wind Dragon's words. "Wind Dragon, you—"

Wind Dragon looked back at him. "The two hundred years spent in the illusion realm may have expanded your knowledge, but it also inflated your ego.

"You even accept Flame Demon calling you 'king' as something you deserve."

His expression grew more intense as he shouted at Lu Chen, "Do you even realize what you're dealing with? These are demonic beasts at the Human Core Realm! They are beings as powerful as sect leaders!

"Their bond to the Beast King stems from emotions, not physical restraints."

The beast leaders beneath the Green Sovereign Divine Tree exchanged thoughtful glances. They had indeed focused too much on Lu Chen's potential while overlooking the fact that his actual cultivation was at the Qi Regulation Realm, and he had only just begun learning to project spirit qi outward.

Wind Dragon's tone turned even more fierce. His words struck like a blow to the head. "Aside from those two hundred years of memory, your actual cultivation has only spanned six months. In a cultivator's life, a thousand years is equivalent to a mortal's hundred.

"These beasts spent thousands, even tens of thousands, of years training to get where they are. The strength you show now is merely a result of their support and the lucky opportunities you've stumbled upon.

"But if tomorrow, they all left and all those opportunities vanished, you'd be nothing more than a novice cultivator, barely ready to join a sect.

"If those rogue cultivators returned, even with your current level of spirit qi, your family would still be destroyed."

Lu Chen broke into a cold sweat. Wind Dragon's words hit hard. He had indeed grown too fast over the past six months, and it all felt like a dream.

Those two hundred years of experience had given him too much confidence, to the point where he had become reckless.

Seeing that Lu Chen was still stunned, Wind Dragon pushed his spirit qi further. "That's why I'm going back. I need to merge with the Hunyuan Greatsword fully. I can't keep helping you. From now on, you'll have to carve your own path.

"Little Lu, take this. It's a part of me. You can use it in my place while I'm away."

Wind Dragon formed a hand seal and split half of his spirit qi, condensing it into a dragon-shaped phantom clone.

The surrounding beasts exchanged glances and immediately formed hand seals. A sharp burst of spirit qi surged forward.

Over twenty beams of spirit qi merged into a single long spear, striking directly between Lu Chen's brows, breaking the illusion of heightened awareness and clarity he had built up from passing the heart-tempering trial.

Dragged back to harsh reality, Lu Chen was immediately hit by the overwhelming aura of more than twenty beasts, forcing him to retreat several steps.

Seeing Wind Dragon's phantom clone circling overhead, he quickly admitted his mistake. "Wind Dragon, please save me. I was too arrogant. I promise I'll adjust my attitude! Please, help me!"

Wind Dragon, pleased by how quickly Lu Chen came to his senses, nodded with a smile and released spirit qi to shield him from the beasts' pressure.

As the oppressive force around him gradually faded, Lu Chen slowly opened his mouth. "Is this really necessary?"

"Yes, it is. Under our protection, you would never understand the true purpose of cultivation."

After a long hesitation, Lu Chen finally agreed. "Alright... I'll wait for your return."

"You've already spent over two hundred years in the illusion realm. You've developed a certain understanding of cultivation. What you need now is to fully grasp and integrate that knowledge.

"When the time comes that you truly need me, I will return, with even greater strength."

With that, the Wind Dragon soared toward the Beast King Manor and prepared to enter seclusion.

With a signal from the beast chieftains, the surrounding beasts started to disperse gradually.

Flame Demon and Bai Ze exchanged a glance, then turned to Lu Chen and spoke in unison. "My king, we've given it some thought. Your current strength isn't suited for overly powerful support, so we've made a decision."

Another beast chieftain joined in with a solemn expression. "We agree as well."

"We'll guide you in your training and help you grow quickly. But until your strength catches up, none of us, including those stronger than you by a full realm, will assist you."

Lu Chen's face sank when he saw how determined the beast chieftains and leaders were. "Is karma really coming after me this fast?"

Metal General slowly walked to his side with a grin. "Young man, this is a challenge you have to face on your own. But don't worry, we won't let you die."

Lu Chen looked at him with watery eyes, nearly on the verge of tears. "Can't we talk this through?"

Metal General couldn't stop laughing as he watched Lu Chen pull a face as if he'd just swallowed dung. "Karma, karma, sweet sweet karma!"

Flame Demon stepped forward and pushed Metal General aside. "You're still young, my king. There's a long road ahead of you. But... what the Fifth just said is something we really should take seriously."

Lu Chen respectfully bowed to Flame Demon and the others, firmly requesting them to change the way they addressed him.

Through this incident, Lu Chen had come to recognize how limited his vision had been. He completely buried his previous arrogance deep in his heart.

Flame Demon helped him up with a look of approval in his eyes. Truthfully, they had been unsure about Wind Dragon's decision to make Lu Chen their king.

But seeing how quick-witted Lu Chen was, and how he could admit his mistakes despite his flaws, they finally understood.

Flame Demon patted him on the shoulder and said, "It's time for you to leave. The secret realm is about to close."

"Are you sure there's no room to negotiate? We could at least talk about it... I mean, you all are going to be living in my enchanted treasure, and I don't even charge you rent."

Flame Demon had been feeling a little emotional, but the moment Lu Chen brought up rent, his face instantly darkened.

Without another word, he swung his fist and threw Lu Chen straight through the spatial portal that had opened earlier.

"It seems I overestimated him," Flame Demon muttered as he turned around, his expression grim.

Bai Ze walked up with a smile. "Hehe, while it's true our king's brain doesn't work like a normal person's, he treats everyone with sincerity. That much I can tell."

"Hmph, he's just the same as the Fifth. That's the only reason those two get along so well."[2]

Despite the act Flame Demon put on, deep down, his heart had already started to change. He could see that Lu Chen wasn't a bad person.

Seeing Flame Demon's grumpy face, Nantian Wan'er slowly approached. "Lord Flame Demon, Lu-gege is kind to people. It's just that because of what happened in his childhood, he has to act exaggerated just to get attention."

The moment he heard Nantian Wan'er's voice, Flame Demon's expression immediately softened and brightened. "I understand, I understand. Miss Wan'er, I was just putting on an act."

Metal General glanced at him and let out a mocking snort. He transformed into a long spear and flew toward the Beast King Manor.

Hearing the snort, Flame Demon's temper flared again. He said goodbye to Nantian Wan'er and turned into flames, chasing after Metal General.

Mountain God and Water Lotus said their farewells to everyone before leaving.

Nantian Wan'er also bid them goodbye and followed Lu Chen into the spatial portal.

Bai Ze glanced in the direction Flame Demon and the others had left, then smiled and led the rest of the beasts in another direction. They still had many important matters to attend to.

Both the elemental and ancient beasts harbored their secrets, and those secrets all had one thing in common, which was that Lu Chen stood at the very center of them.

1. A spirit beast is a demonic beast that humans have successfully tamed. ☜

2. The Fifth refers to the fifth beast chieftain, which is Wind Dragonl. ☜