CHAPTER 184: CHAPTER 158: DISCIPLE, RETURN TO THE SECT

Chen Jiuge carried the utterly exhausted Beast back to the National Master Hall.

In the Mortal World, the recovery of Spiritual Energy was slow, but Chen Jiuge had an abundance of Elixirs. If it was merely about recovering Spiritual Energy, he had enough to last several hundred years, so the Beast was in for a rough time.

Chen Jiuge did not take action personally; instead, he had Yue Li fight the Beast every day.

It was well known that the moment the Beast first appeared, Yue Li had charged at it, only to be swatted away with a single slap. For the supremely proud Yue Li, this was a humiliation. Not to mention the ten years he subsequently spent watching over the Beast, an experience that nearly bored him to death.

Now, with the Beast devoid of any Spiritual Energy and relying solely on its physical strength, being handed over to Yue Li for daily battles perfectly suited his wishes.

"HI-YA!"

The Giant Rabbit Dharma Image kicked the Beast away again, and Yue Li said with a smug look, "See how awesome I am now?"

The Beast said in humiliation, "If you have the guts, wait until I recover my Spiritual Energy to fight me! Or, don’t use your Spiritual Energy against me!"

Yue Li looked down on the Beast with contempt. Am I stupid? The first day I fought hand-to-hand with the Beast, I was nearly beaten into doubting my own existence! In the end, I only narrowly won by using my Dharma Image.

Thankfully, as time passed, the Beast’s exhaustion increased, and its strength diminished. Moreover, as Yue Li gradually became familiar with the Beast’s fighting style, he could now beat it up at will.

Damn you! Just you wait! Watching that damned smug rabbit, the Beast decided to agree to become Chen Jiuge’s Spiritual Beast.

After observing for so long, this Cultivator isn’t actually bad. His strength is a given, since he was able to hold his own against me; he clearly has sufficient talent and potential. On top of that, from what those two Female Cultivators revealed, his status isn’t shabby either. But the most, most, most important thing is that this Cultivator is very cautious—a good match for a stay-at-home beast like myself. Since I’ve been banished from my tribe anyway, going back home might just mean getting captured and used as a mount. That doesn’t seem too different from this.

Yue Li sat down on the spot with an arrogant look and said, "I’ll give you half a day."

The Beast rushed straight to Chen Jiuge’s room.

"I agree."

"Ah, huh? You agree?" Chen Jiuge, who was looking through ancient books, looked at the Beast in surprise. It hasn’t even been a year, and the Beast swore it would never agree.

"Are you sure?" Chen Jiuge was somewhat incredulous.

"I’m sure! Give me the Spiritual Medicine; I need to recover my strength!" the Beast said through gritted teeth.

Chen Jiuge looked at the Beast with suspicion. Is it trying to trick me out of my Spiritual Medicine and then look for a chance to escape?

Seeing Chen Jiuge’s suspicious look, the Beast couldn’t stand it and directly swore a Heavenly Dao Oath.

"Fine, I believe you. Here are the Elixirs." Seeing this, Chen Jiuge was sure that the Beast had truly accepted the Contract with him, so he handed over some restorative Elixirs.

Chen Jiuge watched the Beast gulp them all down and hurry back. "The Beast suddenly agreed... could it be Yue Li’s doing?" he wondered. That shouldn’t be right. I just let Yue Li fight with the Beast every day; I didn’t ask him to be too harsh. It’s not that petty, is it?

What Chen Jiuge didn’t know was that while Yue Li hadn’t been too harsh physically, his trash talk had completely broken the Beast’s defenses.

THUD! BANG! THUD! THUD! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Before Chen Jiuge even entered the dueling ground, which had been specially set up with Arrays, he heard a series of striking noises.

Upon entering, Chen Jiuge saw Silver King covering its eyes with its wings, yet peeking through a gap. "What’s going on?" he asked.

"Ah, Master, you’ve come. Nothing much, just that the scene is a bit brutal," Silver King said, its voice tinged with ambiguity.

In the center of the field, the Beast stood on its hind legs, its front paws gripping Yue Li’s fluffy little tail, slapping him left and right. Looking at Yue Li skillfully covering his head and remaining silent, it was clear this scene had been unfolding for quite some time.

"What’s this about? Why does the Beast harbor so much Resentment against Yue Li?" Chen Jiuge wondered, watching the Beast vent its frustration with obvious enjoyment. Could Yue Li have really been that ruthless?

"In a nutshell, it’s because of the trash talk," Silver King summarized succinctly.

"Trash talk?" Chen Jiuge was somewhat bewildered.

Then Silver King recounted to Chen Jiuge the words Yue Li had directed at the Beast over the past year, along with the accompanying taunting actions.

Chen Jiuge’s mouth twitched as he learned of this. This really did go too far. To mentally attack and abuse the Beast like that, consistently for nearly a year, without even repeating the insults... No wonder the Beast agreed so quickly.

"Unbeatable Fire Wheel!"

The Beast sent Yue Li spinning with a 360-degree blow. Watching Yue Li slowly slide down the Array Barrier, Chen Jiuge opened his mouth but didn’t know what to say. This outcome is partly Yue Li’s fault, but it’s also partly mine. All in all, Yue Li just has to suffer a bit. Considering there are no serious injuries, it can be considered part of his Cultivation.

"Refreshing!" the Beast declared boisterously.

"That’s enough. It was following my orders, and since you’ve agreed to the Contract, you’re companions now. There’s no need for this," Chen Jiuge said, attempting to placate the Beast.

"Hmph, he’s different! When that little eagle fought me before, I had no complaints. But this rabbit’s mouth is just too foul!" the Beast said, gesturing towards Silver King, then glaring at the dazed Yue Li with eyes blazing.

"As the Master, you should stay out of Spiritual Beast affairs. Anyway, I won’t let him get hurt. Besides, this rabbit is practicing Body Refining Techniques, and I can even speed up his training," the Beast cut Chen Jiuge off.

The Beast had a point; Yue Li indeed hadn’t been seriously injured. The "Giant Spirit Dharma Form" Cultivation Technique, which focused more on strength and defense, could indeed be accelerated through a bit of suffering and taking hits.

Most importantly, Yue Li himself hadn’t asked for help, so Chen Jiuge had even less reason to intervene.

Chen Jiuge didn’t pay much attention to the ongoing love-hate relationship between Yue Li and the Beast. Once he confirmed that Yue Li’s strength was indeed improving and that he hadn’t asked for help, he completely let it be.