Beast-Taming Cultivator from Two Realms

Chapter 8: True Lord of Still Abyss

The bell signaling the end of class rang, and the entire class seemed to explode into chaos as almost all the students rushed toward the cultivation rooms at once.

Only the few around Chen Beiwu stood up slowly and leisurely.

Most students at Shouhe No.2 High School came from fairly well-off families, so they rarely lacked spirit stones to rent cultivation rooms.

As a result, the First-Tier High-Grade Cultivation Rooms at school were always full to bursting—one had to compete with speed to secure one.

But Chen Beiwu was different.

His wallet was rather flat, so he usually used the free First-Tier Mid-Grade Cultivation Rooms, which generally didn't require competition.

As for Xu Ziqing and her companion, both came from cultivation families with extraordinary backgrounds and mostly used Second-Tier Cultivation Rooms—most likely they looked down on the school's First-Tier ones.

"This is so unfair!" Xu Lingling complained.

"I was late last time and got punished by the homeroom teacher to stand the entire class, and my legs were sore from standing."

"Why doesn't Chen Beiwu get punished for the same?"

"Look at your grades and look at Beiwu’s—where in this world is there fairness?"

Beside her, Liu Yan suddenly interjected, "In Teacher Wang Kui's words: one fast step leads to fast steps all the way."

"Beiwu managed to contract a spirit beast during his second year, covering the shortcoming of Qi Refining cultivators—he’s said to be a once-in-a-century genius in Shouhe No.2 High School and even the principal sees him as a future disciple of the Immortal Sects."

"Tch, keep boasting," Xu Lingling pouted, glancing at her best friend.

"Even someone like Ziqing, a genius of the cultivation world, doesn’t dare claim she’ll definitely get into the Thirteen Immortal Sects, let alone Chen Beiwu."

"Lingling, stop it," Xu Ziqing spoke up to cut her off.

"Hmph, I’ll say it anyway."

"Who told him to always bully me—a weak girl?"

She muttered.

What "turned his back"—what a guy with no taste!

She had a naturally beautiful figure!

At her words, Chen Beiwu raised his eyes slightly.

A beam of early morning light shone through the window, casting a soft halo over Xu Lingling’s jet-black glossy hair, lending her delicate features a gentle glow that gave an illusion of freshness and purity.

Yes—an illusion!

At the moment, Xu Lingling wore a fresh blue-and-white school uniform.

The cuffs of her top fluttered in the wind, faintly revealing pale skin so fair it seemed sickly, as if a breeze could blow her away—giving her a fragile air.

But she had absolutely nothing to do with being a "weak girl."

What did that mean?

First lesson for cultivators: never judge an opponent's strength by appearance.

Xu Lingling was a textbook example of this.

Chen Beiwu had never seen another "weak girl" who could yank up a full-grown willow tree and use it as a weapon in combat class, defeating ten classmates in a row without running out of strength.

She even had a well-known nickname in the second-year class—"Human Tyrannosaurus."

Basically, no one dared mess with her.

"Beep beep!"

Just then, Chen Beiwu’s phone buzzed twice in his pocket.

He took it out and saw that his application for the right to purchase a spirit beast had been approved by their homeroom teacher Wang Kui.

Another message confirmed his qualification from the Spirit Beast Pavilion.

Noticing the undisguised joy in Chen Beiwu’s eyes, Xu Ziqing asked, "Is it news from the Spirit Beast Pavilion?"

"Yeah," Chen Beiwu didn’t hide it.

"The departure date is set for the fifteenth of this month."

"Mine too," Xu Ziqing gave a gentle smile.

"Then we’ll probably leave for Dragonfall Prefecture together with the teacher."

Though Yuan Kong County had a Golden Core cultivator stationed there, it didn’t qualify to build an official Spirit Beast Pavilion under the Immortal Alliance.

Talented cultivators from the six surrounding counties who wanted to receive spirit beasts allocated by the Immortal Alliance had to go to a higher-level prefectural city.

"By the way, Lingling and I are going to Still Abyss Lake this afternoon to enjoy the scenery and do some fishing."

"Want to come along?" Xu Ziqing invited.

Among the hundreds of cultivation arts, the Way of Fishing was considered a fringe path.

But it could help cultivators cultivate their temperament and refine their character.

Some particularly insightful cultivators could even use fishing to comprehend nature and improve their cultivation.

In fact, the Way of Fishing wasn’t very popular in Dragonfall Prefecture until three hundred years ago, when the True Lord of Still Abyss emerged from nowhere.

The True Lord of Still Abyss was originally named Fang Shanglong.

He was from Pingkong County and a graduate of Mirror Lake Sword Sect—one of the Seven-Nine Upper Sects.

He was a Nascent Soul True Lord with a resounding reputation in Dragonfall Prefecture.

The most widely circulated and talked-about tale about him was “those who are willing will bite the hook,” a story even Chen Beiwu had heard countless times.

Fang Shanglong grew up poor with average talent.

Before the age of eighteen, he was so unremarkable that he had no hope of even entering the Ninety-Nine Orthodox Clans.

But he never gave up.

Every day he went to Still Abyss River, holding a straight hook three feet above the water, and fished.

He kept fishing for a whole month.

Passing cultivators would shake their heads, saying that without using spiritual energy, he could fish for a hundred years and still not catch a single fish.

But half a year later, an extremely rare Red-Tailed Goldfish leaped high from the Still Abyss River and bit the hook—Fang Shanglong contracted it.

From then on, Fang Shanglong’s cultivation improved rapidly.

In just six months, he was admitted into the Mirror Lake Sword Sect and eventually achieved the rank of True Lord, taking Still Abyss as his dao title.

After that tale spread, many cultivators in Dragonfall Prefecture became fascinated by the Way of Fishing.

They would visit Still Abyss River to fish, either out of interest or hoping to become the next True Lord of Still Abyss.

"Maybe next time," Chen Beiwu declined politely.

Watching the two girls' figures gradually fade into the distance, Liu Yan sighed, "As expected of you—the famous Iron Wall of Shouhe No.2 High."

"?" Chen Beiwu looked at him in confusion, saying nothing.

"Hey, Beiwu, are you really that clueless, or are you just pretending?" Liu Yan said, exasperated.

"Xu Ziqing obviously likes you—there’s no way you haven’t noticed."

"Ridiculous."

"If you put as much effort into cultivation as you do into nonsense, maybe you’d actually break into the top fifty in the grade rankings," Chen Beiwu shot him a glance and turned to leave.

"Tch, cultivating’s nowhere near as sweet as Xu Ziqing!" Liu Yan shook his head and smirked.

"I don’t need to say it—you’ve probably heard of the fame of the Xu Clan of Dragonfall."

"They’re a cultivation family with a Nascent Soul True Lord!"

"What—are you thinking of freeloading off her?" Chen Beiwu paused his step.

"Heh, what’s wrong with freeloading?"

"These days, many cultivators would kneel for the chance and still find no door."

"Let alone freeloading off someone as sweet as Xu Ziqing."

Liu Yan didn’t mince words.

"Xu Ziqing has a tall figure, pretty face, sweet voice, and outstanding talent."

"Although she’s not the main daughter of the Xu Clan, just a concubine-born girl, she can still easily acquire the Five Elements of Foundation Establishment."

"If you could win her heart, reaching Foundation Establishment would be a breeze."

Speaking of which, Liu Yan looked at Chen Beiwu with a tone of regret.

"It’s a pity I have an average face and only a single Metal-Attribute True Root."

"If I had your looks and talent, I’d have gotten the girl already."

"Foundation Establishment is nothing special—there’s no need to use the Five Elements for that," Chen Beiwu shook his head and left for the cultivation room.

Different paths do not lead to the same destination.

Though he and Liu Yan were deskmates, their personalities and values clashed, so they weren’t particularly close.

"Foundation Establishment is nothing special?" Liu Yan stared blankly in the direction Chen Beiwu disappeared.

His tone was tinged with jealousy.

"So arrogant."

"Without the Five Elements’ help, even Earth-Grade Roots have only a fifty percent chance to break through to Foundation Establishment—just two percent more than True Roots."

"One day, you’ll regret it!"