Chapter 1531: Chapter 1531: Too Picky to Settle
Of course, this had little to do with Mu Hanyan. Given her strength, she couldnât meddle in too many idle matters; she just needed to take care of her own affairs.
"The Beast Spirit Illusion Realm opens once every millennium, and each time it lasts for seven days. Everyone make the most of your time and go quickly." With the Holy Masterâs command, everyone stepped through the archway that shimmered like an illusion one by one.
Unlike the Illusion Realm of Long Yan Academy, entering the Beast Spirit Illusion Realm did not transport everyone to different locations. Zhuang Pingâan and the others still closely followed behind Mu Hanyan. Although they hadnât spent much time together, unknowingly, this had already become a habit for themâone they were not even aware of. Only by following behind Mu Hanyan did they feel at ease; otherwise, they always felt a bit anxious.
Apart from the more than a hundred people in Mu Hanyanâs group, the thousand Holy Court Disciples also quickly entered one by one. As Mu Hanyan had already noticed, even though they were all Holy Court Disciples, they were not closely knit together but differentiated by closeness and distance. The polite exchanged greetings, while the indifferent didnât bother with any at all and dispersed into groups of three or five.
In the end, only the group of over a hundred with Mu Hanyan remained. Before them lay a series of undulating hills, lush and green as ink and smoke, stretching beyond the eyeâs reach. Its vastness far exceeded Mu Hanyan and her groupâs expectations.
"Young Master Mu, where should we go now?" Zhuang Pingâan asked somewhat confusedly.
These days they had been both excited and expectant, focusing solely on diligently practicing the Beast Taming Technique, forgetting to ask Jian Wuchen about the details of the Beast Spirit Illusion Realm. By the time they realized, Jian Wuchen had already secluded himself for cultivation upon returning from Sacred Pill Peak. Now that they were in the Beast Spirit Illusion Realm, they were completely clueless about where to go next.
"Letâs go take a look ahead first," Mu Hanyan pointed at the undulating forest in front. Her understanding of the Beast Spirit Illusion Realm wasnât much more than theirs. Since she already had the Little Auspicious Beast and the magical Taowu, and Huayue and the others had Sword Pets comparable to Ninth Rank Sword Masters, she hadnât taken this journey too seriously. She thought of helping Zhuang Pingâan and others tame suitable Exotic Beasts if they encountered any. Moreover, since Jian Wuchen secluded himself as soon as he returned, she didnât bother searching for anyone to inquireâthough she wouldnât have found anyone suitable, anyway.
Once entering the Beast Spirit Illusion Realm, she realized its area far exceeded her expectations. Finding suitable Exotic Beasts wouldnât be easy. For now, they could only take things one step at a time.
Following Mu Hanyan, everyone ventured into the lush green mountains, where the scenery was picturesque and the Heaven and Earth Power was exceptionally rich and solid. Although it didnât compare to Holy Sword Peak, it was still a rare cultivation paradise.
However, everyoneâs mind was on the Sword Pets now, leaving no room for cultivation.
Unconsciously, most of the day had passed. Along the way, they encountered quite a few Exotic Beasts, which were indeed gentle-natured. Upon seeing Mu Hanyan and others, they didnât show the slightest hostility, even curiously gazing at them. Unlike the Exotic Beasts in Longyan Mountain, which treated human cultivators as formidable enemies, baring their teeth and lunging at the slightest sound. If oneâs strength was lacking, forget taming them; surviving was already fortunate.
These Exotic Beasts, being so gentle and devoid of caution, combined with the Beast Taming Technique of the Holy Court, made them ideal for taming as Sword Pets. Unfortunately, these Exotic Beasts were too weak, mostly equivalent to second or third-tier Sword Masters, some not even reaching Sword Master level.
Relying on the Heaven and Earth Power of Holy Sword Peak and the Elixirs provided by Mu Hanyan, the bloodlines of the Descendants of Divine Guardian from various nations awakened further, boosting their strength. The lower their cultivation, the more evident the improvement. Now, even the weakest had reached Sixth-level Sword Master. Taming such low-strength Exotic Beasts as Sword Pets would scarcely benefit them and might even pose significant drawbacks.
Itâs important to know that the mind and life of a Sword Pet are connected to its Sword Master. If their strengths are comparable, they complement each other. If thereâs a vast difference, it would only hinder their cultivation progress. Xia Youchen was a prime example. Originally a master in the Sword Saint Realm, he was dragged down by the Little Qiongqi, and for a long time, he couldnât regain his strength, which even continuously declined.
Surely, the Descendants of Divine Guardian from various nations would not waste their spirit on such Exotic Beasts, not even glancing at them, continuing swiftly toward the depths of the mountains.
The deeper into the mountains, the stronger the Exotic Beasts. This was common knowledge on the Holy Court Continent, and surely, the Beast Spirit Illusion Realm was no exception.
Regrettably, they were disappointed again. After three consecutive days, they still hadnât found any powerful Exotic Beasts. The expressions on everyoneâs faces grew increasingly disappointed and anxious.
The Holy Master had said that the Beast Spirit Illusion Realm only opened for seven days each time. They had already used up three days. If they continued to find no suitable Exotic Beasts, they would undoubtedly miss this divine opportunity.
Suddenly, a shadow moved among the trees ahead, and a fiery beast silhouette swiftly darted past.
"Red Flame Fire Spirit Fox!" Several voices of surprise sounded from beside her. Then, Zhuang Pingâan, Sang Qinghe, and several other Great Sword Masters leaped out, surrounding that Exotic Beast while simultaneously casting Beast Taming Hand Techniques.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Mu Hanyan asked in shock.
"Of course, weâre taming a Sword Pet. Itâs rare to encounter such a formidable one." If it were someone else, Zhuang Pingâan and the others might have ignored him, but since it was Mu Hanyan speaking, they all paused their hand gestures together.
Mu Hanyanâs forehead broke out into a cold sweat. This was the very definition of desperation.
The Red Flame Fire Spirit Fox before them was indeed a grade stronger than those theyâd previously encountered, but from Mu Hanyanâs perspective, not by much. It merely equated to a Fifth Rank Sword Master at best, and crucially, it was known for its speed rather than combat power, barely outperforming other Exotic Beasts that were lower by one or two tiers. It was far from worthy of Zhuang Pingâan and the othersâ Great Sword Master level prowess. Was it truly worth such a fuss?
They were so eager that they even settled for such a beast.
"Donât you think its strength is a bit too weak?" Mu Hanyan said hesitantly.
"Itâs not that weak, actually. Itâs much stronger than the ones weâve encountered before," Zhuang Pingâan said somewhat sheepishly.
"In the Longyan Mountain, even with our Great Sword Masterâs strength, taming such an Exotic Beast would be an almost impossible task. Itâs rare to find such gentle Exotic Beasts in the Beast Spirit Illusion Realm with no caution; itâs better to tame one than to leave empty-handed." Sang Qinghe followed up.