After breaking through the Earth Realm, Xing Yuan could now utilize some of the inherited abilities.
Gazing at the barrier that had trapped her, she leaped forward, effortlessly passing through.
Her elder sister's secluded cultivation to break through the realm must have taken quite some time. It was the perfect opportunity for her to go out and play.
Strolling along, stopping and starting, Xing Yuan unconsciously followed a scent to the back mountain, the place with the densest spiritual beast aura in the entire Tianya Sect.
Xing Yuan, seeing the Earth Realm guardian crane, charged straight at it. Taking advantage of the moment the white crane was dazed by a headbutt, she rushed headlong into the back mountain.
The white crane let out a few long cries to the sky. In the end, it dared not inform its master, fearing reprimand for its incompetence, failing even to guard a mere entrance.
It stared intently at the entrance to the back mountain, preparing to teach that intruder a lesson about respecting elders and the young once she emerged.
Upon entering the back mountain and seeing so many companions, Xing Yuan immediately became spirited.
The spiritual beasts in the back mountain generally had lower cultivation levels. Those with higher cultivation had already recognized masters and left with them for trials.
A small red bird greeted her enthusiastically, "Chirp, chirp, are you new? I haven't seen you before!"
"Mhm, I just arrived. What do you usually play?" Xing Yuan replied with equal enthusiasm.
"Chirp," the little red bird shook its head in confusion. "Are you looking for a fight? Those two lion-tigers over there seem to fight all day."
Xing Yuan looked in the direction the little red bird pointed, her eyes sparkling with excitement. She eagerly ran over. Having been constantly beaten by her elder sister, whom she couldn't defeat even now, she thought it would be good to bully other spiritual beasts and regain some sense of accomplishment.
No sooner said than done, after Xing Yuan openly provoked the two lion-tigers into charging at her, she met them with equal excitement.
And then... the lion-tigers lay on the ground, bruised and swollen, unmoving.
"Get up! Didn't you guys fight all the time? Why are you so weak?" Xing Yuan asked, bewildered. She hadn't even had her fill of fighting. Why were they so weak?
"Fight?" The two lion-tigers exchanged glances, seeing the same look of despair in each other's eyes. Who spread such rumors? They had suffered this undeserved disaster. They were a couple, deeply in love.
One of the male lion-tigers' eyes darted around. He immediately clutched his wound and wailed, "You came at the wrong time. I just fought the Si Snake here a few days ago, and my injuries haven't healed yet!"
Xing Yuan's attention was instantly captured by the Si Snake he mentioned. If that was the case, then that Si Snake must be exceptionally powerful!
"Where does the Si Snake live?" Xing Yuan's gaze was expectant as she gently licked her sharp claws.
"If you go further in from here, you'll see it," the male lion-tiger said without hesitation, completely betraying his long-time enemy. He inwardly rejoiced. He had fought the Si Snake for so many years, and their strength had always been comparable. The beast he couldn't defeat, the Si Snake was bound to wait!
Xing Yuan set off, chest puffed out.
The lion-tiger couple could no longer suppress the smiles on their faces, laughing heartily. Even the pain in their wounds didn't seem so bad.
The Si Snake was sleeping soundly, coiled around a tree, when suddenly a little creature challenged him. He couldn't back down; he had to give the little one an unforgettable lesson, so she would stay home and not boast.
Then, not long after, he was slammed onto the ground by Xing Yuan's claw, questioning his life, no, his beast life.
He clearly carried the scent of a cub and his cultivation had only recently entered the Earth Realm. How could he not defeat her?
Upon learning that the lion-tiger couple had sent Xing Yuan to find him, he flew into a rage, and then... he made the same decision as them, shifting the blame. Who didn't have a few enemies they disliked?
Xing Yuan was tricked into fighting all the spiritual beasts in the back mountain. Then, she stood before the lion-tiger couple once more.
The lion-tiger couple exchanged glances for a while, then ran off in two different directions. They had exchanged a look, and it was clear she had come to settle the score with them!
"Why are you running?" Xing Yuan's childish voice was full of confusion.
She had just fought around and been directed back to this spot by their enemies.
Then... Xing Yuan beat them both black and blue again, and the two beasts obediently sat down.
"Just tell us! Who let such a calamity like you in?" the lion-tiger asked, life weary.
"No one let me in, I ran in myself," Xing Yuan said with pride, her tail wagging, looking as if she expected praise.
"You could defeat the guardian crane at the entrance? I remember he's already at the late stage of the Earth Realm." Unlike them, the strongest among them was only at the middle stage of the Earth Realm.
"I couldn't!" Xing Yuan shook her head honestly, then became proud again. "But I'm smart! I ran in when he wasn't paying attention."
Lion-tiger beast: (o'w'o)? I...
"Oh right, why do you guys live here? I remember that unless they have a master, spiritual beasts usually go to the Beast Taming Tower."
"Alas, we were eliminated from the Beast Taming Tower. Our talent isn't good enough. But it's fine this way, better than worrying about being contracted to an unreliable master later," the lion-tiger beast seemed to sense that Xing Yuan's mind was still that of a cub, and spoke more relaxedly.
"Do you remember that Si Snake from before? He's even more tragic! He encountered an unreliable master and nearly lost half his life saving him. As a result, his path to further advancement was cut off, and he was unceremoniously abandoned here," the lion-tiger beast's eyes held endless sorrow, as if lamenting the Si Snake, and perhaps also lamenting his own future.
Si Snake: Do you think I wanted this? It's just that the contracted master died, and he couldn't live either. Now, with that person's guilt, at least he can recover his freedom completely intact.
"Human cultivators are mostly like this. In their eyes, we demon beasts are merely tools to help them break through realms, no different from precious medicinal herbs. The only difference is perhaps that we are not as obedient as medicinal herbs!"
Xing Yuan fell silent. She didn't quite understand, but she was deeply shocked. So there were so many bad people among human cultivators?
"Never mind, you're still young, let's not talk about this. Have you contracted with a cultivator?" the lion-tiger beast asked with a long sigh.
"No!" Xing Yuan's ears drooped, her tone exceptionally dejected. "Doesn't my elder sister like me? I really want to be contracted with her, then I could know what she's thinking."
The lion-tiger beast choked. So she hadn't heard anything he said earlier? She would be tricked by those insidious and cunning humans sooner or later.
He said earnestly, "You are still young, don't rush into contracts. When your cultivation improves in the future, then you can carefully consider these matters."