Chapter 86: Second-rank Azure-Horned Bull【Seeking Continuous Support】
Tianxuan City, trading street of the marketplace.
“Fellow Daoist, how will you trade this Heavenly Spirit Fruit?”
Lin Changan approached a stall manned by a cultivator wearing a bamboo hat and asked about an item.
“Senior, this is a Heavenly Spirit Fruit. This junior only wishes to trade it for Foundation Establishment materials or mid-grade Spirit Stones.”
After seeing that the approaching person was a senior at Foundation Establishment, the cultivator in late-stage Qi Refinement immediately spoke with much more courtesy.
The Heavenly Spirit Fruit was one of the Foundation Establishment materials and also greatly beneficial to spirit beasts like the Azure-Horned Bull during breakthroughs.
“Trading for Foundation Establishment materials…”
Lin Changan sighed inwardly, recalling how similar this scene was to when he himself had once struggled to gather materials for Foundation Establishment. But now, he had already passed that stage.
“The Heavenly Spirit Fruit is indeed extraordinary, but it's still insufficient to trade for these two spirit herbs of mine.”
Lin Changan directly took out the Rainbow Skirt Herb and the Spirit-Protecting Grass. Both of these were herbs he'd previously exchanged with the Zhou Clan.
Relatively speaking, the Heavenly Spirit Fruit was more suitable for assisting the Azure-Horned Bull's breakthrough, while these two herbs were more beneficial for human cultivators.
“Rainbow Skirt Herb, Spirit-Protecting Grass!”
The stall owner, clearly a cultivator who had been preparing for Foundation Establishment for a long time, immediately showed excitement upon seeing Lin Changan produce these two herbs.
“Senior, I have two Heavenly Spirit Fruits here.”
As expected, Lin Changan smiled upon hearing this. Typically, these spirit fruits grew in clusters of five or six fruits on a single vine. Therefore, when found in the Cloudmist Mountain Range, people usually harvested three or five fruits at a time.
He owed this bit of knowledge to Zhou Bingyun, who had often explained such matters to him.
“Very well.”
Lin Changan didn't hesitate. In terms of value, two Heavenly Spirit Fruits exceeded the worth of these two herbs by dozens of Spirit Stones.
However, for this black-robed cultivator in the bamboo hat preparing for Foundation Establishment, these two herbs clearly had higher practical value.
This was simply each side taking what they needed.
“Safe journey, Senior.”
The black-robed cultivator in the bamboo hat watched this senior leave with an eager smile. He swiftly packed up his stall, turned around, and quickly vanished into the crowd.
……
Returning to his cave abode.
Just as Lin Changan stepped inside, the Azure-Horned Bull, which had been basking in the sun by the pool, suddenly sniffed the air, its large bull-eyes widening into perfect circles.
In the next moment, it let out a rapid "moo-moo," hastily leaving the water to greet its master.
“Moo-moo!”
Seeing the Azure-Horned Bull, which was now taller than himself, behaving in such a fawning manner, Lin Changan couldn’t help but scold jokingly, “You silly thing, your nose is sharper than a dog’s.”
Clearly, the Azure-Horned Bull had smelled the residual scent of the Heavenly Spirit Fruit lingering on Lin Changan’s hands.
According to the Beast-Taming Zhou Clan, all things had spirits. At crucial breakthrough moments, demon beasts became exceptionally sensitive, especially towards spiritual fruits and herbs beneficial for their breakthroughs. Driven by instinct, they sought out these treasures.
This was why cultivators sometimes stumbled upon unexpected gains.
It was quite common for demon beasts to fiercely fight over territories, spirit fruits, spirit herbs, and even mating rights.
“Moo-moo.”
Having clearly sensed the scent of the spirit fruit beneficial for its breakthrough, the Azure-Horned Bull grew slightly restless, pacing anxiously while puffing white mist through its nostrils.
Nevertheless, befitting its premium-grade bloodline, the Azure-Horned Bull possessed high spiritual intelligence. With a quick roll of its copper-bell-sized eyes, it instantly turned to Lin Changan, displaying a flattering and honest expression.
“You silly fellow, eat well these next few days and get yourself into peak condition.”
Lin Changan smiled and shook his head, stroking the bull’s smooth fur before leading it into the cave abode.
……
Several days later.
Over these few days, the Azure-Horned Bull enjoyed treatment like never before. Every day, it was fed high-quality spirit herbs and Spirit Nourishing Pills, as well as spiritual fruits and spiritual spring water.
Lin Changan had even prepared a special nest inside the cave abode for the Azure-Horned Bull’s breakthrough. His Foundation Establishment Cave Abode was more than enough to support a spirit beast’s advancement into the second rank.
In just a few days, the Azure-Horned Bull had grown visibly plump, its fur glossy and sleek, and its overall condition was excellent.
“With a Premium-grade Beast Spirit Pill and two Heavenly Spirit Fruits to aid your breakthrough, if you still fail, I’ll stew you for dinner.”
Lin Changan joked, though he felt a bit apprehensive inside. After all, this was his first spirit pet—one that had grown up alongside him. Naturally, he didn’t want anything unexpected to occur.
However, given the Azure-Horned Bull’s premium-grade bloodline and the abundant preparations this time, the chance of a successful breakthrough should be nearly certain.
After all, even the Zhou Clan never indulged to such an extent, feeding more than half of the herbs from their medicinal garden to a single spirit beast.
Lin Changan finished arranging the Quasi-second-rank Formation 'Wood Armor Spirit-Binding Formation,' then stepped back outside to guard.
“Moo, moo!”
Sensing that its master was guarding for it outside, the Azure-Horned Bull let out two affectionate calls towards him. It then turned around eagerly, swallowing the two Heavenly Spirit Fruits in one gulp.
The Beast Spirit Pill, along with the jade bottle containing it, was also swept directly into its mouth. Accompanied by crunching sounds, not even the jade bottle’s fragments were wasted.
Outside the formation, witnessing this scene, Lin Changan's eyes twitched slightly, and he inwardly shook his head. "Could it be that all spirit beasts are this crude when breaking through?"
Outside the formation, after waiting for the medicine’s effects to kick in, Lin Changan clearly observed the Azure-Horned Bull’s aura rapidly soaring. Its eyes turned blood-red, white mist sprayed from its nostrils and mouth.
This breakthrough was entirely different from that of a human cultivator.
The Azure-Horned Bull stomped restlessly, eventually beginning to charge wildly within the formation to vent its pent-up energy.
Inside the Wood Armor Spirit-Binding Formation, tree vines continuously emerged, attempting to bind the bull, only to be forcibly snapped apart by the rampaging Azure-Horned Bull, its bellows echoing loudly.
……
Several days later.
Inside Lin Changan's cave abode, spiritual energy was turbulent. However, since it was a Foundation Establishment Cave Abode and protected by formations, the disturbance wasn’t significant.
At least, the cultivators outside noticed nothing unusual. Only Lin Changan, inside the cave abode, clearly perceived the fluctuations.
Currently, the Wood Armor Spirit-Binding Formation was in complete disarray. Amidst a powerful surge of spiritual energy, white mist spewed by the Azure-Horned Bull completely obscured spiritual sense from penetrating.
“The Azure-Horned Bull, after advancing to second-rank, can now spit mist to obscure spiritual sense.”
Lin Changan, controlling the formation, exclaimed in astonishment. This white mist indeed was marvelous; it even blocked his spiritual sense, completely preventing him from observing the interior clearly.
“Unexpectedly, my Spirit Eye would prove useful at this moment.”
Activating his Spirit Eye, Lin Changan discovered to his surprise that it wasn’t hindered.
In other words, this white mist only blocked spiritual sense, not his ocular technique.
“It seems I've truly underestimated the Spirit Eye’s ability to penetrate fog and stone before.”
[Spirit Eye (Proficient 198/1000)]
Discovering this aspect again, Lin Changan felt he'd underestimated it previously. The World of Cultivation was filled with countless rare treasures and spirit beasts capable of blocking spiritual sense.
For cultivators, spiritual sense was equivalent to their eyes; without it, they were essentially blind.
Having a Spirit Eye could prevent such situations.
“The earlier Foundation Establishment Pill and the role the Spirit Eye played this time must be given more importance.”
Just as Lin Changan realized the significance of the Spirit Eye, a deep and powerful bellow resonated from within the formation.
“Moo, moo!”
The white mist dispersed, revealing an energetic Azure-Horned Bull. Its previously brownish-yellow fur now appeared glossier, intermixed with strands of faint purple, and its body size had noticeably increased.
Its brownish-yellow eyes looked toward Lin Changan, expressing a clear affection and reliance.
“Moo, moo…”
Galloping swiftly on four hooves, it quickly approached Lin Changan, intimately calling beside him.
“Not bad. It seems you, silly creature, can accompany me from now on.”
Lin Changan jokingly scolded, but his face was filled with smiles.
The Azure-Horned Bull had broken through to second-rank, gaining a lifespan of two hundred years. Along the long path of immortal cultivation, having a bull companion could indeed ease much solitude.
At this moment, he felt profound emotion, finally understanding why many cultivators who achieved success gradually distanced themselves from past friends and companions.
The reason was simple: They were no longer within the same circle, and furthermore, they wished to avoid too many painful partings.
When you were still vigorous, striving forward on your cultivation path, your beloved partner, friends, and family would gradually age and pass away, even your descendants.
Such experiences were painful but inevitable on the path of cultivation.
“With my current strength and a second-rank spirit pet, I probably have the ability to challenge even ordinary mid-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators.”
The Azure-Horned Bull’s advancement had greatly boosted Lin Changan’s strength, bringing a confident smile to his face. Given the current turbulent situation, having an extra measure of strength for self-protection meant an extra layer of safety.
“Next, the magical artifact!”
Enhancing one's external strength naturally required magical artifacts. With a calm smile, Lin Changan retrieved from his storage pouch the Green Bamboo Sword, along with the sharp forelimbs and other parts of the Ironback Mantis that he'd killed when preparing for Foundation Establishment.
With his premium-grade Green Bamboo Sword and these additional materials, he should be able to upgrade the Green Bamboo Sword once again.