Upon hearing these words, Elder Qingxuan nearly burst out laughing. As the master of the Beast Peak, he had dedicated decades to the art of beast taming, yet this was the first time he had witnessed such an approach to taming spirit beasts.
The reason spirit beasts evolve from mere animals into spiritual beings is because of their inherent spirituality. As such, their pride and self-respect are far greater than those of ordinary beasts. Particularly with adult spirit beasts, the act of taming them requires proving that one's strength surpasses theirs.
Most beast tamers, before attempting to tame a spirit beast, must first defeat it. If the spirit beast is particularly fierce and difficult to tame, they gradually work to show the beast the benefits of submission. In cases where the beast's temper is too wild to tame, the tamer may resort to forcibly binding the beast with a contract to control it. In Elder Qingxuan's eyes, Lin Tian's approach was nothing short of laughable.
Zhong Wukui, the master of the Qi Refining Peak, also twitched his mouth in silent disbelief. Although he had hoped to see Lin Tian tame the beast and humble Qingxuan, this method had entirely shattered his expectations.
"Young man, is this your way of taming beasts? With this approach, you'll be lucky if you manage to tame this double-tailed spirit cat in the next hundred years," Qingxuan remarked bluntly. Though spirit beasts possess a certain degree of intelligence and can understand human speech, it was naive to think that a few words would lead them to submit willingly.
The disciples who had just entered the sect could not help but laugh at Lin Tian's actions. To them, this was an incredibly foolish move. He had passed up the opportunity to become an inner disciple of the Beast Peak in favor of joining the Qi Refining Peak as an outer disciple.
"Dao Yi, is this the prodigious talent you spoke of?" Qingxuan couldn't resist casting a glance at Dao Yi, his tone dripping with mockery. After all, it had been Dao Yi who had been so eager to take Lin Tian as his disciple.
Dao Yi's face turned a mottled shade of blue and purple, his expression exceedingly grim. He even began to doubt whether he had made a mistake in choosing Lin Tian. After all, the boy's performance at this moment was truly underwhelming.
"Enough, kid. Are you seriously planning to tame this double-tailed spirit cat in just an hour?" Qingxuan shot Lin Tian a disdainful look, his impatience growing. His words were nothing more than an attempt to humiliate Lin Tian, especially after the boy had explicitly rejected the Beast Peak's offer.
A sigh escaped Lin Tian's lips. He had no expertise in taming beasts, and he knew full well that he could not subdue the double-tailed spirit cat before him. Just as he prepared to rise, however, the spirit cat's gaze shifted to the jade vial at his waist. Immediately, its eyes sparkled with a strange, almost eager light.
"Meow." With a soft meow, a drop of essence blood flew from its forehead.
This double-tailed spirit cat was one of the same beasts Lin Tian had encountered in Xiangye Mountain. When Lin Tian had used the spiritual liquid to collect the ribbon from the beast's tail, this particular one had absorbed a small portion of the liquid's pure energy. Although the absorption was minimal, its strength had noticeably increased.
In this world of the survival of the fittest, spirit beasts' hunger for power was no less than that of cultivators. Upon sensing the jade vial at Lin Tian's waist, the beast could no longer sit still.
"Is that its life essence blood?" The disciples of the Beast Peak gasped in astonishment. There were three methods of taming spirit beasts. The first was through brute force—by controlling the spirit beast with sheer strength. This was the simplest and most violent method. While it could force the beast into submission, the beast would never truly be loyal, and the tamer risked backlash. Furthermore, it was detrimental to the beast's growth.
The second method involved forming a contract with the beast, akin to a partnership. This required providing the beast with sufficient rewards to earn its cooperation. Though this method was more refined than brute force, it still demanded significant resources. Most disciples of the Beast Peak used this approach.
The third and highest form of taming was when a spirit beast willingly offered its life essence blood, becoming the cultivator's spirit beast for life. This was akin to entrusting one's very life to the tamer. If the tamer so desired, they could bring the spirit beast to its destruction with a mere thought. This was the ultimate form of beast taming, requiring an incredibly close bond with the spirit beast, one so intimate that the beast was willing to entrust its life and soul to the tamer. Even Elder Qingxuan himself had never formed such a blood contract.
To witness this double-tailed spirit cat willingly offer its life essence blood to Lin Tian was nothing short of extraordinary. It was a clear sign that Lin Tian's beast taming methods had far surpassed even Qingxuan's.
The shock and humiliation the others felt was akin to two sharp slaps resounding across their faces. They had mocked Lin Tian earlier, but now the blood contract was proving them wrong in the most resounding manner.
At this moment, Elder Qingxuan's face was flushed crimson with embarrassment. He wished he could find a hole in the ground to crawl into. Even as the eyes of the others turned toward him, he felt as though his skin was burning.
Lin Tian's fingers lightly brushed the drop of essence blood before him. Instantly, a mysterious force surged into his body, and a profound connection formed between him and the double-tailed spirit cat.
"Meow." With another cry, the double-tailed spirit cat's body began to glow with an ethereal light. In full view of everyone, the beast's form swelled, and another tail sprouted from its rear. Although its cultivation remained at the fifth layer of Qi Refinement, the pressure it exerted had clearly increased.
"A spirit beast advancing in rank? How is this possible?" Elder Qingxuan was completely dumbfounded. The conditions for a spirit beast's advancement were exceedingly strict. Often, even if one spent an entire lifetime and exhausted countless resources, the beast might not undergo an advancement. Yet, here, the double-tailed spirit cat had advanced simply by forming a blood contract with Lin Tian. Such a phenomenon had never occurred in the entire Xuanwu Sect.
"Have I tamed the spirit beast in this way?" Lin Tian blinked, his expression full of confusion as he asked.