Chapter 446: Gossip
"Five spirit beasts with the strength of Core Formation..."
Upon hearing this, Lu Xuan couldn't help but marvel at the profound foundation of the Sky Sword Sect.
Just the breeding of fifth and sixth rank spirit beasts alone amounted to five, not to mention potential stocks like the White Jade Ape and the Phoenix Bird, of which there were at least two each.
And that's without mentioning the numerous third and fourth rank spirit beasts in the Myriad Beasts Grotto.
Sending out any one of those spirit beasts could reduce the Linyang Market, where he had stayed during his Qi cultivation phase, to ruins.
"Young friend, you need not worry. That old fox, though eccentric in character, bears no malice towards cultivators of the Sky Sword Sect and will not harm you."
"Moreover, you have that Beast Control Command with you."
The Elder Ape glanced at the beast head token hanging from Lu Xuan's waist.
"Having the Beast Control Command means you represent Uncle Cangwu. With the token's spirit soul and blood essence, you can speak on equal terms with all the spirit beasts in the blessed land, even taking the initiative."
"The token was a gift from Uncle Cangwu, probably just to serve as a deterrent. It's unlikely to be actually used."
"It's best not to use it unless necessary, as it wouldn't be good for either party."
The Elder Ape said calmly to Lu Xuan.
Lu Xuan didn't stay long, bidding farewell to the two spirit beasts after a while and returning to the Cloud House.
In the following days, he no longer needed to tend to the spirit plants, with the spirit beasts in the blessed land being fed by Sun Yun and the others. His free time increased significantly.
Every day, he would spend some time cultivating, and the rest of the time wandering around the Myriad Beasts Grotto, occasionally playing with the White Monkey and the Phoenix Bird to strengthen their bonds, or seeking out the Lion-Bird Beast and other spirit beasts he had tamed, or exploring the Myriad Beasts Grotto alone.
With all the spirit beasts in the blessed land belonging to the sect, and with the nuclear-weapon-like Beast Control Command in his hand, no dangerous situations arose.
One day, while wandering aimlessly, he came upon a huge lake.
"Hmm, what's that?"
At the edge of the lake, Lu Xuan saw a pile of strange objects from afar and, driven by curiosity, moved towards them in an instant like a beam of light.
What lay before him was a pile of mottled tortoise shells, greenish-black in color, ancient beyond years, covered in countless semi-transparent lines forming bizarre hexagrams.
The lines moved as if alive, and the hexagrams on the tortoise shells changed accordingly.
Lu Xuan observed carefully, pondering the shifting lines.
"Where did this little one come from, staring at an old man's shell like that, isn't it impolite?"
Suddenly, an aged voice sounded by his ear.
The numerous tortoise shells flew up simultaneously, and a spirit beast with a dragon's head and tail but a tortoise's body leapt out of the lake.
All the tortoise shells gathered onto its body, fitting perfectly, without a seam.
As Lu Xuan's spiritual sense swept over, he immediately felt the formidable presence of the beast before him. Recognizing its form and recalling the Elder Ape's previous introduction, he instantly knew this spirit beast was the Dragon Turtle of the blessed land.
"Greetings, senior. I was curious about those hexagrams. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me."
He bowed his head in respect, his tone reverent.
"So you're the new little cultivator from the Sky Sword Sect. Uncle Cangwu has entrusted the blessed land to you?"
The Dragon Turtle glanced at the beast head token on Lu Xuan's waist and asked.
"Yes, Uncle Cangwu is temporarily away on matters, and no other Core Formation elders were available, so the responsibility of overseeing the blessed land was given to me temporarily."
A Core Formation True Immortal referred to as a youngster by this Dragon Turtle? Lu Xuan wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead.
"Hmm, I see."
The Dragon Turtle said indifferently.
"These tortoise shells are mine; I left them out to sunbathe. Don't mistake them for ownerless items if you see them again."
"I would never dare."
Lu Xuan quickly responded.
"I suppose you wouldn't dare."
The Dragon Turtle yawned, its two long, dangling dragon whiskers curling up.
"You have an interesting aura about you."
It moved its head closer to Lu Xuan, sniffing twice.
"A mix of true dragon auras, you've come into contact with many young flood dragons from Thousand Dragon Lake, and that dead deer, you even have its life essence, not simple at
all."
"Eh? The scent of Monkey Wine? Do you have any on you? I haven't tasted it in a long time."
"I tried stealing some from the White Monkey's dwelling a few times, but it noticed and even fought with me, and then I never saw Monkey Wine again."
The Dragon Turtle's round, large eyes showed a hint of longing.
"My apologies, senior, I don't have any Monkey Wine, but I do have plenty of Hundred-Fruit Spirit Juice. Would you like to try some?"
"Hundred-Fruit Spirit Juice? The special brew developed by that little cultivator before?"
The Dragon Turtle seemed to recall the origin of the Hundred-Fruit Spirit Juice.
"Well, bring some out for me to taste, don't be as stingy as that White Monkey."
Hearing this, Lu Xuan quickly took out the spirit juice, pouring a full cup for the Dragon Turtle that had lived for thousands of years.
The Dragon Turtle drank it in one gulp, smacking its lips.
"Not bad, just as I remembered."
"You're quite generous, little one."
With such a sixth rank ancient being in front of him, Lu Xuan naturally wasn't stingy, pouring another full cup of Hundred-Fruit Spirit Juice from the Drunken Immortal Gourd.
"You seem quite familiar with the Core Formation elder who brewed the spirit juice?"
Seeing the casual demeanor of the sixth rank Dragon Turtle, he took the initiative to engage in conversation.
"I've seen him numerous times, from the beginning of the brewing process to the final success. I was one of the test subjects."
The Dragon Turtle's voice was aged as it replied.
"You truly are experienced and knowledgeable," Lu Xuan complimented.
"Living long means seeing a lot."
"Those Core Formation cultivators in the sect, and even the few Nascent Soul elders, haven't been in the Sky Sword Sect as long as I have."
"The one who gave you that Beast Control Command, Uncle Cangwu, you know, don't be fooled by his righteous appearance. He's actually most fond of romantic affairs, has flirted with female cultivators everywhere."
"Once, during his Foundation Establishment phase, he caused a Core Formation elder's daughter from the Divine Peaks Sect to become pregnant. That Core Formation elder chased him down from afar, and his master had to pay a great price to settle the matter."
"Really? There was such a thing?"
Lu Xuan's inner gossip soul immediately ignited, his eyes lighting up. He took out spiritual fruits from his storage bag, tossing some to the Dragon Turtle and enjoying them himself.
"And that Gu Jiankong in the sect, who's so skilled with the sword now, hunting down demonic cultivators everywhere. He used to be extremely cowardly and afraid of losing his life."
"Later, he must have been stimulated by something, because he suddenly became very fierce, no longer caring about his own life or death."
The Dragon Turtle caught the spiritual fruits Lu Xuan tossed and, seeing an eager listener, became even more enthusiastic.
"And your Sky Sword Sect's sect leader, he was very young when he joined the sect, always following me around, calling me 'Grandpa Turtle'. I never thought he would reach the Nascent Soul Realm by now."
The old Dragon Turtle reminisced.
"Oh, and there's more..."
Lu Xuan nodded along, now understanding the many hexagrams on the Dragon Turtle's shell.
"So it's all just gossip..."