Chapter 447: The Difficult Birth of a Spirit Beast
Seizing the moment when the ancient Dragon Turtle was enthusiastically sharing countless tales of the sect's ancestors and elders, Lu Xuan quietly focused his attention on the creature's form.
Feeding the Dragon Turtle the Hundred-Fruit Spirit Juice triggered a flood of detailed information about the Dragon Turtle in his mind.
【Dragon Turtle, a sixth-rank spirit beast, has resided in the Sky Sword Sect for thousands of years, harboring a trace of true dragon's bloodline within, powerful and possessing a mystical turtle shell capable of divining fortune and misfortune.】
【Through the endless years, how has it endured its solitary existence?】
From the detailed status of the Dragon Turtle, Lu Xuan sensed a hint of loneliness.
Living for thousands of years, watching friends age and die, eventually leaving it alone, its only remembrance of the distant past tied to the gossips about the sect's Core Formation True Immortals and Nascent Soul Great Masters.
This gossip-filled Dragon Turtle was in fact an extremely lonely ancient beast.
Well, in its possibly immeasurable lifespan, perhaps it wouldn't even qualify as 'old.'
After half a day of absorbing grand tales of the sect's powerful figures, both man and turtle were utterly satisfied.
"Young man, what's your name?"
As Lu Xuan was about to leave, the Dragon Turtle asked.
Within the Sky Sword Sect, there were few cultivators who could sit down and listen to his ramblings for such a long time.
Foundation Establishment cultivators naturally fear a sixth-rank spirit beast like it, becoming visibly uncomfortable. Upon hearing the various gossips about the sect's ancestors and elders, their faces would instantly change, as if they had committed some grave taboo.
Whereas Core Formation True Immortals and even Nascent Soul Great Masters could sit beside it with ease, but none of them, having watched them grow up, had anything new to share, having already discussed everything countless times.
Moreover, at their level, they preferred to spend their time on cultivation and comprehending techniques, rather than listening to the Dragon Turtle's ramblings.
Although Lu Xuan was only at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, he showed no fear towards the sixth-rank spirit beast. When hearing remarkable gossips, he would express astonishment and even proactively ask questions.
This greatly satisfied the Dragon Turtle's desire to share, fostering a fondness for Lu Xuan.
"I am Lu Xuan, senior. You can just call me by my name."
"Good, come and chat with me again when you have time."
The Dragon Turtle nodded, its two dangling dragon whiskers swaying in the wind as it silently dove back into the lake.
Realizing he had spent enough time, Lu Xuan, losing the urge to further explore the blessed land, turned back towards the Cloud House.
...
Somewhere in the blessed land.
A golden-furred demonic bear lay in a shed made of spirit grass, gnashing its teeth and howling in pain.
Its abdomen was swollen, continuously contracting and expanding, with blood essence coalescing as if something terrifying was being nurtured inside.
"Brother Sun, what do we do? The Thunderstorm Bear can't give birth!"
A junior cultivator at the early stage of Foundation Establishment appeared anxious and flustered.
This fourth-rank Thunderstorm Bear was under his care, and he had hoped that the bear could successfully give birth, earning him some merit. Unexpectedly, during the birth, the bear could not deliver the tiny life inside her.
As time passed, the bear's strength waned, and it looked as if it might even be in mortal danger.
Sun Yun maintained a calm façade.
"Did you feed the mother bear with the birthing spirit medicine?"
"I did early on. It seemed better for a moment, but then it reverted to this state."
Sun Yun frowned deeply, pondering for a moment, then said.
"If it really comes to it, we'll have to perform a cesarean section."
"This..."
The junior hesitated.
Directly cutting open the bear's abdomen to retrieve the cub would involve external intervention in the birth, significantly affecting the cub's innate spirituality. If the cub were inherently deficient, its growth would be severely slowed.
It also posed a great risk to the mother bear, requiring a long time and countless nourishing and strengthening elixirs to recover.
While the chances of success were high, the losses would be enormous if they failed.
Spirit beasts were extremely difficult to breed, especially higher-ranked ones. The fourth-rank Thunderstorm Bear had taken much effort and resources to conceive, and he could not bear the responsibility of failure.
"Why not ask Brother Lu Xuan? With the Beast Control Command in his hands, he decides the fate of all spirit beasts in the blessed land. Let him decide the fate of the mother bear and the cub inside."
The junior clenched his teeth, his tone resolute.
"Alright, we'll do that. Stay here, and I'll notify Brother Lu as fast as I can."
Sun Yun knew this was not the time for personal grievances. Decisively, a four-winged spirit bird appeared before him, carrying him swiftly through the clouds to Lu Xuan's Cloud House.
...
"You're saying a fourth-rank mother beast is in a difficult birthing situation?"
Lu Xuan looked at the handsome young man who had suddenly appeared before him, his expression serious.
"Yes, the situation has become quite severe. We need you to make a decision, Brother Lu."
Lu Xuan quickly gathered information about the spirit beast from Sun Yun.
The fourth-rank Thunderstorm Bear, immensely strong and capable of controlling thunder and lightning, ranked high among same-tier demonic beasts.
With such high rank and talent, if the spirit beast could be successfully bred, every effort should be made to ensure the cub is born safely.
"Ensure the mother bear's safety while trying to allow for a natural birth of the cub."
Lu Xuan stated firmly.
"But the problem now is, it's difficult to fulfill both conditions simultaneously, and even the success rate of birthing the cub isn't very high."
"Directly opening the mother bear's abdomen to extract the cub could lead to it being inherently deficient, affecting its physique and intelligence."
Sun Yun replied swiftly.
"Take me to the scene. I have considerable experience with spirit beast births."
Lu Xuan was confident.
"Okay."
Sun Yun no longer doubted Lu Xuan. Occasionally returning to the sect, he had heard of Lu Xuan's deeds and invited him onto the back of the four-winged demonic bird, rushing to the location of the Thunderstorm Bear mother.
Along the way, Sun Yun detailed the specific condition of the mother bear and its current state but shook his head when Lu Xuan inquired about the cause of the difficult birth.
Standing on the back of the swiftly flying demonic bird, Lu Xuan's gaze was sharp, his robes fluttering wildly in the wind.
"The return of the 'Saint of Beast Medicine', previously solving low fertility in the Spirit Crane clan, the yin-yang koi's breeding difficulties, the mutual aversion of the Hundred Poison Heart-Eating Worms, and the Snarling Shadow Beasts infested by Lust-Feeding Insects..."
"The difference is that previously it was about aiding conception, now it's about delivering the birth."
"After this, my reputation as the 'Saint of Beast Medicine' will probably be solidified within the sect."
Lu Xuan sighed internally.
Confident in solving the fourth-rank spirit beast's birthing issues, his unique ability to gather information about spirit beasts through feeding them gave him insight into the cause of the difficult birth, allowing him to provide a precise solution.
This was the key issue that Sun Yun and others couldn't solve.
They could only rely on experience and standard methods to assist the birth, unable to identify and address the root cause.
This was the difference between Lu Xuan and them.