Chapter 73: The Spirit Beast Hall

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: The Spirit Beast Hall

Ye Xuan followed Yi Xin as she flew away from the Outer Disciple Hall.

Several disciples who were training looked at Ye Xuan, and so did Cang Gong.

Cang Gong stared sharply, narrowing his eyes. He was indeed one stage above Ye Xuan in cultivation base. But compared with Yi Xin, Cang Gong fell short in every respect.

That was why he could do nothing even as he watched Yi Xin take Ye Xuan away.

He even stayed silent when his disciples questioned what Ye Xuan was doing.

Ye Xuan did notice the different looks from the outer disciples. But none of them flew over to approach him, Cang Gong included.

"Among the sect’s halls, the Outer Disciple Hall has the lowest status," Yi Xin said. "Apart from the new disciples, most of the people there are untalented and foolish."

"That’s why they’re called outer disciples. Their abilities are only good enough to serve as the sect’s first shield if there’s a threat."

"Haha!"

Yi Xin flew on while glancing briefly at Ye Xuan, laughing softly at his surprising words. "Now you’re starting to think like us."

Ye Xuan didn’t think that way. He shared what he thought about them and their situation.

From Ye Xuan’s perspective, there was nothing impressive about the Outer Disciple Hall.

Its hall master had already lost to him, so he couldn’t expect much from the disciples under his command.

A weak hall master meant weak disciples. The implication was that simple, and even a child could understand it.

"You haven’t told me about your own hall," Ye Xuan said.

Yi Xin glanced at him again. "The Spirit Beast Hall."

Is this a coincidence? I came from a spirit beast hall, and now Yi Xin is taking me to the same kind of hall, even though it’s a different sect.

"I’ve never seen you use your spirit beast," Ye Xuan said.

"It’s special. Once summoned, it won’t return until its hunger is satisfied," Yi Xin answered.

"Satisfied by hunting monster cores?"

"More precisely... human souls."

Ye Xuan fell silent for a moment. He had heard of spirit beasts that fed on human souls, unlike ordinary spirit beasts that relied on monster cores or spiritual energy.

Elder Ming had once told him that such creatures were known as Dark Spirit Beasts.

Their abilities were formidable, but raising them came with considerable difficulties.

He didn’t dig deeper into it, but since they devoured humans and their souls, the victims could be from either side: mortals or cultivators.

"That’s the hall."

His eyes fixed ahead on the Spirit Beast Hall, which was located apart from the other halls.

It was a wide, towering hall decorated with ornaments of snakes and centipedes, with a huge human skull on top.

Most of the building’s walls were black, but it didn’t make the atmosphere feel gloomy or oppressive. The surrounding trees were shady and thick with leaves, green and refreshing.

Some disciples were training in several areas. There were three training fields in total, one of them quite large.

When Yi Xin arrived at the field that resembled the hall’s front yard, the disciples training there paused and bowed their heads to greet her.

"Greetings, Elder Yi."

"Continue your training," Yi Xin answered, and they obeyed.

But when they saw Yi Xin arrive with someone who wasn’t a disciple of the Spirit Beast Hall, their attention sharpened and fixed on Ye Xuan.

Some were curious, some confused, and some annoyed.

Ye Xuan saw them and chose to be indifferent, ignoring what meant nothing to him.

Yi Xin walked into the hall building and met the Hall Master, a man sitting on his throne.

When Yi Xin came in with Ye Xuan, the man recognized him right away.

"As I recall, he was assigned to the Outer Disciple Hall by Sect Leader Yi."

"Why did you bring him here, Junior Yi?" the man asked.

"He’s about to break through to Golden Core, and the Outer Disciple Hall isn’t a good environment for it," Yi Xin replied.

"If we help him break through here and report it to Sect Leader Yi, we’ll be seen as having done a great service."

Oh... so that’s why she brought me here.

The man on the throne was silent for a moment, then nodded. He clapped his hands and pointed at Yi Xin with an enthusiastic expression.

"Good, very good!"

"Take him to the back courtyard of the hall. Spirit trees grow there, and they’ll help him a great deal," the man said, standing up at once. "I need to go to the Palace and tell Sect Leader Yi about this."

"Wait... that should be my credit, because—"

WOSH!

The man flew swiftly out of the palace to beat Yi Xin there. She pouted with a gloomy face. Ye Xuan saw it.

"I hope I get my share," Yi Xin sighed.

"You’re using me to gain a benefit?" Ye Xuan asked.

The woman turned and nodded, raising her hand to pat Ye Xuan’s shoulder lightly. "Yes. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, you know."

"The Hall Master and I guarantee you’ll break through safely. You break through to Golden Core, a new power for you. We receive a reward from Sect Leader Yi for helping you break through quickly."

"It’s good for both sides, isn’t it?"

Ye Xuan sighed briefly. On this point, he couldn’t argue with Yi Xin, who had shown pragmatic attitudes and behavior from the very beginning.

But thinking about it, what Yi Xin was doing wasn’t entirely wrong. They really would get a reward if Ye Xuan managed to break through.

It would motivate them to do more, which of course would boost their loyalty to the sect.

"I can’t argue with that," Ye Xuan said. "So, where?"

Yi Xin smiled broadly and led Ye Xuan elsewhere, not to the hall building but to an area in the hall’s back courtyard.

Ye Xuan listened and obeyed what the woman said.

They walked out of the hall building, crossed a bridge over a stream of clear water, passed through a small forest, and arrived at a large pond, too small to be called a lake.

The pond’s water was clear, filled with flowers and plants floating on the surface.

Some fish leaped in another direction, and the fragrance of the flowers filled Ye Xuan’s nose.

"I never expected the Netherworld Palace Sect to have a place this beautiful."

"You think our sect is always dirty? Only the Outer Disciple Hall is like that. We and the other halls aren’t," Yi Xin answered.

Ye Xuan turned ahead and saw a medium-sized pavilion built in the middle of the pond.

Now he faintly heard the melodious sound of plucked zither strings.

"A zither?"

"That must be Wan’er," Yi Xin said.

"Wan’er?"

Yi Xin turned ahead and called out to a woman named Wan’er. When Yi Xin’s voice carried, the melodious zither music faded and stopped.

From inside the pavilion, a woman came out in a black sect robe, with dark blue hair and a beautiful face.

She stood gracefully, then leaped forward until she arrived in front of Elder Yi.

"This junior pays respects to Elder Yi."

"Sorry to disturb you, but I’d like to leave this young man in your care. He wants to use this place to break through," Yi Xin said.

Wan’er turned to the side and looked at Ye Xuan. The two of them briefly met each other’s eyes, but Wan’er quickly turned her face away.

"I don’t mind. But you’ll need to consider Cai Yun’s attitude."

"Who is Cai Yun?" Ye Xuan asked.

Yi Xin glanced at Ye Xuan again. "A Jade Snow Python. It’s the spirit beast loyal to Wan’er."

[Jade Snow Python?!]