Chapter 285: Master Teacher Pavilion, Here I Come!
Chapter 285: Master Teacher Pavilion, Here I Come!
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: GaiaNove
Roar!
In the split moment when Gu Mu's attention was diverted by Zhang Xuan, the Lava Beast charged forward once more, generating frightening torrid air currents that threatened to rip him apart.
Taking a deep breath, Gu Mu prepared to face it once more with the sword in his hands. However, at this moment, his senior granduncle's voice sounded once again.
"Don't fend off its attack, keep your sword back into your storage ring!"
"Don't fend off its attack?"
Upon hearing those words, Gu Mu glanced at the agitated Lava Beast which was charging toward him and he nearly keeled over.
If he doesn’t fend against such a violent attack, won’t he be killed instantly?
"Hurry up!" In the midst of his hesitation, the voice urged him.
"Alright!"
Even though he was doubtful, he didn't think that his senior granduncle would go through so much trouble to kill him. Thus, he kept his sword back into his storage ring, and at this moment, became completely defenseless.
"Stretch your head toward him!"
Right after he kept his sword, the next instruction reached his ears.
Gu Mu staggered, and he nearly fell off the granite tile into the lava.
I can still accept it, albeit reluctantly, when you tell me to keep my sword and not fend off its attack, but why in the world do I have to stretch my head forward?
Senior granduncle, are you in such a hurry to see me die?
Looking at how furious the Lava Beast is charging at me, wouldn't it bite my head off immediately if I were to stretch it over?
This isn't beast taming at all, this is a tribute...
"Don't waste any time, hurry up!"
The voice by his ear urged him.
The duo was conversing through zhenqi telepathy. Even though they had exchanged quite a few words, only two breaths had passed. At this moment, the ferocious Lava Beast was just three meters away from Gu Mu, and it could bite down on him at any moment now. It was already too late to try anything else.
"Forget it, I'll just give it a try!"
Reminding himself of the fact that his senior granduncle could have easily killed him when he was unconscious, he told himself that there was no need for him to use this gigantic fellow to murder him. Gritting his teeth, he stuck out his head, pointing it right into the other party’s gaping mouth.
"This..."
As the duo spoke using telepathy, Liao Xun was completely oblivious to their exchange. Upon seeing the envoy trying to send his head into the mouth of the Lava Beast, he was horrified. His entire body trembled violently, and he was about to pass out.
Others would prepare delicacies and treasures to attract a savage beast's attention in order to tame it. It was his first time seeing someone offer his own head...
Even those who surpassed Zhizun realm would have their brain matter spurt out upon the bite of the Lava Beast!
If the envoy were to be killed here, he wouldn't have to dream about holding on to his position as the new Hall Master. He would be summoned by the headquarter immediately and be questioned for a month or two before being sentenced to death by poison.
He quickly turned to look at the 'senior granduncle', but the other party was watching the situation impassively. There wasn't the slightest bit of anxiety in his eyes.
"Senior granduncle..."
Liao Xun couldn't help but yell for the other party to do something. However, before he could say anything else, he saw the other party point forward with his finger.
Hurriedly turning his head over, he witnessed a sight that left his eyes widened.
Gu Mu’s head was already within the Lava Beast’s mouth and if the latter closed its mouth, he would be killed on the spot. However, at this crucial moment... Not only did the Lava Beast not bite down, it even turned around to flee.
Isn't it intent on tearing Gu Mu into pieces a moment ago? Why would it back away when the other party has delivered his head to it?
What... is this situation?
He wasn't the only one who was bewildered by what was happening. Gu Mu was also confounded.
He had already prepared himself for his death and he hadn’t expected such a situation to occur.
"Don't blank out. Quickly, rush forward and grab its tail!"
Gu Mu was still trying to make sense out of the situation when his senior granduncle's voice echoed once more.
At this point, he was already holding complete confidence in the other party's words. Thus, he stepped against the granite tile immediately and flew forward as if he were a swallow. In the blink of an eye, he had caught up with the other party.
Closing his arms, he embraced the creature’s bulky tail tightly.
Roar!
Having his tail grabbed, the Lava Beast panicked. It began to thrash about immediately with all its might, and lava splashed into the surroundings, burning hole after hole in Gu Mu's clothes.
"What do I do next?"
Sensing that his zhenqi was reaching its limits from fending against the lava’s heat, Gu Mu asked anxiously.
"Hold its tail tightly, no matter what it does!"
Zhang Xuan replied.
"Alright!"
With vicious tenacity, Gu Mu held onto the Lava Beast's tail with his four limbs. No matter how the other party struggled, he refused to let go. At this moment, he had no choice but to furiously pump even more zhenqi to fend off the intense heat in the surroundings.
Roar! Roar!
With its tail grabbed, Lava Beast was infuriated and it howled ceaselessly in anger, trying its best to shake Gu Mu off. However, its movements gradually slowed, and in less than a single minute, it went limp, its condition resembling a dead snake.
"This..."
Seeing the Lava Beast collapse, Gu Mu heaved a sigh of relief. He thought that he was going to die, and the current situation was unbelievable to him.
He had felt the ferocity from the Lava Beast when he faced it just a moment ago, that if it could, it would surely have torn him into pieces. But... when he stretched his head toward the other party, why did it refuse to bite down and, instead, back off? Also, why did grabbing its tail result in this situation?
"Alright, bring it up to shore!"
Gu Mu was still wondering when he heard his senior granduncle's instruction in his ears.
"Yes!"
Grabbing onto the tail end of the paralyzed Lava Beast, he exercised his zhenqi and dragged it to shore.
In no time, the human and the beast were on the concrete granite ground.
Zhang Xuan walked up to the Lava Beast the moment it was on shore. With a flick of his wrist, a few silver needles appeared in his hands and he threw them straight at the Lava Beast.
"Tell it to submit to you. If it agrees, I'll help it achieve a breakthrough in its cultivation. Otherwise, die!"
After which, Zhang Xuan sat quietly by the side.
"Alright!"
Gu Mu walked up to the Lava Beast and relayed Zhang Xuan's words. A moment later, its massive head nuzzled against him, displaying its submission.
The contract was established swiftly and Gu Mu had successfully tamed the Lava Beast.
Liao Xun was completely dumbfounded, observing everything from beside
He had seen people tame beasts, but he had never seen anyone doing it so speedily!
That is a Zhizun realm pinnacle savage beast! For it to submit to a human so easily, isn't this... too simple?
If taming a beast is that easy, doesn’t that mean that I can be a beast tamer as well?
He wasn't the only one who thought so. Gu Mu also felt as if he was in a dream.
If not for the massive Lava Beast nuzzling against him continuously, he would truly doubt if everything was an illusion.
"Senior granduncle..."
Knowing that the one who pulled this miracle off was the senior granduncle, the duo turned to look at him immediately.
"This Lava Beast lives in the lava, and it doesn't have any peer or companion. It has never come into contact with any other life forms, and as such, it has a skeptical personality, having a fear of coming into contact with unfamiliar things!"
Knowing the question that was lingering in their minds, Zhang Xuan explained.
Even a person would become autistic after living in seclusion for too long, needless to say, a savage beast.
A Zhizun realm pinnacle savage beast possesses an intelligence that is in no way inferior to humans. Living in the depths of the volcano, it had not once met another lifeform. As such, it was filled with curiosity and fear for Gu Mu.
"When you utilized brute force and tried to kill it, it had retaliated instinctively. Even though this Lava Beast didn’t have any battle experience, it held the advantage of being on its home ground, and it would have been impossible for you to emerge triumphantly!" Zhang Xuan continued.
Gu Mu nodded.
In that battle just now, he could barely fend off the other party's attacks. He clearly wasn't a match for the latter.
If it had continued that way, he would surely have died.
"Even though keeping your sword and sending your head to it was a clear act of suicide, the skeptical Lava Beast was doubtful toward your actions, and it felt fear! That's because... the move was irrational!"
Zhang Xuan smiled, "On top of that, the Lava Beast has a huge weakness on its mouth. Upon seeing your irrational movement, it began to suspect if you had noticed that weakness and that you were baiting it. Thus, it chose to escape instead."
"So that's the case!"
Upon hearing the explanation, Gu Mu and Liao Xun came to a realization.
Gu Mu felt relieved that he had listened to his senior granduncle earlier on. Otherwise, if he were to continue fighting against the Lava Beast, he would have become a cripple by now.
"Then... Why did grabbing its tail cause it to fall limp and lose its ability to fight?"
"Do savage beasts need to breathe?" Zhang Xuan looked at him.
"Of course they need to breathe..." Surprised by the question, Gu Mu was stunned for a moment before he hurriedly nodded his head.
Just like humans, savage beasts require air to survive.
"The Lava Beast had been living in the lava, but when we first arrived, we didn't see it. Don't you find it strange?"
Gu Mu was taken aback by Zhang Xuan's words.
The reason why fishes can breathe in water is that it has gills that can filter out water and absorb the oxygen contained within it. Lava is in fact just molten granite and it is impossible for there to be oxygen within the thick lava. When the three of them first arrived, they did not observe the Lava Beast's head. It was only after Liao Xun threw a stone at the lotus that it jumped out.
Can it be that... this fellow doesn’t need to breathe?
But that is impossible!
It is not heard of that a savage beast can survive without breathing!
"The breathing organ for Lava Beast, which is to mean the nose that we speak of, isn't on its head. Rather, it's on its... tail!" Zhang Xuan explained.
"On its tail?"
The duo hurriedly turned to the Lava Beast, and they saw two rows of fine opening on its tail.
"Usually, this fellow would hide in the lava, exposing only its tail to breathe. Furthermore, its tail is the same color as the lava, and that's the reason why we failed to notice it when we first arrived!"
Zhang Xuan smiled, "The reason why I had you hug the other party's tail is to obstruct its breathing. While a cultivator would still be able to sustain himself through his zhenqi, the same can’t be said about savage beasts! Not to mention, it was thrashing around the scorching lava, causing its stamina to fall rapidly! Naturally, it would lose its ability to fight! I didn't notice these special characteristics from the start as well and I only managed to deduce them during your battle."
"I see!"
Gu Mu finally comprehended the situation the reason why his senior granduncle didn't say anything at the start. The other party wasn't toying with him, he was observing the characteristics of the Lava Beast to formulate a plan to subdue and tame it.
It was laughable that he mistook his intentions... It was truly embarrassing!
Upon knowing all these facts, Gu Mu's reverence for his senior granduncle reached a new peak.
He was able to deduce the characteristics and personality of this Lava Beast within such a short period of time while observing their battle and formulate a method to tame it. Even a 4-star beast tamer would be incapable of accomplishing the same feat!
On top of that, the needles which he shot out at the Lava Beast probably curbed the other party's movements. Otherwise, it was impossible for the taming process to proceed so smoothly.
"Now that the Lava Beast has been tamed, you can now harvest the lotus seed!" Done with his explanation, Zhang Xuan waved casually.
"Alright!"
Gu Mu nodded, and without a word ado, he leaped into the lava once more, flitting swiftly toward the Crimson Flame Lotus.
Actually, upon seeing Gu Mu successfully tame the Lava Beast, Zhang Xuan had heaved a sigh of relief as well.
Just like humans, the Library of Heaven's Path will compile a book on a savage beast when it is engaged in a fight. The reason why he had Gu Mu face off with it was to compile a book to view its flaws.
Once he knew its flaws, the rest became simple.
Without the obstruction of the Lava Beast, Gu Mu brought a lotus pod back in no time. There were nine gold lotus seeds within and it emanated a fragrance which rejuvenated one's spirit.
"Senior granduncle, this is the Crimson Flame Lotus Seed..."
Placing the lotus seed carefully in a jade box, Gu Mu passed it forward.
"Un!" Grabbing over the box, Zhang Xuan took out two of the seeds and passed it over to Gu Mu. "One is for you, while the other one is for this Lava Beast!"
They had agreed beforehand that Gu Mu would take one Crimson Flame Lotus Seed, while the rest would belong to Zhang Xuan.
Due to the presence of this Lava Beast which was already at Zhizun pinnacle, Zhang Xuan decided to give him another seed.
After all, if not for this envoy telling him about it, Zhang Xuan wouldn't have known that there was such a treasure hidden in this Poison Hall branch and he would have missed it.
"Thank you, senior granduncle!"
Gu Mu was moved with great agitation.
"Here, I will leave this one at this branch. Whoever who reaches Zhizun realm pinnacle first will gain the right to consume it!"
Zhang Xuan took out another seed and passed it to Liao Xun.
The latter was also extremely grateful to Zhang Xuan.
Even though the Crimson Flame Lotus Seed was a precious commodity, it wasn't of much use to Zhang Xuan.
As long as he was able to find sufficient secret manuals, breaking through Zhizun realm pinnacle wasn't a problem at all. As such, the bottleneck in cultivation which others faced was non-existent for him.
Since it wasn't much use to him, and that he had obtained it from the Red Lotus Range Poison Hall branch, he didn't think that it was right for him to deprive the branch of all seeds.
After giving three of the lotus seeds out, Zhang Xuan kept the remaining six in his storage ring.
"Since I'm done with the matters here, it's time for me to leave!"
Zhang Xuan had accomplished his primary aim of browsing through the books in the Poison Hall, and he obtained the Crimson Flame Lotus Seeds on top of that. After conducting the last treatment for Gu Mu, he bided the others farewell.
"Senior granduncle... Where can I find you if I wish to greet you in the future?"
Even though he knew that the other party would leave after harvesting the Crimson Flame Lotus Seeds, Gu Mu nevertheless felt a reluctance to part with him.
Even though he had merely known the other party for a few days, the latter had treated his trauma and helped him tame a Zhizun realm pinnacle savage beast. The favor that he had showered upon him was so great that it would be hard for him to repay.
Even though he had roughly guessed that the other party might not be his senior granduncle as he claimed to be, it didn't hinder his respect for him in any way.
"The world is my home. If we're fated, we'll eventually meet!" Zhang Xuan shook his head.
He was assuming a pseudo identity, and it was best for them not to meet ever again.
"Senior granduncle, this is my identity token. I know that it is useless to senior granduncle, but if you have any kin or students who are in trouble, you can get them to take this to Xuanyuan Kingdom's Poison Hall to look for me. As long as it is within my means, I'll do my best to help!"
With a flick of his wrist, he retrieved a jade token and then passed it to Zhang Xuan.
"Alright then, thank you!"
Knowing that the other party was doing this to repay the gratitude, Zhang Xuan didn't turn him down. He took the token and kept it in his storage ring.
"Farewell!"
After saying all that had to be said, Zhang Xuan walked out of the Poison Hall with large strides.
He remembered the roads he took on the way here with the Great Herb King, so even without anyone to lead him, he was able to leave easily.
Five days later, he finally stepped out from the perimeters of the Red Lotus Range.
He yelled with a deep tone, and after a moment, the Steelfang Howling Firmament Beast appeared in the air above him.
Leaping onto the back of the Howling Firmament Beast, the latter unfurled its wings, and the duo headed straight toward Tianwu Royal City.
Master Teacher Pavilion, here I come!