Peerless Spirit Master - Chapter 18

The carriage did not reach the gates of Abyss Capital; in fact, it stopped a considerable distance away.

“Guilan, we’ll walk from here.”

Ye He looked ahead and urged Ye Guilan to get off the carriage. Seeing the long distance, Ye Guilan couldn’t help but ask, “Is there a roadblock ahead, so we can only go on foot?”

Ye He shook his head. After paying, the carriage turned around and left. Father and daughter set off on foot toward the city gate.

“Abyss Capital is also called the Capital of Beast Tamers. Among the Third-Rank Families living here, many are Beast Tamer families, with Beast Tamers in every generation.”

“Beast Tamers-so there must be a lot of Magical Beasts here?”

Ye He smiled and nodded. “Indeed. Because of the Beast Tamer families, Abyss Capital is a place where Magical Beasts are commonly seen. There are shops selling Magical Beasts, and even auctions for individual Magical Beasts.”

Ye Guilan nodded. Mentioning Beast Tamers definitely meant it was related to Magical Beasts.

“Because of the presence of Magical Beasts, ordinary carriages cannot enter.”

Ye Guilan looked around. Many people were walking, and thinking of how agitated the horse had been earlier, she now understood.

Whoosh-whoosh-

A loud sound of wings flapping came from above. Ye Guilan looked up and saw a Flying Magical Beast, the kind she had been lucky enough to see in Central Altar City.

“Seeing Magical Beasts here isn’t such a big deal.”

Ye He said with a smile. The father and daughter walked all the way to the city gate, and the closer they got, the more Magical Beasts they saw. Various Magical Beast Mounts appeared one after another, and compared to those who arrived on foot, they were indeed much more imposing.

Most of the people riding Magical Beast Mounts wore proud expressions, looking down on those who came on foot with an air of superiority.

The price of a Magical Beast Mount is very high, not something an ordinary family can afford. Even among Fourth-Rank Families, Magical Beast Mounts are rare. Without a certain level of financial strength, it’s impossible to bear the cost of such a high-end mount.

Their gazes really do look down on people.

Ye Guilan looked at these people, then at the Magical Beasts they rode-each one crouched on the ground, eyes full of resentment.

Some of the beasts grew restless and tried to move, but a sharp tug on the reins immediately quieted them.

Ye Guilan thought of the Cloud Armor Leopard that appeared in Chunyuan Town. No wonder it caused such a sensation in the whole town-buying such a Magical Beast just to give to one’s daughter…

She turned to look at Ye He walking beside her and couldn’t help but curl her lips. Such heavy fatherly love.

Arriving at the city gate, Ye Guilan craned her neck. Such a huge gate-it surely wasn’t meant for people to walk through.

Sure enough, beside the massive city gate was a smaller door suitable for human height. The huge doors were for Magical Beasts to enter, and strict registration was required before passage was allowed.

Countless low growls and heavy breaths came from deep within the throats of the Magical Beasts. With muzzles on, many couldn’t open their mouths and could only make suppressed sounds.

Ye Guilan watched. When the shackles disappeared, the mounts would be far from being mere mounts; humans hadn’t truly tamed them.

“Hey, you!”

Someone walked over, noticing Ye Guilan hadn’t responded and went straight up to her. “Little girl, I’m talking to you.”

“What do you want?”

Ye He pulled his daughter behind him, looking at the newcomer with displeasure. The person was somewhat intimidated by Ye He’s gaze and immediately stepped back. “My lady wants this young girl to come over.”

“Who is your lady? Just because she wants my daughter to go over, my daughter has to go?”

“My lady is-”

“I don’t know any lady.”

Ye Guilan spoke up, and the father and daughter turned away, not intending to pay any attention. The newcomer seemed startled-how could these two who came on foot be so rude?

Someone sitting atop a Magical Beast Mount in the back saw this scene and sneered, making a move instantly.

A thin black shadow shot out from her wrist, aiming straight at Ye Guilan.

“Snap!”

A gust of dark wind sliced the little black shadow cleanly in two, and it fell to the ground.

A figure strode quickly out from inside the city gate, tall and eagle-eyed, a chain of spiritual energy slowly retracting into his palm.

Ye Guilan saw it-a chain?

Ye He turned and saw the small snake, split in two on the ground, its fiery red core protruding.

Ye Guilan followed his gaze-snake?
“You!”

The figure who stepped out walked straight back, raising a hand and shouting angrily, “How dare you display a Beast Ring here! If you do it again, you’ll never be allowed into Abyss Capital!”

People around all turned to look. Someone had revealed a Beast Ring-and dared to fight privately at the gate of a Third-Rank City?

Ye Guilan also looked back, and saw that person stop beside a Magical Beast. The person sitting on the Magical Beast was someone Ye Guilan was not unfamiliar with.

Was it her who made the move?

Or was it the tall girl who had repeatedly picked fights with her? Ye Guilan glanced at the Severed Snake on the ground and belatedly realized that she had been the target of the sneak attack.

She hadn’t even entered a minor sect yet, and someone had already tried to harm her.

“Father, let’s go. No need to watch the commotion.”

Ye Guilan tugged at Ye He’s sleeve, and the father and daughter turned to follow the crowd into Abyss Capital. Ye Guilan glanced back slightly, memorizing that face.

“Guilan, private fighting is strictly forbidden in Third-Rank Cities and above. Remember that.”

Ye He led her into the city, not forgetting to remind her. Ye Guilan grinned, “I don’t get many chances to come to a Third-Rank City, let alone a higher one.”

“That’s not necessarily true.”

Ye He replied with a smile, and Ye Guilan smiled as well. With Ye He’s wealth, there was nowhere he couldn’t go.

“Father, the buildings here look so sturdy.”

Ye Guilan looked at the buildings lining the street. Many were constructed as a single unit, with very little segmentation or assembly. Compared to the cities she had visited before, this place was clearly more austere, lacking excessive decoration.

Even the edges and corners of the buildings were rare, and even those were polished smooth and rounded.

There were many shops on the street specializing in selling Magical Beasts, of all sizes and types.

However, many seemed to have little practical use, serving more for viewing and play.

A whole series of Magical Beast-related shops appeared-not only selling the beasts themselves, but also offering a range of derivative services: Magical Beast medical care, Magical Beast grooming and styling, specialized mount accessories, and so on.

Back in Chunyuan Town, a single Cloud Armor Leopard could cause such a stir; here, it probably wouldn’t even attract a second glance.

Some people on the street wore Beast Rings on their wrists, of various styles. Some Beast Tamers even let their Magical Beasts out, a chain linking person and beast.

Ye Guilan took in the scene around her, feeling that the world was truly full of wonders.

This was a world completely different from what she had known before. Nothing here could be understood or measured by her previous knowledge. In this foreign world, she was like a newborn, needing to learn everything anew.

Arriving at their lodging, Ye Guilan was about to say something when Ye He patted her head. “They don’t serve Magical Beast dishes here, so you won’t have to suffer again.”

Ye Guilan let out a heavy sigh of relief. She didn’t want to be forced to wake up disgusted and run out to vomit again.

This inn was even grander than the one in Central Altar City, with a more imposing storefront. Thanks to the minor sect selection, even with more people pouring into Abyss Capital than usual, it hadn’t become as crowded as Central Altar City.

Their room was still Ye He’s standard: the presidential suite.

Father and daughter each had their own separate quarters, not disturbing each other. After dinner, they both returned to their rooms to rest.

Night fell outside, but unlike the noisy Central Altar City, here one could hear the sounds of many different beasts coming from every corner of Abyss Capital.

The minor sect selection would officially begin tomorrow. Ye Guilan sat up and took out a bottle of Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid.

Her father had said that with her current strength at Apprentice Ninth Level, she should be able to enter a minor sect. But she didn’t want to fight a battle she wasn’t sure of. Even if drinking this bottle couldn’t get her to the Spirit Gathering Level, it could still push her strength a step forward.

Sometimes, the outcome depended on that one step.

If she really failed, she’d have to wait several years for the next chance.

Although learning alchemy from her father wasn’t a bad option, she still felt she needed to enter a systematic learning environment.

Ye Guilan stared at the small bottle in her hand for a while, then popped the cap with her finger and tilted her head back to drink.

The cool, watery liquid slid down her throat, and the moment it entered her body, it quickly spread throughout her system along with her blood.

It was a breath of coolness going down, but once inside, it felt as if a fire had been ignited within her.
The flame was small, slowly warming Ye Guilan’s body as the temperature gradually rose.

Sweat started to form on Ye Guilan’s forehead. After a while, a faint layer of sweat seeped all over her body, and her head began to feel dizzy.

It felt as if she had taken a sip of strong liquor, the kind with a delayed kick.

The dizziness grew worse. Ye Guilan pinched her thigh hard, and the pain barely kept her awake, but soon sleepiness swept over her again.

One leg wasn’t enough, so she pinched both legs together.

Ye Guilan was not gentle with herself, pinching down hard, the pain forcing her to open her eyes again.

Last time, she had dozed off in a daze. This time, she wanted to stay awake and see what was wrong with her Spirit Seed-after taking in so much, why was there still no movement?

Focusing her mind inward, Ye Guilan carefully observed her own body. Countless red threads wove and connected throughout her body, all converging at a single point, located right at her lower abdomen.

A tiny, round seed lay at the point where everything converged, tightly wrapped by layer upon layer of red threads.

Looking at the small sphere wrapped in red threads, Ye Guilan couldn’t help but frown. Her Spirit Seed was so small, so why was its appetite so large?

The small seed within the red threads seemed to sense Ye Guilan’s focus and slowly began to rotate.

“Hm?”

Ye Guilan watched a while longer. Her Spirit Seed was wrapped so tightly, but did something inside just light up?

It did light up, and not only that-the Spirit Seed suddenly began spinning rapidly inside.

All the red threads were pulled forcefully closer by the high-speed spinning, and the wrapping outside the Spirit Seed grew larger and larger.

Ye Guilan watched as her Spirit Seed spun madly like a top, reeling all the red threads back in.

All the red threads were pulled back, winding themselves around the Spirit Seed, and then, a sudden burst of brilliance flashed from within!

All the red color began to be sucked inward by the Spirit Seed from the inside out.

In just a few seconds, not a drop was left.

Bang!

Some force abruptly pushed Ye Guilan’s consciousness back to herself. When she opened her eyes, she saw Ye He standing before her, his face full of worry.

His hand touched her burning, feverish cheek. “Guilan? Tell Dad, are you alright?”

“Dad, I-I’m fine…”

Ye Guilan spoke, but suddenly felt her words were a little slurred. She wanted to say more, but suddenly the howls of Magical Beasts rose one after another from outside the window.

In the usually silent night in the Abyss Capital, countless Magical Beasts began to emit low roars. Some even darted back into their Beast Rings of their own accord, while others lay flat on the ground!

The Beast Tamers had no idea what was going on and were understandably bewildered.

What was wrong with these Magical Beasts?

“What’s going on outside?”

Ye Guilan listened to the incessant beastly roars, looking at Ye He in confusion. Ye He raised his eyebrows. “I don’t know. Did you drink the Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid again?”

Ye Guilan nodded, shaking her head a little dizzily. “Dad, I’m telling you, my Spirit Seed’s appetite is enormous. It just swallowed a whole bottle of Primordial Spirit Nurturing Liquid…”

Ye He helped her lie down, feeling her face again. “You drank too much too quickly. Get some sleep.”

Ye Guilan nodded groggily, but the endless howling of the Magical Beasts outside made it impossible for her to fall asleep, her brows tightly knitted as she tossed and turned.

Ye He pressed his thin lips together, helped her close the window, and left the room.

A few seconds later, the sounds of all the Magical Beasts vanished.

Several Spirit Manifestation Level experts in Abyss Capital were so shocked they got up and rushed out of their homes.

“Did you feel that?”

A few Spirit Manifestation Level experts who ran into each other exchanged glances. “Was that an Illusory Spirit Expert?”

“It only lasted a blink, but that kind of spiritual energy fluctuation… It must have been an Illusory Spirit Expert.”

“The Magical Beasts’ roars all stopped.”

The Spirit Manifestation Level experts looked around in silence.

That was definitely an Illusory Spirit aura just now. Although it only lasted for a brief moment, they were certain they had not been mistaken.

How could Abyss Capital, a Third-Rank City, possibly be visited by an Illusory Spirit Expert?