Vol 5 Chapter 103: Shattered Dao Heart
Beast Master Sect.
After announcing his role in hosting the Beast Taming Grand Competition, Lin Jing had anticipated visits from old acquaintances. "Gao Sheng, perhaps?"
During this period, he hadn't returned to Immortal Prison Mountain but remained at the Beast Master Sect. The Wood-attribute Pine Leaf Mouse and Dragon Carp hadn't been home for a long time either—this sect was their true homeland.
"Wang Xiao came too? And brought his son with the Immortal Physique?" Lin Jing was surprised. If he remembered correctly, Wang Xiao's son possessed the "Qiankun Immortal Physique," capable of reversing yin and yang, overturning heaven and earth—a rather outstanding physique among immortal constitutions. Though far inferior to Chaos or Wuji Physiques, it was still remarkable, not ordinary by any means.
To father such a son could be considered Wang Xiao's incredible luck. However, Lin Jing thought having the boy apprentice under the Second Ancient Emperor was a terrible move.
"That fool. He should've just sent his son to the Beast Master Sect."
Lin Jing had always known Wang Xiao wasn't the brightest, truly. But he also understood the Second Ancient Emperor would never allow such a scenario. Likely, the moment Wang Xiao's son was born, the emperor had descended upon them. Faced with an imperial apprenticeship offer, could the Wang family in the Ancient Kingdom possibly refuse?
"Apprenticed to the Ancient Emperor yet didn't learn the True Dragon Secret Arts, but instead cultivates the Beast Taming Art? Then why not just send him to the Beast Master Sect?" Lin Jing's divine consciousness swept over Beast Master City as he rolled his eyes in realization—the Second Ancient Emperor wanted this Wang Che to revisit the Origin Realm in his stead.
Lin Jing glanced at the Star Longevity Crane beside him. "You may leave now.""Then I'll go find the Sect Master's wife," the crane muttered. While the Pine Leaf Mouse and Dragon Carp treated the sect like home, the Star Longevity Crane still felt somewhat restrained here, never daring to wander freely.
However, during a banquet hosted by Sect Leader Xu Xiaoyao and his wife for Lin Jing, the crane—being of the same species as the sect master's wife—had won her affection. The woman had engaged it in warm conversation, allowing the crane to experience familial comfort again, something it couldn't find in Lin Jing's den of demons.
Aside from practicing Time Dao with Lin Jing, the crane now most enjoyed visiting the sect master's wife during leisure time to hear tales of her and the sect master's romance.
"Indeed, time's gentleness erodes hatred," Lin Jing murmured, watching the crane depart. The once vengeance-obsessed fallen princess had finally begun acting more normally. Lin Jing preferred this development—while constant hatred might drive the crane to train harder, such single-minded focus was ultimately unhealthy.
Having the sect master's wife look after the crane had actually been Lin Jing's covert request. Avenging itself against the Heavenly Demon Sect and Blood Prison Demon God wasn't something the crane could achieve alone, no matter how hard it trained. Constant tension would only hinder its cultivation.
Lin Jing understood the crane's vengeance ultimately depended on his own strength as its Beast Master. Rather than pushing the crane relentlessly, he'd do better to focus on his own advancement. Though he often teased the crane about its age, for its species, twenty-some years was equivalent to a human newborn. Healing childhood trauma took priority.
Soon after, Gao Sheng, Wang Xiao, and Wang Che were welcomed into the sect by Lin Jing, who served them premium tea brought from the Origin Realm, personally hosting these two former classmates.
"Long time no see."
Gao Sheng, being more familiar with Lin Jing, was less reserved, whereas Wang Xiao truly hadn't seen Lin Jing since the latter was teleported to Qingzhou.
"Brother Gao, Brother Wang." The sect master chuckled. "Brother Wang, you've really fathered quite the remarkable son."
"Thanks to Master Cao Ziwei—he even introduced me to the boy's mother," Wang Che added sentimentally.
"Truly the legendary Wife-Blessing Master Cao!" The three shared a laugh over inside jokes only academy alumni would understand, instantly bridging years of separation.
"Che'er, greet Uncle Lin," Wang Che instructed. His Qiankun Immortal Physique son Wang Che had been studying Lin Jing intently, yet after prolonged observation could only determine the man was merely a Nascent Soul Transformation Stage grand completion cultivator with slightly superior physicality, spiritual power, vitality, and divine consciousness compared to ordinary peers.
"Uncle Lin." Though itching for a challenge, the younger Wang Che recognized this wasn't the occasion.
"Alright then." Being addressed as "uncle" felt oddly unsettling to Lin Jing—even "senior" hadn't made him feel aged, but this title carried undeniable temporal weight.
"Since you called me uncle, I must present a meeting gift." Lin Jing produced a jade case which startled the recipient.
"A wisp of immortal energy. Should you journey to the Origin Realm, this will prove invaluable," Lin Jing explained with a smile.
"This is too generous!" Wang Xiao exclaimed, astonished. Their friendship hardly warranted such a gift—even Question Dao cultivators would struggle to obtain immortal energy!
"Damn, immortal energy?!" Gao Sheng stared at Wang Che, suddenly realizing Lin Jing must be overflowing with such treasures.
"Accept it," Lin Jing said. "At your current strength, challenging me is premature. Use this to improve first."
He'd sensed the Qiankun Immortal Physique's hidden combativeness and understood—after all, he'd beaten Wang Xiao countless times. Fathers inevitably pass such sentiments to sons.
"Thank you, Uncle Lin!" Wang Che inhaled deeply, unable to resist the immortal energy's allure, though confliction still showed in his eyes.
"My apologies for failing to restrain my battle intent."
"Yet having grown up hearing legends about Senior Lin from my father and others... I still wish to understand the gap between us." Having accepted the gift, Wang Che moderated his challenge from victory-seeking to gap-measuring.
"You're as stubborn as your father!" Gao Sheng groaned, though he understood—having dominated Tianyuan uncontested, the innate immortal physique naturally bred such confidence. Wang Xiao too had refused to believe until Lin Jing repeatedly proved otherwise.
"Hmm..." Facing Wang Che's gaze, Lin Jing hesitated. Bullying juniors wasn't his style—this felt unfair.
Just then, Lin Jing sensed something and smiled. "If you wish to challenge me, first defeat another. Like you, they recently switched to the Beast Taming Art—with my assistance. We'll follow Grand Competition rules."
"Who?"
"Me." Gu Qianqiu entered Lin Jing's reception hall, summoned immediately upon arriving in Beast Master City.
Who?!
Gao Sheng and Wang Xiao's minds blanked momentarily upon seeing her—their memories held no impression of Gu Qianqiu.
This was understandable. After escaping the Heavenly Lion Clan, she'd trained exclusively in Lin Jing's territory. Though captain of the Demon Capture Squad, she rarely took field missions, usually dispatching Mosquito Woman instead.
While Lin Jing and Gu Qianqiu's rampage through the Heavenly Lion Clan had been legendary, her subsequent disappearance led most to assume she'd perished from lifespan depletion after using the Heavenly Demon Physique.
"She is Gu Qianqiu."
"The name may be unfamiliar."
"But her story might ring bells."
"A century ago, we stormed the Heavenly Lion Clan together." Lin Jing smiled faintly.
Gao Sheng and Wang Xiao instantly stiffened.
The former Longevity Physique wielder? The Heavenly Lion Saintess?!
She'd... reached Nascent Soul Transformation Stage cultivation?
And also switched to the Beast Taming Art?
Wasn't this essentially a female version of Lin Jing?
"Who...?" Unlike his contemporaries, the younger Wang Che—though rapidly reaching Nascent Soul Transformation Stage through his physique's advantages—lacked worldly experience, having never left the Ancient Kingdom. Lin Jing's legends were numerous, and the Heavenly Lion Clan incident starring Saintess Gu Qianqiu wasn't among those he'd heard.
"Daoist Gu."
Wang Xiao and Gao Sheng cupped their fists respectfully. Though older, with equivalent cultivation, they treated her as a peer.
"Greetings." Gu Qianqiu remained icy toward anyone but Lin Jing.
She eyed the challenger. "You wish to fight him?"
"A mere Qiankun Immortal Physique isn't enough. Youth shouldn't overreach."
"I'd like to try. Please instruct me." Wang Che didn't understand Lin Jing's intent.
He could accept others doubting him against Lin Jing—after all, the man had suppressed Postnatal Immortal Physique cultivator Gu Xinghe in the Origin Realm, defeated numerous innate immortal physiques, and possessed Heavenly Demon and Longevity Physiques capable of rivaling Question Dao experts.
But this unknown Gu Qianqiu—did Lin Jing truly believe she could defeat his Qiankun Immortal Physique? Skeptical, Wang Che decided to test her as instructed.
"The back mountain will do." Lin Jing chuckled, curious to see Gu Qianqiu's progress with the Corpse Control Secret Art.
............
"Please instruct me."
Wang Che: Qiankun Immortal Physique, mid-stage Nascent Soul Transformation.
Gu Qianqiu: Longevity Physique, early-stage Nascent Soul Transformation.
Both cultivated the Beast Taming Art, though Wang Che practiced the Dragon Taming Art—a modified version from the Second Ancient Emperor allowing contracts with conceptual beings like Fortune Dragons alongside ordinary demonic beasts.
Gu Qianqiu used Lin Jing's version. For Beast Taming geniuses entering the Origin Realm, Lin Jing would need to teach them the variant allowing spirit contracts—otherwise his plan to bring Origin Realm spirits to Tianyuan would fail.
"Who'll win?" Gao Sheng asked Wang Xiao.
"Obviously my Che'er!" Wang Xiao scoffed. "Lin Jing being stronger, I accept. But surely not every Longevity Physique cultivator matches him! Innate immortal physiques can challenge Void Mystical Stage opponents!"
"Really?" Gao Sheng picked his nose dubiously. Would Lin Jing arrange this just to watch Gu Qianqiu lose?
Yet he too wondered how she could possibly win.
Lin Jing had specified Grand Competition rules—only beast-related techniques permitted. Heavenly Demon Physique abilities were banned. Without them, what advantage did Gu Qianqiu's Longevity Physique offer? Gao Sheng couldn't imagine.
"Five Dragons Ascend!" Wang Che opened by summoning five Nascent Soul Transformation-level Fortune Dragons—their aura surpassing even ancestral-bloodline dragons at equal cultivation, their power unimaginable.
Moreover, they carried his physique's power to reverse heaven and earth, invert yin and yang.
"My Qiankun Immortal Physique transfers disadvantages to enemies and steals their advantages. I've shared this power with my dragons, granting them pseudo-physiques."
Wang Che spoke confidently—with this boon, his dragons could instantly transfer injuries to foes. He saw no path to defeat.
Facing such confidence, Gu Qianqiu merely sighed and summoned Sheng E's corpse...
"ROAR!!!!"
A black dragon's head emerged from spatial ripples. Its single roar toward the Fortune Dragons exploded like heaven's collapse. Wang Che's face paled as the terrifying demonic roar shattered both the dragons and their physique-enhanced power, blasting him away.
Amid the black wind, Wang Che's mind reeled. The colossal dragon corpse defied comprehension.
"What...is that?"
How could anything instantly disperse Fortune Dragons enhanced by Qiankun power? Stunned beyond measure, the undefeated Qiankun Immortal Physique wielder crashed through a mountain.
His personal physique—stronger than his pets'—instantly transferred damage back to Sheng E's corpse. But when Wang Che emerged from rubble, he saw mere scratches on the corpse—not even proper wounds.
This meant that devastating attack had been insignificant—incapable of breaching defenses yet lethally effective against him!
Though unharmed thanks to Qiankun power, staring at Gu Qianqiu standing calmly beside her draconic corpse, Wang Che found himself at a loss, his Dao heart fracturing.
This woman...was outrageously strong.
Perhaps stronger than Senior Sister Youran.
Even Gao Sheng and Wang Xiao stood dumbfounded, bewildered by the black dragon's nature.
A monster?
What demonic beast could suppress an immortal physique? Ridiculous!
Where had Gu Qianqiu contracted such a creature?
"Continue?" Lin Jing smiled. "This black dragon was once a Heavenly Demon Sect Sacred Son I slew in the Origin Realm. Each of its bloodlines nearly matches so-called immortal physiques—and it possesses several such powers."
"I..." Wang Che trembled. This was a Heavenly Demon Sect Sacred Son? As the Ancient Emperor's disciple, he knew the sect caused the ascension channel's closure—prime culprit behind the lower realm's turmoil, a supreme force across worlds. And such an entity had become...a pet?
Was this how the Beast Taming Art worked?