Reborn As A Phoenix With Beast Taming System

Shanguang's tears began to bead on the corner of her eyes. But, she immediately swept them away. She refused to be a crybaby anymore. Besides, her father's death was not something that meant to be lamented over.

After she controlled her emotions, she opened her mouth.

"Are you wondering why my father was easily defeated by a weak Immortal Beast?"

Ash was surprised by her quick wit. She analyzed what he wanted to know from a simple question.

"You can say so, yes."

"Well, it all began when my mother was taken away by humans a few winters ago. Her whereabouts have been unknown since then. Henceforth, my father and I journeyed to the east, hoping to find a new home, away from any human. Alas, his grievance took the better of him. I knew that father was lamenting, he couldn't help but to dream about mother's gruesome fate in the hands of humans every night. Yet I chose to overlook it, I thought, time would help him heal the wounded heart."

"I see…"

Shanguang rested on her legs. "But you know what? When my mother was still around, he was very strong! Every Immortal Beast in the west called him Guang Hu! The Lightning Tiger! He protects our mountains, providing the ordinary animals with bountiful harvest and abundant games to prey on every winter!"

"Is that so? Your father used to be very strong back then, huh?"

Shanguang nodded. "He might be able to fend off the humans who took mother away. Alas, I was also there, I can't do anything either. If only I wasn't born yet, my mother might be alive today."

"Don't say that…" Ash caressed her ear. "Your parents did the right thing. There's no parents who wish for their child to die before them. Be grateful."

"I am, Master! I will not fail them!"

"That's the spirit!"

"Anyway… What is the next training, Master? I want to learn new moves!"

Ash shook his head. "Next practice is rest whilst cultivating Qi in your half-sleep state. Do you aware about the existence of Qi in this realm?"

Shanguang tilted her head again. She didn't understand what he was trying to imply. "Speaking of which, my father also mentioned how to cultivate Qi energy from the Qi Vein when he was alive. He said, Cultivators grew stronger by cultivating this energy, but he never told me how to do it."

"That'll do."

Ash scanned the Storage Ring with his mind, searching for a herb that has a moderate amount of Yang Qi inside. After a moment, he summoned the [Ephemeral Flame Rose] out of the ring.

"Here, for you. Try to feel the Yang Qi, and tell me the true shape of the flower."

Shanguang's eyes were rounded. "Wow, it's so beautiful. I don't know what it is, but I can tell it's a very rare flower. Are you sure you gave me this precious item?"

"Of course. Anything for my disciple."

"But… What do you mean by its true shape? It looks like just a regular herb for me."

Her festive mood soon turned into confusion when she didn't know how to perceive the Immortal Herb's true form which was veiled by the Yang Qi.

"That's your training, Xiao Shan. Call me when you're done. I will cultivate elsewhere, a bit further away so you can focus on cultivating the Yang Qi in the flower."

"Err, okay. But, how…"

"Well, why don't you ask the flower to reveal its true shape?"

"Wait what?!"

"That's all from me. You need to figure it out yourself!"

Afterward, Ash left her on her own. It would be meaningless if he ought to dote on her every time. He then opted to his favourite spot to cultivate atop the tallest tree in this region.

The wind blew every strand of his feathers gently as if there were countless invisible hands caressing him. Above him, the vast expanse of cloudless, full moon sky was littered with stars and galaxies. Ash couldn't ask for a better moment than this. Soon, he entered an equilibrium state where his consciousness became one with the world.

However, his peaceful cultivation session was abruptly halted when he heard an echo of a crying Immortal Beast from afar. He was even surprised when he could hear their distressed voices more clearly from the height. According to his basic understanding, sounds travel slower amidst the low air pressure environment. Has his general senses become more sensitive?

Ash immediately averted his thoughts.

"No, it wasn't my ear which caught those noises. It's the tree! The tree used its Qi energy to transmit the distress call straight into my mind!"

"How is it possible? No. Why would the tree alert me in such manners?"

Ash tried to ignore the distress call, but the tree kept urging him to come to the rescue.

"Tskh! Fine! Stop crying, God damnit! I will head there!"

Since his precious Tamed Beast was so engrossed in learning how to cultivate, he decided to fly there to have a quick look of what was happening. Before he left, however, Ash drew a simple illustration on the tree bark to inform Shanguang that he went hunting. Just in case she would be searching for him.

Several hours and a few thousands miles later, Ash had arrived at the very edge of human's frontier. Not so far below him, there was a sizable walled city amidst the vast meadow landscapes. Five pagodas looming imposingly above the ordinary housings. Cultivator's Pagoda!

Circling around the city's premises, Ash spotted a huge stag being pulled by hundreds of infantrymen with ropes and chains.

"One, two, pull!" The infantrymen chanted in unison, determined to bring the Stag past the city gate.

"No way! It's an adult Autumn Wolf Stag!" Ash squinted his eyes, he was shocked upon finding out that the Autumn Stag was a Celestial Rank Immortal Beast!

He learnt from Huxian that every human's settlement that was governed by cultivators has a powerful Formation Array to fend off any form of invasion. However, if an Immortal Beast entered the city by force, it would be as good as dead!