「One month later.」

The selection for servant disciples was announced.

Numerous servant disciples rushed to sign up, including many old-timers at the Qi Refining Sixth and Seventh Layers who had yet to advance to the Outer Sect.

For those servant disciples who were already in their seventies or eighties, every selection was a precious opportunity. They believed their previous failures were due to a lack of ruthlessness, and now they needed to be even more ferocious—much more ferocious.

Only then could they stand out in the arena and become Outer Disciples. Having felt regret countless times, their hearts had now gradually become resolute.

"Senior Brother Zhuang, are you participating in the selection?"

A servant disciple in the courtyard cried out in surprise, and only then did the others around them notice that Zhuang Yan was already at the Qi Refining Fifth Heaven, qualifying him for the selection.

"When did Senior Brother Zhuang break through so quietly!"

"Ah, it looks like Senior Brother Zhuang is going to leave us!"

"Don’t forget about us when you make it big!"

"Hehe, Senior Brother Zhuang, after you become an Outer Disciple, remember to look out for us."

Zhuang Yan met their fawning with a faint smile and said, "It’s still not certain whether I’ll be able to advance."

"If it’s you, Senior Brother Zhuang, there’s definitely no problem!"

"Yeah, yeah!"

"By the way, is Senior Brother Yu participating too?"

"He signed up a few days ago. I hope he doesn’t run into Senior Brother Zhuang in the arena matches, or it’ll be trouble."

"Haha, thousands of servant disciples participate in the selection every year. It’s not that easy to run into each other."

"Out of thousands of servant disciples, only a hundred will be chosen in the end. I wonder when I’ll ever become an Outer Disciple."

"Don’t be discouraged. Look at Senior Brother Zhuang, he’s been grinding it out for over four years. Our turn will come sooner or later."

"Speaking of which, Senior Brother Yu is pretty terrifying, managing to qualify in just one year. It’s great to have a benefactor’s help, huh? Say, you guys think that after Senior Brother Yu becomes an Outer Disciple, the work in the Spirit Chicken Garden will fall to us?"

"In your dreams!"

Amidst a wave of laughter, over at the Spirit Chicken Garden...

Yu Changsheng finished feeding the last chicken and gained another 135 Essence.

Just then, Steward Chang rushed over from outside. Seeing him, he immediately called out, "Changsheng!"

"I heard you’re also participating in the Sect’s selection?"

As the Blue-robed Stewards of Outer Peak Number Ten, Steward Chang and Steward Wang obviously knew how many servant disciples from their peak had signed up.

Yu Changsheng answered truthfully, "Yes. Only by becoming an Outer Disciple can I grow better."

"But... but you only just reached the Qi Refining Fifth Layer, and you chose to be a Beast Master! Don’t you know that every year, many servant disciples participating in the selection die in the arena? You’re so weak! What if you get hurt and die up there?! Listen to my advice and stay here to help me feed the chickens. I’ll even give you an extra five Lower Grade Spirit Stones every month!" Steward Chang said anxiously.

Ever since Yu Changsheng arrived, they had been able to raise one Spirit Chicken King every month. Moreover, the other Spirit Chickens were getting fatter, and their reproduction rate had increased significantly.

Because of this, he had received praise from Junior Martial Uncle Han, and his Sect Contribution points had risen quite a bit. That was why he was so reluctant to let Yu Changsheng go.

But Yu Changsheng’s mind was made up. He said, "This disciple wishes to enter the Beast Taming Peak as soon as possible and learn their Magic, so I cannot back down."

Hearing this, Steward Chang sighed inwardly, a little disappointed.

Just then, Yu Changsheng suddenly smiled. "But the Beast Taming Peak is very close to the Spirit Chicken Garden here. This disciple can still come by often to take care of the Spirit Chickens, so Steward Chang need not worry."

"You’re saying... you won’t leave the Spirit Chicken Garden?" Steward Chang asked, pleasantly surprised.

Yu Changsheng smiled and nodded.

The daily Essence income from the Spirit Chicken Garden was substantial, and feeding them wasn’t time-consuming or difficult. He could still manage it.

Receiving this definitive answer, Steward Chang was instantly relieved. He laughed and said, "That’s great. The offer for the extra Spirit Stones still stands, as long as the monthly output of Spirit Chickens and Spirit Chicken Kings remains the same."

"If your studies on the Beast Taming Peak are successful and you can increase production, I’ll even ask for a reward for you from Junior Martial Uncle Han."

"However, there are quite a few old-timers among the servant disciples in this selection. Don’t be fooled just because they’re at the Qi Refining Sixth or Seventh Layers and haven’t advanced yet. Sometimes, it’s just because they’re too old and were passed over. In terms of methods, they are by no means inferior to others. You must be careful. If things look impossible, surrender early!"

"Thank you, Steward Chang. This disciple understands," Yu Changsheng replied respectfully.

"Good. I’ll be there to watch on the day of the selection. You must be careful."

Steward Chang added another worried reminder before finally leaving.

After he left, Yu Changsheng went outside the Spirit Chicken Garden and, as usual, summoned the Red Snake King and the Iron Carving King to begin their combat training.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Watching the magnificent battle before him, a scene of shattered rocks flying everywhere, Yu Changsheng’s heart settled considerably.

In the eyes of others, Beast Masters were very weak when facing opponents of the same tier, but that was because others couldn’t afford to raise their beasts properly.

But he had a Tier One Seventh Layer Red Snake King and a Tier One Fifth Layer Iron Carving King, both capable of various attack patterns. He was confident that with their combined might, he could even defeat a cultivator at the Qi Refining Peak. How could anyone call a Beast Master like that frail?

’Other Beast Masters are weak because they’re incompetent. That doesn’t mean I am.’

’Anyone who underestimates a Beast Master... hehehe.’ Yu Changsheng chuckled aloud.

When the battle ended, he took out a piece of Tier One Demon Beast Meat to reward the Red Snake King and the Iron Carving King before recalling them into his Inner Realm.

As of now, his Essence total had surpassed a staggering ten thousand points.

[Name: Yu Changsheng]

[Realm: Qi Refining Fifth Heaven]

[Physique: Spirit Beast Affinity]

[Cultivation Technique: Chang Chun Technique (Proficient 5/10,000), Refining God Technique (Mastery 155/100,000), Beast Taming Technique (Proficient 10/10,000), Three-coin Fire Refining Technique (Proficient 1,802/10,000)]

[Magic: Fireball Skill (Mastery 320/10,000), Wind Travel Skill (Mastery 50/10,000), Wood Shield Skill (Mastery 50/10,000), Rainwalking Skill (Introduction 10/100)]

[Skills: Tier One Spirit Plant (5/1,000), Tier Two Alchemy Dao (643/50,000)]

[Spirit Pet: Red Snake King, Iron Carving King]

[Remaining Essence: 11,350]

He was tempted to use these ten thousand-plus Essence points. Recalling the Fireball Skill used by the Golden Core True Master Mu Chengping a month ago made him even more eager to put points into his own Fireball Skill.

But how strong would a Fireball Skill at the Minor Achievement level be? He wasn’t sure, and he didn’t know if it was worth spending ten thousand Essence Value on.

That’s why he had hesitated until now. Having saved up so much Essence with great difficulty, Yu Changsheng was still reluctant to use it.

His current strength was already quite formidable within the Qi Refining Stage, so there was no urgent need to improve further. Once he became an Outer Disciple of the Beast Taming Peak, he would have many more Magic techniques and beasts to spend his Essence on.

And so, Yu Changsheng returned to his wooden cabin. After resting for a day, he received a message from his master, Gongsun Yang.

"As your master, I am about to enter seclusion to break through to Foundation Establishment. You can use this Ten Thousand Gods Pill in a moment of crisis. It will save your life."

In the Alchemy Hall, Gongsun Yang handed a golden Elixir to Yu Changsheng and instructed him.

"Thank you, Master," Yu Changsheng said, bowing gratefully.

"Mm, go on. Let your junior brother know as well." Gongsun Yang closed his eyes and began to cultivate his qi and spirit, waiting for the optimal moment to break through.

After leaving the room, Yu Changsheng ran into Tang Xing, who happened to be outside.

After the two exchanged greetings, Tang Xing saw him off with a beaming smile.

"I wish you the best of luck, Senior Brother."

’Don’t you go dying too early. Your junior brother here has prepared a big surprise for you!’

As the figure grew more distant, a smile crept onto the corners of Tang Xing’s lips.