Chapter 23: Celestial Beast

Daoist Longshan took the Ice Silkworm Strength, skimmed through it quickly, and a look of admiration appeared in his eyes.

"The predecessor who created the Ice Silkworm Strength was indeed an unparalleled genius. It is a pity it only has the first three layers; otherwise, it would be slightly superior to the layered strength techniques you all practice."

Hearing Daoist Longshan's evaluation, Ye Qinghe could not help but be startled, realizing she had underestimated this Ice Silkworm Strength.

A sense of regret inevitably welled up in her heart.

However, Daoist Longshan did not dwell on the Ice Silkworm Strength, but instead asked another question.

"What you just said—that this white ape swallowed a red fruit—describe the characteristics of that red fruit in detail."

Daoist Longshan's expression turned somewhat solemn.

Seeing this, Ye Qinghe did not dare to be negligent and immediately described the appearance of the red fruit.

"It had a bright color, a dark yellow stem, and was perfectly round in shape..."

Although she had only held the red fruit for a few breaths, with Ye Qinghe's memory, she was still able to recall it completely.

Moreover, that red fruit did indeed look extraordinary.

She could not help but ask curiously

"Master, do you know what kind of strange object this red fruit is?"

Daoist Longshan frowned slightly

"It resembles the legendary Vermillion Fruit, but the Vermillion Fruit can reshape one's bones and cleanse the marrow. If what you say is true and this white ape ate more than one Vermillion Fruit, its strength would certainly not be weak; I fear you might not even be its match. It is unlikely that the red fruit is the legendary Vermillion Fruit."

"The Vermillion Fruit can enlighten wisdom, yet the white ape's strength is only that of an ordinary beast. This is truly strange."

He then shook his head.

"In this vast world, all sorts of wonders exist. What kind of strange fruit it is is not important. Since this little ape has obtained it, it is its destiny. You two must maintain a correct mindset and must not harbor delusions."

Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe straightened their expressions and said respectfully

"Disciples thank Master for his guidance."

The Zhenwu Sect had always been this way; its disciples practiced chivalry and righteousness, never engaging in banditry or senseless slaughter.

Daoist Longshan nodded with satisfaction. He was very confident in the character of his disciples. He beckoned to the white ape.

The white ape first looked at Ning Qi nervously, and after seeing the encouragement in his eyes, it walked respectfully to Daoist Longshan, knelt on the ground to kowtow, and bowed repeatedly.

Daoist Longshan stroked his beard and laughed

"Indeed, its spirituality is extraordinary."

He asked solemnly

"White Ape, let me ask you: are you willing to join my Zhenwu Sect? You must know that after entering the Zhenwu Sect, you must not act recklessly or commit acts of violence!"

Daoist Longshan's voice was thunderous and carried immense authority.

The white ape was overjoyed.

It nodded repeatedly.

It was a hair's breadth away from shouting, "This disciple is willing!"

Seeing the white ape receive his master's approval, Ning Qi and Ye Qinghe exchanged smiles.

Daoist Longshan looked over

"Xiao Jiu, since you brought the white ape back, let it live with you from now on so you can look after each other."

His thoughts were similar to Ye Qinghe's; having such a spiritual white ape accompany his young disciple was better than the boy practicing in solitude every day.

"Disciple accepts your command."

"Since the little monkey has also joined our Zhenwu Sect, why don't we give him a name?" Ye Qinghe suggested.

"Very well," Daoist Longshan nodded. "Since the white ape wants to follow Xiao Jiu, let Xiao Jiu choose the name."

Ning Qi did not decline.

After pondering for a moment, he looked at the white ape and said

"Since you belong to the ape clan, we shall use 'Yuan' as your surname. You travel the mountains and forests alone, unique and unparalleled, and possess many unforeseen opportunities, as if nurtured by heaven and earth. How about the name Yuan Tiansheng?"

As his voice fell.

While Daoist Longshan and Ye Qinghe were still savoring the meaning of the name, the white ape's pupils dilated in excitement. Had the occasion been different, it would have started rolling and jumping around, but even so, its restless scratching and fidgeting betrayed its mood.

Clearly, the white ape was extremely satisfied with the name.

All three were smiling.

Ning Qi suddenly said

"I have a question I wish to ask Master."

"When Senior Sister and I entered the mountains this time, we encountered many exotic beasts. Among them, the strong could rival the Inner Yuan Realm, while the weak were not even at the Bone Refining Realm. Why is there such a massive gap in the strength of these exotic beasts? Do they have cultivation methods?"

Although the Scripture Pavilion contained records regarding exotic beasts, they were not comprehensive.

Daoist Longshan glanced at the white ape and then said

"The origins of exotic beasts are no longer traceable; there are only rumors. It is said that in the beginning, a portion of the beast species, through fortuitous chance, received the favor of heaven and earth. From then on, they could directly use the power of heaven and earth to temper their bodies, and could even command the power of heaven and earth; they were called Heavenly Beasts."

"But the karma of being favored by heaven and earth is too great, and it is not easy to bear it. It seems some change occurred in between, leading to a backlash, and Heavenly Beasts gradually ceased to exist."

"After that came the era of exotic beasts. It is said that all exotic beasts possess the bloodline of Heavenly Beasts."

"Exotic beasts do not possess the innate high intelligence of our human race. Although their starting point is higher, they do not have the progressive cultivation methods that we humans possess. Their path to strength is to excavate the Heavenly Beast bloodline within their bodies until they reach its limit."

This was the first time Ning Qi had heard such a theory, and his eyes filled with astonishment.

Heavenly Beasts could actually use the power of heaven and earth to temper themselves directly. This starting point was far, far higher than that of humans; after all, humans could only resonate with the power of heaven and earth once they reached the Heaven-Man Realm.

"So, whether an exotic beast is powerful depends entirely on the strength of the bloodline within its body?"

"Correct. For example, the Iron-Armed Ape you encountered before—at its limit, it could at most rival a Body Tempering martial artist, unless it possessed other ancient bloodlines. However, in the Hundred Rivers Lake of the Great Yan Empire, there is a Flood Dragon Lord whose bloodline is extremely top-tier. It has already become a formidable force, and even Heaven-Man Realm experts dare not provoke it lightly."

The white ape listened with rapt attention, though it felt a bit melancholy. It felt that it probably didn't have any powerful bloodline, but after eating a few red fruits, it was understanding more and more.

Daoist Longshan looked at the white ape and said

"However, logically speaking, there is no special difference between humans and other beast species. The reason the human race has a path of cultivation is that generations of ancestors attempted to create it. If a beast species were to possess great wisdom, perhaps they could also create cultivation methods suitable for them."

"It is just that the physical structures of every beast species are different, which makes it very difficult."

The white ape's eyes instantly lit up, a sliver of hope rising in its heart.

Ning Qi understood even more clearly.

It wasn't that beast species could not cultivate, but that they lacked the corresponding methods.

"Beast species" was merely a collective term. For instance, if the snake species wanted to create a cultivation method suitable for them, they would need snakes capable of birthing incredible wisdom to pave the way generation after generation, just as humans had done.

But one could tell how difficult that would be. It was already difficult for snakes to develop intelligence, let alone great wisdom, and it would require the efforts of countless generations. By the time they succeeded, it might be a hundred thousand or a million years in the future.

Ning Qi shook his head slightly in his heart.

"However, apes are close to humans. Even if their physical structures are different, they can borrow and adjust human martial arts, making the difficulty much lower."

"For me, it can also serve as a way to cross-verify."

At this thought, Ning Qi already had an idea. He bowed and said

"Thank you, Master, for clearing my doubts."

He felt that he still needed to grow; no matter how strong his comprehension was, he still needed to continuously accumulate experience.