You Cultivate, I Farm

Chapter 366: The End of Cultivation

From the information gathered, it was clear that the Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger wasn't as violently agitated as it appeared on the surface. This was all a facade it put on.

The reason for this was to avoid showing any signs of being tamed, thereby avoiding being assigned to guard the sect's critical locations.

During the taming process, it occasionally displayed a wild and untamable demeanor, even adopting an aggressive stance at times.

However, it always managed to strike a perfect balance in its behavior. It acted normally during Lu Xuan's training sessions, only showing its aggressive side afterwards.

If it had actually attacked Lu Xuan during the taming process, it would have faced severe punishment, or even death.

Its post-training stubbornness allowed it to maintain its untamed appearance without facing punishment, thus remaining in the taming phase indefinitely.

"In a nutshell, it's deliberately extending its training period to avoid work," Lu Xuan summarized succinctly.

"Unfortunately, this Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger seems to misunderstand the nature of its job."

"Guarding the sect's key locations may be somewhat boring, but it's a job many cultivators and demonic beasts envy."

"With a stable work environment, no concerns for safety, access to pure and rich spiritual energy, free supply of various spiritual fruits and demonic beast meat, full benefits, and simple tasks, it's indeed a fortunate position."

"Unaware of the blessings within."

Understanding the underlying reason for the Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger's behavior, Lu Xuan decided to find a way to correct it.

Days passed, and he led more than ten young beasts through a taming course designed to recognize various pieces of information.

By identifying the nature of spiritual power, the robes worn, and identity badges, they could roughly determine the origins of cultivators to prevent accidentally harming disciples of the Sky Sword Sect in the future.

"Junior Brother Lu, how has the taming of the spiritual beasts progressed in the past few days?"

Upon returning to the stone hall, Lu Xuan encountered a middle-aged cultivator with an ordinary appearance.

The middle-aged cultivator, at the mid-stage of Foundation Establishment, raised several spiritual beasts in other areas and had been taming them for quite some time, with those beasts now capable of standing on their own.

"It's Elder Brother Xiong. The taming is going smoothly for the most part, but there are a few young beasts that are causing me some trouble. They either don't listen or fail to understand my intentions," Lu Xuan sighed, sharing his frustrations.

"Does that include the Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger?"

"To my knowledge, that young beast was previously attempted to be tamed by other brothers and sisters. It usually behaves, but often becomes violently agitated, making it quite the slick operator among the sect's young beasts."

The middle-aged cultivator replied with a hint of sympathy in his eyes.

"But it's just a mischievous creature. I refuse to believe I can't subdue it," Lu Xuan stated confidently.

"Hahaha, then I wish Junior Brother Lu all the best," the middle-aged cultivator laughed, seemingly unconvinced, before departing.

Back in the stone hall, Lu Xuan's thoughts wandered.

Over the past few days, he had been using conventional methods to tame the more than ten young beasts. This approach worked well for most, including the one with the lowest spiritual intelligence, a hybrid Lion-Bird Beast.

However, the Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger remained stubborn, occasionally challenging Lu Xuan with an attitude impervious to persuasion.

"If you don't want to live a good life and prefer to create trouble, then I'll have to change my taming methods," he thought to himself.

The next day, he took some time to visit the Scripture Pavilion and returned to the stone hall after half a day.

"Come here, I have something interesting for you today," he greeted the Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger in its enclosure, with a smile.

"Hmph!" the tiger snorted, emitting a silver-white breath and reluctantly approached Lu Xuan.

Maintaining his smile, Lu Xuan took out two Water Mirror Talismans from his storage bag.

"I know you don't want to stay in the sect, guarding some critical location day after day, doing the same monotonous tasks. You crave freedom."

"But have you ever thought about what awaits you if you continue this way?"

He channeled a strand of spiritual power into a Water Mirror Talisman.

A giant Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger, seven to eight zhang long, appeared in the mirror, lifelike and clearly visible.

Water Mirror Talismans could imprint and store images for a certain duration. After searching through the Scripture Pavilion for half a day, Lu Xuan finally found two pieces of footage he needed.

Seeing its predecessor for a moment, the previously restless young Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger suddenly stopped moving, staring intently at the clear mirror

.

"When the sect invests a lot of time and resources in you, and you fail to demonstrate the value of a protective spirit beast, there are only two possible outcomes for you."

"Either you're killed to recover some of the losses as soon as you mature a bit, or you're given to an Inner Disciple as a contract beast, losing your freedom completely. You'd be taken to various secret realms, facing all sorts of fierce demonic beasts and evil spirits, constantly fighting for your life on the edge of death."

In the mirror, the imposing giant Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger was attacked by several demonic beasts of comparable strength. A few Foundation Establishment cultivators were in the distance, using formations to restrain its lightning-fast speed.

The giant tiger soon fell, its silver-white body covered in deep wounds, bleeding profusely. The entire mirror was dyed red with blood.

Eventually, it was dismembered by the demonic beasts.

"Roar!" the young beast abruptly raised its head, looking at Lu Xuan with a mix of warning and fear.

"Keep watching," Lu Xuan said softly, his hand turning into a translucent jade color as he firmly pressed the young beast's head.

Despite flashes of lightning, he remained unmovable.

The young beast's current attack power was no threat to his formidable physique.

The second Water Mirror Talisman.

The mirror displayed a different scene: no fierce battles, no dazzling spells, just a Foundation Establishment cultivator dissecting a Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger while explaining the uses of various parts of the tiger.

"The Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger is valuable all over. If fellow Daoists encounter one, don't waste it."

"Tiger bones can be used to forge high-grade magical instruments, and the tiger's whip is extremely nourishing. It can be used to brew rare spirit wine, and tiger blood is an excellent material for drawing superior talismans..."

As the cultivator explained, a giant Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger was quickly dismembered into countless pieces.

The young beast, empathizing deeply, shivered through the Water Mirror screen, losing its usual defiance and appearing very frightened.

"See, if you can't be tamed, these are the only possible outcomes awaiting you."

"Regardless of the outcome, the end is always being torn to pieces."

"So, for a spirit beast like you, the end of cultivation is to guard and protect the sect," Lu Xuan concluded with a smile that seemed particularly sinister to the young beast.

The impact of the two Water Mirror Talismans on the juvenile Four-winged Thunderstorm Tiger was indeed profound!

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