Celestial Beast Taming

After all, since Zhong Yi had already torn off the price tag, saying anything more would be tantamount to questioning his judgment.

When the Soul-Controlling Flower learned that Zhong Yi had bought the Fertility Ant Queen, it immediately sent him a wave of joy.

The wave of joy from the Soul-Controlling Flower was as overwhelming as a tidal wave, causing a smile to form on Zhong Yi’s lips.

By purchasing the Fertility Ant Queen, Zhong Yi considered his trip to the Exotic Beast Garden a success.

There were still eleven Exotic Beasts left to see.

After looking over the remaining eleven Exotic Beasts, Zhong Yi found another one that greatly interested him.

Upon seeing this Exotic Beast, Xu Anjun, who had been mostly silent, couldn’t help but speak.

"They actually have a Secret Medicine Lake Clam here, a mutation of a Healing Lake Clam!"

"Someone will probably cave in the next day or two and just pay the buyout price for it."

In front of the tank displaying the Secret Medicine Lake Clam, many people were placing silent bids.

Zhong Yi glanced at the tag on the tank, which listed the price as 120,000,000 Federation Coins.

This price was roughly equivalent to the value of the Potential Points a top-ranked S-rank Celestial Destiny Seeker earned in a year.

In Zhong Yi’s opinion, however, the Secret Medicine Lake Clam was definitely worth the price.

If it weren’t for the inherent flaws of a Production-type Guardian Beast like the Secret Medicine Lake Clam, its price would undoubtedly be even higher.

The Healing Lake Clam was a top-tier Healing-type Guardian Beast.

Although the Healing Lake Clam lacked any direct healing abilities, it could produce Healing Pearls.

These Healing Pearls could be used in battle as a potent salve, allowing the target’s superficial wounds to heal continuously.

The Secret Medicine Lake Clam, being a mutation, could also produce pearls, but the resulting Secret Medicine Pearls no longer had any healing effects.

Instead, they were made into accessories for Guardian Beast Masters to wear.

Although the Secret Medicine Pearls, with their rich, bluish-purple luster like a blueberry, were stunningly beautiful...

...their beauty was actually their least remarkable feature.

It was safe to say that every Guardian Beast Master who had reached the Fantasy Tier yearned for an accessory made from Secret Medicine Pearls.

This was because accessories made from Secret Medicine Pearls could enhance the effects of a Guardian Beast Master’s Beast Pattern.

This allowed them to better utilize their Guardian Beasts’ abilities through the Beast Pattern.

The Secret Medicine Lake Clam’s production rate for Secret Medicine Pearls wasn’t slow. However, every time it produced a pearl, the toxic substances it secreted would leave it severely injured and on the verge of death.

Because these toxic substances carried a powerful cursing effect, the Secret Medicine Lake Clam was extremely difficult to heal.

This meant that even with the best care, a single Secret Medicine Lake Clam could produce at most two Secret Medicine Pearls per year.

And that was only with a massive investment of resources. If the Secret Medicine Lake Clam was left to produce pearls on its own without extensive care, it would take nearly two years to yield a single one.

Furthermore, each time it entered this near-death state, it would deplete the Secret Medicine Lake Clam’s Origin.

This would drastically shorten the Secret Medicine Lake Clam’s lifespan!

But regardless, if a faction bought this Secret Medicine Lake Clam and nurtured it carefully, they could obtain a dozen or so Secret Medicine Pearls over its lifetime.

This would allow a dozen or so of the faction’s experts at Fantasy Tier or above to achieve even greater combat effectiveness.

Secret Medicine Pearls were a resource that showcased a faction’s foundational strength.

Seeing the eager expressions on the members of the various major factions, Zhong Yi decisively strode forward and tore the tag off the Secret Medicine Lake Clam’s display.

To others, the Secret Medicine Lake Clam was a difficult Guardian Beast to raise.

Even for a Four-finger Creator like Zhao Kai, it would be no easy feat to raise a Secret Medicine Lake Clam for stable pearl production.

But Zhong Yi possessed a special Guardian Beast: the Treasure Guarding Dragon Pot!

Through its Basic Skill, Treasure Contract, the Treasure Guarding Dragon Pot could form a Contract with the Secret Medicine Lake Clam. The injuries the clam sustained when producing Secret Medicine Pearls would then be transferred to the pot, which would bear the damage.

This would allow the Secret Medicine Lake Clam to produce Secret Medicine Pearls continuously, drastically increasing the yield without consuming its lifespan in the process.

The moment Zhong Yi tore off the tag, the gazes of all the faction members who had been eagerly eyeing the Secret Medicine Lake Clam landed on him.

No matter how much they wanted the Secret Medicine Lake Clam, no one dared to protest.

For one, Zhong Yi had indeed been the first to tear off the buyout tag.

For another, no one was willing to offend a Celestial Destiny Seeker over a resource-producing Exotic Beast.

At past private trade fairs, it was common for the person who claimed the buyout price to be approached for private negotiations.

Smaller factions might even face threats and coercion after claiming an item.

In a world where might makes right, the fight for resources was brutal.

Just then, Zhou Yang walked up to Zhong Yi with the Drunken Dragon Jade and spoke with some apprehension.

"Sir, we’ve appraised the material you provided. Because it can enhance the bloodline of even a Main Dragon Species Guardian Beast, we’ve valued each piece at 4,000,000 Federation Coins."

"Is this price acceptable to you?"

Zhong Yi nodded to himself upon hearing the offer.

’My bottom line for the Drunken Dragon Jade was anything over 3,000,000 Federation Coins. I would have accepted 3,000,000.’

’4,000,000 per piece has already exceeded my expectations.’

"That’s fine. I’ve chosen three Exotic Beasts in total. Here are their tags."

Zhou Yang returned the Drunken Dragon Jade before respectfully taking the tags from Zhong Yi with both hands.

"The three Exotic Beasts you’ve selected come to a total of exactly 150,000,000 Federation Coins."

"I can give you a personal 5% discount, bringing the total to 142,500,000 Federation Coins."

"If you pay entirely with Drunken Dragon Jade, that will be thirty-six pieces."

"The remaining 1,500,000 Federation Coins will be deposited onto a VIP Card for you."

"The Senhe Hall VIP Card is accepted throughout the Xin Xia Federation, and you can withdraw the funds from any of our affiliated businesses at any time."

Zhong Yi had over sixty pieces of Drunken Dragon Jade on hand. After handing them over to Zhou Yang, Zhou Yang personally packed the Wind Flash Butterfly, Fertility Ant Queen, and Secret Medicine Lake Clam into a Storage Pouch for him.

Zhou Yang then took the opportunity to ask for Zhong Yi’s contact information.

He earnestly promised that he would inform Zhong Yi immediately if any other valuable Exotic Beast resources became available in the future.

Zhong Yi gave Zhou Yang his contact information without hesitation and accepted his friend request on the spot.

’A Director of Senhe Hall like Zhou Yang has the backing of numerous commerce associations. To me, he’s far more useful than Fu Hongning, the President of the Zhenchong Commerce Association.’

After taking the VIP Card from Zhou Yang, a satisfied Zhong Yi began his journey home.

Wanting more opportunities to interact with Zhong Yi, Fu Hongning didn’t stay at Senhe Hall.

Instead, he chose to leave at the same time as Zhong Yi and Xu Anjun.

Fu Hongning’s Guardian Beast Vehicle followed closely behind the one Xu Anjun was driving.

As they were nearing the entrance to the Central District, Xu Anjun’s heart suddenly began to race with anxiety again.

Before Xu Anjun could give it much thought, the space in front of their Guardian Beast Vehicle shattered like glass.

A vast, shadowy corridor materialized, blocking the path of the Guardian Beast Vehicle pulled by the Frost Water Cold Flood Dragons.

Before Xu Anjun had any time to react, something resembling a White Bone Centipede shot out of the corridor and slashed toward the Frost Water Cold Flood Dragons.

The three Frost Water Cold Flood Dragons, all at Fantasy Tier Peak, were torn to shreds by the White Bone Centipede.

After letting out a few mournful roars, they fell silent, their life force extinguished.

After killing the three Frost Water Cold Flood Dragons, the White Bone Centipede charged toward Xu Anjun with undiminished force.

The Beast Pattern on Xu Anjun’s back flared to life, and a Water Curtain materialized in front of her, blocking the blow.

As the Beast Pattern on her back flared, Xu Anjun simultaneously activated her Soul Base to summon her Lifebound Guardian Beast.

Even if she were slow-witted, Xu Anjun now realized her attackers were the two Mythical Tier Bizarres that had recently been wreaking havoc in Starlight City.

The target of these two Mythical Tier Bizarres was clearly Zhong Yi, who sat inside the carriage.