Celestial Beast Taming

Exquisite fruits and refreshments were already laid out on glazed tableware in the reception room.

These were the standard daily provisions for the reception rooms of Zhenxing C Level Talents.

If one wanted anything more or better than these complimentary items,

it would cost from the three Divine Origin Value points allotted monthly for hospitality expenses.

This was only the second time Luke had met Zhong Yi, the first being at the Soul Fighting Bar.

He had been a bit reserved at first, but now, Luke found Zhong Yi to be more and more amicable.

Luke was a naturally guarded person, yet being around Zhong Yi felt comfortable and warm.

Zhong Yi picked a fist-sized, blood-red fruit from the platter and tossed it to Luke.

He then picked up a purple, blueberry-like fruit for himself—one even larger than Luke’s—and took a small bite. A rich, sweet-and-sour juice immediately filled his mouth.

"Luke, you must have a lot of questions for me."

"Go ahead and ask. I’ll answer every one of them."

Luke did have questions for Zhong Yi, dating back to their duel.

It hadn’t actually been that long since they met in the Divine Origin Slaughter Secret Realm.

But Luke felt he had undergone an earth-shattering transformation in his strength, Bloodline, and even his mindset.

A once-unfamiliar opponent had somehow become the person he felt closest to.

Luke had been dwelling on these questions for the past few days. Now that he saw Zhong Yi, he was determined to get things cleared up.

"I want to know, what exactly was that seed you had me eat?"

"Is my Bloodline’s advancement because of you?"

"What exactly is the relationship between us?"

Luke blurted out all his questions at once.

The moment the words left his mouth, Luke realized something was off.

Luke had always been the type to never reveal his inner thoughts.

But in front of Zhong Yi, he found himself speaking his mind without any reservation.

Zhong Yi sat up straight and looked at Luke with a serious expression.

"Those three questions are essentially one and the same. You can think of the seed I gave you as a Bloodline Ability of mine."

"And that makes you, in essence, my Contracted Beast!"

There was no need for Zhong Yi to hide their relationship from Luke.

Zhong Yi’s answer exploded in Luke’s mind like a clap of thunder.

For a moment, Luke thought he must have misheard.

Luke had considered many possibilities, but he’d never imagined that he had actually been put under a Contract by Zhong Yi.

But it seemed this was the only explanation for his attitude toward Zhong Yi.

Luke ran a hand through his hair, struggling for a moment to accept the fact that he had become a Contracted Beast.

After answering, Zhong Yi said no more.

He intended to give Luke ample time to process the information.

Just as Zhong Yi finished the giant blueberry-like fruit, he heard Luke suddenly laugh.

"Your Bloodline truly is powerful and unique. I’ve never heard of anyone possessing a Bloodline Ability that allows them to form a Contract with other living Creatures."

"Other Guardian Beast Masters form Contracts with Elemental lifeforms and beast-shaped lifeforms. No wonder you had a female, Human-shaped Guardian Beast in the Divine Origin Slaughter Secret Realm."

Hearing this, Zhong Yi knew Luke had misunderstood.

Hong Ji was a Demon Spirit Guardian Beast; her circumstances were different from Luke’s.

Before Zhong Yi could explain this to Luke, Luke continued.

"Because of your Contract, my Bloodline broke through two successive levels."

"I’m grateful that you chose me instead of someone else."

From Luke’s perspective, the seed Zhong Yi used for the Contract had such a miraculous effect.

To form a Contract with a human-shaped creature like him, one with high Soul Strength and intelligence, Zhong Yi must have had to pay a considerable price.

Luke didn’t know that Zhong Yi could now steadily obtain a Soul Taming Seed roughly every two days.

Even if he had known, Luke’s words would still have been heartfelt.

Because this Contract had elevated his Fallen Energy Race Bloodline by two levels, Luke now ranked among the top tier of talent—not just in his own world, but even within the vast environment of the Virtual Source Network.

His recent victory in his fifth Ranking Competition match, which made him a Zhenxing C Level Talent, was proof enough.

Zhong Yi didn’t actually have to explain so much. The Soul Taming Seed’s method of forming a Contract was extremely domineering.

From the moment Luke absorbed the Soul Taming Seed, he was incapable of harming Zhong Yi, let alone betraying him.

Under the influence of the Soul Taming Seed, Luke would regard Zhong Yi as the most important person in the world.

But since Luke was a highly intelligent, human-shaped creature, Zhong Yi chose to communicate with him as a partner.

"Fate allowed us to choose each other!"

"If we hadn’t happened to be in the same Divine Origin Slaughter Secret Realm, I wouldn’t have had the chance to form a Contract with you even if I’d wanted to."

Zhong Yi and Luke talked in the reception room for over two hours.

During their conversation, Zhong Yi learned about the plight of the Fallen Energy Race.

A race with such a powerful Bloodline was facing incredible difficulties with reproduction.

Luke had fought so desperately in the Divine Origin Slaughter Secret Realm to obtain enough Divine Origin Value to trade for the Water of the Primordial River for his tribe.

This would allow more children to be born to the Fallen Energy Race.