Celestial Beast Taming

This was the first time Zhong Yi had heard of a material like the Water of the Primordial River.

A single drop of the Water of the Primordial River cost a full 15 points of Divine Origin Value.

From its name alone, it was clear that the Water of the Primordial River came from a river.

A river, no matter how small, held countless drops of water.

Whoever controlled this river could obtain an unimaginable amount of Divine Origin Value just by selling the Water of the Primordial River.

Countless factions would fight tooth and nail for a material that could help a Race like the Fallen Energy Race reproduce.

Such a resource was fundamental to a race’s continuation, making it far more precious than materials used merely to enhance individual strength.

In terms of value, it was comparable to materials that increased longevity.

In fact, when it came to price, a Longevity Pill that could extend one’s life by ten months sold for only 10 points of Divine Origin Value.

The price for a single drop of the Water of the Primordial River was higher than that of one Longevity Pill.

Speaking of the Fallen Energy Race’s situation, Luke couldn’t help but let out a deep sigh.

"The Fallen Energy Race now only has a few dozen tribes left. My Golden Eye Tribe ranks among the top five of them all."

"In the last twenty years, the Golden Eye Tribe has produced fewer than 100,000 new members, and that number is decreasing every year."

"If this trend continues, even if the Fallen Energy Race doesn’t face extinction, I’m afraid we’ll never have the chance to fight our way back to the Blood Rang Ecosystem."

From his earlier conversation with Luke, Zhong Yi knew that the Fallen Energy Race was bent on returning to the Blood Rang Ecosystem.

Zhong Yi couldn’t quite bring himself to agree with the hopes and goals of the Fallen Energy Race.

The Fallen Energy Race had been driven to other worlds by several factions from the Blood Rang Ecosystem.

Individually, these enemy factions might not have been a match for the Fallen Energy Race in its heyday.

But to fight the Fallen Energy Race, these factions would band together in a tight alliance.

Even if the Fallen Energy Race returned to the Blood Rang Ecosystem, given the mortal enmity between them, those factions would likely unite once more to continue their fight.

The result would most likely be a fight to the death.

Besides, the current Fallen Energy Race was a shadow of its former self at its peak.

’Under these circumstances, instead of dreaming about returning to the Blood Rang Ecosystem to restore their glory, their top priority should be figuring out how to solve their fertility crisis and ensure the continuation of their race!’

"Luke, focus on improving your personal strength for now."

"As for increasing the Fallen Energy Race’s fertility rate, I’ll work with you to find a solution."

Luke was Zhong Yi’s Guardian Beast, but Zhong Yi didn’t treat him as such. Instead, he saw Luke as a companion, just like Shen Xuan and Zhong Ling.

And Zhong Yi was always extremely caring toward those he considered his own, like Luke.

Luke was touched by Zhong Yi’s words.

But Luke didn’t want Zhong Yi to worry about his problems.

Helping the Fallen Energy Race solve their fertility problem would require a massive investment of Divine Origin Value.

In Luke’s heart, Zhong Yi’s interests now clearly outweighed those of the Fallen Energy Race.

"You don’t have to worry about the Fallen Energy Race. I don’t plan on using Divine Origin Value to exchange for the Water of the Primordial River until after I reach the Third Level and can freely enter the Divine Origin Slaughter Secret Realm."

"Just as you said, the most important thing is to increase my strength first."

"In the future, if I get a chance to make contact with the races of the Radiant Ecosystem, trading for the Water of the Primordial River with one of the races favored by the ecosystem will be cheaper than buying it from the Divine Origin Store."

Zhong Yi nodded. Luke had just mentioned that the Water of the Primordial River was a material from the Radiant Ecosystem.

As one of the top three of the Nine Great Ecosystems, the Radiant Ecosystem certainly had no shortage of treasures.

According to public information on the Virtual Source Network, Longevity Pills—a type of Elixir Pill that could be infinitely exchanged for Divine Origin Value in the Divine Origin Store—also originated from the Radiant Ecosystem.

Suddenly, Luke seemed to think of something and spoke to Zhong Yi in a tone both serious and earnest.

"I am your Contracted Creature now. From now on, I shall address you as Lord."

"On the Virtual Source Network, Creatures from different worlds can trade Divine Origin Value with each other."

"I currently have 19 points of Divine Origin Value. If you need them, Lord, I can transfer all 19 to you."

Zhong Yi almost bit his tongue when he heard Luke’s words.

Zhong Yi hadn’t expected the ever-serious Luke to suddenly be so dramatic.

Luke was already a Zhenxing C Level Talent on the Virtual Source Network.

If someone with Luke’s status openly called him "Lord" on the Virtual Source Network, it would undoubtedly cause an unnecessary commotion if overheard.

Zhong Yi hadn’t thought about cultivating a particular persona on the Virtual Source Network.

Being a Zhenxing C Level Talent was already enough for him to do what he wanted on the Virtual Source Network for the time being.

"Luke, while we have a Contractual Relationship, we are companions first and foremost. You can just call me by my name."

Luke shook his head firmly.

In the end, Zhong Yi managed to dissuade Luke from calling him "Lord," having him switch to "Young Master," the same way Zhong Ling and Shen Xuan addressed him.

"Young Master, you just mentioned your intention to build a faction on the Virtual Source Network. If we’re going to do that, we should start recruiting as soon as possible."

"The Virtual Source Network is teeming with factions, and they’re all busy recruiting new members around the clock."

"If we don’t act fast, all the talented individuals will be snatched up by other factions."

"Many of these newcomers to the Virtual Source Network have excellent potential."

Luke was very enthusiastic about the idea of building a faction on the Virtual Source Network.

In Luke’s opinion, with both him and Zhong Yi being Zhenxing C Level Talents, it would be easy to establish a faction on the Virtual Source Network.

Luke had been in a competitive environment his entire life.

Thus, once he set his mind on something, his first instinct was to fight for it.

Zhong Yi, however, was someone who planned carefully before making a decision.

Zhong Yi already had a clear plan for Soul Soil’s development on the Virtual Source Network.

The reason Zhong Yi had chosen Taya to be his middleman with the Lion Heart Association was precisely that he had no intention of recruiting new members en masse like them.

First, if he recruited too many people into Soul Soil, there was no telling what kind of unsavory characters he would end up with.

He simply couldn’t manage them all, nor did he want to spend the time and energy to do so.

He didn’t have any suitable administrators under his command at the moment.

Second, if he recruited too many people, he would have to provide them with regular benefits.

That would also be a huge drain on his resources.

In the future, Zhong Yi could find more middlemen like Taya and leverage the internal trade channels of their factions to get the materials he needed.

After Zhong Yi explained his plan, Luke understood and said seriously,

"Young Master, in that case, the next time I log on to the Virtual Source Network, I’ll talk about potential cooperation with some of my old contacts."

Zhong Yi stayed with Luke in the reception room for a while longer before logging out of the Virtual Source Network.

During this time, treacherous undercurrents were stirring within the Xin Xia Federation, but they didn’t affect Zhong Yi in the slightest.

In Starlight City, the Celestial Destiny Seekers led by Star Night had been constantly working to create a safe environment for Zhong Yi and Shen Xuan to grow.

Zhong Yi wasn’t in a hurry to tell Star Night what had happened on the Virtual Source Network.

He would naturally meet with Star Night on the Virtual Source Network when the opportunity arose.

Having completed everything he needed to at the Mortal Beast Tier, Zhong Yi prepared to settle down and focus on strengthening his Guardian Beasts.

During this period, the Soul-Controlling Flower had been absorbing the corpses of Demons, its roots secreting large amounts of Flowing Soul Soil.

Zhong Yi had been carefully collecting all this Flowing Soul Soil.

The collected Flowing Soul Soil was just what he needed to help his Guardian Beasts advance their Tier and Quality.

Zhong Yi placed all the Flowing Soul Soil he had collected recently in front of Hong Ji.

He let Hong Ji take as much of the Flowing Soul Soil as she needed until she advanced to the Extraordinary Tier and reached Gold Quality.