I'm Just a Beast Tamer

Two years after he began raising the Iron Thorn Fish, and the fifty-eighth year of raising the Seated Mountain Eagles.

The sixth team, led by a Grandmaster Seated Mountain Eagle, returned.

With this, Jiang Zuo had collected all six colors of the Fifth Layer fruits.

Number One and Number Two Seated Mountain Eagle had already received the call and could go over to participate in the new round of competition for the fruits.

However, Jiang Zuo didn’t let them leave right away. Even if they reached the Mysterious Island, they would still have to wait over a year for the fruits to ripen before the competition began.

Jiang Zuo had them eat the Fifth Layer fruits so that when they went over, they could compete for the Sixth Layer fruits.

After Number One and Number Two ate the six different colored Fifth Layer fruits, their strength surged in a short period, just as Jiang Zuo had predicted. Under the barrage of rampaging Inner Breath, their acupoints were broken through one after another, like a dam bursting.

In less than a year, they had already broken through more than eighty acupoints.

The remaining dozens of acupoints could certainly be broken through within another year.

Seeing this, Jiang Zuo finally let them depart.

Their strength would continue to grow on the way. By the time they reached the Mysterious Island, they would surely have what it takes to compete for the Sixth Layer fruits compared to the other Grandmaster flying birds.

Even so, competing for the Sixth Layer fruits would not be easy.

Jiang Zuo was now quite familiar with the giant tree on the Mysterious Island. The Sixth Layer only had five fruits.

Yet, there were upwards of twenty Grandmaster Level flying birds competing for them.

Moreover, it seemed that as long as one had not yet Promoted to Innate, they could continue to come back and compete for the Sixth Layer fruits even after eating one.

If it weren’t for the Grandmaster Level flying birds that died during the competition each year, their numbers would be much greater.

As for the flying birds that were not Grandmaster Level but were forced to compete after eating the Fifth Layer fruits, there were even more of them.

But if they weren’t Grandmaster Level, they could basically only watch from the sidelines. Daring to step forward and compete was essentially a death sentence.

As for the black fruit of the Seventh Layer, Jiang Zuo had never seen any flying bird compete for it.

This was why Jiang Zuo believed that flying birds could continue to compete after eating the Sixth Layer fruits.

"Great Black, come over here. Try these fruits."

After Number One and Number Two left for the Mysterious Island, Jiang Zuo called Great Black over.

Great Black had already cultivated to Grandmaster Great Perfection, but if these fruits were also effective on him, they could still enhance his attributes to some degree.

Seeing how rapidly the Seated Mountain Eagles’ strength had grown, Great Black was also looking forward to trying the fruits.

Mimicking the Seated Mountain Eagles, Great Black swallowed the six fruits in one gulp.

Then, half a year passed.

It wasn’t that Great Black saw no improvement, but it could only be described as better than nothing.

"Alright, just honestly perform the Dissipating Skill and switch to the Nine Revolutions Returning Essence Skill."

"If you don’t cultivate properly, you can forget about Promoting to Innate."

Jiang Zuo sent Great Black flying with a kick.

Over ten years, Jiang Zuo had already modified the Nine Revolutions Returning Essence Skill to be suitable for Great Black and the Seated Mountain Eagles’ Cultivation.

Jiang Zuo himself had also gained a profound understanding of this Cultivation Technique.

In Jiang Zuo’s opinion, the most formidable part of the Nine Revolutions Returning Essence Skill was the Dissipating Skill aspect.

This Dissipating Skill portion was, in fact, an incredibly powerful Cultivation Technique in its own right.

Normally, if a Martial Artist’s Cultivation was dissipated, that person would be crippled.

But by using the Nine Revolutions Returning Essence Skill’s Dissipating Technique, one could convert their Cultivation into a permanent strengthening of their physical body.

Although there was a great deal of loss in the process, it was still an exceptionally formidable method.

Theoretically, as long as one mastered this Dissipating Technique, they could become stronger by continuously undergoing Reincarnation with other Cultivation Techniques, even without practicing the Nine Revolutions Returning Essence Skill.

However, the Nine Revolutions Returning Essence Skill was a Cultivation Technique specifically created for multiple Reincarnations, and its Cultivation was also primarily focused on strengthening the self.

With each Reincarnation, the Nine Revolutions Returning Essence Skill would change slightly to adapt to the body that had been strengthened and altered by the Dissipating Skill, allowing the Reincarnation to have a better effect.

Other Cultivation Techniques, however, could not do this. After two or three Reincarnations using the same technique, it would likely become difficult to cultivate.

Therefore, switching directly to the Nine Revolutions Returning Essence Skill was the best choice.

Even if Great Black didn’t break through to the Innate realm, Jiang Zuo would still perform a third bloodline enhancement on him in the future when conditions allowed.

However, that depended on him living long enough.

If his strength was insufficient and he got killed by some danger, there was nothing Jiang Zuo could do.

Besides, the guy had nothing better to do anyway. Having him cultivate the Nine Revolutions Returning Essence Skill was a good use of his time.

After shooing Great Black away, Jiang Zuo took out six fruits from the lowest layer.

’These fruits probably only work on flying birds. If I eat them, the effect is likely to be minimal.’

’But what if I eat them while wearing the Ten Thousand Beasts Armor?’

Jiang Zuo thought.

When he equipped the Ten Thousand Beasts Armor, Jiang Zuo felt that his aura became extremely similar to that of the Pet Beast set as its main element.

He wondered if this could trick the fruits.

With that thought, the Ten Thousand Beasts Armor suddenly materialized around Jiang Zuo, transforming him into a large, humanoid bird.

Then, Jiang Zuo swallowed the six fruits from the lowest layer in one gulp.

Jiang Zuo had been at Grandmaster Great Perfection for a long time. Even if these fruits were effective, he would need to feel their effects carefully.

But a moment after swallowing the fruits, a shocked expression appeared on Jiang Zuo’s face.

’Blood Sea Creation Skill? Eating these six fruits actually forms an automatically-cultivating Cultivation Technique inside my body?’

He felt the thin streams flowing within his body and the name that had inexplicably appeared in his mind.

This feeling was very familiar to Jiang Zuo; it was exactly the same as when he first started cultivating the Life Essence Returning Skill.

Just like that, Jiang Zuo remained motionless in his Ten Thousand Beasts Armor form for a full day.

’For each layer, eating the six fruits forms that layer’s Blood Sea Creation Skill within the body!’

’The Cultivation Technique operates automatically, and the six different colored fruits provide enough nutrients. The two complement each other to produce a terrifying effect, allowing the flying bird that ate them to achieve a massive breakthrough in a short time.’

’In terms of Cultivation, this is a more superior Cultivation Technique than the Life Essence Returning Skill!’

’However, this Cultivation Technique can only be practiced by the Flying Bird Race.’

’Through my Ten Thousand Beasts Armor form, I can achieve a certain deceptive effect, but it’s definitely not as good as a true member of the Flying Bird Race. Plus, the moment I deactivate the armor, the Cultivation Technique will stop running instantly.’

Jiang Zuo summarized as he felt the changes within his body.

’But, under normal circumstances, a flying bird that goes to the Mysterious Island would never be able to eat six different fruits. They could never master the Blood Sea Creation Skill.’

’They are drawn to the Mysterious Island, grow stronger, and then die in battle to become nutrients.’

’In that case, is the ultimate goal of the great figure who established this place to cultivate the fruits of the Seventh Layer?’

’Only the fruits of the Seventh Layer are truly valuable; the first six layers can be mass-produced.’

’In all these decades, I’ve never seen a flying bird compete for the Seventh Layer fruits.’

’Is it not that no flying bird is qualified, but that the fruits of the Seventh Layer have not yet ripened?’

Thoughts flashed through Jiang Zuo’s mind like lightning.

Jiang Zuo felt this possibility was very high.

The only thing that puzzled him was why a great figure with the ability to create such a mysterious place in the East Sea would go to such great lengths to cultivate this fruit tree.

The Seventh Layer fruits could probably only make a flying bird of the Innate Martial Artist level even stronger.

But even then, it would be far from comparable to those Spirit Beasts with slightly higher-ranking bloodlines.

Could it be that this Blood Sea Creation Skill has another wondrous use?

Just like the Life Essence Returning Skill?

If so, that would explain it.

It’s just that the Life Essence Returning Skill requires a human, while the Blood Sea Creation Skill requires a member of the Flying Bird Race.

Regardless, Jiang Zuo had already decided to seize the fruits of the Seventh Layer when the opportunity arose.

Even if the fruits’ effects on him were diminished, Jiang Zuo felt that if he ate the Seventh Layer fruits, breaking through to become an Innate Martial Artist would be an absolute certainty.

There was even a high probability that he would develop a Spirit Root.

After all, for a Cultivation Technique as incredible as the Blood Sea Creation Skill, and with all the painstaking effort to cultivate the Seventh Layer fruits, it couldn’t possibly be just to create a single Innate Martial Artist-level flying bird.

If a member of the Flying Bird Race ate the Seventh Layer fruits, Jiang Zuo felt it was a hundred percent certainty they would develop a Spirit Root.

Anything less wouldn’t justify such an extravagant arrangement.

Perhaps this Mysterious Island was created by some great figure of the Demon Race, to ensure that their descendants could develop better Spirit Roots.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Zuo began to consume the fruits from the lower layers one after another.

Because the Ten Thousand Beasts Armor had a limited duration, he could only wait for its energy bar to slowly recover after it was depleted.

So, Jiang Zuo’s consumption of the fruits was intermittent.

Then, Jiang Zuo discovered that the fruits could be eaten repeatedly.

A pure bird, after mastering the Blood Sea Creation Skill, could cultivate it automatically, although the speed would slow down without the nutrients provided by the fruits.

Each time Jiang Zuo put on the Ten Thousand Beasts Armor, he had to start over by eating the fruits again.

However, after eating the fruits of the same layer three times, Jiang Zuo could draw on his extensive martial arts experience to guide the Cultivation Technique himself and make it run autonomously whenever he put on the Ten Thousand Beasts Armor.

But this could only be done in the Ten Thousand Beasts Armor form. Without wearing it, no matter how Jiang Zuo tried to guide it, the Cultivation Technique remained unresponsive.

One could say that this Blood Sea Creation Skill was truly incredible.

And after being able to cultivate the Blood Sea Creation Skill, Jiang Zuo, in his Ten Thousand Beasts Armor form, actually began to feel the call of the Mysterious Island.

It seemed this Blood Sea Creation Skill also had a tendency to gradually turn him toward the Flying Bird Race.

...

A little over a year after Number One and Number Two set out, they returned from the Mysterious Island with their team.

Both of them had successfully competed for and brought back a Sixth Layer fruit.

At this time, their Cultivation had reached Grandmaster Great Perfection.

Even so, they had encountered considerable trouble during the competition, and both had suffered significant injuries.

If the two of them hadn’t worked together, it would have been truly difficult to successfully obtain the fruits.

After all, with so many Grandmaster Level flying birds vying for them all at once, it wasn’t a one-on-one fight, but one against many.

However, although the process was perilous, the fruits were successfully obtained.

This was good news.

With their experience, future Seated Mountain Eagles should also be able to compete for the fruits of their corresponding Mysterious Giant Tree, barring any accidents.

In about another ten years, Jiang Zuo could try to have Number One and Number Two attempt to break through to the Innate realm.

Time passed amidst Jiang Zuo’s careful manipulations and expectations.

Ten years went by, just like that.