Chapter 961 : Thousand Beast City (7)
Qu Ling Yue and Xiong Ba exchanged a glance with each other. They could see that Qu Wen Hao held great admiration for Jun Xie and after thinking about it another moment, Qu Ling Yue suddenly leaned over to Qu Wen Hao's ear and whispered into it.
The benign smile on Qu Wen Hao's face froze instantly and as Qu Ling Yue's explanation went on further, the shock within his eyes seemed to grow more and more intense.
"Ling Yue! This time, you have been too brazenly bold!" Qu Wen Hao could not believe what he had just heard with his own ears. Qu Li Yue had actually revealed everything that was happening in the Thousand Beast City to Jun Xie and had even invited her to come to the Thousand Beast City to help them!
Although Qu Wen Hao greatly admired Jun Wu Xie for her great intellect and resourcefulness, but from all that he had heard, Jun Xie was just a young little youth. The crisis that had struck the Thousand Beast City had accumulated over a few years and they had even secretly thought up and attempted many ways to resolve it themselves but it had all been to no avail. And Qu Ling Yue was now actually placing all her hope onto a youth who was of such a young age, which in Qu Wen Hao's eyes, was entirely too big a risk for them to take.
Qu Ling Yue bit on her lower lip and said: "Father, if there is any other way for us, your daughter wouldn't have chosen to take such a big risk as well, but....."
"Preposterous! If this is found out by your Great Grandaunt, do you know how big an incident this would turn out to be? About that map, only the four Clan Hall Chiefs and I are supposed to know anything about it. She doesn't know that you are aware of its existence. If she finds out that you have leaked information about this outside, she will surely not let you off easily." Qu Wen Hao was getting a headache the more he thought about it. His daughter had always been sensible and obedient from young and the fact that she had decided on such a highly risky course of action had greatly shocked him.
"If I dare to do this, then I am not afraid of her finding out. Father! Do you really want us to continue on like this? Where we have to watch mother and all the others suffer? We have not even seen mother for quite a long while..... I really miss her a lot." Qu Ling Yue lowered her head, her voice suddenly choking.
Although that person would release a group of people to come back here every month, but she had seldom let Qu Ling Yue's mother return. In the past five years, they had not even seen Qu Ling Yue's mother once. That person seemed to be doing it on purpose, only allowing those people who came back to relay news of the Grand Chieftain's wife to still be safe, but never letting her come back to her husband's and daughter's side even a single day.
In Qu Ling Yue's mind, it was still imprinted with memories of her mother from when she was much younger, and although they have not seen each other for a long time, blood was afterall still thicker than water, so how could she not miss her mother?
Qu Ling Yue's words caused Qu Wen Hao's heart to wrench up painfully. All that he had loved in this life the most, had only been his wife and daughter. But his wife was now being held hostage, and he did not even dare hope for a reunion now. Just to have them see each other for a moment, had become an extravagant wish.
This separation between husband and wife, was a needle lodged tightly in Qu Wen Hao's heart!
"Have you ever considered, that if this was made known to your Great Grandaunt, how terrifying the consequences would be? She would not only not spare you and Jun Xie, she wouldn't let all those people she has imprisoned off easy as well! If she were to in a moment rage, harm those people, how am I going to answer to all our brothers in this city?" Qu Wen Hao said in a pained voice, his eyes tightly shut. It was not that he hadn't once considered staking everything they had in retaliation, but he had to consider the fact that the people captured was not only his own wife alone.
Once, the people in the Thousand Beast City had thought of fighting back and they had really done it that one time. But the next day, those people who resisted found their wives and children's bodies strewn before the main gates of the Thousand Beast City. That bloody and gory scene that day, stayed fresh in the minds of the people till today.
In order to ensure the safety of their family members, they had no choice but to submit themselves to that person's orders. The people were neither weak nor timid, but they had to capitulate in exchange for the safety of their family.
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Chapter 962 : Thousand Beast City (8)
Qu Ling Yue fell silent, how could she possibly be unaware of the worries on Qu Wen Hao's mind?
Xiong Ba stared at the sad expression on Qu Ling Yue's face and his heart suddenly winced. He then said to Qu Wen Hao: "Chieftain, Young Master Jun has said this to us before. Before he has full and complete confidence of it succeeding, he would definitely not take any rash actions. Young Master Jun is a very careful and meticulous person and I would implore for our Grand Chieftain to believe in Young Master Jun just this once. If anything untoward were to happen, I am willing to shoulder the consequences personally. If that person asks about it, I will say that all of it was of my own doing and it has nothing to do with the Young Miss or the Thousand Beast City in the slightest."
Qu Wen Hao looked at Xiong Ba in surprise. In Xiong Ba's eyes, he could clearly see the steely determination he had never ever seen before.
Should they take the big gamble? Or to continue to live ignobly in suffering?
Qu Wen Hao was suddenly faced with a fierce struggle within himself.
"Alright. In this matter, you will all have to be extremely careful. If Young Master Jun needs any assistance, you can tell it to me, and I will try everything within my power to make it happen for him." Qu Wen Hao finally decided to grasp at that opportunity. His own daughter and trusted subordinate had already shown such great determination, how could he persist to bring further disgrace to the Thousand Beast City's name?
Having gained Qu Wen Hao's approval, Qu Ling Yue's and Xiong Ba's faces immediately shone brightly with delight.
.....
In the Fiery Blaze Clan Hall, Qing Yu cleared up the tasks he had on his hands and he went to knock upon Jun Xie's door after that.
Jun Wu Xie opened the door and when she saw Qing Yu standing outside, she looked at him inquiringly.
"Young Master Jun has just arrived here in the Thousand Beast City, I wonder if you would be interested in taking a tour around the Thousand Beast City?" Qing Yu asked smilingly of Jun Xie.
Jun Wu Xie nodded. Although she had already heard many things about the Thousand Beast City from Xiong Ba and Qu Ling Yue, but there were some things that one needed to see with their own eyes before they could be certain.
Jun Wu Xie went out of the Fiery Blaze Clan Hall with Qing Yu and came to walk upon a main street within the Thousand Beast City.
Qing Yu was feeling rather curious about the Spirit Beast who looked so much like a little sheep that Jun Xie had been carrying in his arms. From the moment they had set out till now, Jun Xie had almost never ever let the little thing leave her arms. And besides that little sheep, upon Jun Xie's shoulder, also lay a tiny palm sized little black cat.
The people from the Thousand Beast City were very familiar with Spirit Beasts and they loved Spirit Beasts well. Even after observing for a long while, Qing Yu was still unable to ascertain what kind of Spirit Beast Lord Meh Meh was and all he knew was that it was highly obedient and it seemed to understand Jun Xie's thoughts, looking very tame and docile at the same time.
"Young Master Jun has a very unique Spirit Beast there. I have never seen anything like it before." Qing Yu said as he looked at the little Spirit Beast lying down within Jun Xie's arms, looking so comfortable its eyes were narrowed to a slit. The Spirit Beast wasn't large in size and it did not seem to be a high grade Spirit Beast, except that its eyes, seemed to be highly filled with intelligence and consciousness.
A Spirit Beast's grade was intricately tied to its prowess and intelligence and the higher the Spirit Beast's grade was, the higher its intelligence would be, where they would be able to better react to things and have a greater sense of consciousness and awareness. The people of the Thousand Beast City had formed a habit of taming Spirit Beasts from when they were of a very young age and they knew. For even low grade Spirit Beasts, without a Spirit Tamer Bracelet in their possession, one would still need a few years' time to be able to tame it.
Besides within the Thousand Beast City, it had never been heard that anyone had been able to tame a Spirit Beast. Hence, Qing Yu was feeling mighty curious about this highly obedient Lord Meh Meh within Jun Xie's arms.
Lord Meh Meh cast a lazy glance to look at Qing Yu, seemingly like it felt his words had been a kind of insult to it.
[It was the highly noble Lord Meh Meh!]
[One of its kind throughout the lands! Such a foolish human, of course he wouldn't have seen anything like it! Humph!]
Having been glared at with such scorn and contempt by a little sheep, Qing Yu was suddenly finding the feeling rather fascinating.....
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Chapter 963 : Spirit Beast Arena (1)
Jun Wu Xie glanced at Lord Meh Meh in her arms. Spirit Beasts and Spirit bodies had their own specific differences. The little black cat gave people the feeling that it was very similar to a ring spirit, while Lord Meh Meh on the other hand, even when it hid its oppressive dominating presence as a Guardian Grade Spirit Beast, it was still obvious to people that it was a Spirit Beast.
"Picked it up along the way." Jun Wu Xie explained nonchalantly.
That was true anyway.
Qing Yu was still feeling rather puzzled and he went on to say: "Then the little fella must have been bound to Young Master Jun by fate. Judging from its size, it should be a low grade Spirit Beast. But even for low grade Spirit Beasts, they would still hold a certain level of animosity and rejection against humans and seldom would they get close to humans on their own initiative. Could it be that this little one is still a very young beast and has not yet learnt to be wary?"
Qing Yu wasn't looking down on Lord Meh Meh at all but it was because most matured Spirit Beasts would be highly guarded and vigilant against humans and only young Spirit Beasts in their infancy would allow themselves to be taken away so unreservedly and not resist in the slightest at all.
"Meh!"
[You are the immature beast! Lord Meh Meh is fully matured! You ignorant human!]
"Not sure." Jun Wu Xie answered carelessly. Lord Meh Meh was her trump card and it would be only be as a very last resort, that she would allow anyone to come to know Lord Meh Meh's true prowess.
Qing Yu had already spent quite a period of time with Jun Xie from the journey to the Thousand Beast City and he knew that Jun Xie's personality was like this. Hence, he did not take offense against Jun Xie's curt and cold reply.
The Thousand Beast City was a bustling place as well. Although unable to compare with the Fire Country's Imperial Capital, it was nevertheless still a bubbling pot of people and noise.
But, over here, besides the street being filled with people, Spirit Beasts big and small could be seen everywhere as well. They were either being carried in people's arms or walking among the people on a leash, the current scene also making Jun Wu Xie who was carrying Lord Meh Meh in her arms looks perfectly normal there.
Within the Thousand Beast City, what was most commonly seen were places selling tiny infant Spirit Beasts.
Matured Spirit Beasts were extremely difficult to tame and if people seeked to tame a Spirit Beast, they would specifically go out and choose these very young Spirit Beasts just born and still in their infancy. On both sides of the street, many baby Spirit Beasts were locked up in cages as they stared with naive and ignorant eyes, looking at the bustle of people passing to and fro. Before their awareness and consciousness could develop, they were already captured and put into these cages, being displayed just like goods, stacked up upon each other, waiting for themselves to be bought.
Jun Wu Xie stared at the tiny Spirit Beasts being locked up in those cages and her brows furrowed up tightly. In her past life, she had seen a scene similar to this. In order to conduct experiments on fusion beasts, that person had captured and brought back many varieties of wild beasts. Whenever night came and all fell silent, the wails and howls of wild beasts would always ring throughout the villa. During that period, the entire villa was always pervaded with a strong pungent stench of blood every moment throughout the day.
The only comforting thing to know here though, was that in the Thousand Beast City, cruelty to Spirit Beasts was strictly forbidden. And if found to be guilty, the culprit would be severely punished.
But even if that was the case, Jun Wu Xie's brows still creased up together subconsciously.
Some of the people had brought their children out to choose from these Spirit Beasts. They were very rough with the young Spirit Beasts and those naive and ignorant babies were highly terrified and severely discomfited. Throughout the street, those soft and weak wails could be heard everywhere, their voices sounding all filled with fear and helplessness.
"All these young beasts, are mainly captured from the forests around the Thousand Beast City, and some are born from the Spirit Beasts the people in the city had tamed. The prices of the young beasts born within the city are always higher as when compared to those captured in the wild, as they are usually more gentle and easier to tame, and there is also only a small number of them." Qing Yu noticed Jun Xie's eyes fixed unwaveringly on the cages and he had thought that the youth was interested in them.
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Chapter 964 : Spirit Beast Arena (2)
"Young Master Jun likes Spirit Beasts as well?" Qing Yu asked.
Jun Wu Xie did not reply. She did not have much resistance against little furry living things herself but she hated to see them locked up in cages looking so terrified.
That was just not how these creatures were supposed to look.
Although Jun Wu Xie loved them, she had never tried to force the issue. From her perspective, regardless whether it was humans or animals, they were the same thing. All lives were equal and when humans used force to make those animals submit, it was something she highly detested.
No matter whether it was the little black cat or Lord Meh Meh, they stayed by Jun Wu Xie's side of their own volition and Jun Wu Xie had never wanted to force them against their will.
If it went against the spirit's will, no matter how well it was done or carried out, it was still a form of coercion!
"If Young Master Jun is interested, I do know of a place that would be highly suitable for me to bring you to see." Qing Yu was completely oblivious to what Jun Wu Xie was thinking and he went on to say what he thought would please Jun Xie.
"In the Thousand Beast City, there is a Spirit Beast Arena. In there, battles between Spirit Beasts are conducted everyday and if you achieve a good result, you can even win a Spirit Tamer Bracelet that is available only in the Thousand Beast City." Qing Yu said with a bright smile.
When Jun Wu Xie heard the Spirit Tamer Bracelet being mentioned, her eyes immediately lit up.
"Where is that?"
Seeing that Jun Wu Xie was showing interest, Qing Yu was finally relieved and he said: "Young Master Jun, please follow me."
Along the way, Qing Yu chattered on, explaining to Jun Xie what went on within the Spirit Beast Arena.
The Thousand Beast City had a rather sizable population and almost every single one of them loved to tame Spirit Beasts. And here, the people's ultimate aim was always to be able to tame a higher grade Spirit Beast. Although the Thousand Beast City had their Spirit Tamer Bracelets, something like that was however also very rare in their city, and the average person would not even be able to get their hands on one. Moreover, seeking to use the Spirit Tamer Bracelet alone to tame a Spirit Beast was still not possible as the Spirit Tamer Bracelet was afterall not the same as the Spirit Tamer Bone Flute, and it did not possess the same kind of power.
In order to successfully tame a Spirit Beast, besides the Spirit Tamer Bracelet, something else would be needed.
And that would be, the Beast Control Principle!
The Beast Control Principle was a prized treasure that the Thousand Beast City kept within themselves. Besides the members within the Grand Chieftain's residence, only the four Clan Hall Chiefs knew of the Beast Control Principle. To learn the Beast Control Principle, one must first become a member of one of the clans, and swear their unwavering loyalty to them, before they could even possess the qualification to learn it.
With the Beast Control Principle as their foundation, and coupled with the power of the Spirit Tamer Bracelet, one would be able to tame a Spirit Beast within a short period of time. And it would also be according to the grade of the Spirit Tamer Bracelet, that would determine the level of Spirit Beasts that a person would be able to tame.
Just like Xiong Ba and Lin Que, who held very high positions as Clan Hall Chiefs, they would possess Spirit Tamer Bracelets that were able to tame high grade Spirit Beasts. Those kind of bracelets, would number up to ten within the entire Thousand Beast City. And besides the Clan Hall Chiefs, none of the other clan members would be qualified to hold one the same as them.
And within those Clan Halls, if any member made any exemplary contributions, they could be rewarded with a Spirit Tamer Bracelet, but those bracelets would usually only be able to tame low grade Spirit Beasts. Once one possessed a Spirit Tamer Bracelet and was equipped with the Beast Control Principle, they would be able to drastically shorten the time taken to tame a Spirit Beast. Hence, the Spirit Tamer Bracelet was an item that was a great enticement and commanded a strong draw to everyone within the Thousand Beast City,
Besides the different Clan Halls, the only other place that one would be able to get a Spirit Tamer Bracelet, would be the Spirit Beast Arena in the Thousand Beast City!
There, anyone would be allowed to enter their tamed Spirit Beast in battles. And as long as they won ten matches consecutively, they would then gain the qualification to challenge the top ten ranked within the Spirit Beast Arena.
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Chapter 965 : Spirit Beast Arena (3)
If one successfully challenged the top ranked person and firmly maintained that first position without being defeated by any other challengers for a period of ten days, then that contestant would gain a prize from the Spirit Beast Arena, a Spirit Tamer Bracelet that gave one the ability to tame a low grade Spirit Beast.
Once they receive the Spirit Tamer Bracelet, they could then go to one of the Clan Halls of their choice, to join them as a member.
The four Clan Halls of the Thousand Beast City had a very strict criteria for the selection of their members and not everyone stood a chance. Qu Wen Hao had wanted to discover the highly talented individuals in the Thousand Beast City and did not want any of their gifted people to be overlooked and buried, so he had set up such a Spirit Beast Arena within the city.
The rules looked to be relatively simple on the surface but there were many people who challenged repeatedly. To actually maintain themselves at the topmost rank for ten consecutive days was in reality highly difficult to achieve.
Qing Yu explained these rules to Jun Xie as he led the youth towards the place.
The Spirit Beast Arena was in the central region of the Thousand Beast City and it took up a rather significant amount of space. The guards standing at the entrance would check every single person going into the place very thoroughly.
Within the Spirit Beast Arena, only battles between Spirit Beasts were carried out and they strictly forbade any form of cheating or deceit. If anyone dared to employ any unethical means to gain victory, all offenders caught would be severely dealt with. In more serious cases, those people could even be thrown out of the Thousand Beast City entirely.
As Qing Yu was the Deputy Hall Chief of the Fiery Blaze Clan Hall, the guards quickly recognized him and was highly respectful towards him.
But rules of the Spirit Beast Arena were still strictly upheld by them and even when Jun Xie was brought in by Qing Yu, they conducted their checks just as thoroughly. Only after fully clearing the necessary checks were they then allowed to enter.
The Spirit Beast Arena was open at the top and the battle stage that the Spirit Beasts fought on was fully exposed to the sky. Only the spectator stands surrounding the battle platform where people sat at were covered overhead.
"Some Spirit Beasts that people have tamed are of the flying variety and if the roof was closed up, it was highly possible that it would greatly restrict the might of those Spirit Beasts. Hence, in view of being fair to all, the battle platform is not covered with a ceiling." Qing Yu explained to Jun Xie, pointing at the open sky above the battle stage.
Jun Wu Xie silently observed the situation within the Spirit Beast Arena. The entire Spirit Beast Arena could be said to be filled to capacity. The people of the Thousand Beast City loved taming Spirit Beasts and they all yearned to be able to show off the fruits of their labour before everyone's eyes, to prove that they were talented in the taming of Spirit Beasts. All private duels and fighting between Spirits Beasts was prohibited in any other parts of the Thousand Beast City and that was the reason why the Spirit Beast Arena had become such a highly popular place in the Thousand Beast City.
Many people were carrying Spirit Beasts who were not too large in size as they sat waiting at the sides. Some others had Spirit Beasts who were too large in size and those Spirit Beasts were not allowed to wait at the sides like them but were moved to an underground chamber below the Spirit Beast Arena where they would be temporarily contained, and only when their turn to battle came, would they then be released.
Qing Yu and Jun Wu Xie found themselves an inconspicuous corner to sit down. On the battle platform, two low grade Spirit Beasts were battling hard. There were already quite a few wounds on their bodies and although the Spirit Battle Arena were strict against the use of any unethical means used to harm the Spirit Beasts, they however, did not set any limits to how far the Spirit Beasts could carry the battle out till. Hence, in the process of so many countless battles, instances of Spirit Beasts sustaining severe injuries or even deaths occurring were rather commonly seen.
Watching the two low grade Spirit Beasts already badly covered in wounds, but still battling in close quarters with everything they had in a bloody melee, the thick stench of blood spread into the air. Coupled with the garish and bloody scene before their eyes, the surrounding spectators were caught up in a blood surging fervour, shouting out excitedly, loud cheers sounding out from their mouths, their eyes sparkling with exhilaration, staring unwaveringly at the almost cruel battle on stage.