Ch123 – Getting Bullied

　　“Han Yanran, what happens between me and Han Yuran isn’t something you can inquire about or stick your nose into. I will only say this once, so listen up carefully.” Lin Xuanzhi narrowed his eyes and gazed coldly at Han Yanran, “Yan Tianhen is on my side. If I hear you say another word to insult him, then I’ll also let you have a taste of this.”

　　Han Yanran was so terrified by the pressure emanating from Lin Xuanzhi’s tremendous soul force that she could hardly breathe.

　　She involuntarily took a step back with a ghastly pale face. Her heart rate had accelerated and she couldn’t say anything in return.

　　Yan Tianhen pursed his lips and tugged on Lin Xuanzhi’s hand, “Dage, don’t bother talking to her so much, it’s just a waste of time.”

　　“Okay.” Lin Xuanzhi’s expression relaxed. He held Yan Tianhen’s hand and pulled him away.

　　Han Yanran took a long time to settle down after Lin Xuanzhi left.

　　She looked at Lin Xuanzhi’s receding figure with a complex expression on her face and thought, Lin Xuanzhi really isn’t the old Lin Xuanzhi anymore.

　　Judging from his audacity to fight for the Flaming Cloud Stone with Elder Han today, and the pressure he exerted with his level, the momentum of Lin Xuanzhi’s rise in the future would likely be even stronger than ever before.

　　She didn’t know if her Dage getting rid of Lin Xuanzhi — a craftsman who now emitted an air of a powerhouse — to be with that Yuan Tianwen was the right choice or not.

　　“Dage, that Han Yuran really is something. He cheated and hurt Dage like that in the past by pretending to be concerned about Dage while having improper relations with someone else, yet now he even wants to be friends with Dage? Aren’t his dreams a little too sweet?”

　　As they walked, Yan Tianhen pulled a long face as he lamented the injustice.

　　Yet Lin Xuanzhi said without seeming to mind much, “No matter how he thinks or what he does is his business. As for me, I would never be on close terms with him no matter what.”

　　Yan Tianhen silently breathed a sigh of relief.

　　Frankly speaking, Lin Xuanzhi has always been someone who cherishes old friendships.

　　Yan Tianhen has always worried about how Lin Xuanzhi’s feelings for Han Yuran might reignite, but after what Lin Xuanzhi said today, it proved that he felt no remorse or pity for Han Yuran right now.

　　Yan Tianhen changed the topic and said with some worry, “We haven’t seen Ah Bai and Hu Po in a few days, I wonder how those two cubs are doing.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi looked at the sky and said, “If Ah Hen feels uneasy, we can go pay them a visit now.”

　　Yan Tianhen’s eyes lit up and he forcefully nodded, “That’s what I was thinking too. After all, we’ll be entering seclusion tomorrow.”

　　And thus, the two of them made their way to the Demonic Beast Institute.

　　In the Demonic Beast Institute.

　　With a muffled thud, Hu Po knocked harshly into a tree.

　　Ah Bai let out a howl and rushed towards the wolf demon that had hit Hu Po so violently. But before his front paws could scratch the wolf demon’s face, he was knocked away by a piece of rock that broke off from the wolf demon’s loud roar.

　　Ah Bai landed smack on Hu Po.

　　The wolf demon swept its glance over them with disdain, “Both of you are trash. Come challenge Grandpa Wolf again when you’ve reached the fifth star of your infant stages ba, this is just a pure waste of my time.”

　　The snake demon was spectating on one side and raised its eyebrow, “One Eye, why bother with such young cubs? They’re just trying to one up you with their mouths.”

　　Ah Bai stared vigilantly at the wolf demon that approached them with an air around it that obviously screamed ‘I’m here to cause trouble’. He crouched low, prepared for the imminent battle.

　　The wolf demon was a demonic beast cultivator that has a Wood elemental demonic core. As it walked over, tiny cracks appeared on the ground and the scene appeared very intimidating.

　　Under the pressure of a higher level demonic beast, Hu Po’s legs felt a bit weak. But he had often suffered the threat of many high level demonic beasts these days, so Hu Po continued to stand upright, seemingly unfazed.

　　Bang—

　　Ao—

　　Pa—

　　Ah—

　　Looking at how Hu Po was being abused so one-sidedly, Qing Yuege, who was standing on a tree not too far away, couldn’t really bear it any longer and said to the Golden Eyed Leopard who was next to him, “Golden Eye, don’t you think this is a bit too cruel? Those two tiger cubs haven’t filled their stomachs ever since they came here.”

　　Golden Eyed Leopard disapproved of Qing Yuege’s words, “Don’t you think those two tiger cubs are a lot more fit and thinner than when they first came?”

　　Qing Yuege nodded, “That is true. But, spiritual beasts are naturally furry and look like balls, so it’s not very obvious.”

　　“And who’s to blame for that?” Golden Eyed Leopard looked askance at Qing Yuege, “Are you sure they’ve never had a full stomach?”

　　Qing Yuege blinked and said, “Yeah. Their food always gets stolen by others everyday.”

　　Golden Eyed Leopard stared at Qing Yuege with his golden eyes, “Then who’s the one feeding them in secret in the middle of the night? Don’t tell me a thief has entered our institute?”

　　Qing Yuege, “.….”

　　Golden Eyed Leopard lightly harrumphed and looked at Hu Po, who was being beaten constantly but would always stand back up again after getting beat down. He narrowed his eyes in satisfaction, “Beasts should get strong in a harsh environment that abides by the law of the jungle. If they don’t get hit and don’t resist, those tiger cubs will never make any progress.”

　　Qing Yuege sighed again, “Then why don’t you just throw them straight into Mt. Baizhang behind to train them?”

　　Golden Eyed Leopard said, “I just want them to suffer a little bit, not get killed straight away.”

　　Mt. Baizhang was right behind the Demonic Beast Institute. Clouds loomed overhead and it was enshrouded in a fog; there were a lot of trees within, as well as innumerable ferocious demonic beasts.

　　But because of Golden Eyed Leopard’s suppression, the demonic beasts in Mt. Baizhang rarely went down the mountain to cause trouble. They each took charge of their own territory and wouldn’t disturb one another.

　　Of course, there would occasionally be a muddle-headed demonic beast who would go to the Demonic Beast Institute, searching for some plump and oily cubs to eat which would improve their cultivation level as well. But without a doubt, they would all be bitten to death by Golden Eyed Leopard or get knocked back into their old nests.

　　Right at this moment, the bell that hung on Qing Yuege’s waist rang softly.

　　Qing Yuege raised an eyebrow and patted Golden Eyed Leopard’s head, “Baobao, a guest is here.”

　　Golden Eyed Leopard shook his head and said discontentedly, “Didn’t we say that you’re not allowed to pat my head anymore?”

　　Qing Yuege laughed softly, “Okay okay, it’s just a habit.”

　　Qing Yuege thought, this Golden Eyed Leopard was obviously so cute when he was a child. He would always roll around in his embrace and act cute, and would even take the initiative to nudge his head again Qing Yuege’s palm. When he slept, he must be hugged to sleep too. But Qing Yuege didn’t expect that after he grew up, he wouldn’t be cute at all anymore; not only was he hot-tempered and arrogant, but he would rarely act coquettishly too.

　　Golden Eyed Leopard jumped down, “Go and take care of those two stupid cubs, I’ll go take a look at the entrance.”

　　Qing Yuege lightly jumped down from the tree branch and landed in between the demon wolf and Hu Po, whose face was covered in dust.

　　“That’s about enough.” Qing Yuege shot the wolf demon a warning look.

　　The wolf demon grunted to indicate its submission, but still reluctantly made its tail stand up straight.

　　Hu Po limped up the cliff, his tail drooped and his steps were particularly heavy.

　　Ah Bai looked at Hu Po worriedly.

　　Qing Yuege blinked, then squatted down and rubbed Ah Bai’s head. “How’s your training going with the method of ‘absorbing the essence of the sun and moon and the spiritual Qi of the mountain and the rivers’ that Ah Tong taught you guys yesterday?”

　　Ah Bai licked Qing Yuege’s palm and said, “Hu Po and I absorb everything really fast, but why won’t our cultivation level improve?”

　　Although Ah Bai was just uttering aowus, as a Beast Tamer, Qing Yuege could understand him.

　　Qing Yuege smiled and tossed a gaze at Ah Bai that signalled to him not to worry, “That means that the spiritual Qi is slowly accumulating in your body, and once it reaches a certain threshold, you guys would naturally experience a huge breakthrough.”

　　Ah Bai felt a bit worried and said with much despondence, “When will we experience the breakthrough?”

　　At the very least, they should’ve advanced to the next star by now ba.

　　On the other side, Hu Po walked over to the side of the cliff.

　　He coldly stared at the wolf demon that had been following it.

　　The wolf demon revealed an unfriendly smile that contained slight malicious intent.

　　“Cub, I’ve always yearned for the demonic core in you and that other tiger cub. After eating your demonic cores, my cultivation would improve by leaps and bounds, and I might even be able to advance straight to the Wisdom stage.”

　　All of Hu Po’s hairs stood on end at once. He glared at the wolf demon with utmost hatred in his eyes and howled, “If you dare do anything to Ah Bai, I’ll kill you!”

　　“Tsktsktsk, kill me?” The wolf demon grinned and narrowed its eyes, “Don’t think that I’m the only one who longs for your demonic cores. A lot of other demonic beasts want them too, it’s just that there’s the Golden Eyed Leopard and Qing Yuege holding us back. They are the only reasons why two nourishing tiger cubs like you guys who aren’t the least bit capable can still live in peace.”

　　After it finished speaking, the wolf demon turned around and left.

　　Hu Po looked at the wolf demon’s strong back and bared his teeth. But in the end, his head drooped and he let out a low howl at the cliff.

　　At the entrance of the Demonic Beast Institute.

　　Lin Xuanzhi and Yan Tianhen waited outside the prohibition array for a short moment before they saw a Golden Eyed Leopard that moved as quick as a bolt of lightning. Within the blink of an eye, it arrived right in front of their eyes from afar.

　　The Golden Eyed Leopard walked out of the Demonic Beast Institute and raised its head, “Are you guys here to pick up a student, or here to visit one?”

　　Yan Tianhen said, “We’re here to see Hu Po and Ah Bai. How have they been doing here?”

　　Golden Eyed Leopard revealed a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.

　　When Lin Xuanzhi saw this, he lightly asked, “May I ask Master Golden Eye if their cultivation has improved so far?”

　　Golden Eyed Leopard stared at Lin Xuanzhi and narrowed its eyes, thinking that this was the one who truly called the shots, and the question he asked was the most useful one.

　　Golden Eyed Leopard nodded, “Although it only seems like there has been a slight improvement on the surface, before long, after they accumulate enough spiritual Qi in their bodies, their cultivation would soar by quite a bit.”

　　Yan Tianhen frowned, “Just a slight improvement?”

　　“But other strengths have been tapped into.” Golden Eyed Leopard said.

　　“What strengths?” Yan Tianhen’s eyes lit up.

　　“Compared to when they first came, they’re much better at enduring hits now.” Golden Eyed Leopard said lightly.

　　Yan Tianhen, “……”

　　Lin Xuanzhi narrowed his eyes, “Has there ever been any irreversible accidents in the Demonic Beast Institute under your management?”

　　Golden Eyed Leopard’s gaze swept over him, “With me around, how could there be any accidents? Even if the strongest demonic beast from Mt. Baizhang were to run down the mountain, I would still be able to beat it up until it ends up looking for its teeth on the ground.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi thus felt relieved.

　　He nodded, “Since that’s the case, we won’t see Ah Bai and Hu Po.”

　　Yan Tianhen looked at Lin Xuanzhi with a face full of reluctance and tugged his sleeve, “Dage, I want to see Ah Bai and Hu Po. And we’ve already come all the way here. We can’t possibly just go back like this without even seeing them ba.”

　　Lin Xuanzhi rubbed Yan Tianhen’s head and said sincerely, “Ah Bai and Hu Po would not looked as good as they used to. In any case, they’re spiritual beasts, so you need to at least leave them some face.”

　　—