Restrictions were merely hurdles; the door was now open.

With the sect’s official permission secured, Han Yu wasted no time. He retrieved the jade slip for the Beast Heart Psychic Pact and began his study.

The first step of the Beast Heart Psychic Pact was the inscription of the Contract Seal.

For any disciple of the Spirit Beast Sect wishing to command a beast, this was the unavoidable foundation.

It was also the primary reason their spies were so easily caught. The Contract Seal was a spiritual brand that marred the skin—visible proof of one’s allegiance.

The seal would appear on the master, and a corresponding mark would appear on the beast.

The ritual was specific: take a drop of heart’s blood from the spirit beast and mix it with one’s own essence blood.

Channel Spirit Breath to inscribe the runes. Anoint the beast’s forehead or heart with the mixture. From that moment on, the spirits would mirror one another, establishing an unbreakable bond of master and servant.

Han Yu spent a day grasping the broad strokes of the technique, then spent several more meticulously analyzing the details until he was confident.

A few days later, before Han Yu had even gone to the forest to perform the ritual, Elder Lu returned to the Spirit Field Department.

The elder descended from his flying boat, checking on Han Yu’s cultivation progress before asking about the pact.

Upon learning that Han Yu hadn’t mastered it yet, Elder Lu nodded in approval. “Good. There is no need to rush. As long as you can control the beasts eventually, that is enough.”

He smoothed his beard. “I came today regarding your reward for the Outer Disciple Grand Competition.”

“You asked for the Qi Refining Spirit Boosting Pill, but as the Sect Leader said, Wanchun Valley does not possess such a thing. And you seemed to lack any other urgent needs.”

“I have taken the liberty of narrowing it down to two options for you. See which one suits you.”

Han Yu was genuinely surprised. He had assumed that being granted permission to practice a forbidden art like the Beast Heart Psychic Pact was reward enough. He hadn’t expected the sect to honor the competition prize on top of it.

“Master, what are the two options?”

“The first option,” Elder Lu began, “is a High-Grade Spirit Beast Pouch. Since you are cultivating the Beast Heart Psychic Pact and intend to command a flock, this would allow you to carry them with you effortlessly, making them instantly available for combat.”

“The second option,” Elder Lu continued, watching him closely. “You successfully cultivated the Green Wood Protection Technique. This indicates that although you have Four Spirit Roots, your Wood Spirit Root is the most dominant. Therefore, I can grant you a bottle of Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid.”

“One drop a day will significantly aid your cultivation.”

“Which do you choose?”

Han Yu didn’t hesitate for a heartbeat. “Master, I choose the Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid!”

Elder Lu’s face lit up with delight. “Excellent! You are truly teachable.”

“Had you chosen the Spirit Beast Pouch, I would have been forced to lecture you. The world is full of rare beasts, but no matter how strong they are, they are external objects. A thousand spirit beasts cannot add a single day to your own lifespan.”

“If you were eager for quick success, chasing immediate combat power, you would be like a garden blooming with ten thousand flowers—spectacular, but lasting only a single spring. How could that compare to the evergreen pine that endures through the ages?”

Elder Lu produced a small white jade bottle and handed it to Han Yu.

“I brought the Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid with me, just in case. Cultivate diligently. Do not waste your talent.”

“This liquid is formed from the dew of Wanchun Valley’s Ancestral Tree. It gathers only once every three years and never dries. It is infused with the purest Wood Spirit essence. Typically, only Major Merits can exchange for such a treasure.”

“With your affinity for wood, combined with the Thousand-Year Sunkwood Heart and Clear Heart Qi Gathering Pills, your progress should accelerate. You should be able to break through to the fifth layer of Qi Refining within two years!”

Han Yu bowed deeply, keeping his expression earnest. “This disciple will strive to break through as soon as possible!”

Elder Lu gave a few final instructions and departed on his flying boat.

Senior Sister Li watched him go, then nudged Han Yu playfully. “Well, Little Eighteen, ever since you became his favorite, Master hardly spares a glance for the rest of us.”

“I wanted to ask him about the Spirit Beast Sect spies, but he left before I could open my mouth…”

Han Yu chuckled, unable to refute her.

In the ten days since the apprenticeship began, Elder Lu had visited the humble Spirit Field Department twice specifically for him. The favor was undeniable.

“Next time you go to pay respects, bring me along,” Han Yu said. “As a disciple, it is my duty to greet him properly.”

“Deal,” Senior Sister Li agreed.

Back in his room, Han Yu didn’t immediately consume the spirit liquid.

He sat at his table, gripping the white jade bottle in his right hand. He summoned the mysterious energy within him.

Replicate.

The drain was immense. It took a full fifteen days’ worth of accumulated charge to manifest a copy—more expensive than even the Thousand-Year Sunkwood Heart.

Han Yu felt a thrill of excitement. The higher cost for a similar volume proved that the Ancestral Tree Spirit Liquid was of a vastly higher tier than the wood.

He stowed one bottle away and uncorked the other. A single drop, green and lustrous as liquid jade, rolled out.

He swallowed it and immediately began cycling the Green Grain Qi Cultivation Method.

After two full circulation cycles, Han Yu opened his eyes, joy radiating from his face. The effect was potent—equivalent to using two pieces of Sunkwood Heart simultaneously!

He didn’t stop there. He gripped a Sunkwood Heart in each hand, popped a Clear Heart Qi Gathering Pill, and swallowed a second drop of the spirit liquid.

When he finished his session, the results were clear.

The first drop of the day provided the peak effect—just as Elder Lu had advised.

The second drop was less than half as effective. For any normal cultivator, this would be a horrific waste of a priceless treasure.

But Han Yu was not a normal cultivator. He did not fear waste.

He made a decision instantly. From now on, he would consume three drops a day.

With this regimen, his cultivation speed would skyrocket. He wouldn’t need two years. He might reach the sixth layer of Qi Refining within a single year.

The next day, Han Yu followed the large raven into the dense forest where the flock gathered.

It was time to form the pact.

He placed a ceramic bowl on a flat stone and forced out thirty drops of his own essence blood. It was a taxing price, leaving him slightly pale.

The large raven cawed. The smaller spirit raven hopped forward, leading a procession of eighteen other crows, all at the early stages of Qi Refining.

One by one, they stepped up. Han Yu extracted a drop of heart blood from each, mixing it into the bowl.

Once the ink-blood mixture was ready, Han Yu rolled up his left sleeve. He dipped his finger into the bowl and began to channel his spiritual energy, carving the Beast Heart Psychic runes into the skin of his forearm.

“Spirit Altar mirrors the blood, the Pact bridges the void. Heart as the guide, Will as the vessel.”

“Touch the beast with no barrier; ten thousand feathers and scales share this bond.”

As the incantation finished, the blood-ink glowed. A stylized image of a bird with spread wings manifested on his forearm, settling into the skin like a tattoo.

Han Yu nodded in satisfaction. He had disliked the standard “roaring beast head” design he had seen in the manual. The avian variant was much more elegant.

He beckoned the birds closer.

Dipping his finger into the mixture again, he moved down the line, pressing a bloody thumbprint onto the forehead of each crow.

The blood seeped into their feathers and vanished.

One by one, the nineteen crows fell silent, entering a trance.

The large raven—already bonded to him through older, more primitive means—watched from a high branch like a general overseeing his troops. Scores of ordinary crows filled the canopy, watching in silent witness.

Moments later, the smaller spirit raven snapped awake. It let out a cheerful caw, hopped onto Han Yu’s knee, and pecked affectionately at his robe.

Han Yu could feel it—a clear, telepathic thread connecting their minds.

The other eighteen woke in succession, swarming around him, eager for closeness.

“Caw!”

The large raven let out a sharp, commanding cry as a few enthusiastic recruits tried to jump onto Han Yu’s shoulders.

The flock immediately settled down, cowed by their leader.

Han Yu stood in the center of the clearing, eyes half-closed. He extended his senses, feeling the twenty distinct consciousnesses merging with his own. It was a chaotic, primitive chorus, but it was his.

A smile touched his lips. He let out a soft laugh.

The flock responded.

As if sensing his desire for freedom, the large raven dove from the canopy.

Its massive black wings beat furiously, generating a powerful updraft.

“Caw!”

The nineteen spirit crows joined in, flapping in unison. Then the dozens of ordinary crows followed suit.

It became a storm of black feathers. A living cyclone.

The collective wind generated by nearly a hundred wings lifted Han Yu off the ground. He didn’t use a flying sword. He didn’t use a levitation spell. He was borne aloft by the sheer force of the flock.

They carried him up, bursting through the canopy and into the open sky above the forest.

Han Yu spread his arms, his body swaying gently with the currents of the avian storm. High above the world, looking down at the spirit fields and the valleys of Wanchun, he felt a profound sense of unity.

Man, beast, sky, and earth—for a moment, they were all one.