“Immortal Master Shi… is calling for me?”

Wang Ba blinked, unable to quite believe what he was hearing.

“If not you, then who? Your luck has finally arrived!”

Tao Yi was positively vibrating with excitement. He gave Wang Ba’s arm a slap hard enough to sting. “You rascal, I really couldn’t tell you had this kind of skill hidden away! It looks like Senior Brother Shi intends to teach you some real techniques. After this war ends, he probably plans to recruit you permanently to our Ding-Nine Manor!”

I’ll be long gone before the war ends.

Wang Ba kept that thought locked tight behind his teeth. Instead, he forced a look of confusion. “Real techniques?”

“Senior Brother Shi is a master of the Beast Taming Dao,” Tao Yi whispered, leaning in as if sharing a state secret. “It is said he once personally cultivated a First-Rank High-Grade spirit beast, earning him great favor from Elder Qian! Needless to say, he’s definitely going to pass those arts on to you!”

True to his reputation as a big mouth, Tao Yi spilled everything he knew without a second thought.

This, however, actually piqued Wang Ba’s interest.

With his unique ability to transfer Lifespan, he had only managed to cultivate Alpha-Seven to a level approaching High Grade. In reality, the bird was still technically First-Rank Middle-Grade.

If a cheat-user like him struggled, one could only imagine how difficult it was for an ordinary cultivator to raise a High-Grade spirit beast.

It proved that this cultivator surnamed Shi truly possessed genuine skill.

If Wang Ba could learn legitimate beast-rearing techniques to supplement his Lifespan manipulation, perhaps he could help Alpha-Seven finally break through that bottleneck.

With a High-Grade Alpha-Seven by his side, even if he fled the Sect, he would have a semblance of self-protection capability in the dangerous world outside.

Thinking of this, Wang Ba couldn’t help but feel a flicker of genuine anticipation.

Just as they were speaking, a streak of grand, resplendent light suddenly slashed across the daytime sky. It vanished in an instant, leaving only a gorgeous, shimmering afterimage burned into the retina.

“It’s a Head Chamber Elder!”

Tao Yi looked up at the fading light, his expression shifting. “I don’t know which one it was, but it seems the Sect is getting serious this time. They’ve even deployed a Golden Core True Person!”

The Eastern Sage Sect had six chambers, and the head of each was a powerhouse at the Golden Core realm.

Wang Ba stared at the empty sky. The slight sense of self-satisfaction that had just risen in his heart instantly evaporated.

In its place came a heavy sensation—a reminder of the vast distance between him and the true powers of this world. The road ahead was long and burdened with responsibility.

“You keep busy here. I’m going out to gather some information.”

Tao Yi, clearly unable to contain his curiosity, waved at Wang Ba and hurriedly left the manor.

In the side courtyard, Lin Yu stared at the sky where the light had passed, a naked envy burning in her eyes. She stood dazed for a moment before turning back to her room. Moments later, she emerged, freshly made up, and hurried away as well.

Only Chu Erniu remained.

The white-robed youth stood in the courtyard, looking up with clenched fists, muttering something under his breath.

Wang Ba, possessing keen ears and sharp eyes, focused his attention. He caught the boy’s mumbled vow: “…One day, I will make all those who look down on me look up at me like this!”

Wang Ba: “…”

Ah, the simple joys of youth.

Wang Ba shook his head, picked up his broom, and began cleaning with practiced efficiency.

During his work, he made his rounds. From every Spirit Poultry in the manor, he quietly siphoned one year of Lifespan.

With nearly 800 chickens, the harvest was massive—almost 800 years in total.

He didn’t dare take more at once. This was, after all, someone else’s territory.

It was worth mentioning that the chicken belonging to Chu Erniu received special treatment. As soon as it passed through Wang Ba’s hands, he drained it dry, leaving it with mere days to live.

It was a petty way to vent his frustration, but it felt good.

Although Wang Ba had arrived early, the sheer volume of work meant it was nearing dusk by the time he finished.

The cultivator surnamed Shi had returned to the manor in the afternoon. Tao Yi and Lin Yu, however, were still out.

Wang Ba hesitated for a moment, then walked over and cautiously knocked on Senior Brother Shi’s door.

“Enter.”

Wang Ba gently pushed the door open, trying his best not to make a sound.

The room was startlingly austere. Aside from a meditation mat and a single bookshelf, it was completely empty.

Senior Brother Shi sat cross-legged on the mat, eyes closed, seemingly deep in meditation. He didn’t open his eyes at Wang Ba’s entry, but spoke suddenly:

“Recount your method for cultivating Spirit Poultry.”

Wang Ba was slightly startled but not panicked. He had anticipated this interrogation and had prepared a consistent cover story precisely for this moment.

Without hesitation, he laid out his “secret technique.”

He described a complex process involving diet, massage, and specifically, the stimulation of bloodlines.

After listening to the entire explanation, Senior Brother Shi nodded slightly, his eyes still closed.

“The concept is sound. However, once you replace standard Spirit Stones with Low Grade ones, the success rate of this method plummets. Whether a breakthrough occurs depends entirely on the inherent bloodline density of the Rare Fowl itself.”

Shi’s voice was calm, analytical. “Calculating the breakthrough ratio against the resource loss, it remains a net negative. Therefore, although our Ding Section has long known of this method, it has never been widely promoted.”

Wang Ba was genuinely surprised. So, his “invention” was already old news to the Sect.

The reason it wasn’t taught to the lower manors was simple economics: it wasn’t cost-effective.

Thinking back, Wang Ba realized Shi was right. The two Spirit Poultry he had cultivated using the “Bloodline Breakthrough” method (before he had the Lifespan cheat) had cost him over thirty Spirit Stones in materials.

The market price for a Low Grade Spirit Poultry was only three to six Spirit Stones.

Even with breeding, it was nearly impossible to recoup such a loss.

“However,” Shi continued, his tone shifting slightly, “your idea of using Tendon-Severing Nematodes to force open the meridians of the Rare Fowl… that is somewhat interesting.”

Shi finally opened his eyes, looking at Wang Ba with a flicker of approval.

“Go to the bookshelf on the left. Take the third book from the right on the second row. It contains knowledge regarding the cultivation of Rare Fowl and Spirit Poultry. You may come here daily to read it for a while, but it must be returned to the shelf before you leave the manor each day.”

“Yes, yes! Thank you, Immortal Master Shi!”

Wang Ba bowed deeply in gratitude.

Shi closed his eyes again, dismissing him into silence.

Wang Ba eagerly walked to the bookshelf and located the specified booklet.

In the process, his eyes wandered over other titles that made him drool with envy.

The Birth of First-Rank High-Grade Spirit Beasts, Summary of Difficulties in Spirit Bird Reproduction, Discussion on Postpartum Vitality Supplementation for Spirit Beasts…

Okay, he didn’t need the postpartum one, but he desperately wanted the others!

However, in front of a cultivator at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, he didn’t dare act presumptuously. He took only the book Shi had authorized. Seeing that the man had no further instructions, Wang Ba tiptoed out of the room and carefully closed the door.

He looked at the cover.

Detailed Manual of Rare Fowl and Spirit Poultry.

There was no author’s name. Flipping through it, it resembled a collection of casual notes and observations rather than a formal textbook.

Yet, Wang Ba found it fascinating. When he first entered the Sect, Deacon Li had given him a single page of precautions for raising chickens. This book went far deeper.

For example: Why is the reproductive drive of most Rare Fowl so weak?

The Detailed Manual offered a surprising explanation: Rare Fowl possessed slightly higher intelligence than common chickens. They generally cared more about their own comfort, enjoyment, and freedom, leading them to naturally resist the biological instinct to breed.

The author even noted instances of male Rare Fowl courting other males. The reasoning? Such a union carried no burden of raising offspring. Furthermore, from a Rare Fowl’s aesthetic perspective, roosters were simply more attractive than hens.

Wang Ba blinked.

Yes, you read that right. That was exactly what the author wrote.

Wang Ba was greatly shocked, but strangely, it made sense.

The author insightfully pointed out that if this species wasn’t valuable to cultivators—and thus forcibly bred by them—they would have gone extinct purely due to hedonism.

Extending this logic, other spirit creatures like Precious Pigs and Colorful Ducks suffered from similar issues.

Wang Ba found the theory quite convincing.

He read until the sky turned completely dark. Although he had finished less than half the book, he didn’t dare push his luck. He hurriedly returned the Detailed Manual to Shi’s room.

As he stepped out of the manor to leave, he ran into Tao Yi.

The usually cheerful gossip was walking with his head down, silent. His steps were heavy.

This was the first time Wang Ba had seen such a grim expression on his face.

“Immortal… Brother Tao Yi, what’s wrong?” Wang Ba asked with concern.

“It’s nothing.”

Tao Yi raised his head. Upon seeing Wang Ba, he forced a smile that looked more like a grimace.

Then, he dropped the news that made the blood drain from Wang Ba’s face.

“Last night… Demonic Cultivators from the State of Fu infiltrated the State of Chen. They performed a blood sacrifice on a city not far from our Sect’s border.”

Tao Yi’s voice trembled slightly.

“One hundred and twenty thousand citizens in the city… Not a single one survived.”