suǒ wèi “ tóng xīn huán ”， shì dì sān mò qīn zì dǎ zào de yī jiàn shén qí fǎ qì 。
所谓“同心环”，是帝叁貘亲自打造的一件神奇法器。
The "Heart Harmony Ring" was a magical artifact personally crafted by Emperor Sanmou.
wài biǎo kàn shàng qù xiàng shì yī dào sàn fà zhe lán guāng de yuán xíng mén fēi ， yāo shòu chuān guò qí zhōng zhǐ xū xiàn shí shì jiè de yī shùn 。 dàn jiù shì zài zhè chà nà zhī jiān ， huì jīng lì wú shù hé zhēn shí wú yì de bī zhēn huàn jìng 。
外表看上去像是一道散发着蓝光的圆形门扉，妖兽穿过其中只需现实世界的一瞬。但就是在这刹那之间，会经历无数和真实无异的逼真幻境。
Its appearance resembled a circular door emitting blue light. Whendemonic beast passed through it, they would only experience the real world for an instant. But in that fleeting moment, they would go through countless vivid and realistic illusions.
ér kǎo yàn de “ tóng xīn ” nèi róng ， zì rán shì cè shì yāo shòu zài gè zhǒng jí duān qíng kuàng xià ， huì bú huì zuò chū shāng hài qí zhǔ rén de xíng wéi 。
而考验的“同心”内容，自然是测试妖兽在各种极端情况下，会不会做出伤害其主人的行为。
The test of "harmony," naturally, was to see if thedemonic beast would harm their masters under various extreme circumstances.
zhè “ tóng xīn huán ” dǎ zào bù yì ， cāng cù zhī jiān yù shòu zōng yě zhǐ nòng chū le yī jiàn 。 suī rán wán chéng cè yàn suǒ xū de shí jiān jiào duǎn ， nài hé yù shòu zōng de yāo shòu shù liàng shí zài tài duō 。 bù jǐn jǐn shì zhū wèi dì zǐ de běn mìng yāo shòu ， hái yǒu cóng shì kǔ lì láo dòng 、 fù zé dǎ lǐ líng tián 、 yǐ jí hù wèi zōng mén de yī dà qún wú zhǔ yāo shòu 。
这“同心环”打造不易，仓促之间御兽宗也只弄出了一件。虽然完成测验所需的时间较短，奈何御兽宗的妖兽数量实在太多。不仅仅是诸位弟子的本命妖兽，还有从事苦力劳动、负责打理灵田、以及护卫宗门的一大群无主妖兽。
Crafting such a Heart Harmony Ring was not easy; the Beast Taming Sect could only produce one in haste. Although it required less time to complete the test, the sect's number ofdemonic beast was too great. Not only did this include the disciples' ownsoul of life beasts, but also a large group of orphaned beasts responsible for labor and guarding the spiritual fields.
suī rán hào chēng wú zhǔ ， dàn zhè xiē yāo shòu kě quán dōu chù zài yù shòu zōng de nú yì zhī xià 。
虽然号称无主，但这些妖兽可全都处在御兽宗的奴役之下。
Although they were called orphans, these beasts were all under the control of the Beast Taming Sect through their treasured artifact, the Ten Thousand Beasts Wheel. It was said that this wheel bore the images of almost every type ofdemonic beast in existence. Even newly born species would soon appear on it.
cāo zòng tā men de ， zhèng shì yù shòu zōng zhì bǎo 【 wàn shòu zhuàn lún 】。 jù shuō zhè wàn shòu zhuàn lún shàng ， diāo kè zhe tiān xià jī hū suǒ yǒu yāo shòu de tú àn 。 bìng qiě jiù suàn gāng gāng dàn shēng de quán xīn zhǒng lèi yāo shòu ， bù jiǔ hòu yě huì zài qí shàng chū xiàn 。
操纵他们的，正是御兽宗至宝【万兽转轮】。据说这万兽转轮上，雕刻着天下几乎所有妖兽的图案。并且就算刚刚诞生的全新种类妖兽，不久后也会在其上出现。
When a beast was born, its soul was marked by the Ten Thousand Beasts Wheel, ensuring it could never escape its control for eternity.
yāo shòu chū shēng zhī shí ， yǐ wàn shòu zhuàn lún zài qí shén hún kè xià lào yìn ， cóng cǐ shēng shēng shì shì dōu wú fǎ bǎi tuō zhuàn lún de zhǎng kòng 。
妖兽初生之时，以万兽转轮在其神魂刻下烙印，从此生生世世都无法摆脱转轮的掌控。
It is said that Emperor Sanmou brought this treasure from the Southern Abyss Sacred Beast Mountain and handed it over to the founding master of the Beast Taming Sect, "Wansheng Yong." It was through the Ten Thousand Beasts Wheel that Wansheng Yong gained insight into the True Technique of Beast Taming.
jù shuō ， zhè jiàn zhì bǎo hái shì dāng chū dì sān mò cóng nán míng shèng shòu shān zhōng dài chū ， jiāo yǔ yù shòu zōng kāi shān zǔ shī “ wàn shì yōng ” de 。 ér wàn shì yōng zhèng shì cóng 【 wàn shòu zhuàn lún 】 zhōng ， lǐng wù chū le 【 yù shòu zhēn jué 】。
据说，这件至宝还是当初帝叁貘从南冥圣兽山中带出，交予御兽宗开山祖师“万世雍”的。而万世雍正是从【万兽转轮】中，领悟出了【御兽真诀】。
However, while the Ten Thousand Beasts Wheel possessed numerous incredible powers, it also had fatal flaws. It could only be used on beasts at birth, and any beast whose soul was marked by it would suffer immense pain from the "Wheel's Suffering." As a result, their intelligence failed to develop fully, limiting them to simple tasks.
bù guò ， suī rán wàn shòu zhuàn lún yǒu zhǒng zhǒng bù kě sī yì de wēi néng ， dàn què yǒu xǔ duō zhì mìng quē diǎn 。 bì xū zài chū shēng de yāo shòu shàng shǐ yòng 。 yǐ jí fán shì shén hún bèi qí kè xià lào yìn de yāo shòu ， shí shí kè kè dōu zài “ zhuàn lún zhī kǔ ” de jù dà tòng chǔ zhōng 。 yīn cǐ zhì lì wú fǎ fā yù wán quán ， zhǐ néng cóng shì xiē xǔ jiǎn dān de gōng zuò 。
不过，虽然万兽转轮有种种不可思议的威能，但却有许多致命缺点。必须在出生的妖兽上使用。以及凡是神魂被其刻下烙印的妖兽，时时刻刻都在“转轮之苦”的巨大痛楚中。因此智力无法发育完全，只能从事些许简单的工作。
Beast taming in combat required a deep connection of minds. Only then could one command their beast as if an extension of themselves, maximizing their fighting potential. Knowing that even minor details could affect the outcome of a battle between cultivators of the same rank, it was virtually self-destructive for a master to control a not-so-intelligent beast.
yù shòu ér dòu ， jiǎng jiū de shì yí gè xīn yì xiāng tōng 。 rú cǐ fāng néng zuò dào rú bì zhǐ shǐ ， fā huī zuì dà zhàn lì 。 xū zhī ， tóng jiē xiū shì zhàn dòu ， měi yí gè xì jié dōu yǒu kě néng yǐng xiǎng zhàn dòu de shèng fù 。 rú guǒ kòng zhì de yāo shòu bù tài cōng míng de huà ， nà jī hū kě yǐ shuō shì zì duàn yī bì le 。
御兽而斗，讲究的是一个心意相通。如此方能做到如臂指使，发挥最大战力。需知，同阶修士战斗，每一个细节都有可能影响战斗的胜负。如果控制的妖兽不太聪明的话，那几乎可以说是自断一壁了。
Thus, Beast Taming Sect cultivators relied on the True Technique of Beast Taming to slowly nurture theirsoul of life beasts from an early age. They would never consider selecting those controlled by the Ten Thousand Beasts Wheel.
suǒ yǐ yù shòu zōng xiū shì ， dōu shì kào zhe 【 yù shòu zhēn jué 】， cóng xiǎo màn màn péi yǎng zì jǐ de běn mìng líng shòu 。 gēn běn bú huì kǎo lǜ zhí jiē tiāo xuǎn nà xiē bèi wàn shòu zhuàn lún cāo zòng de yāo shòu men 。
所以御兽宗修士，都是靠着【御兽真诀】，从小慢慢培养自己的本命灵兽。根本不会考虑直接挑选那些被万兽转轮操纵的妖兽们。
This led to the Beast Taming Sect's dire situation when the Great Desolation Array arrived. Thankfully, Emperor Sanmou personally oversaw the evacuation. Before him, both humans and beasts dared not act rashly as they orderly underwent the Heart Harmony Ring test.
zhè yě dǎo zhì liǎo dàng fǎ bù kě tóng xiū de dà jié jiàng lín zhī hòu ， yù shòu zōng dùn shí xiàn rù le jiān nán wú bǐ de chǔ jìng zhī zhōng 。
这也导致了当法不可同修的大劫降临之后，御兽宗顿时陷入了艰难无比的处境之中。
By the end of the first day, only a fraction of the total number of beasts had been tested, meaning it would take about half a month to complete the selection. The beasts that passed were embraced by their masters before entering the Ten Thousand Beasts Boat.
hǎo zài chè lí xíng dòng yóu dì sān mò qīn zì dū zhèn ， zài zhè wèi bái fà zhǎng méi lǎo zhě miàn qián ， wú lùn shì rén yì huò zhě shì shòu ， jiē bù gǎn zào cì 。 jǐng rán yǒu xù de jìn xíng zhe “ tóng xīn huán ” de cè shì 。
好在撤离行动由帝叁貘亲自督阵，在这位白发长眉老者面前，无论是人亦或者是兽，皆不敢造次。井然有序的进行着“同心环”的测试。
Those who failed faced forced separation despite their reluctance. It was rumored they would be temporarily detained until the entire sect evacuated safely and then allowed to leave.
dì yī tiān jié shù ， zhǐ wán chéng le quán bù yāo shòu shù liàng de shí jǐ fēn zhī yī 。 yě jiù shì shuō yù jì zǒng gòng xū yào chà bu duō bàn gè yuè de shí jiān ， fāng néng wán chéng tiāo xuǎn 。 tōng guò shāi xuǎn de yāo shòu men ， hé zhǔ rén xiāng yōng ér qì ， xiān xíng yī bù jìn rù le 【 wàn shòu zhōu 】 zhī zhōng 。
第一天结束，只完成了全部妖兽数量的十几分之一。也就是说预计总共需要差不多半个月的时间，方能完成挑选。通过筛选的妖兽们，和主人相拥而泣，先行一步进入了【万兽舟】之中。
On the seventh day, Xu Kehu suddenly found Li Fan in the middle of the night, his face panic-stricken.
bù jiǔ hòu ， tā men jiāng huì chéng zuò zhè sōu fēi xíng fǎ qì ， lí kāi xuán huáng jiè ， qián wǎng wèi zhī de xiǎo shì jiè bì nàn 。
不久后，他们将会乘坐这艘飞行法器，离开玄黄界，前往未知的小世界避难。
"Little Black, something terrible is happening. You need to run," he said urgently.
ér nà xiē wèi néng tōng guò kǎo yàn de ， jǐn guǎn yǒu zài duō de bù shě ， yī rán bèi qiáng zhì hé tā men de zhǔ rén fēn kāi le 。 jù shuō zhè xiē yāo shòu zàn shí huì bèi tǒng yī guān yā ， děng dào yù shòu zōng quán tǐ ān quán chè lí zhī hòu ， jiù huì fàng rèn tā men lí kāi 。
而那些未能通过考验的，尽管有再多的不舍，依然被强制和它们的主人分开了。据说这些妖兽暂时会被统一关押，等到御兽宗全体安全撤离之后，就会放任它们离开。
Li Fan, who was meditating on the True Art of Creation Furnace Transformation with his eyes closed, opened them and glanced at Xu Kehu indifferently.
dāng cè shì jìn xíng dào le dì qī tiān 。
当测试进行到了第七天。
Xu Kehu continued, "This isn't a joke this time. If you stay here, you'll really die. Forget me; just quietly leave the Beast Taming Sect."
zhè yī tiān de wǎn shàng ， xiāo shī le zhěng gè bái tiān de xǔ kè hū de zhǎo dào lǐ fán ， miàn sè huāng zhāng 。
这一天的晚上，消失了整个白天的许克忽的找到李凡，面色慌张。
Li Fan yawned and stretched.
“ xiǎo hēi ， dà shì bù hǎo le ， nǐ gǎn jǐn liū zǒu ba 。”
“小黑，大事不好了，你赶紧溜走吧。”
"Did you hear what I said? Those beasts that fail the test won't be released as promised but will be killed instead," Li Fan interrupted.
zhèng zài bì mù xiū liàn 【 zào huà hōng lú gōng 】 de lǐ fán zhēng kāi yǎn jīng ， piē le duì fāng yī yǎn ， wú dòng yú zhōng 。
正在闭目修炼【造化烘炉功】的李凡睁开眼睛，撇了对方一眼，无动于衷。
Xu Kehu was stunned. "How… how do you know?"
xǔ kè yòu shuō dào ：“ zhè cì kě bú shì gēn nǐ kāi wán xiào de ， zài dài xià qù ， nǐ zhēn de huì méi mìng de 。 bié guǎn wǒ le ， nǐ gǎn jǐn qiāo qiāo lí kāi yù shòu zōng 。”
许克又说道：“这次可不是跟你开玩笑的，再待下去，你真的会没命的。别管我了，你赶紧悄悄离开御兽宗。”
"Is it possible that Little Black overheard our conversation?" Xu Kehu's face showed a hint of surprise.
lǐ fán zhāng le zhāng zuǐ ， dǎ le hā qiàn 。
李凡张了张嘴，打了哈欠。
"You can figure it out with your claws; why listen in?" Li Fan raised his head, looking disdainful.
xǔ kè dùn shí jí le ：“ xiǎo hēi nǐ dào dǐ yǒu méi yǒu tīng jiàn wǒ de huà a 。 wǒ jīn tiān cóng lù yá shī xiōng nà lǐ tīng shuō ……”
许克顿时急了：“小黑你到底有没有听见我的话啊。我今天从陆涯师兄那里听说……”
"Regardless of the secrets these beasts might know about the sect or the importance of leaving the Xuanhuang Realm, if they leak this information to other worlds… " Li Fan's eyes flashed dangerously.
“ méi yǒu tōng guò kǎo yàn de yāo shòu ， bú huì xiàng shuō hǎo de nà yàng fàng rèn tā men lí kāi 。 ér shì huì tōng tōng jiāng tā men chǔ sǐ 。 duì me ？” lǐ fán qiǎng xiān yī bù shuō dào 。
“没有通过考验的妖兽，不会像说好的那样放任它们离开。而是会通通将它们处死。对么？”李凡抢先一步说道。
"In short, all these beasts must die!" Li Fan said coldly.
xǔ kè dāi zhù le ：“ nǐ …… nǐ zěn me zhī dào ？”
许克呆住了：“你……你怎么知道？”
His words echoed with finality.
“ nán bù chéng xiǎo hēi nǐ tōu tīng wǒ men duì huà le ？” xǔ kè de liǎn shàng shǎn guò yī sī jīng yà 。
“难不成小黑你偷听我们对话了？”许克的脸上闪过一丝惊讶。
After a long moment, Xu Kehu recovered. He stared at Li Fan in silence: "Since you figured everything out, why are you so calm? Are you not afraid?"
“ yòng zhuǎ zi xiǎng yě néng xiǎng dào ， hái yòng de zhe tōu tīng ？” lǐ fán áng qǐ tóu ， yī liǎn bù xiè 。
“用爪子想也能想到，还用的着偷听？”李凡昂起头，一脸不屑。
Li Fan stood tall and stared intently at Xu Kehu. "What's the joke? Do I have to fail that Heart Harmony Ring test too? How can you lack faith in me?"
“ qiě bù shuō zhè xiē yuán běn yù shòu zōng suǒ shǔ de yāo shòu ， zhī xiǎo zhe duō shǎo zōng mén mì mì 。 chè lí xuán huáng jiè yī shì gèng shì guān hū yù shòu zōng shēng sǐ cún wáng ， rú guǒ xiè lòu chū qù ， shuí gǎn bǎo zhèng yāo shòu men bú huì zhuī shā dào xiǎo shì jiè qù ？ dào shí hòu táo wú kě táo ， jiù shì miè mén dà huò ！”
“且不说这些原本御兽宗所属的妖兽，知晓着多少宗门秘密。撤离玄黄界一事更是关乎御兽宗生死存亡，如果泄露出去，谁敢保证妖兽们不会追杀到小世界去？到时候逃无可逃，就是灭门大祸！”
Xu Kehu was momentarily intimidated by Li Fan's presence and couldn't look him in the eye. He stammered, "That's not what I meant… anything could happen…"
“ nà wèi dì sān mò ， kě bú shì shén me xīn cí shǒu ruǎn de shàn liáng zhī bèi 。 néng gòu jiāng nú yì zì jǐ tóng zú de fāng fǎ ， zhuǎn ér sòng gěi rén lèi ……” lǐ fán shuāng yǎn zhōng shǎn guò yī sī wēi xiǎn de mù guāng 。
“那位帝叁貘，可不是什么心慈手软的善良之辈。能够将奴役自己同族的方法，转而送给人类……”李凡双眼中闪过一丝危险的目光。
Li Fan swooped down and delivered a sharp claw to Xu Kehu's head: "There are no 'ifs'!"
“ zǒng ér yán zhī ， zhè xiē yāo shòu bì xū dōu dé sǐ ！” lǐ fán lěng shēng dào 。
“总而言之，这些妖兽必须都得死！”李凡冷声道。
He declared firmly.
lǐ fán zhī yán zhì dì yǒu shēng 。
李凡之言掷地有声。
Xu Kehu hesitated but knew Li Fan's stubborn nature well enough to stop arguing. For three days of anxious waiting, Xu Kehu finally waited for Little Black's test day.
guò le xǔ jiǔ ， xǔ kè cái fǎn yìng guò lái 。 tā zhēng zhēng dì kàn zhe lǐ fán ：“ jì rán xiǎo hēi nǐ quán dōu cāi chū lái le ， nà wèi shén me hái néng zhè me dàn dìng ？ nán dào nǐ bù pà me ？”
过了许久，许克才反应过来。他怔怔地看着李凡：“既然小黑你全都猜出来了，那为什么还能这么淡定？难道你不怕么？”
Under the intense gaze of everyone, Li Fan stepped into the Heart Harmony Ring.
lǐ fán áng shǒu tǐng xiōng ， jǐn jǐn dīng zhe xǔ kè ， bī wèn dào ：“ xiào huà ， wǒ pà shén me ？ nán bù chéng ， wǒ hái huì tōng bù guò nà shén me tóng xīn huán de kǎo yàn ？ nǐ xiǎo zi duì wǒ zhè me méi xìn xīn ？”
李凡昂首挺胸，紧紧盯着许克，逼问道：“笑话，我怕什么？难不成，我还会通不过那什么同心环的考验？你小子对我这么没信心？”
Time seemed to stand still in that instant.
yī shí bèi lǐ fán de qì shì suǒ shè ， xǔ kè jū rán bù gǎn zhí shì duì fāng de yǎn jīng 。 tā yǒu xiē zhī zhī wú wú dào ：“ huà bú shì zhè me shuō la 。 shì shì wú jué duì ， wàn yī ne ……”
一时被李凡的气势所慑，许克居然不敢直视对方的眼睛。他有些支支吾吾道：“话不是这么说啦。事事无绝对，万一呢……”
Suddenly, a gentle blue light burst from the ring, signaling success!
lǐ fán pū shān zhe chì bǎng fēi dào xǔ kè tóu dǐng ， hěn hěn lái le yī zhǎo ：“ méi yǒu wàn yī ！”
李凡扑扇着翅膀飞到许克头顶，狠狠来了一爪：“没有万一！”
"Ah! Little Black, you did great!" Xu Kehu screamed and rushed to embrace Li Fan, only to be kicked away by him.
tā duàn rán dào 。
他断然道。
"Test passed. Next," Landya said with surprise as he announced.
xǔ kè yù yán yòu zhǐ 。 suī rán xīn zhōng shí fēn zháo jí ， dàn tā què yě shí fēn qīng chǔ zhè zhǐ guài niǎo de jué pí qì ， zhōng jiū shì méi yǒu zài quàn shuō 。
许克欲言又止。虽然心中十分着急，但他却也十分清楚这只怪鸟的倔脾气，终究是没有再劝说。
Five days later, after all the beasts of the Beast Taming Sect had completed their tests, the Ten Thousand Beasts Boat was fully loaded, ready for its journey into the unknown.
tǎn tè bù ān zhōng děng dài le sān tiān ， xǔ kè zhōng yú děng dào le xiǎo hēi jiē shòu kǎo yàn de rì zi 。
忐忑不安中等待了三天，许克终于等到了小黑接受考验的日子。
"Landya, are you leaving too?" Xu Kehu asked curiously from the deck, tilting his head.
zài jǐn zhāng wú bǐ de shì xiàn zhōng ， lǐ fán zǒu jìn le “ tóng xīn huán ” lǐ 。
在紧张无比的视线中，李凡走进了“同心环”里。
Landya patted Xu Kehu's head. "We need to leave some people behind. The Ten Sects of Immortal Dao also have their pride. If we don't even pretend, others might get angry."
shí jiān zài chà nà zhī jiān ， fǎng fú biàn dé jìng zhǐ 。
时间在刹那之间，仿佛变得静止。
Xu Kehu nodded half-heartedly.
xià yī kè ， tóng xīn huán dǒu rán bào fā chū wēn hé de lán sè guāng máng ， nà shì chéng gōng tōng guò kǎo yàn de biāo zhì ！
下一刻，同心环陡然爆发出温和的蓝色光芒，那是成功通过考验的标志！
"Go. The future of the Beast Taming Sect depends on you."
“ a ！ xiǎo hēi nǐ tài bàng le ！” xǔ kè jiān jiào zhe chōng dào lǐ fán miàn qián ， yù jiāng qí hěn hěn bào zhù 。 què bèi lǐ fán yī zhuǎ zi wú qíng tī kāi 。
“啊！小黑你太棒了！”许克尖叫着冲到李凡面前，欲将其狠狠抱住。却被李凡一爪子无情踢开。
Landya tied a red string around Xu Kehu's wrist and said with reluctance, "Wow, this is Mr. Bai's red string!" Xu Kehu recognized it immediately by its unique knotting method.
“ cè shì hé gé 。 xià yí gè 。” lù yá yǒu xiē chà yì de kàn le lǐ fán yī yǎn ， xuān bù dào 。
“测试合格。下一个。”陆涯有些诧异的看了李凡一眼，宣布道。
Back in Ningyuan City when he was still in the dilapidated temple, whenever a child got sick and was cured by Mr. Bai,
yòu wǔ tiān zhī hòu ， dāng yù shòu zōng de quán bù yāo shòu dōu wán chéng le “ tóng xīn huán ” de kǎo yàn zhī hòu ， wàn shòu zhōu nèi yǐ jīng zhuāng zài de mǎn mǎn dāng dāng 。
又五天之后，当御兽宗的全部妖兽都完成了“同心环”的考验之后，万兽舟内已经装载的满满当当。
he would tie such a red string around their wrist for safety.
jí jiāng cháo zhe wèi zhī de jiā yuán qǐ háng 。
即将朝着未知的家园起航。
Xu Kehu raised his hand to examine the string again and again.
“ lù yá shī xiōng ， nǐ bù zǒu me ？” jiǎ bǎn shàng ， xǔ kè yī liǎn hào qí de kàn zhe zhàn zài chuán tóu de lù yá ， wāi zhe nǎo dài wèn dào 。
“陆涯师兄，你不走么？”甲板上，许克一脸好奇的看着站在船头的陆涯，歪着脑袋问道。
Li Fan also stared at it, feeling indescribable emotions welling up inside him.
lù yá shēn shǒu mō le mō xǔ kè de nǎo dài ：“ zǒng yào liú xiē rén shǒu de 。 xiān dào shí zōng yě yào miàn zi de ma ， rú guǒ zhuāng dōu bù kěn zhuāng ， rě dé bié rén shēng qì le kě bù hǎo 。”
陆涯伸手摸了摸许克的脑袋：“总要留些人手的。仙道十宗也要面子的嘛，如果装都不肯装，惹得别人生气了可不好。”
(End of Chapter)
The "Heart Harmony Ring" was a magical artifact personally crafted by Emperor Sanmou.
Its appearance resembled a circular door emitting blue light. Whendemonic beast passed through it, they would only experience the real world for an instant. But in that fleeting moment, they would go through countless vivid and realistic illusions.
The test of "harmony," naturally, was to see if thedemonic beast would harm their masters under various extreme circumstances.
Crafting such a Heart Harmony Ring was not easy; the Beast Taming Sect could only produce one in haste. Although it required less time to complete the test, the sect's number ofdemonic beast was too great. Not only did this include the disciples' ownsoul of life beasts, but also a large group of orphaned beasts responsible for labor and guarding the spiritual fields.
Although they were called orphans, these beasts were all under the control of the Beast Taming Sect through their treasured artifact, the Ten Thousand Beasts Wheel. It was said that this wheel bore the images of almost every type ofdemonic beast in existence. Even newly born species would soon appear on it.
When a beast was born, its soul was marked by the Ten Thousand Beasts Wheel, ensuring it could never escape its control for eternity.
It is said that Emperor Sanmou brought this treasure from the Southern Abyss Sacred Beast Mountain and handed it over to the founding master of the Beast Taming Sect, "Wansheng Yong." It was through the Ten Thousand Beasts Wheel that Wansheng Yong gained insight into the True Technique of Beast Taming.
However, while the Ten Thousand Beasts Wheel possessed numerous incredible powers, it also had fatal flaws. It could only be used on beasts at birth, and any beast whose soul was marked by it would suffer immense pain from the "Wheel's Suffering." As a result, their intelligence failed to develop fully, limiting them to simple tasks.
Beast taming in combat required a deep connection of minds. Only then could one command their beast as if an extension of themselves, maximizing their fighting potential. Knowing that even minor details could affect the outcome of a battle between cultivators of the same rank, it was virtually self-destructive for a master to control a not-so-intelligent beast.
Thus, Beast Taming Sect cultivators relied on the True Technique of Beast Taming to slowly nurture theirsoul of life beasts from an early age. They would never consider selecting those controlled by the Ten Thousand Beasts Wheel.
This led to the Beast Taming Sect's dire situation when the Great Desolation Array arrived. Thankfully, Emperor Sanmou personally oversaw the evacuation. Before him, both humans and beasts dared not act rashly as they orderly underwent the Heart Harmony Ring test.
By the end of the first day, only a fraction of the total number of beasts had been tested, meaning it would take about half a month to complete the selection. The beasts that passed were embraced by their masters before entering the Ten Thousand Beasts Boat.
Those who failed faced forced separation despite their reluctance. It was rumored they would be temporarily detained until the entire sect evacuated safely and then allowed to leave.
On the seventh day, Xu Kehu suddenly found Li Fan in the middle of the night, his face panic-stricken.
"Little Black, something terrible is happening. You need to run," he said urgently.
Li Fan, who was meditating on the True Art of Creation Furnace Transformation with his eyes closed, opened them and glanced at Xu Kehu indifferently.
Xu Kehu continued, "This isn't a joke this time. If you stay here, you'll really die. Forget me; just quietly leave the Beast Taming Sect."
Li Fan yawned and stretched.
"Did you hear what I said? Those beasts that fail the test won't be released as promised but will be killed instead," Li Fan interrupted.
Xu Kehu was stunned. "How… how do you know?"
"Is it possible that Little Black overheard our conversation?" Xu Kehu's face showed a hint of surprise.
"You can figure it out with your claws; why listen in?" Li Fan raised his head, looking disdainful.
"Regardless of the secrets these beasts might know about the sect or the importance of leaving the Xuanhuang Realm, if they leak this information to other worlds… " Li Fan's eyes flashed dangerously.
"In short, all these beasts must die!" Li Fan said coldly.
His words echoed with finality.
After a long moment, Xu Kehu recovered. He stared at Li Fan in silence: "Since you figured everything out, why are you so calm? Are you not afraid?"
Li Fan stood tall and stared intently at Xu Kehu. "What's the joke? Do I have to fail that Heart Harmony Ring test too? How can you lack faith in me?"
Xu Kehu was momentarily intimidated by Li Fan's presence and couldn't look him in the eye. He stammered, "That's not what I meant… anything could happen…"
Li Fan swooped down and delivered a sharp claw to Xu Kehu's head: "There are no 'ifs'!"
He declared firmly.
Xu Kehu hesitated but knew Li Fan's stubborn nature well enough to stop arguing. For three days of anxious waiting, Xu Kehu finally waited for Little Black's test day.
Under the intense gaze of everyone, Li Fan stepped into the Heart Harmony Ring.
Time seemed to stand still in that instant.
Suddenly, a gentle blue light burst from the ring, signaling success!
"Ah! Little Black, you did great!" Xu Kehu screamed and rushed to embrace Li Fan, only to be kicked away by him.
"Test passed. Next," Landya said with surprise as he announced.
Five days later, after all the beasts of the Beast Taming Sect had completed their tests, the Ten Thousand Beasts Boat was fully loaded, ready for its journey into the unknown.
"Landya, are you leaving too?" Xu Kehu asked curiously from the deck, tilting his head.
Landya patted Xu Kehu's head. "We need to leave some people behind. The Ten Sects of Immortal Dao also have their pride. If we don't even pretend, others might get angry."
Xu Kehu nodded half-heartedly.
"Go. The future of the Beast Taming Sect depends on you."
Landya tied a red string around Xu Kehu's wrist and said with reluctance, "Wow, this is Mr. Bai's red string!" Xu Kehu recognized it immediately by its unique knotting method.
Back in Ningyuan City when he was still in the dilapidated temple, whenever a child got sick and was cured by Mr. Bai,
he would tie such a red string around their wrist for safety.
Xu Kehu raised his hand to examine the string again and again.
Li Fan also stared at it, feeling indescribable emotions welling up inside him.
(End of Chapter)