Chapter 37: Not Recognized by the Heavenly Dao

“Ahem, Master, Third Junior Brother is ready. Should we wait for Fourth Junior Sister?” Ji Chuxue reminded him.

“No need, let’s go ahead,” Lin Qi replied.

Jiang Yan saw that the little dragon, now almost his height, was happily playing with the young beastfolk, so he didn’t disturb it. Right now, he felt like a country bumpkin as he followed his master and senior sisters into the banquet hall’s back room, having no idea what they were up to. His face was full of confusion.

Looking at Xiaobai, Jiang Yan couldn’t help but feel a pang of envy. Xiaobai was being gently held in Senior Sister Ji Chuxue’s arms, looking perfectly at ease, without a trace of awkwardness...

Once again, he sighed inwardly—truly, it was better to be a beast than a human!

“Little Six, did you gain anything from your training this time?” Ji Chuxue asked.

Jiang Yan reported, “Senior Sister, I found Fireflame Fruit and Blue Force Fruit at the heart of the secret realm, and I even hunted down a large silver serpent. I’ve stored its skin and fangs in my spatial ring.”

“Mm, not bad. For a lower-grade secret realm, you’ve managed to gain something and even break through to the Golden Core stage. Very good,” Ji Chuxue praised, her expression approving.

Wu Qianqian asked curiously, “Little Six, do you know what level that serpent you killed was?”

The question stumped Jiang Yan—he had no idea what level that wretched snake was! He’d just fought it without thinking. No one ever told him its level...

If only, like in games, there were labels showing the level and health bars! That would be so convenient!

“Hehe, Fifth Senior Sister, I don’t know how to read levels yet...” Jiang Yan scratched his head in embarrassment.

Wu Qianqian smiled and explained, “To determine levels, you have to use your senses and probe. Whether it’s a person or a beast, as long as their cultivation is lower than yours, you can detect it.”

She gave Jiang Yan a playful glance before continuing, “But if their cultivation is higher than yours, or if they have a treasure that conceals their level, then you won’t be able to tell.”

Realization dawned on Jiang Yan. So that’s how it worked. He knew he needed to practice more and improve his probing abilities.

“Thank you for explaining, Fifth Senior Sister,” he said gratefully.

Next, Ji Chuxue asked Qin Feifei and Wu Qianqian about their own gains from training...

Jiang Yan felt as if he were attending a summary meeting, but he was genuinely surprised at how much his senior sisters had achieved.

“As your master, I am very pleased. You all have accomplished much,” Lin Qi said with a smile.

Xie Lingzhou came in and reported, “Master, the auction can begin. Fourth Junior Sister has arrived.”

Auction? Jiang Yan was curious. So, this was supposedly a gathering, but in reality, it was an auction?

He followed the group to the front of the banquet hall, where the beastfolk were cheering.

“Squeak squeak. Big Sis, did you hear? There’ll be rare treasures up for auction this time,” a rat-headed man asked the rabbit-headed woman beside him.

“I just heard about it. Several of my sisters have been talking about it, and we’ve prepared plenty of spirit stones,” she replied.

“What’s so special about treasures? I heard there might be a supreme immortal herb in this auction,” said a burly lion-headed man.

...

“Little Six, do you have anything you want to auction?” Ji Chuxue asked.

“Senior Sister, can I auction off the two types of spirit fruit I brought back?”

“Of course. The beastfolk love spirit fruits.”

“Can I also advertise at the auction?”

“Advertise?” Ji Chuxue was puzzled.

Jiang Yan explained, “Yes, I want to promote my motorcycle, so more people will buy it.”

“Of course you can,” Ji Chuxue agreed.

With her approval, Jiang Yan was overjoyed and began to look forward to the auction.

“Everyone, the auction is about to begin. Please remain quiet...” A low female voice rang out from the front hall.

Jiang Yan looked up at the stage and saw a woman in white speaking through a voice-amplifying stone. Her hair was loose, and her bangs covered her face, making it impossible to see her features. Still, her skin was pale, and her lips were violet...

Jiang Yan swallowed and thought to himself: This woman’s makeup fits the dark atmosphere of this castle perfectly. Could she be a ghost?

He remembered that ghosts could also cultivate; with enough practice, they could regain physical form.

Below the stage, the beastfolk were cheering and shouting, “Yueyue! Yueyue! Ah, Yueyue is hosting again...”

“She’s so beautiful! I love Yueyue the most!”

“Me too! I came here just for her!”

It seemed this woman was extremely popular among the beastfolk.

“Senior Sister, who is this Yueyue they’re shouting for?” Jiang Yan asked Ji Chuxue.

“She’s your Fourth Senior Sister, Wen Yue,” Ji Chuxue replied.

“Hehehe, Fourth Senior Sister’s makeup really is unique...”

Jiang Yan couldn’t understand why the beastfolk liked his Fourth Senior Sister so much—or why they called her beautiful!

“Senior Sister, why do the beastfolk like her so much?” Jiang Yan couldn’t help but ask.

Ji Chuxue looked up at her junior sister on stage and reminisced, “That was a year ago. Your Fourth Senior Sister is a healer. Back then, a fierce battle broke out on the neighboring mountain, with countless casualties. She was the one who healed their wounds.”

“A fierce battle?” Jiang Yan asked.

“Yes. The beastfolk on the neighboring mountain had been living in seclusion for a hundred years. They’re old friends of Master’s...”

According to Ji Chuxue, the beastfolk were not acknowledged by the Heavenly Dao. Although the Heavenly Dao didn’t destroy them outright, some capricious immortals from the divine realm would descend and massacre the beastfolk. These immortals believed the beastfolk should not exist; since the Heavenly Dao hadn’t wiped them out, they took it upon themselves to do so, finding pleasure in hunting them.

Thus, the beastfolk could only hide in safe places to avoid disaster. But even the safest places couldn’t guarantee eternal peace...

Fortunately, when immortals from the divine realm descended, their cultivation was suppressed, never exceeding the Tribulation Crossing stage. Otherwise, the beastfolk might have been exterminated long ago.

“Senior Sister, so there were only two such immortals who attacked a year ago?” Jiang Yan asked.

“Two.”

Jiang Yan was surprised—just two immortals from the divine realm had caused such heavy casualties among the beastfolk. Even with their power suppressed, if they chose to do evil, those in the mortal realm were still hard-pressed to resist.

A heavy feeling settled in his chest...

“Little Six, cultivate diligently. We can never predict when danger will strike,” Ji Chuxue said somberly.

The things Ji Chuxue mentioned had never been covered in the original book.

Jiang Yan began to wonder: are gods truly benevolent? Are they truly compassionate?

Perhaps he could now understand why the beastfolk liked his Fourth Senior Sister so much—they must have seen the essence of a person, which was the beauty of the soul!

Though he didn’t understand her aesthetic choices, he completely agreed that inner beauty was true beauty!

“Senior Sister, did you, Master, Senior Brother, and the other sisters take part in that battle back then?”

“Of course. Those beastfolk are Master’s old friends, and we’ve known them for many years—just like today’s auction. Don’t underestimate them, they’re quite wealthy, with abundant resources on their mountain!”

“So, they’re our major clients?” Jiang Yan asked.

“Exactly!” Ji Chuxue nodded.

So that was it. As it turned out, the Qilin Sect had a deep connection with these beastfolk.