[You gazed deep into the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, where thick gray mist obscured the view.]
[The environment here was unusually oppressive for human cultivators, yet it was a paradise for demonic beasts.]
[Even so, large numbers of cultivators risked their lives every day to enter the mountain range and hunt these beasts.]
[Even a Tier One demonic beast was highly valuable, from its pelt to its bones.]
[A successful hunt could bring sudden wealth to a cultivator in the Qi Refining Realm.]
[Furthermore, rare spirit herbs and plants virtually unseen in the outside world grew within these mountains.]
[One example was the Fire Essence Jujube Tree that True Person Blood Sea had once mentioned.]
[Many factions in the Taiyuan Region, such as Beast Taming Mountain, relied on the abundant resources of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range to survive.]
[To human cultivators, this place was an inexhaustible treasure trove.]
["We've arrived."]
[Your heart stirred.]
[Another scene appeared in your line of sight.]
[It was the view shared by the four Tier 3 puppets under your control.]
[They had escorted Xiao Hei all the way to a specific area between the outer and middle perimeters of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range.]
[Along the journey, Xiao Hei deliberately released the aura of a peak Tier Two demonic beast to intimidate any nearby creatures.]
[Demonic beasts were highly territorial; by broadcasting its presence, Xiao Hei deterred others from approaching.]
[With its Earth-grade bloodline and peak Tier Two cultivation, Xiao Hei stood unrivaled in the mountain range so long as no great demon appeared.]
[And Tier 3 Great Demons generally dwelled deep within the mountains, rarely making an appearance in the middle perimeter.]
[The breakthrough location you had chosen for Xiao Hei was the exact same spot selected by the Master from Hundred Flowers Valley during the third simulation.]
[It was a small, Tier 3 lower-grade spirit vein, currently occupied by several late-stage Tier Two demonic beasts.]
[Controlling the four Tier 3 puppets from the shadows, you swiftly dispatched them.]
["It's starting its breakthrough."]
[Outside the mountain range, your expression grew slightly solemn.]
[Several days later, the celestial phenomena triggered by Xiao Hei's attempt to reach Tier 3 gradually manifested.]
[A spiritual energy vortex formed, spanning several li like a massive funnel.]
[This spectacle drew the attention of countless human cultivators exploring the mountains.]
["Is that... the celestial phenomenon of someone breaking through to Core Formation?"]
["Are you blind? That's the phenomenon of a demonic beast advancing to Tier 3! What cultivator in the Foundation Establishment Realm would dare attempt Core Formation in the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range?"]
["It's a peak Tier Two demonic beast trying to become a Tier 3 Great Demon. I wonder if it will succeed..."]
[Cultivators in the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment Realms eagerly discussed the event. A demonic beast attempting to reach Tier 3 was not an uncommon sight in these mountains.]
[Of course, amid the chatter, a few Foundation Establishment cultivators exchanged peculiar glances.]
[If Xiao Hei succeeded in reaching Tier 3, they would drop the matter.]
[But if it failed, it would be severely injured, if not dead. If they teamed up to ambush it then, wouldn't they easily secure the corpse of a peak Tier Two beast?]
[Your expression remained placid; you knew the schemes of those Foundation Establishment cultivators like the back of your hand.]
[In truth, it wasn't just the human cultivators hoping for Xiao Hei's failure. Other Tier Two demonic beasts nearby were also growing restless.]
[The competition between demonic beasts was far more brutal than that among human cultivators. Devouring another beast's corpse was highly nourishing for them.]
[Human cultivators still needed to process beast corpses through numerous steps before utilizing them.]
["Hm?"]
[Your expression suddenly shifted.]
[A beam of escape light at the Core Formation level rapidly approached the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, stopping only when it reached the entrance. The figure stood suspended among the clouds.]
[As the light faded, a female Core Formation Master in a blue dress revealed herself.]
[She carefully studied the celestial phenomena triggered by Xiao Hei's breakthrough within the mountains.]
["It's Master Lan from Hundred Flowers Valley..."]
[You recognized the female Master's background.]
[Taiyuan Palace placed great importance on the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range, ordering the five great sects to take turns guarding it.]
[During this current period, the one stationed here was a Master from Hundred Flowers Valley.]
["Master Lan..."]
[You gazed at Master Lan amidst the distant clouds with a rather strange expression.]
[In the third simulation, it had been one of her descendants who bought Xiao Hei.]
[For her to now witness Xiao Hei's attempt to reach Tier 3 with her own eyes could only be described as a twist of fate.]
["Master Lan doesn't have any intention of interfering with Xiao Hei's breakthrough..."]
[You observed that she was simply watching from afar, making no further moves.]
[The duty of the five sects' Masters stationed at the entrance was to prevent the great demons deep within from escaping and to watch for any unforeseen changes in the mountain range.]
[As for a demonic beast breaking through to Tier 3? The guarding Master could choose to probe and interfere, or simply watch coldly, as long as the newly advanced great demon had no intention of charging out.]
[As a female Master from Hundred Flowers Valley, Master Lan clearly favored stability and had no intention of striking.]
[If it were a Master from another sect, such as the Golden Sword Sect, they would have likely tried to intervene.]
[The Core Formation Masters of the Golden Sword Sect walked the path of the sword. They excelled at offense and acted impulsively—or rather, fearlessly—seeking to break all laws with a single blade.]
["So the divination indicating today as the optimal date for Xiao Hei's breakthrough was pointing to this?"]
[You looked thoughtful.]
[Before Xiao Hei attempted its breakthrough, you had used your Tier 3 lower-grade divination skills to determine the best date for it.]
[Looking at it now, today was optimal precisely because the Master on duty was from Hundred Flowers Valley.]
[The female Golden Core Masters of Hundred Flowers Valley favored a steady approach and wouldn't easily take risks, meaning they wouldn't meddle with Xiao Hei's advancement.]
[If you had waited until a Master from another sect rotated in, they wouldn't have been nearly as accommodating.]
[After all, the corpse of a Tier 3 Great Demon was highly valuable even to a Core Formation Master.]
[Of course, even if another sect's Master had been on duty, interfering with Xiao Hei wouldn't have been easy.]
[The four Tier 3 puppets you had stationed by Xiao Hei's side weren't just for show; they were more than capable of blocking an attack from an ordinary Golden Core Master.]
[But that would inevitably trigger more unforeseen variables, perhaps even forcing you to reveal yourself to protect Xiao Hei.]
[Time flowed on, and two or three months passed in the blink of an eye.]
[The celestial phenomena caused by the breakthrough slowly stabilized and dispersed.]
[This meant Xiao Hei had successfully crossed into Tier 3.]
[At once, countless human cultivators within the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range began to evacuate in droves.]
[Before they knew what this newly advanced great demon intended to do, the Qi Refining and Foundation Establishment cultivators naturally didn't dare stick around.]
["A Tier 3 Great Demon!"]
[Up in the clouds, Master Lan furrowed her elegant brows, fully on guard.]
["The aura vanished?"]
[Master Lan stared blankly. Within her spiritual senses, the violent demonic energy of the newly ascended Tier 3 beast rapidly withdrew and vanished without a trace.]
["Xiao Hei!"]
[Your brows shot up.]
[The moment Xiao Hei successfully broke through, the four Tier 3 puppets you controlled lost their sensory lock on it.]
[Thanks to the master-servant bond between you and Xiao Hei, however, you could clearly pinpoint its location.]
[At this very moment, Xiao Hei was hurtling toward you at a terrifying yet incredibly concealed speed.]
["You missed me that much?"]
[Through the blur of your connection, you felt Xiao Hei's frantic urgency.]
[It had just reached Tier 3 and didn't even stop to consolidate its realm before rushing back to you.]
[A moment later, you spotted a speck of black light arriving in the blink of an eye.]
[This black light was entirely undetectable by divine sense; if not for your established connection, even you would have missed it.]
[Whoosh!]
[The black light halted, revealing a half-meter-tall black eagle hovering in the air.]
[Its aura was faint, practically non-existent, blending seamlessly with the surrounding environment.]
["You shrank?" You stared in slight surprise.]
[During the third simulation, you had adopted the mindset that it was better not to meet, so you never saw Xiao Hei after its breakthrough, nor did you know how it had changed.]
["Master..."]
[An incredibly tender, childlike voice echoed in your mind through the spirit pet contract.]
["Not bad. We can communicate now."]
[You nodded slightly, naturally knowing the voice belonged to Xiao Hei.]
[At Tier Two, Xiao Hei had been able to understand your commands, but it hadn't been able to communicate directly.]
["Master... I'm scared..."]
[Xiao Hei continued.]
["Scared?" Your expression turned grave.]
[You realized that Xiao Hei rushing over the moment it reached Tier 3 wasn't just because it missed you.]
["I felt a very terrifying existence... deep inside..."]
[Xiao Hei looked toward the depths of the Ten Thousand Beasts Mountain Range with lingering dread.]
[A terrifying existence... Your thoughts raced. You realized that what Xiao Hei feared must be that Tier 4 Beast King carrying a True Spirit bloodline.]
['Wait, a mere trace of True Spirit bloodline shouldn't affect Xiao Hei this severely. Otherwise, how would the other Tier 3 Great Demons in the mountains survive? Wouldn't they all flee in a stampede?']
[Sensing something was wrong, you deduced, 'Unless that trace of bloodline comes from an avian True Spirit, sharing the same origin as Xiao Hei. That would explain the intense reaction...']
[You speculated inwardly.]
[Additionally, during its breakthrough, Xiao Hei's consciousness had likely been briefly elevated, allowing it to perceive entities on a higher plane.]
['An avian True Spirit...']
[You pondered this privately. True Spirits of this category were rare—mostly Heavenly Phoenixes, Great Rocs, and the like.]
["Don't be afraid."]
[You comforted Xiao Hei, pressing your right hand gently against its head while sending your divine sense to inspect the demon core within its body.]
[A demon core was similar to a Master's golden core; it served as the source of a Tier 3 Great Demon's power.]
[Sensing your probe, Xiao Hei offered no resistance, willingly dropping all defenses to let your divine sense enter its body.]
[Even when it was just an egg, Xiao Hei had constantly been nourished by your magical power. After hatching, it had always stayed by your side. It had long since viewed you as its closest kin and master, trusting you implicitly.]
[This was the advantage of raising a spirit pet from a young age: its loyalty was immense, relying on far more than just a contract for control.]
["This demon core..."]
[As your divine sense reached inside Xiao Hei, you saw a black demon core slowly rotating, radiating wisps of violent demonic energy.]
['Is it roughly equivalent to a Middle-Grade Golden Core?']
[You drew a conclusion.]
[The quality of the demon core would directly affect the great demon's subsequent stages of cultivation.]
[A middle-grade demon core? Perhaps its hopes of advancing to a Tier 4 Beast King were slim, but it had a solid chance of reaching the late stage of Tier 3.]
[You were already highly satisfied with this.]
[Xiao Hei's bloodline was only Earth-grade; stepping into Tier 3 was already shattering its bloodline's natural limits.]
[If it had actually formed a high-grade demon core or something even better, you would have felt that something was wrong.]
['This isn't bad at all. If I can really nurture it to the late stage of Tier 3, perhaps I could trade it for some common Nascent Soul-condensing spirit item?']
[You pondered to yourself.]
[You had originally assumed Xiao Hei's demon core would only be equivalent to a Lower-Grade Golden Core, leaving it no hope for the late stage of Tier 3.]
[Now, you raised your evaluation of Xiao Hei's standing.]
[A late-stage Tier 3 Great Demon was comparable to a Core Formation Late Stage Great Master.]
[Even the five great sects of the Taiyuan Region fiercely coveted the presence of such a great demon guarding their ranks.]
[Common Nascent Soul-condensing spirit items offered far less help in breaking through to the Nascent Soul stage than items like the Heavenly Infant Fruit or Nascent Soul Pills.]
[Rather than trading for such a slim sliver of hope, exchanging one for a late-stage Tier 3 Great Demon to protect a sect's mountain gates was a much better deal.]
[Just like Zhou Hai in the third simulation.]
[Through decades of battle on the front lines, Zhou Hai had been fully capable of exchanging for one or two Core Formation Spiritual Items to attempt his own breakthrough.]
[In the end, however, Zhou Hai hadn't done so. Instead, he gave up on that fleeting hope, saving all his resources to nurture the Zhou Family.]
[You waited a while longer until the four Tier 3 puppets finally returned.]
[Along the way, they brought back the corpses of the demonic beasts they had killed.]
[These beast corpses were at least Tier Two, valuable enough to make Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivators red-eyed with envy.]
[After returning to the Purple Bamboo Forest spirit vein dojo, you let Xiao Hei roam freely, instructing it not to release its Tier 3 Great Demon aura.]
[For Xiao Hei, this was as simple as could be.]
[The Dark Magic Eagle was inherently an assassin-type demonic beast. After entering Tier 3, its reduced size made it even better at concealing itself.]
[If Xiao Hei focused entirely on hiding its aura, even a Golden Core Middle Stage Master likely wouldn't notice a thing.]
["News from Xuanwang Island..."]
[You opened True Person Blood Sea's communication jade talisman and skimmed through its contents.]
["The Dongsha Chamber of Commerce..."]
[You frowned slightly.]
[It turned out that as the date for the vice leader transition drew closer, Master Dongsha was actively moving about, rallying other merchant guilds to gain their support and increase his chances of taking the position.]
[To achieve this, Master Dongsha was handing out promises everywhere.]
[However, he hadn't made any attempt to court the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce.]
[The Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce had only been established for a few decades. Compared to the other guilds on Xuanwang Island—which had existed for centuries or even millennia and passed through the hands of multiple generations of Core Formation Masters—it naturally seemed lacking in foundation.]
[Master Dongsha couldn't be bothered to win over the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce; he placed far more value on guilds with deep roots.]
[Under these circumstances, if Master Dongsha became the vice leader of the merchant alliance, once the Great Domain War broke out and the vice leader unified the operations of the various guilds, the Qingyuan Chamber of Commerce would likely end up with barely even scraps.]
["Master Dongsha..."]
[A cold glint flashed through your eyes as a surging killing intent toward Master Dongsha welled up within you.]
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