I Tame Beasts by Feeding

Chapter 241: Chapter 227: The Once-Fallen Genius

"By the way, you didn’t disturb any of the old fossils in the Wanxiang Sect, did you?"

Yang Chengxu cautioned, his brow furrowing slightly.

"The Purple Mansion experts remain hidden, and Golden Core masters are hard to find. I was very careful and left no traces," the Black-robed Cultivator replied in a low voice.

"Good." Yang Chengxu nodded. With a wave of his hand, he dismissed the Black-robed Cultivator.

The night breeze blew gently under the bright, clear moon. His figure stood between the heavens and the earth, his eyes filled with contemplation. At last, a faint smile touched his lips.

"I hope I won’t be disappointed this time."

A week passed in the blink of an eye. On this day, under a warm sun and brilliant sky, the inter-sect exchange competition began.

The Flat-top Square on Beast Taming Peak was a hub of excitement, packed with a sea of people. It wasn’t just disciples from Beast Taming Peak; many from the other four peaks had come as well.

As the main participants, the disciples of Beast Taming Peak and the Spirit Dragon Sect stood on opposite sides of the square, facing each other from a distance. The air between them crackled with tension.

On the Spirit Dragon Sect’s side, Yang Chengxu was undoubtedly at the forefront. The surrounding disciples flocked around him like stars orbiting the moon, making it clear to any observer that he was the most dazzling presence.

As for Beast Taming Peak, a particular person had appeared. He was a stranger to Yu Changsheng, but his presence caused the expressions of many senior disciples to shift—some with excitement, others with more complex emotions.

"Is that... the Peak Master’s Closed-door Disciple, Zhang Tianwen?"

Among the Beast Taming Peak disciples, a sharp-eyed individual stared at the person standing beside Peak Master Mo Pengchen, stunned for a moment before their face lit up with excitement.

The man was a youth, appearing to be less than thirty years old. He had a tall, slender build and handsome features. With sword-like brows and star-bright eyes, his chiseled cheeks were sharply defined. His eyebrows arched like a rising dragon, and his entire being emanated a grand, righteous aura.

If Yang Chengxu’s beauty was otherworldly and almost demonic, then Zhang Tianwen’s was one of upright, dignified handsomeness.

The only flaw was his complexion, which was a sickly pale, and his steps, which were slightly unsteady, adding a hint of frailty to his appearance.

Yu Changsheng focused his attention. ’I don’t know this person,’ he thought, ’but from the faint fluctuations of Cultivation I can sense from him, he’s no simple character.’

Li Minghan began explaining in a low voice to Yu Changsheng, "I can’t believe it’s been so many years. It seems the sect is taking this competition very seriously, to have even Senior Brother Zhang Tianwen make an appearance."

"Oh? What do you mean?" Yu Changsheng nodded and asked.

"Well, it’s like this," Li Minghan said, a hint of surprise on his own face. He mulled it over for a couple of seconds before recalling, "Senior Brother Zhang Tianwen was one of the first among our generation to join the sect."

"His talent was astonishing. He was probably Beast Taming Peak’s most promising disciple in recent years. Even the Peak Master took special notice of him and accepted him as a Closed-door Disciple early on, seemingly intending to groom him as the next Peak Master."

As Li Minghan spoke, he paused slightly. He glanced at Yu Changsheng, whose expression remained placid, and then, as if realizing something, he smiled and added:

"Of course, that was before you arrived, Changsheng. With your talent, you’re certainly not any less remarkable than he is." Li Minghan chuckled.

Yu Changsheng shook his head, his expression calm. He seemed accustomed to such sudden compliments. "You flatter me, Senior Brother Li," he said faintly. "Please, tell me more about this Senior Brother Zhang."

"Alright," Li Minghan nodded. He pondered for a moment before continuing, his expression tinged with emotion.

"I don’t know all the specifics, but I do know that as early as five years ago, Senior Brother Zhang had already reached the Foundation Establishment Eighth Layer. But just as he was preparing for Core Formation, he met with a mishap during a trip outside the sect."

"We don’t know what happened, only that Zhang Tianwen barely escaped with his life. He returned to the sect covered in wounds and on the verge of death. It was only because the Peak Master used a Life-Saving Elixir that he was saved."

As Li Minghan spoke, regret and resentment surfaced in his eyes. He continued indignantly:

"Even so, his body was left with a lingering, incurable ailment from that incident. Even his strongest tamed beast perished, and the resulting backlash caused his Eighth-Layer Spirit Platform to collapse. His Cultivation plummeted... let alone attempting Core Formation."

Yu Changsheng fell silent, sighing internally with regret for Zhang Tianwen. It was a fall from grace, a dazzling genius knocked from the heavens back to the mortal world, his brilliance extinguished.

After all, being able to construct an Eight-Layer Spirit Platform at Foundation Establishment was a testament to his astonishing talent. This was precisely why Mo Pengchen had valued him so highly. A Nine-Layered Spirit Platform was a once-in-a-millennium prodigy, so an Eight-Layer Spirit Platform already made one a champion among geniuses.

Across the entire Wanxiang Sect, not even all the Peak Masters’ personal disciples had an Eight-Layer Spirit Platform. In all his time here, besides Shen Xingchen, this was only the second person Yu Changsheng had heard of with one. The other personal disciples were merely at the Seventh-Layer Spirit Platform.

One could say that this blow should have been fatal for Zhang Tianwen’s future.

Li Minghan was quiet for a long moment. Seeing Yu Changsheng’s expression, he couldn’t help but feel a stir in his own heart and sighed softly.

"In the years that followed, we rarely saw Senior Brother Zhang Tianwen. He was always in seclusion. We only know that the Peak Master has spent a great many Celestial and Earthly Treasures over the years to rebuild his foundation, hoping to reconstruct his Eight-Layer Spirit Platform. But how could that be easy?"

"For Senior Brother Zhang, just surviving was a great fortune in his misfortune. As for everything else..." Li Minghan shook his head and let out a soft sigh.

On second thought, Li Minghan clapped Yu Changsheng’s shoulder, a contemplative look on his face.

"However, since the Peak Master is letting Senior Brother Zhang participate in this competition, it must mean his injuries have more or less recovered. I suppose that’s good news..."

Yu Changsheng turned his head to look at Zhang Tianwen at the very front, lost in thought.

The latter’s face was impassive, showing neither joy nor sorrow. His back was as straight as a pine as he stood there silently. Viewed from the side, one could see a flash of determination on his face.

’To be broken and then rise anew...’

Yu Changsheng murmured to himself, a sense of admiration for Zhang Tianwen growing in his heart.

Just as Yu Changsheng was observing Zhang Tianwen, the man himself seemed to sense it. He suddenly turned his head, his gaze sweeping over the crowd to land on Yu Changsheng.

Yu Changsheng was taken aback but didn’t lose his composure. He offered a smile and a slight nod.

Zhang Tianwen returned the smile and nod before looking away. Without saying anything more, he turned to whisper something to Mo Pengchen beside him.

Yang Chengxu was also paying close attention to Yu Changsheng’s group. He had been only slightly surprised by Zhang Tianwen’s appearance; most of his focus remained on Yu Changsheng.

’The Wanxiang Sect is really falling apart. Sending a sickly invalid to hold the line. Yu Changsheng... I hope you don’t disappoint me. My intuition tells me that what I’m looking for is on you...’

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