Chapter Four: Celestial-Grade Spiritual Beasts

“Thank you, Master, for the Sacred Essence Pill! From this day forward, I vow to follow you and never betray you!”

The dragon serpent, whose cultivation had greatly advanced, could not help but express its gratitude once more. In its eyes, a master who could casually produce such a Sacred Essence Pill was unquestionably worthy of loyalty, even if the master’s strength was not greater than its own.

Yet Liao Chen not only surpassed it in power but also readily produced such pills, clearly marking him as someone from the higher realms. Previously, it had mistaken Liao Chen for a mere disciple on a trial from a great sect; now it realized how narrow-minded that assumption was.

Liao Chen nodded and said, “As long as you follow me diligently, you will surely benefit in the future. Gather the remains of the iron-armed ape, and we shall continue hunting other beasts.”

“By the way, can you transform?”

The dragon serpent shook its head timidly. “Master, we ordinary beasts cannot transform at will unless our cultivation reaches the Saint realm. Otherwise, we must consume a Transformation Pill to change form.”

Liao Chen nodded again, then produced a Transformation Pill. “Coincidentally, I happen to have one here. Take it, consume it, and conceal your cultivation. From now on, we will play the part of the harmless.”

The dragon serpent took the pill and soon succeeded in transforming. It took the form of a boy no older than sixteen. Liao Chen was pleased and inquired if it had a name. The dragon shook its head.

“In that case, from now on, you shall be called Little Dragon!”

“Yes, Master!”

The dragon serpent reluctantly responded. It preferred simply “Dragon,” but since its master had accepted it as a spiritual pet, it had no choice but to agree.

The two then concealed their cultivation down to the Yuan Dan level, making them appear easy targets to other beasts, thus turning the tables in a series of counterattacks.

Time flew by swiftly. Another month passed, marking two months since Liao Chen had entered this small world. His cultivation had reached the ninth heaven of the Profound King realm and was on the verge of ascending to the Emperor Extreme realm.

However, Liao Chen’s path to advancement was unlike other practitioners. The system reminded him that to proceed further, he must slay a powerful Saint realm opponent.

It was well known that every sub-level in the Saint realm was a vast chasm in strength. While he could barely contend with a Saint realm first heaven beast, killing one outright was still a considerable challenge.

Yet Liao Chen had a plan: to raise Little Dragon’s cultivation to the Saint realm. With such strength, it would not be impossible to slay a Saint realm beast.

At that moment, Little Dragon’s cultivation had already reached the fifth heaven of the Emperor Extreme realm. He only needed to consume twenty Sacred Essence Pills to reach the first heaven of the Saint realm.

Without hesitation, Liao Chen took out twenty Sacred Essence Pills. “Little Dragon, take these twenty pills. Consume them to rapidly elevate your cultivation to the Saint realm.”

Little Dragon beamed with joy and nodded. “Yes, Master! I promise to complete the task.”

He sat cross-legged and swiftly swallowed all twenty pills. The powerful medicinal energy surged through his body, cleansing his meridians and elevating his cultivation at a rapid pace. Soon, he reached the peak of the Emperor Extreme realm. Yet the medicinal energy had not been fully absorbed when the heavens suddenly darkened—the heavenly tribulation was descending.

Seeing this, Liao Chen withdrew the Quasi-Emperor weapon, the Flame Sword, and handed it to Little Dragon, signaling him to calm his mind and face the tribulation.

Grasping the sword, Little Dragon was moved to the brink of tears and nodded resolutely. He was determined to succeed.

Previously, he might have worried about the tribulation; after all, the Saint realm tribulation was no trivial matter. Even with his dragon bloodline, success was not guaranteed.

But now was different. With the Flame Sword, his confidence soared. The Quasi-Emperor weapon was exclusive to the Saint realm and even the Great Saint realm. Many Great Saint cultivators did not possess such weapons.

Little Dragon thought to himself that he had truly chosen the right master. Though he was not yet a Great Saint, he already wielded such a formidable weapon—an edge that would make his future cultivation much smoother. At least before achieving the Emperor realm, he had no worries.

Sure enough, with the weapon’s aid, Little Dragon easily passed through the tribulation and stabilized at the first heaven of the Saint realm.

“Master, I have succeeded!” Little Dragon joyfully reported.

Liao Chen nodded. “Not bad, but your talent is somewhat disappointing. Other divine beasts would reach at least the third heaven of the Saint realm upon breakthrough.”

Hearing this, Little Dragon felt like a failure.

Just then, the system chimed: “Ding! Congratulations, host’s spiritual pet has reached the first heaven of the Saint realm. Awarding host 100,000 experience points. Upon gathering 10 million experience points, host’s cultivation may directly advance to the Emperor Extreme realm. Rewards include 100 top-grade spiritual beast aptitude pills, 100 Sacred Essence Pills, 10,000 Heavenly Spirit Pills, and 1 million Foundation Establishment Pills. All rewards have been deposited into the host’s storage ring.”

Liao Chen hadn’t expected the upgrade to bring such a bounty of top-grade spiritual beast pills. These pills greatly enhance a beast’s aptitude. Without hesitation, he took out one and said, “Little Dragon, try this top-grade spiritual beast pill.”

Little Dragon took the pill, inhaled its fragrance, and beamed with delight. “Yes! This is the taste!” He thanked his master and swallowed the pill.

Almost immediately, the medicinal power spread warm through his body, rapidly transforming his constitution. Previously, he had merely a good constitution; now it soared to an excellent level, and his cultivation leapt to the second heaven of the Saint realm.

Liao Chen glanced over, nodding with satisfaction, then handed Little Dragon two more top-grade pills.

Little Dragon, thrilled beyond words, felt like calling Liao Chen his father. Such kindness overwhelmed him.

Without hesitation, he swallowed another pill. His constitution improved again, reaching the perfect tier—an innate spiritual body. This constitution harmonized naturally with the world’s spiritual energy, allowing his cultivation to steadily rise even without deliberate effort.

As the medicinal energy was fully absorbed, Little Dragon’s cultivation reached the third heaven of the Saint realm. But he was not done yet. Swallowing another pill, his cultivation jumped another sub-level, and his aptitude now matched that of an immortal beast.

Only then did Liao Chen fully grasp the value of these top-grade pills. If he gave all the remaining pills to Little Dragon, could he become a divine beast?

With this thought, Liao Chen handed over ten more pills. Little Dragon, amazed at how many such rare pills his master possessed, eagerly consumed them. Yet after ten pills, his aptitude ceased to improve, though his cultivation advanced to the fourth heaven of the Saint realm.

“Master, I fear I have disappointed you. These pills can only raise my aptitude to the immortal beast level,” Little Dragon admitted, bowing his head in shame. He had never expected such a result, feeling he had wasted so many precious pills.

Liao Chen waved it off. “Do not blame yourself. Reaching immortal beast level is already commendable. If you continue to work hard, I will find ways to further improve your aptitude. Becoming a divine beast is not impossible.”

“Yes, Master!” Little Dragon’s spirits soared. He knew his master was formidable. The possibility of rising to divine beast level was a dream come true.

“System, how can I further enhance Little Dragon’s aptitude?” Liao Chen inquired.

The system replied, “Host, it’s simple. To improve a spiritual pet’s aptitude, you must upgrade its bloodline rank. Spiritual beast pills can only raise bloodline rank to the immortal grade. To reach the divine grade, divine beast pills must be consumed.”

Liao Chen smiled broadly. He didn’t ask when he could obtain divine beast pills; with fate on his side, everything would come in due time.