Chapter Thirty: There Is a Villain!

"Stop, stop hitting me! I surrender, I truly surrender. I admit I am the Scarlet Flame Tiger, okay?"

Hearing this, the black-clad man finally ceased his barrage of punches and let out a soft breath. It seemed he had successfully tamed this Scarlet Flame Tiger; the task was finally complete, right?

With this thought, he focused his mind and summoned the task list:

"Because you lack backing within the sect, you have been assigned to the most grueling and menial position in the Spirit Beast Hall, responsible for feeding the inner sect elder Xu Fu's spirit pet, the Scarlet Flame Tiger."

"The Scarlet Flame Tiger is a Foundation Establishment stage spirit beast, notoriously unruly and defiant. It has injured people multiple times and has been nothing but difficult and hostile toward you, severely threatening your career as a menial disciple."

[Task Objective: Host must exert personal effort to reform the Scarlet Flame Tiger and make it docile.]

[Task Difficulty: Four Stars (Difficult)]

[Task Reward: 400 points, 1 Top-Grade Spirit Cultivation Pill, 500 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and the talent (Ten Thousand Spirit Affinity).]

Ten Thousand Spirit Affinity?

Su Yi paused. Throughout his long history of completing tasks, he had only ever acquired one skill—a "playing the pig to eat the tiger" technique—which had proven incredibly practical. Although the system's tasks were often nonsensical, the rewards were always tantalizing. Seeing this new reward, his eyes brightened, and he examined it closely.

This was the second skill to ever appear. He wondered how it would perform and if it would be as game-changing as his current one.

"All non-human creatures have increased affinity toward the host? Huh?"

Su Yi stroked his chin. Affinity? Non-human creatures? He wondered what the effect would be like. He wanted to test it out, but the task bar remained unchanged, and he waited in vain for a notification of completion.

Looking at the black tiger cowering in the corner, thoroughly beaten into submission, Su Yi’s mouth twitched. He had beaten it to this extent, and the task still wasn't complete? Was this not considered "taming"?

There were many ways to tame a spirit beast. Beyond using love and patience to slowly influence them, using fists and kicks was also a valid, albeit faster, method. Su Yi felt his strategy was flawless, yet for some reason, the task remained incomplete.

Frowning, he asked, "Are you still not convinced?"

He waved his fist in front of the black tiger's large, watery eyes. The tiger jumped in fright, shaking its head like a rattle.

"Big Brother, I... er, no! This little one is truly convinced!"

Seeing that the creature’s expression did not seem feigned, Su Yi’s eyelids twitched. A sinking feeling arose in his heart, and he hurriedly asked, "What did you say your name was again?"

Hearing this, the black tiger looked like it was about to cry, wailing, "Don't do this! I was wrong, truly! Whatever you want me to be, I'll be. You... you can even call me 'Dog Egg' if you want..."

Su Yi’s face darkened. He was about to reprimand the beast, but reconsidered and gave a dry laugh, his tone softening. "What kind of foolish talk is that? As long as you tell the truth, I won't hit you."

The black tiger, completely bewildered, braved itself and said, "I... I am called... called the Black Fiend Tiger. I am the spirit pet of Elder Yang of the inner sect. The Scarlet Flame Tiger lives next door..."

Damn it!

He had really cornered the wrong tiger. What was wrong with the Elders of the Xianxia Sect? Why did they have to raise so many tigers?

Su Yi’s face went blank. Realizing the situation, he said in a low voice, "Then why didn't you say so earlier?"

Black Fiend Tiger: "???"

...

After threatening the Black Fiend Tiger to ensure it wouldn't speak a word of tonight's events, Su Yi flashed away and arrived directly at the neighboring beast enclosure.

A short while later.

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the task: Reform the Scarlet Flame Tiger. Reward: 400 points, 1 Top-Grade Spirit Cultivation Pill, 500 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, and the talent: Ten Thousand Spirit Affinity."

Finally done.

Having completed the task, Su Yi did not linger and quickly departed.

The next day.

Su Yi arrived at the herb garden early to begin his shift, looking as if nothing had happened. Sheng Lin, the strongest cultivator among the outer sect disciples, was only at the late stage of the Golden Core realm—still a small realm behind him. This was the reason he had dared to infiltrate the Spirit Beast Hall so recklessly the night before.

Although there had been a slightly awkward mishap, it was harmless, and he had ultimately succeeded. With a good mood, he greeted a few passing disciples and made his way to the field of Jade Leaf Grass.

Looking out, there were over a hundred thousand stalks of Jade Leaf Grass in the field, vibrant and lush, showing no signs of anything unusual. Su Yi lifted a wooden bucket, drew spirit water from a nearby spring, and began to irrigate the field with familiar ease. If he found any withered plants, he would deliberately give them extra water.

Because of Xu Ze's warning, he carried out his chores with a distracted mind, his eyes constantly scanning the field as he watered, hoping to find some telltale clues. However, by the time he finished, he had found nothing different from any other day, and he couldn't help but feel discouraged.

How had that guy, Xu Ze, noticed anything? He was certain Xu Ze hadn't lied to him; there was no need. If Xu Ze wanted to keep it secret, he simply wouldn't have said anything. Since he had spoken, there must be something to it.

He simply hadn't been able to grasp the mystery behind it.

Just as Su Yi was lost in thought, he suddenly felt a chill and instinctively scanned his surroundings. A moment ago, he had felt the distinct sensation of being watched.

Someone was there!

Cultivators walked the path of seizing the heaven and earth's fortune; they were extremely sensitive to such ethereal sensations. Usually, there was no feeling at all, but if there was, it was almost certainly true.

So, who was it?

He circled the area, but found nothing abnormal and couldn't identify a single suspicious person. The individual was extremely well-hidden; even with his senses, he couldn't detect a trace.

This made Su Yi’s heart sink. Could it be a master from the Xianxia Sect who had discovered his true identity? Were they secretly observing him?

At this thought, Su Yi’s eyes sharpened. To be able to spy on him so silently and stealthily meant this person was definitely not simple! At the very least, they were above the Nascent Soul stage.

Although he was on high alert, he remained calm on the surface. As usual, he returned his tools to their place, sat down beside the spirit field, crossed his legs, and entered a state of cultivation.

While he appeared to be meditating, he kept a sliver of his consciousness focused on the surroundings. Sure enough, after he entered his meditative state, the feeling of being watched vanished, as if it had never existed in the first place.

This confirmed Su Yi’s suspicion. The mysterious observer wasn't targeting him specifically; they were monitoring this herb field!

If it were someone from the Xianxia Sect, why didn't they intervene when the menial disciple named He Jia was randomly picking spirit herbs?

Su Yi furrowed his brows. After much deliberation, he decided to remain still for now. Compared to the elusive ten-thousand-year-old spirit herb, his main concern was whether he could continue to hide his identity within the Xianxia Sect until he finished this phase of his tasks.

Just then, a familiar, graceful figure approached from the distance. With a fair complexion, eyes like autumn water, and an elegant, quiet temperament, it was the Inner Sect Senior Sister, Zi Ling.

Seeing her, Su Yi immediately broke his meditation, stood up, and bowed.

"Greetings, Senior Sister."

Zi Ling stopped before him and nodded, her beautiful eyes filled with concern.

"How have you been in the herb garden these past few days? Are you getting used to it?"