Chapter 170 Myriad Beasts on Display

Within the span of one night, the Wild Melody Circus had somehow managed to set up an enormous barrier that encompassed a circular area more than ten kilometres in diameter.

The wooden fence that neatly lined the circumference of this circular area did not seem impressive at all. Anyone would be able to peer over the fence to observe the numerous tents that had been erected within.

However, those who knew better understood that the wooden fence was only there for show.

The heart of the defence system was a killing formation that had been set up to cover the entire area. Anyone who intended to stir up trouble within the grounds would have to be mentally prepared to face this terrifying defensive mechanism.

As for keeping people out, why would they bother?

After all, their intention was exactly to invite everyone in to view their goods!

No matter who it was, martial artist or not, anyone was a potential customer to them!

Early in the morning, Lu Tianzi set out along with Nanqing Haowen and Nanlan Qianxue to head for the Wild Melody Circus.

As for Beimu Fei, she had visited the Wild Melody Circus in the past, and thus chose to first spend her time looking through the streets of Bluenight City before heading over.

At Lu Tianzi's request, none of the trio donned their sect robes. Otherwise, there would be a high chance of them having to spend most of their time exchanging pleasantries with others instead of actually seeing the Wild Melody Circus for themselves.

Lu Tianzi had already heard plenty of stories of the Wild Melody Circus from Nanqing Haowen, but even that was nowhere near enough to prepare him for what he saw upon their arrival at the front entrance.

The wooden fences that lined the circumference might not look like much, but the front entrance to the Wild Melody Circus was extremely grand!

A huge arch forged from rare metals hung overhead, with exquisite depictions of beasts carved into its two piers, or the pillars supporting the arch.

On the keystone that was firmly built into the top of the arch, the words 'Wild Melody Circus' were written, exuding a feeling similar to that of the savage wilderness.

But the most attention grabbing point had to be the two beasts that stood guard at both sides of the entrance.

They were a pair of twin headed giant deers.

Standing on all fours, each of them reached almost three metres in height. Their antlers looked to be razor sharp at every end, seemingly capable of piercing through their enemies as though they were swords.

Thankfully, each of these beasts had a leash attached to their bodies, with a skilled trainer firmly holding on to the other end.

These two trainers were naturally members of the Wild Melody Circus, both of them at the Intermediate Essence Condensation realm.

Their sole job was to stand guard at the entrance and ensure that nothing went wrong. As for the crowd of people entering the area, the two trainers did not charge them any entrance fees or whatnot.

From afar, Lu Tianzi's eyes were already locked onto the two beasts. He reckoned that these beasts were likely to have a combat strength equivalent to ordinary Peak Essence Condensation realm martial artists.

For the two Intermediate Essence Condensation realm trainers to be able to keep them under control, the Wild Melody Circus definitely had some special tricks up their sleeves!

"Those are Twin Headed Blade Deers," Nanqing Haowen explained when he saw how intently Lu Tianzi was looking at the two beasts. "They are usually docile when unprovoked. But when they feel threatened, they will not hesitate to make the first move."

"I see," Lu Tianzi nodded.

It was indeed the right choice to come along with Nanqing Haowen. That guy was like a walking library when it came to beasts!

After passing under the arch, the trio officially stepped into the territory of the Wild Melody Circus, and were immediately greeted by a large number of colourful tents that lined up neatly before them, forming a truly majestic sight.

Each of these tents was extremely huge, able to contain almost a thousand people within.

Sheltered under each tent were multiple cages, all of them holding beasts of different breeds.

From ferocious predators to cute furry mammals.

From winged masters of the sky to nocturnal creatures.

A myriad of beasts were put on display, shown without any inhibitions to everyone who was visiting today.

As long as someone was able to pay the right price, they would be allowed to walk away with the beast of their choice.

"Where shall we start?" Nanlan Qianxue asked.

"Let's do this systematically, from one end to the other, row by row," Nanqing Haowen suggested.

"Sounds good," Lu Tianzi agreed.

The tents were lined up in rows, making it easier for people to navigate through them. To make things even simpler, the three of them decided to just go to the far end of the first row and start from there.

"What kind of beast are you looking to contract anyway?" Lu Tianzi asked out of curiosity as they slowly made their way to the end.

"That's a good question. Honestly, I have no idea either." Nanqing Haowen sighed.

"You have no idea?" Lu Tianzi was surprised.

Lu Tianzi had thought that Nanqing Haowen delayed contracting a beast for so long because he already had something in mind, who knew that it would turn out otherwise?

It was one thing to be unsure of exactly which breed to choose, but to not even have decided on the type of beast… just what had Nanqing Haowen been using that vast knowledge in his head for?

"Brother Nanlu, it is not as simple as you think!" Nanqing Haowen seemed to have guessed the thoughts in Lu Tianzi's mind. "In forming a contract with a beast, the most important thing is to be able to establish a mental connection between master and beast. This means that the master needs to feel some form of attachment to the beast, and vice versa, even before forming the contract. Such a thing is extremely difficult, and requires some form of affinity between the two! As long as I am able to establish such a connection, no matter what breed the beast is, I will be more than willing to form the contract."

"What happens if you don't establish a mental connection?" Nanlan Qianxue asked. "Is there a big difference?"

"If there is no such connection between the two, it would be a forced contract." Nanqing Haowen patiently explained. "Forcefully contracting beasts, generally done by beating them into submission, would still ensure loyalty in the beasts, such that they can never go against their masters. That much is the same. However, if the mental connection has been established beforehand, the link between master and beast will be much stronger, allowing them to communicate with each other over a further distance. Most importantly, both parties will be able to directly benefit everytime either one of them experienced an increase in strength!"

"Directly benefit when either one of them experienced an increase in strength?" Lu Tianzi inquired. "In what way?"

"In terms of cultivation! As one of them grows in strength, the other party will similarly receive a part of the increase in energy, thus receiving a boost to his cultivation level. This way, both master and beast will be able to grow much stronger as compared to when they are alone." Nanqing Haowen replied. "This is one of the reasons why my family has been encouraging us to contract a beast while we are young. That is when we will experience the highest rate of growth, and thus we will be able to benefit the most from it. At the same time, this is also why my family is not forcing me to contract a beast, because that will only defeat the purpose of contracting a beast early."

"So there's such a thing…" Lu Tianzi started to contemplate further.

He had always thought that contract beasts were only useful in battle.

Who knew that they could help in cultivation as well?

Since that was the case, then he really should seriously consider finding a contract beast as well!

"Tempted?" Nanlan Qianxue laughed as she carefully observed Lu Tianzi. "Why don't you try getting your own contract beast now as well? This is a good chance after all."

"I certainly will start looking out from now," Lu Tianzi smiled. "You should consider it as well!"

"I am considering it!" Nanlan Qianxue answered. "Who won't be tempted after Nanqing Haowen has already said so much?"

"Well, the most important thing is still the mental connection," Nanqing Haowen reminded them. "Without that, a contract beast would just be a tool for battle, nothing more than a weapon."

"Understood," Lu Tianzi and Nanlan Qianxue nodded.

By now, they had reached the first tent in the row.

Entering within, they finally came face to face with their first cage of the day.

It was a wild beast that looked similar to a three eyed tiger, its third and middle eye located right on its forehead. Its beautiful striped fur converged at the point of the middle eye, as though that was the very core of its being.

"What is this beast?" Lu Tianzi instinctively turned to Nanqing Haowen for answers.

"This is a young Subterranean Red Tiger," Nanqing Haowen answered promptly, not betraying Lu Tianzi's expectations. "Its middle eye allows it to pick up heat signals, so that it would be able to see even in a location of absolute darkness. When grown to maturity, it will possess the strength of an Intermediate Essence Condensation realm martial artist…"

Hearing Nanqing Haowen's voice slowly trail off, Nanlan Qianxue and Lu Tianzi could not help but keep looking at him curiously.

"What's the matter?" Nanlan Qianxue asked.

This question of hers finally broke him from his daze.

"Eh? Oh, no, it's nothing," Nanqing Haowen shook his head with a faint smile. "I might be overthinking things a little."

"Is that so?" Nanlan Qianxue eyed him doubtfully for a moment longer before turning away.

She was not the kind of person who would usually seek to actively help out others and look out for their well being. Since Nanqing Haowen had already said that it was nothing, Nanlan Qianxue no longer thought much of it.

Lu Tianzi had a similar personality.

To Lu Tianzi, everyone had their own secrets, and he probably had the biggest one of them all.

Since Nanqing Haowen did not intend to share his thoughts, there was no reason to bug him for answers.

Instead, Lu Tianzi turned his attention towards the man standing patiently by the side of the cage.

This man was wearing the same attire as the two trainers at the entrance, which meant that he was likely also a member of the Wild Melody Circus.

"Greetings, sir," Lu Tianzi clasped his fist towards the man. "Is this Subterranean Red Tiger on sale? If so, may I know how much it costs?"

The member of the Wild Melody Circus gave an amiable smile before responding. "All beasts that have been put on display are naturally for sale. As for the Subterranean Red Tiger, it is being sold for the price of a thousand low ranked beast cores."

What?!

Lu Tianzi was unable to contain his shock!

Just for this young Subterranean Red Tiger that would grow to possess the strength of Intermediate Essence Condensation realm, they were charging a full thousand low ranked beast cores?

This was an amount that he would only be able to obtain by completing around a hundred inscription jobs!

If that was the case, just how much would it cost to purchase a beast that possessed the potential to reach the Origin Core realm?!