Beast Tamer Ascension

Vol 2 Chapter 20: Breaking Limits

“Mr. Cao, may I ask, is the Dragon-Phoenix Cavern Heaven the one where people don’t feel like eating for years after entering?” a bald monk asked, his face filled with horror.

Terrified, he exclaimed, “I saw the other cultivators throwing their juniors into the Cavern Heaven, so in a moment of panic, I kicked my son in too... But I didn’t realize it was that Cavern Heaven!”

Cao Ziwei nodded. “The Dragon-Phoenix Cavern Heaven is indeed one of the ‘Ten Great Cavern Heavens of the Immortal Palace,’ categorized under the thirty-six Lesser Cavern Heavens.”

“This particular Cavern Heaven doesn’t involve competition among those who enter. Instead, they are transported to different spaces, with no interference from others. Everyone who enters has the opportunity to gain fortuitous encounters. However, how much they gain—and whether they can return safely—depends entirely on their own abilities.”

“It’s said that in the Immortal Palace, one of the delicacies served at the immortals’ banquets is called Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow, a dish made from pure-blooded dragons and phoenixes. It is extraordinarily nourishing, delicious, and enhances cultivation without any side effects. This Cavern Heaven derives its name from that dish.”

“This, my friend,” Cao Ziwei continued, “is indeed the Cavern Heaven where one might not feel like eating mundane food for years after entering.”

“Within the Cavern Heaven, there are projections of dragon-blooded and phoenix-blooded demonic beasts, whose strength matches that of the cultivator who encounters them. Each one slain significantly enhances the cultivator’s power, as though they’ve tasted the celestial delicacy of Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow. The effect is so potent that mundane food becomes unappealing for a long time afterward.”

The bald monk clutched his head and cried out, “It’s over!”

“Dao Fa?” Cao Ziwei said calmly. “At this very moment, they’ve likely entered their respective spaces. If they’re strong enough, they’ll hunt the dragons and phoenixes for their fortuitous encounters. If not, hiding should keep them relatively safe. The projections of dragon-blooded and phoenix-blooded beasts are powerful but not unavoidable death traps.”

“It’s not that my son isn’t strong!” the monk shouted in despair. “It’s that our sect’s rules have forced him to eat a vegetarian diet since he was a child. Now, if he even tastes a bit of meat, he gets food poisoning! The flavor of Dragon Liver and Phoenix Marrow might outright kill him! He knows nothing about the Dragon-Phoenix Cavern Heaven’s effects and will definitely fall for it!”

The crowd: “???”

This monk... You’ve taken a wife and had a son, yet you still follow your sect’s rules so rigidly that you don’t let your kid eat meat?

“Hunting dragon and phoenix projections grants power... All the entrants are at the ninth stage of Qi Refinement. If they succeed, won’t they quickly reach Foundation Establishment?” an elderly cultivator mused, stroking his beard. “And with the opportunities in this Cavern Heaven, their foundations will likely be far more solid than with conventional methods.”

Cao Ziwei shook his head. “Unfortunately, the Dragon-Phoenix Cavern Heaven’s feedback cannot directly help cultivators break through to the next major stage. However, according to historical records, those at the peak of Qi Refinement who manage to slay the dragon or phoenix projections can refine and purify their True Energy, potentially breaking through the current limits of the realm to reach the tenth stage of Qi Refinement!”

“Regardless of the outcome, the examinees who entered stand to gain tremendous benefits.”

“When True Energy is pure enough, compressing it to form True Essence and stepping into Foundation Establishment becomes significantly easier. Regardless of the chosen method for establishing their foundation, their success rate will increase dramatically.”

“And if they surpass the realm’s natural limits to achieve the tenth stage of Qi Refinement... Well, that is a feat of unimaginable glory. The Immortal Palace established many extreme boundary rules, including limiting Qi Refinement to nine stages. Those who break this limit to cultivate to a tenth stage are acknowledged as prodigies by the Immortal Palace itself. Throughout history, such cultivators have been exceedingly rare.”

Hearing this, many cultivators revealed looks of astonishment. This Cavern Heaven could actually help cultivators surpass the limits of their realm?

Many immediately regretted not being at the Qi Refinement stage themselves—otherwise, they would’ve jumped in with the others!

“What kind of Cavern Heaven is this?”

Meanwhile, Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse, riding the opportunity created by Wang Xiao, had already entered the Cavern Heaven.

“Whatever kind of Cavern Heaven it is, we owe our thanks to Wang Xiao. Sure, he picked a fight with me and gave me trouble, but moving forward, he’s no longer my bad brother—he’s my lucky brother. What do you think?” Lin Jing summoned the Pine Leaf Mouse.

“Squeak!” The Pine Leaf Mouse nodded indifferently. It had its own concerns—it still wanted to face off against the male talisman cultivator from earlier. After all, looting a few more of his talismans for its own storage bag was a tempting idea.

Suddenly, Lin Jing looked around. Thanks to his prior experience with the Bodhi Cavern Heaven, he quickly activated his senses to survey their surroundings. They were enveloped in a layer of mysterious mist, thin as gauze, which made it impossible to discern their exact location.

Just as he was pondering where they might be, a sharp and melodious phoenix cry shattered the silence, echoing through the forest. Moments later, a deep, majestic dragon’s roar responded from the depths of the woods, the two calls resonating with each other.

Hearing the simultaneous cries of dragon and phoenix, Lin Jing immediately exclaimed, “Dragon-Phoenix Cavern Heaven?!”

The countless legends about this Cavern Heaven surfaced in his mind. “Heavens are truly helping me! I’ve been stuck at the seventh stage of Qi Refinement for so long—looks like I’ll finally break through now.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the surrounding air began to tremble, the leaves rustling loudly. A massive creature emerged slowly from the forest. Its body was covered in blue scales, each one shimmering with a cold, gleaming light.

Roar!!!

A flood dragon emerged, its abyss-like eyes gleaming like cold stars. It opened its maw and unleashed a chilling dragon breath.

The Pine Leaf Mouse immediately released nine red leaves, scattering them in different directions. As the dragon breath descended, a wave of spatial energy surrounded Lin Jing and the Pine Leaf Mouse, teleporting them instantly into the air to evade the attack. This was the culmination of the Pine Leaf Mouse’s four months of training—the red leaves could now be used for teleportation.

“Don’t rush it just yet,” Lin Jing said, stopping the Pine Leaf Mouse as it prepared its mechanized bamboo rifle. “Look at the protective killing aura on its scales. Attacking it directly from the outside would take forever to break through. Remember the Mechanized Bamboo Dragon?”

With that, he pulled out a blood-filled bottle, inside which soaked several Spirit Bean Bombs.

Lin Jing retrieved one Spirit Bean Bomb from the bottle and threw it down from the air. In the next instant, the ferocious flood dragon, its eyes turning blood-red as if it had been fed, opened its mouth wide to devour the blood-soaked Spirit Bean.

Boom!

The Spirit Bean Bomb exploded within the unsuspecting flood dragon’s mouth, blasting away half of its head.

As the flood dragon collapsed to the ground, Lin Jing watched in awe as it transformed into two streams of radiant light—one flowed into the Pine Leaf Mouse, and the other entered his own body.

Immediately, Lin Jing felt his cultivation surge, his True Energy doubling in strength. In a single leap, his cultivation rose to the eighth stage of Qi Refinement!

This miraculous improvement left Lin Jing’s breath quickened with excitement.

The Pine Leaf Mouse, though it didn’t achieve a breakthrough, also felt its True Energy become significantly more refined—comparable to the results of a prolonged closed-door cultivation session.

It, too, began to breathe heavily, its eyes darting to its storage bag, which held ten warehouses’ worth of spiritual rice, over a thousand Replenishing Pills refined from Dragonblood Carps, and even the dozens of True Energy recovery pills distributed to the examiners earlier that morning by the academy.

“Squeak!!!” The Pine Leaf Mouse looked at its hoarded resources, its eyes glowing red with hesitation, as if it were contemplating a monumental decision.

It trembled as it grabbed Lin Jing’s sleeve, hoping he would talk some sense into it. The mouse feared it might lose control, throw all its resources into bombs, and start a wild rampage against every dragon and phoenix projection it encountered. That wasn’t the real issue—the mouse was more concerned about how much Longevity Blood they’d need to harvest for such a massacre. Lin Jing might literally bleed himself dry!

But Lin Jing’s eyes had already turned red as well. The insane speed of his cultivation growth had completely hooked him.

“Even the Ice Gu parasite in my body seems thrilled—it’s practically wriggling with excitement!” Lin Jing muttered. “Should I undo a portion of its seal and let us split up? We could go all out, hunting separately and killing to our hearts’ content! This should count as one of those ‘special circumstances’ where Senior Magic Pine said I could temporarily unlock the seal and borrow its strength, right?”

The Pine Leaf Mouse froze in shock, staring at Lin Jing like it was watching someone spiral into madness.

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