Chapter 2657: Chapter 2657
Although the Willow Forest Dynasty excelled in formation arrays and artifact forging, they had never considered crafting spatial rings capable of storing living creatures.
Beast tamers here relied on special beast pouches that could hold multiple savage creatures, largely due to the lack of exceptional forgers in the southern regions. Even when barbarian tribes managed to recruit renowned forgers, their focus remained on crafting treasures and weapons—no one bothered to refine storage artifacts.
What truly astonished Ye Liuyun was the cultivation level of the Willow Forest Dynasty’s strongest warriors—the highest known was only at the second level of the Heavenly Human realm. While he knew little about the southern barbarians, he assumed their strength was comparable; otherwise, they would have invaded long ago.
Moreover, their cultivation techniques contained no records of constructing spatial worlds or absorbing origin energy. Even their soul cultivation was shockingly primitive.
This left Ye Liuyun in an awkward position. Facing martial artists of such low cultivation, attacking them would feel like bullying.
To better fit his new identity, he selected a few first-level Heavenly Human realm beasts and birds from his spatial world and transferred them into a Interspatial Ring, disguising himself as a beast tamer.
As for the Interspatial Ring itself, he could simply claim it was his own creation—after all, forging such a basic item was child’s play. The process wasn’t complicated; it only required spatial stones as materials.
Not that he needed to craft them anymore. His spatial world held enough storage rings to equip an army of millions with ease.
The locals here didn’t just use storage rings—they fashioned spatial containers into various accessories. While the capacities weren’t particularly large, the designs were quite elegant.
Their primary currency for trade was divine crystals. Origin energy was scarcely even mentioned. So, Ye Liuyun also stocked his Interspatial Ring with some divine crystals, just in case.
After gathering all the necessary information and making his preparations, he finally released the trio from his illusion.
By now, he had no reason to fear them. His only concern was purchasing a detailed star map from a merchant guild before heading to a nearby uninhabited planet to harvest origin energy. He had a rough idea of the planetary positions but needed finer details—especially to identify which worlds were unpopulated.
He had little interest in inhabited planets. Convincing people to relocate and then managing them within his spatial world would be too much trouble. Since his world already housed plenty of inhabitants, claiming uninhabited planets would be far simpler.
As for his cultivation level, he decided to keep it concealed most of the time, revealing only the first level of the Heavenly Human realm when necessary. With his current strength—both physical and spiritual—he could stand motionless and still remain unharmed even if everyone here attacked him at once.
Once freed from the illusion, the three men seemed to have completely forgotten what had just happened and resumed probing Ye Liuyun’s background. But he had already crafted a convincing identity—a beast tamer from a major tribe—and brushed off their questions with ease.
Their flying vessel moved swiftly, and within a few days, they had returned to the Willow Forest Dynasty.
Instead of entering the city directly, the vessel landed just outside the city gates. Lin Tong explained to Ye Liuyun, "Except for military warships, no flying vessels are allowed within the city walls."
At the gates, they had to pay an entry fee—a common practice in the Willow Forest Dynasty, as the revenue helped fund the city’s maintenance. The Lin family was accustomed to this and even covered Ye Liuyun’s fee without hesitation.
"Do all cities under the dynasty’s rule charge an entry fee?" Ye Liuyun asked Lin Tong.
"Most of them do," Lin Tong replied.
The city was sizable, exuding the grandeur befitting a royal capital. Among the cities Ye Liuyun had seen, this one was particularly well-built, and he couldn’t help but admire it for a moment longer.
Lin Xiaoxiao and Lin Moyu, however, seemed to regard him as some country bumpkin, their expressions laced with subtle disdain. Unfazed, Ye Liuyun paid them no mind. Once inside, he followed the group straight to the Commander’s residence.
As it happened, Lin Fengzhi was present. Upon receiving word of their arrival, he immediately summoned Ye Liuyun and led him directly to the beast-taming grounds to test his abilities.
Curious, Lin Xiaoxiao and Lin Moyu didn’t return to their quarters but tagged along to watch the spectacle.
The grounds were bustling with beast tamers tending to ferocious creatures. When Ye Liuyun was brought in, Lin Fengzhi greeted him with courtesy.
However, unable to discern Ye Liuyun’s cultivation level, Lin Fengzhi had no grasp of his true strength. Cautiously, he probed, "What level and type of beasts can you tame, Mr. Ye?"
"Anything will do," Ye Liuyun replied casually. The moment he had stepped in, his divine sense had already swept through the area—none of the beasts here surpassed the second level of the Heavenly Realm, making them trivial for him to handle.
His answer, however, drew scowls from the resident beast tamers. Most tamers specialized in a particular level or type of beast, so they took his words as sheer arrogance. Even Lin Fengzhi found his attitude lacking in humility.
Still, he maintained his patience. "In that case, we happen to have a first-level Heavenly Realm black panther here. Would you care to give it a try, Mr. Ye?"
"Sure," Ye Liuyun agreed without hesitation.
Lin Fengzhi ordered his men to bring out the black panther while asking Ye Liuyun, "Mr. Ye, what preparations are needed for taming the beast?"
Previously, every beast tamer he’d encountered required special materials—food to entice the beast, cultivation resources, or specialized tools.
"Nothing’s needed. I can subdue it right away," Ye Liuyun replied without hesitation.
He immediately noticed the skepticism in Lin Fengzhi’s eyes and the mocking glances from the other beast tamers. Even Lin Xiaoxiao and Lin Moyu couldn’t suppress their quiet laughter.
This Celestial Realm first-level black panther had been captured personally by Lin Fengzhi and his soldiers. But since its arrival, it had already devoured several tamers, its ferocity undiminished.
Though it would eat whatever the tamers offered, the moment it saw an opening, it wouldn’t hesitate to make a meal of them—no mercy shown.
Unable to find anyone capable of taming it, Lin Fengzhi had kept the beast locked in a reinforced cage. Given its high cultivation level and lightning-fast speed, a mere chain wouldn’t hold it, so they never dared let it out.
To the tamers here, attempting to tame this panther was practically suicide. And lately, its temper had grown even worse—it often rammed against the cage bars, making the task even more perilous.
By having Ye Liuyun face this beast first, Lin Fengzhi clearly intended to humble the young man’s arrogance.
Ye Liuyun sensed something was off, but since the panther was only at the first level of the Celestial Realm, he couldn’t fathom why it posed such a challenge.
Soon, dozens of soldiers hauled the panther into view. The sheer menace of a Celestial Realm beast sent a ripple of unease through the crowd.
