Chapter 2658: Chapter 2658
"Master Ye, please proceed!" Lin Fengzhi gestured for Ye Liuyun to begin.
Ye Liuyun glanced at the black panther. Its spiritual power and cultivation level were unremarkable, nothing particularly special. To him, it might as well have been just a big cat. At the moment, however, it was pacing restlessly in its cage, baring its fangs and snarling at the surrounding soldiers.
As soon as the soldiers set the cage down, Ye Liuyun stepped forward. In an instant, he imprinted a slave seal onto the panther. Immediately, the beast obediently lay down on the ground, lowering its head in submission to Ye Liuyun.
The sight left everyone dumbfounded.
"How is this possible? He tamed the panther that quickly?"
"No way—it must have been exhausted already!"
Some of the beastmasters refused to believe what they were seeing, scrambling for excuses to justify their own incompetence.
Ye Liuyun, however, remained unruffled. "Open the cage," he said calmly.
This only deepened the shock among the onlookers. Even Lin Fengzhi was taken aback, but seeing the panther lying docilely before them, he began to suspect that Ye Liuyun truly was different from the other beastmasters.
"Commander, you mustn’t open the cage! That panther’s cultivation is too high, and it’s incredibly fast. If it gets out, it’ll be dangerous!" one of the beastmasters urgently advised Lin Fengzhi.
"It won’t harm anyone. I’ve already tamed it," Ye Liuyun countered.
"You tamed it in just a moment? Do you realize that deceiving the commander is a capital offense?" The beastmaster clearly refused to believe him.
Ye Liuyun shrugged and turned to Lin Fengzhi. "How else am I supposed to demonstrate if you don’t let it out?"
"Are you certain you’ve subdued it?" Lin Fengzhi asked seriously.
The animal trainer beside him chimed in, "Are you willing to stake your life on this?"
"I’m certain. I’ll stake my life on it!" Ye Liuyun declared firmly.
"Fine. Open the cage for him!" Lin Fengzhi agreed.
Still, he motioned for Lin Xiaoxiao to hide behind him, just in case. The soldiers stepped forward, nervously unlocking the chains before quickly retreating in front of Lin Fengzhi, their spears at the ready.
Ye Liuyun yanked off the chains and swung the cage door open. "Come on out!"
At his words, the black leopard immediately rose and stepped out of the iron cage.
Everyone’s eyes widened in disbelief.
But Ye Liuyun wasn’t done. He issued another command: "Lie down. Open your mouth."
The leopard obeyed, its massive frame lowering before him, jaws parting wide enough to swallow Ye Liuyun whole.
Yet Ye Liuyun reached straight into its mouth.
"Ah!" Lin Xiaoxiao gasped, terrified the leopard might snap its jaws shut and tear him apart.
Instead, Ye Liuyun pulled out a slender bone fragment lodged behind one of the leopard’s teeth.
"The reason it’s been so irritable lately? It had something stuck in its teeth," he explained to the stunned onlookers.
The once-ferocious leopard nuzzled its massive head against Ye Liuyun’s leg, docile as a housecat.
With a leap, Ye Liuyun mounted the leopard’s back and let it carry him in a soaring circle through the air.
With a swift motion, Ye Liuyun commanded the black panther to pounce toward the beastmaster.
"Bring him here—but don’t kill him!" Ye Liuyun ordered.
The panther shot forward like a bolt of black lightning, effortlessly leaping over the soldiers’ defensive line. In one fluid motion, it clamped its jaws around the beastmaster and bounded back to the center of the arena.
"Spit him out!" came another sharp command. Obediently, the panther released the man, dropping him unceremoniously onto the ground.
"Aah—!" The beastmaster’s face drained of color as he shrieked in terror. Scrambling backward on all fours, he staggered to his feet and bolted.
Yet everyone could see—he was completely unharmed.
Ye Liuyun gave the panther an approving pat on the head, signaling it to lie down. Then, with effortless grace, he dismounted and strode toward Lin Fengzhi.
"Well, Commander, does this outcome satisfy you?" Ye Liuyun asked, his voice ringing with confidence.
"More than satisfied!" Lin Fengzhi was utterly stunned, barely able to muster words beyond sheer admiration.
A newfound respect flickered in his eyes. *No wonder he spoke so boldly—he truly has the skill to back it up. It seems I’ve stumbled upon a rare treasure.*
From then on, his tone toward Ye Liuyun shifted to one of deference. He immediately ordered tea to be served and gestured for a seat to be brought, inviting Ye Liuyun to rest.
Even Lin Xiaoxiao was left awestruck.
*So he really is this incredible!* she thought, her earlier disdain melting away. At first glance, his plain attire had made her dismissive, but now, witnessing his prowess, her attitude did a complete reversal.
In the Willowwood Dynasty, beastmasters held a revered status. With just this single display, Ye Liuyun had proven himself worthy of admiration throughout the realm.
Lin Fengzhi soon struck up a conversation, mentioning another prized creature in the menagerie—a golden eagle, a gift from the royal family, with strength rivaling a Second Heaven cultivator. But its temperament was fierce, untamable despite their best efforts.
The animal trainer who had been scared half to death by Ye Liuyun moments ago was specifically in charge of taming the golden eagle. Yet after a full year of effort, the bird still refused to be ridden as a mount.
When he heard Lin Fengzhi suggest letting Ye Liuyun take over, the trainer immediately cut in, "Commander, I’ve spent a year working with that golden eagle—I know its temperament inside out. I’m on the verge of a breakthrough. Changing handlers now might only agitate it and make it more defiant."
Lin Fengzhi hesitated at this.
But Ye Liuyun just chuckled. "Defiant? What kind of beast tamer spends a whole year failing to break in a creature and still worries about rebellion?"
"That golden eagle was a gift from the royal family to the Commander—it can’t be harmed in the slightest! What do you know?" The trainer’s face flushed with humiliation as he scrambled for excuses. "Besides, it’s incredibly proud by nature..."
Ye Liuyun waved him off dismissively. "Every trainer has their own methods. I won’t need nearly as much time. No need to argue—just bring the eagle here, and we’ll see."
Seeing Ye Liuyun’s confidence, Lin Fengzhi immediately ordered, "Bring the golden eagle."
Reluctantly, the trainer went to fetch it.
After a year of conditioning, the eagle had become far more docile, controllable with just a single chain. Aside from refusing to be ridden, it was generally obedient.
But the trainer wasn’t about to let Ye Liuyun steal his thunder. Secretly, he instructed the eagle to attack Ye Liuyun when the time came—after all, he was leading it out for a meal.
Eagerly, the golden eagle followed the trainer into the taming arena.
At the second level of the Heavenly Human realm, the eagle was a tier stronger than the black panther and noticeably larger in size. Ye Liuyun motioned for the panther to step aside, clearing the space for the new challenger.
The golden eagle flexed its wings, ready for action. The trainer, gripping the chain, extended it toward Ye Liuyun with a smirk. "After you, Mr. Ye."
Fully aware of the man’s resentment, Ye Liuyun paid it no mind. He strode confidently into the arena and faced the golden eagle head-on.
