Chapter 224 Resource Black Hole? A Million Spirit Crystals Stun the Two Beasts!

Inside the Beast Taming Space.

The scene was still vibrant with life.

But Jiang Yun's attention was instantly and firmly captured by the scene in the central area.

He saw Little Fire, whose body was now the size of a small hill, lying on the soft grass, opening its large mouth filled with fine, sharp teeth. With a mighty inhale, it sucked in the small, nearly depleted pile of fiery-red Spirit Crystals before it!

"Whoosh—!"

Like a whale drinking in water.

Those several thousand Spirit Crystals turned into a stream of red light, rapidly disappearing into its mouth. The sickening crunch-crunch sound of chewing followed, and then they were swallowed whole.

Where a mountain of Spirit Crystals should have been piled beside it, now only a few scattered pieces and a patch of dull, broken debris remained.

On the other side.

In the woods.

Little Skylark was using its beak, which shimmered with a blue-gold metallic luster, to anxiously peck at the few remaining thunder-attribute Spirit Crystals on the ground, which crackled with tiny arcs of electricity.

It pecked quickly, but there were so few crystals on the ground that it looked rather pitiful. Each time it pecked up a piece, it would tilt its head back to swallow it quickly and then immediately search for the next one.

Already finished?

All eaten up?

Jiang Yun was startled.

It's only been a few days?

He had left a considerable number of Spirit Crystals last time, thinking it would be enough for the two Gold-rank Spirit Beasts to consume normally for a week or two?

He immediately focused his senses to perceive the state of the two beasts.

Gold Rank Two, Peak!

Little Skylark's Aura was solid and vibrant.

Wind and thunder power churned faintly beneath its blue-gold feathers. It was already at the threshold of a Breakthrough to Gold Rank Three, needing only that final push.

What surprised Jiang Yun even more was Little Fire!

The luster of the scarlet-gold scales covering its body had become deeper and more restrained, with faint dark-red patterns surfacing. Its Aura was far more profound and domineering than before he left. It had clearly already successfully broken through to Gold Rank Three!

The scorching power contained within its massive frame

made even Jiang Yun's Divine Sense feel a slight pressure.

How long has it been?

Even though the Spiritual Qi concentration and life force had greatly increased after the Beast Taming Space evolved, accelerating their growth, this speed was still too astonishing!

The only explanation was... these two little guys... had been frantically Devouring Spirit Crystals almost non-stop during this time, converting the power to enhance their strength!

"You two... who are you trying to outwork?"

Jiang Yun's spiritual consciousness phantasm appeared within the space.

He was somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Roar—!"

"Screech—!"

Sensing their master's Aura descending.

The two beasts, who a second ago were struggling for the last few crystals, simultaneously looked up, letting out roars and clear cries filled with delight and excitement!

Little Fire rumbled to its feet from the ground, its four hooves stamping and causing the earth to tremble slightly. Then it started running towards Jiang Yun's spiritual consciousness phantasm with heavy, thudding steps. Its huge head, carrying a wave of scorching air, moved to nuzzle him affectionately, but it seemed afraid of hurting its master's phantasm, its movements appearing clumsy and restrained.

Little Skylark beat its wings, transforming into a streak of blue-gold lightning, and in an instant landed before Jiang Yun's phantasm. It gently rubbed its head against Jiang Yun's arm, emitting crisp, dependent chirps.

Jiang Yun reached out and stroked Little Fire's rough, hot scaly forehead and Little Skylark's smooth, cool feathers in turn.

"It seems in these past couple of days, neither of you slacked off. You've been cultivating very diligently."

Jiang Yun's voice held praise.

It echoed within the Beast Taming Space.

Hearing this.

The two beasts immediately nodded vigorously.

Their intelligent eyes were full of "praise me" meaning.

But then.

Little Skylark used its wing to point towards the direction of its exquisite nest, woven from soft branches and feathers on the shore, letting out urgent cries filled with clear grievance and longing.

Jiang Yun looked where it pointed. Beside the nest, only three or four lonely, dimly glowing thunder-attribute Spirit Crystals remained, looking particularly meager compared to the previous small mountain.

"Screech! Screech-screech!"

Little Skylark flew up from Jiang Yun's shoulder.

It circled above those few crystals, then flew back before Jiang Yun, gently pecking his sleeve with its beak before looking at him with eager, expectant eyes. The meaning couldn't be clearer.

Gone!

All eaten!

Master! Hungry! Food!

Seeing Little Skylark's vivid display of tattling and begging for food.

Jiang Yun couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright, alright, I get it."

He laughed, his tone grand.

"Following me, how could I let you run short of Spirit Crystals? I'll give you all you can eat!"

As his words fell.

Jiang Yun willed it!

Rumble!

On the empty ground by the shore of the Beast Taming Space.

Suddenly erupted dazzling silver lightning and howling azure wind vortices!

The next instant.

Small mountains completely piled from pure thunder-attribute Spirit Crystals and Wind Attribute Spirit Crystals!

Appeared out of thin air!

These crystals were uniform in size.

And of superior quality.

The surfaces of the thunder crystals danced with violent silver snakes, while the interiors of the wind crystals swirled with light air currents.

Piled together, there were several mounds, each as tall as a person. A rough estimate put their number absolutely over a million pieces!

Hum!

Pure and immense thunder and wind elemental power instantly erupted, stirring invisible elemental ripples within the Beast Taming Space. The air seemed filled with a tingling static sensation and a light, flowing feeling.

"!!!"

Little Skylark, which had been crying urgently.

Froze mid-air.

Its lively eyes instantly went wide. Its small head seemed to short-circuit briefly from the overwhelming visual impact it received.

It stared dumbly at the several glittering Spirit Crystal mountains before it, forgetting to flap its wings and nearly falling from the sky.

Even the normally steady, massive Little Fire beside it.

Was clearly stunned.

Its huge head turned towards the crystal mountains. Its scarlet-gold pupils contracted slightly, and a vague, confused, and disbelieving gurgle sounded in its throat.

This... how much is this?

Has Master... emptied out some Spirit Crystal vein?!

After several seconds of shock and stupor.

"Screeeeeeeeeeeeeech—————————!!!!!!"

Little Skylark let out an unprecedented, extremely ecstatic and excited sharp cry!

The sound was piercingly loud.

Filled with the delirious joy of striking it rich overnight!

It no longer cared about appearances.

Like an out-of-control streak of blue-gold lightning.

It "swished" straight into the nearest thunder crystal mountain!

"Crackle-pop! Crunch! Snap!"

A jaw-droppingly dense series of pecking sounds erupted!

Little Skylark's figure became a blur within the crystal mountain. Each peck accurately snatched up hundreds of crystals, swallowing them rapidly before immediately searching for the next.

The blue-gold feathers all over its body puffed up slightly from excitement and the influx of massive thunder elements, arcs of electricity dancing wildly. It looked exactly like a little crazy sparrow that had fallen into a rice vat!

Little Fire beside it.

Also quickly snapped out of its daze.

It looked at the ecstatic, feasting Little Skylark, then at the empty ground before itself. A flash of anxious "I'm missing out!" quickly passed through its scarlet-gold eyes.

"Roar! Roar-roar!"

It hurriedly moved close to Jiang Yun's spiritual consciousness phantasm. Raising one front claw, it first pointed at its own open, flame-flickering mouth, then forcefully pointed at the several crystal mountains on the shore, finally looking at Jiang Yun with eager eyes, letting out urgent, slightly aggrieved low roars from its throat.

The meaning was perfectly clear.

What about its share?

Where's its portion?!

Don't play favorites!

I want to eat too!

I want crystal mountains too!

Seeing Little Fire's impatient, silly appearance, worried it wouldn't get any, Jiang Yun's smile widened, his heart full of the satisfaction of pet ownership and a touch of mischievous amusement.

"Don't worry, Little Fire, I haven't forgotten you."

He said leisurely.

"I know your appetite is a bit bigger. What I prepared for you... is more, not less."

As he spoke.

He willed it once more!

Boom!!!

This time the commotion was even greater!

On the empty ground not far before Little Fire.

It was as if two dormant volcanoes had suddenly erupted!

Only what erupted wasn't lava, but endless red and blue light!

On the left, a mountain of Fire Attribute Spirit Crystals, blazingly hot like a sea of burning rubies!

On the right, a mountain of Water Attribute Spirit Crystals, deep and serene like a glacier of sapphire-blue crystal!

The two crystal mountains stood side by side, each nearly four or five meters tall, like two small Peaks radiating vast elemental fluctuations!

They occupied a large area. The scorching and moist Auras they emitted intertwined, slightly distorting the air in that region.

A rough estimate of the crystal count.

Each mountain held over two to three million pieces.

Totaling over five to six million pieces!

These were no longer small hills.

This was practically two elemental-rich mines descending from thin air!

"Roar... awooo?!"

Seeing the scene before it, Little Fire's massive body jolted violently. Its urgent low roar directly changed pitch into an unbelievable, cracking, strange roar.

Its scarlet-gold eyes widened like bronze bells, pupils reflecting the two towering crystal Peaks, as if stunned by this unimaginably huge amount of wealth.

It even subconsciously took half a step back.

Raising a paw to rub its eyes, checking if it was hallucinating.

Not a few pieces.

Not a pile.

But... two mountains?

For me... alone?

The next second.

Unparalleled ecstasy, like magma, washed away all its reason and restraint!

"Rooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarr—————————!!!!!!!"

An ear-splitting draconic roar, filled with endless excitement and greed, resounded throughout the entire Beast Taming Space!

Little Fire could no longer restrain itself. Its four hooves stamped the ground violently, and like an unbridled beast of flame, with earth-shaking momentum, it plunged headfirst into that mountain of Fire Attribute Spirit Crystals!

It didn't peck piece by piece like Little Skylark.

Instead, it directly opened its cavernous maw!

"Whoosh—Boom-boom-boom—!"

A terrifying suction force erupted from its mouth!

Tens of thousands of Fire Attribute Spirit Crystals, like red meteors caught in a tornado, transformed into streams of scorching torrents, madly pouring into its seemingly bottomless, gigantic maw!

The speed and efficiency of its devouring were staggering!

Those two crystal mountains.

Actually began to visibly shrink in height!

Jiang Yun watched Little Fire's shocking, whale-like eating manners from the side. Even with prior mental preparation, he couldn't help but stare, jaw agape, and suck in a cold breath.

"This appetite... is getting more and more outrageous!"

He lamented inwardly.

"At this rate, these five million Spirit Crystals probably won't be enough to support its Breakthrough to the Amethyst Rank... What a bottomless pit!"

But at the same time.

A strong sense of relief also surged in his heart.

"Fortunately, fortunately I went to the Appraisers Guild first and got this first huge bucket of gold."

He thought to himself.

"Otherwise, if Little Skylark and Little Fire came crying poor to me today and I couldn't produce any crystals, that would have been extremely awkward and would have seriously dampened their motivation."

Now.

Holding tens of millions of Spirit Crystals in funds, plus the fixed monthly tributes from various factions, at least until he Cultivates the two beasts to the Amethyst Rank, he doesn't have to worry about resources for the time being.

Why only until the Amethyst Rank?

Because Jiang Yun couldn't be sure.

How terrifying the resource demands would become when these two bottomless pits broke through to the Amethyst Rank... Watching the two beasts joyfully and frantically devouring and cultivating within their respective crystal mountains, Jiang Yun nodded in satisfaction.

The miraculous acceleration effect of the Beast Taming Space, coupled with the nearly limitless resource supply, gave him confidence that Little Fire and Little Skylark's strength would experience another leap in the short term.

"However, just having Spirit Crystal resources to raise their Realms isn't enough. Evolution Materials must also be gathered promptly. They need to continuously evolve to higher Aptitudes to grow faster and stronger."

Jiang Yun's thoughts returned to reality as he began planning the next steps.

"It seems I still need as many resources as possible. After reporting to Sky Dome Academy, I'll immediately assume the position of Inner Court Dean as Dong Xuan. Using the academy's information channels and resources, finding clues about the thunder soul crystal and heart of molten fire might be easier."

"The day after tomorrow is the reporting day. Tomorrow... I can go wander around Liufeng District first, see if this district famous for its intelligence-gathering capabilities can turn up any information. I can also learn about the situation with Provincial Capital Formation Masters, to prepare for deciphering the true dragon bone."

Having made up his mind.

Jiang Yun's Divine Sense no longer disturbed the two beasts immersed in their blissful cultivation and quietly withdrew from the Beast Taming Space.

In the real world, inside the wing room.

Jiang Yun slowly opened his eyes.

A trace of weariness was on his face, but more so was anticipation for the future.

Having rushed around all day.

And experiencing several tense negotiations and identity switches, he indeed felt somewhat mentally fatigued.

"Better get a good night's sleep first."

Jiang Yun thought to himself.

As for those people watching him outside the courtyard... with Nine-Tailed Fox there and the contract in place, there shouldn't be any trouble in the short term.

When they jump out on their own, or when he has free hands, he'll properly deal with them then.

However.

Jiang Yun didn't know that shortly after he and Su Qingxue entered Yunqi Courtyard, the two Su Family Inner Guards lurking in the shadows, as if receiving some signal, swiftly and silently withdrew.

They traversed the complex courtyards and corridors within the Su Family mansion, avoiding patrolling guards, and finally arrived at an independent, more exquisitely luxurious, and heavily guarded courtyard located in the eastern part of the estate.

The two were stopped at the courtyard gate by two guards with even sharper Auras. After verifying their identities, they were allowed into the courtyard.

Inside the study, candlelight was bright.

A handsome young man with a somewhat sinister and arrogant air between his brows stood with his hands behind his back by the window, looking at the swaying bamboo shadows outside.

He appeared to be around twenty years old.

He was precisely the Fourth Young Master, Su Mingxuan, who held considerable prestige among the Su Family's younger generation.

The two Inner Guards entered the study.

And immediately reported respectfully.

"Fourth Young Master! That branch matrilocal son-in-law, Jiang Yun, and that Su Qingxue have already returned to Yunqi Courtyard."