Divine Beast Creator
Chapter 1308 - 1309: Entering the Venue

Chapter 1308: Chapter 1309: Entering the Venue

"These pastries, really can’t be taken back."

Staring at the pastries made from those unique flower petals, Feng Yuan sighed with regret. He had made similar treats before—back at Cotton Orchid Manor, he would occasionally make small cakes and desserts using Cotton Orchid Flowers. But the flower petal pastries here used flowers exclusive to Dantia, so the flavors could only be enjoyed locally.

"Eating so much food—don’t you feel full?"

Qi Chen, sipping on flower tea, gave Feng Yuan a speechless look as he watched the latter stuff pastries into his mouth. Unlike the honey-based shop, the pastry shop had more of a charming tearoom ambiance. The leisurely atmosphere of sipping flower tea and nibbling on pastries seemed like a delightful way to spend an afternoon. At the very least, Qi Chen planned to see if Dou Yanlan would like to join him here tomorrow.

But it was nighttime when they visited—and they had already had a hefty dinner earlier. Qi Chen really couldn’t understand Feng Yuan’s reasoning for ordering a heap of pastries. He worried that Feng Yuan might overeat and later grumble about feeling stuffed.

"It’s not all for me! Most of these are for them, okay?"

Handing a small pastry to Xiao Ji, Feng Yuan responded proudly. He had intentionally picked pastries tailored to their tastes. Unlike Little Ice Cream, who fought over food relentlessly, Big Cat only had a few before stopping. Kong Qing used its tail to pass a pastry to Pomiti, but hadn’t gotten around to eating its own yet.

Najia glanced at Feng Yuan and asked, "You’re better at understanding their tastes than I am. Do you know what Xiao Hui and Xiao Hei like to eat?"

"Hmm, well, Xiao Hei is a bit special. Let me think... it seems to prefer flavors that are sweet but also have a touch of sourness, with a hint of cold water attribute energy. Yeah, that should be it."

"Cold water attribute energy? Oh, I see."

Looking over at Xiao Hei, who was licking its plate with a dissatisfied expression, Najia mused aloud. Feng Yuan was about to order more food for Xiao Hei, but Yang Hongzhi quickly stopped him.

"Eating too much will make Xiao Hei gain weight, which will affect its speed," Yang Hongzhi said. Hearing this, Xiao Hei looked as though it was about to cry miserably. Feng Yuan felt it was just a few sweets and insisted that Xiao Hei, as a Spirit Beast, wouldn’t be affected in such a way. But since Xiao Hei’s Beastmaster was Yang Hongzhi, Feng Yuan decided not to argue.

Defeated, Xiao Hei continued to lick its plate but would occasionally take sneaky peeks at Yang Hongzhi, hoping for a change of heart—but those hopes were repeatedly dashed.

Veronia gazed out the window at Hua Street under the night sky and said, "I think we can come back here tomorrow afternoon. Nighttime really isn’t the best time for tea."

Xiao Hei’s ears perked up, and it stood up excitedly, panting and staring eagerly at Yang Hongzhi. Seeing Xiao Hei’s expression, Yang Hongzhi smiled helplessly and said, "Alright, but don’t order too much food for it. It’s been slacking off lately, and even its weight has gone up."

Defeated, Xiao Hei’s ears drooped as it lay on the ground, clutching its plate with a pitiful expression. Yet Yang Hongzhi remained indifferent—he knew Xiao Hei was too good at playing tricks and wasn’t about to fall for it.

Najia chuckled softly, landing on Xiao Hei’s head and speaking to it. Meanwhile, Feng Yuan poked Xiao Ji’s belly and said, "Is that the case? Xiao Ji, have you gotten fat too?"

Unhappy, the eagle-like Xiao Ji glared at Feng Yuan and spread its wings, seemingly complaining. Feng Yuan laughed cheekily and said, "Well, I was just joking~ But being too fat might actually affect your flight speed."

Although Feng Yuan wasn’t particularly concerned, he wasn’t sure if Xiao Ji shared the same perspective. Hearing Feng Yuan’s words, Xiao Ji froze, staring at the remaining pastries in front of it with a conflicted look—wanting to eat but afraid to indulge. Agunas shot Feng Yuan a glance and said, "Its energy consumption is so high, and you haven’t been feeding it high-energy food. These pastries would hardly have much effect."

After all, the flower petals weren’t Spiritual Medicine, so they wouldn’t impact Xiao Ji much. But for Xiao Hei, it was another story. Some Spirit Beasts do indeed gain weight from eating too much ordinary human food. Whether Xiao Hei fell into that category, though, remained uncertain.

"Well, if Xiao Hei hadn’t been lazy, it wouldn’t have come to this," Yang Hongzhi said, glancing at Xiao Hei in resignation. As if understanding the comment, Xiao Hei flopped down and pretended to play dead.

"So many people!"

The next day, outside the shopping center’s venue, Feng Yuan exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the crowd. Yang Hongzhi glanced at Najia perched on his shoulder and said, "I’ll go scout around for Spiritual Medicine and Materials for them. Just call me when you’re done here."

Though Qi Chen had already registered for the competition, he was the sole participant from their group. Bringing along a team of five or six people for moral support wasn’t ideal—not just because the organizers might disapprove, but because the dynamic wouldn’t feel right to Qi Chen. Besides, Yang Hongzhi wasn’t particularly interested in potted Spirit Beasts. At least not until Xiao Hei and Xiao Hui reached the Legendary Level of strength; it seemed unlikely he’d ever seriously consider these support-oriented Spirit Beasts.

Veronia, holding Belusir, declared her intent to explore the shopping center. While Agunas did worry that Veronia would cause trouble, he figured having Belusir along would keep her relatively safe.

Long Boduo planned to visit the nearby flower market, saying he wanted to stock up on ingredients for food preparation. However, Feng Yuan wasn’t sure if the flowers would grow properly in the Netherworld. Since Long Boduo seemed enthusiastic, Feng Yuan decided not to object.

Ultimately, the ones entering the venue were Qi Chen, Dou Yanlan, and Feng Yuan. Agunas and the others wouldn’t be counted among the attendees, given that even powerful Beastmasters sometimes kept multiple Spirit Beasts as potted companions. Some of them had over ten Spirit Beasts accompanying them. Feng Yuan only drew attention due to his age; seeing someone his age leading a pack of Spirit Beasts was undeniably unusual.

Following Qi Chen into the venue, the atmosphere was noticeably unique compared to the bustling crowd outside. Here, most people either cuddled or were accompanied by a potted Spirit Beast, and many had other formidable Beast companions by their side. This wasn’t surprising; aside from special cases like Qi Chen, people of the same age generally didn’t prioritize cultivating potted Spirit Beasts. Whether it was a Beast or a Spirit Beast, neither seemed appropriate for such cultivation.

For Beasts, they lacked sufficient strength. For Spirit Beasts, young Beastmasters were usually focused on developing their primary Beasts, leaving little time to care for potted companions. If it weren’t for Ah Mu’s fondness for them, Qi Chen might have sought someone else to take care of them.

Holding Xiao Ji in its Eggshell Chicken form, Feng Yuan quietly watched Qi Chen. The latter scratched his head with an awkward smile. Just then, a middle-aged woman in attire suited for mobility noticed Qi Chen’s Ah Mu and approached him curiously, saying, "Your Wood Sprite is quite special—it must’ve taken a lot of effort to train it."

Listening to her praise of Ah Mu and the Flower Leaf Tree Three Spirit Beasts on its crown, Qi Chen rubbed his head shyly. After all, Ah Mu’s current level of skill was almost entirely due to Feng Yuan’s help. If Qi Chen had relied solely on himself, there was no way Ah Mu would have achieved this degree of cultivation.

After exchanging compliments, the woman offered some training tips specific to the Flower Leaf Tree Three Spirit Beasts atop Ah Mu’s crown. Dou Yanlan, standing nearby, took out a notebook to jot down valuable information. Meanwhile, the woman’s potted spirit flower had somehow climbed onto her shoulder and was chirping curiously at the Flower Leaf Tree Three Spirit Beasts, seemingly wanting to play with them.

However, the Flower Leaf Tree Three Spirit Beasts reacted in their usual timid manner. Scratching his head, Qi Chen explained their unique problem to the woman. She reflected for a moment before saying, "That’s certainly tricky. Psychological trauma is hard to address—even Ultimate Moves and potions might struggle to heal it. No wonder you’re raising them."

The woman had initially been curious how Qi Chen managed to both cultivate Ah Mu to such levels and care for the Flower Leaf Tree Three Spirit Beasts. Although Spirit Beasts weren’t especially delicate, taking proper care of them still requires substantial effort. And Qi Chen, with his student appearance, was at the age when Beastmasters’ primary Beast skills develop rapidly—requiring significant time investment in training.

Of course, the woman also considered the possibility that Qi Chen was backed by a strong family that supported him with resources. While she found it odd, she didn’t overanalyze it. Now that she knew the truth, she earnestly began recalling treatment techniques she had seen before, hoping to find a suitable one.