Rubbing Shoulders with Heavenly Tribulation, Fleecing the Sheep, part 5

Writhing in the clouds was a living creature.

A serpentine spirit beast with two small bulges on its head, hinting at an extraordinary lineage.

A snake jiao.

A sixth-tier beast showing faint signs of dragon transformation, its bulges concealing unemerged dragon horns.

The snake jiao thrashed in the clouds, emitting sharp cries. Its gray-blue scales crackled with lightning, as if its essence were being sapped. Its tail lashed, claws tore through clouds, desperate to escape the tribulation.

But its struggles were futile, scorched black by the roaring thunder, shattered scales falling like ash.

Su Qing’s eyes widened. Whose spirit pet was this? It was in agony—why wasn’t its master intervening?

Or was this some kind of brutal body refinement?

A nearby Beast Sect disciple recognized it. “Sixth-tier, high-grade Swallowing Heaven Snake Jiao!”

“Loves dark, damp places, feeds on yin fire and yin thunder. Starts as a sixth-tier Swallowing Heaven Snake, evolves to a seventh-tier Swallowing Heaven Jiao, and finally a ninth-tier Swallowing Heaven Dragon. Each tier reveals more draconic traits—horns first, then claws, then scales. This one’s at sixth-tier, high-grade.”

“A sixth-tier beast—its master must be at least Nascent Soul. A new pet of some senior? I’ve never heard of it.”

“They didn’t raise it well. If it were mine, I’d keep its scales gleaming.”

“Odd. Heavenly tribulation lightning is celestial, not yin. Why’s it up there? It can feed on it, but it can’t feel good.”

In beast taming, spirit beasts were ranked in nine tiers, each with low, mid, and high grades. Ninth-tier beasts touched the divine beast threshold.

A master’s cultivation—Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, Spirit Transformation, Void Refining, Unity, Tribulation, Ascension—aligned with these tiers. Normally, a master’s cultivation couldn’t be three tiers below their beast’s, or the contract weakened, making control difficult. @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

This Swallowing Heaven Snake Jiao started at sixth-tier and could reach ninth-tier divine status—a beast Beast Sect disciples dreamed of owning.

“No ambition! I’d dream of one. I’d live for it. I’d be its master, but it could master me. If it ascends, just toss me a bone!”

“Who’s its master? When did our Beast Sect get such a genius?”

Chen Xinha, disgusted, called her spirit snake back. “A-Yin, stay away from that jiao.”

Once the snake coiled around her shoulders, she relaxed, addressing her curious peers. “Stop dreaming. It’s not Beast Sect’s. Its master’s an Array Sect first-year.”

“Guan—,” she sneered, “Guan Jiayu.”

The second-years froze, then gasped. “First-year at Nascent Soul? Graduates at enrollment?”

Someone caught Chen’s meaning, spitting. “Tch, dead contract!”

“A master-s*ave contract.”

A dead contract bound the beast as a s*ave. Master lives, s*ave lives; master dies, s*ave dies; s*ave dies, it’s just a loss. The beast’s body, life, and cultivation were tied to the master, manipulated at will. Ruthless masters siphoned their beasts’ cultivation, a common practice.

Such contracts ignored the three-tier rule.

But they were so cruel, Sword Sect’s Beast Sect banned them.

Beast Sect used equal “living contracts,” treating beasts as battle partners or friends. Either party could dissolve it freely.

Some Beast Sect beasts outpaced their masters, breaking contracts after a three-tier gap but staying as allies, becoming their master’s golden ticket.

Contracts held the strong only by a single word: “bond.”

Beast Sect despised dead contracts—only those doubting their own strength used them.

“If the cultivation gap’s too wide, the beast can go berserk, losing reason,” Chen Xinha stressed. “Mind your beasts. Stay clear of that jiao.”

Someone bristled. “We’re fine—why’s it on us? Can’t someone teach that kid a lesson?”

“You gonna confront an Array Sect guy?” Chen frowned. “He’s not ours—he’s theirs. How do we handle it?”

“Can’t Array Sect’s seniors do something? Isn’t their third-year senior, Guan Jiabi, his brother?”

“Exactly,” Chen confirmed. “Guan Jiayu’s older brother.”

*

Tang Yueling was irritated.

That face.

Eyebrows like jade feathers, skin like creamy jade, eyes like glass—only seventeen or eighteen, not yet fully matured, with a delicate, androgynous charm. Every gesture refined, more statue than man.

Cultivation world boys often had such deceptive looks.

He was bad news, as was his brother, Guan Jiabi—rotten inside despite their polished exteriors.

Utterly dull.

Staring too long made her nauseous.

Yet he prattled in her ear. “I invited you to Lanzhu Court several times, but you didn’t come. Something holding you back? I know you’re not into mundane things, but Song’s hosting next time, planning to summon the Fate Immortal for divination. Will you come?”

Tang Yueling wanted to ignore him. Her roommates, Su Qing and Tianning, were refining under lightning! Tianning just hit Foundation Establishment Layer 6! And she was what—stuck with these people, wasting breath on nonsense?

She wanted to storm off, but her surname was Tang.

She brushed him off. “Fate Immortal? Since when’s that a thing?”

Guan Jiayu, face slightly flushed, patiently explained, noting her impatience. “It’s not a person—a magical artifact. Though, tracing its origins, it was indeed taken from a person.”

Taken from a person?

Tang Yueling’s brows furrowed. What kind of vile thing was that?

She didn’t need to think to know it was some filthy business.

But Tang Shitao leaned in eagerly. “Oh? Fate Immortal, tied to destiny? Can it really see fate’s path?”

Guan Jiayu smiled faintly. “Come and see. It can’t fully trace fate lines, but it has its wonders.”

Tang Shitao clung to Tang Yueling’s arm, pleading. “Yueling, I want to see it. Will you go? Please?”

Guan Jiayu watched their playful tussle, waiting for Tang Yueling’s response.

Cultivation world girls were still girls. Those tied to clans were always curious about fate and marriage. The less control over their destiny, the more they wanted to peek beneath its veil.

He’d laid it on thick—surely the bold Tang Clan miss would give him face.

His deep gaze lingered on her stunning face.

Tang Yueling had no interest. Who’d want to gawk at something carved from a person?

But she didn’t want to embarrass Tang Shitao, whom she saw as a sister. Lately, perhaps because of Red Rust Sword, Tang Shitao kept seeking reassurance of her importance, maybe from insecurity.

She didn’t need to cling so tightly. Tang Yueling was annoyed by the lack of trust but suppressed it.

Smiling brightly, she met Guan Jiayu’s eyes. “Sure.”

She added, “As long as nothing’s planned after.”

She *did* have plans.

Everyone there was sharp—who wouldn’t catch her hint? Guan Jiayu’s face shifted, about to speak.

Tang Yueling’s gaze hardened. “Sorry, my friend’s in trouble. I’m out.”

She summoned her artifact, formed a hand seal, and flew off.

Tang Shitao and Guan Jiayu were left behind, their entourages silent, pretending to be elsewhere.

Tang Shitao’s fingers dug into her palm. Friend?

Did *she* count as a friend?

Her heart soured with jealousy and anger, emotions swirling darkly.

“Her roommate?” Guan Jiayu spoke first, eyeing the battlefield with curiosity.

“Yes.” Tang Shitao forced a smile. “You know her?”

Guan Jiayu just smiled lightly.

Tang Shitao, regretful, backpedaled. “I misspoke—forget it. They shouldn’t be mentioned together.”

Guan Jiayu glanced at her, soothingly. “Relax. You won’t have to worry about this much longer.”

He knew Su Qing. Qi Libei had approached him about her.

*

Su Qing never imagined, with the tribulation nearing its end, she’d face *this*.

Body Sect was right—Array Sect was treacherous!

As the sixty-seventh and sixty-eighth bolts passed, over two hundred lightning-storage jars were nearly full—then the situation flipped!

Unbeknownst, Array Sect had laid a teleportation array. In a blink, the jars shifted to their side, guarded by their people.

A classic mantis-stalking-cicada, sparrow-behind move!

With Zhuxu and Cui Huai still recovering, Body Sect was in dire straits.

Xu Jiuxing roared, “Sewer rats, you’re dead! Return the jars!”

“Body Sect’s as dumb as ever,” Array Sect’s leader, Xun Zian, sneered. “Eighth Pill Tower’s a prime spot—think you’re the only ones who know?”

Su Qing got it: Array Sect had schemed from the start.

A plan was genius when you used it, infuriating when used against you.

Even Su Qing’s teeth itched with rage.

With old grudges, words turned to blows. Winds howled, sand and stones flew. @Infinite Good Reads, Only at Jinjiang Literature City

With her cultivation, Su Qing shouldn’t have joined the fray.

But the enemy found her first.

She raised her charred wooden sword, wary. “Bullying the weak—isn’t that too much?”

The figure snorted, stepping closer. “Who told you to sell offal at fifteen spirit seeds a bowl?”

Su Qing stepped back. “…You didn’t have to buy.”

He drew his sword, furious. “You didn’t even sell! I queued, and you closed up! Picking a fight? There was still some in the pot!”