Chapter 51 - Laying The Foundations (1)

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The beast tamer took them around the ranch and showed them the different beasts.

[Grade-1] [Sand Scorpion] [Qi 87]

[Grade-1] [Crimson Bull] [Qi 52]

[Grade-1] [Rock-Stalker] [Qi 91]

Kai saw all the different beasts and was a little underwhelmed. They looked cool but after hearing the tamer's descriptions, he found flaws in all of them.

The [Sand Scorpion] was a brown Scorpion the size of a small motorcycle. It had a high combat ability but also had terrible stamina so it would need a lot of breaks during long travels. Kai didn't like that so he passed on it.

The [Crimson Bull] was a large fire element bull with three horns. It was much larger than the bulls Kai was used to from Earth. It had good stamina but was extremely slow, so Kai passed on it as well.

The [Rock-Stalker] was the only one that caught Kai's interest. It was a three-meter long lizard with its tail taking one-third of its length. It was covered with smooth brown scales and had a row of short spikes running down its spine, all the way down to its tail. According to the beast tamer, it had an obedient temperament and could move fairly quickly across many different terrains. The only issue was that it wasn't too strong so the amount it could carry was limited.

The [Rock-Stalker] fit his style and needs a lot more so he was leaning towards it more. "I wonder if I can make it stronger," Kai thought as he had an interesting idea.

"Activate [Sub-Core Manual]" Kai thought as he touched the lizard's smooth scales.

=[Sub-Core Manual] activated. would you like to create a [Sub-Core] in [Grade-1][Rock Stalker]?=

Kai had a bright smile across his face. If he could create a [Sub-Core] inside of it, then he could make it stronger!. He started to fantasize about riding an empowered [Rock-Stalker] into large chaotic battles.

"Will it get bigger if I make it reaches a higher grade?...or maybe I could stimulate some ancient bloodline within it...what if it's a descendant of actual dragons!...could I actually make my own dragon?!!"

Kai's thoughts were quickly going out of control. Both Lao Ren and the beast tamer look at him curiously. His expressions were quickly changing from happiness to excitement.

"How much for her?" Kai said he stroked the Lizard's scales.

"Rock Stalkers aren't too rare, but they are quite difficult to tame. This one is obedient and has a good temperament. It's also young at only 3 years old so it will live for another 27 years at least. Lastly, it has good potential and could maybe reach [Grade-2] one day. I will agree to 10 Gold for it"

Kai almost wanted to spit up blood. 10 gold would be everything he had extorted from that shady merchant, but he still wanted it.

Lao Ren chimed in when he saw Kai was quiet. "This is indeed a good beast, but the price seems unnecessarily high. It's quite weak and there is no guarantee that it will even get to [Grade-2]. Many such beasts end up never reaching their potential. At most I would say this beast is worth 7 Gold".

The tamer was shocked and looked at Lao Ren in a different light. The old man had accurately identified the exact value of the beast. The tamer had seen the look of excitement in Kai's eyes and tried to get a little more money from the deal. He didn't think this old man would be able to accurately gauge its real value like that.

Kai subconsciously gave Lao Ren a thumbs up when he heard this. He looked back at the tamer, his previous excited look now replaced with an expressionless one.

The tamer felt pressured by the sudden change in atmosphere and quickly corrected himself. "As you say...7 Gold is indeed fair for both parties..."

Kai nodded his head and paid the money. The tamer handed Kai a contract and asked him to drop a bit of his blood into it. Kai obliged and the contract glowed softly before it combusted.

"The contract has been completed. The beast is now yours. Please feel free to give it a name", said the beast tamer with a professional tone.

Kai felt a slight connection with the [Rock Stalker] and could faintly feel its emotions. It was currently feeling confused and worried. Kai gently stroked her head and sent thoughts of comfort towards her.

"I'll call you Qiulong in the hopes that you one day become a magnificent dragon"

Kai felt the happy thoughts coming from Qiulong and knew that she liked the name. Kai and Lao Ren bid the beast tamer farewell and left the ranch. Qiulong the [Rock Stalker] came with a custom saddle that seated two. Kai and Lao Ren rode her back to the Inn. Kai was pleasantly surprised by Qiulong's speed despite her having two extra passengers.

When they arrived, Kai tied her up in the stables. Kai then headed back to the room with Lao Ren. He planned on coming back later that night to give Qiulong a [Sub-Core]. He was curious about whether or not he could turn her into a dragon.

When Kai walked back into the Inn, he found Mina seated on the floor cross-legged and breathing heavily. She seemed to be in deep concentration so Kai didn't disturb her.

"Looks like it's not that easy. Maybe her level is still too low to absorb Qi from her surroundings?" Kai thought to himself as he walked towards Lao Ren who was now seated at the table again.

"Old Lao... I must thank you. You've been quite helpful today. I have mentioned before that I have great ambitions but I also have secrets that I must protect at any cost. I don't want to make things difficult, so please remember that those loyal to me will gain unimaginable power. All I ask for is loyalty..."

As Kai said the last few words, the temperature in the room seemed to drop. Lao Ren felt chills run down his spine as the words reverberated inside of his mind. He knew how powerful Kai was but could also feel the sincerity in his word. If not for Kai, he would have still been in that cage or worse.

"My lord, please do not worry. My life was already forfeit when you saved me. I will will never tell anyone your secrets!". Lao Ren wanted to drop to his knees but Kai quickly stopped him.

Kai helped the old man up and gave him a gentle smile.

"Good. Continue to devote yourself like today. If you continue to do well, I will give you the power to transcend the barriers of mortality and reach heights never before imagined!".

Kai patted Lao Ren on the shoulder then walked over to Ryu. "You've done well up to now Ryu, so as promised, I will give you the power to become an Internal Cultivator..."

Kai said the words softly but they were still audible enough for Lao Ren to hear.

"Internal Cultivator?!!..." Lao Ren was stunned. He didn't know what Kai had meant about "power that could transcend mortality", but based on what he just said to Ryu, he must have a method to turn mortals into internal cultivators!.

Lao Ren had lived for a very long time and thought he had seen and heard just about everything, but this was entirely new for him. From what he always knew, those born without spiritual roots were doomed to be mortals. This fate could never be changed , not even by the gods, so how was this young man able to claim that he could grant this power?. If his claim was true, then this would shake the very foundations that the world had been built on. Lao Ren now completely understood why Kai emphasized loyalty and trust, even to the point of sounding threatening.

"Yes Master!, Thank you!", Ryu said with tears at the corner of his eyes.. He saw how powerful Kai was and hoped to one day become just as strong so he could protect his sister.

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