Genius Beast Taming: Starting from Awakening an S-Rank Talent

Zhou Heng rubbed the crimson head of the Lucky Qilin King and smiled, "There's a saying that goes, 'Three lousy generals can equal one Zhuge Liang.' Only by pooling our wisdom can we spark brilliant ideas. Perhaps you are not as smart as me, but precisely because you haven't read books or gone to school like humans, your thinking is more unconventional and active. Sometimes, this can actually inspire me."

The three phoenixes tucked their wings in and said, "Father really thinks too highly of us."

The Star-Devouring Kunpeng, who had been silent until now, spoke up: "Father, I think that as long as nothing goes wrong, doing things in a conventional way is the best. Your master is a tenth-tier supreme beast tamer, and you are his closest disciple, so why not just give him a tenth-tier spiritual item? Tenth-tier spiritual items are extremely precious. Although they are nothing to a tenth-tier supreme beast tamer, they are of great importance to those below the tenth-tier supreme beast tamer. They would be perfectly presentable at a birthday banquet."

Zhou Heng stroked his chin thoughtfully: "Now that you mention it, it actually seems feasible."

Titan Lord then added, "I also think Wuji's method is feasible. If Dad feels that a simple tenth-tier spiritual item cannot express his feelings, then we should work on the type of the tenth-tier spiritual item and try to choose one with a special meaning."

Zhou Heng nodded: "If we don't have any better ideas, then we'll do as you say."

He then turned his attention to the seemingly bored Abyss Dragon: "Tyrant, why aren't you saying anything? Aren't you usually the most talkative?"

The Abyss Demon Dragon shook its head, which was topped with seven blood-red dragon horns: "What can I possibly say? It's your master's birthday, not mine. I'm no expert at picking out gifts. From the day I was born until now, I've never given a gift to anyone, and it wasn't mentioned in my inherited memories. Besides, I only want to receive gifts, not give them."

Zhou Heng couldn't help but complain, "I really shouldn't have wasted my breath arguing with you."

The Abyss Demon Dragon retorted, "Old Deng, you were the one who asked me that. What's wrong with me telling the truth? Besides, you humans are really annoying. One minute it's a hundred-year birthday celebration, the next it's a thousand-year birthday celebration. Isn't it just an excuse to receive gifts and then eat and drink? It's utterly boring. If you want gifts, you might as well just have your subordinates offer them as tribute. If you want to eat and drink to your heart's content, it's even easier. You don't need to find any excuse at all."

Zhou Heng said seriously, "You're right to some extent, but not entirely. A birthday banquet is essentially a ritual, and it's normal that you, not being human, can't understand it."

The Abyss Dragon scoffed, "What ritual? I only know about evolution rituals; I know nothing about other rituals."

Three Azure Phoenixes disapproved of the Netherworld Demon Dragon's behavior: "Dad, don't waste your breath on it. It's like talking to a brick wall."

The Abyss Demon Dragon glared at the three-headed Azure Phoenix: "None of your business!"

Zhou Heng raised his hand to stop the argument between the beast tamers: "Alright, I'll go talk to my fourth senior brother another day and see what his plans are."

The Devouring Star Kunpeng immediately said, "That's a great idea! As Father's fourth senior brother, King Rongtu is also a disciple of the Supreme Lord. He's also much older than Father. Whatever he sends, Father can just follow his example and he'll be right."

The three-headed phoenix quickly chimed in, "Father is so clever!"

Guixu Shenlong quickly followed up with, "Father is wise."

The Titan Lord echoed, "I support Dad."

Following the crowd, the Lucky Qilin King said, "I also support my father."

The Netherworld Demon Dragon glanced at the other five beasts that had spoken out, then flew to Zhou Heng's shoulder, making a silent statement.

……

A day later, Zhou Heng was preparing to go find his fourth senior brother, Rongtu Wang, but unexpectedly, Rongtu Wang arrived at Zhou Heng's floating fortress first.

Zhou Heng stepped forward to greet him: "Senior brother, what brings you here?"

Fourth Senior Brother Rongtu Wang walked into the inner hall with Zhou Heng: "I have something I'd like to discuss with you."

Zhou Heng's eyes flickered: "Could it be about Master's thousandth birthday?"

Fourth Senior Brother Rongtu Wang asked directly, "Master's thousandth birthday is of utmost importance. What gift are you preparing to give?"

Zhou Heng truthfully replied, "I haven't decided yet, but I believe that as Master's disciples, the gifts we give must not be inferior to others. I discussed it with my contracted partners, and we can use tenth-tier spiritual items as birthday gifts. I wonder what Senior Brother's plans are?"

Fourth Senior Brother Rongtu Wang also said, "I haven't decided yet."

Zhou Heng's eyes darted around, and he immediately asked, "What gift did you give Master for his nine hundredth birthday?"

Fourth Senior Brother Rongtu Wang replied, "At that time, I was only a seventh-level feudal lord beast tamer, but because I was also a seventh-level blacksmith, what I gave to Master was a set of seventh-level treasures that I forged myself, with a rather special meaning."

Zhou Heng tentatively asked, "This gift is indeed very sincere. Will you be giving me another set of treasured artifacts that you crafted yourself this year, Senior Brother?"

Fourth Senior Brother Rong Tu Wang shook his head, ultimately deciding to choose Zhou Heng's proposal: "Back then, Master wasn't a tenth-tier Supreme Beast Tamer, and I wasn't an eighth-tier Monarch Beast Tamer either. Giving him a set of seventh-tier treasures that I personally forged would have been acceptable. But now Master reigns supreme over the universe, and I've become an eighth-tier Monarch Beast Tamer. Unfortunately, I haven't advanced to an eighth-tier blacksmith; I'm still only a seventh-tier blacksmith. This is Master's thousandth birthday, a grand occasion. If I were to give him another seventh-tier treasure that I personally forged, while the sentiment would be sincere, it would be somewhat impolite. I'll listen to you and give him a tenth-tier spiritual item with symbolic meaning."

Zhou Heng had already made his choice: "The people from the Qingyang Society, Hongyang Society, and Baiyang Society have given me a lot of resources, including dozens of tenth-grade spiritual items. Among them is a low-grade tenth-grade Hunyuan Thousand Autumn Peach, which is perfect for my birthday celebration."

Fourth Senior Brother Rongtu Wang drew inspiration from Zhou Heng: "The most precious thing I have is a ninth-grade spiritual item, but our Heavenly Serpent Zhang family's treasure trove still has some foundation, with a tenth-grade low-grade Primordial Nine-Colored Ganoderma, which is also suitable for birthday celebrations."

Having finalized the birthday gifts, Zhou Heng seemed much more relaxed: "Lingzhi mushrooms and longevity peaches have been indispensable at birthday banquets since ancient times. Although they are somewhat common, no one can find fault with them. Moreover, while novel and outstanding birthday gifts are certainly commendable, following the rules also has its advantages."

Fourth Senior Brother Rong Tu smiled broadly: "We'll do as you say!"

Zhou Heng then asked, "We've already sent birthday gifts to our master. Do the Heavenly Serpent Zhang family and the Divine Dragon Zhou family need to send them again?"

Fourth Senior Brother Rongtu Wang explained, "According to previous practice, we still need to give gifts. Because when we give gifts, we do so as disciples, while when the family gives gifts, it represents the entire family. There is a difference between the two."