Chapter 30: The Spirit Bear Class and New Acquaintances

The new disciples were to attend classes at the Spirit Beast Peak, where they would learn about and closely interact with various spiritual beasts. The goal wasn’t necessarily to tame them, but to develop a well-rounded understanding.

During today’s lesson, an Elder introduced them to the Spirit Bear. Its massive, sturdy body had hunched shoulders and back, covered in thick, coarse fur. Its claws were sharp and fierce. When it stood upright, it was nearly twice as tall as a person, like a small mountain.

Some of the more timid disciples didn’t dare approach. They cowered at the back, ready to flee at any moment.

The Elder stood beside the Spirit Bear, holding its large paw, and said with a smile, “Don’t be afraid, everyone. Spirit Bears are gentle by nature and rarely attack unprovoked. You see how big it is? It’s particularly fond of sweets, and it moves slowly. If it doesn’t listen to you, you can—”

Before she could finish, the Spirit Bear suddenly moved. It lowered its head and opened its mouth, as if to bite the Elder’s head.

The disciples gasped in terror and screamed.

But the bloody scene they feared didn’t happen. The Elder, as if with eyes in the back of her head, dodged easily. The Spirit Bear lunged at nothing, its top and bottom teeth clashing together with a horrible sound.

The Elder remained calm and continued her demonstration. “It’s just craving something sweet. It doesn’t actually like human flesh; it’s just playing with me. Watch, I’ll just feed it some honey.”

She handed a jar of honey to the bear. The Spirit Bear’s nose twitched. It immediately took the jar with both paws, plopped down on the ground, and began licking the honey with gusto. Honey got all over its paws, and it licked those too, completely absorbed in its feast.

The disciples watched, dumbfounded. When the bear sat down, the ground trembled, and they shook along with it.

“See? Isn’t it gentle and obedient? You can try too. If you win its acceptance and trust, it might even let you sit on its back,” the Elder said, patting the bear’s head. The bear was too focused on eating to resist, allowing her touch.

The disciples thought, ‘Where is it gentle and obedient?! It scared us to death! And pat its head? I’m afraid it would bite my head off in one go!’

When the Elder asked the new disciples to come forward and interact with the Spirit Bear, they all quickly stepped back.

Su Zhuozhi stood in the crowd. Xie Jue asked him, “Young Master, are you afraid?”

Su Zhuozhi shook his head firmly. “No.”

If his legs weren’t trembling slightly, it might have been more convincing.

Xie Jue glanced at his legs but didn’t call him out.

The Elder scanned the disciples. They all cowered like quails, heads down, afraid to meet her eyes. Su Zhuozhi’s fair skin practically glowed, making him stand out. The Elder met his gaze and was about to speak.

“I’ll do it.” A deep, resounding voice rang out.

It was a tall, sturdy disciple with thick eyebrows and big eyes, his skin dark. His eyes showed no fear, only eager anticipation as he stared at the Spirit Bear.

Su Zhuozhi breathed a sigh of relief, thinking, ‘This disciple is really a good person.’

Xie Jue, who had been about to help, also withdrew his actions.

There was more than one Spirit Bear. The tall disciple stepped forward to interact with another bear, trying to win its acceptance.

Man and bear locked eyes.

The Elder guided him from the side, speaking gently. “First, show your friendliness, then observe the bear’s reaction. Approach slowly. Yes, that’s it. Don’t rush. Compliment it. Look at how round its head is, how cute its paws are… Hey! Why are you fighting?!”

The disciple had indeed followed the Elder’s instructions at first, but when he got close, he noticed the bear raising its paw. He immediately struck decisively, and they engaged in fierce combat.

Even more incredible was that the disciple held his own against the massive Spirit Bear. The watching disciples were amazed.

“Impressive! Is he not afraid at all?”

“The Spirit Bear’s upper arm strength is formidable. One swipe and a person could be flattened, brains splattered.”

“But this disciple is no slouch either. He’s over nine feet tall, right? His muscles rival the bear’s. He could be a body cultivator. So envious.”

Su Zhuozhi watched the disciple grappling with the bear, his muscles bulging, and a hint of envy flickered in his eyes. Xie Jue frowned disapprovingly and said coldly, “He won’t last long.”

The Elder had never seen anyone try to subdue a Spirit Bear with fists. After a moment of panic, seeing the disciple was capable, she didn’t intervene, letting him try.

Not long after, the fight ended with the disciple being sent flying by a bear paw.

The dark-skinned disciple landed face-down, bruised and swollen, bleeding from the mouth. He lay there, disheveled and pathetic.

The watching disciples sighed in disappointment.

The Elder went over, helped him up, and praised with a smile, “You’re Nie Kai, right? Your fist skills are good. For someone not yet at Foundation Establishment, lasting a quarter of an hour against a Spirit Bear is rare.”

Nie Kai wasn’t satisfied, though. He pounded the ground with his fist, cursed a few times, shook off the Elder’s hand, and stubbornly tried to get up for another round.

The Elder sighed helplessly. He had talent, but such competitiveness would lead to a brittle strength that breaks easily. To avoid accidents, she knocked him out with a single palm strike. Then she turned around and said with a smile, “All disciples, come over. Try to communicate with the Spirit Bears one by one. No fighting, okay?”

The disciples, seeing what happened to Nie Kai, dared not disobey. They shuffled forward timidly.

Su Zhuozhi instinctively grabbed Xie Jue’s sleeve as they moved together.

When he was still three feet away from the Spirit Bear, Su Zhuozhi stopped cautiously. He tentatively greeted it. “Your… your fur is very beautiful.”

The bear glanced at him.

Su Zhuozhi tensed up but forced himself to stay calm. He took out some pastries from his storage ring and smiled. “These are sweet treats I like to eat.”

The Spirit Bear smelled the sweetness. It turned its head abruptly, locked its gaze on him, stood up, and strode over.

Su Zhuozhi froze but held his ground. He offered the pastries, and the bear took them without ceremony, shoveling them into its mouth with its claws, munching happily.

Su Zhuozhi breathed a sigh of relief at his successful offering. When the bear wasn’t looking at him anymore, he tentatively reached out to touch it. The fur was coarse, not the best texture, but Su Zhuozhi felt a sense of pride. He turned to Xie Jue and boasted in a low voice, “I touched the bear!”

Xie Jue nodded, giving him the response he wanted. “Young Master is very impressive.”

Just then, the Spirit Bear finished the pastries and extended a paw toward Su Zhuozhi…

Xie Jue’s eyes sharpened, murderous intent rising as he prepared to strike.

But the Spirit Bear only lifted Su Zhuozhi up and placed him on its shoulder. Su Zhuozhi yelped in surprise as he lost his balance, suddenly elevated. Instinctively, he grabbed the bear’s thick fur, his eyes wide.

The Elder, always watching to prevent accidents, noticed him and said approvingly, “Don’t worry. This means it really likes you. Spirit Bears don’t usually let people sit on their shoulders.”

“Really?” Su Zhuozhi was pleasantly surprised, thinking it might be because the bear was bribed by his pastries. What he liked, the bear liked too.

The Elder added, “Try touching its ears.”

Su Zhuozhi did as she said. The Spirit Bear twitched its ears and let out a rumbling purr.

“That means it’s comfortable,” the Elder explained.

Su Zhuozhi nodded. “I know.”

Because when Xie Jue had touched his fox ears before, it felt tingly and pleasant, and he had almost made a similar sound—though he really didn’t want to admit it afterward.

Su Zhuozhi glanced at Xie Jue, then looked away.

Meanwhile, the other disciples were both terrified and struggling. One disciple accidentally tripped and started screaming, scaring those around him. Someone shouted, “Help! Run!”

And the group scrambled to flee into the woods, stumbling and rolling as if a man-eating bear were chasing them.

“…Hahahahaha!”

After a moment of shock, Su Zhuozhi couldn’t help but laugh, nearly falling off the bear.

Hearing his cheerful laughter, Xie Jue’s lips curved slightly.

The Elder sighed and pressed her forehead. “…These useless things.”

She had to chase after them, calling those silly disciples back.

Finally, Su Zhuozhi stopped laughing. He patted the Spirit Bear, indicating he wanted down. The bear understood and sat on the ground, lowering its forelimbs for him to descend.

Xie Jue stepped forward, his hand on Su Zhuozhi’s waist to steady him.

“Aren’t you going to try? Sitting on the bear’s back is so high,” Su Zhuozhi urged.

Xie Jue shook his head, showing little interest.

The class ended.

Su Zhuozhi remembered the standout disciple with dark skin: Nie Kai.

He encountered him several times afterward.

Nie Kai was impatient and competitive. Though strong, other disciples were wary of him, fearing he would attack at the slightest provocation. He seemed unreasonable.

Su Zhuozhi, having been spoiled since childhood, was a bit bold. Besides, Nie Kai had stepped forward first in the spirit pet class, which felt like he had helped Su Zhuozhi. So Su Zhuozhi didn’t avoid him.

Once, seeing Nie Kai’s talisman paper and brush, Su Zhuozhi said, “These aren’t good. The brush is too poor, and the paper doesn’t hold spiritual power well. You should buy better ones.”

Nie Kai ignored him.

Another time, Su Zhuozhi noticed a hole in his disciple uniform and reminded him, “Your clothes are torn. You should change them.”

Nie Kai glared at him. “None of your business.”

Another time, seeing injuries on Nie Kai, Su Zhuozhi asked, “Why aren’t you using spiritual medicine? It heals wounds faster. Otherwise, it hurts.”

Finally, Nie Kai lost his temper and roared, “Why are you meddling so much? You’re full of useless chatter every day! If you’ve got the guts, buy them for me!”

Su Zhuozhi nodded readily. “Okay.”

Nie Kai froze, dumbfounded, as he watched Su Zhuozhi actually hand over high-quality talisman paper, brushes, and spiritual medicine. Su Zhuozhi even said, “I’ll tell one of the senior disciples about a new disciple uniform. You can pick it up tomorrow.”

“Wait… you’re really giving this to me?” Nie Kai had only shouted out of frustration, never expecting the young master to actually do it.

“Yeah,” Su Zhuozhi said, seeing nothing wrong with it. He said bluntly, “I think you’re very talented. It would be a pity if a lack of resources held back your cultivation. I believe you’ll achieve great things in the future.”

Nie Kai was stunned and didn’t know what to say. After a long silence, he managed, “Even though we said those things before… I apologize.”

Su Zhuozhi waved it off. “It’s fine. Are you short on spirit stones? I could lend you some.”

Nie Kai was shocked. “You’d even lend me money?”

Su Zhuozhi reached for his storage ring. “Why wouldn’t I? How much do you need?”

“Three… two thousand is enough.” Nie Kai hesitated, then said firmly, “When I earn money, I’ll pay you back immediately. I’ll write an IOU right now.”

Su Zhuozhi didn’t care. “No need. Just remember it. It’s fine if it takes a while.”

“Of course I need to! How can you borrow money without an IOU? Young Master, you don’t lend money like this, do you? You’re too naive. What if someone cheats you and doesn’t pay back?” Nie Kai frowned deeply, worried for him.

In fact, Su Zhuozhi didn’t just lend money casually. He came from a merchant family. Even without managing the business himself, he had unconsciously picked up some things from his father and elder brother, like judging people. He might not have realized it, but his casual behavior was a form of investment.

He provided financial help to trustworthy individuals with potential, becoming their benefactor in their low times before they rose to prominence. This gratitude formed the strongest network; those helped would always remember him.

For unscrupulous people, IOUs were useless; for good people, an IOU was unnecessary—they would never renege.

Thus, Su Zhuozhi wasn’t worried.

“No one dares cheat me of my money,” Su Zhuozhi said confidently, with a bright smile. The Su family had the backing of the imperial family; only a fool would try such a trick. Now in the cultivation world, he wasn’t lending recklessly. Even if someone blind dared to cheat him, he could seek help from the Nascent Soul venerables of the Beast Taming Sect.

Nie Kai disagreed but insisted on writing an IOU. It was written clearly in black and white, with no ambiguity.

Su Zhuozhi accepted it, adding another piece to his storage ring. Just yesterday, he had lent a large amount of spirit stones to Yan Ruishi, the substitute cultivator from the Tianyan Sect, and received a thousand thanks and an IOU.

Yan Ruishi wanted to leave his sect, but his masters and senior brothers said he could only do so if he repaid all the benefits they had given him over the years. They were certain he couldn’t afford it, wanting him to give up and submit his golden core.

Yan Ruishi had come to the Ten Thousand Swords Sect to borrow money from friends, but none could provide that much. In his desperation, Su Zhuozhi spoke up and lent him the money without conditions. Still, Su Zhuozhi thought it strange: why would those people demand money? Disciples paid tuition, and sects trained them; it was normal for disciples to repay the sect after improving their cultivation. But he had never heard of one being allowed to casually take a golden core. The golden core was vital; without it, their cultivation was ruined, and it caused severe harm to the body.

But Yan Ruishi wanted to sever ties with the Tianyan Sect completely, owing nothing. Su Zhuozhi didn’t say much, just lent the money.

Winter arrived, and a heavy snow fell on the Ten Thousand Swords Sect. Flakes fell like goose feathers, turning everything silver and white, trees adorned with crystal branches.

The ground was covered in a thick, soft layer of snow, like a white velvet carpet, crunching underfoot.

Su Zhuozhi’s playful spirit was roused. He led a group of disciples in a snowball fight in the courtyard, building snowmen, having a blast.

An Elder stood under the eaves, holding a bowl of hot tea. “Ah, to be young. They’re so happy just doing this.”

Another Elder nodded. “Indeed. Even if they’re annoying enough to make you want to hit them, they’re also adorable. Look, that guard keeps protecting his young master. Really…”

Before she could finish, a large snowball flew over, hitting her square on the forehead.

The disciple who accidentally hit her cringed and stammered, “E-Elder, I didn’t mean to.”

Then a snowball hit him on the head—thrown by the Elder.

The other disciples burst into laughter, playing even more wildly.

But going too wild had its downsides. While running, Su Zhuozhi twisted his ankle, and a huge lump swelled on his ankle bone.

Although he had spiritual medicine, it didn’t heal instantly—just faster than mortal remedies.

His injured foot still needed ointment applied and massaged to promote absorption.

He sat on the bed, his left leg resting on Xie Jue’s thigh, letting him hold his ankle and carefully apply the medicine.

At first, a cool sensation spread, and it wasn’t too bad. But when Xie Jue began pressing firmly, Su Zhuozhi couldn’t bear it.

He was very sensitive to pain. His face scrunched up, eyes reddening, on the verge of tears. He couldn’t help whimpering and crying softly, gripping Xie Jue’s arm tightly, suspecting he was torturing him on purpose.

“Can’t you be gentler?”

His voice carried a hint of a sob.

Xie Jue’s large hand held firmly, almost enveloping his entire foot, preventing him from struggling.

“If I’m too gentle, it won’t work, and Young Master will have endured the pain for nothing.”

Su Zhuozhi was willful. “I don’t care. If you keep pressing so hard, I’ll find someone else.”

Xie Jue’s eyes darkened. He paused, then indeed lightened his pressure. But after a moment, he increased it again.

Su Zhuozhi wasn’t stupid; he could tell. Angry, he kicked him hard with his good leg and snapped, “Get lost! I don’t want you to do it!”

He pulled his foot back and turned to grab the communication mirror by the pillow. Xie Jue, thinking he really would find someone else, seized his ankle and yanked him back down, bracing his hand on the bedding beside his waist. His gaze was dark, and he opened his mouth to speak.

At that exact moment, Chu Ge came to visit the injured Su Zhuozhi. Seeing the door ajar, he called out but got no reply, so he pushed it open and walked in—only to unwittingly witness this scene.

Xie Jue had Su Zhuozhi half-pinned on the bed, one hand gripping his ankle. Su Zhuozhi’s clothes were disheveled, revealing a pale, delicate calf. The scene was ambiguously intimate, stirring the imagination.

Chu Ge’s face flushed bright red. He covered his eyes in panic and apologized, “S-sorry!”

Then he turned and fled quickly.

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