Cultivating in Online Games

Chapter 79 - Gaining the Divine Beast

Dugu Zhuo patted Ye Zhou’s arm reassuringly, signalling him not to worry.

He then addressed the white tiger, “Due to our racial differences, Ye Zhou and I are unable to take on a master, and we currently belong to no faction. The system has granted us permission to establish our own sect, and I’ve been preparing for this for a long time. Most of the conditions have already been met, but we’re still missing the most important figure for the sect—a supreme, irreplaceable presence.”

The white tiger’s ears twitched slightly when it heard words like “most important,” “supreme,” and “irreplaceable,” but on the surface, it remained lying lazily on the stone bed, its chin resting on its paws, pretending to be uninterested.

Dugu Zhuo didn’t mind the lack of response and continued, “The system requires that the sect must have a guardian divine beast, and that a statue of this beast, carved from the finest jade, must be placed in front of the main hall at the mountain gate. Every disciple who enters the sect will first pay their respects to the guardian divine beast, admiring its majestic form.”

Ye Zhou looked at Dugu Zhuo; the requirement clearly only mentioned a divine beast, not a jade statue.

The little tiger, who had been squinting, secretly opened one eye to peek at Dugu Zhuo, but accidentally made eye contact with him. Startled, it quickly shut its eye again, pretending it had never opened it.

Dugu Zhuo said to Ye Zhou, “The divine beast has to be from the spirit race. Who do you think would be suitable? Our previous teammate, the chubby little Lingzhi spirit, is a spirit race member. Do you think he would work? A jade statue of a Lingzhi mushroom might look quite nice.”

The little white tiger suddenly sprang to its feet, its sky-blue eyes glaring at Dugu Zhuo as it said, “You’re discussing this in front of me—aren’t you asking me to be the guardian divine beast? Why bring up the Lingzhi? It’s just a plant! How can it be called a ‘beast’? What, are you looking down on me because I have demon blood in me? Roar!!!”

It opened its mouth and let out a loud roar right in Dugu Zhuo’s face.

Ye Zhou glanced at the little white tiger’s teeth. The two tiger fangs had fully healed. Since the white tiger was currently in its juvenile form, the teeth were small and a bit cute.

Ye Zhou couldn’t help rubbing his hands together.

Noticing Ye Zhou’s small movement, Dugu Zhuo held Ye Zhou’s hand down, giving him a faint glance, as if his eyes were saying, “So this is the kind of person you are.”

Ye Zhou, feeling guilty, pulled his hand back, though he didn’t understand what was so embarrassing about wanting to have a fluffy pet.

Dugu Zhuo said to the white tiger, “Of course, I hope you can be the guardian divine beast of our sect. That Lingzhi hasn’t even reached the Golden Core stage; it’s just a kid running around the mountains in a bellyband. Not only does it lack any deterrent power, but because its original form is a spirit plant, it would only attract others’ greed, bringing unnecessary trouble. How could it compare to you?”

“Purr~” The white tiger lay back down, elegantly crossing its front paws, lifting its head with an air of dignity as it looked at Dugu Zhuo.

Dugu Zhuo continued, “But there’s a problem—I can’t let you suffer.”

“Roar!”

The white tiger: You only need to ensure that the disciples respect me and worship my statue. For the sake of these disciples who respect me, I can endure some inconvenience.

Dugu Zhuo replied, “It’s not about that kind of suffering. The mountain gate I’ve chosen is too small, with only two courtyards. If I invited you there, there wouldn’t even be a proper training ground. Look at your Tiger Roar Mountain—not only is the mountain itself vast, but it’s also rich in spiritual energy, with a dozen peaks connected behind it. All these peaks belong to you; you can run and fly around freely. Why would you want to come to our tiny courtyard? It would be too much of a hardship for you.”

“A sect that’s only the size of two courtyards? Where did that come from?” Ye Zhou lowered his head, afraid the white tiger would see his surprised expression.

The white tiger, feeling quite proud, said, “Naturally! I am the king of the mountains and forests, and I should have a large training ground.”

Dugu Zhuo said, “It’s just a pity that my little sect, because its training ground is so small, won’t be able to accept many disciples, and there will be few people to worship you. I really wish you could become our sect’s supreme divine beast, but the temple is too small to house you.”

After saying this, Dugu Zhuo turned his head to discuss with Ye Zhou how to persuade the Lingzhi spirit to agree.

“The Lingzhi spirit is a player. If we ask him to be the divine beast, he definitely won’t agree, so we’ll have to offer him great rewards,” Dugu Zhuo said. “I remember you have the Yin-Yang Seal, which can temporarily boost one’s power to the highest level. How about we promise to use the Yin-Yang Seal to infuse him with some divine power? Divine power is incredibly beneficial to the spirit race, you know.”

Ye Zhou thought to himself that the Yin-Yang Seal could only be used in the main storyline, so it was an empty promise. But he still played along with Dugu Zhuo, saying, “That might work; we can at least try to persuade him.”

When the white tiger heard “supreme” was gone and “irreplaceable” was gone too, and that Ye Zhou’s divine power, which was especially beneficial to the spirit race, was going to be given to some Lingzhi spirit, it became anxious. It immediately jumped off the stone bed and dashed between Dugu Zhuo and Ye Zhou, letting out a loud roar: “Roar!”

With a shake of its body, the white tiger transformed into a two-metre-tall striped tiger. It looked at Dugu Zhuo with its sky-blue eyes and said, “I am a descendant of the White Tiger, one of the Four Sacred Beasts. To honour my ancestors, I need followers who will revere me. If there are those willing to establish a temple and a sect in my name, I can provide a training ground to protect my followers.”

Ye Zhou: “!!!”

In his mind, he reviewed the three methods over and over, thinking that the second method of using force was impossible, and with the third method, the white tiger was wealthier than him, so the first method was the only reliable one.

After reaching level 40, the number of dungeons they could play increased significantly. Currently, they were among the few players who had reached level 40, and it would be very difficult for other players to clear the challenging dungeons in one go. He asked his cousin to keep the strategy guide tightly under wraps, hoping to buy four or five days, which would be enough time for them to secure the first clear on a few of the hard-mode dungeons.

Right now, the white tiger’s affection level was probably at 35. If they obtained five more Illusory Heart Beads, they could raise it to 60. After reaching 60, Ye Zhou felt they could try asking for the mountain gate.

Who would have thought that Dugu Zhuo, completely ignoring the usual rules, could use this method to make the white tiger agree? It was like a dream!

However, Dugu Zhuo had never played games according to conventional logic—skills were based on creativity, dungeons relied on mysticism, and the main storyline required divergent thinking…

When Ye Zhou thought about it carefully, he realized that since he had started playing with Dugu Zhuo, they had never cleared a dungeon using typical player strategies like repeated attempts or mass tactics.

While Ye Zhou was reeling from this revelation, Dugu Zhuo was still displeased that the white tiger was addressing him with the term “This Seat.”

Dugu Zhuo said, “Are you sure you want to let us use your dojo as our mountain gate? Of course, this is also your dojo, and you are the unique Guardian Divine Beast of the mountain.”

“Naturally, I agree. At that time, choose the largest peak for me, and no unauthorized persons shall be allowed to enter.” The White Tiger, unaware that Dugu Zhuo had cleverly erased the word “borrow” from “borrow the mountain gate,” happily agreed.

The closer he got to success, the calmer Dugu Zhuo’s expression became.

He opened the system’s task interface, selected the tasks “Sect Location” and “Guardian Divine Beast,” and sent a “Mountain Gate Transfer” and “Willing to be Guardian Divine Beast?” request to the White Tiger, explaining, “The system requires us to go through this procedure.”

Two dialog boxes popped up in front of the White Tiger. After all, he was a dungeon boss and rarely saw such dialog boxes like the players. He casually glanced at them and then raised his paw, choosing “Yes” for each box.

“Ding! Congratulations, you have obtained Huxiao Mountain from the White Tiger’s transfer. You have also received a name change coupon. You can rename this mountain before the sect is established, but you only have one chance, so think carefully before filling it in.”

“Ding! You have found a suitable location. Please gather funds quickly to purchase this land from the local authorities!”

“Ding! You have received a promise from the Guardian Divine Beast. Please gather spirit stones to purchase a high-quality spirit jade to carve a statue for him. Keep the promises you’ve made!”

Dugu Zhuo received three system messages in quick succession. The first two were expected, but the last one left him speechless.

He had only mentioned the statue as a promise to the White Tiger, not expecting it to be recorded by the system as a requirement for establishing the sect.

And the task “Seize the Mountain Gate from the Dungeon Boss” now showed as completed, with check marks next to both “Method One” and “Method Three.”

This meant that, according to the system, he had met two conditions: gaining a certain level of favorability with the White Tiger and reaching an agreement with him, which allowed him to successfully acquire the mountain gate.

The White Tiger seemed to have received some notification as well. He listened for a moment, then slowly said, “You also need to groom me regularly.”

Dugu Zhuo: “???”

As soon as the White Tiger spoke, Ye Zhou also heard the system prompt: “Ding! You have received a promise from the Guardian Divine Beast. Please do your best to fulfill his grooming requests. Keep the promises you’ve made!”

He quickly used private chat to tell Dugu Zhuo about this, saying with a mix of confusion and excitement, “When did I make this promise? Could it be that when I was at the foot of the mountain, even if the White Tiger didn’t hear what I said to you, it still counted as a promise? The White Tiger agreed! Because of my poor health, I can’t even keep a cat, and I can only watch animals on TV. Now, in the game, can I casually groom a big cat and lie on it? Ah?!”

The last “ah” came out with a trembling voice.

Dugu Zhuo: “…”

He clasped his hands behind his back and looked up at the sky.

This game’s system prompts initially were cold, mechanical, and devoid of emotion, much like Ye Zhou in his memories.

Now, it remained aloof but seemed to align with some of Ye Zhou’s thoughts from time to time, using various methods to fulfill Ye Zhou’s desires. Truly…

Dugu Zhuo believed that the game’s AI shouldn’t have emotions or consciousness. Although it was a part of Ye Zhou’s soul, it had handed over all consciousness to Ye Zhou, retaining only some information and a few pre-set commands.

If the system had its own consciousness, Ye Zhou’s mind couldn’t be as normal as it was. He might even be in a coma or have the intelligence of a two or three-year-old child.

It should be that a part of the soul that safeguards consciousness remained in Ye Zhou’s body, while the part that could control the body stayed in the game. Logically, with these two parts of the soul separated, the game should run autonomously, unaffected by Ye Zhou’s thoughts.

But after Ye Zhou retrieved the soul fragment from the second main storyline, some aspects of the game could turn into reality due to Ye Zhou’s intense desires.

Of course, these “intense desires” were not related to leveling up in the game. In this regard, the system was still very fair and wouldn’t show favoritism toward Ye Zhou.

This favoritism manifested in Ye Zhou wanting to “pinch Du Gu Xiaobao’s chubby cheeks” and “freely rub the White Tiger’s fur,” things Ye Zhou had wanted to do in his previous life but had forcibly restrained himself from doing.

The Peak Lord of Xingchui Peak, the Master of Sujian Sword, and the Elder of Qingtian Sword Sect were destined to be aloof, just, and emotionless. They could not have distractions or desires for trivial matters. They were supposed to stand atop the peak, observing the world’s sorrows with great compassion, without a trace of personal preference.

But the current Ye Zhou could secretly express his desires and even secretly use the system to fulfill these small, harmless hobbies that wouldn’t disrupt the game’s fairness.

Dugu Zhuo took Ye Zhou’s hand, lowered his head slightly, and let Ye Zhou’s hand pinch his face.

Ye Zhou, who had been so excited that he couldn’t control his hands, suddenly froze, quietly watching Dugu Zhuo, his pulse racing wildly.

Dugu Zhuo said, “This face has already matured, and it doesn’t feel good to pinch. When we return to Xingchui Peak, I’ll let you pinch to your heart’s content.”

“Ah… oh… yes… okay… what did you say?” Ye Zhou’s mind was filled with the sensation at his fingertips, as if he hadn’t heard what Dugu Zhuo was saying or understood what he was replying to.

He watched as Dugu Zhuo guided his hand to a soft, furry object, feeling the plush texture and the terrifying true energy beneath the fur.

The White Tiger looked up joyfully, thinking, “Dugu Zhuo is truly a brother who shares my heart and soul, forcing Ye Zhou to groom me so firmly… But won’t Ye Zhou get angry?”

Dugu Zhuo said, “After the White Tiger advances to the Nascent Soul stage, it can shrink to the size of a palm or grow to the size of a small mountain. If you like, you can make him small enough to carry in your sleeve or large enough to sleep on.”

White Tiger: “?”

Doesn’t that seem a bit undignified?

Ye Zhou gently stroked the White Tiger’s fur with both hands, his eyes fixed on Dugu Zhuo’s increasingly handsome face. He felt that he was being too indulgent at the moment and said with a mix of surprise and delight, “Can I really do that? Will the White Tiger agree?”

The White Tiger was about to roar, “If you sincerely beg, groom me, and take good care of me, then I wouldn’t be unable to satisfy such a trivial wish,” but before he could say it, he heard Dugu Zhuo say, “You are the Supreme Elder of our sect. Do you need the approval of a tiger raised by your sect to do what you want?”

White Tiger: “?”

What happened to the supreme divine beast?