Refining the Mountains and Rivers

Qin Yu stood in the valley. He looked at the giant black wolf with a cold glare that was being surrounded by a group of cultivators. He sighed inwardly. The Beast Trainer Alliance was truly skilled at creating interesting topics.

Although this examination seemed simple, it actually involved a vast scope of skills. For instance, it was also a test of one's eyesight. Although there were many fierce monster beasts in the valley that one could see at first glance, no one could determine whether there were even greater monster beasts hiding in the dark.

Furthermore, even if one chose a monster beast, one had to consider whether one had the ability to subdue their target. This was also another test.

Looking at the current situation, if one person could see with just a glance that a monster beast was fierce, then everyone else could too. For instance, the giant wolf that was surrounded by people.

In this case, wanting to obtain its approval would be incomparably difficult. If so, should a person stay and continue trying their luck or should they choose another monster beast? If they left, wouldn't that be benefiting others?

In short, this first round already demonstrated a high level of knowledge. The Beast Trainer Alliance really did live up to their reputation.

Qin Yu turned and walked away. He didn't choose to compete with these people. There were many monster beasts in the valley and plenty of time. Moreover, he had no intention of standing out and attracting attention in this alliance tournament. He only wanted to obtain the qualifications to enter the mystic realm.

Of course, an even more important reason was that even if Qin Yu wasted his time and accomplished nothing in the end, he was confident that he could seize a passable monster beast from someone else.

The Ancient race's bloodline possessed a natural suppression against all monster beasts in this world. And, this wasn't included in the scope of cheating…so, while this round appeared to be fair and have a high standard, in Qin Yu's eyes it was meaningless from the start.

Most people were busy trying to communicate with the monster beasts, and they resorted to all sorts of methods. Qin Yu even saw a young man lying on all fours, snorting out loud at an approaching black wild boar.

As for the black boar, it was obviously confused. It sniffed around vigorously, as if it couldn't figure out why this fellow that looked nothing like itself gave off the same scent as its fellow clansmen.

Qin Yu was also curious. Then, he discovered this young man taking out a jade bottle from his arms and enduring the nauseating smell, slathered some disgusting goo onto himself.

After taking a sniff from a distance, Qin Yu turned and hurried far away. He felt nothing but admiration for this young man. It was rare for someone to be so ruthless towards themselves!

As everyone was busying themselves, there were also some people walking through the valley. Besides a few cultivators who had no faith in themselves, most of them were people overflowing with confidence. Of course, it couldn't be ruled out that some of these people overestimated their own strength and thought too highly of themselves.

Qin Yu saw a cultivator who was slapped by a common-looking gray monkey so hard that blood spurted out from his nose and mouth. The cultivator screamed out miserably before he crushed his jade token and left.

But this sight didn't scare off the others at all. Instead, in the blink of an eye, four or five people gathered together. They sized up the monkey, burning heat in their eyes.

…

In another area, a girl was talking to a red bird.

"Hey hey, Little Red…is it fine if I call you Little Red? You can nod or cry out, either one is a response to me…

"Can you not be so arrogant? Look, others aren't sparing you a glance. But I think we are actually destined…

"Are you really not going to respond? If you continue acting like this, I'm really going to leave! Let me tell you something, if I leave no one else will look at you again. At that time, there is no way you will leave this mountain valley cage. Don't regret it at that time!"

Just after finishing speaking, the short girl in a red dress heard the sound of footsteps come to a pause behind her.

Sure enough, she immediately saw a trace of disdain flash in the eyes of this seemingly dull and stupid red bird.

Su Hongyi's smile disappeared. She turned around and wickedly glared at Qin Yu. She gnashed her teeth together and said, "Hey you, this mountain valley is full of monster beasts so why are you standing there!"

Qin Yu's expression was faint. "The tournament regulations never stated that I cannot stand here."

"You…" Su Hongyi was so mad that her teeth itched. But when she saw Qin Yu's calm demeanor, she figured that he wasn't someone who was easy to deal with. She took a deep breath and turned back around, thinking that she couldn't waste any time on him.

"Little Red…" She tried to approach the red bird again. However, she didn't know if it was because Qin Yu was present, but the red bird became even more arrogant and proud. It didn't even spare her a glance.

In addition, at this time Su Hongyi could clearly feel the increasingly interested eyes behind her. She grew more upset.

"What are you looking at? Have you never seen a beautiful woman before, you freak!" Screaming and shouting, Su Hongyi turned and left.

Qin Yu was expressionless. He disregarded her attitude and looked at the red bird. After a brief silence, he reached out a hand. "Come with me."

The red bird crooked its head, as if considering him. Then, it flapped its wings and landed on Qin Yu's shoulder.

After leaving, Su Hongyi had been paying attention to Qin Yu from the corner of her eyes. As she saw the red bird leave with him, her lungs almost exploded with rage. She was beautiful and spoke sweetly; she was at least a hundred times better than this disgusting man, and yet the little red bird had chosen him over her!

You stinking blind bird, you will regret this in the future! And as for you, you wretched man, from today on we are enemies!

Qin Yu wasn't in a hurry to leave. After waiting some time, he brought the red bird out of the valley. At this time, seven or eight cultivators were waiting outside, bright smiles on their faces.

One of the beast trainers was standing near a majestic gray wolf. Although it couldn't be compared to the pitch black wolf king, it was still an imposing monster beast. The man's expression was arrogant and he couldn't conceal his happiness. It was obvious that his results were extremely good.

When Qin Yu walked over, the group glanced at him. But, it was only for a brief moment before they looked away. Two of them couldn't help but smirk in contempt.

In their opinion, Qin Yu wasn't slow. But, what was the use of choosing such a small and weak red bird? Even if he managed to pass through the first round, he was doomed to remain at the bottom. There was no chance he would ever be able to stand out.

The alliance cultivators were all professional. They didn't reveal any contempt because of the little red bird on Qin Yu's shoulder. After inspecting Qin Yu's participating jade token the alliance cultivator smiled and said, "Congratulations fellow daoist Qin, you have smoothly passed the first round of the tournament. Please allow us to appraise the red bird on your shoulder."

Qin Yu nodded. With a nod, the red bird flew away and into a birdcage. The alliance cultivator lifted it and walked away.

"Fellow daoist, please wait a moment."

Qin Yu moved to the side and waited. As he did, several more cultivators walked out of the mountain valley. When they saw Qin Yu and the others, they had an ill look in their eyes. It was clear they were upset that others had come out first.

After these people had their tokens inspected and they handed over the monster beasts they subdued, the alliance cultivator who left with the birdcage finally returned. He looked at Qin Yu, respect unconsciously showing on his face. He said, "Fellow daoist Qin Yu, the appraisal has already been completed. The final rankings will only be produced after the first round has officially ended."

Seeing this scene, the complexions of the other participating beast trainers changed. The arrogant cultivator from before couldn't help but stare at Qin Yu.

Qin Yu didn't seem to sense any of this. He brought the red bird with him and stood at the side, his eyes closed in peaceful meditation.

As more and more people left the valley, the eyes looking at him soon vanished. Occasionally, one could hear loud shouts of surprise; it was clear that someone had subdued a formidable monster beast.

Four hours later, the first round ended.

Nearly all the beast trainers who entered the valley passed. After all, they had all been screened earlier so their strengths couldn't be considered poor.

As for affinity with monster beasts, this was a necessary ability of a successful beast trainer.

Of course, although the chances of passing were astonishingly high, there was a significant difference in strength among the subdued monster beasts.

The most noticeable were the three people who managed to subdue the swamp alligator, flame eagle, and black wolf king. These three monster beasts had tyrannical auras. As they looked around, their eyes were full of stubbornness and disdain.

Out of the three beast trainers who subdued these three monster beasts, two were men and one was a woman. They had calm demeanors and they showed no joy because of their achievements. They clearly came from great backgrounds if they were able to act like this.

As everyone was shouting out in awe and surprise, Qin Yu's eyes landed on a distant corner where a cold-faced youth was standing. There was a little snow-white beast lying at his feet. It was holding its head in its hands. When it occasionally looked up, it revealed bright and intelligent eyes. Its expression revealed fear and anxiety, as if a slightly loud sound would scare it away.

Looking at it for several moments, Qin Yu sighed inwardly. The Beast Trainer Alliance's tournament really had a number of hidden dragons and crouching tigers. He certainly wasn't the only one here with strength.

As Qin Yu sighed with emotion, he felt a vicious and wicked pair of eyes bitterly staring daggers at him.

His eyes moved and landed on a petite young figure dressed in red, standing near a grim-faced youth. Instead of looking away, this person made a very rude hand gesture at him.

Silently thinking that young girls these days were too fierce, Qin Yu looked away. So, he didn't see Su Hongyi clench her teeth and whisper something into the ear of the grim-faced youth beside her.

The grim youth looked at Qin Yu and nodded, not saying anything.

Su Hongyi coldly sneered. You disgusting man, you had best not bump into Big Brother East, otherwise you will be sent running with your tail between your legs!