Chapter 25: Goudan is a Good Name

“Popularity has reached the critical point, the system is automatically starting to upgrade. This upgrade will consume 100 million points.”

Upgrade? The concept was something Chen Xi had never heard of before, and it surprised him at first. But when he saw the points involved in the system’s notification, his shock deepened. After all, earning popularity points wasn’t easy, and one had to understand where and how to use them and what significance they had. Therefore, Chen Xi quickly spoke up to stop it.

“Wait!” Chen Xi reacted quickly, but the system was even faster, not giving him any chance to interfere. In less than 0.01 seconds, it automatically consumed the points and began the upgrade, following a ruthless set of rules.

The once considerable points quickly dropped, and then, the system page underwent a dramatic change.

The dice, which had occupied most of the space, were pushed into a remote corner, replaced by a new category—Talent Tree.

What is this? Instinctively, Chen Xi felt that the Talent Tree must be some kind of useful “golden finger.” Therefore, he didn’t even have time to feel bad about the lost points and quickly opened the Talent Tree to see what it could do.

Opening the Talent page, Chen Xi took a careful look.

It was quite crude and casual, like a child’s simple drawing of a tree. The main trunk was labeled 【Heavenly Dao Fragment】 and there were dozens of branches of various sizes. Most were hidden in mist, making it impossible to distinguish their categories. The only two branches that were lit up were one related to formation, which Chen Xi was familiar with, and another one with a peculiar name—【Heavenly Craftsmanship】.

【Heavenly Craftsmanship】: Related to weapon forging. It is an ancient method passed down by weapon masters, combining formations to skillfully fold space and enhance illusions. It is said that if mastered to the extreme, it can transform the void into reality and even has the potential to create worlds.

As for this new category, the way to use it was clear. Except for the main trunk talent, 【Heavenly Dao Fragment】, all the branches that weren’t covered in mist could be directly unlocked using popularity points. For example, after spending points on 【Heavenly Craftsmanship】, Chen Xi would directly become a master blacksmith.

This seemed interesting. Chen Xi finally understood the meaning of the Talent Tree. Simply put, it could help him rapidly level up the skills he had mastered. This was a pleasant surprise. Originally dissatisfied with the system’s unilateral decision, Chen Xi’s mood had calmed down quite a bit. At the same time, some doubts arose in his mind.

How did 【Heavenly Craftsmanship】 even appear? After all, 【Formation Fragment】 and 【Heavenly Dao Fragment】 were things he had obtained when shaking the dice, so how did this one come about? Could it be because he accepted the inheritance of Beast Island?

Chen Xi suddenly remembered that the immortal who forged Beast Island’s artifacts was an ancient weapon master.

That seemed to explain things. Chen Xi was now clear in his mind.

Pulling his consciousness out of the system, Chen Xi sat on a chair beside him, finally having the time to sort through everything that had happened today and to plan for the future, especially regarding the system. Originally, Chen Xi had planned to shake the dice to enhance his self-defense abilities, but now that the system had upgraded, a new category, the Talent Tree, had appeared. So now, he was a little hesitant.

After all, after spending 100 million points on the upgrade, there weren’t many points left in his account. Just then, the teasing voice from earlier in the Beast Island secret realm sounded once more.

“Come on, hero~ Don’t hesitate~ Unlock 【Heavenly Craftsmanship】 to the beginner level, and you can use me however you want~”

“Who is it?” Someone could see through the system completely? The perverted tone of voice left Chen Xi speechless, but he quickly became alert.

“Don’t worry, it’s me. I recognize you as my master, so I naturally know everything about you.”

Chen Xi focused his gaze and then realized the voice was coming from the ring on his finger, which was actually Beast Island.

Speaking of which, the reason why a divine artifact was called a divine artifact was because of the existence of its spirit. Unlike ordinary objects, a divine artifact could not only change form at will but also had independent thought. Moreover, the artifact spirit was immortal and naturally had the ability to communicate with the heavens and earth. Some even claimed that every artifact spirit was as wise as a sage.

But right now, Chen Xi thought artifact spirits were simply stupid.

Apparently displeased with Chen Xi’s indifference, the small tail ring automatically slipped off his finger and floated in midair, forcefully drawing Chen Xi’s attention. It even made a “666” gesture and waved it back and forth, showing off without a stop.

“How’s that? Am I awesome or what? I gave you a new skill as soon as I arrived. Plus, as long as you learn 【Heavenly Craftsmanship】, I can do even more for you, like helping you make that cat you’re always thinking about even more devoted to you.”

Beast Island spoke, then changed shape, turning into a cat paw with an exaggerated orchid gesture: “Cute, right? Isn’t it super adorable? You can’t resist, right? You should definitely learn weapon forging. That way, I can fully enter your body and completely merge with you.”

However, Chen Xi’s response was nothing more than a cold expression. He even felt that accepting Beast Island’s inheritance was a mistake.

Outside, the Moonlight Celestial Beast, which had been following Chen Xi back, hadn’t yet entered the cave when it sensitively overheard the conversation inside.

Someone else? Its fluffy ears twitched, keenly catching the last sentence Beast Island had said.

“Enter Chen Xi? Merge as one?”

Although it didn’t fully understand what these words meant, the somewhat ambiguous tone still made the Moonlight Celestial Beast furiously angry. After all, a contract had already been formed, and now, every inch of Chen Xi belonged to it—no one else had the right to interfere.

Quickly teleporting into the cave, it saw Beast Island change into a cat paw with an orchid gesture, hovering in front of Chen Xi’s chest, drawing circles. The Moonlight Celestial Beast’s fury instantly surged, its tail fur bristling.

It lowered its voice, growling in warning, as sharp claws shot out from its pads, and a pair of small tiger teeth appeared at its lips. From any angle, it looked extremely menacing.

Beast Island, which had been flaunting itself in front of Chen Xi, immediately stopped upon seeing the Moonlight Celestial Beast. However, upon realizing it was the Moonlight Celestial Beast, it wasn’t shocked. It even deliberately transformed into the Sun-Chasing Celestial Beast and floated in front of the Moonlight Celestial Beast.

“Oh, little cat! You’ve grown so big!”

“Get lost!” A bolt of immortal lightning suddenly struck down from Beast Island’s head, followed by wind blades, water orbs, and ice arrows. Finally, after determining that fire was the most effective against Beast Island, the Moonlight Celestial Beast simply dispersed its other spells and cast fire-type attacks.

It was originally the most skilled magical beast in the Immortal Realm, and now, with its anger fueling it and all abilities activated, even a small flame was a huge threat to Beast Island, which was a physical object. Especially since the Moonlight Celestial Beast had now formed a contract with Chen Xi, possessing the identity of a semi-master, its ability to harm Beast Island was significantly enhanced.

In an instant, the once arrogant Beast Island turned into a helpless dog, scrambling to escape while calling out to Chen Xi for help.

“Shit, Xi Chen, hurry up and control your cat! It’s been tens of thousands of years, why is it still so temperamental…”

Unfortunately, for Chen Xi, who was focused on his newly returned cat master, he didn’t even notice that Beast Island had gotten his name wrong, let alone offer help.

While hurriedly covering the ears of the Moonshadow Celestial Beasts who had followed the Moonlight Celestial Beast into the cave to prevent them from hearing Beast Island’s dirty words, Chen Xi turned to the Moonlight Celestial Beast and instructed, “Please don’t bite! Just use magic to hit it a few times. It’s been stuck in that secret realm for who knows how many years, so it’s really dirty. Don’t let it upset your stomach.”

Hmph, does it think I’m a reckless cub?

With a disdainful glance at Chen Xi, the Moonlight Celestial Beast’s movements grew even more ferocious, giving Beast Island no chance to catch its breath. It wasn’t until it had forced it flat on the ground, turned it into a shredded scratching post, and completely drained all of its will to live that the Moonlight Celestial Beast reluctantly stopped.

“Alright, you can rest now that it’s over.” Once they were finished, Chen Xi lifted the Moonlight Celestial Beast, who was stepping on Beast Island, and placed it on the table, handing it a cup of cooled water.

It was tasteless.

The Moonlight Celestial Beast sniffed at it, somewhat disdainfully. Chen Xi smiled as he helped smooth its fur, explaining, “Drink a little for now, I’ll make you something delicious later.”

Whether it wanted to drink or not, he still had to make it. The familiar hand ran through its fur, soothing it. The extreme relaxation made the Moonlight Celestial Beast lazily stretch, then settle down on Chen Xi’s lap to enjoy the service from its newly bound contractor.

Nearby, Beast Island, still nursing its wounds, slithered over and watched for a while. After a “tsk,” it sighed. “Looks like you two are still this close. But as a mature and magnanimous artifact spirit, I won’t argue with a little kitten.”

It then wandered around the table, finding no one paying it attention, and thought of an important question.

“Chen Xi, come up with a name for me!” This time, Beast Island didn’t get his name wrong.

The Moonlight Celestial Beast flicked its tail, glancing at it with half-closed eyes, but it was Chen Xi who was curious. “Didn’t your original master give you a name?”

“Of course!” Thinking of the extremely careless and random name it had before, Beast Island gritted its teeth in frustration. “But now that I’m with you, my old name doesn’t really fit. I need a new one.”

“Like this…” Chen Xi nodded, then began to think about what would be the best name. However, the Moonlight Celestial Beast got there first.

“Goudan (Dog Egg)!” Not happy with Chen Xi’s hesitation, Moonlight Celestial Beast slapped Beast Island to the ground with one paw, then forcibly used Chen Xi’s status as a contractor to give Beast Island a name.

The name of a divine weapon could only be bestowed by its master. Once given, it could not be changed unless ownership changed.

Beast Island never expected that, despite his careful calculations, he would end up with a name like Goudan because of a cat’s jealousy.

Goudan… It was even worse than the original name, almost enough to make him cry. Beast Island’s anger erupted like a volcanic explosion, trying to provoke Chen Xi’s pity, but to his surprise, Chen Xi completely ignored him and even praised Moonlight Celestial Beast by patting its head. “Do you like it? Then let’s call it that. Goudan sounds nice, very grounded and easy to take care of.”

After saying that, Chen Xi took Moonlight Celestial Beast to a nearby recliner. As for Beast Island—no, Goudan—he had no desire to speak to his owner, who had no principles when it came to cats. Standing alone like a lonely grass of a dog tail, Beast Island, now just a tool spirit, sulked on the table, lamenting. However, the next second, a group of orange chubby little creatures found him.

Wow! A new toy!

Amber-colored cat eyes widened in excitement at the sight of the new toy, and even the tail stood up, swaying back and forth. Beast Island, who was still wallowing in self-pity, suddenly felt a chill and, next, several furry paws landed on its face.

So, cats are the worst!

—

On Chen Xi’s side, everything remained the same, but on the other side, the immortals on the island were still shaken by the eviction order Chen Xi issued after killing Immortal Wuyi.

“This Chen Xi must be crazy. He made such a scene before, causing all the celestial beasts on the island to be angry. Now, if these celestial beasts are to choose, most of the immortals here are unqualified. Is he really going to drive us all away and take care of those celestial beasts himself?”

“That’s right. Moreover, it is said that when Beast Island was first established, there were rules that whoever inherited Beast Island, if they couldn’t properly take care of the celestial beasts, would immediately lose their inheritance, even the master of Beast Island couldn’t avoid this. Doesn’t Chen Xi fear making a mistake?”

“Enough, everyone be quiet. Misfortune comes from the mouth. Think about Immortal Wuyi and the people from the Beast Taming Clan before. Besides, Chen Xi letting us leave the island is already showing kindness. The lower Third Immortal Domain, even though the situation is tough, it’s still better than being on Beast Island without even the power of an immortal spirit.”

When these words were spoken, the immortals fell silent. In their hearts, however, the weight of the situation only grew heavier. Ultimately, they couldn’t feel happy about the opportunity to leave the island, in fact, they felt resentful toward Chen Xi.

Why?

Because although they were saying that Chen Xi was crazy and sick, they all knew in their hearts that Chen Xi hadn’t lost anything at all.

Slaying the Daluo Golden Immortal demonstrated his terrifying strength, and as a Beast Tamer, he had already gained considerable influence among the celestial beasts on Beast Island using just a water mirror. Not to mention the Moonlight Celestial Beast by his side, who had even disregarded life and death to bond with Chen Xi. Now, Chen Xi had even made Beast Island recognize him as its master.

With such solid capital, Chen Xi could easily recruit scattered cultivators in the Lower Third Immortal Domain. Although powerful immortals might not be interested due to Beast Island’s weak immortal spirit, lower-level immortals in similar situations would be easy to recruit. These immortals, however, were the ones with uncertain futures.

Most of them came from Qingyun Sect and Huanlang Immortal Sovereign, originally exiled or sent to Beast Island due to their lack of talent. Now, with Chen Xi’s expulsion, they were left even more passive.

“Ah, I should have actively befriended Chen Xi back then,” one immortal sighed softly, but this time, no one agreed with him. Everyone remained eerily quiet.

But silence didn’t mean a cold atmosphere, it likely signified agreement and regret. Who would have thought that the man who was once expected to live only seven days would have such achievements today?

Master of Beast Island, Celestial Beast Tamer, Array Master, and even rising to the Heavenly Dao Ranking. That’s the Heavenly Dao Ranking! So many Daluo Golden Immortals can’t make it, yet now, Chen Xi was just a mortal in his twenties.

Thinking of this, the immortals sank into deep gloom, like frostbitten eggplants.

“If only we could stay on Beast Island,” the immortal who had sighed earlier spoke again, but this time, there was something different in his voice, perhaps a subtle hint. But in this conflicting situation, no one noticed, and instead, these words were deeply imprinted into the ears of the low-level immortals.

With his head slightly lowered, the immortal’s expression was still filled with melancholy, but a hint of dark anger could be seen in his eyes. At the same time, he kept tightly holding onto the communication jade talisman in his hand, sending out a message: everything is going smoothly.

At this moment, Qingyun Sect’s Master Lingyun received the message and revealed a malicious smile.

He knew that Chen Xi wanted to expel people, likely to establish his own power and stabilize his position before dealing with external matters. However, he did not intend to give Chen Xi that opportunity. The death of Immortal Wuyi had secured Chen Xi’s spot on the Heavenly Dao Ranking, but from now on, he would not repeat the same mistake.

The immortal he sent to the island was an expert in the art of manipulation and could use words to disturb people’s minds. High-level immortals were beyond his reach, but sowing chaos among the anxious lower-level immortals would be no problem. Moreover, Chen Xi was merely a mortal with some knowledge of formation techniques, and if the island’s immortals started causing trouble, even the island’s master would not be able to stop it. If things were handled well, he might even force Chen Xi to surrender control of Beast Island, creating a puppet like Immortal Wuyi.

No matter what, he would never let Chen Xi off the hook.

—

Meanwhile, Chen Xi had begun to sense something unusual.

He noticed that the immortals on the island had become inexplicably restless. Sure enough, the next day, the Moonlight Celestial Beast, who had helped Chen Xi select people, came to find him, intending to share some concerns it had recently discovered. The Moonlight Celestial Beast believed that some of the lower-level immortals were up to no good and even suspected they might be planning a rebellion.

“Logically, these immortals are the ones who most want to leave Beast Island. Now that they can leave smoothly, why are they stirring up trouble?” The Moonlight Celestial Beast tilted its head in confusion. However, Chen Xi didn’t respond. He simply smiled and patted its head, understanding the situation in his heart.

Those immortals definitely didn’t want to leave. They had originally been sent by two major sects as cannon fodder. Especially the sect leader of the Qingyun Sect, who had sent these people to ensure that Qingyun Sect had absolute influence over Beast Island whenever the secret realm opened. But now, not only had he failed to achieve his goal, but he had also lost his son and valuable subordinates, allowing himself to profit from the situation. He was naturally furious, and these lower-level immortals on Beast Island would undoubtedly take the brunt of his anger when they returned, leading to their inevitable downfall.

So, even though Beast Island’s spiritual power was weak, resources were scarce, and cultivation was difficult, these immortals didn’t want to leave for the sake of survival. And among them, there was likely someone who was stirring up trouble. But this time, no matter what they schemed, they would not succeed.

Chen Xi glanced over at the now despondent Goudan, who was once again being tormented by the Moonshadow Celestial Beasts, a sly smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

Under the vine trellis, after seeing off the Moonmend Celestial Beast, Chen Xi and the Moonlight Celestial Beast snuggled together, lazily watching the round, chubby little creatures running around on the grass. After watching for a while, Chen Xi began to feel a little sleepy. However, the Moonlight Celestial Beast seemed unusually alert, and its gaze toward Chen Xi was quite intriguing.

“What’s wrong?” Chen Xi asked lazily, his voice filled with a gentle, pleasant tone as he smiled.

“Why do you always indulge me?” The Moonlight Celestial Beast glanced at Goudan in the distance, its expression becoming even more conflicted. That day, it had named Beast Island in a moment of anger. However, unexpectedly, Chen Xi never corrected it and continued to call it Goudan, a somewhat silly name. Although the Moonlight Celestial Beast felt vaguely pleased, it still felt something was missing.

“Why suddenly ask this?” Feeling the mood, Chen Xi turned to face the Moonlight Celestial Beast. After noticing its somewhat awkward gaze, he smiled even more mischievously and asked, “What about you? Why did you suddenly form a contract with me before I entered the secret realm?”

Although he hadn’t understood at first, after Goudan’s explanation, Chen Xi now fully understood what their contract represented. Under those circumstances, entering the secret realm alone might have meant he would never return. The Moonlight Celestial Beast, knowing that the contract would only allow it to wait outside, still made the decision, which clearly showed its feelings for him.

“Not afraid I’ll die inside?” Chen Xi pulled the Moonlight Celestial Beast into his arms, leaned down, and kissed its ear. His smile grew even deeper.

“Is there anything to fear? The master knows before the servant.” The Moonlight Celestial Beast pressed its bright red ears, but not getting an answer, it playfully stopped Chen Xi’s lips with its paw, feeling that Chen Xi was talking too much today.

As for the Emperor Qing Yang in the Immortal Palace, after hearing Chen Xi’s question, he too expressed his disdain.

“Hmph, what’s that silly cat worried about? I’ve been watching the whole time.”

——

Three days passed quickly, and by tomorrow, it would be the day to confirm which immortals would leave Beast Island. Because of this, those lower-level immortals, fearful of their uncertain futures, had gathered together to discuss their plans. However, what they didn’t expect was that at this critical moment, Chen Xi silently dropped another bombshell.

At a time that wasn’t mealtime, Chen Xi started a live broadcast.