As the two spoke, the black eagle had already descended until it was barely two hundred meters above the ground.
With a wingspan stretching over twenty zhang—nearly thirty—its massive silhouette immediately caused an uproar among the pedestrians below. The sheer sight of such a colossal beast skimming low overhead even sent many scrambling indoors in a panic.
"Damn it all, what is that thing?! Qu—quick, call the City Defense Bureau! A demonic beast... a demonic beast is coming!"
"Don't panic, there's a pavilion on its back!"
"That's actually a domesticated demonic beast?!"
"Aren't flying demonic beasts supposed to land at the Exotic Beast Bureau's pastures? Disturbing the public markets is a severe crime!"
"Out of the way! Move! My Earth Dragon Turtle has been spooked! Out of the way!"
"Ah! Ah!! No!!"
"*Waaah—*"
Accidents always happened without warning.
Amid the clamor of curses, shouts, and the wails of crying children, a giant turtle three to four zhang long on the broad thoroughfare suddenly took fright and crashed headlong into the street's bustling market district!
A cloud of shattered stone, bricks, and dust billowed upward as shrill cries erupted from all sides.
"......"
The commotion below instinctively drew Xu Yuan's gaze down through the wooden window. After watching quietly for two seconds, he pulled his gaze back and turned toward Zhou Chen with a questioning look.
He did not understand why they had intentionally glided down to such a low altitude.
Reading the unspoken question in Xu Yuan's eyes, Zhou Chen gave a nonchalant smile and explained, "Third Young Master, the Exotic Beast Bureau mandates that civilian flying demonic beasts must not fly lower than sixty zhang above prefectural market districts. Our black eagle is currently at least seventy zhang up. That was entirely the Earth Dragon Turtle's own problem."
Saying that, Zhou Chen chuckled under his breath. "Our black eagle didn't even actively release its aura, yet that Earth Dragon Turtle lost control in terror. Heh, this batch of Earth Dragon Turtles probably slipped through the Exotic Beast Bureau's Nine Demonic Beast Trials via the back door. If this gets reported, someone's going to catch hell for it~"
Hearing the explanation, Xu Yuan had a general grasp of what had occurred, so he looked away and pressed no further.
At the black eagle's gliding speed, the scene of the accident quickly vanished behind them.
And just as expected, no further incidents of spooked beasts causing injuries occurred along the rest of the route.
Xu Yuan continually took in the layout of the city below.
Thoroughfares branched out in all directions. Aside from the commercial market districts where pedestrians bustled shoulder to shoulder, most of the city streets resembled ancient cities in Xu Yuan's memories, only far more spacious; the central strip of a main street could easily accommodate three or four carriages abreast.
Yet Xu Yuan swept past these streets with a single glance. What caught his attention was the colossal official highway directly beneath them, which practically bisected the city sectors.
The sheer width of this highway easily doubled that of any road in his previous life.
And traveling along it were not standard horse carriages, but all manner of demonic beasts galloping at high speed.
Looking down from atop the black eagle, Xu Yuan could even spot road infrastructure in the distance resembling elevated overpasses and tunnels.
He was instinctively taken aback by the architectural engineering of these roadways, as well as the immense instantaneous weight they had to bear under the pounding steps of those enormous demonic beasts.
Yet as soon as the thought flashed through his mind, Xu Yuan gave a faint shake of his head.
His mind had almost failed to make the turn.
The material strength of modern construction in his previous life could hardly hold a candle to this world.
The material strength of the sword Ran Qingmo had held earlier could probably have been used to construct a Gundam back on Earth.
What was more, this world was reinforced by the supernatural power of formations.
With that realization, Xu Yuan focused his gaze entirely on the colossal beasts thundering along that massive highway.
He sifted through the original host's memories, but found only vague, ambiguous scraps.
After a brief pause, Xu Yuan turned his head and asked, "Mr. Zhou, what exactly are the Nine Demonic Beast Trials you mentioned earlier?"
"Ah, that..."
Zhou Chen glanced down at the highway below, weighing his words before replying, "Simply put, they are laws enacted for the sects and merchant guilds that sell demonic beasts."
"......" Xu Yuan remained silent, keeping his eyes fixed on Zhou Chen.
Noticing this, Zhou Chen understood that the Third Young Master wanted a more detailed explanation. He smacked his lips and let out a helpless sigh.
As an expert, Zhou Chen was hardly the aloof, cold type; on the contrary, he was rather chatty.
Having someone to talk to was something he quite enjoyed.
After sighing, Zhou Chen unhurriedly explained the nine trials of beast taming to Xu Yuan. Toward the end, without Xu Yuan even having to ask, he simply poured out everything related to the taming of demonic beasts in one continuous breath.
Once the man finished, Xu Yuan silently organized this flood of new information in his mind.
Demonic beasts...
Where human labor fell short, demonic beasts filled the void.
From antiquity to the present day in this world, humanity's domestication of demonic beasts had never ceased.
From the crudest method of beating them into submission with raw fists, to the systematic taming processes established over generations.
The beasts' lifespans, their immense strength, their endurance, and the flight capabilities of certain species made them remarkably suited to serve as human "tools."
Because of this, despite countless obstacles, the domestication of demonic beasts had persevered throughout history, gradually integrating these creatures into the everyday lives of ordinary people.
Mounts for travel, draft beasts for haulage, couriers for sending messages, and even gigantic war beasts tamed specifically for the battlefield...
A brand-new tech tree that had branched off in a completely different direction.
At this thought, Xu Yuan shook his head faintly.
No, that wasn't entirely fair. Perhaps in a world that possessed qi, such a tech tree was only natural.
Yet no matter how far beast-taming techniques advanced, just as fully obedient mechanical juggernauts in his previous life could malfunction, demonic beasts possessing autonomous consciousness naturally harbored far greater risks.
A defensive stress response upon encountering natural predators, violent rampages driven by empty bellies, or innate obedience to the bloodline suppression of higher-ranking kin could all cause a domesticated demonic beast to run amok without warning.
The Great Yan Dynasty's Exotic Beast Bureau had synthesized generations of experience to establish the nine trials for civilian demonic beasts, minimizing the chance of beasts going berserk and harming people.
Beyond that, Zhou Chen had also touched upon military demonic beasts.
Where there was civilian use, there was naturally military application.
And the inspection trials for military beasts were far more rigorous, numbering a full seventeen in total.
Having sorted out the essentials regarding demonic beasts, Xu Yuan let out a long breath, glanced aside, and said with a smile, "I never knew all this before. Hearing you explain it today, these demonic beasts truly are fascinating."
Zhou Chen gave a sly chuckle and lowered his voice. "If the Third Young Master is genuinely interested, you could visit the Jingjiang City branch of the Tian'an Chamber of Commerce to have a look."
Xu Yuan raised an eyebrow.
This Tian'an Chamber of Commerce was a colossal merchant enterprise with branches spanning the entire Great Yan Dynasty. In *Cangyuan*, it had essentially functioned as the in-game shop; every map had a branch, and so long as you had enough money, you could purchase any material or pill you required.
"The Tian'an Chamber of Commerce?"
Zhou Chen grinned. "Yes, exactly. They keep plenty of rare demonic beasts there. Now that you possess cultivation, you could easily go over and pick out a couple."
"Pick out?" Xu Yuan caught an odd note in Zhou Chen's phrasing.
Zhou Chen looked at Xu Yuan in mild surprise and said softly, "Third Young Master, you didn't know?"
"Know what?"
"The Tian'an Chamber of Commerce is an asset of the Chancellor's Manor."
"......"
Xu Yuan's mind suddenly went blank.
Only at this very moment
did he finally realize just what kind of Prime Minister his convenient old man actually was.
Chapter 31