Chapter 532: The Tamer

Here it comes, the classic scene… Probably a trash heart-phase—what kind of rotten-wood heart-phase? A sparrow? Chopsticks? Gravel?

But… I need a world beneficial to my cultivation, especially one tied to the Destruction Dao… What does a Beast-Tamer world mean?

With a hint of doubt, Fang Xing stepped into the hexagram array.

His face carried a childlike blankness.

It wasn't anxiety or fear—just a vague unease from losing power.

After these few steps, Fang Xing had confirmed: his body was truly that of a child, with no extraordinary strength.

Worse still… just like in that Vajrayana world, he could no longer sense the Dao.

Pity—here, the Fate Dao is undetectable. Otherwise, I could observe this little brother's fate… or use the Heavenly Eye technique from the cultivation world to check his fortune?

One look—

Fang Lianshan pulled out a pipe, took a puff, and glanced at Fang Leng huddled in the corner. "Well."

Fang Xing saw through it all but said nothing—after all, he was the ultimate beneficiary, and he'd previously acted like a spoiled brat.

Fang Xing summoned his "heart-phase"—it looked like a black puppy pup, still blind, its body flickering with thin strands of black flame.

As Fang Xing pondered, Du Gu Fang called out: "Next—Fang Leng!"

"Agrarian Tamer? Like a druid from another world?"

"Ah!"

By now, that concubine was dead. He'd managed to spare Fang Leng's life, let him grow up as a freeholder, acquire some property—that was all he could do.

In the next instant, a beam of light enveloped Fang Xing.

"I didn't know my soul was this dark…"

Then a wind swept in, thunder and lightning cracked, and a fine rain began to fall…

Fang Xing turned to Gong Lanhxiang, but noticed Fang Lianshan's face darkening: "Where are you going? Your brother hasn't been tested yet!"

Gasps erupted—even Du Gu Fang was stunned.

Clearly, he'd only awakened his heart-phase; he hadn't yet truly solidified it into a "fated heart-beast."

"Is this a legendary heart-beast choosing me… or some system, some immortal grandpa living inside me?"

"But if this were a typical novel, wouldn't Fang Leng soon get a miraculous encounter?"

Yet when he reached out to touch it, he realized the puppy was illusory.

He felt a strange desire churning deep within his soul.

But for now, he'd better play the child's role well.

"Indeed, the Law Lord realm is still too low-tier. A slight shift in worlds imposes severe restrictions… If I were a Dao Lord, it'd be entirely different…"

Fang Xing frowned.

When he took that concubine, it was purely for her beauty—nothing more.

Fang Xing glanced outside and saw that Green Forest City was built remarkably well: buildings along the streets were spacious and clean, the roads wide enough for eight carriages to drive side by side.

Right now, no matter what he said, Fang Leng wouldn't believe him—he'd think Fang Xing was mocking him.

"For now, I need to observe carefully…"

He stirred his thoughts, and once they passed the towering city walls, he saw endless stretches of farmland.

"Aren't we leaving?"

Among the fields, a farmer raised his hand—a white cloud drifted over dozens of acres.

"No…"

"Good… Bronze quality. Your future achievements will surely surpass mine."

Fang Xing snapped back to reality—this was his body's mother, Gong Lanhxiang; the middle-aged man beside her was his father, Fang Lianshan.

Fang Xing watched coldly—he knew his mother, as the principal wife, instinctively wanted to suppress her husband's other sons.

Craving slaughter… craving destruction…

Fang Xing recalled—he did have a younger brother, born to a concubine, whom he'd bullied relentlessly since childhood…

"Yes, Tamer professions vary widely: Pottery Tamer, Medical Tamer, Culinary Tamer, Weaving Tamer—your mother is a Weaving Tamer… Once you choose a profession, you must subdue a specific heart-beast. For example, if your brother's heart-phase isn't rotten-wood gray matter but Bronze-level 'Gray Mist,' then once the Gray Mist matures to Soldier rank, he can attempt to subdue the Wind Heart-Beast, then Rain, then Thunder, becoming an Agrarian Tamer… Agrarian Tamers are highly sought after. A Soldier-rank Agrarian Tamer can effortlessly farm hundreds or even thousands of acres; a General-rank can manage over ten thousand; a Lord-rank can easily influence regional weather, eliminating natural disasters—floods, locust plagues, etc. Our Green Forest City's Lord is a Lord-rank Agrarian Tamer!"

"Gray mist… Sigh. Just like his mother. Let's go."

"But among all Tamer professions, the strongest is undoubtedly the War Tamer… though casualties are high. Your blackfire pup leans toward a war-beast—you'll likely walk the path of combat."

Fang Lianshan smiled too. "The productivity in this world… isn't bad at all."

"What's Bronze quality?"

Whoosh! On his palm, the Bronze "Heart-Phase Sacred Scripture" flipped open on its own.

"Is this world… unusual? No Dao fluctuations?"

"Wait… that concubine died of illness years ago. Before awakening his heart-phase, my mother Gong Lanhxiang seized the inheritance left by Fang Leng's mother, sold it, and bought a bottle of 'Primordial Fluid'—said to enhance the body and improve heart-phase quality—and made me drink it…"

Fang Lianshan said: "The heart-phase still needs cultivation—summon it repeatedly until it solidifies into a fated heart-beast. Heart-beasts have varying growth potential: Soldier, General, Lord, King, Emperor, Legendary… The initial quality of the heart-phase determines your ultimate limit. A rotten-wood heart-beast can't even reach Soldier rank—it's the classic trash. Bronze-level qualifies you for Green Forest Academy; you can become a true Tamer. But without great fortune, you'll stay at Soldier rank forever. You have a Bronze heart-phase—train hard, and you'll surely reach General rank. Maybe, just maybe, you'll even have a chance at Lord rank…"

Fang Xing politely thanked him, stepped down from the hexagram array, and was immediately hugged by a woman in her thirties: "A Xing, you did well."

Fang Leng lowered his head, but everyone could see his resentment.

Fang Lianshan's hand twitched—he wanted to strike this son—but remembered how disappointed he was, and forced himself to hold back: "Stop thinking about this. Learn farming from our tenants. When you come of age, I'll give you dozens of acres, help you build your own house, find you a wife—that's your life."

Did Fang Lianshan know? Probably knew something—but both hands are flesh. Besides, Gong Lanhxiang was the principal wife, a Tamer, and brought the Fang family immense profit.

Fang Lianshan sighed gloomily: "Actually, other professions are fine too… Sigh. If only your brother had a Bronze heart-phase—he'd have potential as an Agrarian Tamer. Then we could entrust all the farmland in Sanshan Village to him. We'd save so much labor, grow so much more grain…"

His small face was set with determination; his fists clenched tightly inside his sleeves. A flash of light—then thin wisps of mist rose from his body.

"Fang Xing, heart-phase 'Blackfire Dog,' Bronze quality…"

"Brother? Fang Leng… Oh!"

If he could still sense Dao forces, even as an ordinary child, Fang Xing would fear nothing.

Fang Xing internally scoffed—but didn't suppress it. He let the darkness surge forth.

A child, a year or two younger, dressed in hemp clothing, stepped into the hexagram array.

"It's like modern agricultural tech and giant machinery… This world's transcendent professions are tightly woven into daily life. Productivity and living standards are remarkably high."

Including his mother—Gong Lanhxiang—whose fated beast was the 'Green Silkworm.' The clothes he wore were woven from her silkworms.

"You hadn't awakened your heart-phase yet. Your mother and I feared you'd get a trash one, couldn't grow, and learning too much would only hurt you—so we never told you much. But you'll learn all this once you enter Green Forest Academy."

"I see…"

"Is this… an Agrarian Tamer?"

Though the Fang family wasn't a major clan in Green Forest City, in Sanshan Village they were local tyrants, with several Tamers in the family.

He could only pretend not to notice his wife's subtle suppression.

Fang Leng's eyes turned red.

Seeing this, Gong Lanhxiang's lips curled slightly.

"If my little brother Fang Leng awakens another trash heart-phase, it's even more fitting…"

After half a day, the carriage arrived at a small mountain village.

After all, one isn't deaf or blind—why play the oblivious patriarch?

At that moment, Fang Leng suddenly spoke.

"Damn it… Am I the standard villain template?"

"Fang Leng, heart-phase 'Gray Mist,' Rotten-Wood quality!"

Fang Lianshan shook his head, led Fang Xing and Fang Leng out of the Heart-Saint Hall, climbed onto a carriage, and slowly headed toward Sanshan Village.

"The feeling of having no power… is awful…"

"I… I will become a Tamer."

"You? With a trash heart-phase? What nonsense."

Du Gu Fang's surprise vanished, replaced by a faint smile: "Congratulations. You have the potential to become an outstanding Tamer."

Fang Xing grimly rubbed his cheeks.

Fang Xing grasped a memory and spoke.

Du Gu Fang said, expressionless.

Many farmers, seeing Fang Lianshan in the carriage, wore deferential smiles—deeply humble.

"Compared to true ancient times, in this world, landlords, village gentry, county strongmen, clan elites—all control the transcendent power of Tamers. That means they control the ultimate violence. It's even harder to overthrow…"

"Even if these tenants tried to resist by having fewer or no children, it wouldn't matter—just summon an Agrarian Tamer. One can do the work of a thousand or ten thousand farmers…"

"In a cosmic age, that's like AI-controlled robots doing everything… For the lower classes, that's eternal despair."

(End of Chapter)