[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars":3,"chapter-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-76":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Immortal Path Among the Stars",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2320008,4537,"Chapter 76: Iron-Headed Crocodile","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-76",76,"\u003Cp>“Master Li, you’re pulling the wool over our eyes again—trying to find someone to test your ‘human-beast unity’ nonsense.” Zhou Chu replied with a sigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Human-beast unity?” Wang Yu frowned in surprise.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s a secret technique Master Li developed to let cultivators temporarily borrow the spiritual beast’s power—but it’s still incomplete. Several junior brothers were severely injured by backlash during trials. The Ancestor has forbidden Master Li from testing it on anyone else.” Zhou Chu grinned as he explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph. If not for the Ancestor’s order, my Guiyuan Technique would’ve succeeded long ago. Such a pity—just one step away.” The old man huffed, sounding resigned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master Li can create secret techniques on his own? I deeply admire you.” Wang Yu couldn’t help but bow respectfully.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heh, you’ve got a good tongue. I remember—you’re a flesh-blood cultivator, right? What bloodline did you awaken? What spiritual roots do you have? What main technique do you practice? When choosing a young beast, I’ll give you some pointers.” Master Li chuckled, glancing at Wang Yu with a hint of approval.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you, Master! I awakened the Iron-Eating Crocodile bloodline, with Water, Fire, Metal, and Wind spiritual roots. I originally practiced Yin Water Technique, but recently switched to Fire Spirit Technique.” Wang Yu’s eyes lit up as he thanked him eagerly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With such deep expertise in beast taming, personal guidance from him would surely save Wang Yu countless detours.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Iron-Eating Crocodile? That’s a low-class reptilian beast. If you want to fully harness your bloodline’s affinity, choosing a similar young beast is best. Fire Spirit Technique is pure fire-elemental; if you plan to coordinate with a spiritual beast later, a fire- or wind-elemental beast would suit well.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fire-elemental beasts need no explanation. Wind-elemental beasts paired with fire-elemental techniques often produce astonishing power.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If I recall correctly, among the new batch of young beasts, there are only a few Iron-Headed Crocodile eggs, while fire-elemental younglings include a few Fire-Tail Wolves and Fire-Feathered Eagles. Wind-elemental young beasts are extremely rare—there isn’t a single one left in the hall.” As he spoke, Master Li led the two to a large green door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On either side of the door stood black-armored warrior statues, over a zhang tall, their entire bodies covered in dense silver patterns, each gripping a massive silver axe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the three approached, the two statues turned their heads with a series of mechanical clicks, fixing their gaze on the trio.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man merely raised one hand, waving something in front of him, and the statues’ heads returned to their original positions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He then flicked his sleeve, sending out several white runes that vanished instantly into the door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The green door slowly opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did the old man lead the two inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside stood two long rows of iron cages, each separated by a pale white barrier—hundreds in total, yet utterly silent, not a sound to be heard.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old man hurried the two to one cage, muttered incantations, and tapped the object in his hand once more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This time, Wang Yu clearly saw: the old man held a miniature white banner, barely two inches long.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white barrier over the cage instantly dissolved, revealing two young beasts inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two small green wolves, no more than a chi tall, each with a tail blazing like a torch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fire-Tail Wolf—a fire-elemental canine. Growth cycle around thirty years. Matured, they reach Late Foundation Establishment, with potential to reach Second Stage Early. Skilled in close combat and Fire Snake Art, not picky eaters—among the easiest spiritual beasts to raise. Many outer sect disciples choose them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Master Li pointed at the green wolves in the cage and explained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu stepped closer to examine the two fluffy little creatures.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the two beasts, clearly full and satisfied, merely lay curled up in the cage, snoring loudly, ignoring the three outside entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu nodded, and Master Li led them further to another, larger cage. He recited another incantation and waved the banner again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The white barrier vanished. Inside were two tiny crimson birds, no bigger than a fist, pecking at each other like roosters, their tempers clearly fiery.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fire-Feathered Eagle—a fire-elemental avian. Growth cycle sixty years. Matured, they reach Late Foundation Establishment, with potential for Second Stage Mid. Skilled in Fire Rain Art and flight, with decent close combat ability. They prefer to eat beast meat. Highly valuable to raise, but the cycle is too long and the cost too great.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you want one as your spiritual beast, think carefully. Most people can’t afford it. Only a few sect-affiliated families pool their entire resources to raise such young birds.” Master Li warned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu stepped forward again, studying the two little birds closely, his face lighting up with affection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who doesn’t love a flying spiritual bird!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if you face an opponent you can’t beat, you can still flee on its back to save your life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After letting Wang Yu gaze for a moment, Master Li led them to another cage and once again used the miniature banner to dispel the white barrier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu stared intently—and froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Inside the cage was a small water pit, lined with sand and broken stones. In the center sat a blue-glowing, fist-sized crystal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside the crystal lay three black-spotted giant eggs, a half-chi-long lizard-like creature, and a shattered empty eggshell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The lizard-like creature was happily gnawing on the fragments of the broken shell.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh? One of the eggs hatched early?” Master Li’s eyes widened in surprise at the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Master, these are Iron-Headed Crocodiles, right? One hatching early isn’t strange.” Zhou Chu shrugged, unimpressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmph, you know nothing. Iron-Headed Crocodile incubation takes a year and a half. I estimated at least another half-year before full hatching.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now one hatched early? That means this young crocodile likely mutated during incubation—forcing its way out prematurely.” The old man huffed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mutation”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Yu and Zhou Chu both gasped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The man’s face flushed with excitement, his gaze fixed on the young beast, eyes gleaming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t think mutation is always good. It means the beast’s stable innate abilities—or even its cultivation path—may deviate. Mutation can go either way, but the odds of a bad outcome are often higher.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For example, the Iron-Headed Crocodile normally has a forty-year growth cycle, reaching Late Foundation Establishment when mature, with potential for Second Stage Mid. Its hide is thick, its skull incredibly hard, superb at close combat, and it possesses minor water control.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But after mutation, none of that is guaranteed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It might take fifty or sixty years to mature. Its power might drop to Mid Foundation Establishment. Its potential might vanish entirely. Or other abilities could change unpredictably.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course, if it mutates favorably, the opposite happens. But that’s a gamble on your luck.” The old man, seeing their eagerness, promptly doused them with cold water.\u003C\u002Fp>",1136,"2026-06-20T15:44:30.991Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","a45952bd97a04fd3209e082deb94a88956908ece136db92eb7a1a97192ae4953","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-77","the-immortal-path-among-the-stars-chapter-75",530,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-immortal-path-among-the-stars-cover.jpg"]