This place was where the Wonderous Palace kept its livestock.
Surrounded by overgrown weeds, there were stables scattered about.
The animals raised here were mostly living pigs, cattle, sheep, and horses.
For this reason, compared to other areas of the Wonderous Palace, the environment naturally left much to be desired.
Even the air was filled with a rich stench.
Ordinarily, apart from the furnace disciples responsible for the complex task of feeding these animals, no one else would enter.
But now, uninvited guests had appeared.
Wen Zhixing and his companion stopped in their tracks when they heard the commotion.
Before them stood two Wonderous Palace female disciples, dressed brightly and with beautiful features.
The two of them were cheerfully teasing a large black dog in front of them.
One wore a purple long dress, her hair casually tied up with a ribbon of the same color. Her lips were thin, and her features conveyed an air of arrogance.
The other was younger, around twelve or thirteen, with two round buns atop her head.
Despite her young age, she was already poised and charming, her appearance exceptionally cute.
Especially her eyes, which were so spirited they made one want to cherish her.
At this moment, the girl was squatting on the ground, one hand propping up her cheek. Her other hand, slender and white, held a transparent jade stick, with which she idly poked at the black dog before her.
"HEE HEE..."
The big black dog, in pain, dared not dodge or even make a noise.
It could only keep making gestures to please them.
Its eyes were filled with fear.
Especially when it heard that it was going to be turned into a meat pig, its body began to tremble slightly.
Whether from pain or fear was unclear.
Beast Ceation Skill? Turned into a meat pig?
Witnessing the scene before him, Wen Zhixing furrowed his brows.
He had also heard the conversation between the two earlier.
Though his knowledge of this world was shallow, he could guess a thing or two from the name.
The Beast Ceation Skill was likely a Devil Secret Skill to transform humans into beasts.
He then turned to look at Zhang Tiancheng and noticed his body was rigid, his complexion slightly unnatural.
"Zhang?" Wen Zhixing asked in a low voice, wanting to inquire.
However, the sound of laughter came once again from up ahead.
"Miner, you don't know, to turn it into a meat pig, we must first remove the effects of the Beast Ceation Skill, which I have only recently mastered and am not yet in full control of. If we were to remove it now, this person would undoubtedly die."
"Oh... alright then..." The young girl's tone carried a hint of disappointment.
But Wen Zhixing and Zhang Tiancheng felt a chill down their spines.
These people were clearly using them, the furnace disciples, as test subjects, practicing the devil path's forbidden skills on them.
The most crucial point was that she herself did not know how to undo the Beast Ceation Skill.
Removing it would mean death.
That is to say, that furnace disciple might have to live like a dog in the future.
Either die or live as a dog.
"It doesn't matter. Look, aren't there others over there? I'll find someone else and make a meat pig for you." Ning Shan said with a smile, turning her head to look not far away. "Coincidentally, I'd like to practice a bit more too."
"Yes, that would be great." Wen Miner clapped her hands in a naive way, her smile sweet.
Wen Zhixing and Zhang Tiancheng's hearts tightened.
Ning Shan's gaze was fixed on the two of them.
[This woman has harsh features, and in her eyes, you two are no different than pigs and dogs.]
Zhang Tiancheng immediately gave Wen Zhixing a look, signaling him not to panic.
After all, he was currently an Elder's furnace disciple in the Wonderous Palace.
As long as he revealed his identity, Ning Shan probably wouldn't dare to make a move on him.
He promptly led Wen Zhixing forward, a sycophantic smile on his face, and said with a bow, "Zhang Tiancheng pays respects to Ning."
Wen Zhixing, standing behind Zhang Tiancheng, followed his example and bowed respectfully.
As the saying goes, the King of Hell is easy to deal with, but the little demons are troublesome.
People like Si Nanyan and Qiu Yinger at least maintained a semblance of dignity on the surface.
But these two in front of him seemed to operate without any regard for rules.
Dealing with such people was the most troublesome.
Upon seeing the two arrive, the large black dog also showed a very human-like expression of sorrow and indignation. He was human, after all! Yet now he was forced to be a dog, and he couldn't resist, nor did he dare to.
Seizing the opportunity, Wen Zhixing's peripheral vision caught a glimpse of the Fortune Fragments above the heads of Ning Shan and her companion.
[Discovered Fortune Fragment, would you like to spend one month's life-span for a random draw?]
Above them, there were naturally some Fortune Fragments.
However, most of them were Grey Fragments.
Wen Zhixing didn't hesitate and chose to directly draw twice.
[Initiating random acquisition of Fortune Fragments.]
Two halos of white light detached from above Ning Shan's head and leaped into Wen Zhixing's mind one after another.
[White Fortune Fragment +2.]
Two White Fortune Fragments.
He was inwardly delighted.
His luck wasn't bad.
[White Fortune Fragment (2/2) has been collected. You can spend one month's life-span to synthesize and obtain one of the following fortunes:]
[One: Gain the talent: Extraordinarily Intelligent.]
[Two: Gain 4 Fortune Points.]
[Three: Acquire the fortune of Ning Shan.]
Option one.
Without any hesitation, Wen Zhixing immediately selected the talent [Extraordinarily Intelligent].
Whether Ning Shan's fortune was good or bad was unknown, and he could slowly accumulate Fortune Points. Choosing [Extraordinarily Intelligent] seemed more appropriate in any case.
This talent obviously had to do with comprehension.
This was precisely his current headache.
Having not entered the Mysterious Might Realm, comprehending secret skills was extremely difficult for him.
Previously, cultivating the Blood Escape Skill had also taken him a lot of time.
He also had no clue about the Calming Heart Mantra.
Now, with [Extraordinarily Intelligent], his future cultivation would likely be much smoother.
[Talent acquired: Extraordinarily Intelligent.]
[Extraordinarily Intelligent: White Quality. It can slightly enhance your comprehension and slightly increase the strength of your divine soul. Cultivating cultivation skills and secret skills will become twice as effective.]
[Cost 100 Fortune Points to upgrade to Blue Quality.]
Suddenly, Wen Zhixing felt a cool sensation in his head.
It was as if a cool stream of air was circulating within.
His mind became clearer than ever before.
Before Wen Zhixing could reflect further, Ning Shan, standing ahead, snorted coldly and stared directly at the two.
"What are you two sneaking around here for?"
Clearly, she did not recognize Zhang Tiancheng.
Although Zhang Tiancheng had some reputation among the furnace disciples of the Wonderous Palace, to these female cultivators of the Wonderous Palace, all furnace disciples were essentially the same. None warranted special attention.
Nearby, Wen Miner also widened her round eyes, looking at the two with a playful laugh.
Her gaze was as if she had seen some interesting toy.
As for furnace disciples, the female cultivators could deal with them as they pleased.
"Reporting to Ning, I am a disciple under Elder Dongfang. The Elder tasked me with daily patrol and supervision duties." Zhang Tiancheng quickly lowered his head and explained.
"Elder Dongfang?"
Upon hearing this, Ning Shan's arrogant expression eased slightly. "Is it Elder Dongfang Shiqin?"
"Indeed."
Zhang Tiancheng lowered his head even further, saying, "My junior brother and I are currently on patrol, inspecting various areas."
After finishing, he didn't raise his head, silently waiting for a response.