The moon hung high over the jagged peaks of the Beast Mountain, casting a pale, ghostly light over the dilapidated courtyard of the Twilight Stable.
"Heave! Pivot! Watch the angle!"
Su Ye was sweating profusely, his muscles burning as he shoved the massive slab of basalt rock toward the edge of the tortoise pit. Next to him, Uncle Chen was hyperventilating, looking back toward the main path every three seconds as if expecting the entire Royal Army to descend upon them.
"You are insane," Uncle Chen wheezed, his old hands trembling as he helped guide the rock. "You threw a rock through Master Mo's window. And then... you stole the rock back? That is double theft! We are going to be executed twice!"
"Relax, Uncle Chen," Su Ye grunted, digging his heels into the mud. "It's not theft. This rock was originally in the South Pond. It belongs to the Tortoise. I'm just... correcting an administrative error. Besides, Master Mo won't come here tonight. He's too scared that the Lion Emperor is going to bite his family jewels off."
With one final, lung-bursting shove, the basalt slab tipped over the edge of the pit.
SPLASH!
It landed in the shallow end of the murky water with a thunderous thud. The impact sent a wave of green algae washing over the sleeping form of the Obsidian Tortoise.
"Perfect placement," Su Ye wiped his brow, admiring his handiwork. "Forty-five-degree angle to the morning sun. Just like the old man wanted."
Uncle Chen peeked over the railing. "It didn't move. Is it dead?"
Su Ye hopped onto the railing. "Hey! Old Man! Your recliner is here! Wake up and eat your squid!"
He tossed a bundle of dried spicy squid—stolen from the same kitchen pantry he raided for the chicken earlier—onto the newly positioned rock.
For a long moment, there was silence. The wind whistled through the rotting fence.
Then, the water began to bubble.
A massive, triangular head slowly emerged from the shell. The Obsidian Tortoise's eyes, previously dull and clouded with depression, cracked open. They locked onto the basalt rock.
A low rumble, like a subway train passing underground, vibrated through the soles of Su Ye's boots.
The giant beast moved. It didn't crawl; it heaved itself up, dragging its four-ton body through the muck until it reached the rock. It tested the angle with a heavy claw. It wiggled slightly. Then, with a groan of pure, unadulterated ecstasy, it hoisted its massive shell onto the slope of the stone.
Crack. Pop.
The sound of the tortoise's spine cracking into place was loud enough to be heard in the next valley.
"Oh... yeeeees..."
The voice of the Ancestor drifted into Su Ye's mind, sounding like a grandfather finally sitting in his favorite armchair after a ten-hour flight.
"That's the spot. L4 and L5 vertebrae... decompressed. The Feng Shui is restored. The energy flows. Good job, boy."
The Obsidian Tortoise extended its long neck, snatched up the spicy squid in one bite, and swallowed it whole.
Ding!
A crisp, mechanical chime rang in Su Ye's head, followed by a semi-transparent blue window that hovered in his vision.
[Mission Complete: The Art of Nap Taking]
[Target: Obsidian Tortoise (Cured of discomfort)]
[Affection Level: Friendly]
[Reward: Ancestral Heritage Unlocked - "Black Tortoise Indestructible Breathing Method" (Rank 1)]
Information flooded Su Ye's brain. It wasn't a manual or a book; it was muscle memory. He suddenly understood how to breathe in a specific rhythm—slow, deep inhalations that pulled earth energy into his bones, and long, heavy exhalations that expelled impurities.
His skin tingled. He looked at his hands. They looked the same, but they felt... denser. Heavier.
"Did... did it just eat?" Uncle Chen asked, his jaw hanging open. "It hasn't eaten in three years."
"It was just grumpy, Uncle Chen," Su Ye hopped down from the railing, feeling surprisingly energetic despite the labor. "Never underestimate the power of good furniture. Now, get some sleep. Tomorrow, we have work to do."
"Work?" Chen looked at the ruin around them. "What work?"
Su Ye grinned, his teeth flashing in the moonlight. "We're going to turn this graveyard into a sanctuary. But first... I need to see what other 'trash' Master Mo has dumped here."
The next morning, reality hit Su Ye hard.
And by reality, he meant hunger.
He woke up on a pile of hay in the main barn, his stomach growling loud enough to startle a nesting pigeon. The breathing technique he had practiced all night had strengthened his body, but it also burned calories like a furnace.
"Uncle Chen!" Su Ye called out, walking into the courtyard. "What's for breakfast?"
Uncle Chen was sweeping leaves near the gate. He stopped and looked at Su Ye with a grim expression. "Air. And maybe some dirt if you season it right."
"What do you mean?"
"The supply cart didn't come," Chen said, leaning on his broom. "Usually, the mess hall sends the leftovers from the Outer Disciple cafeteria down here at dawn. Today? Nothing. Master Mo has cut us off."
Su Ye's eyes narrowed. "Petty. Attempting to starve us out."
"It's not just us," Chen pointed to the rows of rusted cages. "We have the Obsidian Tortoise, three Wind Wolves, a Molting Hawk, and... the Pig. If they don't eat, they die. If they die, it goes on your record."
"The Pig?" Su Ye asked. "I didn't see a pig last night."
"It's in the back shed. The 'Quarantine Zone'," Chen sighed. "Don't bother. It's been dead since it arrived. Hasn't moved in a week. It's a failed breeding experiment. Supposed to be a Spirit Boar, but it was born without a Spirit Core. Just a regular meat pig."
Su Ye rubbed his chin. "A regular pig in a cultivation world? That's rarer than a dragon. Let me see it."
He walked to the back of the compound, to a small, dark shed that smelled of mildew.
Inside, lying on a bed of damp straw, was a piglet.
It was tiny—no bigger than a loaf of bread. Its skin was a pale, sickly pink, and its ribs were showing. It wasn't moving. Its breathing was so shallow it was barely perceptible.
Su Ye crouched down. "Hey there, little bacon bit. You okay?"
The piglet didn't respond.
Su Ye reached out his hand. He hesitated. If this really was just a normal pig, the [Divine Bestiary] wouldn't trigger. The system only worked on creatures with "Bloodlines."
He poked the piglet's snout.
BOOM!
Su Ye wasn't pulled into a library. He wasn't pulled into an ocean.
He was pulled into a mouth.
Darkness. Infinite, swirling, terrifying darkness. There was no floor, no sky, only a consuming void that felt like it was chewing on his very soul. A suction force tugged at his consciousness, threatening to tear him apart.
And then, a voice.
It didn't speak. It roared. It sounded like a thousand starving stomachs growling in unison, amplified by a subwoofer.
"HUNGER."
Su Ye stood floating in the void, frantically looking around. "Hello? Ancestor? Who are you?"
"I AM THE MAW. I AM THE ENDLESS FEAST. I AM... TAOTIE."
Two giant eyes opened in the darkness. They weren't eyes; they were swirling galaxies of crimson light.
Su Ye's blood ran cold. Taotie? One of the Four Perils of ancient mythology? The Gluttonous God that ate the heavens and eventually ate itself?
This tiny, dying piglet had the bloodline of a World-Eater?
"FEED ME," the voice screamed, vibrating Su Ye's skull. "THIS VESSEL IS WEAK. IT CANNOT SUSTAIN MY GLORY. I NEED ENERGY. NOT SLOP. NOT GRAIN. I NEED POWER!"
"Okay, okay!" Su Ye yelled back at the giant eyes. "What do you eat? Meat? Spirit Stones?"
"ANYTHING!" The Taotie roared. "METAL. MAGIC. POISON. CURSES. AS LONG AS IT HAS QI, I WILL DEVOUR IT! THE SWILL YOU HUMANS SERVE HAS NO QI! IT IS DIRT! FEED ME REAL FOOD OR I WILL EAT THIS VESSEL'S OWN ORGANS!"
The connection snapped.
Su Ye gasped, falling backward into the straw. He was drenched in cold sweat. His nose was bleeding slightly.
The piglet opened one eye. It was a watery, pathetic blue eye. It let out a weak squeak:
"Weeee..."
"You're not a regular pig," Su Ye whispered, wiping the blood from his lip. "You're a biological black hole."
He stood up, pacing the small shed.
The problem was clear. The piglet wasn't sick; it was starving to death because regular food provided zero energy for its unique constitution. It needed Spirit Energy.
But Spirit Energy was expensive. Spirit Stones, Elixirs, Magic Herbs—Su Ye had none of that. He was a broke dung scooper.
"Uncle Chen!" Su Ye marched back into the courtyard.
"Did the pig die?" Chen asked resignedly.
"No. It needs food. High-energy food."
"We have no food, Su Ye. I told you."
"What about the trash?" Su Ye asked.
Uncle Chen blinked. "Trash?"
"The Alchemy Hall," Su Ye's eyes lit up with a plan. "The Weapon Forging Pavilion. The Royal Kitchen. What do they do with their failed experiments? The burnt pills? The broken spirit swords? The fish bones from high-tier Spirit Beasts?"
"They... throw them in the communal dump behind the North Mountain," Chen said slowly. "But that stuff is toxic. The burnt pills contain Fire Poison. The scrap metal is sharp. You can't feed that to a pig. It will dissolve its stomach."
Su Ye looked back at the shed where the Taotie descendant lay.
"Uncle Chen," Su Ye grinned, and for a second, he looked more dangerous than the beasts. "One man's toxic waste is another pig's buffet. Grab the cart. We're going dump diving."
The North Mountain Dump was a festering scar on the beautiful landscape of the Myriad Beast Hall. It was a canyon where the various departments threw their hazardous waste.
Green smog hovered over the piles of refuse. Broken cauldrons, shattered sword shards, and black, charred remains of failed alchemy pills littered the ground.
"This is a bad idea," Uncle Chen muttered, pulling a rag over his nose. "The fumes alone can kill a cultivator."
Su Ye took a deep breath. Cough. "Smells like opportunity."
He activated the [Black Tortoise Indestructible Breathing Method].
Immediately, his lungs felt coated in iron. The toxins in the air were filtered out, expelled as grey smoke on his exhale.
"Stay by the cart, Uncle Chen. I'll be quick."
Su Ye scrambled down the slope. He scanned the piles.
He wasn't looking for treasure. He was looking for dense trash.
He found a pile of black, soot-covered balls. [Failed Spirit Gathering Pills - Highly Volatile].
He scooped a handful into his sack.
He found a rusted, twisted lump of metal. [Broken Meteor Iron - Too Hard to Smelt].
Into the sack.
He found the skeletal remains of a Fire-Scale Salmon that the Head Chef must have prepared for the Elders. The bones still glowed with faint heat.
Into the sack.
"Hey! You there! The rat in the trash!"
Su Ye froze. He looked up.
Standing on the ridge of the canyon were three young men wearing the uniforms of the Outer Disciples. They looked clean, arrogant, and bored.
The leader, a lanky boy with a sword strapped to his hip, sneered. "Look, boys. It's the famous Su Ye. The Dung Scooper who thinks he's a Tamer."
"Word travels fast," Su Ye muttered, continuing to shovel toxic pills into his bag.
"Master Mo said you were exiled," the disciple called out, picking up a rock. "He said if we see you, we should... teach you a lesson about staying in your hole."
He threw the rock. It clattered near Su Ye's feet.
"Leave it be," Su Ye said calmly, not looking up. "I'm just collecting garbage. I'm doing you a favor."
"You are the garbage," the disciple laughed. "My name is Zhao Feng. Remember it, because I'm the one who's going to break your legs."
Zhao Feng jumped down the slope, landing with a flourish. He drew his sword. It was a low-tier spirit weapon, glowing faintly.
"A duel?" Su Ye straightened up, holding his sack of trash. "I'm a servant. You're a cultivator. Doesn't seem fair."
"Fairness is for the strong," Zhao Feng smirked. "But don't worry. I won't kill you. I'll just cut off the hand you used to touch Master Mo's lion."
He lunged.
It was a basic sword technique—Gale Wind Thrust. Fast, sharp, aimed at Su Ye's right shoulder.
Uncle Chen screamed from the top of the ridge. "Su Ye! Run!"
Su Ye didn't run. He didn't even dodge.
He watched the sword coming. In his eyes, the movement seemed... slow.
Why is he so slow? Su Ye wondered.
The Tortoise Breathing Method didn't just harden his skin; it slowed his heart rate, making the world appear to move at a leisurely pace.
Su Ye took a single, lazy step to the left.
Whoosh.
The sword stabbed the air where his shoulder had been a millisecond ago.
Zhao Feng stumbled, off-balance. "What?"
Su Ye sighed. "Your footing is terrible. And your sword arm is stiff. Did your ancestor tell you nothing?"
"Shut up!" Zhao Feng slashed horizontally.
Su Ye stepped back. The blade missed his nose by an inch.
"You're wide open," Su Ye commented, sounding like a bored teacher.
He dropped the sack of trash. As Zhao Feng prepared for a third strike, Su Ye didn't use a martial art. He didn't use magic.
He used the [Thunderfire Lion's] method.
He channeled his breath, mimicked the internal roar he had heard in his head, and stomped his foot.
THUD.
It wasn't a super-powered stomp, but the timing was impeccable. He stomped exactly as Zhao Feng was shifting his weight.
The ground shook—just a little. But it was enough.
Zhao Feng's ankle twisted. He yelped, flailing his arms, and face-planted directly into a pile of rotting, slimy Spirit Fruit peels.
Splat.
Silence descended on the dump. The two disciples on the ridge stared.
Su Ye picked up his sack of trash. He looked down at the groaning disciple.
"You have a calcium deficiency in your left ankle," Su Ye said nonchalantly. "Drink more milk. And maybe practice on flat ground before you try to kill people in a garbage dump."
He climbed back up the slope, brushing past the stunned disciples.
"Let's go, Uncle Chen," Su Ye tossed the sack onto the cart. "The pig is waiting."
Uncle Chen stared at him, his eyes wide. "You... you defeated an Outer Disciple? He's a Fighter 2-dan!"
"I didn't defeat him," Su Ye shrugged, grabbing the cart handles. "He defeated himself. Poor balance. It's a tragedy, really."
As they wheeled the cart away, Su Ye's face hardened.
He had won this skirmish, but he knew what it meant. Master Mo wasn't just starving him; he was sending hit squads.
I need power, Su Ye thought. I need my own army.
He looked at the sack of toxic waste. Then he thought of the tiny, dying piglet in the shed.
"Eat up, little guy," Su Ye whispered. "Because tomorrow, we're going to war."
Back at the Twilight Stable, Su Ye dumped the contents of the sack onto the floor of the shed.
Toxic pills, jagged metal, fish bones. It looked like a pile of death.
"Here," Su Ye nudged the piglet. "Dinner is served."
The piglet sniffed the air. Its eyes shot open.
Snort.
It scrambled to its feet, stumbling over its own hooves. It opened its mouth.
And then, something impossible happened.
The piglet's mouth opened... and kept opening. The jaw unhinged. The throat expanded. For a second, the piglet looked less like an animal and more like a portal to the abyss.
CRUNCH.
It bit into the solid meteor iron. It chewed the metal like it was a cracker.
GULP.
It inhaled the toxic fire pills. Instead of dying, its skin flushed a healthy, vibrant pink.
Within seconds, the entire pile of trash—heavier than the pig itself—was gone.
Burp.
A small puff of black smoke came out of the piglet's snout.
It looked at Su Ye. Its blue eyes were no longer watery. They were bright, intelligent, and filled with a chaotic energy.
It trotted over to Su Ye and rubbed its head against his boot.
Ding!
[Target: Void-Swallowing Beast (Juvenile)]
[Status: Satiated (For now)]
[Affection Level: Dependent]
[New Skill Unlocked: Matter Conversion]
[The Beast wishes to form a Contract.]
Su Ye crouched down and placed his hand on the piglet's head.
"You like trash, huh?" Su Ye smiled. "Me too. We're going to get along just fine."
"I'll call you... Zhu Zhu."
The piglet squealed happily.
"Alright, Zhu Zhu," Su Ye stood up, looking toward the distant towers of the Beast Hall where Master Mo lived. "You full?"
The piglet nodded.
"Good. Because I have a feeling Master Mo has a lot of expensive artifacts in his house. And I think... they might be tasty."