Bio-engineered Dinosaur in the immortal world-Chapter 97: Back at the sect

Inside the vast, swirling spiritual sea of Zou Fang, Wei Long sat with his arms crossed, his golden eyes lazily watching the outside world through a hazy projection in the air.

Beside him, lounging in the same ethereal space, was Red'Ribbon, the strange yet familiar presence that had long made its home inside this place.

Wei Long lazily chewed on a piece of food that had been given to them—some spiritual meal gifted by Zou Fang.

His sharp teeth easily shredded through the meat, but the moment it touched his tongue, his expression twisted into one of pure disappointment.

He chewed a few more times.

Then paused.

Then sighed.

Then, finally, he spat the food out, making an exaggerated face of disgust.

"Blegh! What the hell is this?" Wei Long grumbled, flicking the remains of the food away. His tail thumped against the ethereal ground, his entire being radiating dissatisfaction.

"This stuff is nothing compared to the demonic-essence-filled beasts back at that Demonic Cultivator's hidden place."

He smacked his lips, clearly offended. "There's no richness in the taste, no corruptive flavor, no deep, soul-burning essence! What is this? Just some plain spiritual food? This is so boring!"

Red'Ribbon, who had been chewing calmly, rolled his eyes.

"You're the only one who wants demonic essence in their food," he said flatly. "Most people would rather not eat something that rots their insides."

Wei Long huffed.

"They just don't understand true flavor." He leaned back, stretching his limbs lazily. "Eating those beasts back there was like devouring raw power. Every bite felt like an explosion of energy and destruction. It's the taste of chaos! Of domination! Of absolute, overwhelming force!"

Red'Ribbon rolled his eyes again, looking deeply unimpressed.

"You really are a weirdo," he muttered, taking another bite of his meal.

Wei Long turned to him, offended.

"And you're fine with this bland nonsense?"

Red'Ribbon shrugged.

"It's food. Zou Fang gave it to us. Just eat."

Wei Long snorted.

"If you think this is acceptable, then I'm worried for you." He scratched his chin, then grumbled, "Wait a minute… where did this even come from?"

Red'Ribbon waved his hand lazily.

"It's from the sect," he explained. "These meals are given to temporary tamers like Zou Fang. It's standard."

Wei Long's ears twitched.

His golden eyes narrowed.

"Standard?" He leaned forward, suddenly interested. "So that means… there's better stuff?"

Red'Ribbon sighed, already knowing where this was going.

"If Zou Fang makes a good impression during the welcoming ceremony, then the sect will reward him with better resources."

Wei Long grinned.

"Good," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Then he better do it."

Red'Ribbon gave him a look.

"You're saying that like you're giving him a choice."

Wei Long's grin stretched wider.

"I'm not," he said simply. "If he messes up, I'll beat him myself."

Red'Ribbon stared at him.

Then sighed.

"He knows that."

Wei Long chuckled, then leaned back again, looking at the projection of the outside world.

He watched as Zou Fang walked through the sect grounds, the surroundings filled with fellow disciples, all of them preparing for the upcoming event.

His golden eyes glinted, and after a moment, he lazily asked—

"So. What happened while I was gone?"

Red'Ribbon hummed.

"Not much," he said. "The disciples were given proper resources to recover, and they all got time to rest."

Wei Long waited.

Red'Ribbon continued.

"They received basic guidance on how to properly stabilize their spiritual foundations after their previous battles. The elders assigned mentors to assist them in cultivating, and they spent most of the time adjusting their energy flow to avoid long-term damage.

"There was a period of internal sparring, meant to further familiarize themselves with the sect's techniques. Those with promising potential were given additional elixirs to increase their growth speed, while others were encouraged to train in basic formations to enhance group combat effectiveness.

"Several lectures were held regarding the sect's history, as well as the importance of balance between individual strength and team coordination. There was also a minor discussion on the importance of… blah blah blah…"

Wei Long's face slowly fell.

His eyes glazed over.

His tail twitched impatiently.

The more Red'Ribbon spoke, the more bored he became.

Finally—

Wei Long groaned loudly.

"Alright, alright, I get it!" He threw his arms in the air, dramatically leaning back. "You're telling me that while I was out there fighting for my damn life, you guys were just here chilling?"

Red'Ribbon blinked.

Then, without hesitation, he rolled his eyes again.

"It's your own fault for running off."

Wei Long clicked his tongue.

"Still. I went through some crazy stuff." He lifted his hands and gestured wildly. "I was literally being chased, fighting some unholy nightmare of a beast, and here you guys are, just relaxing?"

Red'Ribbon didn't even bother responding.

Instead, he simply stared at Wei Long's ridiculously happy-looking face.

He blinked.

Then, flatly, he said—

"You look damn happy."

Wei Long paused.

Red'Ribbon pointed at him.

"You keep grinning like an idiot. What life and death situation? I wasn't there, so you could be lying."

Wei Long pouted.

"Hey, it really was dangerous!"

Red'Ribbon scoffed.

"Sure."

Wei Long crossed his arms, muttering under his breath.

For a moment, the two sat in silence, watching the outside world once more.

Then—

Wei Long's ears twitched.

His golden eyes narrowed.

He leaned forward slightly.

"Oh?" He smirked.

"Look at that."

Red'Ribbon turned to him.

"What?"

Wei Long grinned.

"It seems Zou Fang is in trouble."

…

Outside, in the open courtyard of the Autumn Dragon Sect, Zou Fang sat on a stone bench, arms crossed, his back resting against the cool surface.

Bashawk, his proud beast companion, stood beside him, stretching its large, razor-sharp wings under the warm afternoon sun.

The hawk-like creature, adorned with dark blue and silver feathers, exuded an aura of quiet strength, its piercing gaze scanning the surroundings.

Zou Fang was at ease.

For once, he wasn't training, wasn't dealing with sect politics, wasn't fending off trouble. He was just chilling.

But that peace was about to be shattered.

Inside the depths of Zou Fang's spiritual sea, hidden from the outside world, Wei Long watched through Zou Fang's senses.

His golden, slitted eyes flickered with recognition as he spotted a figure approaching from the distance.

A memory stirred.

A face. A name.

Lin Zhi.

Wei Long's sharp mind immediately recalled why this person stood out.

Back when he became the master of Zou Fang, he had absorbed memories—important ones, ones Zou Fang himself had buried deep inside.

Lin Zhi.

A beast tamer obsessed with perfection.

A man disgusted by Zou Fang's talent, for despite his great ambition, his aptitude was mediocre at best.

A former rival, once admired, once envied.

Now?

Just another obstacle.

Updated from freewёbnoνel.com.

Outside, Zou Fang turned his gaze toward the approaching figure.

Lin Zhi strolled forward with a ridiculous, smug smile stretched across his face.

His deep green robe bore the emblem of a minor beast-taming family, one that had produced several notable tamers throughout history, but none of them had ever reached the true pinnacle of the art.

His eyes gleamed with thinly veiled arrogance as he came to a stop, standing just a few paces away from Zou Fang.

Then—

He sneered.

"Well, well," Lin Zhi drawled, his voice dripping with mockery. "Look who's here. The abandoned son of the village chief—Zou Fang."

Wei Long, watching from the spiritual sea, immediately snorted.

"This guy talks like a third-rate villain," he muttered, already bored.

Red'Ribbon, lounging beside him, rolled his eyes.

"You're one to talk," he said.

Back outside, Zou Fang simply raised an eyebrow, his expression unreadable.

But Lin Zhi wasn't done.

He took another step forward, his smile widening.

"It's been a long time," he continued, his voice laced with false politeness. "Tell me, how does it feel? Being the one your father never wanted? The one your village never needed?"

Wei Long stiffened.

His golden eyes flashed with annoyance.

"Tch. He's trying to get under Zou Fang's skin."

Red'Ribbon sighed, already predicting Wei Long's reaction.

"Don't jump out there," he warned.

"I won't," Wei Long replied. "Yet."