128 - Divine Mastering Dragon System

Chapter 125: Nestlings In preparation for the Qianlong Ranking assembly, Tianji Sect had set up numerous arenas within Qingyuan City. Of these, the largest one was located on the northern side near the Immortal Mansion. This arena could accommodate all spectators and was generally reserved for use only after the top eight contestants had been determined. Before the official draw and start of the competition, there was a tradition: if the winner of the previous tournament was under fifty and also participating again, a disciple from Tianji Sect would spar with them. The outcome didn't matter—it was merely a spectacle for entertainment. As the host, Tianji Sect would not compete for supremacy with the various guests, thus making this the only opportunity to witness the prowess of Tianji Sect disciples. Although it was said to be just for fun, the victor would still receive a reward from Lord Tianji, possibly a magical artifact, a pill, or a talisman. However, as Tianji Sect's disciples were not particularly skilled in direct combat and given that their opponent was the top-ranked fighter of the Qianlong Ranking, historically, they seldom won. Thus, the reward generally went to someone from outside the sect. But Tianji Sect had always been generous, seemingly indifferent to this small loss. The territory was prosperous, and Tianji Sect's management of it was lucrative enough to rake in substantial taxes each year. In the original novel, this was tantamount to the male lead Qin Miao's financial reserves. At one point, Qin Miao even spent lavishly to purchase a female slave, and that wealth was accumulated through the sect's lucrative backing of several spirit stone mines and town incomes. In Xiang Shi Yan's view, among the major forces supporting Qin Miao in the original story, Tianji Sect was the most multifaceted. It seemed they were blind to have chosen to support Qin Miao. Xiang Shi Yan sighed. Managing a town indeed brought significant returns, but it also depended on whether the conditions were right. Mismanagement could lead to trouble, and currently, Yu Cang Mountain was hardly in a position to accomplish such feats. Comparing Qingyuan City and Huaihai City, the primary difference lay in their attitudes towards ordinary people. Unlike the aloofness of Huaihai City, in Qingyuan City, cultivators and ordinary people coexisted harmoniously. Those without cultivation didn't panic or bow upon seeing cultivators; the bolder ones even dared to stop and observe. The city was filled with shops run by ordinary people, transactions conducted using spirit stones common in the cultivation world, which could be exchanged for mortal gold and silver at the Tianji Sect outposts if used outside Qingyuan City. Ordinary people thrived in the city, providing ample manpower for Tianji Sect to mine the spirit stone veins. Although cultivators were powerful, they were too few in number, making reliance on ordinary manpower more efficient. The sustenance issues for most city residents were also addressed. She muttered to herself, "This should be the most isolated of sects, yet it seems too caught up in wealth..." He He, sitting beside her in the stands, overheard and chuckled, "Tianji Sect excels in the arts of strategy and calculation. Isn't meticulous planning and managing fortunes their forte?" "Precisely." Xiang Shi Yan nodded, generously lauding her friend, “You've become more perceptive lately.” Meanwhile, on her other side, Fu Zhi was slightly irritated, telepathically arguing, "While my disciples are indeed skilled in calculations, you can't misconstrue us like this!" She was anxious that such statements might tarnish their reputation, leading others to mistakenly believe Tianji Sect solely managed finances. "Being adept at generating wealth is also a skill." He He reassured her. Their conversation was concealed by an imperceptible barrier He He cast, leaving Xiang Shi Yan oblivious. However, as she turned to look at He He, she felt that there was something different about her today. Usually smiling brightly with pupillike eyes, today her companion appeared even more joyful... "Did something good happen today?" Xiang Shi Yan wondered. Hearing this, Fu Zhi also took a moment to carefully scrutinize the girl beside her. Noticing that her eyebrows would lift when she smiled, revealing a boastful expression as if she were awaiting someone to ask her about it, Fu Zhi found it curious. Could returning to a youthful body influence one's mind as well? When Xiang Shi Yan posed her question, He He beamed smugly, reaching into her sleeve to mysteriously retrieve something— Xiang Shi Yan's brows instantly furrowed. Though the girl hadn't opened her palm to show her yet, Xiang Shi Yan's spiritual sense had already detected a living thing being kept in He He's sleeve since they arrived at the northern square. Carefully unfolding her hand, the girl revealed a tiny bird even smaller than a newborn chick, its body covered in soft, orange-red down, trembling with each even breath. The bird was astonishingly small, likely having just hatched, sleeping peacefully with its eyes closed. "This... how did you acquire this young mystical bird?" Xiang Shi Yan, startled, quickly realized that the bird's internal meridians and spiritual essence were already beginning to form, indicating it was a young mystical beast. "Sister Huai Ye gifted it to me." The sky was faintly tinged with a hint of azure purple; it was far from dawn. The disciples of Yu Cang Mountain either slept peacefully or meditated in their rooms, unaware of Huai Ye's late-night visit or He He's absence from her chamber, even Xiang Shi Yan, who lodged next to her, hadn't noticed her departure. Failing to find He He in her room, Huai Ye had not disturbed Xiang Shi Yan's cultivation. Unexpectedly, she encountered He He returning from Tianji Sect in the courtyard. Facing her sister's puzzled gaze, the girl's expression remained unchanged, yet inwardly, she contemplated how long Huai Ye had been watching her and whether she had seen her transform instantaneously from smoke to form. Then she wondered if Huai Ye's less than potent spiritual sense might allow her to erase the memory without causing harm or turning her into a fool. In those brief moments of thought, He He responded nonchalantly, "Woke up early, just came out for a walk." As she spoke, she closely observed Huai Ye's reaction, realizing that her companion showed no visible suspicion, merely responding with a simple acknowledgment, not pressing further, likely not having witnessed anything. Seemingly remembering her purpose, Huai Ye promptly moved forward, taking He He by the hand and leading her to her own room in seeming urgency. He He had never seen such eagerness from her before, and Huai Ye did not disclose the matter but rather stayed mysteriously silent. He He quickly identified the item Huai Ye placed on the table as the egg they had taken from the Huoyan bird's nest in the Hun Yuan realm. Beneath it lay several tattered pieces of cloth, giving it a semblance of not being destined for consumption. The egg had transformed from a jade-white base with a touch of fiery red markings to its current state, filled with variably shaded orange-red. This condition likely resulted from Huai Ye's uneven control over the spiritual energy being fed to the egg, manifesting as fluctuating colors on its surface. When the young bird's external spiritual energy completely enveloped the egg's surface, it would be close to hatching. Within the egg, slight vibrations of spiritual energy could be felt, more pronounced than basic spiritual circulations, indicating the chick's struggle for liberation. "After finding these two eggs in the Hun Yuan realm, we were drawn into the copper urn space, knocked out for three days. Upon awakening, one was dead; this one still had a breath of life. I gave it to the master for care until it stabilized. I promised to give it to you once it hatches, so you might contract with it." He He subtly glanced at her, noticing a hint of shyness on the usually expressionless girl's face. She didn't mention her meticulous care over the past half-year, probably fearing He He might feel guilty accepting it. Yet, being straightforward, Huai Ye likely hadn't thought that far; it might simply be her embarrassment in being seen diligently hatching an egg. He He, imagining Huai Ye seriously nursing the egg, couldn't help but chuckle—the scene felt too bizarre unless she intended to nurture the bird for consumption one day. As they conversed, the previously still egg suddenly moved, drawing their attention. After a brief pause, it lightly swayed again before falling silent for a considerable time, repeating the cycle. Huai Ye studied it intently, speaking to herself, "What must it feel like, being born from an egg...?" Cramped and stuffy, yet without prior experience of spaciousness or comfort, such confinement ironically offered reassurance. In reality, consciousness oftentimes dimmed before hatching, until one day, liberation came. He He vividly recalled the stinging sensation of her initial breath and the struggle to open her eyes amidst sticky fluids. The sensation of rebirth was profound enough to cement an unbreakable bond with the first creature she laid eyes on. Though He He encountered few challenges during her own hatching, most egg-born mystical beasts undergo the process of shell staining. As the creature inside grows, the shell gradually thins and unabsorbed spiritual residue may imprint on it, forming various patterns on dragon eggs or covering the entire surface in the case of mystical bird eggs. In her past life, for the purpose of making medicines, He He had once requested the egg shell left over from her birth from the sect leader. She still vividly remembered the intricate spiritual patterns on it that lingered for a long time, with the same radiant glow all over. It wasn't surprising given that the egg had been meticulously nurtured by a deity-level figure for nearly a century, resulting in its perfection. The current situation was different... Seeing the intervals between the young bird’s struggles lengthening, He He’s heart sank. She glanced at Huai Ye, who remained oblivious, eagerly watching the egg. The chick within the egg was too frail, lacking the strength to break its own shell. He He gently furrowed her brows. Creatures unable to hatch by themselves rarely survived long. But she thought, since I'll be taking care of it, maybe it doesn't matter much... Suddenly, after a long stillness, the delicate egg erupted with a brilliant red light, a tremor spreading a crack from its apex. Huai Ye didn’t notice He He’s subtle movements and watched wide-eyed as a small beak poked through the crack. Like a curious child, he leaned over to peek inside at the chick. Although He He harbored a fondness for mystical beasts, she had no contracted spiritual beasts. Most mystical beasts feared her; those of a lower rank wouldn't dare approach her. If she failed to conceal her dragon aura, even some beast clans reacted similarly. The chick soon pushed aside its shell and emerged with its head poking out. It was covered in a layer of mucus, oversized head on a small body, and to be honest, it wasn't particularly cute. It didn’t even open its eyes, just lay on the soft fabric, unmoving. He He patiently used a handkerchief dipped in warm, clean water to carefully wipe away the filth, watching its fluffiness slowly return. “So, you’ve been keeping it tucked away in your clothing the whole time?” Xiang Shi Yan rubbed her temples, exasperated. He He petted the tiny bird with a single cautious finger, boasting lightly, “Once it opened its eyes, it clung to me. If left in the room, it makes a fuss and runs around, yet calms down when I keep it with me.” “It has probably identified you as its mother. You must be cautious; in case you bump into someone or fall, it might be harmed,” Xiang Shi Yan advised, though the thought that most worried her was another matter. “A Huoyan Bird is a high-level fire-attributed mystical beast. Compared to you, it’s more suited for Huai Ye.” The light in the girl’s eyes dimmed instantly, as if she was pleading with those puppy-like eyes, glancing from the nestling to Xiang Shi Yan, yet she didn’t obey by relinquishing the Huoyan chick. Xiang Shi Yan patiently explained, “The temperament of a Huoyan Bird is unpredictable, inclined towards bloodlust—it’s notoriously difficult to tame.” The Huoyan Bird's reputation was indeed daunting, and its untamable nature was well-known. Xiang Shi Yan had hardly ever seen cultivators using it as a spiritual pet. To be frank, she thought having such a beast following you around, one that enjoyed toying with its prey and had the peculiar diet of exclusively eating brains, gave quite the appearance of a villain. Upon hearing that the chick in He He’s hands was a Huoyan Bird, her two companions, previously sitting next to her, subtly shifted away out of instinct. The girl watched them with innocent confusion, “Is it really that unpleasant? It’s so adorable. Look at it again!” She moved the nestling closer to Fu Zhi, who instantly turned pale. Fu Zhi had once ventured into a secret realm with her peers and had encountered this species. Although she didn’t see it, the vivid sound of its feeding was engraved in her memory—the sharp, long beak cracking open a human skull like a nut, only that Huoyan Birds preferred to pluck brains from eye sockets and ears, exerting the least effort possible. Though He He’s little nestling simply sat like a chick, dozing off, it involuntarily brought back those terrifying memories for Fu Zhi. Xiang Shi Yan gently pulled He He back to her side, away from tormenting her fellow disciples. While handing the Huoyan Bird to Huai Ye would indeed be more suitable, Xiang Shi Yan considered Huai Ye's physical strength against his frail spiritual sense, which even made controlling a Golden-backed Wolf quite the struggle, not to mention contracting with a Huoyan Bird and simultaneously managing two mystical beasts. On the other hand, He He’s fire and wood spiritual roots were comparatively weaker than her ice spiritual roots. A contract with the Huoyan Bird might strengthen her fire spiritual root, which wasn't necessarily a bad prospect... Perhaps it was that she couldn't refuse He He. Xiang Shi Yan sighed, “Contracting with a high-level mystical beast will benefit you greatly. While it's still young, binding it early through a contract will likely prevent future trouble.” Xiang Shi Yan was unaware that He He inherently possessed water spiritual roots, which conflicted with the attributes of a Huoyan Bird, making a contract difficult. She was merely using her dragon aura to control it, otherwise, she would have understood how cold the smile on the girl's face truly was. With her master’s approval to keep the dangerous creature, the girl beamed at the chick in her palm, “I’ll take good care of you and help you grow fast.” What could a Huoyan Bird eat? It could start with grains as primary food, occasionally feasting on small insects, frogs, or mice under her supervision... In He He’s care, the thought of it hunting recklessly like its parent, feasting on cultivator brains seemed unlikely. Watching He He’s bright smile, Xiang Shi Yan oddly felt relieved. Author's Note: He He: Thought it was a cute little chick? Just wait a couple of chapters, and it’ll transform into a killer bird. The narrative has been a bit sluggish. I’m going to push myself to wrap up the Qianlong arc within the next ten chapters! I’m also setting a daily update goal: Day one of daily updates, check! Thank you to the little angels who voted or nourished my story with nutrient solutions between 2022-07-11 13:29:52 and 2022-07-13 35:58:25~ A special thanks to the angel who sent a landmine: Zhang Qin Wu Yan 1; Thanks so much for everyone's support, I will continue to work hard!