Jiang Feiling

What surprised Li Tianming somewhat was that the girl seemed to be running barefoot. But upon closer inspection, her feet had not even touched the ground; she was racing toward him through the air.

No wonder Little Yellow Chick had thought she was a female ghost at first glance.

There were many inconceivable things about her, but they were mostly overshadowed by those slender, round, snow-white legs. Li Tianming's eyes held nothing but that pair of beautiful legs swaying continuously through the air.

She had already seen Li Tianming. In fact, even before seeing him, she had locked onto his direction. Perhaps she had sensed his presence even earlier.

The distance between them steadily closed. Naturally, Li Tianming would not let this fairy-like girl perish before his eyes, so he charged toward her at top speed as well.

The trees along the way flew backward one after another. Li Tianming was moving so fast that he nearly flung Little Yellow Chick away. It could only screech and claw desperately at Li Tianming's hair, its tiny body swaying violently in the wind.

"Li Tianming, I've seen through you! You value beauty over friends, you beast in heat!" Little Yellow Chick cursed furiously amid the violent jolting.

But Li Tianming turned a deaf ear to its insults. At that moment, his eyes held only the girl.

As the distance shrank, he saw her more clearly. This girl's beauty was absolutely suffocating; even the crystalline sheen upon her body was extraordinarily special.

Then, he saw the girl smile.

When she smiled, a dimple appeared at the corner of her mouth, and her eyes curved into crescents. She smiled with such contentment, adorable and playful.

She was smiling at Li Tianming. That smile belonged to him alone.

The vicious beast behind her was indeed terrifying. Fortunately, Li Tianming caught up in time. He stretched out his hand, intending to wrap an arm around the girl's slender waist before instantly turning back to help her escape danger!

But just as Li Tianming nearly caught the faint fragrance around her, like a sea of flowers, something utterly inconceivable happened.

Just as he was about to hold her waist and take her from danger, the girl suddenly crashed into him!

He had expected them both to be knocked sprawling, and Li Tianming had done his utmost to dodge. Yet what he had never expected was that when the girl struck his body, she shattered!

That was right—her entire body shattered, vanishing like smoke and scattering like mist in an instant!

Of course, she had not turned into a pile of flesh, nor was there even a trace of blood. She simply disappeared into Li Tianming's body like fog, as though she had never needed saving from him at all.

Such a bizarre event perfectly confirmed Little Yellow Chick's description of her as a "female ghost." It was enough to make one's hair stand on end.

But in the next moment, Li Tianming felt something wondrous.

It was as though he had suddenly been injected with chicken blood. He discovered that his body had developed a savage sensation, akin to berserk transformation or an eruption of excavated potential!

He felt it!

First came his flesh-and-blood body. After being remade by the Primordial Chaos Giant Beast, his Eternal Purgatory Body had already possessed strength beyond that of ordinary people. But now, that explosive power seemed to have risen considerably.

Then there was his Eternal Purgatory Beast Origin. Although the total amount of such high-grade Beast Essence had not increased, some wondrous power seemed to have entered it.

That power made the already terrifying Eternal Purgatory Beast Origin even more explosive. Li Tianming could clearly feel that he was now a whole level stronger than before!

This was a comprehensive strengthening. It had all happened after that girl crashed into him and shattered.

As long as he sensed carefully, he could indeed discover that every aspect of his body had been infused with a strange power, like a catalyst.

"Damn!" When he looked down, he was shocked to discover that his skin had changed.

The sheen that had once existed on the girl's skin had somehow transferred to him. Now, all the skin on his body glimmered with crystalline light...

What exactly was going on...

"Big brother, dodge quickly." A soft, lively voice suddenly rang beside his ear. The moment Li Tianming heard it, he knew that such a pleasant voice had to belong to that girl.

She was not dead, nor had she shattered. Then where was she?

Just as Li Tianming thought this, the voice sounded again. "Big brother, don't worry about where I am for now. Shouldn't we save our lives first?"

Even if she had not said so, Li Tianming had no time to concern himself with her. The charging vicious beast had already discovered new prey and directly locked onto Li Tianming.

It was a tall, savage ape covered in dense golden fur like steel needles. Its body was thick and majestic, every muscle seeming ready to explode.

Li Tianming knew it was a second-rank vicious beast, a Golden Ape. Golden Apes stood at the apex among second-rank vicious beasts. Once grown, their combat power was roughly comparable to the eighth level of the Beast Pulse Realm. The beast before him was clearly an adult.

The ranks of vicious beasts were similar to those of companion beasts, but companion beast ranks were primarily based on potential. Companion beasts that reached their ultimate growth were indeed powerful, but during their cultivation period, even a sixth-rank companion beast might not be a match for an adult second-rank vicious beast.

The Golden Ape charged in brutally. There was no longer enough time to hide. In that critical moment, both Li Tianming and Little Yellow Chick chose to fight.

Li Tianming had no time to waste. As the opponent lunged at him, his left Dark Arm curled its clawed hand into a fist. He used Ghost Shadow Step to flash aside and evade the Golden Ape's claw, then spun around and threw a Dragon-Elephant Heavy Fist at the back of its head.

Boom!

The Golden Ape's reactions were exceptionally quick. It raised an arm to block Li Tianming's punch, but it had never expected the fist to be so mighty. That explosive force sent it rolling several times.

"I'm this strong?" Even Li Tianming was a little dazed. He felt that he was at least two levels stronger than when he had defeated Li Zifeng.

But he had only broken through one level. This change was most likely brought about by that girl.

"Take a claw from your daddy!"

Little Yellow Chick was exceedingly fierce. Just as Li Tianming's punch drove the Golden Ape back, it charged straight at the ape's eyes, directly targeting its weakness.

Battle techniques included Martial Arts and Beast Arts. The Beast Art portion of Dragon-Elephant Heavy Fist was called Dragon-Elephant Heavy Claw. Little Yellow Chick had already mastered this Beast Art. Though its claws were small, the Dragon-Elephant Heavy Claw it unleashed was equally powerful.

If not for that girl, its strike would not have differed much from Li Tianming's, and it was even swifter.

Seizing the opportunity, Li Tianming also drew the Bloodfire Dagger and charged in once more.

After his Dark Arm appeared, Li Tianming made some adjustments. From then on, he would basically use his left Dark Arm for fist techniques, claw techniques, and palm techniques, because this beast claw was not well suited to wielding weapons.

He continued to control the Bloodfire Dagger with his right hand. After all, his right hand was still a human hand and was more nimble.

Under their savage pincer attack, the Golden Ape, which was comparable to the eighth level of the Beast Pulse Realm, began to retreat. The moment it climbed back up, it fled.

Such a primate vicious beast moved through Fire Sash Mountain like a fish in water. Once it fled in such a miserable state, they could not catch it, and there was no point in pursuing it anyway.

Thus, the danger was finally resolved. Yet Li Tianming was still completely baffled. Without the sudden strengthening brought by that girl, he and Little Yellow Chick combined would not have been a match for the Golden Ape.

The deep forest finally quieted down. Li Tianming and Little Yellow Chick stood facing each other, glaring with wide eyes.

"Hahaha, your whole body is glowing. You look like such a sissy." Little Yellow Chick clutched its belly and rolled around in laughter.

Li Tianming looked down and found that he had indeed changed.

But just then, the glow upon his body gradually faded, and another inconceivable thing happened!

The radiance on his body gathered before his eyes. In less than a breath, it actually transformed once more into that ethereal young girl, barefoot and floating in midair.

With the girl floating before him, Li Tianming could see her even more clearly. Sure enough, she was like a spirit of nature itself, so beautiful that she did not seem human at all.

She had not died. Had she attached herself to him just now?

Was this even a person? This was possession by a ghost...

"Big brother, thank you for saving my life just now." The girl loved to smile. Even when she spoke, her voice seemed to carry a smile. Her dimples were especially charming, and her eyes curved like crescent moons, adorable and captivating.

"Hm?" Li Tianming's mind was in chaos, and he could barely speak clearly.

"Beautiful young lady, don't pay attention to him. He's a stinking hooligan." Little Yellow Chick hopped onto Li Tianming's shoulder and said solemnly, "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Yinghuo, and I am this hooligan's guardian chicken."

"So cute." The girl reached out, caught it, placed it in her palm, and stroked its little chicken head with her hand, her eyes shining.

"Beautiful young lady, don't do this. I'm not a pet, nor am I an easy chicken." Little Yellow Chick said helplessly.

"Sorry." The girl returned Little Yellow Chick to Li Tianming, then looked at him expectantly and asked, "Big brother, can you give it to me?"

"Sure, take it. Remember to pick some mushrooms and stew it together. I guarantee it'll be tender and delicious." Li Tianming gleefully grabbed Little Yellow Chick, cursing inwardly, So you dare flirt with girls in front of me!

The girl laughed at his words. She truly loved to laugh, and Li Tianming liked this pure and simple side of her very much.

That girl from before had once been like this too. But after arriving at Yanhuang Academy, she had experienced so much competition that she gradually changed.

"Big brother, you're really humorous. I know it's your companion beast; I was only joking." The girl spoke playfully. She looked curiously at Li Tianming and the chicken, then continued, "My name is Jiang Feiling. What should I call you, big brother?"

"His name is awful, childish, stupid, and brainless. It's something like Li Tianming." Little Yellow Chick cut in first.

"Brother Tianming." The girl laughed again. Her threshold for laughter really was low. Perhaps she found it amusing that such a cute little creature spoke in the tone of a hooligan...

But she really looked beautiful when she smiled. It made Li Tianming feel completely better, as though he had fallen into sweetness.

"Little Sister Ling'er, you're really beautiful." The shameless Little Yellow Chick interrupted again. It had even taken the lead in affectionately calling her Little Sister Ling'er. Li Tianming wanted to throw it away right then.

"Thank you, Brother Yinghuo..."

This girl was ethereal like a fairy, yet also playful and adorable. But Li Tianming was still utterly confused. What exactly was this girl called Jiang Feiling?

"Little Sister Ling'er, where is your companion beast?" Little Yellow Chick had already abandoned all sense of shame, and Li Tianming could only thicken his skin and address her intimately as well.

"Ling'er doesn't have a companion beast. I was born without one." When she spoke of this, she did not seem to care at all.

Moreover, Li Tianming realized at that moment that she seemed to be an ordinary person. There was not the slightest aura of Beast Essence on her.

Without a companion beast, one truly could not embark upon the path of cultivation.

"You don't? Then just now..."

"Big brother, although Ling'er has no companion beast, I have some special abilities. They are all Ling'er's secrets. Because I feel especially close to you, like we have met before, I trust you." She looked at Li Tianming with innocent eyes.

"You feel that too?"

Li Tianming's heart trembled. He did not know why, but the more he spoke with her and smelled her scent, the more he felt comfortable and familiar, as though they had known each other before.

Yet he was certain that he had never seen her in this life.

"Big brother feels it too? I think it's very strange as well. Just now, my Spirit Possession state reached full level. It was the first time it had ever reached full level since I could remember. Before this, the highest Spirit Possession was with Qing'er. Qing'er was born in the same year, month, and day as me, yet even her Spirit Possession state was only level six." The girl spoke softly.

"What is Spirit Possession?" Li Tianming asked curiously.

"It is the process from just now, when I attached myself to you and turned my body into a spirit body. It is a special ability I was born with. It can enhance every aspect of your combat power. A complete Spirit Possession can roughly increase your abilities by an entire realm." The girl spoke earnestly, seeming to savor that perfect Spirit Possession herself.

"That's too miraculous." Li Tianming was somewhat stunned. He had never heard of such a thing.

A girl born without a companion beast could actually attach herself to another person and boost their combat power?

So he was able to bring her Spirit Possession to full level. No wonder she trusted him so much and treated him with such closeness.

"Big brother, look at Ling'er's fingernails." She suddenly raised her hand, ten slender, snow-white fingers swaying before Li Tianming's eyes.

Li Tianming could not help reaching out and taking her hand. It was soft and warm to the touch, simply delightful.

"Big brother..." The girl hurriedly pulled her hand back. Her cheeks suddenly reddened, and that rosy color was exceptionally lovely. Her maidenly shyness made Li Tianming struggle to restrain himself.

"Sorry." Li Tianming hurriedly said. He truly had not controlled himself just then.

"You only need to look at my fingernails." Her face was still flushed, and she could only lower her head, not daring to look at Li Tianming. Yet she raised her hand again, and when Li Tianming looked, he was shocked to find how unusual her fingernails were.

Eight of those fingernails bore strange symbols. The symbols resembled Heavenly Patterns, intricate and profound; looking at them for too long made one feel unwell.

Only two fingernails had no symbols. Those two were crystalline and translucent, beautiful as pearls, with strange power seemingly circulating within them.

"They say Ling'er will have ten special abilities, but they were sealed from birth. Now two have awakened. One is Spirit Possession, and this is the fingernail of Spirit Possession." She showed Li Tianming the pinky fingernail on her left hand.

"And this fingernail contains the power of a Time Field. I can cast a Time Field and control the flow of time." Jiang Feiling said somewhat proudly.

Though she was not a beastmaster, those two special abilities alone sounded enough to make her the most inconceivable existence in the Vermilion Bird Kingdom.

And who knew when the remaining eight fingernails would be unsealed?

Li Tianming was left utterly lost in the clouds and mist. Meeting this girl felt like a dream.

"Ling'er, why don't you marry Li Tianming? With those two abilities supporting him, you'd definitely be the number one support in the world." Little Yellow Chick suddenly said.

"Ah, wouldn't that be inappropriate?" The girl asked blankly. They had only just met—wasn't this far too direct...

"Don't listen to it. This fellow was malnourished as a child, so there's something wrong with its brain. It's an idiot." Li Tianming could not take it anymore. He directly stuffed Little Yellow Chick back into the Companion Space, lest it continue spouting nonsense.

"Fuck, Li Tianming, you're not human..." Before it could finish cursing, Little Yellow Chick vanished without a trace. At last, there was peace and quiet.

Li Tianming was just about to make a proper effort. At the very least, he had to learn the girl's identity and create an opportunity to meet her again.

Yet at that moment, a figure suddenly rushed out from the left and wedged itself directly between them, shoving Li Tianming flying.

"Little thief! Who are you!"

The speaker was another girl, her voice crisp and fierce. Li Tianming guessed that she was the Qing'er Jiang Feiling had mentioned.