Earth-grade Bloodline

Marketplace Trading Area.

People came and went, the clamor deafening.

There were not many stallholders selling beast eggs, and nearly all of them were Beast Tamers.

Of course, there were also some lucky cultivators who happened to discover beast eggs while exploring outside and brought them back to the Marketplace to sell.

"Where will the beast egg shown in the Hexagram Image be?"

Li Chang'an changed his aura and walked through the Trading Area.

He tried his best to remain calm, his gaze swiftly sweeping across stall after stall.

About half a quarter-hour later.

He had already inspected more than ten stalls selling beast eggs.

Yet he found no trace of a Profound Water Turtle Egg.

Time flew by.

Before he knew it, another half quarter-hour had passed.

At last.

Li Chang'an halted, his gaze locking onto a stall.

Several oval beast eggs lay on that stall, each emitting faint water-attributed fluctuations.

"Profound Water Turtle Eggs!"

Without changing expression, Li Chang'an walked over to inspect them.

Several cultivators were also standing before the stall, examining the beast eggs.

Hesitation filled their faces.

They seemed to be considering whether to buy them.

At that moment.

The stallholder was recounting how he had obtained these Profound Water Turtle Eggs.

"I am not a Beast Tamer. It was merely a stroke of luck. Not long ago, while exploring a Secret Realm, I discovered a great lake and found this clutch of Profound Water Turtle eggs by its shore..."

His face was full of smiles, and he was in an exceptionally good mood.

After all, this clutch of Profound Water Turtle Eggs counted as a fortunate opportunity.

Li Chang'an stood before the stall.

His gaze swept over the Profound Water Turtle Eggs one by one.

"Strange. They all look no different, merely ordinary Profound Water Turtle Eggs. Which one underwent a bloodline mutation?"

Li Chang'an pondered in secret.

Ordinary Profound Water Turtles.

Like Yellow Sand Dogs, their Bloodline Grade was only medium-grade.

Yet the turtle egg mentioned in the Hexagram Image had somehow seen its bloodline leap upward by two grades.

That was equivalent to raising a Human Race cultivator's Mid-grade Spirit Root into an Earth-grade Spirit Root.

It was truly baffling.

Still.

It had been discovered within a Secret Realm.

Everyone knew that Secret Realms often produced all kinds of strange and abnormal occurrences.

"Fellow Daoists, these Profound Water Turtle Eggs are only fifty Spirit Stones each. First come, first served!"

The stallholder said with a smile.

A cultivator before the stall shook his head.

"Too expensive. Profound Water Turtle Eggs are not worth that price at all."

"How is that expensive?"

The stallholder immediately retorted.

"Fellow Daoist, Profound Water Turtles are Spiritual Beasts with Mid-grade Bloodlines. So long as they are properly raised, breaking through to First-tier Late-stage will not be difficult."

"That may be true, but raising one requires far too many treasures."

That cultivator still shook his head.

He sighed. "I do not even have enough treasures for my own cultivation. Where would I find extras to raise a Spiritual Beast?"

The stallholder asked, "Then why do you want to buy one, Fellow Daoist?"

"I plan to use it as an ingredient and make a water-attributed Spirit Meal. Perhaps it will deepen my comprehension of Water Element Spells."

"So that is how it is."

The stallholder came to a sudden realization.

However, he remained firm. He would not sell for less than fifty Spirit Stones.

That price was indeed rather high, making the other cultivators frown.

Not long afterward, those people left.

Only Li Chang'an remained before the stall.

"Fellow Daoist, have you made your choice?"

The stallholder's eyes brightened slightly. He knew business had arrived.

Li Chang'an remained calm and nodded.

"I'll take all of these Profound Water Turtle Eggs."

"All of them?"

The stallholder froze, then was overjoyed.

Yet he did not immediately make the trade. Instead, he carefully sized Li Chang'an up several times.

"Fellow Daoist, fifty Spirit Stones each. Are you sure?"

"I'm sure."

Li Chang'an's tone was exceedingly serious.

Afterward.

The two parties signed a Trading Spirit Contract.

There were seven turtle eggs in total, for a price of three hundred and fifty Spirit Stones.

Li Chang'an smoothly acquired the turtle eggs and tossed the Spirit Stones to the stallholder.

"Fellow Daoist, how forthright!"

The stallholder beamed with delight and hurriedly put away the Spirit Stones.

Li Chang'an was delighted as well, though he did not show it. His expression remained calm.

After that.

He strolled through the Marketplace for a little longer.

After confirming that no other Profound Water Turtle Eggs were for sale, he left the Marketplace.

Not long after leaving the Marketplace.

He directly used an Evasion Technique and vanished from where he stood.

Inside the room.

Li Chang'an returned and took out the seven turtle eggs.

"Which one is it?"

He looked focused as he carefully observed them for a long time.

Still, he could not see anything unusual.

"Forget it. I'll let them recognize me as their master first."

With a thought, Li Chang'an took seven Spirit Contracts from his storage bag.

He dripped his own blood onto those Spirit Contracts.

A moment later.

Each Spirit Contract released a ray of Spiritual Light, shining upon a turtle egg.

The contracts were thus completed.

At that instant, Li Chang'an formed a faint connection with the seven turtle eggs.

"Hm?"

He immediately sensed that one of the turtle eggs was different.

Within his perception.

That turtle egg's life aura was exceptionally vigorous, far surpassing the other six.

Moreover.

Its aura was rapidly growing stronger.

After more than ten breaths, the eggshell began to tremble.

"Is it about to hatch?"

Li Chang'an's expression turned solemn as he stared at that turtle egg.

To avoid any mishap.

He placed a Spirit Eye beside the turtle egg, then crushed quite a few Spirit Stones, raising the room's Spiritual Energy density far beyond its usual level.

"I hope nothing goes wrong."

Li Chang'an thought silently.

A moment later.

A crisp "crack" rang out.

A thin crack appeared on the eggshell.

Immediately afterward, more and more cracks emerged.

Just then.

Li Chang'an's expression changed slightly.

"The life auras of the other six turtle eggs are all declining."

He realized that the hatching Little Turtle was absorbing the life force of the other six turtle eggs.

Li Chang'an's gaze flickered, but he did not stop him.

About half a quarter-hour later.

The life auras of the other six turtle eggs completely vanished. They had become dead eggs and could never hatch again.

Crack!

That special Profound Water Turtle finally crawled out of his shell.

He was only palm-sized, entirely blue-gray. His head was raised high, and his large eyes looked at Li Chang'an, conveying an affectionate emotion.

Because of the Spirit Contract formed earlier.

He had already regarded Li Chang'an as family.

"Hungry?"

Li Chang'an sensed another emotion coming from the Little Turtle.

He took out some Spiritual Medicine and Demonic Beast flesh and blood, placing them all beside him.

This little fellow refused nothing offered.

Before long.

He had devoured every bit of the Spiritual Medicine and flesh and blood.

He blinked his large eyes, conveying a feeling of satisfaction.

"He's actually such a big eater."

Li Chang'an's eyelids twitched slightly as he watched.

After a while.

He took out a Spirit Testing Stone.

This kind of stone could test Human Cultivators' Spirit Roots and Demonic Beasts' bloodlines.

He drew a drop of the Little Turtle's blood and dripped it onto the Spirit Testing Stone.

The next instant.

The Spirit Testing Stone blazed with incomparably brilliant light.

"It really is an Earth-grade bloodline!"

Joy appeared on Li Chang'an's face.

Even with the Hexagram Image's hint, he had still harbored doubts before this.

After all.

A Spiritual Beast's bloodline was fixed from birth.

Like a human cultivator's Spirit Root, it should theoretically be impossible to improve.

Li Chang'an thought of his own Spirit Root.

"Since Bloodline Grade can be raised, could there be a way to raise my Spirit Root as well?"