Earth-grade Bloodline

Marketplace Trading Area.

People came and went, the place noisy and bustling.

There were not many stall owners 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 would the beast egg shown in the hexagram image be?

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

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

About a quarter of an hour later.

He had already looked through more than ten stalls selling beast eggs.

Yet there was no sign of a Profound Water Turtle Egg.

Time slipped by.

Before he knew it, another quarter of an hour had passed.

Finally.

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 giving anything away, Li Chang'an walked over to inspect them.

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

All of them wore hesitant expressions.

They seemed to be considering whether to buy them.

At that moment.

The stall owner was recounting how he had obtained these Profound Water Turtles.

"I am not a Beast Tamer. I was simply fortunate enough that, while exploring a Secret Realm not long ago, I discovered a great lake and found this nest of Profound Water Turtle eggs by its shore..."

He wore a broad smile, clearly in an excellent mood.

After all, this nest of Profound Water Turtle Eggs counted as a fortuitous opportunity.

Li Chang'an stood before the stall.

His gaze passed over each Profound Water Turtle Egg.

Strange. They all look no different—just ordinary Profound Water Turtle Eggs. Which one underwent a bloodline mutation?

Li Chang'an pondered in secret.

Ordinary Profound Water Turtles.

Had the same Mid-grade Bloodline as Yellow Sand Dogs.

Yet the turtle egg mentioned in the hexagram image had somehow seen its bloodline leap two entire grades.

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

It was truly baffling.

Still.

It had been discovered within a Secret Realm.

Everyone knew that all manner of bizarre and abnormal things often occurred inside Secret Realms.

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

The stall owner said with a smile.

A cultivator before the stall shook his head.

"That is too expensive. Profound Water Turtle Eggs are not worth that price at all."

"How is it expensive?"

The stall owner immediately retorted.

"Fellow Daoist, Profound Water Turtles are Spiritual Beasts with Mid-grade Bloodlines. As long as they are properly nurtured, breaking through to the First-tier Late-stage is not difficult."

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

The cultivator still shook his head.

He sighed. "I do not even have enough treasures for my own cultivation. How could I have any to spare for nurturing a Spiritual Beast?"

The stall owner asked him, "Then why do you want to buy one?"

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

"So that is how it is."

The stall owner suddenly understood.

However, he remained adamant that he would not sell for less than fifty Spirit Stones.

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

Before long, those people left.

Only Li Chang'an remained before the stall.

"Fellow Daoist, have you made your choice?"

The stall owner's eyes brightened slightly, knowing a sale was coming.

Li Chang'an's expression remained calm as he nodded.

"I want all of these Profound Water Turtle Eggs."

"All of them?"

The stall owner 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 am sure."

Li Chang'an's tone was exceptionally 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 obtained the turtle eggs and tossed the Spirit Stones to the stall owner.

"Fellow Daoist, you are refreshingly straightforward!"

The stall owner beamed as he hurriedly put away the Spirit Stones.

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

After this.

He wandered through the marketplace a while longer.

Once he confirmed that no other Profound Water Turtle Eggs were being sold, he left the marketplace.

Not long after leaving the marketplace.

He directly used an Evasion Technique and vanished from the spot.

Inside the room.

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

"Which one is it?"

With a focused expression, he observed them carefully for a long time.

He still could not see any abnormalities.

"Forget it. I will let them acknowledge me as their master first."

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

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.

"Hmm?"

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

In his perception.

The egg's life force was extraordinarily vigorous, far surpassing that of the other six.

Moreover.

Its aura was rapidly growing stronger.

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

"Is it going 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 and crushed quite a few Spirit Stones, raising the Spiritual Energy density throughout the room 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 fracture appeared upon the eggshell.

Immediately afterward, more and more cracks appeared.

Just then.

Li Chang'an's expression changed slightly.

"The life force of the other six turtle eggs is falling."

He sensed that the Little Turtle breaking out of its shell was absorbing the life force of the other six turtle eggs.

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

About a quarter of an hour later.

The life force of the other six turtle eggs completely vanished. They became dead eggs, never to hatch again.

Crack!

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

He was only palm-sized, his entire body a bluish gray. He held his head high, his pair of large eyes looking at Li Chang'an with an intimate emotion in them.

Because of the earlier Spirit Contract.

He had already regarded Li Chang'an as family.

"Hungry?"

Li Chang'an sensed another emotion conveyed by 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 to him.

Before long.

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

He blinked his large eyes and conveyed a feeling of satisfaction.

"He can really eat."

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 as well.

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

The next instant.

The Spirit Testing Stone erupted with incomparably dazzling, resplendent light.

"It truly is an Earth-grade bloodline!"

Joy appeared on Li Chang'an's face.

Even with the hexagram image's warning, he had still harbored doubts before this.

After all.

A Spiritual Beast's bloodline was fixed from birth.

Just like a Human Cultivator's Spirit Root, it should not have been possible to improve it.

Li Chang'an thought of his own Spirit Root.

"Since Bloodline Grades can be raised, could there also be a way to raise my Spirit Root?"