Carrying the Mountain

"Yippee!" Feng Ya Ya jumped three feet high and patted Su He, shouting, "Big Turtle, let's go to Heavenly Mechanisms Pavilion!"

Heavenly Mechanisms Pavilion was one of the Azure Origin Sect's Seven Veins, specializing in Artifact Refining.

Su He didn't know where Heavenly Mechanisms Pavilion was, so he just followed Feng Ya Ya's instructions and charged into the Xiangshui Tributary, cutting through the waves.

Upon entering the foothills of Azure Origin Mountain, they turned into a tributary, winding their way to a marketplace.

Heavenly Mechanisms Pavilion wasn't like the other six veins, which were high and mighty like Immortals in the clouds. Its Disciples were more like ordinary merchants, doing their own business.

Those with exceptional skills could open shops, while those with average craftsmanship and poor business sense would set up stalls by the street. Some even placed their stalls on the backs of Exotic beasts, allowing them to move to crowded areas at any time.

Feng Ya Ya led Su He towards a small courtyard on the east side of the marketplace. Before they even arrived, she shouted, "Smelly Uncle, Ya Ya is here to see you!"

An old farmer-dressed old man in the courtyard, who was busy with blacksmithing, dropped his hammer with a clang. He couldn't pick it up in time and instead rushed into the house, shouting inside in a low voice, "Quick, quick! Hide my newly acquired Azure Nether True Gold. Don't let that little ancestor see it!"

It was a life-threatening situation! A flash of flame-like yellow light, and Feng Ya Ya had already burst in.

When Su He stumbled into the small courtyard, the little girl was already pulling the old man's beard, dragging him out of the house. "Smelly Uncle, can you make some storage equipment for my Big Turtle?"

Feng Ya Ya pointed at Su He.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch, good girl, let go!" The old man slapped Feng Ya Ya's small hand away. As long as she wasn't here to snatch his Azure Nether True Gold, he was willing to discuss anything.

He circled Su He twice, clicking his tongue. "This turtle is good. What do you want? A saddle? A space under the saddle that can hold a lot of goods."

Feng Ya Ya clenched her fist and shouted, "No way! Big Turtle is my friend, not my mount!"

"Then, a collar? It's very convenient to wear around the neck... Ouch, ouch, ouch! Stop pulling my beard!"

"Big Turtle is not a pet!" Feng Ya Ya yelled.

"Alright, alright!" The old man raised his hands in surrender and seriously examined Su He.

The water sphere rolling in Su He's mouth slowly disappeared--after this evolution, his Water Manipulation Divine Power could not only condense lake and river water, but Su He could also create water spheres out of thin air and then blast them out.

The power... depended on the weight of the water sphere.

Although it couldn't hurt anyone, if the old man dared to call him a pet again, he would drench him.

The old man looked at Su He, pondered for a moment, and his eyes suddenly lit up. "I've got it! Since it's a turtle, why shouldn't it carry something? I have a mountain here. It was a Cave Mansion customized by a Rogue Cultivator, but he was killed before it was even half-finished. It's not even considered a semi-finished product, so it's perfect for your Big Turtle."

He rummaged in the warehouse for a long time and pulled out a basketball-sized artificial mountain that looked like a small mountain ornament in a fish tank.

"Look here!" The old man pointed to a cave on the artificial mountain.

"This was originally designed as a Cave Mansion by that Rogue Cultivator. It hasn't been refined much, and the space hasn't been expanded. When unfolded, it's ten zhang in size. It's perfect for you two. How about it? Uncle loves you, doesn't he?"

Feng Ya Ya was satisfied and nodded incessantly. She saw a bird's nest-shaped building on the small mountain, which was probably where the Rogue Cultivator kept his Pet Beast.

If it were enlarged and placed on Big Turtle's back, this bird's nest would be perfect for her to sleep in.

The old man's craftsmanship was excellent. In just half a day, he modified the small mountain and fitted it perfectly onto Su He's back, neither too big nor too small.

Feng Ya Ya poked Su He's lips, drawing a drop of blood to complete the Recognize Master ritual on the mountain. Feng Ya Ya then excitedly climbed onto the artificial mountain and curled up in the bird's nest.

As a token of gratitude, Su He helped fertilize the fruit trees outside the small courtyard as they passed by. However, the old man wailed and threatened to smash his Turtle Shell with his hammer.

Fortunately, Feng Ya Ya was fiercer.

He doesn't appreciate kindness! Ever since Su He hatched, he had only eaten high-quality food and rarely defecated. His excrement was used to water plants and was absolutely top-grade fertilizer.

Su He carried her back to Su Hua Nian's water pool.

Su He felt his own shortcomings. This small mountain was at most a storage Artifact. Any Azure Origin Disciple whose Heart Aperture had condensed a Divine Treasure could easily use it, but he felt a strain when connecting to the mountain cave.

Was the turtle in his Heart Aperture not a Divine Treasure? Or did he need to solidify the turtle like the Demonic Race solidified their Heart Aperture human figures?

But how could he do that? He was just a turtle without an Inheritance. He had come this far solely due to the Dice's help.

He knew too little and lacked too much.

He wasn't even as good as the Green Snake.

Returning to the water pool, he hoped Su Hua Nian could point him in the right direction.

Feng Ya Ya curled up in the bird's nest, swaying back and forth. "Big Turtle, you're so stupid, struggling to put a rock into a cave. Let's go back and steal Mother's token, and I'll take you to the Scripture Repository to steal some secret manuals. If you have secret manuals and start Cultivation, you'll become powerful. You won't be afraid of other Exotic beasts."

Su He raised all four limbs in agreement.

He crawled slowly. The weather was getting colder, especially on Azure Origin Mountain. The higher altitude meant lower temperatures, and Su He felt like hibernating.

The hibernation period for turtles was naturally long.

Feng Ya Ya kicked her little feet and suddenly thought of something. "Why don't we go to Grandpa Ge's small courtyard first? Grandpa Ge created a Cultivation Method specifically for his turtle friend! Let's steal it."

"Don't worry, don't be afraid. Grandpa Ge's turtle must also be a good turtle, so he won't mind. I'll introduce you later--although I haven't met him yet."

As she spoke, she amused herself, giggling non-stop. While laughing, she fell asleep.

When Su He crawled back to the water pool, Su Hua Nian had just emerged from the water pool not long ago. Her slightly damp hair fell from her shoulders, resting gently on her chest. Because it was damp, it didn't float up when the Fairy leaped onto the turtle's back. Instead, it was bounced high by the shaking mountain range, then struck aside by the mountain range as it fell.

Su He remained still. Su Hua Nian, holding Feng Ya Ya, landed. The little girl sensed her mother's presence and curled up tightly in her mother's arms, squeezing the mountain range together.

Su Hua Nian flicked her finger, and a beam of light shot into Su He's forehead. She then entered the Grass Hut with her daughter.

The light exploded in Su He's mind. It contained various Water Manipulation techniques, the experience Su Hua Nian had accumulated over centuries.

There was no Cultivation Method inheritance, only various clever methods of Water Manipulation.

For instance, Su He's water sphere had too little power, likely only enough to injure an ordinary person. However, if the water sphere were made to spin at high speed, its lethality would increase by a notch. If golden sand were added to the spinning water sphere, even ordinary exotic beasts would have to shed a layer of skin upon encountering it.

How to manipulate water to increase its speed, how to condense water into armor...

Su He treated it like a treasure, reading with extreme focus. Moonlight spilled into the grass hut, where a beauty stayed awake, reading by candlelight.

Not a word was spoken throughout the night. By the time the sky brightened, Feng Ya Ya had not yet woken up.

Su He tilted his head and looked into the house. Su Hua Nian had also stayed up all night; at her realm, sleep was no longer a necessity.

She held a scroll in one hand, while the other extended fair jade fingers to twirl her daughter's hair. Seeing Su He looking over, a smile appeared on her face: "Ya Ya is special and needs to sleep for six to seven days. You may go by yourself."

Whether human or beast, as long as they genuinely liked Ya Ya, Su Hua Nian would show them kindness. After thinking, she flicked her finger and wrote the character "Su" on Su He's mountain.

Seeing the character was like seeing the person. With this character present, the Lu Ming incident would not happen again.

Su He understood. Feng Ya Ya hadn't gotten enough sleep yesterday? No wonder she was drowsy during the formation class. He turned and left the water pool, crawling down the mountain.

Since Feng Ya Ya couldn't attend class, he couldn't steal any skills either. It was time to find food.

Even though he would evolve this year and his cold resistance would improve, hibernation was fast approaching. He needed to increase his food intake to store energy. It would be even better if he could store enough energy for another evolution before hibernation.

There were many beasts on the mountain, but they all had masters, so he couldn't just steal their food. Su He thought for a moment and then crawled towards Tranquil Peace Hall.

The medicinal cuisine there was good; just throwing three Quality Points would keep his stomach warm all day. If he could steal a vat of it every day and get Quality Points, he wouldn't have to worry about food in the future.