War Eagle had just finished cultivating when she found her brother and nephew making a grand show of welcoming their guests.
She scolded them angrily, but soon understood her brother's helplessness.
The Zhan Family was short on talent.
Aside from her, who had stepped into the ranks of quasi-Titled Douluo, everyone else had stopped at Soul Douluo at best. And among the younger generation, there wasn't a single especially gifted one. Whether they could even produce a Soul Douluo was anyone's guess.
"Third Offering, Bai Yu." War Eagle looked at the two of them with some embarrassment and said, "Please, follow me."
Azure Luan nodded slightly, maintaining the air of a master.
Feng Baiyu glanced around and saw that aside from the impressive main gate, the place was nothing special.
Before long, the three of them arrived at a storeroom.
"Third Offering, there's ten million Gold Soul Coins on this card. It's payment for your help hunting a Soul Beast," War Eagle said, handing a gold card to Azure Luan. "If the Soul Ring turns out to be especially suitable for me, I'll reward you further."
Hearing her, Azure Luan accepted without hesitation.
Ten million to hire a level-ninety-seven Titled Douluo was no small sum!
Azure Luan wasn't short on money, but who knew what his grandson might need to buy in the future? More money was always a good thing.
If they came across an Immortal Herb or Spirit Bone someday, those things would cost money!
After all, he was the Third Offering of Spirit Hall. He couldn't exactly go around shoplifting!
"Bai Yu." Azure Luan handed the gold card straight to him and said, "Keep it."
"Thank you, Grandpa." Feng Baiyu didn't refuse. He slipped the card into his Storage Soul Tool.
He turned to War Eagle and added, "Thank you, Great-Aunt."
War Eagle smiled and gestured at the items in the secret chamber. "These are the Zhan Family's three hundred years of collections, along with the spoils I brought back from Lost Canyon. See if there's anything you like. If there is, take it."
Feng Baiyu thanked her and began inspecting the items with Fire Phoenix True Sight activated.
The Zhan Family really was an old family. They had quite a few good things.
Nearly half of the items here could have served as the Treasure Pavilion's prized exhibits.
But these things were of limited use to Feng Baiyu. He looked through a great many of them, yet nothing caught his eye.
It wasn't that the items were poor. Quite a few would have made even Soul Saints green with envy.
But to Feng Baiyu, they were nothing special.
The Zhan Family had nothing like Gold of Life to make Feng Baiyu's heart stir. The best they had were two Thousand-Year Soul Bones of mediocre quality.
They were treasures to other people, but to Feng Baiyu, they were just roadside scraps.
Feng Baiyu continued examining the items one by one with Fire Phoenix True Sight. While inspecting the spoils War Eagle had brought back from Lost Canyon, he spotted something interesting.
Feng Baiyu picked up a stone and couldn't help asking War Eagle, "Great-Aunt, you collect animal bones too?"
"That was left behind by the first Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beast I killed in Lost Canyon!" War Eagle replied. "There are all sorts of strange Soul Beasts in Lost Canyon, and quite a few of them are Ten-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts. They say there are even Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts there. Unfortunately, I've never encountered one."
"I see." Feng Baiyu nodded in understanding, adding Lost Canyon to the list of places he planned to visit someday.
Aside from that bone, which had piqued Feng Baiyu's interest a little, there was nothing else useful.
With a regretful look on his face, Feng Baiyu reluctantly accepted another card containing one million Gold Soul Coins.
He'd count it as a red envelope!
In the end, the two parties agreed to set out and hunt for a Soul Ring within half a month. Azure Luan and Feng Baiyu didn't linger, and soon left the Zhan Family.
"Little sister." Before long, Zhan Kuang sought out his younger sister. "Zhan Lie's youngest daughter, Xiangxiang, awakened her Martial Soul this year. She has Innate Soul Power of level seven. If she and Feng Baiyu could get together..."
"Do you think the young master of the Feng Family would be interested in someone with mere level-seven Innate Soul Power?" War Eagle glanced at her brother and said calmly. "Stop dreaming. Unless you're willing to send the entire Zhan Family over as her dowry, there's still only the slimmest chance."
Zhan Kuang didn't seem the least bit displeased by his sister's words. He continued, "Ever since our older sister died, my brother-in-law hasn't remarried. If you..."
Before Zhan Kuang could finish, War Eagle fixed him with a look that could kill.
Zhan Kuang immediately shut his mouth, afraid that one more word would earn him a beating.
Back home, Azure Luan asked curiously, "Was there something special about that bone?"
"Grandpa, that bone was the tail vertebra of a phoenix-type creature!" Feng Baiyu explained. "It wasn't from a Pure-Blooded Phoenix, but its bloodline was much stronger than that of a Blazing Spirit Kite! I think there's a good chance a Dark Phoenix lives in Lost Canyon!"
"A Dark Phoenix?" Hearing his grandson, Azure Luan nodded in understanding.
Lost Canyon was teeming with Soul Beasts, and especially with Soul Beasts of the darkness attribute! If a Phoenix really did live there, the most likely candidate would be a Dark Phoenix!
"Let's talk about it another time." Azure Luan shook his head. "Lost Canyon is extremely dangerous. Even Soul Douluos and Titled Douluos can die in there if they let their guard down. If you think there might be a Dark Phoenix inside, then when you need your Eighth Soul Ring, we can go explore the place."
Seeing how cautious his grandfather was, Feng Baiyu didn't argue.
Perhaps they'd come across a suitable Dark Phoenix in a couple of years, and then Lost Canyon would be entirely unnecessary.
What place in Douluo Continent wasn't dangerous?
Was the Star Dou Forest safe? Was the Far North safe? Or the ocean?
In Feng Baiyu's eyes, all those places were safer than Spirit Hall.
With the unstable madwoman Er Bi Dong around, Spirit Hall was the most dangerous place of all!
"Make the most of the next few days and focus on cultivating," Azure Luan told his grandson. "You're only a little short of reaching level twenty. Absorb your Second Soul Ring as soon as possible, so nothing unexpected happens!"
"Okay." Feng Baiyu understood and readily agreed.
Feng Baiyu returned to cultivating atop the Green Maple Phoenix Tree once more. Of course, he didn't forget to summon Little Black.
Little Black knew that the Azure Luan had only a few days left to live. As soon as it saw the other bird, it went straight to the edge of the cage.
One was an Azure Luan, and the other was a Martial Soul. Somehow, the two seemed to have taken a liking to each other.
But that wouldn't change anything. Once Feng Baiyu reached level twenty, he would still go kill the bird and take its Soul Ring.
The days passed, and seven days later, Feng Baiyu finally reached level twenty.
That day, Feng Baiyu brought Little Black to the Azure Luan. He said to Little Black, "Go say one last goodbye to the Azure Luan. After this, we'll be taking its Soul Ring."
"Keer~"
Little Black didn't approach. It only called from a distance. It had grown restless, and seemed somewhat reluctant.
The Azure Luan chirped twice, as if saying its final farewell.
There was no sorrow, no despair. Its eyes even seemed to hold a faint blessing.
Huh?
Before you continue