The Spiritstone Turtle lay motionless atop the platform.
Its eyes were filled with curiosity.
Its mung-bean-sized eyes remained fixed on Jiang Lu's figure, its clear gaze brimming with innocent bewilderment and curiosity.
The clamor around them and the sounds of spiritual energy flowing all faded away.
The Spiritstone Turtle pressed its limbs tightly against the surface. If not for the faint trace of its breathing, Jiang Lu would have thought time had stopped.
No!
Jiang Lu's heart suddenly tightened. Her lashes trembled as her keen Divine Sense caught the anomaly from that fleeting instant.
In that brief moment, the drifting breeze, the floating spiritual energy, and the movements of the Spiritstone Turtle before her had all clearly paused for an extremely short, almost eerie moment.
Jiang Lu's eyes widened. She seemed to have discovered something extraordinary.
The Spiritstone Turtle flicked its short tail lightly. Its shell scraped across the platform with a rustling sound as it clumsily yet swiftly crawled toward Jiang Lu, showing none of the disdain and wariness it had displayed toward the previous cultivators.
Jiang Lu bent slightly, calm and composed. Her fingers curled in faintly as she lowered her eyes and quietly met the gaze of the slowly approaching Spiritstone Turtle from a fist's distance away.
After a moment, Jiang Lu's light, tranquil voice rang out, certain and resolute.
"It'll be this one."
Jiang Lu spread her palm slightly, and a stream of gentle, pure spiritual energy lifted the Spiritstone Turtle into her hand. Warm spiritual energy enveloped it, making it feel closer to her.
She turned sideways and beckoned to the maid waiting some distance away.
The maid had already been secretly watching Jiang Lu's movements. At her signal, she immediately stepped forward.
When she clearly saw the Spiritstone Turtle in Jiang Lu's hand, irrepressible