Yue Kingdom, Yellow Maple Valley.
A handsome young man in blue, about seventeen or eighteen years old, was riding a leaf-shaped flying artifact toward the Kirin Pavilion, where Yellow Maple Valley raised its spirit beasts.
When he reached a verdant hill, he immediately put away his artifact and landed. This was the Guest Reception Platform on the Kirin Pavilion's Exotic Beast Mountain.
As soon as he landed, a young man in his early twenties came forward to greet him. This young man was a steward disciple of the Kirin Pavilion at the ninth level of Qi Condensation, yet he showed no arrogance toward the youth, who was only at the seventh level. Instead, he greeted him warmly.
"Junior Brother Lin, here to ask for news again?"
The handsome youth was named Lin He, a disciple with dual spiritual roots who had joined the sect only four months ago. Even though his cultivation was still low, Senior Brother Liu of the Kirin Pavilion would not slight him.
"Yes, Senior Brother Liu. The Three-Eyed Fire Wolf you told me about sounded so powerful that it really caught my interest. By the way, how did the purchase I entrusted to you go?"
Senior Brother Liu explained patiently, "Since you asked me to handle it, naturally I did. But there are still a few things I should remind you of. Until a Three-Eyed Fire Wolf reaches Peak Level One, its spiritual eye cannot fully display its abilities. But if it's fortunate enough to reach that stage, the third eye on its forehead can immediately shoot out divine light with the wondrous power to bewilder its opponent. It can then provide support in battle."
At this point, seeing how enthralled Lin He looked, Senior Brother Liu could not help trying to dissuade him. "There are things I didn't intend to say, but with your exceptional aptitude, you really shouldn't waste time and spirit stones on spirit beasts. You must understand that raising a Three-Eyed Fire Wolf to Peak Level One takes a great deal of resources and time. We Qi Condensation cultivators live no more than a hundred years. How can we squander our time on this?"
Lin He glanced at Senior Brother Liu. The man had a good reputation within the sect and was a thoroughly kind soul. Some people would say anything to make money from a deal, but Senior Brother Liu was still trying to talk him out of it. That was precisely why Lin He had approached him.
At his advice, however, Lin He shook his head. "You misunderstand, Senior Brother Liu. How could I let this delay my cultivation? It simply caught my fancy, so I want to buy one to keep for my own amusement."
Seeing that Lin He insisted, Senior Brother Liu could not help teasing him. "You really should have joined Spirit Beast Mountain, Junior Brother Lin. I'm sure you'd have found plenty of like-minded people there."
As he finished speaking, Senior Brother Liu took a Spirit Beast Bag from his waist. With a surge of magical power, he immediately brought out a red fire wolf with three eyes.
Covered in red fur, the fire wolf looked imposing and majestic. Lin He instinctively stroked it, only to find it rather hot to the touch. A mischievous thought crossed his mind.
Wouldn't riding it turn me into a roast chicken?
After Lin He stroked it a few times, the Three-Eyed Fire Wolf gave a howl of displeasure, but did not attack him. Clearly, it had already been tamed.
Senior Brother Liu continued, "I know you're short on spirit stones, so I made a point of bargaining with the cultivator selling the spirit beast. We finally settled on eight spirit stones. This Three-Eyed Fire Wolf is easy enough to feed, too. Ordinary meat will do."
Lin He was a little surprised. "Eight spirit stones? I thought it would cost a dozen or more."
"That's what you don't understand, Junior Brother. If this Three-Eyed Fire Wolf were at Peak Level One, it would cost many times more. But this one is only at Lower Level One, with strength equivalent to early-stage Qi Condensation. That hardly makes it useful support. Aside from sects like our Yellow Maple Valley and disciples of Spirit Beast Mountain, few people would be willing to buy one and raise it themselves. That's why I was able to bargain."
Understanding dawned on Lin He. He cupped his hands in thanks, glad he had chosen the kindly Senior Brother Liu to purchase a spirit beast for him.
Lin He handed over eight spirit stones, but Senior Brother Liu reminded him, "Although this Three-Eyed Fire Wolf has been tamed, some of its wild nature may return over time. You'd best bind it to you with a drop of blood as soon as you get back. That will be safer."
Lin He nodded. The Three-Eyed Fire Wolf showed a measure of intelligence as well. Though reluctant, it still climbed onto the Leaf-Shaped Magical Artifact and let Lin He take it away.
Watching Lin He disappear into the distance, Senior Brother Liu shook his head, seemingly unable to understand his actions. Just then, a middle-aged man with a grim, stern face walked over. He appeared to know Senior Brother Liu well, and Liu spoke without reservation.
"Senior Brother Liu, I truly can't understand this Junior Brother Lin. He has dual spiritual roots-Heaven has practically put food in his bowl-yet he insists on raising some spirit beast, wasting time and spirit stones for nothing."
The stern-faced Senior Brother Liu shook his head, looking thoughtful. "Perhaps he really does just want to keep it for amusement. Or perhaps..."
He abruptly stopped there. The younger Senior Brother Liu, however, did not think too deeply about it and merely sighed.
"If I had dual spiritual roots like him, I'd devote myself to cultivation, earn more spirit stones, and seize the golden years of youth to reach Foundation Establishment as quickly as possible. How could I let anything else distract me?"
His expression was that of a man frustrated that iron would not become steel, leaving the stern-faced Senior Brother Liu momentarily speechless before he chuckled.
Lin He returned to his residence. True to its training, the Three-Eyed Fire Wolf even knew to follow him inside. Its red fur was quite hot, however, so Lin He had to take care that it did not start a fire.
Things would be much easier with a Spirit Beast Bag, but I'm desperately short on spirit stones right now. That can wait until I've raised a Three-Eyed Fire Wolf to Peak Level One.
After carefully checking his surroundings and making sure no one was spying on him, Lin He suddenly waved a hand. The scene changed in an instant. His little house was gone, replaced by a mysterious space.
The space was extraordinarily vast, stretching beyond sight. Above it, a sky full of stars glittered, their radiance mingling in a beautiful display that lit the entire space as brightly as day.
For now, however, the space was utterly empty apart from Lin He and the Three-Eyed Fire Wolf, making it exceptionally quiet. Lin He looked up into the air, where a funnel hovered!
The funnel was wide at the top and narrow at the bottom. Three drops of emerald-green Spirit Liquid had already formed at its broad end, where specks of starlight were still gathering, as though it were collecting the energy of the glittering stars overhead.
Faced with such a situation for the first time, the Three-Eyed Fire Wolf grew extremely nervous. Its whole body tensed, bracing itself against danger.
Lin He, however, remained perfectly calm, as though he had long since grown accustomed to this. He gazed at the star-filled sky, then shifted his eyes to the top of the funnel. The gathering specks of starlight suddenly dispersed, replaced by a drop of exceptionally vivid emerald-green Spirit Liquid. Meanwhile, the foremost drop quietly vanished, leaving three drops at the top of the funnel as before.
Lin He instinctively scanned it with the Heavenly Eye Technique. Sure enough, he discovered that the Spirit Liquid contained an abundance of spiritual power, and excitement surged through him.
"Is this the Starlight Empowerment Method? With this, why should I fear failing to attain the Great Dao?"