"Glug."
As the golden light faded, Chen Beiwu could see that a hint of intelligence and submission had entered Golden Scale's foolish-looking eyes.
Golden Scale's greatest strength wasn't its Divine Sense, but its exceptionally powerful defense, which Spirit Beasts of the same tier could hardly overcome.
With such an impenetrably defended Companion Beast protecting his Dao Path, his chances of surviving in the future would undoubtedly be through the roof.
"Scales like gold. I'll call you Golden Egg from now on."
Feeling the awe coming through the Companion Beast Seal, Chen Beiwu couldn't help rubbing Golden Scale's chubby belly as he gave it a name.
Golden Egg differed from Golden Core by only a single syllable, yet the name represented Chen Beiwu's hopes for his future Dao Path.
"Glug."
Golden Egg blinked its fish eyes in a daze, its mouth opening and closing repeatedly.
It didn't know what had just happened. It only knew that it was hungry now.
Chen Beiwu looked toward the Darkwater Spirit Turtle, which was gaping in astonishment nearby.
Watching Chen Beiwu disappear from sight, the Darkwater Spirit Turtle couldn't help smacking its lips.
The Redblood Fish sashimi was delicious, but why did something feel strange about it?
On Four Seas Lake, clouds and mist surged, making it seem like a fairyland.
Han Liangcai opened his eyes, staring intently at the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Mirror and ignoring the Spirit Stones on the table, which had crumbled into powder.
"Strange. Why hasn't a single Northern Heaven Five Qi Fate Lord appeared? Could I have used the wrong method to search? Could that peerless Hidden Dragon not have a Water fate, or is the time simply not right?" he muttered under his breath.
The next moment, as if sensing something, Han Liangcai looked in surprise at the figure emerging from the lake, then turned his gaze toward the Darkwater Spirit Turtle at the bottom.
"Whoosh!"
With a thought from the Golden Core True Person, the Variant Spirit Turtle instantly appeared on the stone table.
"Why did you give away the Golden Scale your master bestowed upon you?" he asked with a frown.
The Darkwater Spirit Turtle raised its head, looking unconcerned.
"You mean that person has an excellent Fate Pattern, but you couldn't activate your Spirit Bond Sense with him, so you gave him a Variant Golden Scale to build a good relationship?"
Hearing this outrageous explanation, Han Liangcai's mouth twitched slightly.
This little brat was taking advantage of his master's affection and really thought he could fool him.
What good relationship? The creature had clearly taken a liking to the Stone-in-the-Grass.
Stone-in-the-Grass wasn't high-tier, only Second Tier. Its side effect was partial petrification of a cultivator's Dantian, yet it was a Second-Tier Spirit Medicine whose circulation the Cavern Mystery Immortal Sect had banned.
That was because a genius Alchemist had once appeared in the Cavern Mystery Immortal Sect. He discovered that the side effect of Stone-in-the-Grass could give the Darkwater Spirit Turtle a peculiar, blissful sensation, as if it were floating among the clouds.
The more Stone-in-the-Grass the Darkwater Spirit Turtle ate, the stronger the sensation became. Some exceptionally talented Spirit Turtles could even enter a state of enlightenment, sending the price of Stone-in-the-Grass skyrocketing until it became hard currency in the Cavern Mystery Immortal Sect.
At its peak, a single Second-Tier Stone-in-the-Grass could be exchanged for a Third-Tier Upper-Grade Treasure Medicine from a Darkwater Spirit Turtle.
However, Spirit Turtles capable of entering a state of enlightenment were few and far between. Most became dependent after eating too much Stone-in-the-Grass, eventually suffering bodily petrification and sustaining severe damage to their potential.
The Immortal Sect's upper echelons had therefore issued an order, bringing that farce to a complete end.
"Stone-in-the-Grass isn't hard to obtain, but why would an ordinary person from Fallen Dragon Prefecture know the Immortal Sect's secret?" Han Liangcai closed his eyes and activated the Yin-Yang Reincarnation Mirror to trace Cause and Effect.
After a long while, he opened his eyes, surprise showing in them. "It really was just a coincidence."
With such Fortune, that person might prove extraordinary in the future.
The little fellow's attempt to build a good relationship had also ended up being a lucky accident.
By Four Seas Lake.
Seeing the joy on Chen Beiwu's face, Xu Ziqing approached curiously.
"You seem especially happy now. Have you chosen your Companion Beast?"
"Of course." Chen Beiwu smiled. "You'll never guess what Companion Beast I contracted."
Xu Ziqing was slightly taken aback. "Wasn't it the Darkwater Spirit Turtle?"
Chen Beiwu moved his Divine Sense and took the plump Golden Egg out of the Spirit Beast Pouch.
"Ah! Th-this is Golden Scale?"
At the sight of its vacant fish eyes, Xu Ziqing's mouth fell slightly open.
"That's right." Chen Beiwu's lips curled upward.
Even Demon King Blood hadn't been enough to move the Darkwater Spirit Turtle. He had thought he would miss out on a once-in-a-millennium opportunity.
Unexpectedly, fate had favored him once again. In the Miniature Water Realm carried by the Darkwater Spirit Turtle was a Second-Tier Spirit Beast with Gold Rank Fortune.
Hearing Chen Beiwu's answer, Xu Ziqing's mind went blank.
Golden Scale wasn't a Water-Attribute Spirit Beast that ordinary cultivators could raise.
Chen Beiwu would have to raise it into a Metal-Attribute Spirit Beast, either Red-Gold Scale or Black-Gold Scale, but that was impossible.
If she remembered correctly, Chen Beiwu's Metal Spiritual Root Purity was only fifteen. Raising Red-Gold Scale would be tantamount to cutting off his own Dao Path.
"Golden Egg's a little hungry. I need to find it something to eat, so I probably can't go to Sulfur Reef Island with you," Chen Beiwu said apologetically.
"It's fine. Your Companion Beast matters more." Xu Ziqing forced a smile.
Reason told her that after contracting Golden Scale, Chen Beiwu probably had no hope of reaching Golden Core.
But her intuition reminded her that this Golden Scale was no ordinary creature. Otherwise, Chen Beiwu wouldn't have contracted it.
In any case, she needed a moment to process the reality before she could accept it.
Noticing Xu Ziqing's mood, Chen Beiwu put Golden Egg away and said goodbye, then turned and headed for the Spirit Beast Pavilion's main hall.
Golden Egg wasn't a Spirit Beast from the Spirit Beast Pavilion. Chen Beiwu had traded Stone-in-the-Grass for it from the Darkwater Spirit Turtle, so he could disregard the rules and contract it directly. Still, he had to register it.
As for the question of where the Stone-in-the-Grass had come from, he had already found a way to resolve it before heading to the Spirit Beast Pavilion, even though the Immortal Alliance probably wouldn't care about the source of a Second-Tier Spirit Medicine.
Half an hour later, in the Spirit Beast Pavilion's main hall.
Under the curious gaze of the staff, Chen Beiwu finished registering his Companion Beast's information and spent fifty Low-Grade Spirit Stones to buy the Spirit Beast Pouch he held.
Normally, the Spirit Beast Pouch the Spirit Beast Pavilion gave cultivators was a free gift with the purchase of a Companion Beast, so there was no need to spend Spirit Stones on it. But Chen Beiwu had gone against convention and hadn't even purchased a Companion Beast, so he had to pay for it himself.
After that, Chen Beiwu spent one Low-Grade Spirit Stone to rent a First-Tier Upper-Grade Cultivation Chamber in the Spirit Beast Pavilion.
"One Low-Grade Spirit Stone only buys two hours of cultivation. The cost of living in Fallen Dragon Prefecture is much higher than at school."
Chen Beiwu sighed, sat cross-legged on the meditation cushion, took Golden Egg out of the Spirit Beast Pouch, and began the Three Meridians Refinement that had to be performed after contracting a Companion Beast.
He circulated his Divine Sense and, following the connection between their Companion Beast Seals, entered Golden Egg's Sea of Consciousness. Then, using the Companion Beast Contract, he drew out its essence, energy, and spirit, causing the Origin, Affiliation, and Dharma Meridians to manifest separately.
The Origin Meridian represented the Companion Beast's innate Five Phases essence. It could also be called Origin Essence. It was the foundation of the Companion Beast's Bloodline and could, through subsequent nourishment, increase the Companion cultivator's Spiritual Root Purity.
The higher the tier of a Companion Beast's innate Origin Meridian, the more the cultivator's Spiritual Root Purity could improve.
It was said that a Companion Beast with a Heaven-Grade Origin Meridian could bring about a terrifying transformation in its Companion cultivator's spiritual root aptitude.
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