Contracting a Fourth-Order Magical Beast! Dou Ling Combat Strength
"Mm!"
Qing Lin slowly regained consciousness, and an unfamiliar sky came into view.
Her powerful soul strength allowed her to instantly recall everything that had happened before she passed out. She immediately propped herself up with her hands and sat up.
She found herself beside a stream. Lu Yuan and Xiao Yi Xian were roasting meat, while Zhang Qingqing was examining a massive Magical Beast: the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake Qing Lin had contracted before she lost consciousness.
"Hiss!"
The Azure-Feathered Flame Snake was the first to notice Qing Lin wake up. It slithered over of its own accord, flicking its tongue. There was no ferocity in its slit pupils, only submission.
"Qing Lin's awake."
The Azure-Feathered Flame Snake made so much noise as it moved that Lu Yuan noticed Qing Lin's awakening right away.
"Young Master." Qing Lin tried to get up, but found that she had little strength.
"Lie down and don't move." Lu Yuan came over carrying a roasted fish. "You successfully contracted a Fourth-Order Magical Beast, but you used up quite a bit of soul strength. You need to rest."
"Mm-hmm." Qing Lin obediently did as she was told.
Lu Yuan supported her and fed her two roasted fish, then gave her a bowl of hot soup. A little color gradually returned to her pale face.
Seeing how gentle and attentive Lu Yuan was, Qing Lin felt that risking everything to contract the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake, even though it had caused her to pass out, had been worth it.
"Qing Lin, see if you can order it to move." Lu Yuan took out a handkerchief and wiped the corner of her mouth, then asked her to command the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake lying beside them and watching.
"All right, Young Master." Qing Lin looked at the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake, and a strange feeling welled up in her heart, as though the life of this enormous fierce beast was already under her control.
She could clearly sense its emotions and use her spiritual strength to give it any command.
"Come here." Qing Lin activated the Soul Imprint to give the order.
The Azure-Feathered Flame Snake's enormous body trembled slightly. It then slowly slithered forward and stopped about a zhang in front of Qing Lin, lowering its head as it waited for its next command.
Qing Lin then tried telling it to give its tail a gentle sweep, and it did as instructed.
"Destroy the rock," Qing Lin ordered.
The Azure-Feathered Flame Snake immediately opened its mouth and spewed fire, burning the rock until it cracked apart.
"Very good." Lu Yuan nodded in satisfaction. "A Fourth-Order Magical Beast's intelligence far surpasses that of a Third-Order one. It's about the same as a human child's, so it's very difficult to control. But once you contract it, it can understand your intentions precisely."
"Mm, now I can help you even more, Young Master." Qing Lin clenched her fists excitedly, and her frail body seemed to be infused with a surge of strength.
"Now you're the strongest among us," Xiao Yi Xian said as she walked over with a smile, her silver hair fluttering and her voice soft and gentle. "Who else can help Lu Yuan more than you?"
She had intended to stand up and touch the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake, but her legs gave way and she nearly fell.
Fortunately, Lu Yuan reacted quickly and caught her around the waist.
"Don't rush. You've exhausted too much of your soul strength. You need a few days to recover."
The campfire crackled, and the wind in the mountain forest carried a cool, damp chill tinged with a fishy scent.
Lu Yuan put out the fire and said with a smile, "Now that Qing Lin has successfully contracted a Fourth-Order Magical Beast, we have the combat strength to face a Dou Ling expert. It's time I picked a suitable Fourth-Order Magical Beast for myself too, preferably one that can fly."
"Flying Magical Beasts are very rare. This Azure-Feathered Flame Snake can fly, but it doesn't count as a flying Magical Beast," Xiao Yi Xian said with a smile.
"Awk, awk!" Xiao Lan, who had been dozing nearby, suddenly opened her eyes, raised her neck, and let out a series of disgruntled cries at Lu Yuan.
It was as though she were saying, What do you mean? You want to find a flying Magical Beast? Do you think I'm not good enough?
Lu Yuan was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing. "You little Blue Eagle, you're quite clever, aren't you? Are you afraid another flying Magical Beast will steal your place?"
During their secluded cultivation in the valley, he had already noticed that this Blue Eagle was extraordinary. One of her parents likely had a very powerful bloodline, giving her exceptionally high bloodline talent.
She had only recently broken through to the Second Order, yet her intelligence was remarkably high.
"Awwk~" Xiao Lan fluttered her wings, swished her tail feathers, and let out a low cry tinged with pride.
Xiao Yi Xian couldn't help laughing. She reached out and stroked Xiao Lan's neck. "All right, all right, no one's replacing you. Lu Yuan just said he wants to find a flying Magical Beast that can fight, so it can be your little brother."
Xiao Lan seemed to understand and was overjoyed.
With a Fourth-Order flying Magical Beast as her little brother, she would look so impressive.
"All right, let's head back to the valley first. Once Qing Lin has recovered, we'll make our move." Lu Yuan looked up toward the west. The sun was already close to setting.
Lu Yuan picked up Qing Lin and jumped onto the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake's back.
Seeing this, Zhang Qingqing jumped up after him, a different emotion in her eyes.
The young lady's child had grown up to be so outstanding. Perhaps she could write to the family head and tell him that the matter should no longer be kept hidden.
The night passed without incident. Early the next morning.
Morning light had just crested the mountain ridge, and Lu Yuan was already practicing Dou Techniques in the valley.
After a night of regulating her breathing, Qing Lin's complexion had improved considerably. Although she still felt a little weak, she had no trouble moving around normally.
After breakfast, the group climbed onto the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake's back and headed into the Magical Beast Mountain Range to find a Fourth-Order Magical Beast to Lu Yuan's liking.
They searched for several days, until they came to a place thick with shrubs. At its very center was a damp, low-lying patch of ground.
The low ground was surrounded by gray-black rock walls. An enormous Magical Beast lay in the center, its body resembling a pile of rocks, covered in hard brown scales bearing unusual patterns. Its limbs were as thick as pillars, and it lay there like a battlefield tank.
This was an Earth Nether Rock Turtle. Its enormous head was even more ferocious-looking than a snake's, but it was currently withdrawn into its shell, leaving only two cloudy slit pupils visible.
Its presence was deep and weighty, as though it had become one with the surrounding rocks.
"It's a Fourth-Order Earth Nether Rock Turtle," Zhang Qingqing said in a low voice. "Earth attribute, with extremely strong defenses. It generally doesn't attack unprovoked. Some Earth Nether Rock Turtles can control the power of rocks and earth. Although they don't move slowly, they dig extremely fast."
After studying it closely, Lu Yuan's eyes flashed. "This is the one."
"Qing Lin, take the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake forward and suppress the Earth Nether Rock Turtle."
"Xian'er, work with me. I'll go up and contract it."
Qing Lin immediately gave the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake its orders.
Its enormous serpentine body slithered silently to the Earth Nether Rock Turtle's side, giving off a searing, ferocious presence.
"Roar!"
The Earth Nether Rock Turtle sensed danger and let out a low roar.
He braced his four limbs against the ground, trying to turn and face the enemy.
But the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake was much faster.
Before it could put up any effective resistance, the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake had already wrapped itself around it.
Realizing that it couldn't get away for the moment, the Earth Nether Rock Turtle immediately circulated its Dou Qi to reinforce its body. The rocks on its surface instantly grew smooth as jade and even harder.
Xiao Yi Xian seized the right moment to strike, using a Dou Technique from the Seven-Colored Poison Scripture to paralyze the Earth Nether Rock Turtle's body.
Lu Yuan followed close behind, coming before the Earth Nether Rock Turtle. Two golden lotuses bloomed at once in his pitch-black eyes.
Invisible soul strength enveloped it with precision, forming an imprint on the Earth Nether Rock Turtle's head.
Although the Earth Nether Rock Turtle was a Fourth-Order beast, its soul was not very strong and could not compare to Lu Yuan's at all.
Under normal circumstances, it could have fled upon sensing something amiss, or unleashed its bloodline abilities to resist.
But now it was suppressed by the Azure-Feathered Flame Snake's immense strength and Dou Qi, and Xiao Yi Xian's Dou Technique had forced it to keep its head inside its shell. It could only let Lu Yuan do as he pleased.
"Condense!"