After cultivating in the Heavenly Abode of the Spirit Creek Sect for a hundred years, Guo Feilong had always wanted to buy a spiritual beast, but the prices were too steep, and he could never bring himself to make the purchase.
Now, as he was about to leave the sect and descend the mountain, he felt it was time to buy a spiritual beast. These creatures were not only powerful in combat but could also serve as mounts for travel and assist their masters in battles.
Guo Feilong had worked in the Beast Hall for over a decade and had a good understanding of spiritual beasts. After much deliberation and careful selection, he spent 350 low-quality spirit stones to buy a young Fire-Winged Eagle with decent potential.
Spiritual beasts are born at the first rank, equivalent to the first layer of the Qi Refining stage for human cultivators. The Fire-Winged Eagle can breathe fireballs from birth, and as its level increases, the temperature and power of its flames grow. Among mid to low-level avian spiritual beasts, the Fire-Winged Eagle is renowned for its speed.
A Qi Refining cultivator using the Soaring Cloud Technique can reach a maximum speed of 150 li per hour. In contrast, an adult Fire-Winged Eagle can reach a speed of 600 li per hour, highlighting the significant difference between the two.
When the Fire-Winged Eagle matures, it becomes a fifth-rank spiritual beast. Whether it can advance to the sixth, seventh, eighth, or even ninth rank depends heavily on its potential. The young Fire-Winged Eagle he purchased has potential comparable to a medium-quality low spiritual root. With enough spirit stones, there's at least a 40% chance it could reach the seventh rank in the future.
Buying a seventh-rank spiritual beast outright would cost no less than 5,000 low-quality spirit stones, which was beyond his means. Thus, Guo Feilong opted for this one-month-old Fire-Winged Eagle, hoping it would grow into a seventh-rank or higher spiritual beast.
It takes about 40 to 45 years for a Fire-Winged Eagle to grow from a juvenile to an adult. By the time this eagle matures, he would have returned to dust, buried and decayed into bones.
Guo Feilong's purpose in buying the young Fire-Winged Eagle was that even after his death, the eagle would remain. One eagle could benefit three generations, with him enduring the hardships and his descendants enjoying the rewards.
Though only a month old, the young Fire-Winged Eagle was already the size of a large rooster. Once fully grown, it would stand at least five to six meters tall, easily accommodating five to six people on its back.
By dripping a drop of Lifeblood Essence onto the Beast Command Token and activating it with mystic power, Guo Feilong established a telepathic bond with the young Fire-Winged Eagle, allowing seamless communication.
"Master, I want to eat meat," was the first message the young Fire-Winged Eagle conveyed to him telepathically.
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Guo Feilong retrieved a strip of beef from his storage bag, about half a jin in weight, and tossed it on the ground. The little creature strutted over with an air of indifference, opened its beak, and spewed a jet of orange flame. Eating cooked food was a habit of the Fire-Winged Eagles.
Soon, the aroma of roasted meat wafted from the beef strip, though the young Fire-Winged Eagle wasn't adept at controlling the heat, resulting in some charring. The little eagle didn't mind the burnt bits and devoured the half jin of roasted beef in a few bites.
Looking at his spiritual beast, Guo Feilong named it "Lucky." Lucky was the name of a dog he had as a child before he transmigrated to this cultivation world, his first pet.
The young Fire-Winged Eagle chirped happily, and Guo Feilong understood it was saying, "Great, great, I have a name now, Lucky."
***
Guo Feilong stored Lucky in the spiritual beast bag, performed the Soaring Cloud Technique, and flew on a white cloud towards the sect's main peak mission hall.
Whether an inner or outer disciple, to earn spirit stones and sect contribution points, one must take on tasks at the mission hall. Some tasks are issued by the sect, while others are private tasks from sect elders to inner and outer disciples.
The Spirit Creek Sect governs over a dozen countries, with a total area twice the size of Earth, filled with countless wandering cultivators and numerous families of all sizes. In the cultivation world, robbery and murder for wealth are never in short supply.
The journey to Yellow Rock Town was over 28,000 li, and as a small cultivator at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, he couldn't guarantee he'd make it there alive. He came to the mission hall to post a task offering 50 low-quality spirit stones as a reward for escorting him to Yellow Rock Town, requiring a cultivator at the ninth layer of Qi Refining to accept.
Without Foundation Establishment cultivators, a ninth-layer Qi Refining cultivator is the pinnacle of combat power in the Qi Refining stage. Moreover, a ninth-layer cultivator from the Spirit Creek Sect, the local hegemon, could easily handle two or three wandering cultivators of the same level.
An inner disciple of the Spirit Creek Sect, doing nothing, receives a basic monthly stipend of 15 low-quality spirit stones. Those who are diligent and frequently undertake various sect tasks can earn a total monthly income of about 50 low-quality spirit stones.
Escorting him to the fiefdom of Yellow Rock Town, a round trip of over 50,000 li, would take less than a month for those ninth-layer Qi Refining inner disciples. With the sect taking a 20% cut of the task reward, the escorting inner disciple could earn 40 spirit stones, making it a simple and easy task for those ninth-layer Qi Refining inner disciples.
Guo Feilong's task had just appeared on the mission wall when it was accepted by a ninth-layer Qi Refining inner disciple, a woman in her forties with a rather attractive appearance.
In the cultivation world, aside from those with the same master, where seniority is determined by the order of apprenticeship, the hierarchy among other disciples is based on cultivation level and status.
The ninth-layer Qi Refining inner disciple who accepted the escort task was definitely not over ninety years old, at least thirty years younger than him, yet Guo Feilong had to respectfully address her as Senior Sister.
***
After introducing themselves, they left the mission hall. Just as Guo Feilong was about to perform the Soaring Cloud Technique, she said, "Junior Brother Guo, my spiritual beast is a ninth-rank Wind-Chasing Iron-Winged Eagle. Riding my beast will be much faster."
The next moment, she patted the spiritual beast bag hanging at her waist, and a beam of light flew out. The Wind-Chasing Iron-Winged Eagle appeared before them, standing eight to nine meters tall with a wingspan of over twenty meters, comparable to the largest helicopter.
The ninth-rank Wind-Chasing Iron-Winged Eagle's speed was indeed astonishing. Carrying the two of them, it could cover over 700 li in an hour, truly living up to its name.
Moments later, they arrived at the entrance to the passage leading out of the Heavenly Abode. The importance of this entrance was akin to the gates of an ancient imperial capital, guarded day and night.
If enemies attacked the Spirit Creek Sect's main base, the entrance to the Heavenly Abode would become a battlefield. Holding this entrance meant holding the sect; losing it put the entire sect at risk of destruction.
Guo Feilong had already completed the formalities to leave the sect's Heavenly Abode. Once he stepped out today, he would no longer be an outer disciple of the Spirit Creek Sect but the lord of a small town fiefdom under the sect's influence, no longer enjoying any sect benefits.
As he passed through the passage and entered the outside world, he immediately noticed the spiritual energy was much thinner compared to the Heavenly Abode of the Spirit Creek Sect.
If not for the prospect of living a life surrounded by wives and concubines, like a local despot, he would never have left the Heavenly Abode of the Spirit Creek Sect.