C18 Phoenix's Blood

"Okay, okay, 'Gold' is a fine name."

The Vajra Parrot bobbed its head, almost too well-behaved to be true.

"Yep, stick with me, kiddo, and you'll live the good life—feasting on the best and spicing it up. You won't be shortchanged, that's a promise."

Wang Yan huffed and pulled up the panel to review Gold's latest skill.

Feather Enhancement: A leader's skill that significantly boosts feather flexibility, fortifies bodily defense, amplifies wing attack strength, and reduces drag.

Goldie was a top-tier elite among close-combat pets. Every skill was tailor-made for battle, not a dud in the bunch.

"Boss, boss, got any more of that stuff? I'm feeling like I've still got untapped potential, maybe even enough for another level-up."

Goldie was beside itself with excitement, chattering nonstop and hopping around, incessantly babbling in Wang Yan's ear.

"Easy there, let's take a breather. It's Green's turn to have a go."

Wang Yan stroked Goldie's sleek little head, and under its guidance, the feathers softened to a silky caress.

"You got it!"

Goldie nodded, leaped onto the bookshelf, and deftly pulled out a novel about a human-serpent romance, engrossed in the read.

"You can read?"

Wang Yan was taken aback. This bird was already impressive with its human speech, but reading Chinese characters would make it a scholarly bird indeed.

"I don't recognize the words, but I can make sense of the pictures."

Goldie declared earnestly.

"Pictures?"

Wang Yan paused, his inherited memories incomplete, missing trivial details like the content of the books on the shelf.

He glanced over and was taken aback by the 'illustrations.'

"This bird's not just a smart aleck; it's got a taste for the risqué..."

Wang Yan exhaled deeply and produced ten Bloodline Tempering Stones, offering them to Green.

"Sss, sss, sss!"

Green affectionately licked Wang Yan's face before gulping down five stones in one fell swoop, then coiled up on the bed, motionless.

"Boss, I'll be needing five of those myself."

Goldie eyed the remaining Bloodline Tempering Stones and spoke with caution. "Okay, they're yours now."

Wang Yan nodded in agreement. Goldie immediately set aside the illustrated book and hopped over with glee.

The two spirit beasts advanced rapidly, completing the process in under three minutes.

Name: Jiao Snake (Green)

Quality: Lord (Requires bloodlines of Horned Dragon, Ichthyosaur, and three other types)

Level: Rank 3, Star 1

Attribute: Poison

Upgrade: Requires flesh and blood of Rank 3 or higher ferocious beasts or other energy-rich substances.

Quality Skills:

Reciprocate: Elite Skill, stores one's power to enhance the master's Strength, Agility, and Constitution. The extent of enhancement depends on the number of times reciprocated and the user's quality and level.

Dragon's Might: Leader Skill, suppresses ferocious beasts and souls of equal or lesser quality, with a chance to subjugate them.

United Heart: Lord Skill, allows a beast tamer to utilize all the spirit beast's skills, with the spirit beast bearing the energy cost.

Rank 1 Skill:

Bite: Bites the target.

Rank 2 Skill:

Lash: Strengthens the tail's power and the hardness of skin and bones.

Rank 3 Skill:

Venomous Breath: Spews poison that enters the target's body through respiration.

...

Name: Mystic Bird (Goldie)

Quality: Lord

Level: Rank 2, Star 1

Attribute: Metal

Upgrade: Requires nutrient-rich nuts.

Quality Skills:

Bone Reinforcement: Elite Skill, significantly enhances bone hardness, defense, and the offensive power of claws and beaks.

Feather Reinforcement: Leader Skill, significantly improves feather flexibility, body defense, wing attack power, and reduces air resistance.

Eagle Eye: Lord Skill, focuses killing intent to intimidate enemies.

Rank 1 Skill:

Heartrending Claw: Strikes the target three times consecutively.

Rank 2 Skill:

Wing Blade: Uses wings as blades to tear the target.

Since their advancement from Leader to Lord, Green and Goldie have gained new skills, but their evolutionary path has reached a temporary standstill.

Green had absorbed the dragon blood extracted from Wang Yan's body, setting its evolution on a path toward becoming a True Dragon.

However, the quantity of dragon blood was insufficient. To ascend from a Lord to a King, the bloodlines of five other dragon types were necessary.

Wang Yan had anticipated this challenge; after all, the Divine Dragons of ancient myths, with their power to pierce the heavens and earth, wouldn't undergo such a profound metamorphosis with ease.

Unexpectedly, Goldie's bloodline was nearly as potent as Green's. To reach the status of a King, it too required the bloodlines of five different phoenixes.

"No wonder there are no useless skills. It's the phoenix blood coursing through its veins!" Wang Yan marveled, feeling incredibly fortunate.

Naturally, the system deserved the lion's share of the credit.

Without its assistance, Goldie would have remained at a Rank 1, Star 5 elite quality for its entire life, until its natural death.

Goldie's Lord-tier skill didn't warrant much discussion; it was a control skill, particularly advantageous for assassins.

Green's skill, however, was quite fascinating, allowing Wang Yan to wield its abilities without conditions.

Of course, not every skill was accessible. Using its tail as a whip, for instance, was out of the question—lacking the necessary length and being too fragile.

Upon advancing to a Lord, Green's appearance hadn't altered significantly, only growing more slender in form.

Goldie, meanwhile, had put on another layer of fat, now comparable in size to a large adolescent rooster.

"Not bad at all. I should easily rank within the top three among my peers," Wang Yan mused, content with his prospects.

He was fortunate that no one overheard his musings; otherwise, envy might have driven them to the brink of fury.

For a high school senior to possess a high-quality spirit beast was already commendable. If one managed to elevate it to Rank 2, they'd be a standout among university freshmen—securing a spot in the top three without a doubt.

As for becoming a leader, that was a goal for after the Soul Contract reached Level 3.

Even the most inferior leader's pet could leave all the newcomers battered and bruised.

With the right skills, taking on the upperclassmen of the third year was a breeze.

Wang Yan possessed two Lord-tier spirit beasts, making him an insurmountable challenge for even university graduates among his seniors, and some teachers had no choice but to concede.

The sole method to best him relied on soul techniques and Soul Strength.

Wang Yan shooed Gold and Green away to play before immersing himself in an illustrated book. Despite the lackluster plot, the detailed descriptions were decent, and the illustrations were nothing short of spectacular.

Time flew swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, over half an hour had elapsed.

At last, the spirit medicine Wang Yan had ordered arrived:

20 pieces of Eastern Divine Qi,

73 Six-eyed Flying Fish,

and 56 Dragon Horn Roots.

With such an abundance of spirit medicine, it should certainly suffice.

Wang Yan popped 20 pieces of Eastern Divine Qi into his mouth, and before the toxins could build up, he promptly traded them with the system.