77: Chapter 77 Contract Successful

Ye Jing, seeing his second son like this, was also very worried as a father.

He asked again, "Yier, have you really made up your mind? Even I, your father, am not certain about the dangers involved."

Ye Yi nodded solemnly, "Father, don't worry! Our family has survived even greater dangers. If I shrink back now, the path to immortality will be closed to me!"

Seeing his second son speak so resolutely, how could Ye Jing possibly refuse?

Nearby, Liu Xianglan's eyes brimmed with tears as she looked at Ye Yi with immense worry, "Brother Yi, you must succeed!"

Seeing his wife's concern, Ye Yi hurriedly said solemnly, "Xianglan! Don't worry, your man is very capable! Take care of your pregnancy and don't worry!"

"Good! Since that's the case, Ye Yi, follow me to choose the Spirit Beast and Spiritual Artifact you wish to contract!"

Seeing this, Ye Jing immediately had Ye Yi choose his natal spiritual object.

In the courtyard were three Essence Spirits—the black dog Hei Feng, the red fox Xiao Chi, and the White Eagle Xiao Yu—as well as a Black Bell and a human skin lantern.

There were five spiritual objects in total.

After choosing for a while, Ye Yi pointed towards Ye Xuan at the giant White Eagle, Xiao Yu, "Father, I'll take this one!"

"Good!" Seeing this, Ye Jing smiled and said to Ye Yi, "Xiao Yu is a bird of prey with decent combat power and is skilled at tracking enemies from high altitudes. It's very suitable as your natal spiritual object. Come with me."

Ye Jing then had Ye Yi study the True Scripture of Fate-Defying Root Transformation to understand how to contract spiritual objects and then absorb Spiritual Qi.

Once Ye Yi understood the basics,

Ye Jing led him and his chosen natal spiritual object to a secluded secret chamber in the house.

The chamber was surrounded by shining Spirit Stones, encircling a prayer mat in the center.

Entering the chamber, Ye Yi felt his whole body relax. He looked at the stones with curiosity and said, "Father, are these Spirit Stones?"

Ye Jing nodded and said, "Sit on the mat. I will act as your Protector!"

Ye Yi followed his instructions, walked to the prayer mat, and sat down carefully.

The warm Spiritual Qi from the Spirit Stones seeped through his clothes into his skin. His tense body relaxed completely, and even his breathing became much lighter.

Xiao Yu seemed to know what was about to happen; it shed its usual arrogance and stood submissively by Ye Yi's side, its golden eyes fixed on him.

Ye Jing walked to the center of the chamber and controlled his spiritual power. The surrounding Spirit Stones suddenly grew brighter, and streaks of milky-white Spiritual Qi overflowed from them, gathering like streams into a river of Spiritual Qi that slowly circulated within the room.

"Yier, focus your mind and discard all distracting thoughts!" Ye Jing's voice carried a hint of authority. "In a moment, I will guide the Spiritual Qi to open your Spirit Sea. You must proactively offer your Essence Blood to Xiao Yu while accepting its spiritual sense. Remember, do not resist the flow of Spiritual Qi, and do not have even the slightest guard against Xiao Yu!"

Ye Yi took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

Following the instructions in the book, he cleared his mind and concentrated on his Dantian.

Soon, a gentle wave of Spiritual Qi surged into his body through the Baihui Point at the top of his head.

Wherever it passed, his Meridians felt as if they were being soaked in warm water, incredibly comfortable.

After circulating through his body once, this Spiritual Qi charged directly toward his Dantian, which had been as still as stagnant water.

"Buzz..." A soft sound exploded in Ye Yi's mind. He felt a wave of warmth in his Dantian as the previously sealed gates of his Spirit Sea were forced open by the Spiritual Qi.

Just then, Ye Jing's voice rang out, "Quick! Use your Essence Blood to merge with Xiao Yu!"

Without hesitation, Ye Yi bit his right fingertip hard, and bright red blood immediately seeped out.

He raised his hand toward Xiao Yu, and as a drop of Essence Blood fell, it instantly transformed into a red light and flew into Xiao Yu's body.

The White Eagle immediately let out a clear, sharp cry. A faint white light shimmered around its body, and its feathers became even whiter and more dazzling.

Next, a foreign consciousness flowed through Ye Yi's fingertip, carrying the sharpness and wildness unique to a bird of prey.

Remembering his father's warning, Ye Yi proactively opened his consciousness and merged with it without reservation.

In an instant, countless images flooded his mind: the White Eagle soaring high in the sky, fighting fierce beasts, and foraging in the mountains and forests.

These were all the White Eagle's memories!

Simultaneously, Ye Yi suddenly felt a piercing pain throughout his body, as if he were being pricked by needles. The pain of merging consciousness with a Spirit Beast far exceeded his imagination.

His bones made faint creaking sounds, as if they could be crushed by this violent power at any moment. His muscles twitched and spasmed uncontrollably, and every inch of his skin felt a tearing pain under the tension, as if it were being forcibly stripped from his bones.

But Ye Yi gritted his teeth and persevered.

His entire body was enveloped in spiritual power, and his body constantly craved more Spiritual Qi to enter, longing to wash away the physical pain.

Nearby, Ye Jing saw his son already surrounded by a large amount of spiritual power, while even Xiao Yu was letting out heart-wrenching cries.

Ye Jing clenched his fists, not daring to relax for a moment, fearing any accident might befall his son.

Another hour passed. The light of the Spirit Stones around Ye Yi gradually dimmed. His face was covered in sweat, and his brow was furrowed tightly.

Suddenly, he snapped his eyes open and let out a loud shout. The surging spiritual power coursed through his entire body. Feeling the abundant Spiritual Qi within him, Ye Yi looked at his hands in disbelief.

Tears almost welled up in his eyes, "Father! I... did I succeed? I can Cultivate now!"

Seeing the tears shimmering in his son's eyes, Ye Jing's nerves, which had been tense for several hours, finally relaxed, and a look of immense relief and gratification appeared on his face.

He stepped forward and patted Ye Yi heavily on the shoulder, "You did it! Yier, you really did it! Our Ye family finally has another Cultivator!"

The dim Spirit Stones in the secret chamber had now lost their luster, turning into a pile of ordinary rocks, while the White Eagle Xiao Yu flapped its wings.

Its golden eyes now held a bit more rapport with Ye Yi. It affectionately rubbed its head against Ye Yi's arm and let out a cheerful cry.

Ye Yi stood up excitedly, stroking Xiao Yu's feathers. Feeling the Spiritual Qi flowing slowly within his body, the ecstasy in his heart was beyond words.

He turned to his father, his tone urgent, "Father, I can feel the Spiritual Qi now. Can I start cultivating according to the True Scripture of Fate-Defying Root Transformation?"

"Of course," Ye Jing nodded with expectation in his eyes. "However, you've just started cultivating, and your Foundation is still shallow. You must not be too eager for quick results. From today on, Xiao Yu is your natal Spirit Beast. You must treat it well!"

As they spoke, the father and son led Xiao Yu out of the secret chamber.

In the courtyard, Wu Guiyun and Liu Xianglan had long been waiting, their faces full of anxiety and anticipation.

Seeing the father and son emerge, they immediately went to meet them. Liu Xianglan's gaze was fixed on Ye Yi, "Brother Yi, how are you? Did you succeed?"

Ye Yi stepped forward quickly and took Liu Xianglan's hand, feeling the slight coldness and trembling of her palm.

He said softly, "Xianglan, I succeeded! I can Cultivate! From now on, I can protect you and the child better, just like Big Brother, and protect our home!"

Hearing this, Liu Xianglan wept with joy and choked out, "That's wonderful, truly wonderful."

Nearby, Hei Feng and Xiao Chi also gathered around, wagging their tails at Ye Yi, their eyes full of joy.

Seeing that his son's matter was settled, Ye Jing thought of the dimmed Spirit Stones; it seemed the matter of the jade business should be put on the agenda.

With such happy events occurring frequently in the Ye family...

...in the Tang Family in the county seat.

Two obese bandits sat high on the Grandmaster chairs of the Tang Family head, while Second Master Tang below was already trembling with fear.

"You're saying that among the Martial Artists who besieged my Longhu Mountain, there's still a Ye family that survived?" the Full-bearded Man questioned sharply.

Second Master Tang replied tremblingly, "Yes... yes, sir."

"Damn it! Those imperial dogs killed so many of my brothers! They even killed the Immortal Master! I can't swallow this!"

The other bandit cursed loudly.

They were the leaders of Longhu Mountain. After the Altar Master of the Red Lotus Cult died, they had relied on the leftover Immortal Artifact to withstand Chen Mingyuan's attack and narrowly survived, fleeing all the way to the Tang Family to settle in.