25: [Chicken Coop] Level 2, Crane Emperor

"Actually, it's nothing special; it's just the Lin Family's custom to showcase their strength. After all, Qingyun County only has two Golden Core forces: the Cangye Sect and the Lin Family. Usually, in the year following the Cangye Sect's recruitment of new disciples, the Lin Family holds an auction."

"Spiritual items required for Qi Refining, Foundation Establishment, and even Golden Core might appear! At the same time, the Lin Family will offer generous terms to recruit talents from all sides to serve them. Those with outstanding contributions may even be granted the Family name!"

Du Qinghong explained slowly.

"Is the auction held in Qingyun City?" Lu Xian asked, voicing his concern.

Du Qinghong shook his head: "No, it's in a Market Town built by the Lin Family, a thousand miles south of Qingyun City. Forces at the Golden Core level and above possess significant autonomy; their bases are usually far from the imperial cities and develop independently."

"Otherwise, uneven resource distribution would easily trigger conflicts. Even some Foundation Establishment Families occupy mountain peaks outside the cities."

Since it was not in the city and was a thousand miles away, it was already beyond the coverage of the Spirit Net.

"Then aren't these forces beyond the control of the Immortal Dynasty?"

"Not so."

Du Qinghong explained, "Small moves might be possible, such as arranging positions in the city or preserving a Legacy, but every year the court dispatches the 'Directorate of Imperial Law' for inspections."

"Besides, most of the Immortal Dynasty's rules are extremely beneficial to them. Although it's difficult to advance, they can preserve their lineage for generations, so why would they need to rebel?"

Lu Xian understood clearly in his heart.

It seemed that controlling the number of Cultivators was a consensus among all forces; after all, Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi was indeed in decline.

Those who refused to accept their fate were wiped out a thousand years ago; Song Chengping's Family was a prime example.

"I'll consider it. If I still can't find those Materials within half a year, I'll make the trip."

Lu Xian set the matter aside and changed the subject. "Tend to your own injuries. The spirit egg trade must continue, and there might be some other business. Are you in?"

He planned to start selling Spirit Bird; he truly couldn't fit any more in his home.

Furthermore, an income of only 120 Spirit Stones per month was too slow.

The Spirit Stones accumulated over half a year, minus the 300 spent on upgrading his [Immortal Cave], would be depleted by just buying a few Materials.

If he really intended to go to that auction, he would probably need to prepare several thousand Spirit Stones to have a chance at finding something good.

"I'm in! I must be in! Ouch—"

Du Qinghong got excited, pulling at his wound and grimacing in pain.

"As long as there are Spirit Stones to be earned, it's worth it even if I die!"

"Good. We'll change the meetings to once a month to lower the frequency and reduce unnecessary trouble. For everything else, use the quasi-immortal jade token to contact me. I have other matters to attend to; recover in peace and come for the goods in a few days..."

With that, Lu Xian's figure flashed, and he left the inn.

He was somewhat eager to return home and upgrade his buildings.

Inside the guest room, Du Qinghong's eyes were resolute as he encouraged himself, "Grandpa, Big Brother, just watch. I, Du Qinghong, am definitely not a waste; I will certainly make a name for myself!"

...Returning to the small courtyard.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, a dense Spiritual Qi rushed toward him.

He had been living in it before and hadn't felt it clearly.

Returning from this trip, the effect of the [Immortal Cave] Level 2 +80% Spiritual Qi concentration was immediate!

The fatigue from the battle with those Bandit Cultivators also quickly dissipated under the rapid recovery of his energy.

What a pity; since the upgrade last month, no more blind Cultivators had come to 'visit'.

His illusion Formations and defensive Formations hadn't been able to show their effects.

With a 150% combat power bonus, even a Late Stage Qi Refining Cultivator would be easy pickings!

Lu Xian glanced at the panel.

The conditions for a Level 3 Immortal Cave had been updated long ago.

[Immortal Cave: Level 2]

[Level 3 Effect: Those with strength lower than the Master of the Cave cannot cause damage. Spiritual Qi concentration +100%, physical and mental energy recovery speed +80%, combat power within range +200%]

[Tier 2 Defensive Formation: Can withstand ordinary attacks from Foundation Establishment Stage Cultivators]

[Upgrade Conditions: 3 Mid-Grade Spirit Stones, 20 catties of crimson marrow iron, cultivation requirement: Great Perfection of Qi Refining]

The effects were extremely powerful, but the conditions were difficult; Lu Xian didn't think much about it for now.

The business at hand was more important.

He walked toward the backyard.

He saw more than a dozen large cages piled messily next to the spiritual field. The Spirit Bird inside hadn't been put into the [Chicken Coop] and hadn't been fed with food mixed with Spiritual Grain; they were all listless and had grown thin.

He had accumulated a total of 67 over the past few months. If they starved any longer, they might die, and their value would be discounted; this was exactly why Lu Xian was eager to sell them.

He bypassed the cages and came before the Chicken Coop.

Inside the coop were twelve Spirit Bird specifically for laying eggs, and eight Mortal Chickens waiting to be upgraded.

One of them was particularly striking, with azure-colored feathers all over, wings as broad as clouds, and the edges of its feathers shimmering with a faint golden light.

Its neck was slender, its long beak like jade, and its eyes flowed with starlight. A spiritual feather grew on its back, like an ink painting across the sky, elegant and refined.

To squeeze it in, Lu Xian had even removed the wooden board on top.

It looked good, but the most crucial thing was—it didn't lay eggs!

"They say that in a group of hens, if there's no rooster for a long time, one will undergo a 'sex reversal'... could this guy be it? It looks like it evolved into an Advanced breed. Is this... a crane form?"

Looking at the crane's arrogant posture as if it were looking down on all living beings, Lu Xian couldn't help but want to give it two punches.

He gave the crane an appropriate breed name: Azure Firmament Feathered Crane!

When he first called it that, the crane actually nodded as if extremely satisfied, giving Lu Xian a start.

This indirectly showed its high spirituality and potential for cultivation.

Otherwise, Lu Xian would have stewed it long ago.

He looked at the panel.

[Chicken Coop: Level 1]

[Level 2 Effect: Excellent meat quality. After daily feeding, there is a 10% chance to evolve into a Tier 1 Spirit Bird. Its droppings contain trace amounts of Spiritual Qi and can increase the fertility of the spiritual field. Egg production rate +120%]

[Overlord Among Chickens: A random overlord will appear in the Chicken Coop, driven by the Master of the Cave]

[Upgrade Conditions: 100 Low-Grade Spirit Stones, 5 Warm Sun Stones]

He wondered if the Overlord Among Chickens would be it.

Whatever... Upgrade!

The prepared Warm Sun Stones and Spirit Stones instantly vanished.

The [Chicken Coop] changed visibly to the naked eye.

It actually grew a level higher, becoming a two-story structure!

Lu Xian looked it over and found that the Chicken Coop hadn't just become two stories; the internal space had also expanded significantly. The originally crowded coop now looked much more spacious.

"I didn't provide any wooden boards; did it come from nothing? Forget it... anyway, laying spirit eggs after eating Mortal Grain is metaphysical enough as it is."

Lu Xian didn't dwell on it.

It's metaphysics; if you understand it, it's not metaphysics anymore.

He waited for the "Overlord Among Chickens" effect to take hold.

Sure enough, within fifteen minutes, the Azure Firmament Feathered Crane craned its neck and let out a clear, long cry, its body emitting a faint spiritual light.

That's it?

Lu Xian was puzzled, but then he saw the Azure Firmament Feathered Crane blink its clever little eyes, revealing an extremely human-like expression.

A peculiar sense of familiarity welled up.

It seemed he could control the crane at will.

Lu Xian opened the coop door and let it out.

The Azure Firmament Feathered Crane looked at him quietly.

"Sing."

"Li! Li!" The crane let out short cries.

"Jump."

The crane gave a light leap and actually jumped thirty feet high!

"Fly!"

With a flap of its broad wings, the crane spiraled upward.

"Come down," Lu Xian quickly called out.

If it flew out of the range of the Mirror Flower Water Moon Formation and was seen by others, it would be bad.

The Azure Firmament Feathered Crane landed as ordered.

"Peck it."

With a light tap of its long beak, the bluestone brick beneath its feet instantly shattered into pieces!

Seeing this, he was overjoyed. Haha... it can be both a mount and an enforcer!

The Azure Firmament Feathered Crane suddenly approached and rubbed its head against Lu Xian's arm.

Lu Xian received a thought: "Crane, hungry, eat."

There were no spiritual items at home, so he could only temporarily lock it back in the [Chicken Coop]. It could eat some ordinary grain inside; at least it wouldn't starve.

"I'll find you food tomorrow,"

Lu Xian thought for a moment and said, "Calling you by your formal name, Azure Firmament Feathered Crane, is a bit distant. Since you're now mine... well, my crane, you need a resounding nickname. How about Crane Heavenly Emperor?"

Heavenly Emperor among cranes; he felt good about it, but he didn't know if the name was too grand for it to bear.

In the cultivation world, there is the concept of Luck, and names have a significant impact.

Names like Ye, Xiao, Su, Gu, and Bai all belong to the Ten Great Aristocratic Families in this world.

"Li——"

A high-pitched, stirring cry rang out as the Azure Firmament Feathered Crane... no, the Crane Heavenly Emperor, held its head high, seemingly extremely satisfied with the name.

Lu Xian smiled slightly.

Now that the [Chicken Coop] was two stories, excluding the space occupied by the Crane Heavenly Emperor, it could hold 36 Spirit Bird of various kinds.

Furthermore, the probability of evolution after daily feeding had also increased.

He definitely wouldn't be able to eat them all, so he could only sell them.

He hoped nothing would go wrong on Du Qinghong's end and that he could handle a few each month... Lu Xian's gaze fell on the refreshed panel.