82: Chapter 82 Phoenix Feather

When the Phoenix Heavenly Maiden appeared before him in her loli form, Lin Muyang was instantly smitten.

It was purely an instinctive fondness for cute younglings. After all, the one before him looked like a twelve or thirteen-year-old girl, delicate and exquisite as a porcelain doll.

He immediately focused and checked her status panel:

[Summoned Partner: Phoenix Heavenly Maiden (Unnamed)]

[Age: 0 (Newborn)]

[Height: 133cm]

[Weight: 24kg]

[Status: Healthy, Curious, Slightly Dependent]

[Current Level: 1]

[Strength: 11] [Constitution: 12] [Agility: 10] [Spirit: 33]

[Talent: Phoenix Bloodline (sub-god level)]

[Talent Effect: All fire damage increased by 300%. Bloodline Talent: Phoenix Transformation.]

[Phoenix Transformation: Upon activation, can transform into the true form of a divine phoenix. All attributes increased by 20x, and grants a new set of exclusive phoenix skills. Base duration of phoenix form: 600 seconds (extends with level). Cooldown: 24 hours.]

[Skill 1: Casual Fire Breath. Consumes a small amount of mana to inflict heavy fire damage to an area. No cooldown, can be cast consecutively.]

[Skill 2: Serious Fire Breath. Consumes a large amount of mana to inflict massive fire damage to an area. No cooldown, requires sufficient mana.]

"Unnamed?" Lin Muyang was somewhat surprised; he had to give her a name himself. Age 0, just hatched from the egg, that made sense.

"This height is indeed adorable," he thought to himself, nodding slightly. He tentatively reached out and gently stroked the girl's hair, which flowed like liquid gold.

Feeling the touch, the little loli slightly pulled her neck in, then raised her pure, large golden eyes to look at Lin Muyang with a mix of timidity and curiosity, as if trying hard to recognize and memorize his face.

"Can this little sister talk?" Elabess couldn't help but ask from the side, her eyes full of novelty as she looked at the impossibly exquisite Phoenix Heavenly Maiden. A newborn phoenix was much cuter than she had imagined.

"She should, right?" Lin Muyang wasn't too sure either. He continued checking the combat-related information.

He discovered that the Phoenix Heavenly Maiden, as a special existence, was essentially a unique "class" herself, capable of wearing caster equipment, especially staff-type weapons. Being in a newborn state, her base attributes were low, but the words "sub-god level" in the talent section already hinted at her immense potential.

What caught Lin Muyang's attention even more was a hidden note: every time the Phoenix Heavenly Maiden leveled up by 20, she would undergo a "growth." Each growth would not only change her appearance (growing up) but also directly double her base attributes from their current values!

"Attributes double every 20 levels?" Lin Muyang's heart trembled. "Truly worthy of a sub-god level bloodline! Although it might not seem as explosively powerful as Ao Qingyan's Divine Dragon form's immediate tenfold attribute boost in the early stages, this growth potential is terrifying. If she smoothly reaches level 100 and undergoes five growths, her base attributes would be 32 times the original! Combined with the 20x attribute boost from 'Phoenix Transformation'..."

That would be a terrifying number! Moreover, this little one would grow up just by leveling? Lin Muyang found this somewhat wondrous.

Just then, the little Phoenix Heavenly Maiden, who had been scrutinizing him closely, seemed to finally confirm something. A pure, dependent smile blossomed on her small face. She opened her arms and rushed towards Lin Muyang, her voice clear yet slightly halting:

"Da... Daddy!"

Lin Muyang: "...?"

He quickly caught the little loli who had pounced at him. She felt light and soft in his arms, radiating a warm temperature. He couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry as he corrected her, "No, no, not Daddy. Call me big brother, understand?"

Joking aside, how old was he? Being called Daddy by such a little one made him feel instantly ten years older. More importantly, this little one would "grow up" in the future! When she became a graceful young lady, calling him Daddy would be far too weird. He had to correct it from the start.

As for whether any other thoughts flashed through his mind? Absolutely not! He was a proper gentleman!

"Bro... brother!" The little loli was very obedient and immediately changed her address. Then, she affectionately rubbed her cheek against Lin Muyang's chest, her large golden eyes curved into crescents, full of attachment.

"Mm, good girl." Holding her, Lin Muyang felt the purity and warmth of a newborn life, and his own mood softened. "Need to give you a name... let's call you Feng Ling. Plume as in feather, the plume of a phoenix."

As he mentally confirmed it, the words "Unnamed" on the girl's status panel slowly faded, replaced by the characters for "Feng Ling."

Looking at that "sub-god level" bloodline talent, Lin Muyang felt the seven days of waiting and guarding were completely worth it. This was a potential powerhouse surpassing SSS-grade!

The other young ladies beside him looked at their new companion with affection and a hint of envy. Although their talents had been raised to SSS-grade, reaching "sub-god level" would require six more precious tears of the angel.

Speaking of tears of the angel, Lin Muyang hadn't been idle these past seven days. He had Elena try various methods, like watching carefully selected emotional clips, practicing crying acting techniques, and even attempting to induce tears by yawning. In total, they had harvested five tears of the angel. However, he also discovered that tears produced purely by physical stimulation (like yawning) didn't count. They had to be accompanied by genuine sadness to crystallize into tears of the angel. This thing was quite picky about "quality."

"Alright, the undersea journey is over. Let's go home!" Holding the newly named little Feng Ling, Lin Muyang prepared to leave. Before departing, he not only collected all the broken phoenix eggshell fragments into the princess bracelet but also remembered the trillion-worth trophy at the bottom of the sea.

The Mind Control Aura quietly activated. An invisible force lifted the massive corpse of the Frost Blue Whale, carrying it with them as they ascended towards the surface.

Lin Muyang himself certainly didn't know how to handle this treasure-laden behemoth of a corpse, but he knew who to ask.

Find Shen Yanshan.

Using his identity as "Lin Muyang," he would commission Shen Yanshan's forces to process this Blue Whale corpse, sell all the materials, keep 95% of the profits for himself, and give Shen Yanshan 5% as a service fee. He believed Shen Yanshan would never refuse such a massive business opportunity falling into his lap—even a mere 5% meant over five billion magic crystals in pure profit!

Why not seek higher-level channels, like the Gu Group? Firstly, the Gu family's influence was complex and intertwined, and profit distribution probably wouldn't be so straightforward. Secondly, Shen Yanshan was an acquaintance, relatively more controllable, and a bit "cleaner."

Before surfacing, Lin Muyang used the Divine Concealment Aura to hide the Blue Whale corpse somewhere in the sea, then quietly returned to shore with the young ladies.

The beach at night was silent and deserted.

Lin Muyang took out his phone and called Shen Muyao. Soon, Shen Yanshan called back, his tone barely concealing excitement. He promised to immediately arrange the most professional and reliable processing team, with everything conducted in strict secrecy.

After hanging up, Shen Yanshan, located in Zhongnan City, felt a storm raging in his heart.

The reason was simple. Just in the last couple of days, a major incident had exploded in the international Class Transferee circles: a renowned top-tier Japanese "whaler" team, consisting of over forty level 100 powerhouses, had mysteriously disappeared in the eastern seas of Xia Country. All members were missing in action, most likely completely wiped out!

This incident caused a huge uproar internationally. Japan reacted fiercely. Prime Minister Kōji Asamana strongly condemned and questioned Xia Country, accusing it of poor maritime management or harboring unknown dangers, demanding Xia Country take responsibility, and even pressuring for access to the area for investigation.

The Xia Country government responded with a tough stance, directly firing back: You illegally entered our waters for high-risk activities, and now you want us to take responsibility after something goes wrong? We're not causing trouble for you, that's good enough! Investigation? We'll arrange it ourselves, but your people better not come in and make a mess!

The two sides were locked in a fierce war of words on the international public opinion stage, their relations suddenly tense.

It was precisely at this critical juncture that Lin Muyang, who had been missing for days, suddenly contacted him, saying he had obtained an epic-grade Blue Whale corpse needing processing, and promised him a 5% cut...

Shen Yanshan's first reaction was his scalp tingling!

That missing Japanese whaling team's last reported target was an epic-grade Frost Blue Whale! The timing, location, target... everything matched!

"Could it be that the disappearance of that whaling team is related to Lin Muyang, or rather, to that mysterious powerhouse behind him?" Shen Yanshan's hand holding the phone was sweating.

He certainly didn't believe Lin Muyang did it himself. How could a level 40-something Summoner take out a team of over forty level 100 elites plus an epic-grade sea beast in the deep sea? This had to be the work of that mysterious expert behind Lin Muyang!

"To make a top-tier whaling team vanish without a trace and easily hunt an epic-grade sea beast... this 'senior's' strength likely far exceeds my most optimistic previous estimates." Shen Yanshan felt both shock and elation—shock at the immense implications, elation at seemingly having latched onto an unprecedentedly thick and powerful leg.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. Regardless of the truth, what he needed to do now was strictly follow Lin Muyang's instructions, handle the matter flawlessly, and keep his mouth tightly shut. This concerned not only immense profit but possibly also... his life and family.

He immediately began mobilizing all his resources, gathering his most core, most loyal team, preparing to head to the sea area Lin Muyang specified to execute this highly confidential and astoundingly profitable "salvage and processing" mission.

As for Lin Muyang, he was already holding the newborn Phoenix Heavenly Maiden Feng Ling, flying invisibly into the night sky with the other young ladies, leisurely heading towards the direction of Ziyun Mountain Villa in Zhongnan City. The surface turmoil and undercurrents of the sea seemed to have nothing to do with him. All he knew was that this undersea trip had been quite fruitful.

There would be one more new member at home.