82: Chapter 82: Received the reward, Fourth Rank, Ninth Stage.

Bai Xuan saw that Major General Long Shaoyang was slow to answer, but that made sense; given his status, he naturally had to be mindful of his words and actions and could not speak as he pleased.

This only made Bai Xuan less inclined to join the Dragon Country faction, and it was impossible for him to do so anyway.

Even cooperation would depend on interests, the situation, and Bai Xuan's mood.

"Since you cannot answer, there is nothing left to say."

Bai Xuan sneered, then looked at Major General Kardik: "What about you?"

"Mr. Bai, just pretend I said nothing." Major General Kardik dared not provoke Bai Xuan again; if he were killed, it would be a loss that outweighed any gain.

"How much longer until my payment arrives?" Bai Xuan calmed his mood.

"Soon, soon, just a moment longer." Major General Kardik replied with an awkward laugh.

Speak of the devil, and the resources were towed to Bai Xuan.

"Mr. Bai, please take a look." Major General Kardik entered the password to unlock and open the safe, revealing dense rows of spirit stones emitting bursts of radiance.

After a brief count, Bai Xuan inhaled them all into his mouth: "The deal is done, and I should be leaving now."

"Mr. Bai, take care; I won't see you out." Major General Kardik said with a fawning smile.

Bai Xuan nodded slightly, spread his wings, and prepared to fly away.

"Mr. Bai, I was abrupt today, please forgive me. I hope we will have opportunities to cooperate in the future." Major General Long Shaoyang said, forcing himself to remain calm.

This was not an apology, but a move to ease the tense relationship between the two parties after weighing the pros and cons.

"We'll see about the future; don't come bother me unless there's something important." Bai Xuan finished speaking, flapped his wings, and flew away.

After Bai Xuan left, they finally breathed a sigh of relief. Major General Kardik couldn't help but exclaim: "The aura on him is truly powerful; even I wouldn't be able to gain any advantage against him."

This was putting it mildly; Major General Kardik had almost lost his composure from fear, and even after Bai Xuan left, his legs were still trembling uncontrollably.

"It seems it is not that easy to talk to." Major General Long Shaoyang sighed and said with a bitter smile.

He never expected this giant eagle to be so eloquent; this was completely beyond his expectations. He had gained a few more insights into Bai Xuan, and he wondered how the higher-ups would view this matter upon his return.

"Mr. Bai's intelligence has long surpassed the level of a beast; he is just like us humans, with the ability to think independently, and he doesn't just look at the surface of things. He has already been quite polite to us."

If Bai Xuan weren't a fierce beast, perhaps he could have become a good friend or partner to Major General Kardik—he had his own viewpoints, was eloquent, and had a broad perspective.

Major General Long Shaoyang had his own position and couldn't speak without restraint, saying whatever came to mind: "In the end, it is just a fierce beast."

"Hahaha, you're right. A fierce beast is a fierce beast; it is our common enemy. Regarding what happened earlier, Major General Long, my apologies. I hope it won't affect the friendship between you and me."

Major General Kardik appeared much more relaxed.

"Naturally, it won't. It was just fair competition."

"Thank you for understanding."

"I'm a bit tired, so I'll head back to rest. You can just discuss minor matters with my deputy."

After speaking, Major General Long Shaoyang turned and left. The events of today had far exceeded his expectations; he had not imagined that Bai Xuan would possess such intelligence.

"Alright, go get some rest. If there is anything that needs to be discussed with you, I will call you." Major General Kardik nodded slightly; he could naturally see what was on Major General Long Shaoyang's mind—it was nothing more than what Bai Xuan had said earlier, or the fair competition just now.

As a Major General of the Bear Country, Major General Kardik naturally wouldn't hold a grudge over this matter. It wasn't as if one couldn't survive without the other; the two countries were just in a cooperative relationship, and neither was inferior to the other—it had been equal from start to finish.

... Meanwhile. Bai Xuan returned to his dwelling.

He planted the Ice Spirit Flower rhizome in the cave and buried some spirit stone resources to serve as nutrients.

Everything was finished, and he had plenty of resources. It was time to begin seclusion.

... Two and a half months later.

[Race]: Frost Spirit Eagle. [Level]: Fourth Rank Ninth Stage.

[Bloodline]: Fifth Rank King Beast, Northern Cold Ice Soul.

[Skills]: Fourth Rank Spirit Skills. Frost Spirit Claw [Max Level], Frost Spirit Wing [Max Level], Frost Wing Blade [Max Level], Cold Scale Tyrant Body [Max Level], Frost Flying Blade [Max Level], Extreme Cold Ice Rain [Max Level], Frost Storm [Max Level], Void Condensation [Max Level], Frost Breath [Max Level].

Fifth Rank Spirit Skills: Wrath of the Ice King [Low Level], Call upon Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy [Low Level].

[System Skills]: Eye of Appraisal, Communication with Living Beings, Devour Heaven and Earth, Death Pressure, Size Manipulation, Immunity to Toxins, Water Avoidance Divine Ability, Ice Domain [Active. Living beings within the domain: the weak are suppressed and killed, the strong have their state of mind affected and experience hallucinations, as if trapped in an abyss of extreme cold; increases the host's overall attributes by 300%.]

[evolution points]: [1.5 million / 2 million]

He had leveled up twice, with improvements in all aspects.

The appearance of Fifth Rank King Beast information on the system panel, combined with the system skills, gave Bai Xuan the ability to challenge those of higher ranks and even kill Fifth Rank fierce beasts. Such strength was terrifying, and his future achievements would certainly not be low.

At the same time, Bai Xuan also gained two Fifth Rank spirit skills. Wrath of the Ice King, when used, increases all attributes by 70%; when used in conjunction with Ice Domain, the effect is even better.

Call upon Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy is a skill that only Fifth Rank fierce beasts can possess, but Bai Xuan had acquired it early. Calling upon Heaven and Earth Spiritual Energy increases lethality, and when combined with Frost Breath, the effect is even better.

At the same time, Bai Xuan's size had also increased; his body length was 25 meters, and his wingspan was 67 meters. He was beginning to show the physique of a Fifth Rank fierce beast. Once he advanced to the Fifth Rank, his wingspan should be able to reach over a hundred meters; the thought alone was terrifying.

Bai Xuan slowly opened his eyes, ending his cultivation. He stood up, stretched, and yawned: "Over two months, time really flies."

No wonder the cultivators in novels could cultivate for over a decade at a time. It would likely take longer as he progressed; by the time he came out of one seclusion, the world outside would have changed completely.

Bai Xuan walked to the cave entrance. Snow was falling heavily, the cold wind was biting, and the mountains stretched endlessly, covered in white snow: "It's starting to snow again, and this time it's even colder."

Bai Xuan looked out; the number of fierce beasts in the central region had increased dozens of times. It seemed they were all developing quite well. There were also some fierce beasts from other regions that had come here to seek refuge with Bai Xuan or join Xiong Yan's team for the safety of their tribes.

Letting weak fierce beasts become food was the law of nature; otherwise, what would the carnivores eat?

The trees had also become more upright and towering; some had even reached over a thousand meters, entering the Third Rank level. Their range of activity was greater, and some would even destroy surrounding trees to compete for nutrients, sunlight, and resources.

His divine sense covered a radius of a thousand miles. There were many more natural treasures and elemental spirit crystals. Most of the elemental spirit crystals were of the Ice Attribute, which was very helpful to certain fierce beasts and could also be forged into weapons.

As for natural treasures, needless to say, they were of extraordinary significance to fierce beasts and were of great help. The same was true for humans, who could refine them into pills to absorb.