Xuanwu War Sovereign

"Junior Brother Qin Feng, are you looking to buy a Spiritual Bird or an Exotic Beast for a mount?" A grinning young man stopped Qin Feng as he passed the entrance of a lavishly decorated shop.

He was a young man of about twenty-four or twenty-five, dressed in a white robe with wide, flowing sleeves. He had a dignified appearance, but at the moment, he exuded the air of a shrewd merchant.

"And you are?" Qin Feng asked, studying the young man. He couldn’t recall ever seeing him before.

"There’s no need to be suspicious, Junior Brother. You’re this year’s Elder Cyan Dragon, the center of everyone’s attention. I caught a few glimpses of you in the crowd during the welcoming ceremony and memorized your face!"

The young man in the white robe explained.

"My name is Jiang Liu. I’m also a student at All Stars Academy, and I’m currently working as a clerk here at the Primordial Spirit Beast Hall."

The young man in white was extremely perceptive. Seeing that Qin Feng’s expression remained unchanged, he immediately launched into his sales pitch.

"It looks like you’re in the market for a Spiritual Bird or an Exotic Beast to ride, Junior Brother. Why don’t you come on in? Our shop has a full range of Spiritual Bird breeds, and our prices are very reasonable!"

"Even if you don’t end up buying anything, you can still come in and have a look, Junior Brother!"

Jiang Liu was incredibly enthusiastic, with a real silver tongue.

’Once he gets in the shop and sees those Spiritual Birds and Exotic Beasts, I refuse to believe he won’t be tempted to spend some Points!’ Jiang Liu’s heart burned with anticipation.

Normally, the young man in white wouldn’t bother putting so much effort into a pitch for a new student, but Qin Feng was different. He was the Elder Cyan Dragon and was quite well-off.

Qin Feng glanced at the Primordial Spirit Beast Shop. The establishment was indeed quite large. In terms of both its magnificent decor and its variety of Spirit Beasts, it was one of the best on the street.

"Alright, then. Let’s go have a look."

"SQUAWK! SQUAWK! Another customer! Another customer’s here!" The moment Qin Feng stepped into the shop, a bizarre voice rang out.

Qin Feng looked up and saw, in a nearby hanging birdcage, a drab, ugly bird.

The ugly bird had been plucked clean of all its feathers, leaving only two gray patches on its wings and a small black tuft on its head.

It was a very strange sight.

It was hard not to laugh.

"What are you looking at? Have you never seen a bird as handsome as this Eighth Master?!" The ugly bird was highly intelligent. Seeing Qin Feng staring, it gave a vain flap of its wings, its face full of pride.

And incredibly cocky!

Qin Feng glanced at it, the corners of his lips twitching into a smile.

Frowning at the ugly bird spouting nonsense in its cage, Jiang Liu scolded, "You ugly freak, shut your beak!"

"SQUAWK! SQUAWK! You’re the ugly freak! Jiang Liu, you’re the ugly freak! Your whole family is full of ugly freaks!" the ugly bird shrieked, not to be outdone.

Jiang Liu was both amused and exasperated, raising a hand to teach it a lesson. But who would have thought the ugly bird would suddenly start screeching.

"SQUAWK! He’s hitting a bird! He’s hitting a bird! Jiang Liu is bullying a bird!"

Qin Feng narrowed his eyes, staring at the drab, ugly bird with an unreadable glint in his gaze.

With a faint smile, Qin Feng stopped Jiang Liu. "Senior Jiang Liu, what’s its story?"

Jiang Liu glanced at Qin Feng and resentfully lowered his raised hand.

"This ugly freak was brought in a few years ago. Apparently, some expert from All Stars Academy brought it back from Poison God Ridge. We thought that since this weird bird could survive in a terrifying place like Poison God Ridge, which is crawling with poisonous things, it must be some kind of Alien Species. But who knew? Besides squawking its head off every day, this thing doesn’t have a single damn skill to its name!"

Qin Feng had heard of Poison God Ridge. The Poison God Territory was a terrifying region where poisonous creatures ran rampant. 𝗳𝚛𝗲𝕖𝕨𝕖𝗯𝚗𝚘𝕧𝕖𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝕞

Legend had it that a terrifying Poison God had been buried there. As a result, the area was perpetually filled with a five-colored, deadly miasma and remained shrouded in clouds and mist year-round, never seeing the light of day.

Shaking his head, Jiang Liu shot the ugly bird a fierce glare before turning back to Qin Feng with a smile. "Junior Brother Qin Feng, what kind of Spirit Beast are you looking for as a mount? We have birds, beasts... it doesn’t matter if it swims in the water, flies in the sky, or runs on the ground. We even have some that burrow underground!"

"I need a flying creature," Qin Feng said. He cast an imperceptible glance out of the corner of his eye at the ugly bird in the cage, which was still muttering indignantly to itself. A strange glint flickered deep in his eyes before vanishing.

"Then let’s head to the Spiritual Bird District!" Jiang Liu nodded, leading Qin Feng toward another section of the shop.

The Spiritual Bird District was, as the name suggested, the area of the shop that specialized in selling Spiritual Birds.

As they walked deeper into the establishment, Qin Feng noticed that the Primordial Spirit Beast Shop was doing quite well.

Not many powerful Martial Artists could afford to buy a mount, yet the Primordial Spirit Beast Shop was bustling with people.

Most of them were dressed in expensive-looking clothes and were predominantly young men and women.

Qin Feng asked Jiang Liu about it, and Jiang Liu explained that most of the Fierce Beasts and Barbaric Beasts here were captured in the Barbaric Realm by experts from All Stars Academy.

This shop was one of All Stars Academy’s business ventures.

In the Spiritual Bird District, there were many flying creatures suitable for riding. It was here that Qin Feng spotted a very familiar figure.

She wore a red dress, looking like a phoenix wreathed in flame.

Ji Huang’Er!

Apparently, Ji Huang’Er was also here choosing a mount. Golden Phoenix Mountain’s Qixia Cave wasn’t far from Heavenly Red Peak’s Green Water Cave.

"It’s you?" Ji Huang’Er turned, her beautiful eyes spotting Qin Feng.

"Miss Ji." A faint smile touched Qin Feng’s lips as he nodded.

"Hmph. Despicable man," Ji Huang’Er muttered, turning her head away with a cold sneer on her gorgeous face.

’Despicable man?’ Qin Feng blinked and rubbed his nose. He couldn’t remember doing anything to offend the Elder Vermilion Bird.

Jiang Liu caught up to them. Noticing the tense atmosphere between the two, he chuckled. "So, you two are acquaintances!"

"That’s enough. Stop wasting time. If you’re going to make a sale, then get to it," Ji Huang’Er interrupted sharply.

With a slightly wry smile, Jiang Liu glanced between the two of them before leading them to a Spiritual Bird. "You two, this is a Grey-feathered Crane. While it’s just an ordinary Fierce Beast, it has a gentle temperament, making it an excellent mount!"

"The price for this Grey-feathered Crane is also quite good—only sixty Points!"

After speaking, Jiang Liu noted their noncommittal expressions and added with a smile, "If you feel the Grey-feathered Crane is a bit too low-class, you could also opt for a Red-plumed Crane. It’s a bit pricier, though, at eighty Points!"

Jiang Liu pointed to a large white crane with a crest that looked like a burning flame. It had a slender neck, snow-white plumage, and bright, spirited eyes. This Red-plumed White Crane stood as tall as a man and looked quite magnificent.

Ji Huang’Er looked somewhat tempted.

Qin Feng observed with a cool detachment. ’This Red-plumed White Crane is beautiful, to be sure, but it’s utterly mediocre in every other respect.’

’It has limited potential and no value as an investment.’

’I only have a hundred Points, so I need to make every single one count.’

’Besides, I’m hoping I might be able to find a hidden gem here.’

He was confident that with his sharp eye, he could find a mount that would truly satisfy him.

Qin Feng’s gaze swept over the rows of displayed Spiritual Birds. Most of them were sprawled on the ground, fast asleep, likely after being fed a Sleeping Elixir.

Qin Feng’s gaze landed on a large bird with dull, crimson feathers.

The large, red bird was sprawled on the ground. Specks of fiery energy condensed around its body. It had a pale yellow beak, and its large rear was sticking high in the air. A few bright red tail feathers were scattered about messily. The whole sight was disheveled and rather conspicuous.

Jiang Liu noticed Qin Feng’s gaze and said, "Junior Brother Qin Feng has a good eye! That’s a Fire Attribute Fierce Beast, the Red Fire Sparrow. It can spit red flames and has considerable combat strength. Plus, it possesses a trace of the legendary Nine Nether Bird’s bloodline. It’s only ninety Points!"

The Nine Nether Bird. That was a powerful True Spirit, second only to an Innate True Spirit. It was a vicious fowl that ran rampant during the Ancient Era!

It was a well-known fact that although Red Fire Sparrows possessed a trace of the Nine Nether Bird’s bloodline, it almost never awakened.

Ji Huang’Er looked over. She gave the slovenly, red bird a glance and felt an instinctual dislike for it.

But at that very moment, a voice as faint as a mosquito’s buzz sounded in her ear.

"Buy it."