Xuanwu War Sovereign

A flash of surprise crossed her exquisite face. Ji Huang’er looked up toward the voice, just in time to see the black-robed young man across from her give a wink.

Qin Feng!

A cold sneer flashed through Ji Huang’er’s bright, clear eyes as she replied via voice transmission.

"Qin Feng, what is the meaning of this?"

"Nothing much. I just figured, rather than let someone else stumble into a great deal, why not give the opportunity to you?" Qin Feng looked up, his gaze sweeping over the other Spiritual Birds in their cages.

From the corner of his eye, Qin Feng occasionally glanced at the Red Fire Sparrow.

In truth, Qin Feng had known from his very first glance that the people from the Primordial Spirit Beast Hall had made a mistake.

This large, crimson bird before them was no Red Fire Sparrow; it was clearly a pure-blooded Heaven-Burning Finch.

Before reaching maturity, Red Fire Sparrows and Heaven-Burning Finches share similar features and appearances, but their value is worlds apart.

The Red Fire Sparrow is just a very low-level Fierce Beast, not even qualifying as a Barbaric Beast. Many say this bird possesses a trace of bloodline from the Ancient Barbarian Beast, the Nine Nether Bird.

In reality, while the Red Fire Sparrow does possess a hint of the Nine Nether Bird’s bloodline, it is an incredibly faint trace that is fundamentally impossible to awaken.

Out of a million Red Fire Sparrows, you might not find a single one capable of awakening its Nine Nether Bird bloodline and evolving into a Barbaric Beast.

The Heaven-Burning Finch, however, was different. In Qin Feng’s memory, it was an exceptionally rare, High-Level Barbaric Beast that possessed one-quarter of the Vermilion Bird’s bloodline.

It could control a special type of flame: the Heaven-Burning Blood Flame.

Once it reaches its Mature Stage, it possesses terrifying power. It even has a high probability of successfully undergoing Nirvana and transforming into an Innate True Spirit Vermilion Bird.

"A bargain? For this ugly Red Fire Sparrow?" Ji Huang’er’s tone was dismissive. Her eyes danced, beautiful pupils seemingly filled with a flowing fire. Her gaze alone was enough to bewitch a person’s soul.

Though her stunning face remained cold, Ji Huang’er was actually incredibly shocked.

’Did Qin Feng also recognize this was a Heaven-Burning Finch? Impossible. Young Heaven-Burning Finches and Red Fire Sparrows are so similar, it’s almost impossible to tell them apart. I only sensed its true nature because I happened upon a Broken Feather from an Innate True Spirit Vermilion Bird and used it to cultivate a Secret Technique. How could *he* possibly recognize this Heaven-Burning Finch’s true form!’

Ji Huang’er’s heart trembled. She had set her sights on this Red Fire Sparrow the moment she entered the area, she just hadn’t let it show.

Qin Feng’s gaze wandered from one iron cage to the next as he sent another voice transmission. "Fine, then. If you don’t want it, I’ll buy it myself!"

Her expression stiffened, and her voice transmission grew frantic. "You dare!"

"Why wouldn’t I dare? I’ll buy it right now. And if you try to outbid me, I’ll expose its identity as a Heaven-Burning Finch. A bird with a bloodline this pure would be worth tens of thousands of Points at the very least—perhaps even over a hundred thousand. You couldn’t afford that even if you sold everything you own!"

His eyes flickered. Despite his words, Qin Feng couldn’t help but glance up at Ji Huang’er. It was clear now that she had also discerned the Heaven-Burning Finch’s true nature.

’How strange,’ Qin Feng wondered. ’Young Heaven-Burning Finches and Red Fire Sparrows look nearly identical. If I hadn’t read about them in an ancient tome in my past life and learned to spot the subtle differences, even I wouldn’t have been able to tell. How did Ji Huang’er notice there was something different about this Spiritual Sparrow?’

"What exactly do you want?" Hearing Qin Feng’s voice transmission, Ji Huang’er grew anxious.

A Heaven-Burning Finch was a stroke of immense, heaven-sent fortune. It was just a fledgling, too. If she could tame it, she would gain an unimaginably powerful ally in the future.

Ji Huang’er was genuinely worried that Qin Feng would ruin everything in a fit of pique.

Qin Feng sighed to himself. In truth, if it weren’t for his Water Attribute Constitution, he would never have let Ji Huang’er have this Heaven-Burning Finch.

Of course, there was another important reason: raising a Heaven-Burning Finch to its Mature Stage required immense financial backing.

Without sufficient Spirit Medicines and Spiritual Objects to nurture it, even if Qin Feng acquired the Heaven-Burning Finch, it would be impossible for it to properly mature for several hundred years.

The current Qin Feng obviously lacked such financial resources.

"I don’t want anything," Qin Feng said. "I just want to give it to you!"

"Is this how you give a girl a gift?" Ji Huang’er was on the verge of erupting.

"It’s my first time giving a gift to a girl, so it’s only natural to be a little nervous, hehe!" Qin Feng said, waggling his eyebrows at Ji Huang’er.

’Shameless scoundrel!’

Ji Huang’er shot the black-robed young man a harsh glare. "I won’t be indebted to you for this!"

"When I give a woman something, I don’t need her gratitude. My own satisfaction is enough," Qin Feng said, his gaze indifferent.

Jiang Liu remained completely oblivious to the strange tension crackling between Qin Feng and Ji Huang’er. He led them past cage after cage, introducing the Spiritual Birds.

"This is a Bai Yueying..."

"This is an Iron-blooded Black-feathered Eagle..."

"And over here we have a Flower-Feathered Bird..."

Being an excellent salesman, Jiang Liu dutifully explained the pros, cons, and special characteristics of each Spiritual Bird, rattling off their various unique abilities from memory.

"That’s enough. I’ll take this Red Fire Sparrow. Sixty Points!" Ji Huang’er interrupted Jiang Liu, pointing directly at the bird.

He turned to look at the Red Fire Sparrow that Ji Huang’er was pointing at.

’Ji Huang’er is actually interested in this ruffled-looking bird?’

Qin Feng saw the look in Jiang Liu’s eyes. The Red Fire Sparrow’s appearance was indeed rather poor. Its feathers were gaudy, it was sticking its rear in the air, and it looked scruffy. Compared to the other birds, it was certainly lacking in beauty.

’Why would Ji Huang’er want this Red Fire Sparrow? Could there be something odd about it?’

Muttering to himself, Jiang Liu gave her a strange look. He watched her expression, trying to probe her limits. "Sixty Points? I’m afraid not. This Red Fire Sparrow is priced at ninety Points. Just look at its striking plumage, its bright eyes, its exceptional fierceness..."

Ji Huang’er cut him off. "Sixty-five Points. Sell it or don’t!"

Jiang Liu replied, dissatisfied. "Eighty Points! That’s the absolute lowest price!"

"Seventy Points is my maximum!"

Seeing the impatience written all over Ji Huang’er’s face, Jiang Liu deliberated for a moment. He ultimately concluded there was nothing suspicious. He’d inspected this Red Fire Sparrow carefully himself and hadn’t found anything special about it.

After a moment, Jiang Liu gave a wry smile. "Very well. Since this is Elder Ji’s first visit to our humble shop, I’ll take a step back!"

Jiang Liu gestured with his hand, and an attendant immediately came forward, opened the iron cage, and retrieved a Control Bracelet used for taming Fierce Beasts, handing it to Ji Huang’er.

Jiang Liu smiled wryly at Ji Huang’er. "Elder Ji, we’ve truly sold this to you at a loss. You must frequent our Primordial Spirit Beast Shop in the future! Our shop doesn’t just sell Fierce Beasts and Barbaric Beasts; we also purchase live ones. If you ever capture any Fierce Beasts or Barbaric Beasts, Elder Ji, please consider selling to us first!"

That last sentence was the real point. Jiang Liu hadn’t cared about the Red Fire Sparrow from the beginning. His primary objective was to build a good relationship with Ji Huang’er, the Elder Vermilion Bird.

To become an Elder was undoubtedly a testament to Ji Huang’er’s excellence; it was no exaggeration to say she had a limitless future. If she truly lived up to her potential, that connection alone would bring Jiang Liu endless benefits.

"I’ve made my choice as well. I’ll take that one!" Just then, Qin Feng, who had been surveying the cages, pointed to one and spoke up.

"That one?" Jiang Liu glanced at Qin Feng in surprise. He followed his gaze, and his own expression quickly turned peculiar.

It was a large, white bird with pure white feathers. A single, comical tuft stuck straight up from the top of its head, making it look rather ridiculous.

It had a vacant, dopey expression, looking just like a Silly Bird.

In fact, that’s exactly what it was: a dopey, empty-headed Silly Bird.