Qiming

The Spirit Rock Turtle lay motionless on the counter.

Its eyes were filled with curiosity. Those tiny, bead-like eyes locked firmly onto Jiang Lu's figure, filled with pure innocence and wonder.

The surrounding clamor and the sound of flowing spiritual energy seemed to fade away completely. The Spirit Rock Turtle pressed its limbs flat against the surface. If not for the faint rise and fall of its breathing, Jiang Lu would have thought time itself had stopped.

No, that wasn't right!

Jiang Lu's heart suddenly tightened. Her eyelashes fluttered as her sharp divine sense caught a fleeting anomaly from just a moment ago.

In that split second, the swirling breeze, the floating spiritual energy, and the movements of the Spirit Rock Turtle in front of her had all come to an abrupt, almost eerie standstill.

Jiang Lu's eyes widened. She seemed to have discovered something extraordinary.

The Spirit Rock Turtle gave its short tail a gentle flick. Its shell scraped against the counter with a soft rustling sound as it crawled clumsily yet quickly toward Jiang Lu, showing none of the disdain or wariness it had displayed toward the other cultivators.

Jiang Lu leaned down slightly, her posture graceful. She curled her fingers slightly, keeping them a fist's distance away from the slowly approaching Spirit Rock Turtle, and quietly met its gaze.

After a moment, Jiang Lu's calm, soft voice rang out, filled with certainty:

“I'll take this one.”

Jiang Lu lightly spread her palm. A gentle wave of pure spiritual energy lifted the Spirit Rock Turtle, wrapping it in a warm, nourishing aura that drew it even closer to her.

She turned her head and waved to the maid waiting nearby.

The maid, who had already been quietly keeping an eye on Jiang Lu, immediately stepped forward when she saw her gesture.

When she saw the Spirit Rock Turtle in Jiang Lu's hand, an irrepressible joy flashed in her eyes. Her tone grew light; this Spirit Rock Turtle, which had been left sitting there for so long in a sluggish state, was finally being bought.

Suppressing her excitement, she composed her expression and asked respectfully:

“Dear customer, do you like this Spirit Rock Turtle?”

Jiang Lu nodded slightly, her gaze resting on the Spirit Rock Turtle in her palm, a deep, unreadable look in her eyes.

“This Spirit Rock Turtle is priced at twenty high-grade spirit stones,” the maid quickly blurted out the price, explaining earnestly. “As you may know, Spirit Rock Turtles are naturally active and love to explore on their own, so their survival rate isn't very high. Having these few in our shop is already quite rare.”

This explanation was indeed the truth, which Jiang Lu naturally knew.

Besides, if it truly possessed the bloodline of a divine beast, it would be an absolute steal no matter the price. Twenty high-grade spirit stones was practically a robbery; she could easily afford it.

With a thought, she waved her hand, and the spirit stones appeared on the table. Once the count was verified, she turned and left with the Spirit Rock Turtle.

Walking to an uninhabited area outside the city, shielded by the dense foliage of the forest, she held it in her hand and leaned in to observe it closely.

“Master, this Spirit Rock Turtle has awakened the ancient Spirit Turtle bloodline. If it grows, it has a chance to become a semi-divine beast. If it evolves completely, it might even become a divine beast Spirit Turtle.”

Mingyue crawled out from her pouch, stood on Jiang Lu's wrist, and leaned in to sniff the Spirit Rock Turtle.

Sensing the unfamiliar aura, the Spirit Rock Turtle grew timid. Its head snapped back, retracting into its shell with a sharp whoosh.

Jiang Lu looked down at it. Its entire body was clearly reflected in her pupils, its image gradually expanding and extending along her line of sight into the depths of her divine sense.

In an instant, a gentle yet tight soul connection was established in her sea of consciousness. Atop one of the lotus pedestals in her sea of consciousness, the figure of a Spirit Turtle appeared.

All of the Four Ancient Auspicious Beasts were now in their proper places.

Within Jiang Lu's quiet sea of consciousness, the four Tier Nine lotus pedestals rooted in her soul suddenly trembled slightly. The overlapping layers of lotus petals slowly unfurled, and a beam of holy light burst forth from the center of each lotus.

The light was neither scorching nor fierce, but incredibly pure. It rippled along the patterns of the lotus pedestals, gently enveloping the figures resting upon them.

The spirit beasts around Jiang Lu froze. In the grand scheme of things, an invisible bond suddenly formed, spanning across all of them.

At this moment, a wondrous sensation of shared origin, mutual symbiosis, and shared destiny arose. It was inexplicable and indefinable, yet deeply engraved in each of their souls.

The soft light drifted between the lotus pedestals, weaving into a faint net of light that circulated through Jiang Lu's limbs and meridians. A sense of profound warmth and otherworldly peace washed over her entire body.

To put it precisely, this aura was gentle and sacred, without a trace of hostility. It carried a natural charm; any living being that sensed it would instinctively feel drawn to her, trust her from the bottom of their heart, and naturally hold immense goodwill and belief in her.

“Master~”

A crisp, childish voice rang out softly, obedient and lively.

Jiang Lu's eyes flickered. She looked down at the little creature that had spoken, sharply catching the level of spiritual energy floating around it. A trace of surprise flashed in her eyes as she blurted out:

“How is your strength at Tier Three?”

The Spirit Rock Turtle wiggled its body, its tone carrying a hint of pride:

“Master, this is my divine ability! I can conceal and adjust my cultivation level at will, showing only the realm I want to display. Even if a top-tier powerhouse at the Tribulation Transcendence realm inspects me closely, they won't find a single flaw.

“Furthermore, since I have formed a soul contract with Master, this divine ability is shared with you as well. Master can also hide your own strength at will!”

Jiang Lu suddenly understood. So that was how it was.

“Tsk~ Looks like your skills clashed!”

Beside them, Chi Li flicked its tail feathers, its eyes cunning. It turned to tease Cang Chen, its tone filled with pure schadenfreude.

Both had the ability to conceal their cultivation, and Cang Chen's divine ability happened to overlap with the little fellow's. It was truly amusing.

“Hmph! ╯^╰”

Cang Chen immediately let out an unhappy snort, turning its head away proudly. Its cheeks puffed up slightly, showing a touch of stubborn, childish defiance.

It grumbled inwardly. It had more than just this one divine ability!

Once it broke through to Tier Five and unlocked its innate talent, it would definitely show these guys what it was truly made of!

Jiang Lu quietly watched the five lively and energetic contracted spirit beasts before her.

Her gaze softened as she let out a gentle sigh, a mix of amusement and helplessness rising in her heart.

Without realizing it, she had actually contracted so many small spirit beasts with outstanding talent and incredible potential.

Leaving everything else aside, just nurturing them and helping them steadily break through and advance in the future would require an incalculable amount of natural treasures, spiritual liquids, and rare stones. It would likely drain her entire collection of treasures.

Yet, looking at the lively little fellows before her, a gentle look of determination gradually spread in her eyes.

They were just spirit beasts. At worst, she would just refine more elixirs. She would definitely not let them go without growing.

“Master~”

The Spirit Rock Turtle yawned, looking at her with a pitiful expression.

“What is it?”

Jiang Lu looked puzzled. Did it already regret forming the contract?

“Master, you haven't given me a name yet!”

It had sensed that all the other contracted beasts had names.

Jiang Lu finally remembered. After pondering for a moment, she said:

“How about calling you Qiming?”