C18 The Blood of the Phoenix

"Alright, alright, Goldie is a fine name."

The scarlet macaw nodded, almost too well-behaved to be true.

"Yep, stick with me and you'll be living the high life—nothing but the best for you."

Zhou Mu huffed and accessed the panel to review Goldie's new abilities.

Feather Strengthening: A leader skill that significantly boosts feather flexibility, body defense, wing attack power, and reduces air resistance.

Goldie was a top-tier close-combat pet, elite among elites. Each of its skills was tailored for combat, with not a single one wasted.

"Boss, boss, do you have any more of that stuff? I feel like I've still got untapped potential, maybe enough for another level up."

Goldie was buzzing with excitement, chattering and hopping around, incessantly babbling in Zhou Mu's ear.

"Easy there. Rest up a bit, and let's give Gator a shot first."

Zhou Mu stroked Goldie's glossy head, and under Goldie's control, the feathers softened to a silky texture, incredibly soothing to the touch.

"You got it!"

Goldie nodded, leaped onto the bookshelf, and with its claws, pulled out a novel about a human-serpent romance, engrossed in the story.

"You can read?"

Zhou Mu was taken aback. The bird's ability to speak was impressive enough, but reading would make it a scholarly prodigy.

"I can't read, but I can make sense of the pictures."

Goldie explained earnestly.

"Pictures?"

Zhou Mu paused, his inherited memories incomplete, lacking details like the content of the books on the shelf.

He glanced over and was taken aback by the explicit illustrations.

"This silly bird isn't just a smart aleck; it's got a taste for the risqué too..."

Zhou Mu exhaled and conjured ten Bloodline Refining Stones, offering them to Gator.

"Sss, sss, sss!"

Gator affectionately licked Zhou Mu's face a few times before gulping down five stones in one go, then coiled up on the bed, motionless.

"Boss, I'll need five as well."

Watching the remaining Bloodline Refining Stones, Goldie cautiously requested.

"Okay, it's yours."

Zhou Mu nodded. Goldie immediately put down the picture book and bounded over with a hop and a skip.

The two spirit animals' advancement was remarkably swift, finishing in under three minutes.

Name: Flood Dragon (Gator)

Quality: Lord (Requires the bloodlines of a horned dinosaur, dragon, fish dragon, coiling dragon, and dragon)

Level: Third Rank, One Star

Attribute: Poison

Upgrade Requirement: Flesh of a third rank or higher fiend beast or other energy-rich substances.

Quality Skills:

Reverse Feeding: An elite skill that allows the accumulation of the spirit animal's own strength to enhance the master's strength, agility, and physique. The extent of the enhancement is determined by the frequency of reverse feeding and the beast's quality and level.

Dragon's Might: A leader's skill that suppresses any fiend beast or soul not exceeding its own quality, with a chance to subjugate them.

Unity and Harmony: A Lord's skill that enables the Animal Whisperer to utilize all of the spirit animal's abilities, with the spirit animal bearing the energy cost.

First Rank Skill:

Bite: Biting the target.

Second Rank Skill:

Lash: Enhancing the tail's strength and the hardness of the skin and bones.

Third Rank Skill:

Toxic Breath: Spewing poison forward to infiltrate the target's system through respiration.

...

Name: Mystic Bird (Goldie)

Quality: Lord (Requires the bloodlines of a phoenix, swan, green luan, swan, and swan)

Level: Second Rank, One Star

Attribute: Metal

Upgrade Requirement: Various nuts and fruits rich in nutrients.

Quality Skills:

Bone Strengthening: An elite skill that significantly enhances bone hardness, boosting both skeletal defense and the offensive capabilities of claws and beak.

Feather Strengthening: A leader's skill that substantially increases feather flexibility, body defense, wing attack power, and reduces air resistance.

Eagle Eye: A Lord's skill that focuses killing intent into a single point, intimidating the enemy.

First Rank Skill:

Heart-tearing Claws: Launches a triple attack on the target.

Second Rank Skill:

Wing Blade: Uses the wings as blades to rend the target.

Following their advancement from leader to lord, both Gator and Goldie gained new abilities, though their paths to further evolution were momentarily halted.

Gator had absorbed the dragon blood extracted from Zhou Mu, setting its evolutionary path toward that of a true dragon.

Regrettably, the quantity of dragon blood was insufficient. To ascend from a Lord to a King, Gator would require the bloodlines of five additional dragon species.

Zhou Mu had anticipated this challenge; after all, it wouldn't be easy for a dragon of myth, with the power to penetrate heaven and earth, to undergo its metamorphosis.

What he hadn't foreseen was that Goldie's bloodline was nearly as potent as Gator's. To reach the status of a King, Goldie would also need the bloodlines of five phoenixes.

"No wonder there are no useless skills. It's the blood of the phoenix coursing through his veins!"

Zhou Mu marveled, feeling incredibly fortunate.

Of course, the system deserved most of the credit.

Without its assistance, Goldie would have remained a first-rank, five-star elite for life, never advancing until its dying day.

Goldie's Lord-tier skill was quite straightforward—a control skill, exceptionally handy for assassins.

Gator's skill, on the other hand, was fascinating, granting Zhou Mu the ability to use its skills without restrictions.

Naturally, not every skill was accessible. Using its tail, for instance, was out of the question—too short and fragile.

After advancing to Lord-tier, Gator's appearance didn't change significantly, just a sleeker physique.

Goldie, however, had put on more weight, now resembling a plump young rooster.

"Not bad at all. I should easily rank within the top three among this year's students."

Zhou Mu mused, content with his prospects.

It was a good thing no one overheard him; they might have been green with envy.

For a high school senior to possess a spirit animal of such fine quality was impressive. If he managed to elevate it to the second rank, he'd be a shoo-in for the top three among university freshmen.

As for becoming a leader, that could wait until the Soul Contract reached level three.

Even the least impressive leader pet could leave all the freshmen in tatters.

With the right skills, taking on third-year seniors would be a breeze.

With two Lord-tier spirit animals, Zhou Mu was untouchable, commanding respect from peers and teachers alike.

Zhou Mu possessed two spirit animals of lordly quality, which left even his university-educated seniors without recourse, and some teachers had to concede defeat to him. The only method to overcome him was through the use of soul techniques and soul intensity.

He shooed Gator and Gold aside to amuse themselves while he eagerly dove into the pages of an illustrated book. Despite the lackluster plot, the detail was commendable, and the illustrations were nothing short of spectacular.

Time flew by swiftly, and before he knew it, half an hour had elapsed. The spirit medicine Zhou Mu had ordered finally arrived: 20 Dongfang Divine Pills, 73 Six-eyed Flying Fish, and 56 Dragon Horn Roots. With such an abundance of spirit medicine, he should be well supplied.

Zhou Mu popped the 20 Dongfang Divine Pills into his mouth, not even pausing for the poison to take effect before he traded them in for the system.