Led by the beast stable attendant, the group from the association passed through the Myriad Beasts Garden and arrived at a wide, dedicated road.
This road was broader than ordinary streets, with a checkpoint at the entrance guarded by armed sentries. There were no pedestrians or palanquins; from afar, only riding beasts carrying passengers could be seen galloping back and forth.
The group mounted their saddles and gently pulled the reins. Their riding beasts let out soft cries, taking a few steps forward with a crisp clatter of hooves. Glancing at the tags hanging around the beasts' necks, the guards promptly opened the checkpoint to let them pass.
“Safe travels, honored guests!” called the attendant.
Seated on the back of the Moonlit White Deer, Shi Yu cradled the Five-Color Luan in one hand. Using her sleeve for cover with the other, she retrieved a drop of Life Spring water from the Fate-Tapping Bell and brought it to the bird's beak.
The drop of Life Spring water remained tightly coalesced, resting like a round pearl in her palm. Sensing that this substance was beneficial to its injuries, the feeble Five-Color Luan nuzzled Shi Yu's thumb and with great difficulty opened its beak, sipping the milky-white pearl of Life Spring water into its mouth.
Shi Yu gently stroked the soft down on its back. The Five-Color Luan felt naturally close to her aura, and her gentle touch proved soothing. After swallowing the Life Spring water, it closed its eyes and curled up in her palm to sleep.
“Its life force is no longer dissipating.”
Noticing that the luan's condition had improved, Shi Yu felt relieved and looked around. Riding beasts moved at great speed. As the Moonlit White Deer sprinted down the dedicated road, the scenery blurred past—lush green ancient trees lining both sides and vibrant flowers blooming in clusters, creating a breathtaking view.
In just half an hour, the group traveled from the city gate to the center of the main city.
A massive square spanning hundreds of mu greeted their eyes; this was where the Alchemy Exchange Conference would take place. At its center stood an elevated platform—the venue where alchemists from various prefecture capitals would soon compete. Surrounding the platform was a vast expanse capable of accommodating hundreds of thousands of spectators.
Guards continuously patrolled the square, clearing out bystanders, while numerous cultivators clad in the standard robes of the Array Association and the Refinement Association rushed to set up the venue.
Shi Yu glanced over and recognized at once that they were busy setting up cooling arrays. Under the blazing sun, coupled with the heat from numerous alchemists igniting their flames simultaneously, the temperature on the square would undoubtedly soar. While cultivators were protected by spiritual energy and immune to normal heat and cold, extreme temperatures were still somewhat uncomfortable.
Of course, array installations were exorbitant. Thus, these cooling arrays were only deployed in a ring directly surrounding the high platform, reserving those prime viewing spots for prominent figures.
Aside from the arrays, weapon refiners were erecting giant mirrors crafted from polished shadow-recording stones, which would project scenes from the high platform so distant spectators could see clearly.
Withdrawing her gaze, Shi Yu smiled and remarked, “What a grand spectacle.”
None of these setups came cheap.
President Song clicked his tongue. “Word of this decennial competition has likely spread beyond Changyuan Prefecture. The number of alchemists and spectators attending will be astronomical. Since Hengze Prefecture represents the pride of Changyuan Prefecture, they're naturally pulling out all the stops and sparing no expense.”
He added, “Let's find lodging nearby.”
North of the square stood a grand mansion featuring walls of white jade and tiles of glazed glass. Looking resplendent and imposing even from afar, it was none other than the City Lord's Mansion.
To the east and west were rows of shops, restaurants, and inns conducting all manner of business. Having had a smooth journey, the group from the Alchemist Association had arrived relatively early, leaving plenty of vacant rooms in the neighboring inns.
They checked into an inn, and the attendant led their riding beasts to the backyard stables.
“Everyone, rest for a few hours. We'll head over to the restaurant across the street for dinner tonight,” President Song said as he handed out room keys, then turned to Shi Yu. “Since this is your first time here, you must try their dishes—they're even better than Miaoyi Tower's.”
Hearing this, Shi Yu's appetite was whetted, and she quickly replied, “How generous of you, President!”
“How generous of you, President!” the others chimed in one after another.
In previous years when attending the gathering, they had always been fraught with anxiety, finding even the finest delicacies flavorless. This year, with the pressure lifted off their shoulders, they could finally relax as if a heavy burden had been removed.
President Song chuckled and chided, “Aha, so you're all plotting to fleece me, are you?”
Having spent nearly a month traveling, everyone felt somewhat weary. After exchanging a few banter-filled jokes and setting a time for dinner, they retired to their respective rooms.
Shi Yu also returned to her room—an elegant room on the second floor. Inside was a carved wooden bed, accompanied by a square table and two bamboo chairs by the window. The decor was simple yet tasteful.
After closing the door, she sat down at the table and carefully set the luan onto its surface to examine its injuries.
The Life Spring water harbored life force and spiritual energy, possessing extraordinary efficacy. In just an hour, the luan had improved significantly compared to before; it no longer appeared weak and listless, and its feathers had regained some of their luster.
Letting out a soft chirp, it tilted its head to preen its somewhat messy crimson feathers. It then puffed out its chest, shook its body, and unfurled its tail feathers under Shi Yu's gaze. Like a peacock displaying its train, its five-colored tail feathers fanned out, reflecting brilliant, radiant light in a dazzling spectacle.
A luan's tail feathers concentrated its entire spiritual origin source and were its most important trait; thus, it would only fan them out before someone it trusted.
Shi Yu knew this was likely connected to the bloodline sealed within her body. It was because of this that the Five-Color Luan, which retained a faint trace of Phoenix bloodline, had felt so close to her from the very start.
With its tail feathers fully fanned, the Five-Color Luan paced back and forth on the square table in front of Shi Yu.
“So pretty,” Shi Yu said with a crinkle of her eyes. Finding its proud, chest-puffed pose adorably endearing, she could not resist tickling the fluffy, impossibly soft down on its chest.
“Ji,” the luan chirped, stopping in its tracks and tilting its head to look at her.
The downy feathers felt wonderful to the touch—warm and delicate—so Shi Yu couldn't refrain from stroking them a few more times.
Being only palm-sized, the Five-Color Luan nearly lost its balance from her petting and gently pecked the back of her hand.
Only then did Shi Yu reluctantly withdraw her hand. Smiling at the tiny bird, she retrieved another drop of Life Spring water and held it to its beak.
The luan obediently lowered its head and sipped the water into its beak. Almost instantly, as if tipsy, its eyes closed and it collapsed into Shi Yu's palm.
Gently stroking it, Shi Yu thought, The luan's origin source was damaged. Even with the Life Spring water nourishing it, it will take time to fully recover. Given its small size, I should be able to place it inside the Fate-Tapping Bell.
The Fate-Tapping Bell could now store living creatures, though space was limited. However, for a bird merely palm-sized, it was clearly not an issue.
The space inside the bell was abundant in spiritual energy and vibrant life force; resting or cultivating within it would be immensely beneficial to the luan.
Having made up her mind, Shi Yu was about to place the Five-Color Luan into the Fate-Tapping Bell when her gaze paused as she swept over its unfurled tail feathers.
What's inside...? She finally noticed something faintly hidden in the center of its tail feathers. Sensing something unusual, Shi Yu gently parted the feathers with her finger, her pupils shrinking in shock.
Hidden beneath the five-colored tail feathers were two extremely inconspicuous clusters of downy plumage. Had it not completely fanned its feathers in front of her, no one would have ever noticed them.
These two clusters showed two distinct colors. They appeared underdeveloped, having not yet grown to the length or shape of the other tail feathers, and their hues were quite faint.
Yet... there was no doubt about it.
“It isn't a Five-Color Luan... but a Seven-Color Luan?”
If the Five-Color Luan was already an exceedingly rare spirit beast with immense potential, then the Seven-Color Luan was unquestionably a rarity among rarities. While Five-Color Luans appeared on rare occasions, Seven-Color Luans only ever existed in ancient texts.
The trace of ancient divine beast Phoenix bloodline within its body was far more concentrated than that of a Five-Color Luan. With careful nurturing, it would inevitably become an extraordinarily powerful spirit beast.
The bird before her had likely undergone an ancestral awakening by a stroke of chance. The Seven-Color Luan was proud by nature, keeping its tail feathers tightly closed and preferring death over becoming someone's pet. The beast stable had ultimately lacked the discernment to notice its anomaly; otherwise, it would never have been Shi Yu's turn to buy it, let alone at such a low price.
Exhaling softly, Shi Yu suppressed her excitement and placed the luan into the Fate-Tapping Bell.
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