My Crazy Upgrade System

"I’m entrusting my child to you. Please..."

The Fire Phoenix Tree quickly turned to ash and scattered, its soul rapidly fading away, on the verge of disappearing completely. The slumbering Little Phoenix was suddenly startled awake. It looked up at the Fire Phoenix Tree that had protected it, now bare and about to vanish at any moment, and scrambled to its feet.

Because it was extremely weak, its tiny body swayed, and it nearly fell to the ground.

"KEE... KEE..."

It cried out, its eyes welling with tears, full of reluctance to part with the Fire Phoenix Tree. Perhaps it had known all along that this tree was the incarnation of its mother. Now that the Fire Phoenix Tree was about to disappear, it meant the mother who had guarded it was about to leave.

"Goodbye, my child..." It revealed a faint smile and vanished completely.

Watching the figure disappear, Yi Tianyun sighed deeply. He didn’t know how this Fire Phoenix had died here, but it seemed it had chosen this place to hide after suffering grievous injuries.

Yi Tianyun squatted down and reached out to hold it, but the Little Phoenix grew wary, its sharp little beak pecking at him with hostility. He smiled faintly and circulated the Immortal Fire within his body, letting a wisp of the familiar flame emerge and flicker in his palm.

After absorbing the Phoenix Fire, his Immortal Fire had naturally taken on a familiar aura—an aura that could put the Little Phoenix at ease.

The scorching heat dried the damp ground, but it had no effect on the Little Phoenix. This was mainly because he wasn’t using its full power; otherwise, even a phoenix would be cooked by this flame.

The Immortal Fire was too powerful, and the Little Phoenix’s cultivation was too weak to withstand such a strong flame.

"I mean you no harm. Your mother asked me to take good care of you. This is what your mother left for me," Yi Tianyun said gently. Sensing the familiar aura, the Little Phoenix lowered its guard.

Yi Tianyun took the opportunity to reach out and hold it, gently stroking its smooth feathers. The small phoenix was still so beautiful, so endearing.

The Little Phoenix closed its eyes, enjoying the soothing sensation. Having been born not long ago and staying here for some time, it had been rather lonely.

Yi Tianyun then took out some Elixir Pills—all of them Recovery Elixirs—and offered them to the phoenix. When it smelled the medicinal fragrance, its spirits lifted, and it gobbled them down one after another like they were jelly beans. After eating them, its energy immediately returned.

These were not particularly precious Elixir Pills, just some Body Refining Pills containing pure Spiritual Power. This was more than enough, as this was precisely what the Little Phoenix lacked.

In the blink of an eye, Yi Tianyun’s Elixir Pills were all gone. The Little Phoenix looked at him, still wanting more, hoping he would give it another batch.

"Your cultivation is too low. I’ll refine a batch of high-grade Body Refining Pills for you next time. If I give you pills that are too advanced, you won’t be able to handle them." Yi Tianyun chuckled. ’As expected of a Divine Beast. Such a tiny body, yet it’s a bottomless pit. These few pills weren’t even enough to get stuck in its teeth.’

Its cultivation was just too low, only at the seventh or eighth level of the Body Refining Stage. To have such a level right after birth—truly worthy of a Divine Beast. But even a Divine Beast couldn’t handle overly advanced Elixir Pills; high-grade pills could easily cause problems.

The Little Phoenix cooed and happily nudged his palm with its head in a very affectionate gesture. It was clear that its fondness for Yi Tianyun had grown immensely. Between the familiar flame and the Elixir Pills, its affection level was soaring.

After staying for a while, he said to the Little Phoenix, "Little one, I’m going to send you somewhere to stay put."

With that, he sent the Little Phoenix into his Pet Slot. He couldn’t possibly leave it out in the open; placing it in his inventory was the only option. If he were to wander around with it, it wouldn’t even take a day—disaster would strike before nightfall.

His Sin Value was already high enough, and his ability to attract hatred was absolutely unparalleled. Though he wasn’t afraid, he had too much on his plate right now. It was better to avoid trouble.

"Alright, time to go."

Yi Tianyun scanned his surroundings. There was nothing out of the ordinary, and no Treasure was left. The phoenix’s skeleton had long since become part of the Fire Phoenix Tree, so there was nothing of value left here.

Just as he was about to leave, a DONG DONG sound reached his ears, followed by a loud BOOM! A large section of the rock wall nearby collapsed, revealing a huge opening.

"We finally broke the grand array! If it hadn’t corroded a bit, it would’ve been really hard to destroy. It sure was well hidden, though. I wonder what kind of Treasure is inside..."

"There’s definitely Treasure! I found a Phoenix Companion Crystal outside. There’s a high chance a phoenix is in here!"

A few figures then dropped down from above, all looking inside with great excitement. When they saw Yi Tianyun standing there, they were all stunned.

Yi Tianyun glanced over and was instantly amused. ’I didn’t expect to run into an acquaintance here.’ Among the several people who had dropped down was none other than Xu Jian from the Coiling Dragon Cave. He hadn’t expected to see him here.

"It’s you!" Xu Jian flew into a rage the moment he saw Yi Tianyun. They had worked so hard for so long, only to drop down and find not a single scrap of Treasure, but a living person instead!

Yi Tianyun shook his head. ’It’s a good thing I got here in time. Otherwise, the Little Phoenix would have certainly been captured. Destroying the Fire Phoenix Tree would have been too easy for them, and even if they weren’t strong enough, they could have just called for backup.’ It seemed they had also found a Phoenix Companion Crystal; he could guess as much from their conversation.

’Looks like they have good luck, but unfortunately for them, mine is better.’

"Well, long time no see. What’s the matter, done with the Coiling Dragon Cave?" Yi Tianyun said with a faint smile.

Besides Xu Jian, there were two other powerful cultivators. One of them, whose cultivation had reached the sixth level of the Core Formation Stage, was the strongest among them all. He had clearly been tempted by the Phoenix Companion Crystal and had come looking for it immediately.

He was surely willing to make a move for the chance to obtain a Little Phoenix. Who would have thought the place would be completely empty?

"You know him?" Liao Yunguang’s expression darkened as he turned to Xu Jian, questioning him.

"Of course, I know him! I’d recognize him even if he were turned to ash!" Xu Jian said through gritted teeth. "He’s the bastard I told you about before! He’s the one who beat up me and my friends, and Liao, he’s the one who broke your brother’s legs!"

"What? He’s the one who broke my brother’s legs?" Liao Yunguang’s gaze turned ice-cold. "I was planning to settle the score with you after I was done with this, but it seems you’ve delivered yourself right to my doorstep!"

Yi Tianyun shrugged. ’Looks like we’re all old acquaintances.’