My Crazy Upgrade System

"A newborn phoenix..."

Yi Tianyun’s eyes flashed with excitement. He had originally only wanted the Soul-Nourishing Grass, but finding a living Little Phoenix was a complete surprise. Of course, the phoenix might have already left, but one had definitely been here. No matter what, he had to take a closer look.

It would be a great shame if there really was a phoenix and he didn’t even try to find it.

This place was only a short journey from Celestial Dragon Imperial City, so even if powerful enemies were to surround him, he could retreat quickly without any worries.

As he followed the river, he suddenly stopped. There was an opening in the riverbed, with spring water constantly bubbling up from within. The opening wasn’t large, but it wasn’t small either—just big enough for one person to squeeze through.

Yi Tianyun’s build was average, just the right size to fit. However, he didn’t rush to jump in. Instead, he first activated his Spiritual Sense, probing deep into the opening. With his astonishing Spiritual Sense, he could perceive things several miles away.

However, he couldn’t probe that far in detail, but investigating this opening was no problem at all.

His Spiritual Sense followed the opening downward and quickly traced a path. At least it wasn’t a dead end. As he probed deeper, the details became blurry due to the distance, but he could still make out the general route.

Yi Tianyun looked up into the distance. Not far away, there was a mountain from which this water flowed. He glanced at the mountain, then back at the unfathomable opening, and made up his mind.

’I’ll go down from here.’

Yi Tianyun leaped in, sinking to the riverbed. He then swam swiftly toward the opening, darting inside with the speed of a fish. The reason he hadn’t gone straight to the mountain was his feeling that the Companion Crystal had emerged from this very spot. For it to have been washed all the way from the mountain would have required a much stronger current.

The river current wasn’t very strong at the moment, but the water surging from this opening was quite turbulent—more than enough to have washed the Companion Crystal out. That’s why he chose to investigate here first. If he was wrong, he could simply retrace his steps. It was no big deal.

The deeper he went, the more turbulent the current became, its force strong enough to dislodge small stones. He pressed on, and after swimming for a long time, the passage finally began to slope upward. Looking ahead, he saw a faint glimmer of light from above.

’I’m there...’

Yi Tianyun’s eyes lit up, and he immediately sped up, swimming toward the surface.

"SPLASH!"

He burst out of the water and was immediately struck by a wave of heat. The sensation was similar to the intense heat he’d felt in the cave when he rescued Ye Qingxuan.

As he looked up properly, his eyes fell upon a massive tree with fiery red leaves. The leaves swayed, sending waves of heat rolling toward him with every movement, as if trying to drive him away.

Beneath this Fire Phoenix Tree, there was indeed a tiny phoenix. It looked incredibly small, obviously having just hatched. It rested quietly under the tree, surrounded by fragments of Companion Crystals—most likely leftovers from its meal.

It seemed very likely that when the Little Phoenix hatched, a small piece of the Companion Crystal had been flung out, happened to fall into the underwater opening, and was then washed into the river. Other than that passage, there were no exits. It was a completely sealed cave.

Actually, there was another exit, but it had been sealed. His sharp eyes spotted Divine Runes carved along the walls, concealing the entire area. It was impossible to detect this place from the outside; the only way in was through the underground waterway.

Luckily, whoever had been here before only recognized the Soul-Nourishing Grass and knew nothing about the Phoenix Companion Crystal. It went to show just how much more Rare the crystal was. Soul-Nourishing Grass might occasionally appear in the outside world, but Divine Beasts were simply too Rare these days. They had all but vanished, their whereabouts a complete mystery.

’There really is a Little Phoenix!’ Yi Tianyun was thrilled.

The moment he climbed onto the bank, the Fire Phoenix Tree began to sway violently. A dozen or so of its leaves shot toward him like sharp blades. Halfway through the air, with a sudden WHOOSH, they erupted into balls of fire.

"WHOOSH!"

Yi Tianyun reached out, grabbed the flames, and swiftly absorbed them into his body.

"Ding! Successfully obtained fifty Skill Level points for Immortal Fire..."

’Huh, absorbing it gives me Skill Level points. Not bad.’

Yi Tianyun’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected to be able to increase its Skill Level this way. Leveling up his Immortal Fire was extremely difficult; refining a huge batch of Elixir Pills would only grant a few hundred to a thousand Skill Level points, which was why it had been so hard to upgrade.

Upgrading the Immortal Fire would not only give him a more powerful flame but also increase his success rate in Alchemy and Forging. The latter was particularly important, so seeing a way to raise its Skill Level made him feel immensely satisfied.

He hadn’t expected this tree to attack. Fortunately, its power was limited; it wasn’t very strong. If his cultivation had been any lower, he would have been burned to a crisp.

He looked up, and detailed information immediately appeared before his eyes.

Fire Phoenix Tree: Eighth Level Spirit Pill Stage. A tree born after a phoenix has completely died. It possesses a sliver of the soul’s memories from its past life and will attack intruders. Known Martial Arts: Phoenix Fire. Upon defeat, may drop: Immortal Fire, Phoenix Soul.

So it wasn’t a parasol tree, but a Fire Phoenix Tree, and one born only after a phoenix dies. Though he’d always heard them called the Undying Phoenix, they weren’t truly immortal. If they suffered a grave enough injury, they would die just like any other creature. It was only when their injuries were not severe that their recovery was swift.

"WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH..."

Several more leaves flew over, quickly turning into fireballs that rushed toward him, but he absorbed them all, converting them into Skill Level points for his Immortal Fire. The closer he got, the more ferociously the flames erupted.

However, the leaves on the Fire Phoenix Tree were becoming scarcer. Its attacks were finite. If it continued like this, it would inevitably exhaust the last of its Spiritual Power and wither away completely.

This was just a final, desperate struggle—an attack meant to protect its child. He figured that after the mother phoenix had died, she must have transformed into this Fire Phoenix Tree, choosing to protect her child for one last journey, to act as its Guardian until the very end.

He didn’t know if this Phoenix Tree was conscious or if it was possible to communicate with it. Seeing its plight filled him with sympathy. But if things continued this way, the Little Phoenix would die here. There was no food; to remain here was a death sentence!