My Crazy Upgrade System

Yi Tianyun thought this was quite simple. In truth, he could just use a pet-capturing skill and the phoenix would obediently become his pet. But that would be going too far; it wouldn’t feel like he was earning its recognition with his own power.

Besides, using the skill directly wasn’t a guaranteed success. Capturing a Divine Beast was no small feat; it would have to be injured first to make it easier.

Regardless, he had no intention of using a pet-capturing skill. He would rely on his own strength to win their approval!

"You think it’s simple?" Bai Shuihuang explained. "Our Phoenix Race is extremely sensitive. We can sense the quality of your character and even whether we’re compatible. Even we can’t easily gain the approval of these ancient phoenixes."

"But you’re already phoenixes. What does that have to do with anything?" Yi Tianyun said, shaking his head.

"We were originally phoenixes, but we can no longer transform back into them. Gaining the approval of an ancient phoenix is like gaining another battle partner. Why wouldn’t we want that?" Bai Shuihuang said with a smile.

"I see." ’I thought they could change back into phoenixes whenever they wanted,’ Yi Tianyun mused. ’It seems they’ve evolved past that point. It’s impossible for them to fully revert to their phoenix forms anymore. At most, they can probably just sprout some feathers, not transform back into those enormous birds.’

"Of course, it’s not that difficult to change back, but basically no one wants to," Bai Shuihuang said with a faint smile. "Our current forms are more convenient for getting around, so why would anyone want to revert?"

Their humanoid forms were more compact, but their power wasn’t diminished in the slightest. Of course they wouldn’t want to revert to their original state.

Just then, several elders flew over, landing nearby to watch. They were all here to carefully observe the Divine Envoy’s trial and see whether Yi Tianyun would actually succeed.

"Clan Leader, we elders are all present to bear witness. We can begin now." They had all come to witness Yi Tianyun’s trial. If he succeeded, they would officially recognize his status.

Afterward, they would announce the result to the entire race for all to know.

"Very well. You may begin now," Bai Shuihuang gestured. "I hope you will smoothly gain a phoenix’s approval."

Yi Tianyun nodded. Just as he prepared to fly down, Yan’Er encouraged him from the side, "Daddy, you can do it!"

"Thanks for the encouragement, Yan’Er." Yi Tianyun smiled, then leaped and flew down. The moment he descended, the entire Phoenix Mountain began to tremble slightly, and a pillar of fire erupted from below.

As if sensing an intruder, the volcano immediately attacked. When the terrifying pillar of fire surged upward, Yi Tianyun simply extended a hand, unleashing his Heaven-Devouring Divine Technique to absorb the gushing flames into his body.

"Gained 600 Skill Level points, 800 Skill Level points, 1,000 Skill Level points..."

The Skill Level gained from absorbing the erupting flames was quite substantial, and he finished absorbing it all in the blink of an eye. But for him, these flames were utterly meaningless.

"Whichever of you wishes to be my partner, come to me!"

The Immortal Fire within Yi Tianyun’s body flared to life. The scorching energy surged outward in all directions. His tyrannical Immortal Fire ruthlessly suppressed the other flames that were about to erupt. In the face of this absolutely dominant power, the lower-grade flames were easily quashed, unable to muster the slightest resistance!

Yi Tianyun had barely descended before making such a domineering opening move, which brought a smile to Bai Shuihuang’s face. Using one’s own power to attract a phoenix companion was a wise strategy.

Phoenixes were highly spiritual creatures with astonishing intelligence. They would naturally prioritize choosing a strong partner. If a potential partner didn’t even have half their own strength, how could they possibly fight side by side?

"It’s a good method, but we phoenixes don’t choose our most trusted companions based on strength alone!"

"We are a proud race. How could we possibly approach someone so casually? Especially a human. Phoenixes are naturally wary of humans."

"The proper way is to approach them and make a choice. Waiting for a phoenix to come to him... isn’t that a bit too arrogant?"

The elders shook their heads at Yi Tianyun’s actions. They thought his efforts were pointless; not a single phoenix would fly to him.

The phoenixes all looked up at Yi Tianyun. After a moment of staring, one let out a cry and shot toward him, its speed defying imagination!

Once the first one went, a second followed, and then a third. One after another, they flew toward Yi Tianyun in an unstoppable stream.

The elders were all dumbfounded. ’How can this be?’

"Th-This is impossible! The phoenixes are flying straight to him! Aren’t they even going to observe him carefully?"

"What about the pride of our Phoenix Race? Aren’t they going to observe his character? Aren’t they going to properly size him up...?"

"Heavens, they’ve all flown over! What in the world is going on...?"

They were utterly dumbfounded. No one had expected this. Normally, the phoenixes should have approached slowly, or perhaps only one or two would have flown over to investigate.

But now, a whole flock of phoenixes had flown over. Aside from a small handful that remained, the vast majority had gone.

What they didn’t know was that Yi Tianyun’s moral character was exceptionally high. If character was the test, then he could effortlessly crush any competition!

Flocks of phoenixes circled around him, crying out as if begging to be chosen. But no matter how many came, he could only pick one. Once he made his choice, the rest would depart.

Phoenixes were, after all, proud Divine Beasts. Having one agree to follow him was enough. The rest would then leave swiftly, without a moment’s hesitation.

"Thank goodness... thank goodness. The Blue Phoenix didn’t go to him..."

Many of the elders breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that the Blue Phoenix hadn’t moved toward Yi Tianyun. This particular phoenix was perched on the largest Fire Phoenix Tree. Unlike the others, its feathers were, at a glance, a brilliant blue. It was incredibly peculiar—blue feathers were a true anomaly.

Its cultivation was also tyrannical. It was at the Fifth Layer of the Void Spirit Realm, making it a great deal stronger than the others. Most of the phoenixes were at a much lower cultivation stage, with very few reaching the Void Spirit Realm at all.

The Blue Phoenix’s cultivation towered over the rest, crushing all the other phoenixes. It was undoubtedly the strongest one here! Coupled with its unique appearance, it was absolutely the most dazzling phoenix of them all.

Even as so many phoenixes flocked to Yi Tianyun, the Blue Phoenix didn’t move in the slightest. It remained perched motionlessly, occasionally glancing in their direction with a complete lack of interest.

This allowed them to breathe a sigh of relief. At least the Blue Phoenix hadn’t gone over. Otherwise, they would have been utterly humiliated.

’This Blue Phoenix... is interesting,’ Yi Tianyun thought with a faint smile. He already knew which one he was going to choose.