Chapter 176: Divine Bird, White Tiger, Domain
That evening.
Deng Long came by again to bring Lin Yi dinner.
After getting home, Lin Yi had just sat down at the dinner table, ready to enjoy his meal.
But then, as if drawn by the scent, Xiaoqi leaped out of its cardboard box.
It trotted over and stared up at Lin Yi.
"CHIRP, CHIRP, CHIRP..."
It let out a series of shrill, immature cries.
Lin Yi looked down at it and said with a smile, "What’s wrong, hungry again? All I have is Demon Beast Meat. You probably can’t stomach it."
"CHIRP, CHIRP, CHIRP..."
Xiaoqi continued to chirp, its gaze firm.
Seeing this, Lin Yi nodded. "Alright, I’ll give you a small piece to try. But don’t blame me if you get indigestion!"
With that, Lin Yi found a smaller piece of Demon Beast Meat.
He placed it on the floor.
The moment it saw the Demon Beast Meat, Xiaoqi didn’t pounce on it and start eating.
Instead, it approached cautiously and pecked at it a few times.
Finally, it snatched the meat in its beak and swallowed it down in just a couple of gulps.
Lin Yi watched the whole process. He was surprised to see Xiaoqi actually eat it.
His curiosity grew even more.
’A newly hatched chick can actually eat Demon Beast Meat?’
Next, Lin Yi fed it several more pieces of Demon Beast Meat.
Without exception, Xiaoqi swallowed every single one.
Finally, it seemed to be truly full, as it turned and headed back toward the bedroom.
With a light hop, it jumped back into its cardboard box.
Only after feeding Xiaoqi did Lin Yi start to eat his own meal in peace.
Around nine o’clock that night, Lin Yi placed a pad inside the cardboard box.
It was to insulate against the cold from the floor. Xiaoqi lay on the pad, sleeping contentedly.
Lin Yi sat cross-legged on his bed, preparing to rest by cultivating the Star River Qi Transformation Technique.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a water drop.
He picked up his phone and saw it was a message from Wei Nan.
It was a reminder to go check his martial arts exam scores the next day.
After sending a quick reply, Lin Yi entered the state of the Star River.
The vast cosmos once again appeared before his eyes.
Countless points of starlight converged on him as their focal point.
A golden glow gradually began to emanate from Lin Yi’s body.
The sound of the Dao echoed from beyond the Nine Heavens, and the runes once again transformed into tiny golden sprites, circling around him.
The white tiger, from not far away, came striding gracefully across the Star River.
In just two days, Lin Yi felt that the white tiger seemed to have grown even stronger.
It had already shed its cub-like form.
Now, it looked almost like a full-grown adult white tiger.
Its body radiated a soft white light that bathed Lin Yi completely.
The golden light, the runes, and the white light all empowered Lin Yi at once.
Lin Yi could feel the Qi and Blood in his body gradually transforming into a purer form of Qi.
The feeling was like something coarse being refined into something exquisite.
As this nascent Qi gradually poured into his acupoints,
his strength, senses, explosive power, and speed all received a significant boost.
The next moment, the white tiger, which had been lying beside Lin Yi, suddenly jolted as if it had been spooked.
WHOOSH! It shot to its feet.
It stared in astonishment at the light on Lin Yi’s body.
Seeing this, Lin Yi felt it was odd and followed the tiger’s gaze to look at himself.
He saw that in addition to the golden light, two other sheens of red and cyan were enveloping his body.
The appearance of these two new glows baffled Lin Yi.
’How can there be other light sources like this in the Star River?’
Moreover, these two faint light sources looked somewhat familiar.
Suddenly, Lin Yi realized.
’Could this light be from Xiaoqi?’
’Doesn’t it have three tufts of feathers on its head—red, green, and cyan?’
’Does this mean the new light on my body is coming from Xiaoqi?’
Lin Yi found it strange.
This was all just his speculation, of course.
But the abrupt appearance of these two light sources made him suspect a connection to Xiaoqi.
But then, in the very next moment...
...a stunning cry echoed throughout the vast Xinghai.
The white tiger and Lin Yi both looked in the direction of the sound.
There, above the Star River, a colossal, divine bird soared through the sky.
Its body was cyan-blue, and on its head were three tufts of differently colored feathers.
Most strikingly, its tail possessed seven different colors.
Its overall appearance was just like that of the divine bird, the Phoenix.
But its colors were completely different from a Phoenix, and its wingspan was a full two to three meters long.
Its cries were soul-shaking.
The white tiger looked up at it, its eyes filled with vigilance and hostility.
Lin Yi was internally shaken and subconsciously called out, "Xiaoqi?"
Instantly, another cry pierced through the heavens.
The divine bird soaring in the distance seemed to understand, flapping its wings and flying directly toward Lin Yi.
A fierce gust of wind blew as the divine bird approached Lin Yi.
It slowly folded its wings and landed steadily on the white tiger’s head.
This left the white tiger stunned for a moment, before it bared its fangs and let out a roar.
In an instant, the tranquility of the Star River was shattered.
Xiaoqi, however, was completely unafraid of the tiger’s intimidation, remaining perched firmly on its head.
No matter how much the white tiger bucked and leaped, it couldn’t shake the bird off.
Witnessing this scene, Lin Yi was naturally both shocked and delighted.
’Who would have thought this little chick would look like this when it grew up?’
’It truly has the bloodline of an Ancient Divine Bird. And it seems to have some connection to the Phoenix?’
’But why can it enter my Heart Spirit Domain?’
’Could it be that it has established a connection with me?’
Watching the white tiger and Xiaoqi chasing and playing rough,
the corners of Lin Yi’s mouth lifted into a slight smile.
’I don’t care how it got in. At the very least, Xiaoqi has already acknowledged me as its master.’
’Establishing a mental link means the domain has accepted it.’
’From now on, can it enter and leave this place freely, just like the white tiger?’
Lin Yi paid no more mind to the white tiger and Xiaoqi.
Letting them frolic, Lin Yi slowly closed his eyes.
He immersed himself in his cultivation.
...
The night passed quickly.
As the first ray of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds and shone down on Xinghai City,
the alarm clock rang right on time.
Lin Yi opened his eyes, exiting the state of the Star River Qi Transformation Technique.
And there, nestled in his arms,
he found Xiaoqi, sleeping soundly.
’I get it now. Last night, it must have escaped from the cardboard box and crawled into my arms to sleep.’
’We must have unintentionally formed a mental link, which is how it inexplicably broke into my domain?’
’It seems this was destined to happen, a matter of fate?’
A look of pleasant surprise spread across Lin Yi’s face.
He was especially thrilled when he recalled what the adult Xiaoqi looked like in the Star River last night.
A white tiger.
A divine bird.
’If I could take these two pets out for a walk in the future...’
’Man, wouldn’t that strike fear into the hearts of all beasts? The cats and dogs in the neighborhood would probably be scared stiff, trembling and losing control of their bowels, right?’
Today was the day to return to school.
Lin Yi carefully placed the still-sleeping Xiaoqi back into the cardboard box.
He went into the bathroom to wash up.
By the time he came out, Xiaoqi was already awake.
As Lin Yi changed into his school uniform, he looked at the bird and said, "I have to go to school today. You be good at home, don’t cause any trouble, and definitely no freezing things all over the place!"
"When I get back, I’ll give you more Demon Beast Meat for dinner!"
After he spoke, Xiaoqi tilted its head slightly, looking at Lin Yi with a blank expression.
It didn’t seem to understand what he had just said.
So, Lin Yi tried to communicate with it using his divine sense.
This time, he didn’t encounter the same resistance as before.
He conveyed his meaning with ease.
The next moment, a young and disjointed voice sounded in his mind.
But... scared. Xiaoqi is scared...
Lin Yi looked at the innocent-looking Xiaoqi and said helplessly, "You’re a divine bird, for crying out loud. What’s there to be afraid of? We don’t have any cats or dogs here, you don’t even have natural enemies. Wait for me..."
Before he could finish speaking, Xiaoqi suddenly—ZIP!—transformed into a seven-colored streak of light and dove straight into the pocket of Lin Yi’s school uniform.
Take me with you, take me... Xiaoqi doesn’t want to be alone...
Lin Yi reached into his pocket and felt a small, fluffy ball curled up inside.
He had to admit, it felt quite nice, just like a plush toy.
"Sigh. I guess it’s not impossible to take you, but you’re not allowed to jump out whenever you want. Stay in my pocket.
Oh, and if you need to poop or pee, tell me beforehand. Don’t do it in my pocket..."
Okay, Xiaoqi... okay...
Judging by the emotions conveyed through their divine sense, Xiaoqi seemed very happy.
Lin Yi gave in. Just as he was about to go to the entryway to put on his shoes,
his phone rang. It was a call from Wei Nan.
"Are you awake yet?"
"Trying to rush me to my death? I’m already getting ready to leave!"
"Of course I am! The results are out today! You don’t seem excited, but I’m dying here! Hurry up and come down, I’m outside your complex. The security at these nice communities is something else. Fucking seven of them are blocking me with riot shields and batons! Get down here quick, or someone’s gonna get hurt!"
Lin Yi: "..."