Four beings could be seen in the cavernous room that was the home of Long Xuanwu, the self proclaimed Dragon tortoise emperor. Long Xuanwu sat in his favorite spot near the back of the room, a flat surface that sat higher than any other part of the cave. A vein of earth fire ran through the mountain close to this spot allowing him to warm his body, and purify his bloodline.
The other three men sat in chairs facing the giant tortoise, but their looks showed hints of worry and anxiety.
"Hei Tun, I must commend your son on a job well done", Long Xuanwu complimented the man sitting closest to him, "Despite the meddling of those small birds, he was able to find our missing member of the tribe."
You Du looked uncomfortable hearing Long Xuanwu, but didn't try to interrupt or explain. Long Xuanwu continued his chat with Hei Tun and Hei Yaoxing for some time without paying You Du any attention, even though the father and son pair understood the old turtle's intentions. Eventually, Long Xuanwu felt he had made his point so he turned towards the absentee spiritual beast.
"I hosted the century banquet not long ago", Long Xuanwu said, "It's unfortunate that you were not able to attend. I understand since our compatriots from Evernight forest had requested your assistance. As usual that damnable family that claim their beast tamers had returned again, not to mention the unusual appearance of the devils. Then I got word that the devils had been defeated, and the family of beast tamers had departed yet no one heard from you. Out of concern, I asked the Hei tribe to assist in searching for you and find you they did. Where did they find you? In danger? Captured? No, it appears that you and the residents of Evernight forest have instead decided to collude with the humans. You visit some strange place instead of attacking it, buy food from them, play games on some strange artifact, is that correct?"
"Yes, that's correct", You Du didn't refute the statements, "A powerful cultivator claimed the inner forest, built a shop there, and watches over it. As long as beings come with peaceful intentions, and have goods to trade, anyone can visit the premises."
"Powerful cultivator?", Long Xuanwu became alert, "Have you been able to gauge this cultivator's strength?"
"Unfortunately, I haven't", You Do replied, "I haven't even seen this mysterious cultivator, but the residents of Evernight forest time me that several seasons ago they were about to fight against the Protectors of the wall. Before the conflict started, this mysterious cultivator caused a fog that blocked the senses for both sides and captured all the Protectors and the top spiritual beasts in strange artifacts in less time than it takes to burn a stick of incense. I'm not completely clear on the strength of cultivators, but I believe this mysterious person is at least an elite combatant of the late stage of the Nascent soul realm. As far as I know, only the strongest sects have members that powerful so I didn't plan any attacks to prevent retribution from a top sect."
Long Xuanwu didn't respond, closed his eyes and began to analyze this new information. The right plan had to be made when considering the situation. Beasts and humans grew powerful in very different ways, and a bad strategy could result in injuries or death.
Beasts had one of two paths to follow when it came to growing powerful. Both relied on plentiful resources but the results of each path varied considerably. The beasts that humans referred to as demonic beasts weren't actually demonic. They were beast the depended on their instincts. Even though they had intelligence, they were simply stronger animals so they couldn't speak or reason with others. They were called demonic because humans demonize anything that's a threat to them.
On the other hand, beast like himself and the others were spiritual beasts. To be a spiritual beast required two things, a bloodline and a spiritual consciousness and only they could form beast cores to cultivate. Spiritual beast didn't have the same vitality as a demonic beast but their vitality was much stronger than a human. Humans had stronger cultivation strength compared to them, but they had comprehend the world to advance while spiritual beasts only had to strengthen their core and purify their bloodline. As long as resources were available, spiritual beast like himself had no problems advancing in strength. All they needed was time.
Noticing he had let his mind wander, Long Xuanwu spoke, "If this new presence is a strong as You Du states, we need to adjust our priorities. The little birds of the Fengmeng Xuanjing will still need to be monitored, but I think we also need to investigate this mysterious person as well. Hei Tun, do you know a fellow beasts that excels in infiltration?"
Hei Tun was about about answer when You Du courageously interrupted, "Lord Long, as you've said, I have spent several seasons exploring this new location. As long as you don't send a fellow beast at the same realm as myself there, it's fairly easy to enter and explore inside. Here let me show you some of the wares that can be purchased there."
Long Xuanwu watched as a strange rectangular crystal item appeared and floated in front of You Du. Then You Du proceeded to make hand motions, and with every swipe of his hands, new items appeared in front of him. Spiritual fruits, decorative boxes, and more. As soon as these items and boxes appeared, Long Xuanwu's body instantly reacted as if a starved man shown a banquet. Just as he was about to inquire about the fruits, something else caused him to stop. A beast the size of a dog appeared before his eyes with red smooth scales, and a flame at the end of its tail. This beast was weak compared to himself, but what surprised Long Xuanwu most was that he could how tell how pure the bloodline of this creature was.
"I've never seen a spiritual beast like this before", he murmured before affixing his eyes on You Do, "Where did you this younger brother of ours?"
You Do paused before replying, "Lord Long, this is a 'salamander' that I purchased and bonded with from the Heaven & Earth pavilion."
"Purchased? Bonded?", Long Xuanwu's voice became colder, "Can you explain to me why our brethren and descendants have become the product of some human shop?"
Sweat began to form on You Do's forehead, "Lord Long, I've inquired from the store owner about this and his response was that these 'creatures' are not spiritual beasts. They are the abandoned outcasts of normal animals that he has rescued from death. Once it's established that these young animals have lost the care of their parents, he brings them in, feeds them, and offers them to customers as bonds. If you try to speak with my bond, you will quickly notice it lacks the spiritual consciousness we have."
Long Xuanwu's anger quickly diminished as You Do's explanation continued. It was well known in nature that the offspring of animals died frequently. Being too small was a crime because strength was the most important factor of growing up. Runts died of starvation often, or in predatory animals, it wasn't uncommon for a larger sibling to kill a smaller one. Even with spiritual beasts, it was normal for parents to give the largest amount of resources to the strongest children.
Long Xuanwu then sent his divine sense to investigate this 'salamander', and had to agree with You Do's statement. Despite the pure bloodline, this wasn't a spiritual beast since it lacked a spiritual consciousness. Something else You Do said became the next topic he decided to focus on, "If I am to understand you correctly, this mysterious human cultivator has the ability to take injuries animals and not only restore them to perfect health, but also purify their bloodlines?"
"Yes, my lord", You Do responded, "At this time, many humans of that walled city and the spiritual beasts of Evernight forest have been bonded to creatures similar to this."
With another hand gesture, images appeared before Long Xuanwu displaying many beings (both human and beasts) with a plethora of different creatures. Snakes, squirrels, birds, cats, dogs, and more could be seen as he swept through the collection of images. In some images, it could be seen that these bonded pets could use some sort ability or skill, such as launching fireballs, wing blades, or covering itself with a stone like armor.
"You said that this one here is bonded to you", Long Xuanwu said in a calm tone, "Does that mean it will only listen to you?"
You Do felt nervous suddenly, "Yes, being spirit bonded means that it will only accept spiritual power from me and will perish if I don't provide that energy at regular intervals."
"That would mean I would need to travel to this store to get one for myself", Long Xuanwu contemplated, "The five sect leaders that are responsible for the wall will become agitated if I get close to their fortress. You Do, when you return to your territory, speak with the humans and inform them of my arrival. Also I don't have those spirit stones that the humans like to carry, do you know of a gift I could bring they would be satisfied with?"
"This is fairly easy to handle", You Do slightly relaxed, "The owner of that store has a special artifact that accepts not only goods, but the junk that humans normally carry in exchange for spirit stones."
Long Xuanwu's eyes brighten upon hearing this. Over the many years, he had acquired many storage bags from cultivators he had battled. He displayed his favorite items in his cave as trophies of his victories and ate the spiritual fruits and plants they had carried, but the rest sat in a pile collecting dust.
"Go now and prepare for my arrival", Long Xuanwu ordered You Do, "I have to make some preparations as well."
The giant turtle shrunk down to his human form, and made his way towards a large pile of bags. You Do looked at the quiet father and son pair of Hei Tun and Hei Yaoxing.
"Shall we?", he invited the pair out of the cave, "Your territory is next to mine, and it should be safer for the three of us to travel together."
"I agree", Hei Tun nodded as they left, "I think we might even stay a few days, and gain a better understanding of the store that has appeared in your land."
"Of course", You Do smiled as the three began their travels.
Meanwhile in Long Xuanwu's cave, he stood in front of the massive pile of storage bags.
"Two of you, come here", he said and two servants in human form appeared bowing behind him.
"One of you stay here, and prepare a bag for me to take out", he commanded, "The other one take this message to Fengming Xuanjing. It's sealed so that only Feng Huolian can open it."
Without a response, the servant on the left took the message scroll from the ground where Long Xuanwu left it and immediately exited the cave as the other started organizing the items inside the storage bags.
In an unknown distance away, there was a tall plateau and if you looked upon it from the sky, you would see a brilliant layout of colors. Green, reds, oranges, yellows, and purples clashed and blended in a breathtaking view as thousands of dots flitted around. A closer inspection would reveal these dots were all manor of birds (some in large flocks, others in small groups, and a few solitary) flying around, and if you watch long enough it would seem to be a choreographed performance. In the center of the plateau was a large sprawled out tree sitting next to small pond, the surface of which reflected the different colors of the beautiful tree. In the center of this tree was a structure, but this didn't resemble a human building. Instead, it was an elegant sight that was woven together.
Inside was a grand hallway that led to a large open space. To the rear of this room was a grand staircase where an unusual but beautiful throne sat on top. This throne that was made of wondrous material looked like the fusion of a chair and a nest. Laying on this strange throne was a gorgeous bird the size of a car, it feathers glistening in the sunlight from the windows. If Fang Shi had been there, he would have thought of her as a disco ball with the light reflecting off her feathers causing an amazing sight of colors on the walls. This bird was a lyrebird, but its coloration and some of its features resembled that of a phoenix and her name was Feng Huolian.
"How did your assignment go?", she asked Ming Zhaoyan, who was bowing at the bottom of the stairs.
"There were some complications", Ming Zhaoyan answered nervously.
Though she didn't dare look around, she knew that they weren't alone. The walls were covered in perches, in which there were hundreds of other birds currently watching. Officially it was known as the royal court of the Parasol tree.
A small shift caused the colorful reflections on the wall to move, and Ming Zhaoyan knew the leader was upset.
"Complications?", Feng Huolian said as she cocked her head, "Please explain what happened."
"Yes, your Holiness", Ming Zhaoyan replied, "As per my mission, I found and followed Hei Yaoxing. I wasn't sure what his destination was, but after some time I grew concerned as he traveled towards the territory said to be claimed by You Do. I started to feel they had become aware of my presence, and had created a plan to trap me by traveling closer to the human's walled city to distract me. Unfortunately, this turned out to be true when a human cultivator used some strange artifact to capture me. I was only unable to react because at the time Hei Yaoxing had launched a surprise attack against me in the Evernight forest, and the human had already been in hiding waiting for me. Apparently, I was quickly released, but the artifact distorted my perception of time. It felt like I was locked in a small world during my time inside since the inside of the artifact held a mountain, river, and sky. I was released into the custody of Feng Leiyu of Evernight forest, who seemed to be captured by this strange human as well but as soon as the opportunity arose, I escaped. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to leave with Honored Feng but I did grab a few things and rescue a strange demonic beast. It imprinted on me through some strange ritual, and if the connection is severed it will die."
Like Hei Yaoxing, Ming Zhaoyan carefully placed many items in front of her and summoned her fire wing.
Feng Huolian scanned the things on the floor using her divine sense, lazily at first but as she examined each item, her face grew more solemn. Even though the spiritual fruits and food were too low level fur herself, she still could tell the potent energy in them and the lack of toxins that usually form when humans try to cook spiritual foods. Her further examination shocked even more when she closely observed the small bird perched on top of Ming Zhaoyan. She could tell it didn't have a spiritual consciousness, but the potential in its bloodline made her feel inferior to it.
"Was this the only one or does this mysterious human hold more of our kind?", Feng Huolian asked as she stood up causing chaos in the room as the reflections spun around the room.
"There are many more", Ming Zhaoyan answered as she took out a Tianmu.
With several deft movements, images were displayed with the focus on a picture of Feng Leiyu flying next to a smaller hawk that was releasing a lightning bolt.
Feng Huolian looked over to the left for a moment, and a peacock suddenly glided down from one of the perches, landing in front of Ming Zhaoyan. With a swift motion, he gathered all the items and walked up the staircase laying all the objects down in front of Feng Huolian. She looked over everything before storing the edible items away. She could tell from the medical potency that these wouldn't help her, but she had chicks that could greatly benefit from eating it. Next, she put her sight on the tiny fire bird. With lightning speed, she went to consume it but right as it was about to reach her mouth, it disappeared.
"Where did it go?", she roared.
"My apologies, your Holiness", Ming Zhaoyan said with frustration leaking out, "The ritual of imprinting also provides safety for the bonded pet. It is currently being held in a pocket realm to ensure its safety."
Feng Huolian huffed as she looked over the Tianmu phone sitting in front of her, "What is this thing!"
"It's a communication Jade, your Holiness", Ming Zhaoyan answered again, "It's not capable of too much, but it can allow the users to communicate, record images, and listen to music. Only the one who refined it may use it, it will not respond to others."
Just when Ming Zhaoyan started to fear for her life, the clacking of claws on the floor interrupted the questioning.
"Your Holiness Feng Huolian", a strutting roaster announced himself as he extended a wing into a bowing position, "A message has been delivered from Lord Long Xuanwu of Tianlong Zhiguo."
Distracted, Feng Huolian forgot the phone and focused on the new arrival with a serious look on her face.
"My friend, by now I'm sure you have received word about the anomaly that has appeared near the human city", the messenger read out, "I'm sure that you are just as curious about the strange things that have appeared as I am. It's been many years since the last time I have ventured out, but this new situation I feel is worthy of my attention and also yours. I formally invite you to form an envoy with me to meet this new neighbor of ours and wish his business the best of luck. I look forward to your reply."
With his job complete, the roaster handed the scroll to another bird perched close to the door before saluting and exiting the room.
"Subjects", Feng Huolian loudly spoke, "Assemble a flock of guards and scouts to travel with me."
She looked at a pheasant perched closer to her throne, "Send a message back to our dear 'friend' Long Xuanwu and let him know we accept."
Fang Shi exited his pod, started the automatic cleaning function, placed his robes in cleaning artifact, and headed towards the bathroom. Unlike other cultivators, he still preferred a bath over using spiritual spells for cleaning. It just felt right. He remembered in the novels he read in his past where high level cultivators would claim to be human but didn't sleep or eat, and that always felt like a contradiction to him. That's why he would still do things other rejected, like eating or sleeping.
Laying in his bath tub, Fang Shi commanded his phone to play relaxing music while incense burned filling the room with a warm and pleasant scent. He reached over and plucked a grape from a bowl sitting near him when a system notification got his attention.
[ Congratulations Host, This unit has calculated the host's progress since the task of opening a branch was assigned, and has determined that the host has succeeded easily. This unit feels it had underestimated the ability of the host, and doesn't wish to see the host stagnate, so a decision has been made.]
Fang Shi was shocked as silence pervaded the the room. He sat waiting for several minutes and just when he thought nothing else was going to happen, the system returned.
[ New task! Second Verse same as the First! Once again it's time to create a new branch of the Heaven & Earth pavilion. Unlike the previous task, you will be more involved in the preparation of, the building of, and the running of the new branch.
You have until the next New Year to complete your preparations, after which you will be randomly teleported to another location on this world. If the location you end up is not align with your current situation, all solutions will have to come from you.
Once teleported, you will have two seasons to have a new branch built and have your finances in the black by the third year of operation.
Reward: If the system deems you have successfully completed the tasks within the time period, you will be award a larger share of profits, 5%.
Failure: If you fail to complete the required task on time, the system will remove itself and move on to the next host. Anything owed to you will be given as compensation, but everything else will leave with the system.]