Chapter 69: Do Not Be Deceived

The Divine Gale Eagle was a wind-element divine beast, and since wind stood outside the Five Elements, everything depended entirely on affinity. Though she was puzzled as to why the little skinny dragon would help her choose a spirit beast egg—especially given the myriad emotions in its eyes just now—she somehow trusted it from the bottom of her heart.

She asked the Divine Gale Eagle, “May I choose the one on the left?”

The Divine Gale Eagle was somewhat surprised. “Why the left one?” Normally, no one could tell the difference between the two eggs. It had never expected this little girl before it to so precisely select the one with which she had a higher affinity.

“Don’t give me away,” the little skinny dragon had already curled up on the ring again, eyes closed.

Ji Jiuxuan smiled and answered, “It’s just a feeling.”

The Divine Gale Eagle was clearly satisfied. “Alright, it’s yours. But I need to see your contract succeed before you can take it away.”

There had been humans who deceived them and took spirit beast eggs away, only for them to meet unknown fates. As a high-level spirit beast with intelligence beyond that of ordinary creatures, the Divine Gale Eagle trusted the character of the person it selected, yet still worried that without a timely contract, the egg might be snatched away once outside.

This was the rule of the Spirit Beast Garden: every disciple who obtained a spirit beast or egg within had to form a contract before taking it away.

Since it was a blood contract, Ji Jiuxuan simply sliced her finger, and the moment her blood fell, a contract array lit up between her and the spirit beast egg. Bathed in the glow, a contract mark appeared on the egg, and she noticed a soaring eagle imprint manifest on her forearm.

Once the contract was complete, the Divine Gale Eagle said to Ji Jiuxuan, “I hope you will treat it well.” Then it soared into the sky, passing through the array from before and vanishing from sight.

Nie Xingyuan produced a jade token in his hand, covered in complex arrays. At that moment, Ji Jiuxuan recognized it as a high-level spirit beast space artifact. Once contracted, any spirit pet of the contractor could reside within, a world unto itself, crafted for spirit beasts.

“Here, contract this as well.” When her gaze met Nie Xingyuan’s gentle eyes, Ji Jiuxuan hesitated.

Sensing her thoughts, Nie Xingyuan’s voice was soothing, “Take it. Are you still being formal with your uncle-master?”

“Thank you, uncle-master.” She had always received things from those around her; Ji Jiuxuan wished she could do something within her own power, too.

Sensing her intentions, the system fanned the flames: “Then grow stronger—once your cultivation rises, you can have whatever you want. Right now, you can’t even leave the house without worrying about being kidnapped. That’s pretty weak!”

In the past, Ji Jiuxuan would surely have complained about the system, thinking its restrictions hindered her progress.

Now, however, she had come to appreciate the value of such constraints—they had helped her find direction in her swordsmanship ahead of time. She had always heard that speed was the essence of all martial arts.

“Wait and see. The wheel of fortune turns—one day, I’ll make you look at me differently.”

Her proud retort genuinely surprised the system. “Alright, I’ll wait.”

The moment the spirit beast space contract was formed, the jade token merged into the array and dissolved by Ji Jiuxuan’s side. Through her spiritual sense, she perceived the spirit beast space as a natural, expansive world. Existing in the void, it was imperceptible and undetectable to others.

“Store the spirit beast egg within the space. If you’re cultivating, you can also keep it by your side; that’ll help deepen your bond.” Nie Xingyuan patted her hair, reminding her.

“I’ll carry it back with me then.” She didn’t have much spare time for cultivation, usually relying on the automatic absorption of spiritual energy. If she carried the egg when she could, it should have the same effect. Besides, body training required weight-bearing—this was perfect.

Nie Xingyuan felt a bit helpless—the spirit beast egg was nearly her own height. If she carried it while walking, would she even be able to see the road ahead?

“Just store it in the spirit beast space; it’ll benefit the egg as well.”

Under her uncle-master’s meaningful gaze, she understood. In the end, Ji Jiuxuan placed the spirit beast egg into the spirit beast space.

Her body refinement had already advanced, so even carrying an egg taller than herself was no difficulty at all. Still, she realized it was hardly graceful—a miscalculation on her part.

On the way back, He Lingsang specially told her, “You’re welcome to come play anytime.”

Nie Xingyuan teased, “If you’re not careful, all the spirit beasts here will end up following her.”

It was entirely possible; after all, Ji Jiuxuan was quite gifted in this area.

He Lingsang, however, didn’t mind at all. “If she becomes the manager of the Spirit Beast Garden, that wouldn’t be a bad thing.”

“Alright, you can keep the role for now. Little Jiu has other things to attend to,” Nie Xingyuan replied. Facing He Lingsang, he realized the suggestion was not a joke—He Lingsang really had such intentions.

As she left the Spirit Beast Garden with her uncle-master, Ji Jiuxuan felt the place was shrouded in mystery. “Uncle-master, did Elder He really have feelings for my mother back then?”

The question startled Nie Xingyuan. Only then did he realize something was off. “Tell me, who have you been hearing these stories from?”

Who on earth had filled her head with such tales? Were these the kinds of things Little Jiu should be hearing? She might be led astray at this rate.

Facing her uncle-master’s questioning, Ji Jiuxuan giggled, but under his stern gaze, she finally gave in.

“I read about it in the Gossip Journal.” At that moment, she looked just like a child caught reading forbidden books by her parents. Fearing her uncle-master might forbid her from reading in the future, she hurriedly explained, “Uncle-master, I was only curious. But reading the Gossip Journal helped me get to know our sect’s disciples better, so I can recognize them when we meet.”

Nie Xingyuan was about to say something when Ji Jiuxuan quickly added, “I know some of it’s true and some isn’t—I don’t believe everything, I’m just curious.”

It was the first time, since that troublesome disciple of his, that Nie Xingyuan had felt so helpless.

He couldn’t entirely forbid her from reading—there was some benefit to it. But if he allowed it, he worried Little Jiu might pick up bad habits.

Caught in this inner conflict, the usually resolute and decisive King of Hell, Nie, could only sigh helplessly and brush it off. “Alright, just make sure you’re not deceived in the future. Where do you want to go? I’ll take you.”

Ji Jiuxuan never did get any real answer from her tight-lipped uncle-master.

Back at the Hall of Learning, she finally had a moment to herself. She had planned to continue reading, hoping to finish the library’s tasks quickly and commit them to memory. But at that moment, the sword technique she once saw from the Wine Demon kept replaying in her mind.

“System, I didn’t practice yesterday. Can I start early today?” She’d fallen asleep drunk the day before, so starting a little early today wasn’t much of a stretch.

“You may.”

As expected, there was no objection.

When Ji Jiuxuan arrived early at the training grounds, Zhou Guangsheng was surprised. His young disciple was always punctual, yet today she was early.

Standing within the formation on the training grounds, Ji Jiuxuan closed her eyes, replaying the sword technique in her mind several times. When she felt ready, she summoned the Child Sword.