Shang Yufeng walked out of the branch gates, his expression twisted with simmering rage.
"Kicked off my ass… it's because of those damned spoiled little shits," he muttered under his breath. "But I'll get them sooner or later."
Duan Mei's words still rang in his ears, irritating him further. Lies, all of them. He didn't go around openly looking for trouble in that other branch. The truth was far filthier. He had clashed too often with a few higher-ranked disciples, fights that left them humiliated. They retaliated by faking incidents, bribing witnesses, and almost having him expelled from the sect entirely. If not for the heavy fine he scraped together, he would have been cast out for good.
Grinding his teeth, Yufeng strode until he reached the Palelight Gate outside Stormhold City. He stopped at the edge of a cliff, looking down at the mist-covered ranges below. His lips curled into a grin.
"As for now… let's go take a look at this thunderbird."
With that, he leapt from the cliff. The wind roared in his ears as he plummeted, but a wild smile broke across his face. Two massive wings burst from his back, brown with jagged black stripes, beating once with violent force. His descent turned into a sharp climb, and he soared into the sky like a predator tasting freedom.
Yufeng maneuvered through the air at blistering speed, weaving between jagged peaks until he found what he sought—a nest nestled high upon a rocky spire. His eyes gleamed when he spotted the single egg within.
But the mountain was not undefended.
A sharp whistle split the air. Yufeng twisted his wings instinctively, veering aside just as a hooked talon slashed past his chest. He stabilized midair, eyes narrowing as he faced his foe.
Hovering opposite him was a massive eagle, its wings spanning at least five meters across. Yellow stripes coursed over its body like streaks of lightning, and arcs of thunder crackled around its frame. Its screech ripped through the clouds, and thunder itself seemed to answer.
"I guess that's its egg," Yufeng thought coldly, his wings trembling with anticipation.
The eagle dove, talons glinting. Yufeng's feathers stiffened, their sheen turning metallic.
"Rank 1 high-tier technique: Feathered Blade."
He slashed through the air, wings striking like blades. The eagle countered with its talon, the clash sending sparks of Qi scattering through the sky. Yufeng flipped backward, narrowly avoiding the razor strike.
The beast circled above him, refusing to descend. It hovered just out of reach, forcing Yufeng to acknowledge a truth—his flight could not sustain that height for long. But the most hated disciple of the branch was not known for brute strength alone.
A cunning grin spread across his face. He tucked his wings and dove, arrowing toward the nest.
The eagle shrieked in fury, its body flashing with lightning as it followed with explosive speed. It committed fully, hurling itself downward. Yufeng pulled up at the last moment, halting just before the egg. His wings flared, red haze surging around his arms as claws of condensed Qi erupted from his hands. The air trembled violently under the force.
"Rank 1 peak-tier technique: Blood Talon Rend!"
He met the beast head-on. The eagle's speed left it no room to adjust. The collision was brutal—Yufeng's arm cracked under the strain, but his crimson Qi-claws shredded through the bird's neck. The eagle convulsed midair, its screech cut short.
Flapping his wings with grim determination, Yufeng caught the corpse before it plummeted and glided down to the ground. With one final heave, he hurled the beast onto solid earth, careful not to ruin the value of its body.
Breathing heavily, a savage grin split his face. "Mine."
Shang Yufeng wiped the blood from his split knuckles as he let the lifeless body of the thunder eagle fall to the ground below. His chest heaved, the corpse thudding heavily against the earth. He landed near the nest, lips curling in satisfaction at the sight of the egg trembling inside.
But then, the sky darkened.
A shadow swept across him, accompanied by a scream so sharp it pierced marrow. Yufeng's head snapped up. His pupils contracted. Another eagle — larger, broader, more imposing than the first — was descending like a bolt of lightning. Its feathers were streaked with gold, eyes burning with rage, thunder surging along its wings. This was no ordinary beast — this was the mate of the one he had just slain.
The male eagle let out a furious shriek that shook the mountains, arcs of lightning exploding from its wings as it dived.
Yufeng cursed under his breath. "So, you had a mate, huh? Figures…"
The eagle struck before he could even steady himself, talons slashing across the air with terrifying force. Yufeng twisted his wings hard to the side, feathers cutting through the wind, but the shockwave of the strike still sent him spinning mid-air. The cliff face cracked open where the talons landed, rocks spraying like shrapnel.
Yufeng regained balance with a violent flap, but the beast was relentless. Lightning crackled along its body as it barreled at him again, a living storm. Their clash shook the sky — his hardened feathers clashed against electrified talons, each impact jarring his bones. Yufeng gritted his teeth, pain shooting through his arm as the eagle's strength dwarfed that of its mate.
He dodged, dove, and retaliated, but each move came closer to his limit. The beast's fury was endless. One strike caught his shoulder — blood sprayed, his left wing faltered for a moment. He winced, forcing himself to stabilize before the eagle could shred him apart.
"This thing… it's no joke…" he muttered, sweat and blood mixing down his face.
The eagle circled above him, screeching again, lightning gathering around its wings. It was preparing to finish him in one devastating strike. Yufeng's eyes sharpened. He knew he had no choice left.
"Fine then," he whispered, his voice low but resolute. "Let's see who survives this storm…"
He pulled in every shred of Qi he had, wings flaring wide. The air grew heavy, the wind howling as countless feathers lifted from his wings, each one trembling with lethal energy. A crimson haze spread as his Qi infused them, vibrating like blades drawn taut against a whetstone.
"Peak Rank 1 Technique — Feather Storm!"
The feathers tore free, spinning violently around him, forming a storm that shrieked louder than the wind itself. The eagle dived straight into it, lightning blazing — but the storm of blades shredded through the arcs, slicing into flesh, tearing feathers from its wings.
The beast screamed in anguish, thrashing, but the storm grew denser, faster, until its talons were ripped apart, its wings carved to ribbons. Blood rained across the cliff as Yufeng's technique consumed it.
Finally, the eagle's body was little more than a mangled ruin — wings gone, limbs torn, its body tumbling helplessly.
Yufeng's storm died down, feathers falling around him like rain. His chest heaved as exhaustion clawed at him. He reached out, hoping to seize the corpse before it fell. But the momentum carried it beyond his reach, smashing against a jagged cliff far below, where it hung broken.
"Damn it," Yufeng spat, clutching his wounded shoulder as he hovered. "That corpse would've fetched a fortune…"
He steadied himself in the air, wings trembling, eyes still fixed on the fallen beast.
Shang Yufeng swallowed a pill to steady himself as he lifted the intact corpse of the female thunder eagle and slipped it into his spatial ring. He also gathered the half-broken body of the male eagle, deciding it might fetch a decent price, then took to the skies. The journey back to Stormhold's branch took hours, the winds lashing against him and beasts drawn by the scent of blood circling his path. But time pressed him—ten hours was the limit set by the commission, and he was confident he would make it.
At last, the mighty Palelight Gate of Stormhold loomed ahead. Passing through, he headed straight for his sect branch, entered the missions hall, and delivered the proof of success to the commissions office. As usual, he was told to wait until the client arrived to pay in full.
It did not take long. Lin Shu entered soon after, his presence quiet yet sharp. Without sparing Shang Yufeng a glance, he stepped into the office. "Bring me the corpse," he said flatly.
When the thunder eagle was revealed, Lin Shu inspected it with careful precision, his gaze lingering on the heart. Satisfied, he paid the remainder—3,500 gold—and took the corpse away.
Only after Lin Shu left was Shang Yufeng handed his share: 2,500 gold coins, the sect keeping half. As he tucked the payment away, his eyes followed Lin Shu's retreating figure. Curiosity tugged at him until finally he called out, "You're the one who wanted the thunder eagle's corpse, right?"
Lin Shu didn't answer, but paused.
Shang Yufeng raised his hands in mock surrender. "Relax. I only want to make another deal—this time just between us. I've got another corpse. A male eagle. Not intact, but the organs are untouched. Even the bloodcore is still there. Interested?"
That made Lin Shu turn. He gave a curt nod.
Shang Yufeng smiled and produced the massive corpse. Lin Shu examined it closely, his eyes narrowing at the sight of the beast's heart. For a moment he nearly revealed his satisfaction, but masked it quickly. "How much do you want for it?"
"Since it's to your liking… thirty-five hundred," Shang Yufeng replied smoothly.
Lin Shu's voice was calm, but unyielding. "It's not a complete corpse. The female was intact, and though it was smaller, its wings and talons alone were worth far more. The best I'll give you is twenty-five hundred."
Shang Yufeng studied him. The boy wasn't new to bargaining—that much was clear. And though the question gnawed at him—why a mid-stage cultivator needed peak-stage beasts, and how he had the wealth to hire members of a great sect—he knew better than to pry. Making money was safer than making enemies. He gave a short nod. "Deal."
Lin Shu handed over the gold and left with the corpse.
From there, he made his way through the markets, weaving through alleys, swapping his clothes, and changing his pace again and again until he was sure no one followed. Only then did he proceed to the training grounds. Renting a sealed chamber cost him 500 gold for a week, a price he paid without hesitation.
Within those walls he would perform the final operation, using the eagle's heart to complete the Thunderforge Physique.
After paying the fee, he counted what remained of his wealth. Between what he had earned and the azure crystals he had sold to cover his earlier purchases, he now had just 5,500 gold coins left.