The last of the Glimmerwing Finches fell with a soft thump, and a profound silence returned to the Western Orchards, broken only by the gentle rustling of the wind. Alex stood in the gloom, the adrenaline of the hunt slowly draining away, replaced by a bone-deep weariness. He had been moving and fighting since dawn. The moon was a silver sliver in the sky, casting long, eerie shadows through the ravaged trees. His work was done, but the sect felt a world away.
He spent the next hour moving with a methodical, almost robotic efficiency, gathering the iridescent corpses of the finches. The small pouch at his waist felt impossibly warm against his side, a fragile secret in a world of hard edges. He stored the last of the materials in his ring and turned, beginning the long walk back.
The journey was a quiet, solitary affair through the Silent Pine Woods. The night was alive with the chirps of nocturnal insects and the occasional hoot of an owl, sounds that had been absent during his hunt for the Shadowcat. He moved with a steady, purposeful gait, his mind a quiet hum of exhaustion. He had pushed himself to his limit, physically and mentally, and all he wanted was the lumpy but familiar comfort of his cot.
By the time he saw the distant, soft glow of the sect's perimeter formations, it was well past midnight. He expected the Quest Hall to be closed, to have to wait until morning, but as he approached the main plaza, he saw that the building was still lit, a beacon of administrative diligence in the quiet night.
The hall was a different place at this hour. The daytime chaos was gone, replaced by a cavernous silence. A single, bored-looking senior disciple manned the long counter, his chin propped up on his hand as he half-heartedly read a scroll. He looked up as Alex approached, his expression a mixture of surprise and mild annoyance at being disturbed.
Alex, his robes torn and stained, placed the four stamped quest parchments on the counter. "Reporting completion," he said, his voice raspy with fatigue.
The clerk blinked, then scoffed. "Completion? Both? Aren't you the sme kid that completed two quests just this morning?
Alex said nothing. He began to unload the proof from his storage ring. He placed the iridescent bodies of several dozen Glimmerwing Finches and a piece of shell of a Stone-Shelled Tortoise that chipped off from his final attack.
The clerk stared, his jaw agape, the scroll completely forgotten. He looked from the mountain of evidence to Alex's exhausted but determined face, his mind struggling to process the timeline. This disciple had taken these quests less than a full day ago.
"This... this is..." the clerk stammered, pointing a trembling finger at the tortoise shell. "This is impossible. Kid, did you really break off a piece of a stone-shell tortoise shell at only the foundation establishment realm?"
"It wasn't too difficult, the tortoise was just stubborn," Alex said with a weary shrug. "It agreed to move after some... persuasive negotiation."
The clerk could only nod numbly. He spent the next twenty minutes verifying the materials, his hands moving with a stunned, almost reverent slowness. When he was done, he looked at Alex with a completely new expression, one of deep, unadulterated respect. The final reward was staggering.
After he had pushed a heavy pouch of spirit stones and transferred a massive sum of contribution points to his token, Alex cleared his throat.
Alex felt a small thrill of pride, a welcome warmth against his exhaustion. "And... I also found this." He carefully unwrapped the warm, blue egg and placed it on the counter.
The clerk leaned in, his eyes wide. "An egg?" He looked up at Alex. What do you intend to do? You are entitled to keep it, and after it hatches, you can form a contract with it. You can also sell it for a fair price."
Alex looked at the fragile egg, pulsing with life. Selling it felt wrong. "I'll hold onto it for now," he said, carefully wrapping it back up.
The clerk nodded. "As you wish." He gave Alex one last, long look. "Well done, kid."
Back in the blessed solitude of his cabin, Alex barred the door and let his body slump onto the cot. He was wealthier than he had ever been, but he was also more exhausted than he had ever felt. He carefully took the wrapped egg from his pouch. It wouldn't survive the night's chill on its own.
An idea sparked in his weary mind. He pulled out the ten low-grade Fire Spirit Stones from his storage ring that Elder Ming had gifted him. He arranged them in a small, careful circle inside a wooden crate he had repaired, creating a makeshift nest of soft cloths in the center. The stones immediately began to radiate a gentle, consistent warmth. He placed the egg in the middle, its pale blue shell glowing softly in the faint, red light of the stones.
He felt a deep sense of accomplishment. He was tired, but it was the satisfying exhaustion of a job well done. He was just about to finally succumb to sleep when a thought, persistent and sharp, pierced through his fatigue. He couldn't rest. Not yet. The day's battles, the fumbling experiment with the tortoise, the refined precision against the finches, it was all a chaotic jumble of new data in his mind. He needed to process it, to solidify his gains. To waste this moment of fresh experience would be a betrayal of the very principle of survival that drove him.
He pushed himself back into a sitting position and began to cultivate, not just to replenish his Qi, but to understand.
He replayed the last two days in his mind, dissecting each encounter with a new, analytical clarity. The badger fight had been a lesson in overconfidence. The tortoise, a lesson in the futility of brute force. It was his final attack on the Stone-Shelled Tortoise that truly fascinated him. He closed his eyes, his internal vision lighting up with the vibrant hues of his Immortal Eyes. He recalled the moment of inspiration, the weaving of elements.
'It wasn't just a wind bullet,' he thought, his mind tracing the flow of energy with perfect clarity. He saw it again: the deep, steady brown of Earth Qi forming a solid, unyielding core, the very foundation of the attack. Around this core, the vibrant blue of Water Qi had swirled in a relentless, high-speed vortex, providing the drilling motion. Finally, the faint, explosive red of Fire Qi had been woven into the tip, a payload of pure, concussive intent. The pale green of Wind Qi was merely the vessel, the delivery system for a far more complex weapon.
'Four elements, one purpose,' he thought about the coalescing elements. It was a single projectile, but it contained a multitude of effects. He had created something new, something uniquely his. The night's cultivation, combined with the profound insight, had pushed him over the edge. He felt the liquid Qi in his dantian roil and expand, a wave of power washing through his meridians, strengthening and solidifying his foundation. He had broken through.
He felt the familiar pull from his Sea of Consciousness. The Book of Ascension was glowing. He delved inward and opened it to his status.
*************************
[ STATUS ]
Name: Alex Steele
Age: 22
Affiliation: Outer Disciple, Azure Plum Blossom Sect
[ CULTIVATION ]
Qi Cultivation: Foundation Establishment Realm - Stage 3 (2.1%)
Body Cultivation: Ironbone Realm - Stage 4 (35.2%)
Elemental Affinity: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water
[ RESOURCES ]
Qi: 750/750
[ TECHNIQUES ]
Immortal's Body Refinement Technique: 78.3% Mastery
Art of the Headless Body: 79.5% Mastery
Myriad Bullet: 1.0% Mastery *
*************************
His mastery levels had risen, a well-deserved reward for the practical application of his skills. But it was the new technique that made him do a double-take. The book had recognized his creation. Just then, some golden script scrawled itself into existence. It was another note from his kidnapper.
"Congratulations, my dear disciple. You have taken your first true step on the path of a cultivator. You have not just learned; you have created. It is one thing to follow a map, but another entirely to draw your own. For this, you have earned a gift."
As the message faded, a single, glowing piece of ancient, yellowed parchment materialized within his inventory. Alex focused on it, and its description appeared in his mind.
*************************
Item: Ancient Beast Taming Contract (Blood Pact)
Description: A forgotten art for forging an unbreakable, soul-deep bond between equals. Warning: Requires a willing partner and blood essence. The bond is eternal.
*************************
Alex's eyes snapped open. He immediately looked at the small, warm crate where the egg rested. An unbreakable bond between equals. A willing partner. A thought, reckless and full of a strange, hopeful longing, began to form in his mind.
He carefully cleared the space on the wooden floor. He unrolled the ancient parchment. It was covered in a complex, circular array of runes he had never seen before, their golden lines seeming to pulse with a life of their own. The instructions were simple, written in the same elegant script as the Immortal's techniques, and he understood them clearly.
He unwrapped the egg, its pale blue shell glowing softly in the warmth of the fire spirit stones. He placed it in the center of the runic circle.
"Requires a willing partner," he whispered, reading the parchment's warning. He wasn't sure how a creature that hadn't even hatched could be "willing," but he had to try. He placed a hand gently on the warm shell.
"Hey," he said, feeling utterly ridiculous. "I don't know if you can hear me. I... I'm the one who found you. I promise to take care of you, to protect you. I don't want a servant. I want... a partner. A friend. If you're willing, let me know."
He felt a faint, warm pulse from the egg, a single, rhythmic beat that resonated with his heartbeat. A response. An acceptance.
Taking a deep breath, he bit his thumb and squeezed a single, crimson drop of his blood onto the central rune of the parchment.
The effect was instantaneous. The moment his blood touched the paper, the entire array erupted in a golden light. The runes lifted off the parchment, swirling into the air to form a three-dimensional cage of pure energy around the egg. The egg itself began to glow with a light so intense it forced Alex to shield his eyes. A powerful wave of pure, untainted life force washed over the cabin.
He heard a faint crack, then another, louder one. The light pulsed violently, and when it finally receded, the egg and the parchment were gone.
In its place stood a bird.
It wasn't a Glimmerwing Finch. It was far too large, standing proudly at the height of his knee. Its body was sleek and powerful, like a falcon from his old world, its feathers the color of a moonless night sky. But its most striking feature was its tail. It had a single, long, elegant tail feather, but it shimmered with a soft, internal light, flowing through every color of the rainbow.
The bird blinked its large, intelligent black eyes, tilted its head, and then hopped forward, nudging its head affectionately against Alex's chest.
A strange sensation filled Alex's mind. It wasn't words, but feelings and impressions. Warmth. Safety. Gratitude. Hello. He could understand it. The blood pact hadn't just formed a bond; it had forged a connection.
"Wow," Alex breathed, gently stroking the bird's soft feathers. "You're... beautiful." He felt a wave of pride and affection from the bird. "We need a name for you."
He thought for a moment. "How about... Midnight? Or Shadow?"
He felt a clear impression of distaste from the bird. It shook its small, regal head.
"Okay, okay. Something flashier. How about... a name for a creature born of pure light?"
The bird chirped, a sound like a tiny, clear bell.
"How about Lumen?" Alex suggested. "Lu for short."
The bird let out a loud, joyous chirp of approval, puffing out its chest, a wave of pure, unadulterated happiness flowed through their connection.
Alex laughed, a real, heartfelt laugh that echoed in the quiet cabin. "Lumen it is."
He finally felt the exhaustion of the past two days wash over him. He crawled into his bed, ready for a few precious hours of sleep before sunrise. Just as he was getting comfortable, he felt a small, warm weight settle onto his chest. Lu had hopped over and was nestling into the crook of his arm, its rainbow tail feather glowing softly in the dark.
"Hey, this is my bed, not yours," Alex grumbled, but there was no anger in his words just tired frustration.
Lu just looked up at him with its large, dark eyes, an expression so full of pleading trust that it tugged at Alex's heart. He felt a final impression from the small creature: Home.
Alex sighed, a soft smile on his face. He reluctantly wrapped an arm around the small, warm bird.
'I'll build you a proper nest tomorrow,' he thought, already drifting off to sleep.