With Da Hei turning into Da Cai, everyone was stunned.
But at the same time, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
They had been on edge for the entire day.
Although the Black Abyss Falcon was a fourth-rank spirit beast, comparable to a human Nascent Soul cultivator and capable of decent self-protection, it had offended quite a few people this time.
Not to mention He Biyu and the others, even Cui Yi'an had sent people out to look for it!
Earlier, they had been debating whether they should hide Da Hei somewhere to avoid the pursuit.
As for their own safety, that shouldn't be a problem. As long as they remained within Changtian Sect, those people wouldn't dare do anything rash.
After all, the Ke Family was protecting them.
But unexpectedly, the Black Abyss Falcon had returned with a completely different appearance!
Looking at the utterly transformed bird, which now seemed like an entirely different species, everyone felt rather complicated inside.
Previously, the Black Abyss Falcon had been completely black, perfect for hiding in the darkness at night.
But during the day, that trait made it far too conspicuous.
Now things were different, it had changed its appearance!
From one extreme to another!
With such a look, who could possibly recognize it?
Still, with such brilliantly multicolored feathers, wouldn't it be even harder for it to hide?
"Master must have used up all those old powders," Jiang Yunnuan said while counting the colors on the falcon's body, her expression complicated.
Earlier, Master had even wanted to try those colors on them, but everyone had refused.
Who would've thought they'd all end up on Senior Da Hei instead?
"These colors… there were that many?!" Lu Wenjun said in amazement. "At least… eight colors!"
"They were probably mixed from several pigments," Qin Yiwei explained. "Master is very skilled."
Lu Wenjun couldn't help reaching out to touch the falcon's rainbow-colored feathers, looking worried, "If it hides in a tree later, won't it be spotted immediately?"
"Yunnuan, give senior something to cover with," Qin Yiwei suggested.
"Alright." Jiang Yunnuan nodded after thinking for a moment.
But before she could act, the falcon moved its claw.
A large piece of black cloth floated out from its talons and draped over its body, covering the rainbow feathers and leaving only its big white head exposed.
Although that big white head was still quite conspicuous, the target had instantly shrunk several times.
If it hid in a tree, it would be much harder to notice at first glance.
"Master really thought everything through!" Lu Wenjun exclaimed.
"Of course! Master is amazing!" Jiang Yunnuan nodded enthusiastically, her eyes full of admiration.
The others were also impressed by Mu Shiyue's ingenuity.
Just like that, the problem was solved.
Both stealth and safety had been addressed!
Everyone finally relaxed.
After all, having the Black Abyss Falcon nearby to guard them made them feel much safer.
"Screech—!"
After being watched for a while, the falcon became impatient. It pulled the black cloth away and spread its wings, taking off.
However, while flying, it accidentally caught sight of its white wing. For a moment it thought some strange bird had suddenly flown dangerously close. Startled, it trembled mid-air and almost fell.
Fortunately it reacted quickly and realized that it was its own color now.
—Although it had already flown quite a distance from Wanxuan Sect to Changtian Sect, it still couldn't get used to it!
Eventually, the Black Abyss Falcon found a place to hide.
During this period of time, it encountered several groups of cultivators searching the area.
Their cultivation levels varied, the strongest were Nascent Soul, the weakest were Foundation Establishment, all operating in small teams.
It was obvious they were searching for a black bird. Whenever they saw any black bird, they would examine it carefully.
At one point, they even made eye contact with the Black Abyss Falcon.
But upon seeing its colorful feathers, they immediately looked away.
After all, the bird they were searching for was black.
He Biyu had sworn that the attacker was a large black bird that almost blended into the night.
So everyone focused entirely on searching for black birds.
As for the completely recolored Black Abyss Falcon, they only glanced at it before ignoring it.
It never crossed their minds that someone might have dyed the falcon.
After all, such an operation was unheard of!
Who would dye a bird?!
Moreover, fourth-rank spirit beasts were naturally very proud.
Unlike humans, they wouldn't stoop to disguises.
And besides, who could dye a fourth-rank black bird anyway?
Wouldn't they get pecked to death?
Thus the falcon simply watched as group after group arrived and left empty-handed.
Meanwhile it yawned, perched on a tree, resting occasionally before stretching its wings and flying around.
Some people were curious about what species it was, but the others had no time to care.
Their goal was to find the bird culprit, not identify random species.
After all, the natural world contained countless spirit beasts, especially bird type spirit beasts. No one had time to recognize them all!
Having overlooked the most obvious and most unlikely candidate, the cultivators turned the nearby mountains and forests upside down, yet still failed to find the real culprit.
They eventually returned empty-handed. He Biyu and the others were furious, smashing all of the furnishings in their rooms.
Her expression twisted with hatred as she gritted her teeth, "I will make them pay with their lives!"
Even if they couldn't find the bird that attacked, Jiang Yunnuan and her group couldn't escape responsibility!
After all, everything started because of Jiang Yunnuan!
Her fellow disciples wouldn't escape either!
Wang Zhengfei frowned but tried to calm her, "Don't worry, I won't let them off either! But the competition starts in a few days, let's wait until it ends."
He Biyu's face twisted with hatred, "Fine. Once the competition ends and we leave Changtian Sect, they're dead!"
Her Dark Iron Centipede!
It had to be known that its stomach had contained several special items.
Those were meant to be delivered to her master.
With them, she would've definitely received a reward.
But now, everything is gone!
She wasn't worried about the items being discovered. After all, they came from the Yao Realm, and it's impossible for cultivators or spirit beasts here to recognize them.
But the beautiful future she had planned was gone!
Thinking of this, she wished she could tear Jiang Yunnuan apart.
If not for Jiang Yunnuan, she wouldn't have become like this!
It didn't matter. Once the competition ended, she would make Jiang Yunnuan regret everything!
Jiang Yunnuan, of course, knew nothing about this inside story. After the Black Abyss Falcon returned, she finally felt at ease and fully focused on preparing for the upcoming competition.
As for Jiang Yuanxin, after being beaten up she hadn't appeared in front of Jiang Yunnuan again.
Jiang Yunnuan was quite satisfied with the peace and quiet.
As for He Biyu and the others, they had been quiet as well.
Jiang Yunnuan knew they were definitely planning something unpleasant, but it didn't affect her mood.
She hadn't forgotten her purpose of coming here.
She intended to win the competition and obtain those two materials!
Amid everyone's anticipation, the Rising Artifact Refiner Competition finally began!