After choosing his task, a young girl with only Qi Cultivation came to lead the way for Chen Jiuge.
Every newly developed Immortal City was an infinite treasure trove. For Loose Cultivators or mortals, these virgin territories represented an opportunity to leap through the Dragon Gate.
The girl leading the way hailed from the Mortal World, having arrived under a relocation order from her Mortal Dynasty. Mo Qilin Immortal City, though termed "newly developed," had actually been established for decades. Thus, the girl was a local, born and raised here.
The place designated for raising Fire Elves was not remote. Instead, it was on the Immortal City’s busiest street, albeit slightly off-center, among the last few shops.
Looking at the signboard that read "Exclusive Spiritual Beast Hall for Fire Elves," Chen Jiuge suddenly thought, This style is a bit lacking, isn’t it?
Inside the shop, only a young attendant was idly playing with a Qi Cultivation-level Fire Elf at the counter. Seeing the Fire Elf’s clumsy antics, Chen Jiuge couldn’t help but chuckle.
Hearing the laughter, the attendant looked up and exclaimed with delight, "Sister Xiaocao, what brings you here? And who is this?"
"Brother Dali, this Immortal has come to your shop to complete a task and might need the shopkeeper Immortal Master’s confirmation," Xiaocao replied, somewhat shyly.
"Oh, oh, oh! I understand. Please wait a moment, Your Grace," Dali exclaimed. TAP-TAP-TAP. He hurried towards the backyard, leaving behind a bewildered-looking Fire Elf that gazed uneasily at Chen Jiuge and Xiaocao.
Before long, Dali returned with an elderly man who exuded an air of immortal dignity.
Stroking his long white beard, the old man asked, "Nascent Soul Cultivation? From which peak?"
"Hundred Herbs Peak, Senior Brother," Chen Jiuge replied. The old man’s Cultivation wasn’t very high—he was likely in the late stages of Nascent Soul.
"Hundred Herbs Peak, eh? Alright then. I was hoping for a Junior Brother skilled in Guardian Beast techniques," the old man said with a hint of disappointment, though he remained very cordial towards Chen Jiuge.
That evening, the old man, named Fang Zhi, chatted with Chen Jiuge for a long time and also officially handed over the task. Fang Zhi wasn’t from any prestigious clan; rather, he originated from a Mortal Dynasty and had joined the Myriad Beasts Sect through a series of fortuitous encounters. Lacking family support and possessing only average aptitude, he had failed his Tribulation when attempting to break through to Divinity Transformation. Although an early stroke of luck had saved his life, it also meant he had no further chance of advancement.
Upon hearing about the development of Mo Qilin Immortal City, he seized the opportunity to come. As one of the first to arrive with the Eldest Senior Brother, and being a Disciple of the Myriad Beasts Sect, he had been allocated a fair share of resources, among which the Fire Elves were the most precious.
Fang Zhi led Chen Jiuge to the backyard and, pulling out a Token, said, "Fire Elves have very volatile temperaments, so I spent a significant portion of my fortune to purchase this small Secret Realm. All the Fire Elves are raised here."
「Inside the Secret Realm」
Chen Jiuge surveyed the vast Secret Realm, estimating the number of Fire Elves to exceed ten thousand. This many can’t be managed by an unsupported Nascent Soul Stage Disciple, he thought.
Noticing Chen Jiuge’s skeptical gaze, Fang Zhi gave a wry smile. "Junior Brother, surely you don’t think all these are mine? Even this small Secret Realm, with its inherent magma environment, is beyond what my personal wealth could procure. These Fire Elves belong to the Sect; otherwise, I certainly couldn’t afford to pay your Sect Merit, Junior Brother."
"The Sect has entrusted me with selling these Fire Elves. I earn a one percent profit from sales made here. My sole responsibility is their rearing, and the Sect periodically comes to collect them. However, because this is the first batch, the Sect specifically sent a Junior Brother to see if the potential of these Fire Elves can be enhanced."
Chen Jiuge found this explanation reasonable and nodded. "Since that’s the case, I’ll stay in the Secret Realm then. I also need to see if I can use a Secret Technique to slightly improve the Fire Elves’ Bloodline. My task time is limited, so I shouldn’t waste any more of it."
"Alright, Junior Brother. If you need anything, just send me a message directly with this Communication Stone, and I’ll do my best to arrange it," Fang Zhi replied, taking out a Communication Stone.
After Fang Zhi left, Chen Jiuge first cast several layers of cooling Spells on himself before heading towards the area where the Fire Elves congregated.
With orange, flame-like bodies, a huge, single red eye, and short limbs, they resembled top-heavy infants with underdeveloped limbs—if one could ignore the flames they constantly spat from their mouths.
He casually scooped up a Golden Core Realm Fire Elf. Watching it struggle violently in his hand, its tiny mouth continuously spewing copious amounts of Chi Hong Spiritual Fire, Chen Jiuge chuckled and flicked its head. "Quiet down."
Although Fire Elves were Spiritual Bodies, by enveloping his fingers in Spiritual Power, the flick could still be felt. The pained Fire Elf grew even more agitated, but Chen Jiuge paid it no mind. It’s just a mere Golden Core Realm creature, he thought. Let me examine this Fire Elf’s Bloodline first.
The main Bloodline is Fire Elf, but surprisingly, it’s mixed with Fire Qilin Bloodline!
Could it be that this Heavenly Fire Marrow ore vein was formed by the fall of a Fire Qilin, not by a natural accumulation of Fire Essence? What a terrifying discovery! No wonder Eldest Senior Brother stationed the Mo Qilin here, Chen Jiuge thought, deeply shaken. free.w e bn.ov(e)l(.)com
But what does this have to do with a small fry like me? A Fire Qilin! Real Fire Qilin Bloodline! I’ve truly struck it rich this time! Chen Jiuge’s spirits soared with excitement.
The Fire Qilin is a true Divine Beast, an Immortal Beast, an Auspicious Beast! Even Eldest Senior Brother’s Mo Qilin can’t compare to the Five Elements Qilin in status within the Qilin lineage. If I could just gather enough Fire Qilin Bloodline, even a diluted version would be incredible...
The amount of Fire Qilin Bloodline in a single Fire Elf was absurdly low. Generally, mixed bloodlines had a concentration of one-thousandth or one ten-thousandth. Anything lower couldn’t be detected by a Magic Artifact. Similarly, Chen Jiuge’s Golden Finger could only detect Spiritual Beast Bloodlines if the concentration was no less than one part per million.
And the Fire Qilin Bloodline in this Fire Elf was at that very minimum threshold of one part per million; if the concentration had been even slightly lower, Chen Jiuge wouldn’t have discovered it.
Although I really want to extract the Fire Qilin Bloodline from the Fire Elves immediately, it would undoubtedly be noticed. I need to plan this slowly, Chen Jiuge decided.
Fang Zhi brought food for the Fire Elves: Fire Essence.
As fire-attribute Elves, they naturally consumed fire-attribute Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures. Mo Qilin Immortal City happened to possess a Fire Essence Ore Vein with exaggerated reserves, making the price of Fire Essence very low. It was the ideal food for Fire Elves.
The Cultivation of the Fire Elves here wasn’t high. Most were at the Second or Third Rank, with very few at the Fourth Rank. There were also some newly born First Rank Fire Elves.
Unlike ordinary Spiritual Beasts, Fire Elves didn’t need to mate for reproduction. Two Fire Elves who were fond of each other would use their combined power to nurture their offspring. In essence, Fire Elves practiced a form of Platonic love.
While feeding them, Chen Jiuge carefully counted the Fire Elves. A total of 35,423 Fire Elves! If I extract from all of them, I could obtain three percent Fire Qilin Bloodline. Plus, Fire Elf reproduction is very rapid. As long as the environment is suitable and food is abundant, they might just have a child whenever they feel happy, he mused.
With the Fire Qilin Bloodline concentration at one part per million—undetectable by Magic Artifacts—Chen Jiuge still couldn’t resist its temptation and began extracting it from the Fire Elves.
As for being discovered? Well, sorry, I’m not hiding anymore. I’ll lay all my cards on the table—I am a master of Spirit Beast Breeding! How do I do it? Sorry, that’s a closely guarded secret.