Seeing the tense standoff between himself and the two Lightning Sky Eagles, Xiao Feng remained calm. Instead of making any sudden moves, he slowly took out a medicinal pill from his storage ring.
It was a 4th-grade healing pill—powerful enough to restore even a Dou King's injuries.
Without a word, he gently tossed it toward the injured female eagle.
The eagle's sharp eyes remained fixed on him, filled with vigilance. It didn't move at first. Its body was still tense, ready to react at any moment.
Xiao Feng didn't move either.
He simply stood there… calm, steady, and without any hostility.
After a few moments—
Sensing no threat from him, the female eagle slowly lowered its guard. It stepped forward cautiously, picked up the pill, and swallowed it.
Almost instantly—
A faint glow spread across its body.
Its wounds began to heal at a visible speed. The torn flesh started closing, and even its weakened aura began stabilizing.
The male eagle, seeing this, relaxed slightly as well—though it still kept a protective stance.
Xiao Feng smiled faintly.
"Good… now we can talk."
—
After ensuring the situation had calmed down, Xiao Feng turned toward the corpse of the Wind Winged Snake. With a wave of his hand, he stored the massive body into his storage ring.
"A perfect material for the wings…" he murmured.
Just then—
A small flame suddenly flickered beside him.
A tiny fire spirit emerged, floating in the air, its body dancing like a living flame.
It flew straight toward Xiao Feng and began rubbing against his cheek affectionately, making soft, cheerful sounds.
Xiao Feng chuckled softly.
"You've been hiding all this time, huh?"
He took out a fire-attributed spiritual plant and tossed it toward the little spirit.
The fire spirit quickly swallowed it whole and let out a delighted cry, its flames burning brighter in excitement.
However—
The moment it noticed the two Lightning Sky Eagles nearby—
Its cheerful demeanor changed.
The small flame flickered intensely.
Then—
A terrifying pressure spread out.
Even though it looked harmless, it was still a Strange Fire spirit—the 22nd-ranked Ten Thousand Beast Flame, formed from the essence of countless magical beasts and heaven and earth.
Such a being naturally possessed overwhelming dominance over living creatures.
The two eagles stiffened instantly.
Their bodies trembled slightly as they felt the immense pressure pressing down on them.
Even the male eagle, which had shown killing intent before, now lowered its head slightly, unable to resist.
"Enough," Xiao Feng said calmly.
The fire spirit immediately withdrew its pressure, returning to its playful form and hovering beside him.
Xiao Feng then stepped forward slowly toward the two eagles.
This time—
Neither of them resisted.
Instead, they watched him quietly.
Xiao Feng raised his hand and gently placed it on the head of the injured female eagle.
A faint light began to gather.
His unique physique activated subtly, and his soul power flowed outward.
A strange connection began to form.
The female eagle's body trembled slightly—
But it didn't resist.
Soon—
A faint mark appeared on its forehead.
At the same time, a similar mark formed on Xiao Feng's palm.
A bond… had been established.
Xiao Feng closed his eyes briefly.
In that instant—
He felt it.
A clear connection.
Its emotions.
Its trust.
Its will.
He opened his eyes slowly, a smile forming on his lips.
"So this is what Teacher meant…"
"A true beast connection…"
The female eagle let out a soft cry, no longer hostile—only calm.
Seeing this, the male eagle hesitated for a moment… then slowly stepped forward.
Xiao Feng extended his hand once again.
"I won't harm your family," he said softly.
The male eagle looked at him deeply—
Then lowered its head.
The same light appeared.
Another mark formed.
The second connection was complete.
The wind blew gently through the forest.
Two powerful Lightning Sky Eagles stood beside Xiao Feng.
No longer enemies—
But companions.
Or rather—
Mounts bound by trust.
Xiao Feng looked at them and said with a faint smile,
"From today onwards… you'll follow me."
The two eagles let out a synchronized cry, their wings spreading slightly.
As if acknowledging their new master.
And in Xiao Feng's mind—
That connection grew even stronger.
======
"Take your children with you… and come with me."
Xiao Feng said calmly as he turned, preparing to leave. He gave a slight signal, intending to fly away while letting the two Lightning Sky Eagles follow him.
But just as he was about to move—
Both eagles let out low cries.
"Hmm?"
Xiao Feng stopped and turned back.
The female eagle stepped forward and gently nudged him, then looked toward the cave behind it. The male eagle also followed, letting out a soft call.
"You want me to go inside?"
The two eagles nodded slightly.
Xiao Feng's eyes flickered with curiosity as he stepped into the cave.
Inside, the air was cold and still.
The cave wasn't very large, but it was deep.
At the very end—
He saw it.
A corpse.
Judging by its condition, it had been dead for over a decade.
Beside it lay two storage rings.
Near the corpse, three plants grew quietly, emitting faint lightning energy.
"Thunder Spirit Flowers…"
Xiao Feng's eyes lit up.
"These can be used to refine 5th-grade pills…"
Without hesitation, he carefully collected all three plants and stored them.
Then—
He turned his attention to the two rings.
The moment his soul power touched one of them—
His expression changed.
A strange… familiar feeling.
"This…?"
He quickly scanned the contents.
Inside—
A flame flickered.
A shimmering silver flame.
Within the flame—
A small silver dragon coiled slowly.
A faint rumble echoed from it, like distant thunder.
Xiao Feng's breath stopped for a moment.
"This is…"
"A sub-flame of the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame… Ranked 12…"
His eyes sharpened.
But as he observed closely, he noticed something.
There was only one lightning dragon within the flame.
For a true Nine Dragon Lightning Flame—
There should be at least seven to eight dragons coiling within.
"This one… is incomplete."
"And extremely weak…"
He could clearly feel it.
Its power wasn't even comparable to a 6th-tier beast flame.
For a moment, Xiao Feng thought about refining it immediately.
But he quickly shook his head.
"No… not like this."
"If I absorb it now, the benefits will be minimal."
A thought formed in his mind.
"Instead… I can let others refine and nurture it…"
"Once it grows stronger… I can extract a mature sub-flame."
"And if it works…"
His eyes gleamed.
"My cultivation technique could be similar … like the Burning Technique…"
"I could gain the properties of multiple flames…"
"And it would also benefit my fire spirit."
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"This… is far more valuable than it seems."
He then checked the second ring.
Inside, he found a scroll.
Opening it, he read the contents.
"My name is He Yan…"
"I am an alchemist… and a Dou Zong expert in my life…"
"I traveled with three close friends in search of a Strange Fire…"
"And we found it… the Nine Dragon Lightning Flame…"
"It was still in its infant stage… but already had the power of a peak Dou King…"
"With four people and only one flame… we didn't know what to do…"
"I suggested we split it into four parts… nurture it separately… and let it grow…"
"Since we trusted each other… we agreed…"
"We each took a portion… and went our separate ways…"
"But after years later while searching for alchemy materials… I was ambushed…"
"I killed my enemies… but was gravely injured…"
"I came to this cave… to await death…"
"If someone finds this…"
"Please… take my body to my family…"
"The address is in the Central Plains… between Burning Valley and Sound Valley… in a city called Xie Yui city…"
"Give my techniques to them… even copies are enough…"
—
The writing ended there.
Xiao Feng remained silent for a moment.
"…A Dou Zong expert…"
"To fall like this…"
He shook his head slightly.
The world of cultivation was truly cruel.
After a moment, he respectfully bowed slightly toward the corpse.
"Senior… I will honor your request."
With a wave of his hand, he carefully stored the body into his storage ring.
He then moved all the remaining items into his own ring.
Walking out of the cave—
The two Lightning Sky Eagles watched him quietly.
Xiao Feng smiled faintly.
"You've given me quite the treasure…"
He then took out two medicinal pills.
They were Purple Heart Barrier Pills, both bearing clear pill patterns—high-quality 4th-grade pills.
Without hesitation, he tossed one to each eagle.
"These will help you both increase you realm by three minor levels and strengthen your bodies."
The two eagles caught the pills and swallowed them.
Their auras immediately began to rise.
they both reached the peak of the 3rd rank and one step away from the 4 tier.
The bond between them and Xiao Feng grew even stronger.
Xiao Feng then turned his gaze toward the two eggs.
"Bring them."
The female eagle gently picked them up.
Xiao Feng stepped forward, jumping onto the back of the male eagle.
"Let's go."
With a powerful flap—
The Lightning Sky Eagle soared into the sky.
The female followed closely behind.
The wind roared past them as they rose higher and higher.
Standing atop the eagle, Xiao Feng looked ahead—
A faint smile forming on his face.
This journey had given him far more than he expected.
As Xiao Feng rode back toward the academy atop the Lightning Sky Eagle, the sound of rushing wind echoed across the skies. The two massive third-tier magical beasts flew at high speed, their powerful auras spreading outward without restraint.
At the academy's outer perimeter—
An elder stationed on security duty suddenly opened his eyes.
A sharp pressure approached from the sky.
"Two peak third-tier magical beasts…?"
His expression turned serious.
Without hesitation, Dou Qi surged from his body as he prepared to intercept.
"If they're heading toward the academy, they must be stopped!"
Just as he was about to make a move—
He paused.
"…Wait."
His senses caught something else.
Amidst the powerful beast aura—
There was a human presence.
"A Dou Spirit…?"
The elder narrowed his eyes.
"Someone is riding them?"
He held his attack and watched carefully.
Moments later—
The figures became clear.
And when he saw the person standing atop the eagle—
His expression changed instantly.
"Xiao Feng?"
The elder stepped forward into the air, intercepting them.
"Xiao Feng! What is the meaning of this?" he asked in a firm tone, though without hostility.
Xiao Feng immediately signaled the eagles to slow down and land.
Once on the ground, he cupped his fists respectfully.
"Elder."
The elder looked at him closely, then at the two massive Lightning Sky Eagles behind him.
"I sensed two peak third-tier magical beasts rushing toward the academy at full speed. I was about to strike them down."
He paused, then frowned slightly.
"But I also sensed your aura… so I held back."
He crossed his arms.
"Explain."
Xiao Feng nodded calmly.
"These two are Lightning Sky Eagles. I encountered them in the Magical Beast Forest. After some circumstances… I formed a bond with them."
The elder raised an eyebrow. "A bond?"
Xiao Feng didn't hide anything and briefly explained about the battle, the healing pill, and the connection he formed with the two beasts.
After listening—
The elder's expression softened.
"I see…"
Then he suddenly smiled.
"You really are something else."
He looked at Xiao Feng with a hint of approval.
After all, he knew Xiao Feng personally.
They had sparred before—Xiao Feng helping him refine recovery pills, while the elder guided him in combat techniques.
"So now you've even tamed two peak third-tier flying beasts…"
He shook his head slightly, half amused.
"Monstrous talent… and monstrous luck."
After a moment, he waved his hand.
"Alright. I'll grant permission. But keep them under control. If they cause trouble inside the academy, you'll be held responsible."
Xiao Feng nodded. "Understood, Elder."
Soon after—
Xiao Feng led the two eagles toward the designated area where flying beasts were kept for student transportation.
The moment they arrived—
The other flying beasts became restless, clearly intimidated by the presence of the two powerful Lightning Sky Eagles.
Xiao Feng turned to them and said calmly,
"Stay here for now. Rest well."
The two eagles let out low cries and settled down, guarding their eggs carefully.
After that—
Xiao Feng returned to his courtyard.
Entering his room, his expression turned focused.
He took out the corpse of the Wind Winged Snake and placed it on the ground.
"Time to begin…"
He opened the scroll—the Flying Fighting Skill Creation Manual.
His eyes scanned through it carefully.
"Extract the wing structure… preserve the wind attribute essence… refine using flame…"
He nodded slowly.
"I understand."
Taking a deep breath—
He summoned his flame.
The Ten Thousand Beast Flame flickered to life in his palm.
The temperature in the room rose instantly.
Step by step—
He began the process.
Carefully separating the wings from the Wind Winged Snake.
Refining impurities.
Preserving the core essence.
Condensing the structure according to the method described in the manual.
Hours passed.
Sweat formed on his forehead, but his focus never wavered.
"This part… needs precise control…"
He adjusted the flame intensity slightly.
The wings slowly began to transform.
A faint outline of a new form started to appear.
A pair of artificial wings—
Taking shape.
Xiao Feng's eyes gleamed.
"If this succeeds…"
"Not only me…"
"My people will also gain the ability to fly."
The flames danced brighter.
And the forging process continued—step by step—exactly as described in the manual.