Chapter 43: A Spirit Pet Defying the Heavens

As Huo Shiqing had said, in this realm, romance between master and disciple was taboo, but romance between fellow apprentices of the same generation was not.

A significant number of sect masters were even quite willing to matchmake such pairings, keeping things within the family to strengthen ties. If they had grown up together since childhood, they were practically sweethearts betrothed from a young age.

Spending every waking moment together meant they knew each other inside and out. Their bond was far more solid and secure than that of dao companions who met halfway through life outside the sect, and it was much less prone to complications.

By the time Jiang Heng arrived at the sect, Huo Shiqing’s dao companions had already changed countless times. He was a seasoned veteran in matters of affection, not some naive greenhorn experiencing love for the very first time.

With such a background, if he truly set his mind to wooing and bewitching his innocent and inexperienced junior sister, there was virtually no possibility for her to escape.

Han Jie did not dwell on the matter further. He smiled and said, "If Senior Brother Huo truly cherishes Junior Sister Xu, he shouldn't indulge her every whim. Instead, he should tell her that she is not a spirit stone; not everyone can be as completely devoted to her as you all are."

"If she sets her sights on a senior brother and insists on snatching him away, constantly obsessing over being pampered and favored, what time or energy will she have left to properly cultivate the Dao? At that rate, she will only be left further and further behind by Junior Sister Jiang."

These words were thoroughly blunt, and calling them barbed would be an understatement.

Under normal circumstances, if anyone spoke of An'an that way, Huo Shiqing would have immediately torn off friendly pretenses to argue with Han Jie or even resort to violence.

Yet today, he acted somewhat out of character. He merely shot Han Jie a cold look, turned around, and left without saying a single word.

Not long after Huo Shiqing departed, a young disciple from the apothecary came to find Han Jie.

"Senior Brother Han, these are the spiritual herbs you asked people to search for. They dropped off the goods and left immediately, refusing to stay for even a cup of tea."

Han Jie thanked the junior disciple, stored the large crate brimming with spiritual herbs into his storage bag, and flew toward Jiang Heng’s immortal cave.

By now, the relationship between Jiang Heng and Han Jie had grown much closer, and a basic level of trust had been established between them.

Consequently, her need for a large quantity of spiritual herbs had been brought out into the open under a semi-transparent pretext.

Jiang Heng had not claimed the herbs were for her own consumption; she had shifted all the responsibility onto Zhuzhu.

She explained that Zhuzhu might be some kind of high-grade spirit beast with an enormous appetite, eating more and more by the day until she was almost unable to afford to keep it.

Fortunately, Zhuzhu was still just an egg—an egg with an extremely tough shell at that—so it wouldn't break its back carrying such a massive blame.

Although both of them had granted each other permission and protective restrictions to enter their respective caves at will, Han Jie still called out a greeting outside Jiang Heng’s cave. Only after hearing her voice in response did he step inside.

"Senior Brother Han." At a glance, Jiang Heng had clearly just been meditating and practicing cultivation, as the spiritual Qi around her had not yet completely dissipated.

Han Jie took out the spiritual herbs and placed them on the ground before her. "These are all slightly lower in quality, though their spiritual Qi is still quite abundant. They're no longer suitable for refining pills, but they'll be just right for feeding Zhuzhu."

Jiang Heng picked up a spiritual herb to inspect it, her eyes lighting up slightly.

The so-called inferior quality was completely negligible to her; with spiritual Qi this abundant, it was far too ideal for eating raw.

She accepted the herbs with gratitude. "How many spirit stones do these cost in total?"

Han Jie smiled. "I'm giving these to you as a gift. No spirit stones needed."

Jiang Heng felt uneasy about this. "You already gifted me a batch previously, how can I possibly accept more..."

Han Jie replied, "No matter how we look at it, we’ve been through life and death together. It's just a few spiritual herbs, why be so polite?"

"Once Zhuzhu hatches, there will inevitably be times when I'll want to borrow it. Just consider this as me providing its snacks in advance."

On this point, Jiang Heng was well aware.

The items in Han Jie's possession were not only numerous but heaven-defying; he could even subdue fierce beasts that Nascent Soul cultivators found troublesome.

She felt a bit shy. "Then on behalf of Zhuzhu, I'll thank Senior Brother Han."

It was unclear whether Zhuzhu knew it was shouldering the blame, but it was as spirited as ever, hopping back and forth and rubbing affectionately against both Han Jie and Jiang Heng.

"What kind of spirit beast do you think Zhuzhu will turn out to be?" Han Jie asked.

Jiang Heng thought for a moment. "I don't know much about spirit beasts, but since it's this clever and possesses spiritual awareness, it should at least be of top grade."

Even if it wasn't top grade, however, she wouldn't mind.

Her only expectations for Zhuzhu were that it remained healthy and happy, and that it could accompany her through as many years as possible.

Anything else was merely the icing on the cake—great to have if present, but not worth forcing if absent.

Han Jie stroked Zhuzhu and smiled faintly. "I think you're underestimating it. It's very likely an existence that transcends the top grade."

Jiang Heng was startled. "Transcends the top grade... Wouldn't that be celestial grade?"

In truth, cultivators who possessed spirit beasts were rare, and most spirit beasts had been fierce beasts before being tamed.

The fierce beasts of this continent were exceptionally formidable, and some could even evolve into human-shaped beast cultivators.

Due to the inherent advantages of their bloodlines, the probability of beast cultivators ascending to the upper realm was even higher than that of human cultivators.

The relations between the human and beast races had always been tense and delicate, leaving little opportunity for them to sit down and exchange insights. Human understanding of the strength of fierce beasts mostly remained surface-level, resulting in classifications that were far from precise, with new theories constantly emerging.

The grading system for spirit beasts in this realm was extremely inconsistent. The most mainstream approach divided them into five categories based on spirit stone standards, while others relied on various ranking lists.

And the celestial grade mentioned by Han Jie corresponded to at least the top ten entities on those ranking lists!

Jiang Heng looked at Zhuzhu, a trace of worry involuntarily welling up inside her.

High-grade spirit beasts that were naturally affectionate and willing to pledge their allegiance were rare treasures. And treasures had always invited bloody storms; lacking the strength to protect them was a crime in itself.

Han Jie understood Jiang Heng's apprehension. "Don't worry, you still have me. I won't let anyone snatch your Zhuzhu away."

Although Senior Brother Han was currently only a Core Formation cultivator, for some reason, these words brought Jiang Heng far more peace of mind than if they had been spoken by Nascent Soul cultivators.

She nodded. "Thank you, Senior Brother Han, but I cannot rely on you forever. I must also accelerate my own advancement."

Only by becoming strong herself could she truly protect the things that mattered.

Han Jie looked pleased. "Don't always hole up in your cave to cultivate either. Whenever you have time, come out on missions with me. Whether it's the experience accumulated from combat or the insights gained from traveling, both are immensely helpful for making breakthroughs."

Jiang Heng agreed.

As it happened, the spirit stones in her possession were nearly exhausted; it was time to take on more missions to earn spirit stones.

Jiang Heng was a very frugal person, spending spirit stones only on the most critical needs and never daring to waste them casually.

Yet as the power of Eiluo grew increasingly fierce within her, spiritual herbs that once could last her several months now barely lasted a dozen days.

She had a vague premonition—if this continued, ordinary low-grade spiritual herbs would likely fail to satisfy her appetite, and she would require high-grade ones.

Once even high-grade herbs were no longer enough, what would she need to consume then?

Fierce beast inner cores, heavenly treasures, or even... other cultivators?

Jiang Heng felt a shock in her heart and refused to delve any further into the thought.

Stepping onto the path of the Eiluo Dao was a choice made with no other options left.

Once the bow was drawn, there was no turning back. She did not regret it.

Yet she also hoped that one day she would not transform into a bloodthirsty, cruel monster.

Even if she were to perish without entering the cycle of reincarnation, disappearing completely from this world,

she hoped to retain her original appearance and not become too unrecognizable.