Lin Xiao was in the Artifact Refining Hall with Hu Liang, working on a batch of Golden Core stage spirit swords. This was a new product the sect had introduced this year.
Suddenly, a disciple came in to report that Elder Xiao Luan was looking for him.
Lin Xiao went to the front of the hall and saw Xiao Luan standing just outside the entrance, flapping its wings, signaling that it wasn't planning to come inside.
He walked out and asked, "What's up, Xiao Luan?"
Xiao Luan extended one of its wings. "Give me a sword!"
"A sword? What sword?" Lin Xiao was completely confused.
"A peachwood sword!" Xiao Luan raised its head proudly.
"What do you need a peachwood sword for?" Lin Xiao was even more bewildered.
Seeing that Lin Xiao seemed to have no recollection of their previous conversation, Xiao Luan became quite displeased. The tip of its large wing suddenly transformed into a small hand, about the size of a baby's.
"I can transform now! You promised me a peachwood sword!"
Lin Xiao thought back carefully and vaguely recalled something like that. However...
"You can transform now?" He didn't believe it.
Elder Liao had mentioned that for a demonic beast to reach the transformation stage, its cultivation level had to be higher than that of a cultivator in the Void Return stage. Xiao Luan was nowhere near that level. It couldn't have silently reached the transformation stage in just a few years, could it?
Lin Xiao observed the delicate, soft hand at the tip of Xiao Luan's wing closely.
Xiao Luan, with its tiny beady eyes, gave Lin Xiao a disdainful look and extended its wing, allowing him to inspect it.
"This is a hand formed by spiritual energy, right? Impressive, Xiao Luan. You've developed a new spell on your own," Lin Xiao praised.
His praise wasn't just to flatter Xiao Luan—it was genuine. What Xiao Luan had achieved was truly remarkable because this hand formed from spiritual energy wasn't just for show.
It was fully functional.
Many cultivators adept at using spiritual energy could shape it into forms, but very few could create something as intricate and usable as this. And no demonic beast at Xiao Luan's equivalent stage, the Solid Core stage, should be capable of such a feat.
What Xiao Luan had done was nearly indistinguishable from a true transformation.
It was genuinely impressive.
Lin Xiao lifted the small hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. It was soft and warm. He extended his pinky finger and said, "Come on, Xiao Luan, let's make a pinky promise."
"Pinky promise? What's that?" Xiao Luan was confused, but it mimicked Lin Xiao and extended its newly formed little finger, hooking it around his.
In the next moment, a white light shot from Lin Xiao's fingertip and entered Xiao Luan's hand, flowing into its body.
Xiao Luan followed the light with its inner sight, and its startled voice rang out: "What is this?"
It saw a small azure flame had appeared in its dantian.
Lin Xiao let go of its pinky and smiled. "That ice python's demon core you've been absorbing is nearly depleted, right? This is a new gift for you."
He pointed at Xiao Luan's belly. "This flame is called the Mysterious Azure Flame. The outer flame will be a delicious supplement for you, but be careful with the inner flame—you'll need to refine it slowly."
The Mysterious Azure Flame was a hidden reward from the system, triggered when Shuishui City was established. Lin Xiao had planned to give it to Xiao Luan for some time, but he hadn't had the chance until now when Xiao Luan showed up unexpectedly.
This flame was different from the Red Lotus Lava that the sect used in their alchemy and artifact refining rooms. The Mysterious Azure Flame required refining before it could be utilized.
The outer flame was rich in spiritual energy and could assist in cultivation. However, since the disciples of Lingxian Sect were practicing advanced cultivation techniques that focused on understanding and inner growth, such external supplements weren't suitable. But for a demonic beast like Xiao Luan, who relied heavily on external sources to advance, it was a perfect match.
Therefore, Lin Xiao decided the Mysterious Azure Flame would be a great gift for Xiao Luan.
Without external help, demonic beasts often took far longer than human cultivators to ascend to higher realms.
Besides, Xiao Luan had performed admirably over the years, managing the Beast Garden with incredible efficiency. Everything ran smoothly under its care, and no one else needed to worry about it.
After all, Xiao Luan was just a chicken.
For it to be so capable and responsible, Lin Xiao couldn't help but feel proud. Giving Xiao Luan the Mysterious Azure Flame seemed like a very fitting reward.
After hearing Lin Xiao's explanation, Xiao Luan blinked its tiny, beady eyes and glanced down at the small azure flame flickering in its dantian.
"Oh wow!" Its beak opened, mimicking a sound it must have learned from someone.
It tried to communicate with the small flame in its dantian, but the flame remained still, with only the pale blue outer layer flickering slightly.
Xiao Luan seemed to find a method that worked. It wrapped a thread of spiritual energy around the outer layer of the flame, extracting a small wisp of azure smoke. The smoke was bundled into a little ball of spiritual energy and brought up from its dantian, and Xiao Luan eagerly swallowed it.
"Hiccup~" Just from that one bite, the usually insatiable Xiao Luan let out a satisfied burp.
Its eyes lit up, sparkling as it looked at Lin Xiao. "It's delicious!"
This was ten thousand times better than that giant python's demon core! From now on, Xiao Luan was only going to eat this flame!
However, it quickly frowned and asked, "How long can I eat it? This flame is so small!"
Lin Xiao chuckled. "Don't let the flame's size fool you. It'll last you a long time. Once you fully refine it, it will merge with you, growing stronger as you cultivate. In short, once you refine it, you'll have an endless supply."
"Wow!" Xiao Luan's beady eyes sparkled even more. "I love this! I'm going to refine it right away!"
"Alright, you work hard at it. Go back and take your time refining it," Lin Xiao said, patting Xiao Luan's head, preparing to return to the Artifact Refining Hall to finish his work.
But just as he turned to leave, Xiao Luan tugged at his sleeve. "Wait!"
"My peachwood sword!"
Lin Xiao sheepishly turned around, seeing how persistent Xiao Luan was about the peachwood sword. He couldn't avoid it anymore and had to confess. "The peachwood sword... is gone."
"Huh?" Xiao Luan was puzzled. It pointed in the direction of the Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Tree.
It didn't understand—wasn't the tree still standing tall? How could there be no more peachwood swords?
Lin Xiao: ...
There was no avoiding it. He hadn't realized back then just how rare that Ten-Mile Peach Blossom Tree was. After learning from He Yi that it was a legendary Illusory Spirit Peach Tree, nearly extinct in the cultivation world, he couldn't bear to cut more branches to make peachwood swords anymore. It felt wasteful.
"Uh... Xiao Luan, peachwood swords are really just for kids. You're all grown up now—grown chickens should use metal swords! I'll make you a big iron sword, okay?" Lin Xiao tried to coax it.
But Xiao Luan stood firm on principle: "You promised me a peachwood sword!"