Teng Qingshan gazed up at the Gale Condor circling overhead. The Gale Condor’s eyes were fixed on Teng Qingshan, holding a look of distinct yearning.

“Truly worthy of having human intelligence; it has even learned to communicate through its gaze,” Teng Qingshan mused, quite pleased. Having a Gale Condor as an escort would certainly eliminate many potential troubles.

“Brother Teng, should we agree?” Li Jun inquired. Her heart was eager, yet she awaited Teng Qingshan’s permission first.

Teng Qingshan glanced up and declared, “Tell it this, and say it comes from me! All the Ironleaf Fruits are in the cabin.

If it travels with us, it can only rest on the deck; entry into the cabin is forbidden. We will give it one fruit per month.” Li Jun was overjoyed and immediately sent a series of calls toward the Gale Condor.

Meanwhile, Teng Qingshan gathered the scattered Ironleaf Fruits on the deck, placing them all into a fishing net. With a swift roll of the net, he tossed it—channeling his internal True Essence and Gang Qi—through the cabin door with a gentle throw.

The net, imbued with Teng Qingshan’s power, spun as it landed inside the cabin. “Whoosh!” Teng Qingshan shut the cabin door.

A strong gust of wind preceded the Gale Condor as it descended from the sky, landing squarely on the deck of the Blackwood boat, standing tall upon the planks. Even without spreading its wings, the Gale Condor stood nearly as tall as Teng Qingshan.

“Yoo~~” The Gale Condor let out a cry towards Teng Qingshan. It clearly remembered...

this human before it had slain the admittedly annoying yet equally powerful Shadow Wolf in a single move, and severely wounded the Profound Wind Divine Eagle, a creature it considered mighty! Regardless, it needed to be cautious around this human.

Otherwise, a single slap could crush it. “Brother Teng, it’s showing you goodwill,” Li Jun laughed.

“Mm.” Teng Qingshan spared it a glance and chuckled, “This fellow is rather interesting! You chat with it; tell it not to disturb me unless necessary.

I can’t understand its bird chatter anyway.” Li Jun covered her mouth, smiling, “Yes, understood.” Teng Qingshan didn't linger for any camaraderie with the Gale Condor. Instead, he moved to the far end of the deck and began practicing his fist techniques.

Hoo! Hoo!

Fist winds surged intermittently. Nearby, Li Jun and the Gale Condor conversed happily.

The eagle vented about its life on Ironleaf Island. Occasionally, it would steal a glance at Teng Qingshan—it had realized that this powerful human, much like the supreme beasts, carried an aura of aloof pride.

The Gale Condor resolved that, in the future, it would avoid provoking the powerful human unless necessary. It looked at Li Jun beside it; ah, this young lady was much better, someone it could actually talk to.

“Brother Teng, what should we call it from now on?” Li Jun suddenly called out. Teng Qingshan, who continued his fist practice without pause, replied directly, “Weren’t those two Fiery Wind Divine Eagles named Da Hei and Da Bai?

This Gale Condor is only at the Innate Void Core realm, much weaker than the Divine Eagles, and its body is smaller too. Its feathers are gray, so let’s call it ‘Little Gray.’” Li Jun stuck out her tongue upon hearing that.

“Little Gray?” When Li Jun conveyed the name to the Gale Condor, although the bird was deeply resentful of the moniker ‘Little Gray,’ upon learning it was the name Teng Qingshan had chosen for it, it immediately consented. “Little Gray!” “Yoo~~” the Gale Condor called out.

“Little Gray, Little Gray!” Li Jun called twice. “Yoo~~” “Yoo~~~” The Gale Condor responded twice.

Teng Qingshan, in the midst of his practice, glanced over, a faint smile touching his lips. This Gale Condor was indeed quite amusing; having an extra one for the journey across the North Sea might add a bit of enjoyment.

… On the Blackwood boat, Teng Qingshan practicing his fists, Li Jun conversing with the Gale Condor through bird calls—everything settled into a natural rhythm. Hoo!

Hoo! The sea wind blew, the sails swelled, and the Blackwood boat drifted further and further away into the boundless darkness of the vast North Sea, eventually vanishing into its depths.

* Time flowed by. The days spent adrift on the ocean were remarkably peaceful.

In the blink of an eye, three months had passed since they left Ironleaf Island. At sea, Teng Qingshan immersed himself entirely in his cultivation.

Meanwhile, the bond between Li Jun and the Gale Condor grew increasingly intimate. Li Jun was truly an expert in taming demonic beasts.

Initially, the Gale Condor only sought out Li Jun for conversation because it perceived Teng Qingshan as unapproachable. But as time wore on...

the Gale Condor discovered that staying near Li Jun was, in fact, a wonderful arrangement. … In the North Sea, the Blackwood boat lay motionless upon the water; an iron anchor was sunk deep, firmly lodged against a rock somewhere beneath the waves.

“Sizzle, sizzle~~” A brazier sat on the deck of the Blackwood boat, its wood burning brightly. An iron plate rested atop it, heating up until it glowed red.

Fish lay spread across the plate, and Li Jun sat nearby, grilling them, occasionally sprinkling on seasonings. These supplies were brought from the boat; they had packed so much that it was enough for two people for several years.

“Little Gray, don’t rush.” Li Jun smiled, glancing at the Gale Condor beside her. The eagle stared intently at the sizzling fish, its sharp beak glistening with what looked like drool.

It was accustomed to eating raw fish, but it had never imagined... that roasted fish could taste so exquisitely delicious, or that the flesh could be so tender.

After just one taste, the Gale Condor was hooked! Li Jun also realized the Gale Condor was a glutton.

Last month, when the Blackwood boat chanced upon a deserted island, Teng Qingshan, drawing on the wilderness survival skills honed since childhood in the mountains, easily located some delicious wild fruits and vegetables. Most of those fruits were devoured by the Gale Condor.

Gluttonous! That was the Gale Condor.

Previously, it relied on Teng Qingshan to catch fish, but now, the Gale Condor would actively hunt for them. Despite its skills not matching Teng Qingshan’s, it could still bring back dozens or even a hundred fish in a single outing.

“Brother Teng should be surfacing soon,” Li Jun said, peering over the railing into the water. “Yoo~~” “Yoo~~” The Gale Condor beside her grew anxious, crying out a few times, clearly indicating: If the captain doesn’t come up, let’s eat first, or it will burn!

Li Jun laughed at it, “Haha, alright, you eat first.” She then carefully lifted two fish from the iron plate and placed them in the basin before the Gale Condor. The bird eagerly lowered its head, its sharp beak seizing one of the fish.

With a single tug, it tore off half and swallowed it immediately. Then it swallowed the remaining half, ignoring the bones entirely, eating with intense pleasure.

The Gale Condor became even more convinced that its earlier decision had been wise. How could it have ever tasted such wonderful grilled fish back on Ironleaf Island?

In its moment of ecstasy, it tilted its head back and let out a triumphant cry toward the sky! “Splash!” A wave erupted suddenly.

A figure rocketed up from the water, holding onto the iron anchor chain, before landing lightly on the deck—it was Teng Qingshan, his hair still dripping water. Teng Qingshan set the anchor and chain aside, glanced over, and smiled, “Little Gray is eating quickly.” “If you hadn’t come back soon, I wouldn't have given it any, and it probably would have been anxious enough to jump into the water to find you,” Li Jun chuckled.

The Gale Condor, currently holding a fish in its beak, saw Teng Qingshan on deck and proudly fanned its wings twice. Teng Qingshan laughed, “Is it just about eating before me?

Look how proud you are!” After three months of companionship, Teng Qingshan and the Gale Condor had developed a decent relationship. Teng Qingshan had also discovered that while demonic beasts possessed an inherent wild ferocity, at their core, they were surprisingly simple creatures.

They would kill their enemies, but if they accepted you as a friend, they would be exceedingly amicable. They revered the strong and bullied the weak!

Although they possessed intelligence, their environment was far less complex than that of humans. This fundamental simplicity meant that demonic beasts generally didn’t demand much.

This Gale Condor, for instance, was simply driven by gluttony. “Little Jun’s cooking skills are getting better and better,” Teng Qingshan said with a smile, sniffing the air.

“Practice makes perfect,” Li Jun replied. Having spent so much time with Teng Qingshan, their interactions were now very natural; she no longer blushed at every small thing as she used to.

Teng Qingshan collected the anchor, raised the sail, adjusted its direction, and then walked over to join them, eating the grilled fish. Bathed in sunlight, adrift on the vast ocean—a man, a woman, and a demonic beast shared grilled fish together.

In the afternoon. Teng Qingshan stood on the deck, holding his Samsara Spear, practicing his forms.

Li Jun was comfortably reclined in a chair, sunbathing, while the Gale Condor circled high above the ship, venting the excitement and joy from its satisfying meal. “Hoo!

Hoo!” Teng Qingshan was constantly drilling the same move with the Samsara Spear: ‘Poison Dragon Drill.’ However, his current demonstration of the ‘Poison Dragon Drill’ was different from before; previously, every execution contained a momentary flaw where control slipped. Now, after every execution of the ‘Poison Dragon Drill,’ Teng Qingshan could seamlessly transition into the ‘Primordial Unity Qi’ spear techniques.

Unity Qi transforms into Poison Dragon Drill, and Poison Dragon Drill shifts into Unity Qi. Flawless!

This was the result of Teng Qingshan’s rigorous practice over the last three months. From setting sail until now, over three months of cultivation, Teng Qingshan’s Water Element Fist had finally yielded its first form.

The ‘Poison Dragon Drill’ had also gained a touch of gentle, winding nuance. “The Poison Dragon Drill is now without weakness; I can use it confidently in combat,” Teng Qingshan felt exceptionally good about this progress.

Suddenly— “Yoo~~~” A sharp shriek echoed from high in the sky. Li Jun, who had been dozing in her chair, immediately snapped her eyes open and looked towards the heavens.

Teng Qingshan also looked up. Having spent so much time with the Gale Condor, he could now interpret its cries—whether it signaled excitement, anger, or a warning of enemies.

This particular call was unmistakably one of urgent warning. In mid-air, a streak of fiery light shot in from the distance.

The Gale Condor instantly swooped rapidly from the sky and landed on the deck. “What is that?” Li Jun exclaimed, staring into the sky.

Teng Qingshan watched intently. Only when the fiery streak stopped did Teng Qingshan and Li Jun clearly see the target’s appearance—its body feathers were azure blue, but from the neck upward, the feathers shifted into a vibrant seven-colored sheen, topped by a golden crest.

Its tail feathers were long and also seven-colored. The spread tail slightly resembled a peacock displaying its fan.

However, the avian before them was even more stunningly beautiful and captivating. That naturally formed golden crest looked like the crown of an emperor.

“Azure Luan, the Divine Bird Azure Luan!” Teng Qingshan gasped. “It really is an Azure Luan!

The legends are true!” Li Jun’s eyes widened in shock. The creature, beautiful as a dream, the Azure Luan, hovered mid-air.

Faint wisps of flame seemed to coil around its blue feathers, and its seven-colored tail feathers shimmered magically under the sunlight as its stunning, captivating eyes looked down upon the Blackwood boat. The Azure Luan was renowned far and wide.

Legend held that any Azure Luan reaching maturity was naturally at the Innate Golden Core level, and moreover, an absolute monarch within that realm! Its speed was terrifyingly fast, its attacks incredibly sharp, and it possessed the ability to rapidly recover from any injury, no matter how severe.

Unless a human had already ascended to the Void Realm, they stood no chance against the divine bird, the ‘Azure Luan.’