Chapter 540 - Recruiting An Apprentice
“Senior, what is it?”
Qin Nan’s eyes flickered with doubts.
What thing would Zhou Bihua be so concerned with that he was willing to offer the Art of the Immortal Vermilion Bird?
“Come with me.”
Zhou Bihua proceeded to the second-floor of the Cultivation Hall.
The sight was different than the first. It appeared to be an ordinary room, with bookshelves placed on the side, filled with various ancient manuals. At the center of the room was a cauldron emitting a pleasant smell as the incense combusted, allowing one to relax their soul and mind.
“What I’m going to say after, only the two of us should know. Don’t tell anyone else, got it?”
Before Qin Nan responded, Zhou Bihua turned around and took off his mink coat.
BANG!
A terrifying aura instantly filled the entire place. Even Qin Nan’s eyes were filled with great astonishment.
He could see a pattern on Zhou Bihua’s back.
It was a giant bird with a pair of bloody wings. Its body was like a yuan yang[1], while its legs were like a crane, with its head was raised slightly as it stared right into the Heavens.
The giant bird was none other than the Vermilion Bird!
However, when Qin Nan saw the Vermilion Bird, he could clearly feel a hint of life force flowing within it.
“Yes, this is the Blood-Winged Vermilion Bird, well, its Primordial Spirit to be exact.” Zhou Bihua said with a calm tone, “When the Sky-Scorching Ancient Kingdom was established, the Sky-Scorching Emperor acquired the assistance from the three Great Divine Beasts of the Western Continent. Following this, due to a tremendous battle, the Blood-Winged Vermilion Bird suffered a severe injury. There was no way to heal it, thus it died eventually. However, before passing away, it established the Vermilion Bird Platoon, and merged its Primordial Spirit into my body…”
“Many years have passed since then, and its Primordial Spirit has kept me company in countless battles. Its power has gotten weaker as time has passed by, and if it cannot be replenished, it would entirely disappear in a few years.”
Upon saying this, even Zhou Bihua’s tone was filled with a hint of sorrow.
“So your request is…” Qin Nan spoke in a hesitant manner.
“That old folk said that you’re able to resurrect the Primordial Spirit so the Blood-Winged Vermilion Bird would return once again, but I have little hope in that. All I ask for is to stabilize its Primordial Spirit so its power will not dissipate over time.” Zhou Bihua got rid of his emotions and said.
Although Sacred Leader Qinglong was incredibly powerful, Zhou Bihua did not believe that Qin Nan was able to resurrect the Blood-Winged Vermilion Bird by himself.
Therefore, he did not have high hopes for him. It would be satisfying enough if he were able to keep the Primordial Spirit of the Blood-Winged Vermilion Bird alive.
“Stabilize it and prevent its power from dissipating, huh?”
Qin Nan frowned.
He did not expect Zhou Bihua to request this.
However, if Sacred Leader Qinglong had promised him, it indicated that Qin Nan must be able to help him.
“It’s most likely the Chaos Qi!”
A thought flashed across Qin Nan’s mind. Previously at the Grand Competition of the Sixteen Mountains, he had managed to assist the leaders of the Sky Thunderous Beasts and Fiery Wings Birds in ranking up with the help of the Chaos Qi.
It showed that the Chaos Qi was extremely useful to the beast tribes.
Besides, apart from the Chaos Qi, nothing that Qin Nan possessed could possibly help Zhou Bihua to achieve his goal.
“Senior, let’s try it out, but before that, I will need nine hundred Primary Stones.”
Qin Nan pondered for a moment before he spoke.
The copper mirror had robbed all of the Chaos Qi in his body, thus he would need some Primary Stones to restock.
“Nine hundred Primary Stones?” Zhou Bihua was startled, before he frowned and gave Qin Nan the Primary Stones.
Qin Nan received the Primary Stones and devoured them. His body communicated with the mysterious ancient world and retrieved three streams of Chaos Qi.
“Now, Senior, don’t move!”
Qin Nan advised while reaching out his palm and covering the pattern of the Vermilion Bird on Zhou Bihua’s back. It was as if the pattern was able to sense the aura within Qin Nan’s body, allowing it to become calm.
“Are you suggesting that you could stabilize the Primordial Spirit with merely nine hundred Primary Stones?” Zhou Bihuan suddenly asked.
“Yeah.” Qin Nan nodded his head, before observing Zhou Bihua’s expression darkening tremendously. His terrifying aura of the Martial Sacred Realm filled the entire place, causing the hall to turn icy.
“Nine hundred Primary Stones… Trying to stabilize the Primordial Spirit with only nine hundred Primary Stones? Do you have any idea how many precious elixirs and herbs I’ve tried?” Zhou Bihua withheld his anger as he spoke with an icy glare.
Qin Nan’s action caused him to feel like he was being cheated!
Sacred Leader Qinglong had mentioned that Qin Nan was able to help him, and now Qin Nan was trying to do it with only nine hundred Primary Stones?
Are you being serious!?
“Senior, just let me have a go.”
Qin Nan’s expression remained calm.
“Fine, I’ll give you a chance.” Zhou Bihua took a deep breath and calmed his anger. It did not matter much to give Qin Nan a chance after waiting for so many years. That being said, he subconsciously clenched his fists.
If it didn’t work, he would detain Qin Nan straight away, go to the palace in White Tiger City and hand him over to the emperor!
Qin Nan took a deep breath and transferred the three streams of Chaos Qi into Zhou Bihua’s body.
“Mm?”
Zhou Bihua frowned. The streams of Qi felt relatively strange to him, and he failed to identify them from his knowledge.
Buzz.
At that instant, the pattern of the Vermilion Bird emitted a vague glow, causing the figure of the Vermilion Bird to become clearer and brighter.
“Is it...working?”
Zhou Bihua was stunned.
He could clearly feel that the Primordial Spirit had stopped losing its energy.
“This…”
Zhou Bihua opened his mouth wide and tried to say something, but he was left speechless.
Nine hundred Primary Stones!
Did Qin Nan just stop the energy of the pattern from dissipating with merely nine hundred Primary Stones?
“It seems like I’ve been lied to. How could nine hundred Primary Stones be enough? It’s most likely that he’s hiding some other secrets.” Zhou Bihua collected his thoughts. He wore a smile after sensing that the Primordial Spirit had been stabilized.
It was a sincere smile from his heart.
Although the Vermilion Bird had yet to be resurrected, how could he not be happy after the Primordial Spirit was now stabilized, which he had failed to do after consuming a great amount of resources?
“Don’t you worry. I’m a man of my word. I will not hand you to the Four Great Factions. That being said, you’ve only stabilized the Primordial Spirit instead of resurrecting it. Therefore, I’ll not help you if the Four Great Factions learn of your true identity, is that clear?” Zhou Bihua glanced at Qin Nan and said after a brief pause, “Of course, I will still teach you the Art of the Immortal Vermilion Bird.”
“Sure.”
Qin Nan replied with a calm look. It was only a trade between him and Zhou Bihua to obtain mutual benefits. Once the trade was over, they would not owe each other anymore.
“Great, you should consume the Vermilion Bird’s Blood before I teach you the Art of the Immortal Vermilion Bird——” Zhou Bihua waved his hand. However, his speech was interrupted by a rare phenomenon.
The glistening pattern on his back suddenly emitted a blinding glow.
The blinding glow eventually transformed into an illusionary figure of the Vermilion Bird which flapped its wings and let out a piercing cry.
Furthermore, the life force within the pattern grew stronger.
“This is——”
Zhou Bihua’s expression stiffened. His heart was filled with great astoundment after sensing the change of the Primordial Spirit.
Its life force was growing. In other words, the Primordial Spirit of the Blood-Winged Vermilion Bird was recovering.
Not only had the three streams of Qi that Qin Nan inserted into his body stabilized the Primordial Spirit, but they allowed it to recover too?
If that’s the case...Would more streams of the mysterious Qi be able to resurrect the Vermilion Bird and allow it to showcase its peerless appearance once again?
Gasp!
Zhou Bihua unconsciously took a few deep breaths, his face filled with disbelief.
He finally understood that what Sacred Leader Qinglong had said to him a few hundred years ago was real!
Qin Nan could actually resurrect the Vermilion Bird!
“Revival...revival...If the Blood-Winged Vermilion Bird reappeared in the Eastern Continent…” Zhou Bihua mumbled to himself as his breathing suddenly intensified. His eyes stared at Qin Nan as he yelled out, “From today onward, you will be my successor! I will protect you at all costs no matter who’s trying to kill you, including the Four Great Factions! What do you think?”
Translator: XephiZ
Editor: DOCuinn
[1] TL Note: Also known as a ‘mandarin duck’. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mandarin_duck