"Xiao Jin?" The voice of the Golden Feather Giant Eagle sounded, tinged with immaturity and a hint of doubt.
"Master, do you think I'm too young?"
"Actually, I can get bigger."
As it spoke, golden light began to emanate from the Golden Feather Giant Eagle's body, and its size rapidly increased, visible to the naked eye.
Before Gu He could react, the eagle's body had already grown four or five times larger. Now, standing over Gu He, it loomed like a small hill.
"Master, do you think I'm old enough now?"
Gu He looked up at the massive golden-feathered eagle, his expression stiff. He replied awkwardly, "Big... you're big enough now. I mean, 'Xiao Jin' is just your nickname."
The Golden Feather Giant Eagle tilted its head. "A nickname? Then what's my real name?"
Gu He glanced at the enormous creature, sighed, and said, "First, can you shrink back down?"
"Of course, Master!" With a nod, the golden light flashed across the eagle's body once more, and it quickly returned to its original size.
Gu He studied the golden feathers for a moment, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. Finally, he said, "Your real name will be Jin Yu, and your nickname will remain Xiao Jin."
"Jin Yu... Jin Yu," the eagle repeated softly, seemingly satisfied. It nodded and said, "Alright, Master. From now on, my real name is Jin Yu, and my nickname is Xiao Jin."
Gu He smiled and gently stroked Xiao Jin's golden feathers, which felt incredibly smooth to the touch.
After spending some time playing with Xiao Jin in the system space, Gu He said, "Xiao Jin, I need to go out now. You stay here and play by yourself. I'll come back to see you tomorrow."
With that, Gu He prepared to leave the system space.
Xiao Jin quickly called out, "Master, I want to go out with you!"
"You want to come out too?" Gu He frowned, considering the request. "But your body is too large. It would be inconvenient to take you out."
Xiao Jin replied eagerly, "Master, I can make myself smaller!"
As soon as it finished speaking, golden light once again radiated from its body. In moments, it shrank to the size of an ordinary bird, landing gracefully on Gu He's shoulder.
"Master, am I small enough now?" Xiao Jin asked, tilting its head to look at Gu He.
"More than enough," Gu He replied, a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"Then can I go out with you now?" Xiao Jin pressed.
Gu He hesitated for a moment before saying, "I'll take you out, but you must promise me something. Without my permission, you cannot reveal your true strength, and you must not harm anyone. Do you understand?"
Xiao Jin nodded without hesitation. "I promise, Master. I'll listen to you."
Satisfied, Gu He gave a nod of approval. With a thought, he brought Xiao Jin out of the system space.
The next moment, back in his room, Gu He's consciousness returned to his body, and Xiao Jin materialized on his shoulder.
"Master, is this the outside world?" Xiao Jin asked, its eyes filled with curiosity as it surveyed the room.
Gu He glanced at Xiao Jin over his shoulder and pointed to the yard outside. "From now on, you can play in this yard, but you must never leave it without my permission. Understand?"
Xiao Jin nodded obediently. "Understood, Master."
"Good. Go and play then," Gu He said with a smile, watching as Xiao Jin spread its wings and darted out of the room, flitting about the yard like a golden streak of light.
"With Xiao Jin by my side, it should be safe to venture into the Tagore Desert this time," Gu He murmured to himself, a faint smile on his face.
Originally, he had planned to wait for Yun Yun to return so he could refine the Emperor's Pill and further boost his strength before heading to the Tagore Desert. That would have made the journey much safer. However, Yun Yun had been gone for over a month with no news, and Gu He was growing impatient.
Having stayed in the sect for so long, he was eager to get out and explore. Perhaps he might even encounter a wild genius and take on another disciple along the way.
But his current strength was only at the Eight-Star Dou Emperor level. If he were unlucky enough to run into Queen Medusa in the Tagore Desert, the outcome would be uncertain.
While he had plenty of tricks up his sleeve, Queen Medusa was a veteran powerhouse at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Emperor level. Her ferocity was something even Gu He had to respect.
If he ended up in the same predicament as that old fellow Hai Bodong, the two of them might just end up hugging each other and crying.
But now, things were different.
Xiao Jin's sudden hatching had come as a pleasant surprise.
As a Rank 8 magical beast with a noble bloodline, Xiao Jin was born with strength at the peak of the Nine-Star Dou Emperor level. Moreover, with its impenetrable golden feathers and its devastating golden sword energy, Xiao Jin was virtually invincible among beings of the same level.
With Xiao Jin as his protector, Gu He no longer had to fear Queen Medusa. This gave him the confidence to consider heading to the Tagore Desert ahead of schedule.
His primary goal for this trip was to find Qing Lin, the girl with the Triple Jade-Green Snake Flower Pupils. If he could bring her into his fold, he would gain three additional chances to trigger the system's reward mechanism each month. More importantly, it would give him another opportunity to pass on his knowledge and further enhance his own cultivation.
In Gu He's mind, the fastest way to grow stronger was to recruit more talented disciples. Over the past few months, he had already begun to formulate plans for the future.
Once he broke through to the Dou Ancestor level, he no longer intended to remain confined to the Misty Cloud Sect. Instead, he planned to travel across the northwestern countries, scouting for talents and recruiting them one by one. After touring the region, he would head to Jia Nan Academy, ideally securing a position as a tutor or even an elder.
Given his status as a seventh-rank alchemist, Gu He was confident this wouldn't be too difficult. Jia Nan Academy was a gathering place for geniuses from the entire northwestern region, and even some from the Central Plains. It was the perfect place to find promising disciples.
Among them, Zi Yan of the Ancient Void Dragon Tribe was Gu He's primary target.
As for the Central Plains, Gu He had no intention of venturing there until he had reached the Dou Saint Realm. The waters there were far too deep, and without the strength of a Dou Saint, he wouldn't stand a chance.
"For now, I'll stay here for another two days," Gu He thought. "I'll use this time to refine more of the spiritual liquid they need for their body tempering. That way, their training won't be interrupted after I leave."
After some consideration, Gu He finalized his plans. Even if he were to leave, Liu Ling and Little Fairy Doctor couldn't afford to pause their body tempering. In fact, Gu He planned to intensify their training. Otherwise, they wouldn't be able to keep up with his pace.
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