Yes, lucky indeed

The majority of spirit beasts in the eighth zone were in the Core Formation realm, with others in the late stages of Foundation Establishment. A smaller number were in the Qi Refinement realm, mostly comprising the progeny of Core Formation-level beasts.

In the cultivation world, one fundamental truth transcended all species: strength was everything. In the face of absolute power, all else became irrelevant. This universal principle held especially true in a place like the Green Fog Region, where countless spirit beasts constantly sought to devour and dominate one another.

This unrelenting struggle for survival was what made the Green Fog Region one of the most dangerous places on the continent. Background and status ceased to matter the moment one stepped foot inside. Whether you were a Domain-level expert or a reckless Qi Refinement cultivator with a thirst for danger, a single misstep could spell death for both.

The region itself was a chaotic arena, where every living being was locked in an unending battle for supremacy. The chaos was most concentrated in Zones Six through Ten, intensifying the further one ventured into the lower zones.

Despite the chaos, the world maintained a kind of balance. Spirit beasts were born with raw strength, fearsome abilities from birth, and absurdly long lifespans that were not tied to their cultivation. These natural advantages gave them a significant head start. However, their cultivation progressed at a sluggish pace, a limitation that even their formidable might could not overcome.

Humans, on the other hand, were born weak. Their fragile bodies were so delicate that even a blade of grass could graze and injure them. Unless they were blessed with a natural physique that granted special abilities, most were born without innate strength, unique powers, or long lifespans—many living no longer than the incubation period of certain spirit beasts. But in exchange for these shortcomings, humans were gifted with malleability. They could adapt to various cultivation arts and, with sufficient talent, rapidly advance their cultivation. This adaptability gave them a fighting chance against the spirit beasts and spiritual plants that came into the world with overwhelming natural advantages.

If a spirit beast wished to match the speed of a human's cultivation, it had only a few options. One was to defeat and devour other spirit beasts, absorbing their strength to make it its own.

Another, far more effective option, was to hunt and consume human cultivators. Humans were far better resource for cultivation compared to fellow spirit beasts. For spirit beasts, refining and absorbing human cultivators' energy was smoother, easier, and offered far greater benefits. This was due to the remarkable adaptability of the human body, which could absorb qi from diverse sources and convert it into its purest form.

This irresistible allure was why spirit beasts rarely hesitated to attack human cultivators the moment they saw them. It was also why the Green Fog Region, despite being brimming with resources, had few human cultivators establishing a base there. Living in the region as a human meant carrying a constant target on one's back, with every spirit beast in the area viewing them as a walking treasure trove of pure refined energy.

In a place teeming with spirit beasts, constant battles and predation were inevitable. Especially in the lower zones, spirit beasts endlessly attacked one another in a ceaseless cycle of survival and dominance. Over time, this chaos gave rise to a brutal hierarchy, with a few powerful beasts clawing their way to the top, standing above the corpses of their defeated brethren.

In the eighth zone, three such spirit beasts had slaughtered their way to prominence, earning the fear and respect of all others. Their sheer power and dominance led to them being dubbed the Three False Kings. Yet, despite their strength, they were called "false" kings for a reason. There was one being in the eighth zone they did not dare to approach—a true monstrosity. It was the undisputed overlord of the region. Although it remained in constant hibernation and rarely revealed its presence, its existence was a shadow that loomed over every spirit beast in the zone, including the False Kings themselves.

With the true overlord dormant and disinterested, the Three False Kings were the most active rulers of the eighth zone. Among them was the Green Flash Viper, which had survived the encirclement against Feng Xin. The others were the Black Cosmos Caiman and the Dystopian Gaze Turtle.

...

Back to the present-day events, the fleeting allure of greed had led to its capture, while most of the other spirit beasts in the encirclement met a brutal end.

The Green Flash Viper seemed to be the only survivor, retreating the moment trouble began. However, its escape came at a steep price. Of all the spirit beasts present in the encirclement—excluding the Mirage Dragonfly, the Green-Flowered Babirusa, the Rapid Snapper Cottonmouth, and the Corroding Heron—the rest had been members of its faction. Their deaths were sure to severely impact its influence within the eighth zone.

Among those who weren't part of its crew, the Corroding Heron and the Rapid Snapper Cottonmouth were aligned with another false king, the Black Cosmos Caiman. Meanwhile, the Green-Flowered Babirusa and the Mirage Dragonfly remained unaffiliated, albeit for different reasons.

The Green-Flowered Babirusa was far too prideful and stubborn to bow to anyone's rule. In contrast, the Mirage Dragonfly's cowardly nature made it wary of other spirit beasts, let alone competing with them. Following and leeching off the Babirusa was as daring as the Mirage Dragonfly ever got.

...

Upon receiving the bead, the Mirage Dragonfly had considered consuming the bead given its alluring design and the concentrated qi radiating from it. But she hesitated, finding it odd that Feng Xin would feed her something so suddenly. She tilted her head, looking toward him for guidance, a gesture that momentarily surprised Feng Xin.

"You really don't know what that is?" Feng Xin asked, raising a brow.

The Mirage Dragonfly shook her head side to side, confirming her ignorance.

Though he'd expected the response, Feng Xin was still slightly taken aback. He sighed before patiently explaining the bead's function as a Transmission Bead and how it allowed one to transmit their voice by channeling their spiritual sense into it.

"Go ahead and give it a try," he encouraged.

"H...E...L...L...O, h...ello, human," the Mirage Dragonfly said, her thoughts scattered on the first attempt. But after a moment, she managed to get the hang of it.

"Good, it seems you've understood the gist of it," Feng Xin said with a nod. "My name is Feng Xin. I am a… well, seeing as you didn't even know what a Transmission Bead was, I doubt you've heard of the Order. For now, I think just knowing each other's names will do. The rest can wait until we've handled more pressing matters. So, what's your name?"

"My name is Mir… I mean Haishi. My name is Haishi," the Mirage Dragonfly said hurriedly, her voice smooth and wavelike, carrying a melodious charm.

"Did she want to say Mirage? Haishi still means the same thing, though," Feng Xin mused to himself, letting out a small sigh. "She seems like a naïve one. What was she even doing at the encirclement?"

"Haishi, can I ask you something before we proceed? It's okay if you don't want to answer, but… how old are you?" Feng Xin asked, his curiosity piqued by her peculiar antics.

Haishi was momentarily pulled out of her deep fascination with the transmission bead's capabilities. The glow in her five thousand lenses reflected her excitement as she stared intently at the milky-white bead. Realizing Feng Xin was waiting for an answer, she quickly shook herself from her stupor and looked upward, almost mimicking the deep thought of a human.

"I think I may be 70 years old... or is it 80? Sorry, I'm not entirely sure. I've gone into seclusion several times—some lasting for years—and it's skewed my sense of time," she admitted with a tone of innocent embarrassment. "The only thing I'm certain of is that I haven't reached 100 yet. I'm supposed to undergo a growth change at that age."

"A 70-year-old Core Formation beast, huh…" Feng Xin murmured, stroking his chin in contemplation.

"Seems like it'd be a waste to feed you to Ellie after hearing that." His lips curved slightly as he cast an intrigued gaze on Haishi. "To reach that level at your age, your talents don't seem half bad."

Haishi's cowardly nature was plain for Feng Xin to see. He couldn't imagine her improving her cultivation base through defeating and consuming other spirit beasts. That left only one possibility: she'd reached her level through pure cultivation, a feat that hinted at an unusually powerful bloodline. Ordinary spirit beasts had to devour others in a relentless cycle of violence to reach the Core Formation realm in a short 70 years.

A spirit beast reaching Core Formation in 70 years was the equivalent of a human achieving the same realm in less than 20 years—a mark of true genius.

"Haishi, can you come here for a moment?" Feng Xin suddenly said, beckoning her over with a gesture.

"I'll need your help to fly me somewhere, and we're rather short on time, so I'll have to boost your speed by several notches for us to get there in good time," Feng Xin said as he retrieved a slim, rectangular box made of blue-silver sandalwood from his storage ring.

Haishi hovered closer, curiosity written all over her face. After her encounter with the transmission bead, she couldn't help but wonder what other fascinating trinkets Feng Xin had in store. Her curiosity, as usual, outweighed her sense of caution.

Feng Xin slid the top off the box, revealing a simple green stalk inside. At the end of the stalk sat a dew drop no larger than a melon seed. However, this dew emanated an ancient, primeval aura—the kind that only came from objects that had weathered the relentless passage of time and emerged unscathed.

This was primal lotus dew.

The moment Haishi laid eyes on the dew, every fiber of her being screamed at her to consume it. The primal desire surged within her like a volcano on the verge of eruption. Yet, fear—the deep, instinctual kind she felt toward Feng Xin—ultimately triumphed, allowing her to rein in her greed.

Feng Xin nodded approvingly as he observed her restraint. "It seems it wasn't just her bloodline that got her this far," he mused silently.

"This little dew you see here," Feng Xin said, gesturing to the droplet, "is what we'll use to boost your speed. And, unlike the transmission bead, you're free to eat this one." His tone carried a teasing edge as a faint smile played on his lips.

Haishi froze for a moment, the tension in her body giving way to a mix of relief and embarrassment.

"Good thing I didn't try to swallow it," she thought, though the memory of its tantalizing allure lingered. "It did look tasty though… like those lunar moth eggs near my lair."

Her thoughts, however, were not confined to her mind. To her shock, they echoed through the voice transmission bead.

Haishi yelped in surprise, quickly turning one of her many lenses toward Feng Xin to gauge his reaction.

"Yes, lucky indeed," he said with a slight chuckle, his tone laced with amusement.