Bai Ze.
A mythical auspicious beast that could speak, understood the feelings of all things, and knew the affairs of ghosts and gods. The very symbol of wisdom!
However, was this mutated black-furred lion before them—or rather, white-furred lion—truly the Bai Ze of myth? Naturally, that was impossible.
Perhaps due to some coincidence, this white-furred lion indeed shared a certain resemblance in appearance to the Bai Ze, but its essence remained merely a black-furred lion mutated with mental attributes. Aside from its looks, it had nothing to do with the Bai Ze at all.
Yet even if it wasn't a real Bai Ze, so what? Couldn't they just find a way to make it evolve later on? Heita truly didn't believe that the power of the Aeon couldn't cause this Spirit to evolve!
Once this white-furred lion evolved to a certain degree, would the question of whether it was real or fake still matter?
Moreover, under Heita's perception, although this white-furred lion had only developed mental attributes after its mutation, its mastery of spiritual power far surpassed the Violet Spirit Fox and the mermaid from earlier. It could be considered the most suitable Spirit for Heita within the entire East China City Spirit Pagoda.
"Well, little Heita, do you like this Spirit? How much is it?"
Seeing Heita's focused and wide-eyed expression, Yuan Bao'er knew it was time for her to make a move.
She had also observed the little tricks of that Spirit Master just now, and guessed that after the spiritual power test concluded, the news about Heita would have already been reported upward. Given the importance placed on Heita's talent, the person who came would definitely be a Titled Douluo! Although Muchen was also a Titled Douluo, she, Yuan Bao'er, hadn't reached that level yet!
Therefore, following the principle that buying early saves trouble, Yuan Bao'er directly asked for the price, without even intending to bargain.
"Uh... For this thousand-year Spirit, it's eight million Federation Coins."
Normally, a ten-year Spirit only cost 70,000, and a hundred-year Spirit just over a million. Logically speaking, while a thousand-year Spirit was expensive, it shouldn't be nearly this high, which clearly indicated that this Spirit possessed a certain specialty. Spending eight million was still worth it, and anyway, Heita wasn't the one paying...
"Here, swipe it yourself!"
As the wife of a Saint Craftsman, Yuan Bao'er naturally held a Spirit Pagoda VIP membership, even if she didn't use it often.
"Thank you for your patronage. With the eight-percent member discount, the total is six million four hundred thousand Federation Coins. This Spirit now belongs to this little one!"
Meanwhile, looking at the scene of the black card being handed over beside her, Heita for some reason suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, as if she had seen it somewhere before. But Heita quickly shook off these chaotic thoughts; since the payment had already been made, this white-winged lion Spirit belonged to her!
Looking at the Spirit ball in her hand, a smile adorned Heita's face. "'Bai Ze', this is your name from now on, and your future goal as well. You must strive well in this direction, little one, and I will help you too!"
Spiritual-attribute Spirits generally possessed higher intelligence than ordinary Spirits, and the white-winged lion—or rather, Bai Ze—evidently understood Heita's words, nodding slightly toward her.
In fact, not only did this Bai Ze hold a certain attraction for Heita, but the reverse was true as well; Bai Ze could also sense an indescribable sense of familiarity emanating from Heita. Being able to stay with a human compatible with oneself was also a fortunate thing for a Spirit.
"Then without further ado, let's head back now. Once we get home, we can safely fuse with the Spirit."
Since the payment had been made, there was no need for Yuan Bao'er and her two daughters to linger here; should they run into those big figures, it would undoubtedly bring a lot of trouble.
With that, the three of them prepared to leave, but a voice coming from outside made them stop in their tracks.
"I heard that the Spirit Pagoda here in East China City produced a once-in-a-ten-thousand-years little freak. I thought it was the heir of some major family, but I didn't expect it to actually be your child, Bao'er~"
Before seeing the person, her voice was heard.
Even without seeing her appearance, Heita could sense from her tone that this was a capable and decisive career woman! As soon as these words fell, the expression of the Spirit Master nearby immediately turned respectful, while Yuan Bao'er's gaze tightened; clearly, they both understood the newcomer's identity.
Only Muxi was at a loss, but she also knew this wasn't the time for her to speak, leaving only her mother to resolve the current situation.
"Long time no see, Tower Master Leng!"
The newcomer was none other than the Vice Tower Master of the Spirit Pagoda, Heavenly Phoenix Douluo Leng Yaozhu.
"Really, Bao'er. Calling me Tower Master is a bit too distant, isn't it? Especially since I'm not that much older than you!" A beauty with a face like jade and a temperament like fire walked briskly in from outside. Just laying eyes on her for the first time gave one a sense of boundless vitality, truly living up to her reputation as the Spirit Pagoda's foremost beauty.
"Go attend to other matters first; I'll host these guests!"
Finding an arbitrary reason to dismiss the earlier Spirit Master, Leng Yaozhu immediately came to Yuan Bao'er's side, though her gaze drifted from time to time toward the petite figure standing nearby, a deep flash of admiration in her eyes.
Was this the child whose spiritual power reached 378 points?
"Bao'er can just call me Sister, since our relationship is quite good to begin with! Let Sister take advantage of you a little!" Leng Yaozhu was extremely enthusiastic, and with her strength having reached the Titled Douluo level, although she wore a smiling face, the sense of oppression she exuded was by no means weak.
"Then I'll accept rather than decline, Sister Leng."
"Are these two cuties Sister's children? How pretty! Remember to come find me when you go to the Spirit Ascension Platform in the future! Auntie will let you enter for free!"
Although Leng Yaozhu's goal was solely Heita, if the two children were close and she gave one the cold shoulder, it would easily leave a terrible impression. Thus, Leng Yaozhu directly used her authority as Vice Tower Master to grant both children free entry into the Spirit Ascension Platform.
She knew Muxi; as Muxi was Muchen's child, her talent was decent and worth recruiting, but compared to the other child named Heita, the gap was vast. Moreover, how did Muchen's family come to have such a child, without Leng Yaozhu receiving even a hint of news?
"Muxi, Heita, say thank you to Auntie Leng!"
Though reluctant a thousand times over in her heart, Yuan Bao'er could only accept this free opportunity. Yet everyone understood that what was free was ultimately the most expensive!
"Thank you, Auntie Leng!" x2
Muxi and Heita had some understanding of such a major figure as the Heavenly Phoenix Douluo, and could infer a thing or two from their mother's attitude, so they immediately bowed to express their gratitude.
"What well-behaved children! Bao'er, with these two little geniuses, you're going to enjoy life in the future!"
"Not at all, it'll be plenty if they don't cause me trouble."
Clearly, both sides were exchanging polite pleasantries, but Leng Yaozhu knew the principle that haste makes waste, and didn't immediately shift the conversation to Heita.
Besides, since they were already cornered here by her, could they possibly run away?
The footsteps of the four echoed in the hall, and their conversation was cheerful and filled with laughter. Of course, it was primarily Leng Yaozhu and Yuan Bao'er doing the talking, while Heita and Muxi both waited quietly, until—
"Haha, I didn't expect to run into Tower Master Leng here. You really have quite the leisurely elegance! Unlike an old man like me, who is tied up with work all day long!"
A boisterous voice came from afar, and Yuan Bao'er's eyes instantly lit up.
They finally arrived!
Ever since that Spirit Master sent out the message, Yuan Bao'er had likewise transmitted the word to Muchen, telling him to hurry over to prevent any accidents. Just as she had predicted, a Titled Douluo-level figure like Leng Yaozhu had indeed turned up...
Even during just that brief walk down the corridor earlier, Yuan Bao'er had noticed that Leng Yaozhu glanced back at Heita every few seconds, the meaning behind it self-evident. Unfortunately, Yuan Bao'er was not yet a Titled Douluo, and her Battle Armor grade wasn't high either, leaving her no choice but to stall here.
However, now that Muchen had arrived, this farce could come to an end!