Xiaojiu was the most refined eater, but it also quickly finished its portion, then hopped onto the windowsill and began to leisurely groom its fur.
Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard, however, play-fought with each other for a while after eating before finding their own spots to lie down and rest.
After the al, Yang Qi tidied up the kitchen a bit, then went upstairs and began his cultivation.
...
The next morning, just as the sky was beginning to brighten at the crack of dawn, Yang Qi stopped circulating his energy.
He got up, went downstairs, and first headed to the backyard to deactivate the Demon Extermination Array that had been running all night. He tallied his gains; his total contribution points now exceeded eight hundred.
’Eight draws in a row!’
Yang Qi imdiately chose to use the lottery function.
The first four draws were all standard consumables and basic Spirit Stone refills. Nothing surprising, but they were practical.
The fifth draw—
[Congratulations Host, you have drawn the prize: calming powder]
"Not bad."
Yang Qi nodded.
He had already used nearly half of the last packet of calming powder, so this ca as a tily replenishnt.
’Keep drawing!’
The sixth draw—
[Congratulations Host, you have drawn the prize: Low-grade Spirit Stone (Wood Attribute)]
The seventh draw—
[Congratulations Host, you have drawn the prize: Low-grade Spirit Stone (Wood Attribute)]
Two more Wood Spirit Stones.
Adding these to the ones he’d drawn before, Yang Qi now had a considerable number of low-grade wood-attribute Spirit Stones. It seed the system was truly preparing him to set up the Hundred Trees Nourishing Body Array in the future.
He didn’t have a place to set up the Hundred Trees Nourishing Body Array before, but when the new Zoo was built, it would be the perfect opportunity to incorporate it.
The last one, the eighth draw—
[Congratulations Host, you have drawn the prize: Mother-Child Unity Bell (Beast-Taming Magical Artifact)]
"Hm?"
Yang Qi was pleasantly surprised. "My luck is pretty good this ti. I actually drew a beast-taming Magical Artifact!"
The last ti he got a Mother-Child Unity Bell, Yang Qi had tied the child bell to the Little Clouded Leopard, Ta Xue, making it easy to track its movents and safety in the mountains. It had worked very well.
This new pair he drew was, without a doubt, for the Beaked Eagle, Qi Zai!
As the King of the Sky, once Qi Zai was released into the mountains, it would fly everywhere, diving to hunt. Its range of activity would be much wider than Ta Xue’s, it would be faster, and much harder to track.
With this Mother-Child Unity Bell, Yang Qi could keep track of its location and status at all tis. This would not only ensure its safety but also allow him to summon or guide it when needed, greatly increasing his control and its security.
"This ca at the perfect ti."
Yang Qi was delighted.
He took out the newly drawn Mother-Child Unity Bell and held it in his palm, examining it carefully.
Then, he forced out a drop of essence blood, mixed it with Magical Power to envelop the bell, and began the refinent process.
The essence blood and Magical Power mingled, slowly seeping into the bell’s interior.
A mont later, a Spiritual Light flashed on the bell’s surface before receding. Yang Qi felt a clear and intimate connection form between himself and the pair of bells.
’Refinent complete!’
He stored the Mother Bell in his Hundred Pouches Belt, keeping it close to his body, while leaving the child bell out for now.
After tidying up, he prepared plenty of cat food and dog food for the furry kids in the dorm—Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard, as well as Overlord, who was still sound asleep—and also checked their water bowls.
After telling them to be good and watch the house, Yang Qi left to start his daily work.
First, he went to feed the Gray Wolf and the little raccoon, clean their enclosures, and record observational data.
After finishing these tasks, he headed to the cafeteria for a simple breakfast.
After breakfast, Yang Qi went straight to the Horned Eagle Cage.
Entering the enclosure, he saw Qi Zai perched on a horizontal branch of the large tree that had been specially left for it, preening the magnificent feathers on its wings.
When it saw Yang Qi, it let out a low rumble.
[Master, you’re here.]
"Qi Zai, you seem to be in high spirits today."
Yang Qi replied with a smile, while at the sa ti taking cleaning tools from his bag and starting his routine cleanup of the enclosure floor.
As he cleaned, he scanned the area outside, confirming that no one was around.
Then, he walked to the base of the tree, looked up, and called to Qi Zai, "Qi Zai, co down for a second. I have sothing good to put on you."
[Okay, Master.]
Qi Zai was very obedient. It spread its wings, glided down lightly from the tree, and landed in the open space in front of Yang Qi, submissively extending one wing.
Yang Qi crouched down, parting the feathers on Qi Zai’s broad, thick wing, searching for a suitable spot.
After a mont, he gathered a tiny thread of Magical Power at his fingertip. He found a spot on the inner side of Qi Zai’s right wing, at the base of a primary quill—a place close to the body, covered by thick feathers, hard to notice, and one that wouldn’t affect its flight—and gave it a light prick.
SHNK—
With the faintest sound of skin breaking, a drop of bright red blood oozed out.
Qi Zai’s body trembled slightly, and it let out a questioning rumble from its throat.
[Master?]
"It’s nothing, it’ll be over in a second."
Yang Qi responded, already taking out the small child bell with his other hand.
He quickly tied the child bell with a thin cord to the base of a sturdy downy feather near the bleeding spot and gently sared the drop of blood onto the bell.
The mont the blood touched the child bell, it vanished as if it had been absorbed.
The child bell, in turn, glowed faintly before the light receded, seeming to rge as one with Qi Zai’s wing.
Yang Qi could clearly feel that, through the Mother Bell, he had established a connection with the child bell before him, and by extension, with Qi Zai, to whom the bell was attached.
"There."
Yang Qi let go and gently patted Qi Zai’s wing.
"With this little bell, I’ll know where you are even if you fly far away."
Qi Zai was very happy to hear this.
It flapped that wing, trying to feel it.
The child bell was extrely small and light. Tucked away beneath the dense downy feathers, it was practically imperceptible when the wing moved and made no sound.
[Thank you, Master.]
Qi Zai said its thanks.
After getting used to it, it raised its head, its sharp, round eyes full of anticipation, and asked the question it had repeated countless tis.
[Master, can you let out now?]
Looking at its eager expression, Yang Qi smiled.
"Soon. I’m going to go find the Zoo Director and Minister Jiang right now to apply for you to go out for adaptive flight training!"
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