Liu Diewu gently shook her head and made a series of graceful hand gestures with her right hand.

Soon, an agile dark shadow flew down from the trees surrounding the pavilion, landing lightly on her palm. Fang Zhou looked closely. This so-called Pearl Bird was a small, elegant-feathered bird. It was only about the size of an adult's palm, with plumage primarily of cyan, blue, and gray, and white spots on its tail, giving it a particularly exquisite and adorable appearance.

COO! COO!

The Pearl Bird affectionately tilted its head and nuzzled against Liu Diewu's hand.

Liu Diewu extended a finger and, with some reluctance, petted its head. Then she looked at Fang Zhou and said, "Junior Brother Fang Zhou, the Pearl Bird is one of the best scouting-type birds for the Apprentice Stage. It has three main advantages."

"First, its Agility Attribute is very high. Its flying speed is quite fast, and its movements are extremely nimble, allowing it to dodge most attacks from the ground and sky."

"Second, its vision is extremely sharp. Its pupils can adapt to various environments and lighting, automatically adjusting focus. Although not as precise as a high-resolution camera, it is more than sufficient for aerial scouting."

"The third and most important point is that it possesses a certain level of Telepathy. If you sign a Natural Contract with it, it can share its vision with the Contractor to some extent."

"It's precisely because of these three factors that even though the Pearl Bird has almost no direct combat ability and can only flee when attacked, many Apprentice-level Professionals are still willing to form a Contract with it for use as a scouting Spirit Pet."

Meng Hongzhuang nodded in agreement from the side, her eyes filled with undisguised longing for the Pearl Bird.

As he listened to Liu Diewu's introduction, Fang Zhou grew interested.

Fast, good vision, and it can share its sight. Honestly, the Pearl Bird's advantages perfectly match my needs. In comparison, its direct combat strength is completely insignificant to me. I can leave the fighting to the Skeleton Army and my Skeleton Flying Spears. What use would I have for a Pearl Bird in a fight?

Thinking this, Fang Zhou asked with a smile, "That sounds excellent. Senior Sister Die Wu, would you be willing to part with it?"

At this moment, Liu Diewu had already made up her mind. To her, while the Pearl Bird was good, she had other scouting methods to replace it. This would be especially true after she broke through her bottleneck and advanced to the Black Iron rank; the Pearl Bird, with its mere Apprentice Middle Rank strength, would struggle to meet her needs. On the other hand, she needed the Evergreen Fruit in Fang Zhou's possession for her imminent breakthrough. If she missed this one, it would be a long time before she got another chance.

Thus, Liu Diewu said with a firm expression, "Of course, I am willing. However, don't let its small size fool you; the Pearl Bird has a fierce temperament and is wild and difficult to tame. For anyone who isn't a Nature Series Professional, subduing it as a pet requires considerable effort. Also..."

Liu Diewu said, a little sheepishly, "This Pearl Bird of mine is an Apprentice Middle Rank Flying Spirit Beast, after all. Its value is a bit higher than an Evergreen Fruit. Junior Brother Fang Zhou, you might need to make up the difference."

Fang Zhou replied naturally, "That's no problem at all. Senior Sister Die Wu, how many contribution points do you think would be a fair addition?"

Liu Diewu's eyes lit up with anticipation. "Both adult Pearl Birds and Evergreen Fruits are rare items without a set market price. The academy hasn't set an official exchange value for them. Junior Brother Fang Zhou, how about adding another 50 contribution points? I can also include the Pearl Bird's feed and taming methods as a bonus. What do you think?"

Fang Zhou glanced at Meng Hongzhuang. Seeing her nod, he knew the price was reasonable and smiled. "A 50-point difference is no problem. I accept. As for the taming methods, there's no need to trouble Senior Sister Die Wu."

Fang Zhou first retrieved the Evergreen Fruit from its fresh-keeping box within the Miniature Space Storage Capsule, placed it on the table, and pushed it toward Liu Diewu. Then, he opened his personal terminal and, without a moment's hesitation, transferred 50 contribution points to her.

Liu Diewu first cast an envious glance at the Miniature Space Storage Capsule in Fang Zhou's hand before her gaze fell upon the vibrant, emerald-green fruit. The lingering reluctance she felt for the Pearl Bird was quickly replaced by excitement.

She stroked the Pearl Bird's smooth feathers one last time, then made another series of complex hand gestures.

"COO!"

The unsuspecting Pearl Bird shuddered as if it had just broken free from an invisible shackle.

"Watch out, it's trying to escape!" Liu Diewu reached out, intending to help Fang Zhou block the bird.

But before she could move, Fang Zhou, who had already taken out the Goblin Sealed Bone Bell, shook the bell in his hand. After Su Xinyan's modifications, the Sealed Bone Bell was no longer the crude, rough item it had been in the Goblin Shaman's hands; its surface was now engraved with complex alchemical Runes.

As Fang Zhou moved, the Sealed Bone Bell began to emit a faint blue glow that enveloped the Pearl Bird. The bird seemed to sense something. Instead of struggling, it let out an extraordinarily melodious cry.

Finally, when Fang Zhou held the Bone Bell suspended above the Pearl Bird's small, round head, the Sealed Bone Bell emitted a remarkably clear chime. At that moment, the Pearl Bird was shrouded in a gentle light and gradually merged into it. The light then contracted, and the Pearl Bird vanished, leaving only a faintly glimmering Bone Bell resting in Fang Zhou's palm.

After sealing comes Summoning.

Fang Zhou took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and focused, letting his will resonate with the Energy within the Sealed Bone Bell. As he gently shook the bell, a low, melodious chime echoed throughout the Jade Garden. Suddenly, a speck of light appeared in the center of the Sealed Bone Bell, gradually expanding into a dazzling ring. Within the ring of light, a creature shimmering with a soft, pearlescent glow slowly materialized—it was the Pearl Bird.

Fang Zhou opened his eyes and met the Pearl Bird's gaze, instantly establishing a wonderful Telepathic link. He didn't speak but conveyed a simple command with his mind.

The Pearl Bird seemed to understand his intent. It leaped lightly into the sky, its flapping wings creating rings of radiant light. As it ascended, Fang Zhou felt his consciousness detach from his body, floating gracefully alongside the bird.

He "saw" everything the Pearl Bird saw. From high above, the Jade Garden looked like a finely woven tapestry. The stream meandered like a silver chain, the forest was like a vast green ocean, and in the distance, the buildings of Sea City Military Academy stood in neat, dense rows, a breathtakingly beautiful sight.

After appreciating the view for a long while with his eyes closed, Fang Zhou opened them and nodded in satisfaction.

This trade was well worth it.

Though he could glide briefly in mid-air with the power of his Skeleton Wings, he had never experienced anything like looking down upon the world through the eyes of a bird.

Although the Pearl Bird, a Flying Spirit Beast, had abysmally weak Three-dimensional Attributes aside from its agility—especially its Spirit Attribute, which was insufficient to maintain the Telepathic state for long—it was more than enough for brief reconnaissance missions like this.

According to his plan, the Pearl Bird would be his primary means of mid-to-long-range reconnaissance until he could acquire a flying Undead Summoned Creature. As for close-range scouting, his Soul Realm skill would naturally cover that. At the current Apprentice Stage, Fang Zhou's reconnaissance system could be considered relatively complete.

COO! COO!

The Pearl Bird hopped joyfully on Fang Zhou's shoulder.

Bai Xiaochan suddenly asked from the side, "Fang Zhou, this little bird is so cute. Why don't you give it a name?"

That's a good idea.

Fang Zhou gave Bai Xiaochan an approving glance, then turned to Liu Diewu. "Senior Sister Die Wu, did it have a name before?"

Liu Diewu gently shook her head. "I had just finished taming it and hadn't gotten around to naming it yet. Why don't you give it one now, Junior Brother Fang Zhou?"

Fang Zhou thought for a moment, then snapped his fingers and said casually, "It's always cooing. We might as well just call it 'Gugu'."

Bai Xiaochan pursed her lips to one side, but Meng Hongzhuang immediately started clapping. "Excellent, excellent! Fang Zhou, you have a real knack for names. 'Gugu' is onomatopoeic and so fitting. I bet Gugu would be thrilled to have such a name."

Liu Diewu's lips parted slightly as she stared in astonishment at Meng Hongzhuang's fawning expression.

Is my aesthetic sense just not in sync with the younger generation's? Is the name 'Gugu' really as great as Hongzhuang is making it out to be?

At that moment, Bai Xiaochan caught on. What a toady, she silently cursed, before she too began nodding vigorously. Unfortunately, her vocabulary was limited and her academic performance wasn't great, so she couldn't come up with any eloquent praise, only able to repeat, "It sounds really nice," over and over.

Fang Zhou nodded slightly and shook the Sealed Bone Bell in his hand, recalling the inquisitive Pearl Bird, Gugu, from his shoulder. "Since both of you, Xiaochan and Hongzhuang, think it's a good name, then this Pearl Bird will be called Gugu."

To familiarize himself with the process, Fang Zhou repeatedly summoned and sealed the bird. Bai Xiaochan, Meng Hongzhuang, and Liu Diewu watched him, their eyes filled with unconscious envy.

Liu Diewu sighed softly, her gaze fixed on the Sealed Bone Bell in Fang Zhou's hand, which was wreathed in a Mysterious Power. "That's a truly marvelous Alchemy Creation," she lamented. "It can easily seal a proud and difficult-to-tame Pearl Bird without any training methods or natural Talent. It makes all my previous efforts feel like wasted work. If only I had an Alchemy Talent. Once I break through my bottleneck and advance to the Black Iron rank, I'm definitely going to try and take up Alchemy as a Sub-profession to forge my own Marvels."

"An Alchemist?"

Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang's ears perked up, and they looked at Liu Diewu in confusion. As first-year students still laying their foundation, the academy had not yet taught them anything about Sub-professions.

However, Liu Diewu knew the three before her were all first-year Seed Students who would soon be introduced to this knowledge anyway, so she held nothing back and explained everything she knew.

Fang Zhou listened quietly from the side without interrupting. Senior Sister Die Wu was only a second-year student, so her understanding of Sub-professions was naturally not as clear as Instructor Su Xinyan's. Therefore, everything she said was common knowledge he had already learned the day before.

But for genuine newbies like Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang, it was like a door to a new world had been opened.

A Blacksmith who could craft, inlay, and refine items!

An Alchemist capable of Alchemy and Enchantment!

An Apothecary who could brew potions and grow plants!

An Array Master who could set up and break Arrays!

...

The two assistants listened, their eyes gleaming, while Fang Zhou thoughtfully stroked his chin.

Although I speculate that my attribute panel combined with Soul Power might allow me to take on all Sub-professions, Soul Power is a resource that's in a perpetual state of scarcity. I need it for everything. If Bai Xiaochan and Meng Hongzhuang could each master a Sub-profession, it would undoubtedly save me a huge expenditure of Soul Power, greatly benefiting my own Cultivation and growth.

Shaking his head, Fang Zhou temporarily shelved the idea. These two assistants had not even reached the Middle Rank of the Apprentice Tier. It was far too early for them to be considering which Sub-profession to pick.

After some more casual conversation, the atmosphere among the four grew increasingly warm, thanks to Liu Diewu's conscious efforts to build rapport.

Just then, something occurred to Meng Hongzhuang. Resting her chin in her hands, she asked curiously, "Senior Sister Die Wu, what mission were you on outside the academy before?"

Liu Diewu took an elegant bite of the Silver Dragon Fruit from the table, pursed her lips, and answered, "The academy arranges all sorts of special training and combat missions for the Seed Students of each year."

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