After signing the contract with the giant eagle, a mysterious bond had formed. Yi Tianxing could now transmit his thoughts directly into the eagle's mind, and the creature could clearly understand him—this was a connection of spiritual will.
Upon hearing Yi Tianxing's words, the giant eagle immediately understood and a look of joy flashed in its eyes.
Having a name of its own—and one as grand as Golden Roc—placed a heavy pressure on it, but also immense motivation. The eagle loved the name.
Screech!!The Golden Roc let out a joyful cry and gently pecked Yi Tianxing's arm, signaling its acceptance.
Then it tugged at his sleeve with its beak, motioning for him to climb on its back.
"It wants me to get on its back."
Yi Tianxing understood its intent and leapt onto the eagle's back.
Screech!!
With a powerful cry, the Golden Roc spread its massive iron wings. With a light flap, a whirlwind surged beneath them, and the eagle soared into the sky.
Standing atop the Roc's back, Yi Tianxing was carried thousands of meters into the air. Fierce winds rushed past him, but they had no effect. His stance was steady, as if his feet had grown roots into the creature's back. The winds only made his robe billow and black hair dance wildly—he looked like a celestial deity riding a divine bird through the heavens, overlooking rivers and mountains.
With the Golden Roc's majestic bearing, he appeared all the more extraordinary.
"With the Golden Roc, I'll easily pass the first round of the martial tournament and qualify for the main event. But since the tournament's theme is racing, it won't be ordinary. Even horse races have hurdles—what more for cultivators? There will definitely be obstacles and dangers involved."
Yi Tianxing thought to himself.
Assuming it was a mere footrace would be naive—this was a martial arts tournament. If one wasn't prepared for more, they wouldn't even know how they died. But until he reached the second round, there was no way of knowing what challenges awaited.
The only thing he could do now was enhance his strength and remain vigilant.
"I wonder where that damn Green Emperor has run off to. I need to find him before he causes trouble. That guy is definitely not the quiet type."
Yi Tianxing frowned at the thought of the Green Emperor. That rascal was a walking disaster. Especially that mouth of his—once it opened, it was like a machine gun, never shutting up. And with that raspy voice, it rivaled a crow. Nobody could endure it. With that wretched personality, if trouble didn't happen, even he wouldn't believe it.
If he didn't find him soon, who knows what chaos he'd stir up.
As he was lost in thought, the Golden Roc let out a cry. Yi Tianxing looked up—and before he knew it, they were approaching a steep, cliff-like peak. The eagle folded its wings and flew straight toward the cliff face.
"There's a cave!"
Yi Tianxing didn't try to stop it. He didn't believe the Roc would fly into a cliff for no reason. And sure enough, as they approached, he saw a large cave in the rock face—spacious enough for the Roc to enter comfortably.
The cave mouth was covered with grass and weeds. Without a closer look, one wouldn't notice it.
Built into a cliff, sunlight only reached the very edge of the cave—within, it was pitch black.
An ordinary person wouldn't be able to see their own fingers inside.
"Golden Roc, is this your home?"
Yi Tianxing dismounted and asked casually, glancing into the darkness.
The Roc nodded.
Then it began walking deeper into the cave and signaled Yi Tianxing to follow.
"Huh? What's that? Some kind of spiritual tree?"
As they walked deeper, Yi Tianxing suddenly gasped. There was light inside the cave—it was coming from a small tree.
The tree was anything but ordinary. Its entire body was fiery red, with flames flickering on its surface. Buds of silver-white flowers hung from its branches—though not yet bloomed, they shimmered with faint silvery light.
Clearly, this was no ordinary plant.
"A fiery red tree with silver flowers… Could this be the legendary Fire Tree Silver Flowers?"
Yi Tianxing's heart skipped a beat.
The Fire Tree Silver Flowers (火树银花) had long been the stuff of legend—often used in poetry to describe dazzling night scenes with lanterns and fireworks. But it was not merely metaphorical; such a mystical tree truly existed. People had seen it in the past, which was how the name had been passed down.
And now, it was before his eyes.
Screech!!
The Golden Roc nodded toward Yi Tianxing, then gestured with a wing to the tree, and again toward Yi Tianxing—clearly offering it as a gift.
Fire Tree Silver Flowers: Grows in areas rich with spiritual energy, particularly fire-aligned spiritual lands like volcanoes or magma pools. It absorbs heaven and earth essence, its body radiating red flames.It takes a thousand years to grow and another thousand to bloom. Each year, it only blossoms for one breath. After blooming, the flower instantly becomes a bud again, repeating annually for a thousand years, after which it dies. Picking the flower must occur during its bloom, or it will lose its effect.The silver flowers contain immense spiritual power—able to boost cultivation, heal injuries, even bring the dead back to life. They brim with vitality and can be used as spiritual tea, medicine, alchemical ingredients, or for brewing spiritual wine.Grade: Earth-grade Supreme.
These words appeared in the Heavenless Tome.
This was no ordinary treasure. An Earth-grade Supreme spiritual tree that could grow for up to three thousand years. Most importantly, picking a flower required precise timing—within one breath of bloom—making it rarer than even Heaven-grade herbs.
It held massive healing and cultivation power—whether for restoring health or tempering one's energy.
"What a treasure. To think I'd find something this valuable here. Incredible."
Yi Tianxing's eyes gleamed. He pulled out his combat shovel and began to dig.
Having received the Roc's permission, he knew this was a spiritual root the eagle had guarded. Now that they'd bonded, it was gifting the root to him.
Clink! Clank!
The ground was solid rock, but his true energy-infused shovel dug through it like soft earth. Piece by piece, he exposed the root system. Carefully, gently—making sure not to damage even a single root hair.
Damaging it could cost him dearly—this was an invaluable Earth-grade Supreme spiritual tree.
"Alright—get in there!"
Once he'd cleared the roots, he lifted the entire tree with a thought and planted it into the spiritual field within his Life Aperture Dantian.
Inside, the tree immediately took root, its vitality flourishing.
The Life Aperture Dantian was indeed miraculous—able to nourish nearly any heaven-and-earth spiritual herb.
As time passed, its power would only grow.
Unfortunately, the tree hadn't reached blooming time. Otherwise, he could've harvested a flower immediately. Still, it wouldn't be long—this one had already grown for over two thousand years. It would bloom within the year, and once it did, Yi Tianxing would be ready to harvest the silver flower from his Dantian.
It was worth the wait.
"Huh? What's this?"
Just as he was about to stand, he caught sight of something at the bottom of the hole.
A fire-red jade was lying there, emanating a faint red glow. In the glow were intricate crimson patterns—like overlapping scales. The jade was the size of a child's head and radiated intense heat.
Yi Tianxing reached out to touch it—but the moment his fingers made contact, a searing pain shot through him. He recoiled instantly. Blisters had formed on his fingers, and even the skin had charred slightly.
The moment he touched it, the jade had released a terrifying wave of heat.
"Such ferocious flame power… Even my strengthened body can't resist it. No wonder the Fire Tree Silver Flowers grew here—this jade is the source."
Yi Tianxing's expression turned serious.
This was no ordinary jade. Its flame was too intense. With his refined physique, he could walk through ordinary fire unharmed. But this—this scorched him with just a touch.
"A rare treasure indeed. As if I could let this go. You're coming with me."
Yi Tianxing's gaze locked onto the fire jade, his interest only growing.
There was no way he was walking away without it.