Chapter 152: Hatching the Egg with the Maid
“Hahaha! Big Brother deserved it!” Watching her usually overbearing older brother get disciplined by their sister, Lin Hongyu laughed so hard she nearly cried.
“You did well, at least you didn’t embarrass me,” the Sword Emperor praised.
After all, he had accepted the challenge from Tianhai Dao Domain in front of everyone. Losing to them would have been a major blow to his reputation.
But Lin Qi’an’s stellar performance in the first round had earned him plenty of face. It was especially gratifying to see Gu Jingyun momentarily rendered speechless before him.
For someone like the Sword Emperor, who had lived for centuries, face was a currency of immeasurable value.
“Qi’an, do you have a plan for the next round of beast duels?” Mu Qingzhu asked.
The first round of beast hunting served as a preparatory phase for the next round. Those who failed to tame a beast would have to figure something out on their own.
In the dueling phase, every participant was required to field a tamed beast to fight against others.
“Jiu Ying may be a formidable beast, but it might not be enough to contend with the Tianhai Dao Domain,” Lin Liuli remarked, shaking her head.
The Tianhai Dao Domain, with its diverse myriad clans, excelled at taming ancient beasts. In terms of beast dueling, Canglan Dao Domain was at a disadvantage.
“You’ve already dazzled everyone in the first round with your performance and accumulated plenty of points. I suggest forfeiting the second round and saving your strength for the third,” Lin Liuli advised earnestly.
Her reasoning was sound. Lin Qi’an’s extraordinary display in the first round had placed immense expectations on him. The higher the expectations, the greater the potential disappointment.
If he suffered an embarrassing loss in the second round, it could crush morale and even provoke public outrage. Avoiding a field where he was less skilled would be the wisest choice.
“Sister, you’d better worry about yourself. I have my own plan,” Lin Qi’an replied with a grin.
“What plan? Don’t just keep me guessing—spill it!” Lin Liuli raised her dust-whisk threateningly.
“No comment.”
“You little—!”
—
As night deepened, Ran Yuwei inspected the spirit beasts in her Beast-Control Spirit Pot one last time before preparing to rest.
Lately, she had felt uneasy. The reason was simple: she felt her presence beside Lin Qi’an was growing increasingly insignificant.
When it came to status, Lin Qi’an was surrounded by renowned Saintesses—Tianchi Saintess, Ziyou Saintess, Qinglian Saintess, Yunmo Saintess.
Not to mention the princess Zhao Qingmeng, and more recently, even Zhao Yunji, had been growing closer to him.
And she? She was just an ordinary girl from a sect in the western desert. Her cultivation was mediocre at best. Her only redeeming quality was her ability to manage spirit beasts.
“Agh, stop overthinking!” As she buried her face into her pillow, the door suddenly opened.
“Your Highness?!” Ran Yuwei nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw Lin Qi’an enter. She scrambled to her feet, flustered.
“What’s this? Not happy to see me?” Lin Qi’an teased with a smile.
“Not at all! Just a bit… surprised. If Your Highness needed me, you could have summoned me…” she stammered, her cheeks turning red.
Ran Yuwei had a natural beauty that could never grow tiresome. Her exotic western desert attire exuded warmth and charm, with a ruby adorning her brow and gold ornaments adorning her jade-white arms. Her slender waist was a sight to behold.
“Come with me. I’ve got something great to show you,” Lin Qi’an said mysteriously.
Without further explanation, he opened his Lotus Realm and brought Ran Yuwei inside.
—
Tonight, Lin Qi’an had a special mission: preparing Jiu Ying for evolution to ensure it was strong enough for the next round of beast duels.
In the Lotus Realm, Lin Qi’an led Ran Yuwei to a spacious clearing.
“Bring out Jiu Ying,” he instructed.
“Alright!” Ran Yuwei summoned the ferocious nine-headed beast from her Beast-Control Spirit Pot, and the massive creature materialized before them.
Jiu Ying had initially assumed it was being summoned for menial labor, but upon seeing Lin Qi’an, it let out a friendly howl, showing its submission.
Normally, such a creature would not take a human form, as its complete beast lineage made it more accustomed to living as a true beast. Lin Qi’an, however, had seen its humanoid form before and knew it was female.
He retrieved a dark purple orb—a Myriad Beast Essence Orb—a treasure gifted to him by Lu Weishuang.
The moment Jiu Ying’s nine heads saw the orb, their eyes lit up with a radiant glow, and drool nearly dripped from their mouths.
It instinctively understood that consuming this treasure would bring about a dramatic evolution, taking its strength to unimaginable new heights.
“Who would’ve thought the Young Master had such an incredible treasure?”
“Xiao Jiu, why are you drooling like that? Wipe it off—so gross!” Ran Yuwei chided, her tone equal parts amused and exasperated.
“Rawrr…” Jiu Ying whimpered pitifully.
Lin Qi’an chuckled. “Don’t be impatient.”
He activated the Myriad Beast Scripture, an ancient scroll adorned with illustrations of birds, fish, and beasts. Glowing with golden light, it floated in mid-air.
The scripture contained the power of numerous beasts slain by its former owner, Xiao Chen. Lin Qi’an had never used it before since his own strength surpassed what it could provide. But now, it had found its purpose.
Drawing its power out, Lin Qi’an channeled it into the purple Beast Essence Orb, infusing it with the strength of hundreds of exotic, spirit, and ferocious beasts. Streams of energy flowed into the orb, converging into a brilliant white vortex within.
The terrifying power it now contained was self-evident. Only by enhancing the orb this way could its full potential be realized.
Jiu Ying’s nine pairs of eyes went wide with amazement, each head visibly trembling with anticipation.
If the purple orb had previously been a rare delicacy to Jiu Ying, it had now transformed into an imperial banquet. Swallowing it would mean a leap of unimaginable proportions—one that could propel it to new heights.
“Here, feed it to Jiu Ying,” Lin Qi’an instructed.
“Okay!” Ran Yuwei took the enhanced orb and turned toward Jiu Ying, who had all its heads raised and mouths wide open, as if trying to ensure she wouldn’t miss.
“Aren’t you going to thank His Highness first? Otherwise, no food!” Ran Yuwei teased.
“Thank you, Young Master! Little Jiu promises to serve you loyally, pulling your chariot across the Three Thousand Dao Domains and helping you dominate the world!” Jiu Ying blurted out in a rush, its humanlike speech dripping with flattery.
Amused by its antics, Ran Yuwei tossed the orb into one of its mouths.
Moments after swallowing the orb, an earth-shattering aura erupted from Jiu Ying. Its body glowed intensely, transforming into a massive sphere of light.
“Come here!” Grabbing Ran Yuwei’s slender waist, Lin Qi’an pulled her into his arms, shielding her as he suppressed the wild energy surging from Jiu Ying.
If left unchecked, it would destroy the delicate structures within the Lotus Realm, leaving the maids in tears.
However, Lin Qi’an had underestimated the sheer explosiveness of this power. It took the full activation of all his Sacred Weapons to barely contain the ferocious energy.
As the light finally dimmed, the sight that greeted them left both Lin Qi’an and Ran Yuwei stunned.
Jiu Ying’s massive body was gone. In its place was an egg, no more than half a meter tall.
“This…”
The two stared at each other, torn between disbelief and laughter.
The ferocious, fearsome beast that had once struck terror into the hearts of all had turned into… an egg. It was simply too absurd!
“Xiao Jiu, are you in there? If you are, make some noise! Hello?” Ran Yuwei tapped on the egg but got no response.
“Is this… reverse evolution?” Lin Qi’an muttered, frowning. “What happens if Jiu Ying doesn’t hatch? How are we supposed to compete in the beast duels?”
“Maybe I should just crack it open,” he suggested.
“No way!” Ran Yuwei immediately shielded the egg. “I think I’ve read about something like this in ancient texts. It’s absorbing and digesting the immense energy inside. Releasing it too early could ruin everything!”
“Really?” Lin Qi’an grimaced. “How long will this take?”
“If we’re lucky, ten days to half a month. If not… it could take years,” Ran Yuwei said hesitantly.
“That won’t do. Is there a way to speed it up?”
“Well… there is one method…” Ran Yuwei glanced at Lin Qi’an, her voice dropping to a whisper. “It’s kind of like hatching a chicken egg. Incubating it manually might speed things up…”
“Incubate?” Lin Qi’an blinked, dumbfounded. “How exactly does one incubate an egg?”
“By… um… holding it close. You’d need to strip down and sleep with it,” Ran Yuwei said, her cheeks turning bright red. “If His Highness is in a hurry, I… I could try it myself.”
Ran Yuwei’s blush deepened as she spoke. Despite her embarrassment, she offered earnestly, even though she had never done anything like this before.
“This egg is huge. I don’t think you can manage it alone,” Lin Qi’an said, eyeing the egg skeptically.
“You’re right. So… how about we incubate it together?” Ran Yuwei suggested, her gaze hopeful as she looked up at him. Her face glowed crimson, her bright eyes shimmering with emotion.
And so, the two began the rather unconventional task of incubating the egg.