Fortunately, Chu Lingwei was prepared. She quickly exited the visitor market, used her spatial abilities to mask her aura, changed into ordinary clothes, and consumed a disguise pill.
She reappeared in the visitor market as an ordinary-looking young girl who had just entered the Spiritual Movement realm.
In this visitor market, there were many cultivators at the Spiritual Movement realm, and no one would pay attention to Chu Lingwei.
This was the visitor market at the foot of Mount Xuanxin, falling under the jurisdiction of the Xuanxin Sect. The larger trading shops here all belonged to the Xuanxin Sect.
The small stalls set up by cultivators on the street belonged to either Xuanxin Sect disciples who were exchanging or selling herbs, weapons, and elixirs obtained from their missions, or to external cultivators who made a living by selling various elixirs, herbs, weapons, and cultivation techniques.
Chu Lingwei lingered here because she wanted an opportunity for revenge.
Without resolving the karma, she could not walk the path she desired.
She discovered that the matters concerning the Xuanxin Sect in her memory were all superficial, focusing only on how doting her uncle and aunt were and how disrespectful the Xuanxin Sect disciples were to her.
The original owner of this body had hardly ever left the Xuanxin Sect since childhood.
Because she had no spiritual roots, in the Xuanxin Sect, where everyone could cultivate, she was considered a waste, easily injured even by someone in the Sensing realm. Leaving the sect would be tantamount to seeking death.
Chu Lingwei walked past numerous makeshift stalls, heading towards the largest restaurant in the visitor market. As she passed a stall selling spiritual beasts, she was called out to.
"Little fairy, do you want to look at spiritual beasts?"
Chu Lingwei instinctively looked towards the stall. A middle-aged man with a fawning smile stared at her. In front of him were several dirty-looking spiritual beasts.
The spiritual beasts sold in the visitor market were the most common kind, capable of cultivating to level one or two. No cultivator would willingly form a contract with them. Their primary use was as pets for female cultivators.
Chu Lingwei had no habit of keeping pets. She glanced at the spiritual beasts and was about to look away when she met the eyes of an animal in the furthest corner, resembling a unicorn.
"Save me."
At the moment their eyes met, a faint plea for help echoed in Chu Lingwei's ears.
This plea startled Chu Lingwei, as it seemed only she could hear it.
She looked back at the little spiritual beast. Its eyes were now closed, and its entire body seemed to falter, slumping weakly in its cage.
The plea had drained all its remaining strength.
Chu Lingwei's expression remained unchanged as she walked to the vendor selling spiritual beasts. With a slight frown, she browsed the few spiritual beasts before him, her gaze filled with growing disdain.
It seemed none of the spiritual beasts met her satisfaction.
Chu Lingwei knew that the more you desired something, the less you should reveal your eagerness.
"Little fairy, what kind of spiritual beast are you looking for?" The vendor was astute. People who bought spiritual beasts from him were usually desperately in need of money and wouldn't buy pets for leisure. If she stopped, she must need a spiritual beast to help her.
"I need a spiritual beast that can breathe fire." Chu Lingwei pursed her lips, her hesitation and disdain evident.
The vendor's heart leaped upon hearing Chu Lingwei's words. He immediately crouched down and pointed to the unicorn in the corner, "We have a fire spirit beast here that can breathe fire."
A fire spirit beast, as the name suggested, was a small beast capable of breathing fire. It was small in stature, with a curved horn on its head. Its body resembled a dog, and also a cat. An adult fire spirit beast was only about the size of two adult palms.
Fire spirit beasts could only grow to level two. Their greatest use was to help their masters tend fires or to amuse them.
Because all fire spirit beasts were red, with soft fur and a cute appearance.
"Are you sure this is a fire spirit beast?" Chu Lingwei stared at the fire spirit beast for a full two breaths, giving the vendor a disdainful look.
This fire spirit beast was black, with white spots scattered across its fur. It wasn't even a mutated creature, at best a hybrid.
If Chu Lingwei hadn't heard the fire spirit beast transmit its thoughts to her, she wouldn't have given it a second glance. Such a hybrid fire spirit beast could only live for two years at most.
"Of course." The vendor had been doing business for decades and knew his customers well.
Chu Lingwei's attire revealed no spiritual artifacts, only a greyish wooden sword in her hand. A faint aura of fire could be discerned from her, a sign of recent use of fire-elemental spells.
This person was very poor and frequently used fire-elemental spells.
She must really need a fire spirit beast.
"Don't mind its slightly ugly appearance; the fire it spits is no less potent than that of an ordinary fire spirit beast, as it is a mutated fire spirit beast." The vendor spoke with conviction, as if Chu Lingwei, a young girl, would easily believe him.
Chu Lingwei was amused by the vendor's sales pitch. If mutated fire spirit beasts appeared so easily, he wouldn't be selling them here.
"It can live for a year at most." Chu Lingwei couldn't be bothered to argue with the vendor. The moment the fire spirit beast transmitted its thoughts to her, she had already decided to buy it.
She didn't want to overpay.
After all, she only had one hundred spirit pearls on her.
Her spatial dimension contained countless spiritual artifacts, herbs, and cultivation techniques, but no currency of this continent, no spirit stones.
One hundred spirit pearls could be exchanged for one low-grade spirit stone, and one hundred low-grade spirit stones for one mid-grade spirit stone.
"It can live for a year, but it can help you for a year, saving you time..."
"Ten spirit pearls." Chu Lingwei interrupted the vendor.
The vendor, intending to continue his sales pitch, was stunned when Chu Lingwei cut him off. "No, it's one low-grade spirit stone, or else..."
Chu Lingwei glanced at the fire spirit beast. Given its current state, no one would buy it. Ten spirit pearls was already more than enough. After the vendor's further attempts at persuasion, Chu Lingwei turned to leave.
"Sigh." Seeing Chu Lingwei about to leave, the vendor couldn't let his prize slip away. He quickly picked up the little fire spirit beast and said, "Take it, take it! I'm losing so much."
Chu Lingwei reluctantly took the fire spirit beast and withdrew ten spirit pearls from her sleeve. "If it doesn't live for a year, I will definitely come looking for you."
"Okay, okay." The vendor took the money and turned away with a smile, mentally grumbling, Who knows where he'll be in a year.
"From now on, you are my spirit pet." Chu Lingwei carried the cage and spoke softly to the little fire spirit beast inside.
"My name is Feng Ming." Feng Ming inside the cage raised its eyelids, gave its future master a weak glance, and after stating its name, closed its eyes again.
Indeed, it was the one who had transmitted its thoughts to her just now.