"I'll buy, I'll buy."
Before the stall owner could reply, a young cultivator rushed over and handed a thousand low-grade spirit stones to the stall owner, "I want this spirit beast."
"Alright, it's yours." The stall owner glanced at Chu Lingwei, confirmed she didn't want it, and sold the spirit beast to the young cultivator who had rushed over.
"Fellow Daoist, if you don't like that spirit insect, I will be selling spirit beast cubs again in a month. You can come back earlier then, and you might find a pretty one."
For a female cultivator, contracting a spirit beast is mainly about its appearance.
"Okay, I'll come back in a month then." Chu Lingwei nodded, "Where do these spirit beast cubs of yours come from?"
A barrier had been set up here that even great cultivators couldn't break. How did these people manage to go out and capture these spirit beast cubs? It was truly strange.
Or perhaps, the Meng family's power was immense, and their barrier could control all spirit beasts in the seabed, including the domains of high-level spirit beasts.
That couldn't be right.
"Fellow Daoist, this is my only means of livelihood. If I tell you, I'll starve to death later." The stall owner put on a difficult expression, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I can't tell you this."
"I was just asking casually. If you can't say, then forget it. I'll come back in a month."
Chu Lingwei nodded and turned to leave.
"Master..."
"That's enough, we can talk about it when we get back." Chu Lingwei interrupted Shui Yi. In the underwater city, even telepathic communication might not be reliable.
"Miss Chu, you want to buy a water spirit beast?"
As soon as she returned to the inn, Meng Qinghe appeared, not bothering to hide his knowledge of Chu Lingwei.
"Yes, I just wanted to see if there was a water spirit beast that caught my eye. I've been staying underwater, and it's not very reassuring without a water spirit beast by my side."
"Miss Chu, is that the spirit beast behind you?"
Ever since they went out to sea, Chu Lingwei had sent the Phantom Cat into her spatial artifact, preventing it from coming out.
"I didn't bring it. It's still in Song City, with my senior brother."
"Miss Chu, that's your spirit beast. How can you let it follow someone else?" Meng Qinghe's eyes were filled with disapproval. If one looked closely, a hint of anger could be seen in his eyes.
"He prefers my senior brother, so I let him be." Chu Lingwei nodded at Meng Qinghe and walked past him, preparing to return to her room.
"Miss Chu, I have many spirit beast cubs here. Would you like to choose one?"
Meng Qinghe turned and followed Chu Lingwei, lacking the demeanor of the Meng family head at all, appearing more like a persistent suitor.
Chu Lingwei stopped and turned around, "You have water spirit beast cubs?"
"Of course. Don't think that we only have this underwater city. Whatever major sects in the Profound Heaven Continent have, we have here too. And whatever they don't have, we also have."
The surprise in Chu Lingwei's eyes pleased Meng Qinghe. He extended his hand and made a gesture of invitation, "Miss Chu, let me take you to see. I believe you will be able to pick a water spirit beast you like."
"Alright, I'd like to see how many water spirit beasts the Meng family truly has." Chu Lingwei nodded. The spirit beast mountains of the sects in the Profound Heaven Continent would usually house hundreds or thousands of spirit beasts. With Meng Qinghe's boastful tone, it shouldn't be fewer than that number, right?
Meng Qinghe led Chu Lingwei to a teleportation array. They stepped onto it and were quickly transported to a larger underwater world.
"So, you have more than one underwater city."
Chu Lingwei was surprised. A cunning rabbit has three burrows; the Meng family's strength was indeed formidable.
"If Miss Chu likes it here, we can stay for a few days."
Meng Qinghe led Chu Lingwei onto a spirit ship and they traveled through bustling streets to a lake at the bottom of the sea.
"Miss Chu, take a look, which one do you like?"
Meng Qinghe brought Chu Lingwei to the lakeside. With a gentle wave of his right hand, thousands of barriers flashed again, and within the same space, countless spirit beasts and spirit beast cubs of different species appeared.
It was like standing in front of a 3D television, watching countless spirit beasts clearly appear before her. Whichever one you wanted to look at would appear before you, magnified infinitely.
"Wow."
Chu Lingwei now truly believed that Meng Qinghe hadn't lied to her. The number of spirit beasts here was simply unimaginable, possibly numbering in the tens of thousands. It was likely that all the water spirit beasts in the sea had been captured and brought here.
"Patriarch Meng, you also..." Chu Lingwei really wanted to express her admiration. She couldn't help but think of her senior brother and wonder if his family would have so many spirit beasts to supply their Leng family.
With such a grand gesture, few sects in the Profound Heaven Continent could compare.
"Miss Chu, do you now believe I have the strength to become your Dao companion?"
With his strength, marrying into the cultivation academy would make them masters of the entire Profound Heaven Continent.
"Patriarch Meng, the Meng family's strength is indeed formidable, but feelings cannot be forced. My Dao companion must be someone I like myself."
Chu Lingwei smiled and shook her head. Her Dao companion must be someone she approved of.
"Miss Chu, I believe you will fall for me." Meng Qinghe became even more confident. As long as he became the overlord of the Profound Heaven Continent, even if Chu Lingwei didn't like him, she would obediently come to him.
Chu Lingwei was speechless. Some men were truly confident; she really couldn't do anything about it.
"Miss Chu, look and see what kind of spirit beast you like?" Meng Qinghe didn't continue the previous topic. He already had the answer in his heart: Chu Lingwei would eventually be his. He wasn't going to press the issue at this moment.
Chu Lingwei looked at these spirit beasts, showing no interest. She just wanted to see the Meng family's spirit beasts.
"Never mind, I don't like any of them. I'll choose another time."
Gou Qinghe's eyes flickered. Seeing a delicate crimson flood dragon, he beckoned and took the cub in his hand, "Miss Chu, this crimson flood dragon can grow into a ninth-rank spirit beast. With opportunities, it can even transform into a dragon. It's most suitable for you."
"No need, I don't like it."
Chu Lingwei shook her head. She disliked snakes and things of that nature the most.
"Miss Chu, how about I find you another one?" Meng Qinghe frowned slightly. This crimson flood dragon was the most suitable for Chu Lingwei's Celestial Water spiritual脉. The delicate crimson flood dragon was the most powerful water spirit beast here, appearing only once every thousand years.
"No need, I don't want it. I don't like this kind."
Chu Lingwei's reply was decisive. She dared not accept a spirit beast given by Meng Qinghe.
Meng Qinghe's gaze darkened, "Since that is the case, I will find another one for Miss Chu. I will surely find you a water spirit beast you are satisfied with."
"Spirit beasts require a connection at first sight. I want to find one myself." Chu Lingwei refused. She absolutely would not accept a spirit beast from here.