Chapter 101: The Chatterbox

It seemed this fellow also found their endless game of chase tiresome; he raised an eyebrow and stopped.

Shen Duo subtly sensed that the man before her was not using his full strength. His armored phantom beast was no ordinary creature—it was at least a peak divine phantom beast.

Continuing this battle would bring her no benefit. Besides, she had only come to this dimension for reconnaissance and had no intention of lingering.

Shen Duo stood atop Lou Jingbai’s back, surrounded by a five-tailed fire fox wreathed in crimson flames, floating in the air. From a distance, it looked like a blazing, radiant fireball.

The man halted before Lou Jingbai and once again carefully examined Shen Duo. The girl before him was about fifteen years old, yet already a Sword King. If the old sword-obsessed masters at the academies heard of this, it would surely cause quite a stir!

A gleam flashed in his eyes at this thought.

Impatient under his gaze, Shen Duo snapped, “If you have something to ask, just ask. I still have to be on my way afterward.”

Seeing her frankness, the man wasted no time.

“Why is it that you, a swordsman, have a high-level phantom beast by your side?” This was his greatest puzzle. Phantom beasts use spiritual phantom energy; if a person cannot even absorb this energy, how could they control a contracted phantom beast?

Shen Duo remained unfazed, glancing at the handsome silver-haired man floating before her, and replied simply, “Pet.”

The venerable and mighty Phantom Sect master nearly fell from the sky, and Lou Jingbai snorted in silent indignation.

Many so-called useless individuals who cannot absorb spiritual phantom energy indeed raise phantom beast cubs as pets, nurturing their companions from youth. This relationship is built on mutual trust and affection, not bound by contractual rules.

Hence, most pet phantom beasts are low-level, as they lack high intelligence. If a high-level sacred phantom beast with intelligence comparable to humans were to serve as a human’s pet, that would be unthinkable—phantom beasts have their dignity.

Who in their right mind would believe a divine beast would willingly become a human’s pet, with no binding contract between them?

But the facts were clear: this girl, though a prodigy in swordsmanship, clearly could not absorb spiritual phantom energy. How else to explain the five-tailed fire fox fiercely protecting her?

The man suddenly wished he had been kicked by a donkey rather than forced to accept this reality.

This dimension had evolved over millions of years, and phantom beast resources had become increasingly scarce. Swordsmanship had long become the mainstream cultivation path. The great beastly rampages had vanished thousands of years ago. In the man’s academy, many junior disciples who practiced phantom arts did not even have a contracted phantom beast. Yet this girl kept a divine beast as a pet! It was utterly intolerable.

His gaze toward Shen Duo turned a blatant red-green.

Shen Duo paid no mind to his expression. Lingering here any longer would leave her no time to investigate Normans City in this dimension. The nascent canyon would open in three days, and she could not afford delay.

“Don’t you have any questions? If not, I’m leaving.”

Resting his chin on his hand, the man hurried on, “Which academy are you from? How did you become a Sword King at fifteen? I’ve never heard of you. Also, can you teleport? Is it that old man from Joseph Lin Academy who taught you? The phantom beasts deep in the nascent canyon belong to our academy. Don’t even think about laying a hand on them. You sword users are so annoying—you don’t need spiritual phantom energy to cultivate, so why do you hog all the areas rich in it? Do you want to kill off us disadvantaged phantom practitioners? Always lugging around oversized swords like big oafs, looking down on everyone. Especially those from the four great families—they’re the worst. Hey... you little girl, such a prodigy at a young age, you can’t be a direct descendant of one of those families, can you? Because let me tell you—”

The rapid-fire words left Shen Duo and the five-tailed fire fox utterly stiff.

Though the man’s armored form was flashy and cool, his true nature burst forth, shattering the illusion. Shen Duo suddenly found herself missing Feng Jun’s stoic, laconic demeanor.

Reality was often far from hope.

Shen Duo’s face darkened, her mouth twitching in regret for having asked if he had anything to say. With so many questions, how was she to answer?

The man, seeing their stiff posture, seemed quite pleased.

He flew beside Shen Duo, the six-pointed star light array beneath his feet flashing as his armored form vanished.

Long, sleek black hair cascaded down his back, a long fringe covering one side. A shining cross earring adorned his exposed left ear. He wore a silver, exquisitely tailored phantom practitioner’s robe, pinned with an intricately patterned sapphire brooch.

The half-hidden face he had concealed was now fully revealed.

A handsome young face, unlike Feng Jun’s icy expression, this man radiated warmth. Even his gaze carried the gentle warmth of a spring breeze.

His nose was straight and prominent, his eyes deep and clear. His skin was paler than most, lips thin yet vividly red. His slender build perfectly complemented the splendid robe.

Such an appearance made Shen Duo think of those handsome vampires she had once seen on screen in her past life.

The man smiled at her—a smile so pure that even the indifferent Shen Duo was momentarily stunned.

“How do you like what you see?” His clear voice echoed softly in her ear.

Startled, Shen Duo nearly fell from the back of the five-tailed fire fox. Damn, such a classic CEO line here felt oddly out of place!

She turned away with a dark expression, silently urging the fire fox to flee quickly. This Phantom Sect was truly bizarre!

Lou Jingbai, disgusted by the man, had already darted dozens of yards away the moment Shen Duo issued her command.

But no matter how shameless or talkative—or how strong—this Phantom Sect man was not so easily shaken off. Instantly, he matched their speed, even taking a moment to adjust his flashy fringe.

“Little one, what’s your name?”

“Shen Duo.”

“Which academy?”

“None.”

“That fox really your pet?”

“You tell me.”

“I’m not you, how would I know?”

“...”

“Who taught you to teleport?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Teleport? You mean when you suddenly appeared before me just now? Hmph, swordsmen are only better than us phantom practitioners in teleportation. What else do you have over us? If it weren’t for the scarcity of phantom beasts, phantom practitioners would never decline…”

“...”

“What brings you here? Don’t tell me it’s for the nascent canyon as well. Listen, the nascent canyon has nothing to do with you swordsmen. You have to ruin even those pitiful phantom beasts? Can you leave some room for us phantom practitioners?”

“...”

“Oh, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Qin Lietian, assistant instructor of Joseph Lin Academy. I don’t know if the four great families will meddle in the nascent canyon affair this time. Those swordsmen are truly mad…”

“Shut up!”

“...”

At last, silence embraced the world.