Chapter 43: Taming the Ancient Crimson Flame Vermilion Bird

“Tsk, tsk, tsk! Why were you so eager to reincarnate? Sure, you’ve been trapped in this cursed thing for ages, but there’s no need to faint at the sight of me as if you can’t wait to be reborn,” Qian Mo remarked sympathetically, gazing at the unconscious Vermilion Bird sprawled on the ground.

“Well, never mind. Luckily for you, you ran into me today—someone with a heart full of compassion. If it had been anyone else, they’d probably have skinned you for Vermilion Bird stew. That’s quite the tonic; meat stewed for millennia must be pure essence. System, bring me a giant Capture Orb,” Qian Mo commanded.

“Giant Capture Orb, fifty million realm coins. Would you like to purchase it, Host?”

“What the—! System, you extortionist! Whatever, I’m rich anyway. Buy it!”

“Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have successfully purchased a Giant Capture Orb for five million realm coins. Please check your warehouse.”

At once, a giant Capture Orb identical to the one used for the Ancient Void Dragon appeared in Qian Mo’s hand.

“Little bird, you’d better settle down and become my pet from now on.” With that, Qian Mo tossed the orb at the unconscious Vermilion Bird.

The entire Vermilion Bird was sucked into the orb, which then rolled across the floor, trembling.

Ding-dong!

Ding ding ding—

Thunk!

With the final chime, the Vermilion Bird was officially captured.

Qian Mo picked up the orb, toyed with it for a moment, then released the Vermilion Bird.

“Vermilion Bird, come out!” Qian Mo pressed the button at the orb’s center and hurled it heavenward.

Chirrup!

A restored Vermilion Bird appeared before Qian Mo, showing no trace of the injuries it had just suffered. The Giant Capture Orb had a built-in healing function, the true marvel of the system—unlike the ones in anime, which lacked this feature. In those, every serious injury required a trip to the Pokémon Center, but with this orb, no matter how grave the wounds, a return inside would make any creature as good as new.

“Master!” The Vermilion Bird landed, bowing respectfully.

“Do you have a name?” Qian Mo asked.

“No, everyone before just called me Vermilion Bird,” it replied.

“Since you are an Ancient Scarlet Flame Vermilion Bird and your feathers are red, I shall name you Red Snow. How does that sound?” Qian Mo mused aloud.

“Red Snow, Red Snow! I love it! Thank you, Master, for bestowing me with a name!” Red Snow exclaimed, full of gratitude.

“Alright, Red Snow, return to the Capture Orb for now.” Qian Mo extended the orb.

“Yes, Master,” Red Snow replied happily.

Once Red Snow had gone back inside, Qian Mo once again gazed around the Heavenly Emperor’s Treasury. This time, nothing stood in his way.

“System, search for the location of the Heavenly Tome,” Qian Mo instructed.

A familiar scene unfolded: a screen appeared before Qian Mo’s eyes, displaying a red dot marking the spot where the Heavenly Tome lay hidden within the treasury.

With the system’s help, Qian Mo quickly found the tome. Before him was an ancient box—old in design, yet spotless and gleaming, its surface immaculate and complete.

Qian Mo reached out and opened the box. As the lid lifted, a gentle yet dazzling light spilled out. But for Qian Mo, the brilliance was entirely harmless.

When the glow faded, a scroll was revealed, exuding an ancient aura that lingered in the air.

“So this is the final volume of the Heavenly Tome?” Qian Mo murmured, reaching out to pick up the scroll.

Buzz!

As the scroll parted from the box, a low hum resonated between them.

Qian Mo set the box aside and unrolled the scroll with both hands. Within were lines upon lines of archaic script, mysterious and strange.

As Qian Mo pondered the text, the system’s voice sounded in his mind.

“Ding, the final Heavenly Tome has been detected. Would the host like to absorb it?”

Oh? So it was the system. He’d been so engrossed he almost forgot.

The system’s voice snapped Qian Mo out of his reverie.

“Absorb it!” Qian Mo took a deep breath and replied.

At his command, the system transformed the Heavenly Tome into a stream of energy, which rushed directly into Qian Mo’s mind.

Boom!

With all five volumes of the Heavenly Tome gathered, an unprecedented force surged within Qian Mo’s body.

His cultivation level soared in an instant.

Nascent Soul Stage, Rank Three... peak of Rank Three... Rank Four... peak of Rank Four... all the way up to Rank Seven... peak of Rank Seven.

Finally, his cultivation settled at the peak of Nascent Soul Stage, Rank Seven.

Exhaling deeply, Qian Mo savored the exhilarating surge of power. When the ascension finally stilled, he opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

“That was almost too fast! But truly, collecting all five Heavenly Tomes is full of surprises. If someone from this plane managed it, they’d probably shoot straight to the Great Purity’s peak,” Qian Mo sighed.

He clenched his fists, the sound of knuckles cracking crisply in the air.

“Collect all five Heavenly Tomes of this plane. Reward: advancement of cultivation by one stage, expansion of the small world by 300 meters, one chance to draw a prize. Punishment: Host must remain in the endless void for one year (note: it’s not a place meant for humans). Status: Completed.”

Bang!

Qian Mo’s cultivation soared another level, from the peak of Nascent Soul Seven to the peak of Nascent Soul Eight.

“Your small world has expanded by 300 meters.”

“You have gained one lottery draw.”

Two notifications sounded in his ear.

“Would you like to use your lottery draw, Host?”

“Yes!” Qian Mo replied excitedly.

“Drawing... Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have won a travel ticket to the Home Tutor world.”

“What? No way! It’s the world of that anime, Home Tutor? With that pint-sized teacher, Reborn! System, I love you!” At the news, Qian Mo literally leapt for joy.

“Beep beep... System experiencing auditory overload...” came the system’s weary voice.

“...Fine, I take it back,” Qian Mo replied, speechless.

“Ding! System overload resolved. Host, what were you just saying?”

“...” Qian Mo had no words.

“System, erase the Heavenly Emperor’s consciousness from this treasury, infuse it with mine, and transport it into my small world.”

“Ding! System absorption in progress...”

Suddenly, the treasury vanished without a trace before Qian Mo’s eyes.

Ding!

Side quest: “Steal the Heavenly Emperor’s Treasury and move it to your small world. Reward: Improved development of your small world; all beings within gain a significant cultivation boost. Punishment: No treasury. Status: Completed.”

“Rewards distributed. All beings in your small world have received a significant cultivation boost, including the Ancient Void Dragon and the Ancient Scarlet Flame Vermilion Bird.”

“Ding! Congratulations, Host, you have completed all tasks for the Zhu Xian mission. The system will now unlock the host’s free plane selection function (one-time use).”

Function description (one-time): As the name suggests, the host may now choose any plane to travel to.

“Ding! Host, this is where you’ll be staying for a while! There are many strange things for you to discover on your own,” the system said.

“What about you, system?” Qian Mo asked anxiously.

“No need to worry, Host! I’ll always be in your mind, never leaving you. The system is just a tool to assist you. I’ll provide the best resources, but you’ll have to make good use of them. The myriad worlds are full of wonders—if you only focus on leveling up, you’ll miss out on a lot of fun. Don’t worry, you have all the time in the world, so go and enjoy the different pleasures awaiting you!” The system reassured him.

“I see. That’s wonderful. You’re right—there’s more to this than just leveling up. Thank you, system!” Qian Mo was both excited and moved.

“That’s what an independent host system should do.”

“System, I’d like to buy a Foundation Stabilizing Pill. My progress has been too rapid; I’m worried about hidden dangers.”

“Foundation Stabilizing Pill, fifteen million realm coins. Would you like to purchase?”

“Buy it!”

“All done. Now there’s no worry about a shaky foundation—having the system is so convenient.”

System, open character interface.

System interface:

Host: Qian Mo

Physique: Dual Cultivation Sacred Body (rapid cultivation for both partners when practicing together), superhuman physique, Grand Brahma Golden Body.

Lovers: Bi Yao, Lu Xueqi.

Pets: Ancient Void Dragon (Little Void), Ancient Scarlet Flame Vermilion Bird.

Gender: Male

Age: 19

Level: Multiverse Tier 2, Initial (Eight-star peak Dou Zong / Nascent Soul Stage Eight, 0/300,000)

Realm coins: 1.03 million

Weapons: Divine Spirit Sword (Lingqian Sword)

Domain: Unity of Man and Sword

Items: Super Gourmet Tablecloth, Anywhere Gate, Superhuman Liquid, Super Fusion Machine, Tao Langlang Fruit, Translation Candy, Copy Mirror, Free Travel Spray, Penetration Spray, Penetration Ring, Dragon Talisman (fused), Keen Eye (fused), Daddy’s Designated Training Ticket, Zhu Xian Sword, Home Tutor World Travel Ticket.

Skills: Infernal Fire, Divine Sword Lightning Mastery, Nether Thunder Fist, Ghost Slayer Mastery, Divine Flame Incinerates Heaven, Grand Dao Reincarnation Technique, Phoenix Divine Flame.

Space creatures (small world open for growth): Azure Dragon, Proud Lion, Black Tortoise, Ancient Phoenix, Stone Giant, Nether Flower, Nine-tailed Celestial Fox, Dream Demon, Qilin, Spirit Tiger, Xuanming Mantis.

Worlds reached: Doraemon 22nd Century World, Zhu Xian World.

“Only the mission card task remains—perfecting the Dao laws here,” Qian Mo muttered to himself.

(End of Chapter)