Chapter 45

Capturing a mutated swift and taming a mutated swift are two entirely different concepts!

The former might be just a one-time deal, while the latter could have much deeper implications!

This was most evident in the reactions of Shang Quan and Ji Sheng.

If Shang Quan was overjoyed to see Shang Xia return unscathed, his reaction upon seeing Yan Ni'er perched on Shang Xia's shoulder was even more pronounced. After an initial moment of confusion, he even showed a hint of reverence, as if she were something to be admired from a distance but not to be trifled with.

This reverence, of course, was not directed at Shang Xia, but at Yan Ni'er!

As for Ji Sheng, his expression was even more vivid when he saw Yan Ni'er land on Shang Xia's shoulder from the sky. He completely ignored Jiang Changyu beside him, and even his speech became somewhat incoherent.

"Xia, you've done it, you've done a great job!"

Shang Quan seemed to have only one way to express his joy, which was to pat Shang Xia's shoulder, patting it vigorously.

If it weren't for the fact that Shang Xia's physique had been greatly strengthened by the essence energy after advancing to the Wuji realm, he suspected that his uncle, in his excitement, might have shattered his shoulder blade with one slap.

"Uncle Quan, what's the use of this mutated swift? Let me make it clear, Yan Ni'er is willing to follow me now, so don't even think about killing her!"

Although Shang Xia could guess that the mutated swift might be closely related to the Fengyan tribe of the Cangling martial cultivators, he didn't know the specifics.

"Chirp—chirp—"

As if understanding what Shang Xia was saying, Yan Ni'er flapped her wings vigorously on his shoulder and called out to Shang Quan, as if challenging him.

"Uh—"

Shang Quan was slightly taken aback and said uncertainly, "You'll know when you return to Tongyou Peak. I think, I believe, it probably won't be killed, right?"

Shang Quan's uncertain tone clearly didn't fully reassure Shang Xia.

"It won't be killed!"

Ji Sheng suddenly spoke up, his tone very firm.

Seeing Shang Xia look at him in surprise, Ji Sheng said solemnly, "If it was just a matter of capturing a mutated swift, it would be hard to say. But now that you've tamed it, the elders of the academy definitely won't let it die!"

Ji Sheng and Shang Quan had similar cultivation levels and similar statuses in their respective families, but Ji Sheng also had the identity of a Tongyou Academy patrol officer, so he knew more about the inside story.

Ji Sheng's words put Shang Xia's mind at ease to some extent, but he still didn't reveal the true purpose of the mutated swift. Both of them were being mysterious, or perhaps they didn't fully know, which made Shang Xia very unhappy.

As they were talking, the ground trembled slightly, and a distant rumbling sound could be heard, the sound of the Chiyun beasts' hooves.

Clearly, another patrol squad had seen the seven-colored cloud smoke and was rushing over to join Ji Sheng's squad.

Sure enough, a moment later, five riders appeared in their field of vision and quickly approached.

About ten yards away, the lead rider pulled on the reins, his gaze sweeping over Shang Xia and the others, his face showing surprise, but his tone was tinged with envy, "Wow, so many people? Brother Ji, you actually found the dozen or so students who were kidnapped from the outer dormitory, that's a great achievement! I congratulate you in advance!"

As he spoke, the five riders dismounted from their Chiyun beasts.

Ji Sheng smiled wryly and waved his hand, "Brother Tang, you've misunderstood. Sigh, it's a long story, I'll explain later. Let's rest for a moment now, and when Brother Li's people arrive, we'll head back to Tongyou Peak."

Patrol squads typically patrolled the Tongyou Path in groups of three, not far from each other, so they could respond to each other quickly in case of an emergency and gather together to face the enemy.

Tang Youqian threw the reins to a companion and walked over to Ji Sheng and Shang Quan, the three of them whispering about something. Shang Xia could feel their gazes occasionally falling on him.

"Shang Xia!"

A young martial cultivator, about the same age as Shang Xia, jumped off a Chiyun beast and said, "I heard you cultivated a martial path divine ability and gave Zhu Ying in the Jia House a good lesson?"

Shang Xia was slightly taken aback by the arrival of the young man and said in surprise, "Ju Xing? When did you join the patrol squad?"

The young man smiled smugly, "What, didn't expect it? I came three months earlier than you. After a few rounds of training, I caught the eye of the patrol squad's chief, Tang. He personally invited me, and of course, I had to give him face."

Outer dormitory students of the Tongyou Academy, if they advanced to the Wuyuan realm within a year, could have a certain degree of freedom to act.

Ju Xing was a student in the Ding House of the outer dormitory, a genius who had once competed with Shang Xia for the top position. He had entered the Two Worlds Battle Domain early and didn't even participate in the outer dormitory's annual assessment.

They had a bit of a relationship, but due to their competitive nature, they mostly just nodded in passing when they met.

Hearing the young man's boastful tone, Shang Xia thought to himself that a personal invitation from a chief was a big deal, and he probably went just for the signed letter of appointment.

Despite his thoughts, Shang Xia didn't want to dampen the other's enthusiasm, so he feigned surprise and clasped his hands, "Congratulations, congratulations!"

Ju Xing became even more smug and said, "How about it, let's have another match?"

His words immediately drew the attention of the surrounding students.

Huang Zihua looked at Ju Xing and said, "You know Shang Xia has cultivated a martial path divine ability... Have you also cultivated one?"

Ju Xing smiled but didn't answer.

"Really?"

Huang Zihua's exclamation drew even more attention.

At this point, Shang Xia, who had been somewhat indifferent at first, also took a serious look at Ju Xing.

Clearly, Shang Xia wasn't the only one with good fortune and opportunity. Standing out among peers was really difficult!

Ju Xing laughed and said, "I've always found you annoying. You've held the top position for half a year, and today I'm going to—"

"What? You said what? He saved the people—"

Ju Xing was interrupted again by his captain's loud voice.

Ju Xing turned to look at his captain, feeling both annoyed and helpless.

"Keep your voice down, keep your voice down, do you want the whole world to know?"

Ji Sheng's dissatisfied voice came from the side, and the three of them resumed their whispered conversation.

Ju Xing, interrupted twice by his captain, was affected in his mood.

Shouldn't being specially recruited by the patrol squad's chief before entering the inner dormitory make all his classmates envious?

Shouldn't cultivating a martial path divine ability make him the focus of everyone's attention?

But why was he always interrupted at his most confident and spirited moments, and by his own captain?

Where could he go to complain?

And Huang Zihua, at this moment, asked with a smirk, "What's Young Master Ju going to do today, challenge Brother Shang?"

The atmosphere was completely ruined, and the momentum he had been building up was lost.

Ju Xing still put on a challenging stance and said, "That's right, Chief Shang, do you dare to accept the challenge?"

Shang Xia smiled and was about to speak when—

"What are you talking about? Haven't you noticed? At least five of them have already advanced to the Wuyuan realm!"

It was Tang Youqian's loud voice again, but this time it seemed different.

When everyone looked in the direction of the voice, they saw Shang Quan, Ji Sheng, and Tang Youqian looking at them, the first two with equally shocked expressions.

Ju Xing was devastated. He had even forgotten his status as a new patrol squad member and complained, "Captain, what are you doing? This constant interruption is going to give me a heart attack!"

After saying that, Ju Xing immediately turned to Shang Xia, almost desperately, as if afraid of being interrupted again, and said, "Just a yes or no, be quick about it!"

Shang Xia was also a bit helpless. Just as he was about to speak, his gaze fell on Ju Xing's back, his expression somewhat strange.

Before Ju Xing could turn around, he suddenly felt a large hand on his head, rubbing it, followed by a familiar voice in his ear.

"Little Ju, do you know this guy has already advanced to the Wuji realm? Are you sure you still want to fight him?"

Tang Youqian, while rubbing Ju Xing's head, was looking at Shang Xia with a strange and puzzled expression.

"Captain, my name is Ju Xing, not Little Orange!"

Ju Xing complained first, but then looked at Shang Xia with a mix of surprise and doubt, even forgetting that his head and hair were being messed with, and said, "What, Wuji realm? You've advanced to the Wuji realm?"

Shang Xia, feeling uneasy under Tang Youqian's gaze, realized that the patrol captain's eyes were not simple.

He instinctively收敛自身气息，同时笑道：“之前被人追杀，无奈之下只能吞下进阶药剂求一线生机，好在运气不错，侥幸撑过了元气失控的危险。”

这还打个屁啊！

Ju Xing's expression was dejected, and he helplessly gave a thumbs up, "You're amazing!"

Ju Xing freed himself from his captain's "claw" and walked back to his mount with a dejected look, as if in deep thought.

Shang Quan and Ji Sheng, with puzzled expressions, approached Ju Xing and said in disbelief, "Five people advancing at the same time, how did you do it?"

"Oh, that," Shang Xia said casually, "I found the six Jinyun carriages that the Cangling martial cultivators had hijacked. They are now parked intact in a valley..."