Transmigrated into a Grandpa, Embracing the Laid-Back Life

Su Ming stood up, his expression solemn. He folded his hands, stepped back twice, and bowed respectfully to Lin Yu.

No one understood better than him that being able to forcibly imprint the laws of heaven and earth onto the consciousness sea of a newborn spiritual beast—this kind of technique was unheard of even in ancient texts. Master was using his own source soul power to forcefully elevate this beast’s potential ceiling.

"Alright, cut the fancy formalities." Lin Yu waved his hand, glancing at the little one inside the eggshell. "Better deal with your new boss first. It's about to blow your consciousness sea apart with its noise."

Su Ming froze, then turned his attention back to the spiritual connection bridge.

Indeed, the signal for "hungry" in his consciousness sea had transformed from a mere craving into a frantic drum-beating demand. The little one stood among the broken eggshell fragments, its sharp beak wide open, letting out urgent "chirps" toward Su Ming.

Not daring to delay, Su Ming immediately pulled out a low-grade spirit stone brimming with spiritual energy from his storage pouch.

His intention was to crush the spirit stone with spiritual energy so it could swallow it easily. But the moment his hand moved forward, the little one eagerly pecked at it.

*Thump!*

A soft sound rang out.

Under Su Ming’s incredulous gaze, the hard-as-iron low-grade spirit stone was pecked into a large chunk by the seemingly fragile little beak, just like soft tofu.

With a series of crisp chewing sounds, the luster on the surface of the low-grade spirit stone visibly dimmed by a third in the blink of an eye. The spiritual energy contained within was drained dry by the creature in an extremely brutal manner.

*Thump! Thump! Thump!*

The little one pecked three more times in rapid succession.

All that remained in Su Ming’s hand was a pinch of gray-white powder that scattered with the wind.

After finishing an entire low-grade spirit stone, the little one seemed to finally feel a bit more comfortable. It extended its tiny, slender tongue to lick the corner of its mouth and actually let out a crisp burp. A faint halo of spiritual energy flickered across its body and vanished in an instant.

Su Ming stared at the drifting powder in his hand, the corners of his eyes twitching violently beyond his control.

A low-grade spirit stone might not be worth much, but in the lower echelons of the immortal cultivation world, it was enough to sustain a Qi Refining cultivator’s daily training consumption. This little thing had just hatched and wolfed down one in three bites. Judging by that still-eager look in its eyes, that was merely an appetizer.

"Heh." Lin Yu stroked his non-existent beard beside him, letting out a gloating laugh. "Ancient beasts, you see—the stronger the bloodline, the more they’re bottomless money pits. You think those sect big shots just casually raise these things for fun? Because they can’t afford to. Kid, get used to it. Your good days are just beginning."

Su Ming took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the sting of poverty-induced heartache.

When you walked the Way of Survival, you couldn’t hesitate when it was time to spend. Money invested in bodyguards was life insurance.

After eating its fill, the little one seemed to finally remember its instincts. It shook its still-damp black down, spread its tiny, palm-sized fleshy wings, and pushed off the eggshell fragments with its little claws.

It wanted to fly.

*Thwump.*

No surprise there. Its top-heavy body traced an utterly comical arc through the air, face-planting directly onto the hard greenstone floor with a dull thud.

Su Ming’s heart tightened. Instinctively, he reached out to help.

"Don’t move!" Lin Yu’s voice came immediately, laced with sternness. "Let it get up on its own."

Su Ming’s outstretched hand froze midair. Finally, he slowly withdrew it.

"The law of survival in the immortal cultivation world is crueler than that of mortal beasts." Lin Yu looked at the little black ball frantically flailing on the ground, his tone icy. "Beasts have survival instincts far stronger than humans. If it can’t even learn to fly on its own, when danger comes later, are you counting on it to shield you, or on it to collect your corpse?"

The little one floundered on the ground a couple of times, using its sharp beak to push against the floor, struggling to flip over. It let out no cries of distress. Those golden pupils held not a trace of grievance, only a primitive stubbornness toward the sky.

Second attempt.

*Thump.* It hit the stone table leg.

Fifth attempt.

*Bam.* It hit the wall and slid down.

Seventh attempt.

...

Su Ming just stood there quietly. He watched it fall again and again, get up again and again, its down covered in dust, even the tips of its wings scraped and bleeding faint traces of blood.

Until the ninth attempt.

The little one stood atop a piece of higher formation plate debris. It closed its eyes. This time, instead of leaping immediately, it followed the breeze of spiritual energy flowing from the formation within the cave dwelling and spread its wings ever so slowly.

At the center of its brow, a faint azure rune flickered briefly.

It snapped its eyes open and pushed off with its claws.

It didn’t fall.

Its tiny body wobbled in midair a couple of times before miraculously steadying itself. It circled clumsily through the cave, faster and faster, its movements growing smoother.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

It circled excitedly around Su Ming’s head three times, letting out two triumphant cries. Then it folded its wings and landed precisely on Su Ming’s extended right palm.

It lowered its head and nuzzled Su Ming’s palm affectionately with its fluffy little head.

Feeling the warmth against his palm, the corners of Su Ming’s mouth finally curved into a soft smile.

"Took to its master quickly enough." Lin Yu floated over, eyeing the pitch-black little thing up and down. "Now that you’re bound, it needs a name. Pick one."

Su Ming looked into its golden eyes, pondered for a moment, and said, "Let’s call it ‘Shadow.’ Shadow from the Profound Shadow Crow, and it fits with Master’s ‘Concealment’ technique you branded."

"Shadow?" Lin Yu rolled his eyes, ruthlessly criticizing, "Your naming skills and your formation skills are on opposite ends of the spectrum. That’s way too half-assed."

"Then what does Master suggest?" Su Ming countered.

Lin Yu stroked his chin, pointing at its charcoal-like down, and said seriously, "Look at it—pitch black, like it rolled through a stove pit. How down-to-earth is that? Call it ‘Charcoal.’ A humble name’s easier to raise."

Su Ming’s face darkened.

The little one in his palm seemed to understand Lin Yu’s mockery. It immediately puffed up the down on its neck and let out a hostile "Chirp!" at Lin Yu.

"See? It doesn’t like it either." Su Ming declared the final decision expressionlessly. "It’s Shadow."

Just then, a pale blue communication talisman turned into a streak of light, slipped through the crack in the stone gate, and hovered in front of Su Ming.

Su Ming extended his divine sense, and Qin Yi’s voice rang in his consciousness sea: "Little Junior Brother, I came as soon as I got your message. I sensed the Profound Shadow Egg’s spiritual energy erupting—has it hatched? I’m outside your cave dwelling."

Su Ming quickly formed a hand seal. The heavy stone gate rumbled open.

Qin Yi strode into the cave, his gaze landing immediately on the little black, fluffy creature in Su Ming’s palm.

He froze on the spot. His eyes, usually as gentle as water, were now wide as brass bells, fixed on Shadow.

An eerie silence descended upon the cave dwelling.

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