Both Bolin and Haishi were dumbfounded. Everything about today seemed a little too surreal for them. They had left the place they called home for over a century to start off in an unfamiliar place filled with human cultivators.

When they faced off against Feng Xin they had expected to die but they ended up living by sheer luck because Feng Xin found them useful alive more than dead. After that one of them had expected to be an alchemical ingredient whose days and body would be spent under the knife and constantly being researched on by overzealous alchemists while the other expected to be bird food. When that didn't happen they at the very least expected to be slaves with little to no rights. They never expected to be considered comrades to human cultivators none the least.

Bolin was no saint, he had killed and eaten his fair share of human cultivators who went wandering near his lair as for Haishi she may have not harmed human cultivators but in her case, it wasn't out of an altruistic choice but because she was abundantly cautious and she had almost zero interaction with them.

Having a welcome party thrown for them and the cheers was an all too strange concept for them to fathom and they didn't know quite what to make of it or even how to react.

"What are you two spacing out for? it's your party you should be enjoying it, no? Spirit beasts and humans may be different but we all enjoy good food irrespective of what that food is. Go eat as for the other complicated stuff you can figure out as time goes by but as for now just eat, nod, and accept whatever treasures come your way," Yang Qing gently tapped their heads to get them out of their stupor.

Haishi who was flying found her body gravitating towards Yang Qing's hand with the same thing happening with Bolin who was about a foot tall floating upwards towards Yang Qing.

Yang Qing's gentle tap seemed to have had a calming effect on them as they seemed less tense and a little more at ease.

"Here this is for you two. As your boss, it's only right I get my underlings something. They should suit you both perfectly," Yang Qing said as he held two things in his hands.

On his left hand was a small smooth white-blue pearl that seemed to have wing water wave patterns on it and on his right hand was a one hundred moon cleansing hawthorn flower. It was pristinely white and had five petals each having four moons appearing on them making the total moons on the flower to be twenty.

Bolin and Haishi had uniquely different reactions to the objects in Yang Qing's hands.

Haishi had a greedy madly infatuated look as her blood started boiling and her heartbeat wildly craving the smooth white-blue pearl with the wing water wave patterns. As for Bolin, he had a completely different reaction. His pupils were constricted and his body frozen in fear as if he had seen his nemesis. He felt a deep intrinsic threat coming from the hundred moon cleansing hawthorn flower like if he tried to even breathe around it he would die a most gruesome death.

"The pearl is a wisdom pearl from a flying water mist python that was half-step into the palace realm," Yang Qing said as he brought the pearl forward in Haishi's direction.

"Feng Xin told me he gave you a drop of the primordial lotus dew. I'm afraid due to your cultivation realm limitations you were unable to make the most out of it and the little dew you absorbed you only scratched the surface with it. This pearl should help you gain further comprehension of the dew you absorbed and refine it even further.It contains over a thousand years' worth of cultivation insight of the flying water mist python. It will help you solidify your cultivation further and give you a better understanding of the water dao," Yang Qing said as he finally gave the pearl to Haishi whose eyes were glittering. If dragonflies had drool she would already have formed a waterfall.

Spirit beasts had different ways of growing their cultivation. Some had inherited powerful bloodlines to rely on which either came from a long-lost ancestor or it could be a close relation such as a parent.

Cultivation methods, insight, and other secret arts are usually passed down through this bloodline and the thicker the bloodline the more the spirit beast can harvest making cultivation easier for the spirit beast as it already has a guide on which path to take thus avoiding a lot of detours.

The progeny of strong spirit beasts enjoy this privilege however spirit beasts that have an impure and thin watered-down bloodline of their ancestor struggle to realize the potential of their bloodline. They can only use external means to try and improve their cultivation realm and or thicken their bloodlines and awaken the secrets within.

Examples of these external means are the use of specific herbs that have a relation to their bloodline such as using a water attribute herb to help with a bloodline related to the water dao. The other means which is usually the most common route most spirit beasts employ is to consume another spirit beast with a stronger or almost similar bloodline. For example, a fire salamander can consume a fire poison toad to try and thicken its bloodline. This is one of the reasons spirit beasts constantly battle each other.

However there was another reason spirit beasts wantonly plunder each other to the extent that even those spirit beasts with powerful bloodlines would choose to do so, and that is the presence of wisdom pearls.

All spirit beasts have beast cores which are their equivalent of a dantian but not all spirit beasts have wisdom pearls. A wisdom pearl is the condensation of the spirit beast's insights and experiences in cultivation. Only spirit beasts who have touched upon a form of dao can form a wisdom pearl which is usually located in their glabella though it's not guaranteed that it will always be there for every spirit beast.

The wisdom pearl not only houses their cultivation insight and experiences but also counts as a lifesaver to powerful spirit beasts. Spirit beasts that are atleast at the later stages of the domain realm can survive even if their bodies get destroyed as long as their wisdom pearls remain intact. It even has a chance of reforming its body if a drop of its blood essence remains. Yes, it would take time but unlike humans who would require a mountain of precious herbs to reform their bodies, the spirit beast with a wisdom pearl and a drop of true blood essence requires only time, safe space, dense spiritual qi, and nothing else.

However, this means of self-preservation only works on spirit beasts at the later stages of the domain realm as they are able to imbue their will to the wisdom pearl basically turning the pearl into almost like a treasured artifact that houses and protects their soul. Only a spirit beast that has higher or equivalent willpower to them can erase their will and subsequently soul from that wisdom pearl rendering that wisdom pearl usable. But if they attempt to use a wisdom pearl that still has a will that they cannot break, the spirit beast risks having its body used as a shell for the pearl when its soul gets erased by the strong will and body possessed.

This is why spirit beasts at the domain stage rarely get into fights except in extenuating circumstances like if a treasure is involved or if there's an irreconcilable feud. However, spirit beasts below the domain realm fight rampantly with the aim of consuming the opponent's wisdom pearl to improve their cultivation realm with no risk of possession.

…

To cowardly overcautious Haishi, getting her hands on a wisdom pearl was something she never imagined moreso one that suited her this well. The flying water mist python is a spirit beast skilled in camouflage techniques through the use of mist. Just this point alone would help Haishi strengthen her mirage techniques ignoring the other water insights the python had stored in the peal for over a thousand years. She held it close almost afraid it would break before she hurriedly stored it in her Order issued storage bracelet that was tied to one of her legs.

Just like the cloud-swallowing kite both she and Bolin, each had a gold bracelet with an eagle symbol worn on their legs. The bracelet was a storage treasure that doubled up as a tracker too.

Bolin couldn't help but look at Haishi enviously. His path wasn't related to water but even he would gain an enormous harvest from gaining the cultivation insights of a spirit beast that had almost reached the palace stage. It would help widen his cultivation horizons.

He couldn't help but notice the unfairness of the gifts. Haishi got a wisdom pearl while he was most likely getting the hawthorn that would harm him with just a touch.

"Is it because of Li Lun?" Bolin couldn't help but wonder if it was because he agreed to support the green flash viper in ambushing Feng Xin.

"I guess it can't be helped. I should be glad I'm even alive," Bolin sighed as he thought his guess was right on the mark.

"I'm not giving you the hundred moon cleansing hawthorn because I hold a grudge against you for ambushing Feng Xin if that's what you think," said Yang Qing as he smiled seemingly seeing through Bolin's mind who flinched at Yang Qing's words.

"I meant what I said, you are one of us now despite your past. All you are and what matters to me is you're Bolin a member of the Order under my court as such you're my responsibility and I won't treat you any different than I do the rest of my team," Yang Qing gently said.

"The reason why I'm giving you this flower is for your good, which judging by your reaction you need it more than you think if you ever want to reach the palace realm," said Yang Qing as his eyes gleamed in wisdom.

Bolin couldn't help but throw a perplexed gaze at him. Yang Qing didn't leave him guessing as he swiftly went on with his explanation.

"Because of your environment, you must have focused all your attention on strengthening your poisonous attribute. For other spirit beasts, it's not an issue but for you it is. A rainbow mist toad isn't known only for its poison but also for its healing properties which you seemed to have erroneously neglected.

Your body is currently at an imbalance and if you kept on with your current tread by the time you reached the peak of the core formation realm your poison would have grown beyond your body's ability to handle it. Only a matching restorative ability can restrain it and without it your body will be destroyed from within," Yang Qing solemnly said as he eyed the now pale-looking Bolin who couldn't help but inadvertently croak in fear.

"Herein lies your solution," Yang Qing said as he brought the hundred-moon-cleansing hawthorn which added further panic to Bolin once he saw how close it was to him.

"Though it's a fraction of the real thing since it only has twenty moons activated but it should be more than enough to help you strengthen your restoration attribute. You will need to cultivate next to it atleast three hours every day until the day it feels like an irresistible tonic to you as opposed to the dreadful feeling it's currently giving you.

The day you feel drawn to the hawthorn will be the day you'll finally know what a true rainbow mist toad is and why every alchemist wants them," Yang Qing mysteriously said as he handed the hundred moon cleansing hawthorn to Luo Meili.

"Meili you're the best with this so you'll be in charge of his training and when the day comes help him to maximize the benefits he can get from the flower," said Yang Qing.

The hundred-moon cleansing hawthorn was known for its ability to be an all-around restorative herb. It had an especially curative effect when it came to poison and miasma. A hundred moon-cleansing hawthorn that had activated all its moons would have melted Bolin in his current state rather than the suppressive feeling he presently got. Currently, the suppressive effect was what Bolin needed most to turn the turbulent poison in his body milder. The milder it got the more he could stand to be around the flower.

Luo Meili nodded as she gently smiled at Bolin which for some reason made him feel an extreme fear that was a hundred times more terrifying than what he got from the hundred moon-cleansing hawthorn.

The rest as if on cue started handing Haishi and Bolin cultivation resources as gifts which surprised them as they were no less precious than what Yang Qing gave.

Bolin and Haishi soon forgot themselves as they gave a daoist salutes of thanks that Feng Xin had briefly taught them. Though Haishi's salutes looked odd as she had no fingers to form a fist or a vertical palm. It created a few laughs that added a little warmness to the party.