I proved immortality with thunder magic.

Boom boom boom—

A blue lightning bolt as thick as a child's arm struck down from the sky, causing the entire mountain stream to seem to boil, spewing out large amounts of white mist.

Immediately afterwards, the fish, shrimp, and insects in the stream turned into corpses and floated to the surface, along with a large number of thunder frogs.

Inside the mountain stream pavilion, Zhou Tai gasped as he watched the horrifying scene, his breathing becoming noticeably softer.

He looked up at the sky with awe in his eyes.

In mid-air, a majestic blue giant bird hovered, its wings still flickering with lingering lightning.

It looks like an enlarged version of a heron, but its majestic and imposing presence is unmatched by many of the so-called "cranes" tamed in the Spirit Beast Mountain.

At this moment, Zhou Tai finally understood why it, a heron-like demon bird, was called the Blue-feathered Thunder Crane.

That's right, the giant blue bird in mid-air is the origin of the name "Leihe" in Leihe Peak. It is the Blue Feather Leihe, the strongest combat force in Yang Jinsheng's hands, a second-tier mid-grade lightning attribute monster.

Zhou Tai has been at Leihe Peak for almost five years, and this is the first time he has seen this blue-feathered thunder crane.

Although the blue-feathered thunder crane didn't even notice him at that moment, the lightning that had just struck from the sky still left an indelible impression on him, making him afraid to even breathe, lest he attract the attention of this evil star.

Speaking of this jinx coming today, he was notified in advance, and even took all the frogs that were less than two years old to another place to settle them.

But he could never have imagined that this evil star would make such a unique entrance and act so ruthlessly!

He secretly glanced at the mountain stream and saw that there were at least thirty or forty Thunder Frogs floating belly up on the surface of the water, almost half of the species had been wiped out.

Because he dared not release his divine sense, he could not be sure whether all the Thunder-Patterned Frogs were dead.

But he knew that after today, the swarm of thunder-patterned frogs in the mountain stream would probably be quiet for a while, and his feeding burden would be greatly reduced as a result.

For him, this might be considered a good thing.

Just as I was thinking about these things, I saw a huge black shadow fall from the sky and land in the mountain stream.

The mountain stream wasn't very shallow, with most places being five or six feet deep, but when the blue-feathered thunder crane stood in the stream, the water couldn't even reach its belly feathers, which shows how tall the creature was!

With a single peck, it snatched a seven- or eight-pound thunder-patterned frog in its mouth and swallowed it in a few bites.

Zhou Tai has witnessed firsthand what it means to eat a frog in three bites, and what it means to eat a frog without drawing blood.

Given the size of that Blue-feathered Thunder Crane, a mere Thunder-patterned Frog weighing only a few kilograms was clearly far from enough to fill its stomach.

So after it croaked happily, it strolled leisurely through the stream, picking and choosing as it ate eight thunder frogs.

Just as it was about to eat more, Yang Jinsheng's voice suddenly rang out.

"Enough, you beast! If you keep eating, you'll wipe out this entire frog pond! You'll never taste such delicious food again!"

Zhou Tai was startled and hurriedly looked toward the source of the sound, only to see Yang Jinsheng's figure emerge from a tree, though he didn't know when he had appeared there.

Looking at the Blue-feathered Thunder Crane again, after Yang Jinsheng's shout, it merely turned its head to glance at Yang Jinsheng, and then suddenly pecked at the nearest Thunder-patterned Frog and swallowed it whole.

After doing this, it immediately became like a victorious general, letting out a triumphant cry, and took flight, soaring towards the summit of Leihe Peak.

Watching his beloved pet disappear into the distance, Yang Jinsheng turned to Zhou Tai and instructed him, "Nephew Zhou, you need to clean up the frog pond properly. This kind of thing will happen several more times in the next six months, so you need to be prepared."

"Your disciple obeys."

Zhou Tai quickly bowed in response.

When he looked up again, Yang Jinsheng was already gone.

He turned his head and looked at the mountain stream where corpses were scattered everywhere. He shook his head slightly and quickly picked up a net to clean it up.

The Blue-feathered Thunder Crane seemed to have exercised great restraint. The scene of lightning striking the mountain stream earlier looked terrifying, but the Thunder-patterned Frogs, which are resistant to electricity, were almost never actually electrocuted; they were merely stunned.

The only ones that actually died were the ordinary fish, shrimp, and insects.

Zhou Tai no longer needs to worry about the thunder frogs; he just needs to scoop up the dead fish and shrimp from the stream to prevent them from rotting in the water.

However, considering that such things would continue to happen in the future, he couldn't help but mourn for the fish and shrimp for a few seconds.

Judging from the situation, the blue-feathered thunder crane was probably really preparing to lay eggs, which is why Yang Jinsheng allowed it to come over and devour the thunder frogs for nourishment.

If Yang Jinsheng could exchange the lives of dozens of Thunder Frogs for one or two Blue-feathered Thunder Crane chicks, it would be an absolute steal.

From Zhou Tai's perspective, he also hoped that the Blue Feathered Thunder Crane could successfully produce excellent offspring, so that Yang Jinsheng would be happy and he might receive another reward.

Moreover, if the number of Blue-feathered Thunder Cranes increases and there are successful examples, Yang Jinsheng's attention to Thunder Frogs will undoubtedly continue to rise. As the only reliable frog breeder, he will also benefit greatly from the frogs' fame.

Over the next day or two, the Thunder-Patterned Frogs that had been stunned by the Blue-Feathered Thunder Crane indeed woke up one after another.

But just as Zhou Tai had initially thought, these frogs were completely terrified this time, and they didn't even have much of an appetite, let alone want to be electrocuted.

Normally, when he casts a spell, the frogs all rush to get shocked.

But now, at the sound of thunder, the frogs flee as fast as startled rabbits, and they even know to run ashore to hide.

It seems that those frogs who weren't electrocuted on the shore last time have passed on their experience to their fellow frogs.

Zhou Tai was somewhat amused and exasperated by this, but he was also happy to be relieved, so he reported the situation to the authorities.

As expected, Yang Jinsheng didn't care about this and just told him to handle it himself.

Since that's the case, Zhou Tai certainly didn't mind taking a little break and using the opportunity to handle some other matters.

That day, after submitting a report in advance, Zhou Tai left Leihefeng with Qi Yuntao.

The two rode together on Qi Yuntao's giant gray-blue goose spirit pet, flying through the mountains, their destination the Talisman Hall of Spirit Beast Mountain.

It turns out that there is a lively "Talisman Competition" at the Talisman Hall today, where many talisman masters will demonstrate their talisman-making skills and compete for the prizes of the competition.

Similar Dharma assemblies are also held in sect organizations such as the alchemy room and weapon-refining hall, and each one attracts many sect disciples to watch the spectacle.

About half an hour later, the gray-blue giant goose successfully flew to the location of the Talisman Hall and landed on the elevator platform at the foot of the mountain.

The disciples of Spirit Beast Mountain use flying beasts very frequently. In places with high traffic, such as the Talisman Hall, special elevator platforms are set up so that disciples can land or take off from here.

There are also animal pens near the elevator platform, which can temporarily store some monsters that do not want to go into the spirit beast bag.

After the two landed successfully, Qi Yuntao first patted the somewhat reluctant spirit pet's head and put it into the spirit beast bag. Then he instructed Zhou Tai, "Junior Brother Zhou, you must stay close to me. The people coming and going in the Talisman Hall are usually outer disciples. Even for a grand event like the Talisman Competition, usually only outer disciples come to watch."

In fact, he had never planned to bring Zhou Tai along.

However, Zhou Tai happened to have some free time recently and asked him for help again. In addition, considering that the Blue-feathered Thunder Crane might be laying eggs, he finally agreed to Zhou Tai's request.

Zhou Tai was an extremely intelligent man, so how could he not understand Qi Yuntao's concerns? He immediately and solemnly declared, "Senior Brother Qi, rest assured, I will stay by your side today and will never cause you any trouble."

"It's good that you know what's going on, Junior Brother Zhou."

Qi Yuntao nodded slightly and immediately led the way toward the talisman hall on the mountain.

Before long, the two arrived at the venue for today's "Talisman Battle Ceremony," a magnificent palace located halfway up a mountain.

The interior of this magnificent palace building is like a huge classroom, furnished with many tables, chairs, and cushions.

At this moment, no fewer than a hundred people had gathered in the hall, all sitting cross-legged on prayer cushions. Some acquaintances would even form small circles and set up soundproof areas to talk privately.

Qi Yuntao also saw many familiar faces, so he pointed out a spot for Zhou Tai to sit and wait, and then went to find someone to catch up with.

Following Qi Yuntao's instructions, Zhou Tai obediently sat down on the ground, outwardly lowering his eyebrows and appearing to be conserving his energy, but in reality, he was listening intently to the conversations of the cultivators inside the hall.

For him, this was a high-class place that he could not easily enter. The people he talked to here were mostly outer disciples, and many of them were talisman makers.

Therefore, the things these people talk about may not only bring him opportunities, but also broaden his knowledge.

Just as Zhou Tai was listening intently to the two people not far away discussing who might win the "Talisman Battle Tournament," a curious voice suddenly rang out from beside him.

"This junior brother looks unfamiliar. Could he also be a talisman master here to participate in the talisman-competing competition?"

Zhou Tai's eyes narrowed, and after taking a moment or two to adjust himself, he turned to look at the person who had asked the question.

On the futon to his right, a middle-aged man in brocade robes sat down. He was broad and stout with a prosperous appearance. He wore several rings on each hand, some gold and some jade. It was unclear whether they were some kind of magical artifacts or simply ornaments.

But what alarmed Zhou Tai the most was that the other party's aura was completely concealed, making it impossible for him to ascertain their approximate cultivation level.

He had read about this situation in ancient texts. It usually happened because the person was wearing a special magical artifact that could conceal their aura, or because they had practiced a secret technique to hide their aura.

Regardless of the reason, it indicates that this man in brocade robes is definitely not a simple person.

His mind raced, and he immediately asked in a cautious voice, "Senior brother, are you talking to me?"

"What else? You're the only one here who looks completely unfamiliar to me."

The man in brocade smiled at him and leisurely took out a packet of dried meat from his storage bag and started munching on it while watching him.

Upon seeing this, Zhou Tai remained silent for a moment before bowing to the other party and saying, "Junior Brother Zhou Tai greets Senior Brother. I am not a participant in the Talisman Contest; I have only come with Senior Brother Qi Yuntao to broaden my horizons."

"Is it Qi Yuntao from Lei Hefeng?"

The man in brocade stopped eating the dried meat in his hand and asked a question with some uncertainty.

"That's right." Zhou Tai nodded slightly.

Upon receiving his confirmation, the man in brocade robes' eyes flickered with interest. He immediately handed the man a piece of dried meat and asked, "So, you're also a cultivator from Thunder Crane Peak?"

Zhou Tai didn't reach out to take the jerky; he simply nodded silently.

He knew nothing about the man in brocade robes, so of course he dared not eat anything the man offered, nor would he reveal any information about himself.

The man in brocade noticed his wariness, smiled nonchalantly, and stuffed the dried meat in his hand into his mouth. While chewing, he said, "As far as I know, Lei He Peak only seems to have one outer disciple, Qi Yuntao. Since you're also cultivating there, you must be a menial disciple!"

Seeing that he knew so much about such things, Zhou Tai was surprised and became even more curious about this person.

The man in brocade seemed to have guessed his thoughts, and immediately smiled at him again, saying, "It seems you're very curious about me, so I'll tell you. My name is Aaron Kwok. I enjoy doing small business and making friends. I'm quite well-known among the outer disciples!"

That's a pretty good name!

Zhou Tai looked at the somewhat chubby man in brocade robes and muttered to himself.

Then he quickly bowed to the other party and said, "So it is Senior Brother Guo. I am ignorant and do not recognize your name. Please do not take offense."

His words were meant as polite, but Aaron Kwok responded seriously, "You've never even heard of me? You're certainly quite ignorant."

She looked at him with a puzzled expression and said, "Logically speaking, this shouldn't be the case. How could a menial disciple of your age not know anything about me? After all, I've dealt with you quite a bit, and I consider myself to have a unique appearance and demeanor. You shouldn't have no impression of me at all!"

These words revealed quite a bit of information. Zhou Tai lowered his head awkwardly while pondering the meaning behind the other person's words.

Just as he was deep in thought, Aaron Kwok spoke up again.

"Although I am not very familiar with Qi Yuntao, I know that as an outer disciple, it is impossible for him to bring a menial disciple to participate in the Talisman Competition for no reason, especially since this menial disciple's cultivation level is so low."

"Tell me, Junior Brother Zhou, what exactly are your skills that make him value you so much?"

At this point, he looked at Zhou Tai and added, "Junior Brother Zhou, don't misunderstand. I didn't mean to pry into your privacy. I was just thinking that if there's an opportunity, we might be able to do some business."

Doing business?

Zhou Tai's mind stirred, and a brilliant idea suddenly came to him.

Thinking of the bold idea that had flashed into his mind, Zhou Tai quickly glanced at the fat man in front of him, a fiery glint in his eyes.

If this really works out, then his path will be completely widened and prosperous!