Reborn as the Candle Dragon, I became the strongest academy guardian beast.

The temperature in the air suddenly soared, and scorching waves of air surged out from the depths of the canyon, blowing Xu Liyue's hair wildly.

She looked up at the sky.

A giant, fiery red bird soared through the air, its body ablaze with crimson flames, majestic and noble.

Xu Liyue's pupils trembled slightly.

This is... Suzaku!

The auspicious mythical beasts of Chinese legend actually exist!

In an instant, a powerful aura of a lord-level being erupted from the Vermilion Bird, and a scorching wave of air rushed towards her, causing Xu Liyue to involuntarily take half a step back.

Lord-level!

With her current strength, facing a lord-level opponent would be like a moth drawn to a flame.

Although the teleportation array on the bracelet could save her life in a critical moment and send her out of the secret realm.

But if that were the case, she wouldn't be able to stay in the secret realm to earn points anymore.

Xu Liyue frowned slightly, her eyes searching for a way out of the canyon.

Just then, the Vermilion Bird suddenly extinguished the flames on its body, flapped its wings a few times, and slowly flew down in her direction.

To Xu Liyue's surprise, this sacred beast, which possessed the strength of a lord, did not show any hostility towards her.

Instead, after observing her carefully for a while, he suddenly lowered his noble head and gently rubbed his hand against her palm.

"唳~".

The Vermilion Bird let out a clear, melodious cry, its humble demeanor and actions clearly indicating that it was trying to charm Xu Liyue.

Its gaze was fixed on Xu Liyue, showing no arrogance as a sacred beast, but instead revealing a hint of cautious anticipation.

Xu Liyue was slightly taken aback and couldn't help but turn her head to look at the murals on the rock wall.

In this totem of a hundred birds paying homage to the phoenix, the closest and most devout bird is the Vermilion Bird with its fiery red plumage.

As a sacred beast that reigns supreme over all birds, it willingly kneels before the phoenix, like a subject paying homage to a king.

Xu Liyue suddenly understood something.

This Vermilion Bird seems to have a great fondness for her, who possesses the Phoenix Martial Soul!

"Do you... want to acknowledge me as your master?" Xu Liyue asked.

Suzaku nodded immediately.

A hint of surprise flashed in Xu Liyue's eyes, clearly not expecting that she had actually guessed correctly.

"It's possible, but your size is just too big..." Xu Liyue said somewhat awkwardly.

Zhuque tilted her head, as if she understood what Xu Liyue said.

The next second, a faint crimson light suddenly surged around it.

Within the light, the Vermilion Bird's enormous body began to shrink rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, the giant bird, which was more than ten meters long, turned into a small red bird the size of a palm. The flames on its body disappeared and disappeared completely, and it looked like a pretty ordinary little bird.

The little bird hopped merrily twice and flew onto Xu Liyue's shoulder.

Xu Liyue stared at the little bird on her shoulder for a long time before turning around.

It's hard to imagine that this petite and adorable little bird is actually the Vermilion Bird, a sacred beast with lord-level strength!

Xu Liyue couldn't help but smile and gently rubbed the top of Zhuque's fluffy head with her finger.

"Then you can come with me from now on."

"Shouldn't we give you a name...?"

"From now on, how about I call you Xiaohong?"

Seemingly pleased with the name, Zhuque poked out its fluffy little head and nuzzled Xu Liyue's cheek.

Just then, Little Red suddenly flew off Xu Liyue's shoulder, flapping its wings and flying towards the depths of the canyon.

As it flew, it looked back at Xu Liyue and chirped as if urging her to catch up.

Xu Liyue was slightly taken aback, then took a step and followed.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, a huge ruin appeared before us.

The ruins have long since turned into rubble, with stone pillars collapsed, palaces toppled, and vines climbing all over the broken walls.

A man and a bird traversed the ruins and stopped in front of an altar that had been abandoned for countless years.

In the center of the altar, a solitary ancient bronze cauldron stands.

This ancient bronze cauldron is about half a person's height, and its body is densely covered with countless totems, including not only hundreds of birds, but also countless beasts.

The Cauldron of Ten Thousand Beasts!

These three words inexplicably surfaced in Xu Liyue's mind.

She stepped forward and carefully examined the ancient cauldron.

Little Red also flew down to the edge of the cauldron, looked down into it, and tilted her little head as if she was pondering something.

As if it had made some great decision, it suddenly grabbed one of its own feathers and plucked it out forcefully.

Little Red let out a soft "chirp" in pain, looking somewhat aggrieved, but still insisted on putting the feather into the cauldron.

A drop of crimson blood fell into the cauldron along with the feather.

The bronze cauldron trembled violently the moment the blood fell into it.

A burst of intense golden light shot into the sky, and the beast totems on the cauldron seemed to come alive in that instant.

The light hovered briefly in mid-air before transforming into a scorching torrent that poured entirely into Xu Liyue's body.

Xu Liyue felt a surge of immense power, like molten lava, rushing into her meridians and violently washing over her limbs and bones.

This feeling is both painful and pleasurable; every muscle and every bone seems to be reforged and strengthened under the impact of this force.

Xu Liyue gritted her teeth, letting the power surge through her body.

Her aura began to rise uncontrollably.

Second tier, nine levels.

Third tier!

Third-order, first-level.

Third-order, second-level!

Ultimately, her cultivation level stabilized at the second level of the third tier.

Xu Liyue let out a long breath, even her breath was hot.

At the same time, the bronze cauldron, which was half the height of a person, began to shrink rapidly.

In the blink of an eye, the giant cauldron transformed into a small cauldron the size of a palm, flew up from the altar, and landed in Xu Liyue's palm.

The cauldron was warm to the touch, with mottled copper-green patina.

Looking at the small cauldron in her hand, Xu Liyue suddenly understood something.

This Myriad Beasts Cauldron can refine the blood of myriad beasts, helping her temper her physical body and improve her cultivation.

And the results are truly amazing!

With just one refinement, Xu Liyue felt her strength nearly double.

Of course, this may also be because the blood of the Vermilion Bird is too rare and powerful. If it were the blood of other beasts, it probably wouldn't provide such a significant boost.

However, if the quality is lacking, quantity can make up for it.

As long as enough ferocious beasts are hunted, the effect will be the same.

Looking at the Myriad Beasts Cauldron in her hand, Xu Liyue couldn't help but feel a little surprised and delighted.

The origin of this Myriad Beasts Cauldron must be extraordinary, given that even the Vermilion Bird cherishes and protects it so carefully.

With a thought, Xu Liyue instantly transformed the small cauldron into a golden stream of light, which disappeared into her palm.

"Thank you, Xiaohong."

She reached out and gently stroked Xiao Hong's head.

"Chirp chirp!"

Xiao Hong seemed very happy, jumping and bouncing on Xu Liyue's shoulder.

Just as the person and the bird were interacting affectionately, a series of footsteps suddenly came from the entrance of the gorge.

"Someone from Azure Dragon Academy? Coming to a place like this all by themselves, they've got some nerve!"