The Fire Crow had been starving for hours, trapped in a cramped, dark space. After countless failed attempts to escape, hunger and fear had combined into a potent cocktail of despair. It had already begun to give up, entering a state of lethargic resignation.

When it was suddenly pulled from the Spirit Beast Ring into Jiang Chen’s hand, man and bird stared at each other in frozen silence for at least ten seconds.

Only then did the Fire Crow react. Its pupils contracted into pinpricks. It let out a sharp, ear-piercing caw and began flapping its wings frantically.

However, it quickly realized that while it had escaped the dark prison, it was now trapped in the “Five Finger Mountain” of a human hand. Escape was impossible.

Coupled with exhaustion, hunger, and thirst, it didn’t struggle for long. It slumped back into Jiang Chen’s palm, letting out a surprisingly human-like sigh of defeat.

Jiang Chen chuckled. “So much drama. Are you a theater kid?”

He activated the fire spiritual power in his Qi Sea, channeling it through his left hand and slowly injecting it into the crow’s body.

Fire Crows fed on fire energy. As the warm current flowed into it, the bird’s condition improved visibly. But instead of struggling, it began to tremble, its eyes filled with intense fear.

Jiang Chen nodded slightly. The stick has been used; now for the carrot.

With a thought, a handful of Top-quality Spirit Rice from his second-grade field appeared in his right hand. He brought a single grain to the crow’s beak.

At first, the bird clamped its beak shut, terrified the food was poison. But the rich, concentrated spiritual energy wafting from the rice was undeniable. A thought bubbled up in its simple mind: Just one grain.

It ate one.

Then it couldn’t stop. Grain after grain, it devoured the handful of rice with ravenous speed, smacking its beak afterward in unsatisfied longing.

When it looked at Jiang Chen again, the fear in its eyes had receded, replaced by a glimmer of anticipation. It was waiting for the next favor.

Jiang Chen knew the time was right. He immediately activated the [Fire Crow Qi Nurturing Method].

The warm fire energy, the non-hostile feeding, and the max-level technique combined to shatter the crow’s psychological defenses instantly. A wisp of spiritual sense extended from Jiang Chen, connecting his mind to the bird’s.

Thoughts and emotions flowed back into his brain.

Hungry… good food… warm hand… want more rice…

Jiang Chen couldn’t help but laugh. This bird was a glutton.

He didn’t feed it immediately. Instead, he loosened his grip.

Sure enough, now controlled by the technique, the crow felt no fear or panic. Even with the hand open, it made no move to fly away. Instead, it rubbed its head against his palm, fawning for more food.

A status window appeared in his mind:

[Fire Crow (Unnamed)]

Potential Value: 6

Intimacy Level: Spirit Connection

Loyalty Level: Benefit-Driven

Having mastered the [Fire Crow Qi Nurturing Method], Jiang Chen understood these stats perfectly.

Potential Value determined the creature’s evolutionary ceiling. A value of 6 was above average, meaning this crow had a decent chance of evolving into a Fire Crow Leader.

Intimacy was divided into four stages:

Wild Submission: Reluctantly obeys but retains wild instincts. May ignore orders in combat or even peck the master.

Spirit Connection: Trusts the master. Can understand complex commands, share vision, and coordinate simple tactics. Affectionate.

Life Bond: Shares life force; damage transfer. Can become a flame tattoo on the master. Extremely dependent and jealous. Allows the master to use its innate fire.

Dao Partner: No longer a pet, but an equal partner. Cultivates autonomously and feeds power back to the master. Can face tribulations together. Innate fire may evolve into [Sun True Fire].

Loyalty had five stages:

Forced Submission: Obeys due to force. Will betray or slack off at the first opportunity.

Benefit-Driven: Cooperates for food and resources. Will flee from strong enemies or demand more pay.

Sincere Follower: Respects the master. Will protect the master but prioritize self-preservation in hopeless situations. Generally obedient.

Unwavering Loyalty: Completely trusts the master. Will die before betraying. Blocks fatal attacks.

Life and Death Pact: Transcends the master-servant bond. Will sacrifice itself for the master’s breakthrough or survival. If the master dies, it will seek revenge or commit suicide.

These metrics applied to all spirit pets. This was why the Beast Mountain disciples, despite their mixed backgrounds, were formidable. A loyal spirit pet was like a second self.

The Fire Crow was a low-level beast, but history held a different perspective. A thousand years ago, a Soul Formation Grandmaster known as the Crow Venerable had controlled an army of tens of thousands of Fire Crows. His [Ten Thousand Crows Sky-Burning Array] could boil seas and melt mountains.

Jiang Chen pulled his thoughts back to the present. He looked at the bird in his hand, which was shifting its weight nervously, wanting to move but afraid to offend him.

“In the future,” Jiang Chen murmured, a smile tugging at his lips, “perhaps I too will be like the Crow Venerable.”

With a thought, he issued his first command.

The motionless crow immediately spread its wings and launched itself out the window, diving into the cold winter night.