Lin Zhan followed Old Zheng through several shops in the amphibious spirit beast area but couldn't find a suitable tortoise.
"Brother, what kind are you looking for? Several of those golden tortoises earlier were quite good and perfect for keeping at home," Old Zheng asked curiously, seeing that Lin Zhan hadn't found anything he liked after visiting so many shops.
"Brother Zheng, I'm looking for one that looks more imposing, preferably with a Bronze-tier mid-stage cultivation or higher."
"Spirit tortoises above Bronze-tier can be a bit dangerous. You'd need a martial artist at home to suppress it before you could subdue such a spirit tortoise. Brother, you're not just looking for good fortune, are you?" As a martial artist above Silver-tier, Old Zheng had a discerning eye and naturally saw that Lin Zhan's true intentions were not just about appearances.
"Haha, I really can't hide anything from Brother Zheng. It's not that I deliberately concealed it, but one must always be cautious," Lin Zhan said, having interacted with Old Zheng for some time and finding him to be an honest person. He revealed his true intentions. "Brother is actually a Beast Master and wants to contract a spirit tortoise. I came to the market to try my luck. I've troubled Brother Zheng to accompany me for so long."
"No trouble. I really didn't expect it. Brother is so young yet so shrewd. You must come from a prominent family," Old Zheng replied with a smile.
"Come, brother, I'll take you to a shop that will surely meet your requirements."
Old Zheng led Lin Zhan through winding paths to a larger shop near an indoor pool. He looked up at the shop sign: 'Spirit Tortoise Pavilion.'
"Old Wang, a customer is here!" Old Zheng shouted into the shop.
"What are you shouting about, Old Second Zheng?" A burly middle-aged man emerged from the shop. Lin Zhan sensed that this man exerted a pressure no less than Old Zheng, realizing he was also a master at or above Silver-tier.
"Come, come, let me introduce you. This is Brother Lin. Brother Lin is a Beast Master and wants to pick a spirit tortoise to be his contracted spirit pet. Brother, this is the owner of Spirit Tortoise Pavilion, Old Wang. He's obsessed with spirit tortoises, and the ones he cultivates are top-notch. He's also my old friend. Brother, you can just call him Old Wang."
"Get lost, Second Zheng. Brother Lin, just call me Old Wang, please don't add 'old'," Lin Zhan saw the close friendship between the two and immediately said, "Brother Wang, rest assured."
"Brother Lin is so considerate, unlike that blockhead Second Zheng. Brother, follow me. I'll introduce you to some of the spirit tortoises I've cultivated that are most suitable for contracts." As expected of someone obsessed with spirit tortoises, Old Wang's eyes gleamed as he spoke of them.
"Brother, look at this Golden Armored Alligator Turtle. It has powerful combat strength and is very fierce, but its brain is a bit slow, not very intelligent," Old Wang said, pointing to a large tortoise, nearly a meter in diameter, that resembled an alligator.
Old Wang then looked at other spirit tortoises and continued, "This is the Money Turtle. Its combat strength is weaker, but it's quite intelligent. This is the Water Origin Turtle. Its physical strength is lacking, but its aquatic talent is strong. This is the Grass Turtle; it's quite average and easy to raise. However, it can evolve healing abilities."
As Lin Zhan listened to Old Wang describe the various tortoises, he secretly summoned the system. "System, select the spirit tortoise that best meets my requirements."
"Host, none of these spirit tortoises meet your requirements. However, if you walk twenty meters forward, that large black tortoise meets your criteria."
Following the system's guidance, Lin Zhan pretended to examine the spirit tortoises in the shop and walked towards the target. Looking at the black tortoise, nearly two meters in diameter, he said to the system, "System, scan target attributes."
Species: Xuan Shui Spirit Tortoise
Abilities: Xuan Shui Spirit, Tortoise Shell Defense (unique tortoise skill, high defensive capability), Heavy Claw Strike, Xuan Shui Spirit Blood (can accelerate self-healing and can be used on humans and spirit beasts.)
Level: Bronze High-tier, possesses a diluted Xuanwu bloodline (can be improved)
Constitution: 80 (30) points
Defense Strength: 120 (30) points
Lin Zhan marveled, "The defense is truly high. The defensive power of a Bronze High-tier spirit beast already exceeds that of a Silver Low-tier."
"Brother Wang, how much is this large tortoise?"
"This large tortoise is a Bronze High-tier spirit tortoise, but it's been here for two years. My impression is that it's too lazy; it's too lazy to even move usually. I priced it at 400,000 New Currency. If you want it, Brother, I'll give it to you for 350,000 New Currency."
"Alright, Brother Wang. I'll take this large tortoise. Brother Zheng, including the money for Sister Yarong, it's 380,000. I'll pay you. Please help me with the delivery," Lin Zhan said, turning to Old Zheng.
"No problem, brother. Just leave your address," Old Zheng replied.
Lin Zhan scanned and paid the 380,000 New Currency to the market and left his home address: 'Heroes' Home, Ping An Community, Building 6, Room 801.'
"Brother Lin lives in a Heroes' Home," Old Zheng noticed Lin Zhan's address and knew that people living in Heroes' Home were military dependents, mostly families of soldiers.
"My grandfather and my father were both soldiers."
"My father was also a soldier. We brothers should get along well. My real name is Zheng Xiuyuan, the second eldest in my family. I also have an elder brother, Zheng Xiuzhe, who is currently serving in the military. This market is our Zheng family's property. If you ever need anything, brother, don't hesitate to ask your Brother Zheng."
In this era where everyone joined the army to resist alien races, soldiers were the most respected profession. It was these brave individuals who sacrificed their lives, shedding blood and sweat in the endless starry sky, fighting against countless races, to win a space for humanity to survive. Similarly, the descendants of soldiers deserved the kindness of all humanity.
"Don't worry, Brother Zheng. I'll definitely need your help in the future. I'm planning to apply to a higher academy, and in the future, I'll also join the army and follow the path of my grandfather and father, to drive out all the alien races." In this moment, Lin Zhan knew that their bond had been significantly strengthened because they were both military families.
After paying for the goods, Lin Zhan bid farewell to Zheng Xiuyuan and returned home to await delivery from the market staff.
"Dad, I bought a spirit tortoise to contract as a spirit pet. It will be delivered soon," Lin Zhan chatted with his father while sitting in the living room.
"You broke through so quickly. Don't just focus on leveling up and neglect the stability of your foundation. That will cause trouble later."
"Don't worry, my bones are almost tempered. Only the skull is left." Lin Zhan didn't tell his father that he had tempered and strengthened his entire body. After all, succeeding in just a few days was hard to explain.
'Ding-dong.' The father and son, who were chatting, heard the doorbell.
"Hello, Mr. Lin. The goods you purchased have arrived. Please sign for them." Lin Zhan opened the door and welcomed the delivery personnel inside.
Six pots of spirit tea flowers, two pots of ice raspberries, and finally, the staff carried in the Xuan Shui Spirit Tortoise. Fortunately, the family's main door was wide enough, otherwise, it would have been troublesome.
Hearing the commotion, Lin Zhan's mother, Ouyang Xinlan, came out with their daughter, 'Little Dumpling.' "What beautiful tea flowers!"
"Mom, keeping these spirit tea flowers at home makes it look nice and freshens the air."
"Brother, this big turtle is so huge! Are we going to eat stewed turtle tonight?" Little Dumpling asked curiously, looking at the Xuan Shui Spirit Tortoise.