Chapter 367: Malevolent Aura
Chapter 367: Malevolent Aura
Nearby, Bai Bingbing witnessed this scene, barely suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. Among the five of them, Li Qian had the strongest combat prowess.
Sunbird, a powerful companion beast with Imperial Eighth Rank potential, should be able to handle ordinary Commander Middle Rank or even High Rank beasts.
However, to their surprise, the teammate they had high hopes for chose to slack off, while the two unconcerned individuals seemed to be having a grand time.
The stark contrast between reality and their expectations left Bai Bingbing speechless, and she couldn't help but feel a hint of resentment towards Li Qian.
However, at this moment, the group had already reached a consensus, and even with her resentment, she had no choice but to endure it.
Thus, the four summoned their companion beasts and leaped into the fissure, disappearing in the blink of an eye.
As Li Qian watched them vanish into the crack, he immediately withdrew his gaze, scanning his surroundings. Finding a clean stone, he sat down cross-legged.
This ruin had likely been excavated by the authorities, leaving behind nothing of significant value, and it was unlikely to pose any serious danger.
Even if, by some remote chance, they encountered danger within the underground ruins, the short-range ultra-communicator would enable them to contact him immediately.
In such a scenario, they could rush to their rescue in ample time.
Li Qian was confident in this, so he had no concerns about the safety of the four who had entered the underground ruins. He sat quietly, cross-legged atop the boulder, deep in thought.
After a while, he realized that the Beastmaster Talent "Telepathy" was a perfect fit for him, seamlessly connecting him with Jiafa.
Through Jiafa, he could effortlessly issue commands to his companion beast, engage in normal communication, and impose constraints and management.
The only limitation was that he couldn't bring it into his Beastmaster Space, missing out on the physical recovery and accelerated growth benefits. Aside from that, there was little difference from a contract.
The greatest significance of this was that, from now on, whether it was the Blazing Skyglide Eagle or the Tide Sea Spirit, he could evolve and carry them with him at all times.
Alternatively, he could keep them in the third secret realm, bringing them out as needed, thus bypassing the contract limit.
In theory, he could command an infinite number of companion beasts, though this control would never match the precision of a contract.
In critical moments, he couldn't force his companion beasts to obey, and he would always face the risk of them rebelling.
However, compared to the potential rewards, these risks were insignificant. For instance, he could now have Sunbird maintain vigilance in the air.
Moving forward, he would also evolve more Green Scaled Dragons, Frost Flame Salamanders, Extreme Gale Falcons, Blazing Skyglide Eagles, Four-Tailed Cats, Tide Sea Spirits, Rock Giants, and Sunbirds.
In the future, when entering dimensional planes for training, he could freely choose companion beasts based on the tasks and destination.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, a faint smile curved Li Qian's lips.
Participating in the Freshman Challenge Competition had indeed been a rewarding experience, and he was quite satisfied with his gains.
He sat atop the boulder, contemplating his future plans, while Jiafa circled above him, vigilant of their surroundings.
About half an hour later, a sudden burst of footsteps caught Li Qian's attention.
Another top-tier team of five people appeared before him.
They glanced at Li Qian, then at the fissure, and finally fixed their gaze on Jiafa hovering in mid-air.
"You're Li Qian from Shazhou Beastmaster University, the first place winner in the Cultivation Competition..." One of the muscular men from the five-person team spoke up.
Li Qian didn't respond; there was no need to confirm this information. Seeing Jiafa was enough for them to be certain.
After this Freshman Challenge Competition, Li Qian's reputation within the Beastmaster University circles of Dongxia Federation was well-known, if not universally recognized.
"Li Qian, about this ruin..." The muscular man pointed at the cracked ground.
Li Qian understood what he was getting at and didn't hesitate to refuse outright, "We found it."
"Li Qian, we'd like to discuss something with you..." Another oily-faced man from the team interrupted.
Li Qian didn't wait for him to finish and shook his head, "I know what you're going to say, but... this isn't something we can negotiate."
"Unless you can defeat me!"
This Archaeology Competition didn't prohibit infighting among participants, meaning stealing others' findings was tacitly allowed.
This was the reason the school permitted students to form teams of up to five members.
Li Qian's unwavering refusal made the five-person team's expressions sour, and the oily-faced man became visibly annoyed, "Li Qian, don't be so arrogant just because you're from one of the Eight Greats! It's not like we're afraid of you. Five against one, who knows who will win?" The oily-faced man boasted, relying on their numerical advantage.
Li Qian ignored his bluster and waved his hand, summoning a formation. Qi Zai and Xiao Liu appeared on the scene.
The five-person team couldn't help but swallow at the sight of the Green Scaled Dragon, Sunbird, and the Frost Flame Salamander, which was like a small mountain, flying in mid-air.
With these three companion beasts blocking the way, it would be challenging for even ten people to get past.
"Glug..." The oily-faced man swallowed, then glanced at his teammates. Seeing their nods, he immediately changed his tone, "Um, Li Qian, what I said earlier was just a joke. Don't take it to heart."
"We'll be leaving now."
After leaving behind this awkward statement, the five-person team turned and left without another word. There was another ruin site in the Bone Plain, which they had to find.
Just as they left, Jiafa flew down from mid-air and landed beside Li Qian.
"Master, I can sense a malevolent aura on them..." Jiafa's voice reached Li Qian.
"This is the Bone Plain, a paradise for Necromantic Companion Beasts. It's normal for them to have an Unlucky Aura." Li Qian didn't take this seriously.
"It's not a Necromantic aura, but something even more sinister," Jiafa continued.
After its evolution, its attributes were Light and Fire, and due to its Light attribute, it was highly sensitive to certain restraining energies.
This was why it had detected the Earthwalking Corpse and Tunneling Corpse hiding beneath the surface of Strange Wood Forest.
(End of Chapter)
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