Chapter 387: Battle Pet System

Chapter 387: Battle Pet System

Ji Xinghuo was still hesitating when he turned his head and saw Qinghong approaching, staring intently at the "Star Realm Jump" in his hand. Its mouth was practically dripping with drool, and it looked up at Ji Xinghuo, its tail wagging furiously, its eyes filled with longing.

"You want this?" Ji Xinghuo asked with a smile.

Qinghong nodded vigorously.

But Ji Xinghuo didn't answer immediately, causing Qinghong to anxiously circle around him, almost as if it was about to speak.

With a 97% fusion success rate, it was indeed more suitable for Qinghong.

However, Ji Xinghuo was somewhat reluctant to part with it.

Qinghong possessed the "Gene Reorganization" ability. After consuming the Sky Ray's corpse, it had a high probability of awakening the Star Realm Jump on its own, as this was the Sky Ray's innate ability. He estimated that the chances were at least 70%.

If he then fused with "Star Realm Jump" as well, they would both have it, which would be the safest option.

The success rate wasn't exceptionally high, but it was worth a try.

Ji Xinghuo pointed to the Sky Ray's corpse, "Go ahead and eat it. The Sky Ray has good potential. If you consume it with your Gene Reorganization ability, you'll be able to obtain the Star Realm Jump."

Although the Sky Ray's corpse had been cut into several pieces, it was still mostly intact.

Removing the foreign species wouldn't affect it.

Gene Reorganization couldn't directly grant an existing ability through consumption; the ability had to be awakened after eating the corpse. Fortunately, the Sky Ray wasn't too large, and Qinghong, in its giant form, could swallow it in a few bites.

Qinghong stepped forward and sniffed at the corpse, then immediately backed away, shaking its head frantically at Ji Xinghuo.

Ji Xinghuo was speechless.

"It's a bit smelly, I know, but try to swallow it whole. You'll be able to obtain the Star Meteor species. Just endure it and don't be picky." He patiently coaxed Qinghong.

Qinghong continued to shake its head and moved even further away from the Sky Ray's corpse, letting out a few low whines.

"Do you think its potential is too low?" Ji Xinghuo understood and continued, "The Sky Ray is actually quite good. Void-type monsters are rare, and its size is manageable for you. If you miss this opportunity, who knows when the next one will come along."

He was telling the truth, but Qinghong didn't seem to be buying it.

It simply lay down on the ground.

Finally, Qinghong rolled its eyes, lifted a paw, and pointed at Ji Xinghuo, then at the Sky Ray's corpse. Its meaning was clear, "You have Gene Reorganization too. If anyone should eat it, it should be you."

"Damn!"

Ji Xinghuo couldn't help but laugh at Qinghong's suggestion. However, he seriously considered it for a moment, "No can do."

Firstly, the Sky Ray was too big for him to consume. Secondly, using Gene Reorganization to devour a target would consume one of his fusion opportunities.

Most importantly, the Sky Ray's potential really wasn't that great.

It wasn't worth him consuming it.

Hearing Ji Xinghuo's refusal, Qinghong couldn't help but curl its lips in a mocking smile.

Ji Xinghuo ignored it and thought to himself that since neither he nor Qinghong wanted to use Gene Reorganization, they only had one "Star Realm Jump" species left. Then, through "Symbiotic Fusion," they could share this ability.

He opened the interface of the Myriads Star Pupil.

[Ability: Symbiotic Fusion (Level 3 6845/30109)]



During the previous two upgrades, Symbiotic Fusion had shared an additional ability each time, but he couldn't choose which one. It was all up to luck.

Ji Xinghuo did some calculations. Qinghong currently had 15 abilities. Excluding the three that had already been shared, the three that it had obtained from Ji Xinghuo, and the upcoming Star Realm Jump, there were nine abilities left.

If one random ability out of these ten was shared, the probability was just 10%.

"That's too low..."

Ji Xinghuo shook his head. The reason he hadn't prioritized upgrading Symbiotic Fusion before was that he disliked relying on luck.

Not all of Qinghong's abilities were suitable for him, and there were a few that were quite useless to him.

But it seemed like they didn't have much of a choice.

With a 97% success rate, at least one of them was guaranteed to obtain the Star Realm Jump, and there was a one-tenth chance that he could get it as well. If he gambled on the 78% success rate and failed, they would end up with nothing.

Qinghong mastering the Star Realm Jump would greatly enhance its strength, and it could also bring him along during the jump.

Ji Xinghuo pondered for a long time before making a decision.

"Come here."

He beckoned to Qinghong, who excitedly jumped up and teleported in front of him, its eyes fixed on the foreign species.

Back on Earth, Ji Xinghuo had used Red Poria on Qinghong, and it still had one more fusion opportunity left.

"How should I fuse this foreign species?"

Ji Xinghuo tried placing the foreign species on Qinghong's head. Unexpectedly, the polyhedral spherical foreign species floated in the air, spinning above Qinghong's head. The gray chaotic energy within it flowed rapidly and leaked out.

The foreign species, enveloped in energy, seemed to be drawn towards Qinghong as if pulled by a suction force.

It was like a drop of water, merging into Qinghong's forehead.

Qinghong's eyes were filled with tension as it quickly sensed something. It closed its eyes and lay down, quietly waiting. After about half a minute, Ji Xinghuo saw a faint ripple spreading from Qinghong's body, its range gradually expanding.

Thankfully, the disturbance wasn't too loud, and electromagnetic scans of the surroundings revealed no threats, although the Branch-horned Cloud Deer was scared out of its wits. It wanted to run away, but seeing that Ji Xinghuo hadn't moved, it could only lie down a few hundred meters away, shivering and looking at Qinghong with a mixture of fear and envy.

Ji Xinghuo continued to observe, noticing that the phenomenon on Qinghong's body resembled the Jump Array, imbued with profound knowledge.

He couldn't help but think that the Jump Array must have originated from "Star Realm Jump."

The principles behind them were the same.

It was just that one was a naturally born ability, while the other was an etheric technology mastered after countless years of research.

The fusion continued for over twenty minutes, the ripples in the void gradually subsiding until they finally calmed.

Qinghong opened its eyes.

It leaped up and frolicked excitedly around Ji Xinghuo.

"Alright, alright," Ji Xinghuo said, patting its head. The Myriads Star Pupil interface already displayed the information about the new ability.

This was Qinghong's sixteenth ability.

[Ability: Star Realm Jump (Level 1 1/2011)]



"Show it to me," Ji Xinghuo said. Qinghong's body immediately rippled with void ripples, and he silently counted. By the time he reached 3, Qinghong completed the jump, disappearing from its original spot.

Ji Xinghuo looked towards a direction under the night sky. Through the symbiotic connection, he could locate Qinghong's position.

He flew up and saw Qinghong on a distant mountaintop.

"The jump takes about three seconds," he noted.

"The jump distance is about 20 kilometers."

A few seconds later, Qinghong reappeared from the void but landed imprecisely, nearly a kilometer off from Ji Xinghuo's position. It jumped again to return to his side, looking rather proud of itself.

"Is this your maximum jump distance?" Ji Xinghuo asked.

Qinghong nodded.

Twenty kilometers was much shorter than Ji Xinghuo had expected, but it was understandable. After all, this was only a Level 1 Star Realm Jump, and as the level increased, the distance would undoubtedly grow.

"A single jump takes three seconds, which is a bit slow."

In battles at the Celestial King level, every second was precious. Sometimes, even a difference of a tenth of a second could decide the outcome of a fight.

A three-second jump, if not properly set up, could easily be interrupted by an enemy.

Moreover, one might also encounter space-sealing techniques.

Ji Xinghuo glanced at the interface.

He had over 14,600 points of Spiritual Source Energy, most of which came from the Canghuo Gui, as well as the three Two-headed Flying Dragons he had slain. He hadn't absorbed the energy from the Dark Iron War Scorpion, and the Giant Tree Demon had even managed to escape.

He placed his hand on Qinghong's head and began to channel the energy into it.

In the blink of an eye, Star Realm Jump reached (Level 2 1/12011).

"Try it again," Ji Xinghuo commanded.

Obediently, Qinghong jumped once more, but this time, instead of becoming faster, the jump took even longer—a full five seconds. However, at Level 2, the Star Realm Jump could cover a distance of over 100 kilometers.

"The farther the distance, the longer the duration," Ji Xinghuo realized.

He instructed Qinghong to jump only 20 kilometers, and as expected, the duration shortened significantly, reducing the jump time by about half a second compared to Level 1.

"Again!"

Ji Xinghuo used up the rest of his Spiritual Source Energy, bringing Star Realm Jump to (Level 3 676/61211).

At Level 3, Star Realm Jump could cover a distance of approximately 600 kilometers.

Although each jump now took ten seconds and was getting longer, the jump distance had become quite impressive. If they shortened the distance to within 20 kilometers, they could complete the jump in just two seconds, making it genuinely useful in most battles.

Most importantly, at Level 3 Star Realm Jump, Qinghong was no longer restricted to jumping alone and could bring others along.

Qinghong immediately attempted another jump.

After ten seconds, Ji Xinghuo was enveloped in the void ripples, the world around him warping as they traveled hundreds of kilometers in an instant.

After a few tests, as long as he stayed within 150 meters of Qinghong, they could jump together.

"The Flying Manta Ray's Star Realm Jump is probably also Level 3," Ji Xinghuo concluded, recalling his battle with Canghuo Gui. "Her battle strategy was formidable. If I also had a few powerful battle pets, I could replicate her tactics."

Canghuo Gui's battle pet system revolved around the Flying Manta Ray, but it was too weak. Replacing it with Qinghong would undoubtedly make his system far more powerful.

Qinghong's strength far surpassed the Flying Manta Ray!

Ji Xinghuo's mind raced with possibilities.

Ji Xinghuo picked up the Transcendent Foreign Species, which had a 81% and 96% fusion success rate with himself and Qinghong, respectively, as expected.

Qinghong looked on eagerly, but it had already used up all its fusion attempts.

"I'll keep this for you. I'll give it to you once I find an expansion relic," Ji Xinghuo said as he put away the Phase Shift.

"Don't slack off and keep practicing Star Realm Jump!"

Qinghong nodded vigorously.

It began to practice the jump over and over, gradually becoming more proficient. While its jumping time had decreased slightly, there was still an issue with its accuracy, especially when the jump distance exceeded 100 kilometers, with an error of at least 1 kilometer.

The error margin increased to over 10 kilometers when the jump distance was 600 kilometers, and the longer the distance, the greater the consumption.

This would require a lot of practice to reduce the error.

"If I had a Void Signpost, I could pinpoint locations accurately during battles," Ji Xinghuo said as he watched Qinghong practice. The "Void Signpost" of the Flying Manta Ray was a fused ability, and since it wouldn't form another foreign species to be collected, he would have to find it himself.

At this moment, the Branch-horned Cloud Deer slowly approached and lay half beside Ji Xinghuo, constantly looking at him.

Ji Xinghuo saw through its intentions at a glance but pretended not to understand.

As expected, after a couple of minutes, the Branch-horned Cloud Deer couldn't help but nudge Ji Xinghuo with its branch-like antlers, its eyes full of pleading.

"Go graze somewhere else," Ji Xinghuo said as he swatted it away.

But the Branch-horned Cloud Deer didn't leave.

It kept sticking close to Ji Xinghuo, making him laugh, "You weren't this cooperative when I was taming you yesterday."

"You can choose one."

Ji Xinghuo took out three foreign species: Thousand Winds and Cutting Blades, Spear of Sound, and Limb Regeneration.

He didn't know the Branch-horned Cloud Deer's ability information, but he could tell that it lacked offensive capabilities. The first two foreign species were only of Exquisite quality, but they were very suitable for the deer, and the fusion success rate wouldn't be low.

Limb Regeneration would also enhance the deer's recovery ability.

However, this was like casting pearls before swine.

The Branch-horned Cloud Deer didn't understand a word Ji Xinghuo was saying. It opened its mouth, intending to swallow all three foreign species.

Ji Xinghuo was quick, and he retrieved two of them.

It only got to eat the Thousand Winds and Cutting Blades.

This was one of the Heretic Wind Master's occupational template abilities, allowing control of the airflow to form numerous wind blades for cutting through enemies like a storm. Alternatively, all the wind blades could be merged into a large, extremely sharp wind blade.

The Branch-horned Cloud Deer had only eaten one Qingkong Fruit, so it could only fuse with one foreign species.

Thousand Winds and Cutting Blades was a good fit, making up for its shortcomings.

A moment later.

The Branch-horned Cloud Deer successfully fused with Thousand Winds and Cutting Blades and immediately scampered off. It only returned after a while, having presumably gone elsewhere to test its new ability. It then came back to nudge Ji Xinghuo, wanting expansion relics and foreign species.

Of course, Ji Xinghuo wouldn't give it any more.

He shocked the Branch-horned Cloud Deer with electricity, making it scurry away in pain.

Only now did he realize how truly intelligent Qinghong was, understanding human nature and acting accordingly without needing much guidance.

While the Branch-horned Cloud Deer was intelligent among monsters, it ultimately acted on its wild instincts, falling far short of Qinghong.

"Not smart enough, and its potential isn't great either," Ji Xinghuo shook his head.

If he were to establish a battle pet system, each pet would need to have a Symbiotic Species or similar abilities, occupying one fusion opportunity. The Branch-horned Cloud Deer wasn't worth it, so he decided to exclude it.

While the deer had many abilities, none of them were outstanding, and it could only serve as a temporary mount at best.

At this thought, Ji Xinghuo suddenly activated the Dragon Ring.

A headless corpse fell out, and even though it had been dead for several dozen hours, stiff and cold, its tall figure could still be discerned.

Ji Xinghuo placed his hand on the corpse.

Of course, he didn't intend to do anything to it; rather, when he had been searching through the spoils of battle earlier, an ability prompt had popped up in his vision.

In the past, he had touched enemies' corpses without any reaction.

Until now.

For some reason, Canghuo Gui's corpse was like that of a monster, and the Myriads Star Pupil displayed her information, indicating that he could collect her foreign species!

[Race: True Dragonkin]



[Tier: Sixth Tier]



[Foreign Species: Dragon Vein, Canghuo Dragon's Blood, Canghuo Dragon's Body, Dragon Wings, Dragon Roar, Blazing Rush, Stellar Vigor, Aether Affinity, Beast Speaker, Sensory Sync, Hibernation, Symbiotic Species, Symbiotic Species, Frenzy, Vacuum Sense]



Ji Xinghuo's gaze fell on "Dragon Vein."

Because aside from this foreign species, the others couldn't be collected.

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end