Chapter 68: Symbiosis of the Unusual

Chapter 68: Symbiosis of the Unusual

As soon as Ji Xinghuo stepped out of the airship landing field, he sensed several gazes fall upon him, only to quickly shift away.

His magnetic field perception identified the sources of these gazes.

They belonged to three unusual individuals: one sitting in a restaurant just outside the landing field gate, another secretly observing from a third-floor room across the street, and the last one disguised as a traveler, blending in with the crowd.

Their eyes scanned the people coming and going from the airship landing field, paying extra attention to solitary travelers, particularly those carrying bows and arrows.

These solitary figures had one thing in common—they were all archers.

"People from the Beast Garden Group?" Ji Xinghuo speculated inwardly.

The Beast Garden hunting party was supposed to have returned to Olympia long ago. That super tamer's status must be quite high; after he killed her, the Beast Garden Group would surely seek retribution.

However, Ji Xinghuo wasn't overly concerned. The day he faced her, he had kept his face concealed, revealing only his eyes.

Before entering Freedom City, he had changed his equipment.

He had put away his Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow and Thunder Chase Battle Sword, replacing them with the composite bow taken from the hunter he had shot down. He had also removed his ceramic steel armor and donned a set of black leather armor, even swapping his backpack. His entire appearance and gear were now completely different from when he had set out.

Ji Xinghuo strolled out of the landing field, feigning ignorance of the covert surveillance on him.

Then he boarded a steam bus.

As expected, no one followed him aboard, indicating that his disguise had worked.

He sat at the back of the bus, with no one beside him. Little Green Snake poked its tiny head out of his chest pocket, curiously observing its surroundings with golden eyes.

A few hours ago, when they were about to enter Freedom City, it had been thoroughly frightened, even contemplating escape.

It took Ji Xinghuo a long time to calm it down and persuade it to enter the city.

"Stay hidden and don't let others discover you," Ji Xinghuo gently pushed its head back into the pocket and whispered. In some ways, Olympia was more dangerous than the wilderness, with its complex and varied scents and environment. If Little Green Snake got lost, it might be difficult to find it again.

The little snake protested by giving his finger a slight nip, not even breaking the skin.

"You little guy..."

Ji Xinghuo felt helpless.

The primary goal of this trip back was to address the communication issue with Little Green Snake.

The most direct method would be to fuse with the "Beast Speaker" unusual species, just like tamers did. However, he had no interest in becoming a tamer and wasn't willing to waste an opportunity to fuse with an unusual species just for a ability that allowed him to communicate with beasts.

There were many abilities that enabled communication with star beasts.

Apart from Beast Speaker, there were Avian Ally, Telepathy, Sensory Synchronization, and Mind Link, to name a few. Fusing with an unusual species wasn't the only option.

Many superpower equipment companies developed devices that facilitated communication with pets.

Typically, they would create lightweight and compact accessories infused with unusual species, which could be worn at all times and were known as Taming Accessories.

The effects of Taming Accessories paled in comparison to fusing with an unusual species.

For example, while both Beast Speakers and tamers could communicate with their battle pets at any time and maintain a close connection, a Beast Speaker brooch would consume several times more stellar energy when used. Moreover, when not in use, the connection with the battle pet would be severed, making it challenging to maintain a close bond with the pet.

Even so, Taming Accessories were a valuable supplement. They provided individuals other than tamers with the opportunity to own battle pets.

Many tamers also purchased Taming Accessories to enable them to control a larger number of battle pets.

However, Taming Accessories were extremely expensive.

The cheapest ones were still Superpower Level 1, yet their price was two to three times that of other Superpower Level 1 equipment, often exceeding ten million stars.

Ji Xinghuo's minimum requirement was to purchase a Taming Accessory.

But he had his sights set even higher.

There was a super-limit ability called "Symbiosis of the Unusual," which allowed an unusual individual and their battle pet to establish the closest possible connection, enabling not only instant telepathic communication but also sharing each other's abilities! The unusual individual could gain one ability from their battle pet.

In turn, the battle pet would also gain an ability from its owner, resulting in a true win-win situation.

Fusing with Symbiosis of the Unusual was akin to fusing with a new ability, plus the additional benefit of gaining a battle pet. It offered far better value than fusing with a solitary ability. The greater the potential of the battle pet, the higher the returns from ability symbiosis, and the upper limit depended on the pet's future potential!

The vast majority of tamers, as well as unusual individuals who owned battle pets, coveted Symbiosis of the Unusual.

Consequently, it was highly sought-after.

And as a super-limit ability, the cheapest unusual species of this level would cost upwards of a thousand stars, let alone Symbiosis of the Unusual, which countless people desired.

Thus, Ji Xinghuo merely had this idea but lacked confidence in achieving it.

It all depended on how much money he could make from the harvest of this trip.

Ji Xinghuo alighted from the bus on Qinghao Street, and as he approached the villa district, he used his magnetic field perception to scan the area, a smile spreading across his face.

Ren Mian and Jiang Nan Caiyi were both back.

Chi Zhonglin wasn't around, probably out and about, but he would return in the evening.

"Are they waiting for me?"

Instead of heading straight into the villa district, Ji Xinghuo turned into an empty alley, changed back into his ceramic steel armor, slung the Dragon Falcon Eagle Bow on his back, and sheathed the Thunder Chase at his waist. He placed the unusual species harvested on this trip into his backpack and arranged everything to resemble a typical hunting expedition. Only then did he proceed toward the villa's entrance.

Just as he reached the door, Jiang Nan Caiyi opened it from the inside.

"Xinghuo!"

Her face lit up with surprise and delight. "You're finally back!"

"Caiyi," Ji Xinghuo embraced her lightly before letting go and stepping inside. "When did you two return to Olympia?"

"I came back last week," Caiyi said as she helped Ji Xinghuo with his large backpack and disarmed him. "Your sister returned three days ago, and Zhonglin came back yesterday, but he's not home right now. He went out to hang out with friends.

He glanced towards another door in the villa's hallway.

Ren Mian emerged from the garden, wearing a fitted summer dress and a sun hat, her stunning face adorned with a gentle smile.

"Sister Ren," Ji Xinghuo greeted her.

Ren Mian surveyed him from head to toe, nodding slightly. "It looks like you've had quite the successful hunt. Your strength must have increased significantly."

Jiang Nan Caiyi suddenly spoke up, "Sister Mian was worried about you when she heard that you went off on your own. She said that if you didn't return in a few days, she would go to Juefeng Valley to look for you."

Ji Xinghuo had mentioned in his letter that he would be going to Juefeng Valley.

"I'm sorry to have caused Sister Ren worry," Ji Xinghuo said with a smile.

"You're my teammate. As the team leader, it's only right that I worry about your safety," Ren Mian replied, her expression unchanged, though her words seemed somewhat unnecessary.

Ji Xinghuo gave her a meaningful look, "Of course."

"Speaking of Juefeng Valley, I heard that a Star Tear appeared there. Were you there when it happened? Did you try to find it?" Ren Mian changed the subject.

"Yes, I was there. The Star Tear flew right over my head as it fell," Ji Xinghuo nodded.

"What a coincidence!" Jiang Nan Caiyi exclaimed in surprise.

"It was quite a spectacle. It was my first time witnessing a stellar phenomenon like that. So, I immediately went to search for the Star Tear, but there were too many people, and after searching for several days, I had no luck. It's too dangerous to be out there alone, so I decided to come back," Ji Xinghuo explained with a laugh.

Ren Mian found this strange, "With your magnetic field perception, you still couldn't find it?"

"Maybe I just had bad luck," Ji Xinghuo shrugged, not wanting to reveal that he had obtained the Star Tear just yet, as it would only bring unnecessary trouble.

Jiang Nan Caiyi felt sorry for him, "What a pity."

"Xinghuo, why don't you go freshen up, and I'll make you a bowl of noodles. You can tell us about your hunting trip while you eat," Jiang Nan Caiyi suggested.

"Sure," Ji Xinghuo agreed.

After a refreshing shower, Ji Xinghuo returned to the dining room feeling rejuvenated.

Jiang Nan Caiyi had prepared a delicious-looking bowl of beef noodles with two boiled eggs on the side, making his mouth water.

"Thank you, Caiyi," Ji Xinghuo said gratefully.

Under the watchful eyes of the two beauties, Ji Xinghuo devoured the entire bowl of noodles in just two minutes, burped contentedly, and sat back with a satisfied smile.

"Your cooking skills are improving, Caiyi. When I was away, I often craved your cooking. It's great to finally be able to enjoy it again," he complimented sincerely.

"You're too kind, Xinghuo," Jiang Nan Caiyi blushed slightly, clearly pleased by his words.

Suddenly, they heard Chi Zhonglin's footsteps approaching the door.

He pushed the door open and, upon seeing the three of them, exclaimed, "I was wondering why I could smell beef noodles. So, it's because Xinghuo is back. Caiyi, make me a bowl too, will you? I'm starving!" He rubbed his belly, his face full of anticipation.

"Of course, Zhonglin. Just give me a moment," Jiang Nan Caiyi asked, "Xinghuo, do you want another bowl?"

Ji Xinghuo nodded, "That would be great, Caiyi."

Chi Zhonglin sat down next to them, slinging a friendly arm around Ji Xinghuo's shoulders, "You've got guts, going off to Juefeng Valley on your own like that, especially as a junior ranger. And you made it back in one piece too. So, how was it? What did you find?"

Ji Xinghuo stood up and grabbed his backpack, dumping over two hundred unusual species onto the table with a loud clatter.

"So many?!"

Chi Zhonglin's eyes widened in shock.

Usually, when the three of them went hunting together, they would only obtain forty to fifty unusual species, and that was because their strengths far surpassed that of other unusual individuals.

Yet, Ji Xinghuo had acquired four to five times more on his own!

"How many monsters did you kill?!" Chi Zhonglin picked up one of the unusual species from the table, examining each one carefully. Most of them were Rockhide, making up about two-thirds of the collection. The rest were of decent quality, including Strong, Bouncy, Balanced, and even an exceptional Gigantism!

"I've lost count, but they were all pretty easy," Ji Xinghuo said as he picked up a stone-like unusual species from the table.

Before Chi Zhonglin could take a closer look, Ren Mian recognized it and exclaimed, "Turtle Shell Rock Body!"

"What?!"

Chi Zhonglin was astonished. He, of course, knew that Xuanwu Rock Body was a super-limit ability. He jumped up in surprise, "You killed a Groteus, the Granite Reaper?!"

"Of course not," Ji Xinghuo laughed dryly, "It was another Stone Scythe Giant, a super-level monster, but it didn't have the Earth Pulse ability."

Chi Zhonglin's emotions swung from excitement to disappointment, and he stood there for a few seconds before sighing in regret, "Ah, if only it had Earth Pulse. What a shame, what a shame!"

He sat back down, shaking his head with a smile, "But then again, if it had Earth Pulse, you might not have been able to hunt it down. Even so, it's impressive that you were able to take down a Stone Scythe Giant on your own. If I had gone, I wouldn't have had half a chance."

Ji Xinghuo felt the same way.

The Stone Scythe Giant's strength lay in close combat, and he had just happened to counter it perfectly. He had also taken advantage of an excellent strategic position.

"Do you want this Xuanwu Rock Body ability? If you do, I can sell it to you at a discounted price," he offered.

"No thanks," Chi Zhonglin declined, clearly not interested. "I already have the Tungsten Dragon Scale, which is just as good for defense and doesn't affect my agility or speed."

He handed the Xuanwu Rock Body unusual species back to Ji Xinghuo.

Ji Xinghuo turned to Ren Mian, "Sister Ren, I want to sell all these unusual species and use the money to buy a symbiotic unusual species. Do you think that's possible?"

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end