Chapter 686: Beyond Oneself
Chapter 686: Beyond Oneself (Combined)
The next day, Qiao Sang woke up, washed up quickly, and went to the kitchen, where she saw Vice Principal already busy at work.
"Just five more minutes, it'll be ready soon", Liu Yao said while preparing the Energy Pills for Fangy and the others.
Qiao Sang walked over and asked, "Is there anything I can help with?"
"No need", Liu Yao replied, still focused on his task without looking up. "I just adjusted the Energy Pill formula based on Flame Kiru and the others' current physical conditions. I made new ones, and you wouldn't know which one belongs to whom."
Having an A-Class Breeder around really is great... Qiao Sang thought to herself, then suddenly heard some movement nearby.
She turned her head and saw Treasure Seeker opening the fridge, rummaging for snacks.
"Don't touch them", Qiao Sang said.
"Xunxun?" Treasure Seeker turned around, looking a bit confused.
"We'll have breakfast soon, don't eat snacks now", Qiao Sang explained.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker looked at the snacks in the fridge, then at Qiao Sang, and pointed toward the living room.
Qiao Sang followed Treasure Seeker's gaze and saw another Treasure Seeker watching a tear-jerker on the computer screen, occasionally wiping its eyes with a tissue held in its claws.
Qiao Sang was silent for a moment before asking, "It asked you to get snacks?"
"Xunxun."
The Treasure Seeker in front of her nodded.
Qiao Sang had an idea and checked the Beastmaster Codex. After a brief pause, she asked, "Are you the Substitute?"
"Xunxun."
The "Treasure Seeker" nodded.
So the Substitute can be used like this... Qiao Sang looked at the Treasure Seeker quietly wiping its eyes with a complex expression, then said, "Don't get snacks for it. Tell it that breakfast will be ready soon."
"Xunxun."
The "Treasure Seeker" nodded, closed the fridge, and floated back to the original.
Qiao Sang watched the Substitute.
It went over and spoke to the Treasure Seeker, who nodded and then handed a tissue to the Substitute. Soon, both Ghost Ring Kings were staring at the computer screen, tears streaming down their faces as they wiped them away.
Qiao Sang: "..."
At the dining table, Qiao Sang enjoyed the breakfast Vice Principal had prepared, but her mind was elsewhere.
"What are you thinking about?" Liu Yao asked.
Qiao Sang lowered her voice and asked, "Vice Principal, do you think a Substitute at Mastery Level can develop its own consciousness?"
While looking at the Beastmaster Codex last night, she noticed that Treasure Seeker's Substitute had reached Mastery Level, though it hadn't yet reached its peak.
Liu Yao immediately understood what Qiao Sang was worried about.
He glanced at the Ghost Ring King devouring its breakfast and said, "A Substitute at Mastery Level cannot develop a separate consciousness. It can just stay out longer and understand the original's thoughts and feelings. Whatever the original feels, it feels as well."
"A Master-level Substitute can act independently. Your Ghost Ring King probably felt lonely playing the computer by itself, so it summoned its Substitute to keep it company."
He paused and then added earnestly, "However, it's best to limit the time your familiar spends on the computer, especially since your Ghost Ring King is still in its prime growth stage."
Liu Yao had actually wanted to say this for a while. Every time he came back or went to the bathroom at night, he saw the Ghost Ring King and its Substitute playing on the computer.
This was definitely not a good habit.
But with Qiao Sang's familiar already trained to such a high level, he didn't feel right interfering with a lecture.
This time, he finally got his chance.
Qiao Sang smiled slightly. "Don't worry, when Treasure Seeker uses Substitute, it's like training. Its Substitute proficiency wasn't that high originally. It's only been improving recently by playing computer games with Substitute."
Hearing this, Liu Yao seemed deep in thought.
Indeed, thinking back, the Ghost Ring King's Substitute had become much more agile recently. If someone wasn't familiar with it, they wouldn't be able to tell the difference from the original...
Could it be that using Substitute for any activity increases its proficiency? Liu Yao fell into deep contemplation.
Meanwhile, Treasure Seeker continued to quietly eat Energy Pills, seemingly oblivious to the conversation.
"Seek~ hic~"
At the same time, in an unused room, a Ghost Ring King, without eating anything, was burping and playing computer games.
...
After breakfast, Qiao Sang came to a room, half-lying on the bed, and took out her mobile phone, opening a second-hand platform.
Since the investment couldn't be made with a credit card, she had to buy some rare materials and artifacts from physical stores or various websites for resale.
This was not an easy task.
To quickly sell goods and raise money, she had to lower the prices, but if the prices were too low, others wouldn't believe they were genuine. If the prices were slightly lower than the market rate, others would think they were second-hand and consider the prices too high.
It was a tricky situation.
It took Qiao Sang over half a month to gather enough money to invest in Hylis.
Fortunately, Owen and Wen Xiao hadn't started their respective businesses yet, so they were easy to talk to; otherwise, the collaboration might have fallen through.
Qiao Sang replied to the buyer's questions.
After some haggling and persistent communication, the transaction was finally successful.
Qiao Sang put down her mobile phone and looked at Steel Treasure, who was training Iron Wall. "Steel Treasure, pack up the Ice Mist Bud. Someone wants it."
"Steel Guardian."
Steel Treasure put away Iron Wall, nodded, and walked out the door.
Qiao Sang watched Steel Treasure's back with a satisfied smile. Although Steel Treasure didn't talk much, it observed and understood almost everything.
Just take the batch of goods, for example. It knew where they were stored, what they looked like, and their names. This was impressive; she hadn't seen any other familiar do this before.
Suddenly, Qiao Sang thought of something and entered her Beastmaster Codex.
The pages flipped quickly to the page about Steel Treasure.
【Name: Steel Guardian】
【Attributes: Steel, Flying】
【Level: Intermediate (8466/10000) +】
Recently, Steel Treasure had been training with Lulu and hadn't learned Clone. Qiao Sang thought that with more energy, training might be easier, so she occasionally added some points to its level.
Steel Treasure had participated in the Beast Arena in the Third District and accumulated many points, enough to directly evolve it into a High-Class Beast Companion.
She had planned to let Steel Treasure use the points to evolve once it mastered a skill. After all, the next stage was unknown, and she couldn't count on finding another Dream Insight Stone.
Unfortunately, Steel Treasure didn't have Fangy's Clone or Treasure Seeker's Substitute. It still had to sleep on time due to its feather issue and couldn't stay up all night practicing like Lulu.
During the day, besides spending two hours on Movement Training with Lulu, it also had to practice Iron Wall for her, a Fragile Beastmaster, and practice Air Absorb and Blade Feather. Occasionally, it had to take care of the five Crystal Producers, keeping very busy.
At this rate, with the current level points, it might naturally evolve before mastering any skill.
It looks like I need to reduce the number of training projects for Steel Treasure and focus on just one of them for now...
With this thought, Qiao Sang glanced at the proficiency levels of Iron Wall, Air Absorb, and Blade Feather, then exited the Beastmaster Codex.
Eight minutes later, Steel Treasure pushed the door open and entered.
As soon as it came in, it noticed its Beastmaster’s gaze on it.
"Steel Guardian?"
Steel Treasure called out, asking if something was up.
"Here's the thing", Qiao Sang got straight to the point. "I want you to focus on practicing just one skill from now on."
"Steel Guardian?"
Steel Treasure looked puzzled.
Why?
Qiao Sang patiently explained:
"You're going to evolve soon, and it’s important to be prepared. If you can master one skill before evolving, you’ll be stronger in the early stages compared to other familiars evolving at the same time, and you’ll have greater potential."
This wasn’t just a casual suggestion; it was based on the experiences of Fangy and the others.
"Steel Guardian..."
Steel Treasure was taken aback.
It was going to evolve so soon...
It felt like it had just evolved into its Intermediate form not long ago...
But if its Beastmaster said so, it must be true...
"Steel Guardian?"
Steel Treasure looked up at its Beastmaster.
So, which skill should it focus on next?
Qiao Sang smiled and asked:
"What skill do you want to practice?"
"Steel Guardian."
Steel Treasure thought for a moment and called out, indicating it wanted to practice Iron Wall.
Qiao Sang was a bit surprised.
Before the incident in the Nineteenth District, Steel Treasure hadn’t been very enthusiastic about practicing Iron Wall. It preferred skills that could directly harm targets.
Could it be that it’s focusing on Iron Wall for my sake... Qiao Sang felt a warm, touched feeling in her heart and asked softly:
"Why do you want to practice this skill?"
"Steel Guardian."
Steel Treasure calmly explained its reasoning.
Among the skills it was currently practicing, Iron Wall was the simplest, so it could improve its proficiency the fastest by focusing on it.
Qiao Sang: "..."
She had been touched too soon... Qiao Sang controlled her facial expression and said, "You’re right to consider this."
In fact, after checking the proficiency levels of the skills, she had also intended for Steel Treasure to practice Iron Wall.
Its Iron Wall was already at the late mastery stage, close to perfection, making it the skill closest to reaching master level among the three.
"Steel Guardian."
At this point, Steel Treasure looked serious and called out, indicating that besides Iron Wall, it also wanted to continue practicing Clone.
Qiao Sang stared at Steel Treasure for a moment, not asking why, and simply nodded:
"Alright."
She could see the determination in Steel Treasure’s eyes to learn Clone.
"Steel Guardian."
Steel Treasure’s mouth twitched slightly in a small smile.
...
7:00 PM.
Open Training Ground.
In the dark of the night, large chunks of hail fell from the sky like translucent stones.
A purple figure darted through the hail, moving swiftly to avoid being hit.
Initially, Steel Treasure found it easy, but as time went on, it started to feel a bit strained.
Practicing Clone meant reducing the time spent on Iron Wall, and Steel Treasure was aware of this.
However, it felt like it was just a little bit away from mastering Clone, so it wasn’t willing to give up on it just yet.
Faster, just a bit faster... If it could master Clone quickly, it could then focus more time on Iron Wall...
Steel Treasure gritted its teeth, its expression determined, and its speed, which had slowed down, picked up again.
Bang!
A Hailstorm struck its Wings.
Steel Treasure's body wavered, and its Speed suddenly slowed.
The Hailstorm continued to fall, relentlessly battering Steel Treasure.
"Steel Guardian!"
Steel Treasure, being an Intermediate Beast, was no match for the Advanced weather Skill. Although the Hailstorm was an Advanced Skill, Lulu, who had been practicing with Steel Treasure for a while, had significantly improved her proficiency. The continuous hailstones were too much for Steel Treasure to bear, and it let out a pained cry.
Lulu, watching from below, instinctively prepared to cast Healing Light.
Her energy flowed, and the gem on her forehead emitted a Blue Light.
But just then, Steel Treasure, only a few centimeters from the ground, flapped its Wings with all its might and soared back into the sky.
"Icechill..."
Lulu hesitated for a moment and then retracted the Healing Light.
High in the air, the Hailstorm rained down densely, striking Steel Treasure repeatedly.
Steel Treasure gritted its teeth and controlled its body.
Faster, faster!
It felt like it was about to learn Clone!
It could sense it!
"Steel Guardian!"
Steel Treasure clenched its jaw, and its energy burst forth, pushing its Speed to an extreme.
At the same time, a white light enveloped its body.
Below, Lulu looked up.
All she could see was a white lightning-like figure darting through the Hailstorm, moving so fast that its outline was indistinct.
"Icechill..."
...
In the room.
"So, after all these days of practice, you didn't learn Clone, but instead learned Flash of Lightning?" Qiao Sang was surprised but also excited after reading the Beastmaster Codex.
"Steel Guardian..."
Steel Treasure nodded with a helpless expression.
It had always thought it was just a little away from learning Clone, but it turned out to be a different Skill.
Qiao Sang smiled.
"Flash of Lightning is great. This Skill is very versatile, useful for both attacking and evading."
Flash of Lightning is a general Intermediate Skill, and only familiars with strong burst power, high Speed, and physical strength can learn it.
With this move, even among Electric Beasts known for their Speed at the same Level, Steel Treasure could hold its own.
"Steel Guardian."
Seeing its Beastmaster's apparent happiness, Steel Treasure's gloomy mood lifted. It called out, indicating that it would stop practicing Clone for now.
"Why?" Qiao Sang was a bit confused.
This morning, Steel Treasure had seemed determined to learn Clone.
"Steel Guardian, Steel Guardian."
Steel Treasure flapped its Wings.
During recent training, it had felt like it was about to learn a new Skill, and it had assumed it would be Clone. Instead, it learned Flash of Lightning, and after that, it no longer had that feeling.
So, before reaching Mastery Level in Iron Wall, it decided not to waste time practicing Clone. It would focus on completing the Iron Wall mission first.
Such a clear goal... Qiao Sang smiled. "Alright, we'll practice Clone later."
"Icechill..."
Lulu watched the scene silently from the side.
It felt like everyone, whether Fangy, Treasure Seeker, or Steel Treasure, was making rapid progress, except for itself...
Lulu's dark blue eyes flickered with a hint of darkness.
It walked to the water tank containing Sanctified Essence Water, jumped in, lay down, closed its eyes, and began to circulate its energy.
(End of Chapter)
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