Chapter 73: Iron-scaled Serpent
Chapter 73: Iron-scaled Serpent
"Symbiotic Fusion can be upgraded too?"
Ji Xinghuo was surprised by the information displayed on his interface. As far as he knew, Symbiotic Fusion only allowed the master and their battle pet to share a single superpower. If it could be upgraded, wouldn't there be a high chance of sharing a second or even a third superpower? This was yet another secret unknown to ordinary people.
However, without Spiritual Source Energy, how could others upgrade Symbiotic Fusion? There was no method to train this unique superpower.
The 97% fusion success rate indicated a high compatibility with his own Symbiotic Fusion.
Seeing Ji Xinghuo's hesitation, Ren Mian said, "The fusion method for Symbiotic Fusion is simple. Just make a small cut on your body, and it will merge with your body through your blood."
"I understand," Ji Xinghuo replied. He had learned previously that he needed to fuse with Symbiotic Fusion first and then choose the battle pet with which he wanted to share a superpower.
He drew his combat knife and made a cut on his palm.
Before the wound could heal, Ji Xinghuo gently pinched the alien creature. The soft, mud-like being deformed under the pressure, stretching like a blob of glue but maintaining its integrity without breaking. He placed the creature on his injured palm, and it immediately sucked on his blood like a leech, quickly burrowing into the wound.
Ji Xinghuo felt a stinging sensation in his palm, along with an itching feeling.
With a slight movement of his Rotating Magnetic Field, the wound healed in just a few seconds.
At the same time, he felt a strange energy running through his arms and spreading throughout his body, merging with his blood and permeating every part of him, but without the painful sensation.
Through the Myriad Astral Eyes interface, he could clearly see the process as Symbiotic Fusion rapidly spread through his body like a virus.
As the fusion began, his stellar power also gradually increased.
Ren Mian and Jiang Nan Cayi watched Ji Xinghuo closely, but his expressionless face gave no indication of what was happening.
It was only after several minutes that he opened his eyes.
"Success?" Ren Mian asked with concern.
Ji Xinghuo nodded slightly.
A new entry appeared on his Myriad Astral Eyes interface under superpowers: [Symbiotic Fusion (Level 1/3299)], and his stellar power had increased to 383 points! Symbiotic Fusion could indeed be upgraded.
However, the amount of Spiritual Source Energy required for its upgrade was outrageous. Just for the first level, it needed almost double the amount required for the second level of Rotating Magnetic Field. There was no way he could upgrade it in the short term.
Unaware of Ji Xinghuo's thoughts, Ren Mian said, "Now you can share a superpower with Tie Jianqing."
Ji Xinghuo looked at Jiang Nan Cayi.
During this period, she had been the one feeding the little green snake. With its daily delicious meals, its body had noticeably grown thicker. Although it spent most of its time with Ji Xinghuo, it hadn't become distant.
The little green snake crawled out of Jiang Nan Cayi's pocket and revealed Tie Jianqing's true form on the table. Its golden eyes fixed on Ji Xinghuo, as if it already knew what was about to happen.
"Open your mouth," Ji Xinghuo said, and Tie Jianqing obediently opened its serpent mouth wide.
He cut his palm again, this time making a much deeper wound. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he squeezed out his blood and poured it into Tie Jianqing's mouth.
As he fed his blood to Tie Jianqing, Ji Xinghuo smiled at the two girls and said, "I hope my luck won't be too bad."
Symbiotic Fusion wasn't perfect.
It couldn't choose which superpower it wanted to share; instead, it would randomly select one from the battle pet's repertoire. Whether it was good or bad depended entirely on luck.
Similarly, the superpower shared by the battle pet from its master was also random.
Tie Jianqing had at least four superpowers: Dimensional Stomach, Miniaturization, Iron Scales, and Spiritual Scent. If Ji Xinghuo could choose, he would undoubtedly pick Dimensional Stomach first. Miniaturization, as an ultra-limit superpower, was extremely useful and highly functional.
Iron Scales and Spiritual Scent were only superior superpowers, far inferior to the first two.
"It has to be Dimensional Stomach!"
Ji Xinghuo silently prayed as he continued to bleed himself.
Tie Jianqing gulped down mouthfuls of fresh blood. When it had consumed about 200 milliliters, a faint bloody light appeared on its scales.
"That should be enough," Ren Mian advised.
Ji Xinghuo immediately stopped the bleeding and allowed the wound to heal.
After drinking its fill, Tie Jianqing lay on the table, drowsy and content. Streams of bloody light flowed outside its body, and the blood infused with Symbiotic Fusion traveled from its stomach to the rest of its body, seeping into its flesh and merging with its organs. The process was similar to when Ji Xinghuo had fused with Symbiotic Fusion.
Ji Xinghuo stared at Tie Jianqing, and gradually, he felt a vague connection forming. Without needing to use his eyes, he could sense Tie Jianqing's presence.
This connection grew stronger, and he felt a change in his body.
Suddenly, Ji Xinghuo felt an itch on his skin.
"Xinghuo, your face is turning green!" Jiang Nan Cayi exclaimed.
Ji Xinghuo touched his face, feeling a hard and smooth texture, as if he were touching scales.
"Damn!"
He had a bad feeling about this. When he raised his hand, he saw that his palm was covered in scales, a vibrant shade of green. The center of each scale, no bigger than a fingernail, was deep green, gradually fading to a golden hue towards the edges. Thin as paper, the scales perfectly adhered to his body, fitting together seamlessly.
Before long, the scales rapidly spread from his arms to his neck, chest, back, and the rest of his body, even turning his eyes a golden yellow.
"I've turned into a little green man too, just like Chi Zhonglin," Ji Xinghuo said.
Iron Scales was a superior ability that, when activated, generated scales all over the user's body, as hard as iron. It greatly improved defense and strike resistance without compromising speed and flexibility.
This ability was a notch below Chi Zhonglin's Tungsten Dragon Scales but was still better than Spiritual Scent, as it had its uses and held some potential.
Ji Xinghuo consoled himself with these thoughts as he opened the Myriad Astral Eyes interface.
However, he froze after just a glance.
The interface had split into two! One large and one small.
The larger one displayed his own information as usual, while the smaller, newly-appeared interface showcased new information.
Spirit Beast: Tie Jianqing
Rank: Elite
Abilities: Dimensional Stomach (Level 1/1021), Miniaturization (Level 1/349), Golden Spine Iron Scales (Level 2/257), Spiritual Scent (Level 2/113), Ether Affinity (Level 3/1439)
On the right side of the small interface was a holographic image of Tie Jianqing, indicating the location of the abilities within its body.
This was identical to his own interface! Ji Xinghuo managed to control his expression and refrained from losing his composure in front of Ren Mian and Jiang Nan Cayi.
This new interface provided a wealth of information, and the most crucial point was that he could use Spiritual Source Energy to upgrade Tie Jianqing's abilities! It had shared his Ether Affinity.
This would undoubtedly boost Tie Jianqing's growth rate significantly, and the progress of Ether Affinity was synced with his own. Any future upgrades to Ether Affinity would benefit Tie Jianqing as well.
Additionally, why wasn't it Iron Scales?
Ji Xinghuo had always assumed that Tie Jianqing possessed the superior ability, Iron Scales, but now, looking at the interface information, he realized he had misjudged.
Golden Spine Iron Scales!
From the name, he deduced that it not only provided a sturdy set of scales but also fortified the spine and bones, especially the spinal column.
He carefully sensed the change and found that his strength had indeed increased.
"As expected, it's similar to Iron Bones!"
Iron Bones was a superior ability included in the Iron Guard's profession template, fortifying the user's bones to be as sturdy as iron. Bones were the body's most critical support structure and force transmission system, so strengthening them resulted in a corresponding increase in strength.
Ji Xinghuo guessed that when Tie Jianqing evolved into a spirit beast, its Iron Scales ability had also mutated.
Golden Spine Iron Scales not only provided tough scales but also a robust spine. The combination of these two superior abilities resulted in an exceptional ability.
"Not bad, not bad at all."
Ji Xinghuo soon felt relieved.
Golden Spine Iron Scales compensated for his defensive shortcomings, and it could be upgraded. It seemed that as the level increased, the color of the scales would gradually change from greenish-blue to golden.
He was a little green man now, but he would become a little golden man in the future.
"It's a bit of a pity..."
Ren Mian saw the scales on Ji Xinghuo's face recede and shook her head regretfully. Jiang Nan Cayi also looked disappointed. Anyone would probably feel regretful for missing out on a stellar ability.
They didn't know that Symbiotic Fusion could be upgraded, and there would be future opportunities to share abilities again.
"It's fine," Ji Xinghuo said nonchalantly. "I've bonded well with the little green snake, and I can still use its Dimensional Stomach. There isn't much difference."
"You still call it 'little green snake'?" Ren Mian smiled. "You should give it a name. After all, it's a spirit beast and will be your companion for many years to come."
"You have more ink in your belly, Ren Jie. Help me come up with one," Ji Xinghuo replied.
"Let me think about it," Ren Mian said.
At that moment, Tie Jianqing woke up.
Its golden eyes were filled with curiosity as Ether Affinity allowed it to perceive information it couldn't see before, quickly understanding the value of this new ability.
Ji Xinghuo gestured for it to come to him, and Tie Jianqing immediately understood his intention. It shrunk to only a few centimeters in length, nimbly climbed onto his palm, happily slithered around in circles, and then coiled around his left ring finger like a tail-biting snake ring, albeit a green and gold one, which could easily be mistaken for jewelry.
Ji Xinghuo found this amusing.
However, he soon reconsidered, thinking that a ring was too conspicuous. Disguising it as a bracelet would be more natural.
The little green snake immediately crawled onto his wrist, slightly elongating its body to wrap around his wrist like a green-scaled bracelet.
Man and serpent, connected in mind and spirit.
Ji Xinghuo already had several battle strategies in mind.
He could store the arrows he fired into the Dimensional Stomach, and with a simple hand gesture, the little green snake could release them for a surprise attack. Who could defend against that? Alternatively, he could hide the bow and arrow in the Dimensional Stomach and suddenly produce them for a surprise arrow attack in close-quarters combat.
The Dimensional Stomach could also be used defensively.
It could unpredictably devour an enemy's weapon or swallow an incoming attack, shifting it away, and then returning it to the sender, unchanged.
However, all of this required practice and tactical research with the little green snake to develop a higher level of tacit understanding.
Ren Mian watched as the little green snake playfully interacted with Ji Xinghuo, deep in thought. After a while, she suggested, "It's like your sword, always with you, and it will accompany you in breaking through the thorns and brambles in the future. Its body is also green, so why don't we name it 'Qinghong'?"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
