Chapter 834: Holy Sword
Chapter 834: Holy Sword (Combined)
Qiao Sang immediately noticed that Steel Treasure had gained a new Trait called Mental Power.
Her first thought was: This Trait seems specifically designed to counter Treasure Seeker.
Treasure Seeker had been working hard to master Oppressive Aura, only for Steel Treasure to Awaken Mental Power, which renders it immune to Oppressive Aura?
Fortunately, Treasure Seeker wasn’t practicing Oppressive Aura just to counter Steel Treasure, or it would be crying its eyes out by now.
Qiao Sang’s gaze shifted to the Skills section, where she saw that Steel Treasure had Awakened three new Skills.
Sword Dance, Feather Rest, and Holy Sword.
She didn’t react much to this.
Fangy and the others usually Awakened three Skills every time they Evolved.
Sword Dance is a General Skill that allows the user to perform an intense dance to boost its morale, significantly increasing its attack power.
Steel Treasure’s Sharpness Trait already enhances the power of cutting Moves, and with Sword Dance, it’s likely to achieve the attack power of a mid-General-Class familiar once it reaches that stage.
Qiao Sang was satisfied and moved on to the next Skill.
Feather Rest is a Flying-Type Intermediate Skill, a rare recovery Skill among Flying-type Companions. It allows the familiar to land and rest, restoring half of its Prime Condition.
However, the recovery isn’t immediate and takes some time, depending on the Skill’s proficiency and the familiar’s Level.
In battle, a Flying-type Companion can briefly land without much issue, but staying on the ground for an extended period would make it vulnerable to attacks, making it somewhat impractical in combat.
Especially in high-level Battlematches, who would allow a Flying-type Companion to stay on the ground for more than a second?
Qiao Sang turned her attention to the last Skill, Holy Sword, and thought to herself how grand and impressive the name sounded.
She thought for a long time but couldn’t recall any related Skill names from her knowledge.
Sighing inwardly, she realized she still had a lot to learn. Qiao Sang’s consciousness returned to reality, and she immediately saw Professor Bilet fussing over Steel Treasure, marveling and petting it, while Steel Treasure stood there with a numb expression.
Noticing that her Beastmaster seemed to have come back to her senses, Steel Treasure gave her a pleading look.
"Change back", Qiao Sang said, trying to suppress her laughter.
The next moment, Steel Treasure eagerly began to shrink, reverting to its Steel Slash Giant Falcon form.
Birit, who hadn’t finished his observations, turned and asked, "Why did you change back?"
Qiao Sang cleared her throat and said without a hint of a smile, "Our Bond Strength isn’t stable enough yet to maintain this form for a long time."
"Steel Slash."
Steel Treasure nodded.
Birit, not suspecting anything, looked a bit disappointed.
But he quickly adjusted his mindset and smiled, "I just said I might not see Steel Slash Giant Falcon after its Evolution for a long time, and the next moment, it Evolved. Your initial Bond Strength allowing you to control Evolution like this is already quite impressive."
Qiao Sang sighed, "The first two stages were easier when we did temporary Bond Evolution."
Steel Slash Giant Falcon has already Bond Evolved to a Champion-level familiar, and you’re still concerned about how easy or difficult Bond Evolution is... Birit resisted the urge to comment and changed the subject.
"Have you thought of a name for Steel Slash Giant Falcon’s Evolution form?"
Qiao Sang adopted a thoughtful pose, then looked up, feigning a sudden realization. "Steel Sword Falcon, I think that name is pretty good."
"Maybe we should call it Steel Helm Falcon. After its Evolution, it's almost entirely covered in armor, which seems more fitting", Birit suggested.
Qiao Sang's expression remained unchanged. "But when Steel Treasure first Evolved, it let out a cry that sounded like 'Steel Blade.'"
Birit immediately switched sides. "Then let's go with Steel Sword Falcon. Most familiars' cries usually match some of their characteristics. Now that I think about it, Steel Sword Falcon's feathers do look quite like a sword."
Steel Sword Falcon, Holy Sword... Qiao Sang recalled the Skills she had seen in the Beastmaster Codex and was tempted to ask, but she held back out of caution. If she didn't know about these Skills and then inquired, and Steel Treasure later displayed them, it would raise significant suspicion.
Recently, Professor Bilet had observed Fangy and the others training a lot. He had already realized that Fangy and the others were extraordinary, though he still considered them talented prodigies. After all, Fangy and the others were genuinely much more diligent than most familiars.
Talent plus diligence leading to steady improvement was understandable, but if she were to ask about Holy Sword, even a little thought would reveal a problem.
"Is there a mission today?" Qiao Sang asked, shifting her focus away from Steel Treasure.
"No", Birit replied, his tone gentle. "You'll be finishing your time at Supernest in a couple of days. Enjoy these last two days and do whatever you want."
Whatever I want... Qiao Sang paused, then smiled. "Okay."
...
Qiao Sang returned to her room, sat at her desk, and pulled out her mobile phone. She sent a message to the Dean of the Medical College, Dean Lizdean:
[Dear Dean Lizdean, I'll be returning to Blue Star in a few days. I would like to heal as many terminal patients as possible before I leave, no matter how many. I can stay up all night if needed. Although I'm not a Medical College student, I still want to see more people recover.]
The tone was sincere and heartfelt, openly expressing her desire to heal more patients and earn more. Qiao Sang read the message, smiled in satisfaction, and sent it.
She put down her mobile phone, opened her computer, and typed "Holy Sword."
The page quickly loaded, displaying the relevant information.
[Holy Sword, a combat-type Epic Skill. It involves slashing opponents with a sword, ignoring their defensive abilities and dealing direct damage.]
[Note: It is best to have a body part as sharp as a sword to learn this Skill. Otherwise, it is not recommended.]
Combat-type?
Epic Skill?
Damn, Steel Treasure has learned a combat-type Epic Skill... Qiao Sang was initially confused by these terms but then felt an intense surge of joy.
Honestly, she never expected this Skill to be combat-type, let alone an Epic Skill!
Are Epic Skills that easy to Awaken?
Fangy Awakened one, Lulu Awakened one, and now Steel Treasure has Awakened one too...
Qiao Sang had already experienced Fangy and Lulu Awakening Epic Skills, so she was better equipped to handle the excitement and think rationally.
Epic Skills are not that easy to Awaken.
Lulu used an S-Class Awakening Orb, which made sense.
But Fangy and Steel Treasure didn't use such a high-level Awakening Orb. How could they Awaken such powerful Skills? Could it just be a matter of talent?
However, if it were purely a matter of talent, then Treasure Seeker, who is the most talented of the four familiars, should have Awakened a Skill, yet it hasn't.
Why?
"What does Fangy and Steel Treasure have that Treasure Seeker doesn't?"
Qiao Sang muttered to herself, focusing intently as she began to think.
Suddenly, an idea struck her, and her eyes lit up.
She got it!
Fangy and Steel Treasure were both in their brand new forms, but Treasure Seeker wasn't!
Could it be that all New Evolution familiars have a higher chance of Awakening with higher-level Skills during Evolution?
At that moment, her mobile phone vibrated, interrupting Qiao Sang's thoughts.
She picked it up and saw a message from Dean Lizdean:
【I'm glad you thought of this.】
【Patient List.txt】
【This is the list of patients currently scheduled. Save as many as you can, but don't put too much pressure on yourself.】
Qiao Sang opened the patient list and, upon seeing that it filled more than one page, she suddenly stood up and shouted:
"Everyone, get ready! We're going to heal some patients!"
…
The next day.
7:23 AM.
Qiao Sang returned to the villa, full of energy.
Hearing the commotion, Liu Yao immediately came out of the kitchen, glanced at Steel Treasure, then looked at Qiao Sang with a complex expression:
"I heard Steel Treasure Bond Evolved again?"
Qiao Sang nodded, somewhat embarrassed: "It happened during the Coordination Competition yesterday."
Afterward, she casually asked, "Did Professor Bilet tell you?"
You pervert… Liu Yao took a deep breath to steady his emotions and said, "I saw it on the news first."
Heaven only knows how long it took him to process the news and watch the video yesterday.
Even though he knew he shouldn't judge Qiao Sang by normal standards, she still managed to surprise him time and time again.
It's on the news? Qiao Sang's eyes lit up. She pulled out a chair at the dining table, sat down, and eagerly took out her mobile phone, opening the trending page.
"Steel Slash."
Steel Treasure flew over and leaned in with a serious expression.
#Shocking! Steel Slash Giant Falcon Bonds Again!#
#Beastmaster Celebrity Tournament Champion Qiao Sang Participates in "Tenny Cup" Coordination Competition#
#Steel Sparrow's New Evolution Chain Bond Evolves Three Times in a Row!#
#Steel Sparrow, a Contradictory Familiar#
#Why Does Steel Sparrow Have the Bond Evolution Path?#
#Why Is Steel Sparrow So Prone to Bond Evolution?#
#Yuto Koyori Forced Bond Dissolution Incident#
When Qiao Sang saw "Yuto Koyori", she didn't hesitate and clicked on the post.
【You guys haven't forgotten about Yuto Koyori who forced the bond dissolution, right?】
Sure enough, someone brought it up… Qiao Sang's spirits lifted, and she started reading through the comments.
【Yuto Koyori is Yuto Koyori, and every Steel Sparrow is different. You can't judge the entire species based on one Yuto Koyori.】
【Three consecutive Bond Evolutions—this species must be very loyal!】
【Forget three Bond Evolutions; I've never even seen a familiar Bond Evolve once in real life.】
【I've heard that when familiars evolve into different forms, their personalities can change as well. Do you think this Steel Sparrow evolving into Yuto Koyori would be more cold-blooded?】
【There's something I've wanted to say for a long time. The Beastmaster's own strength didn't keep up, so they got their bond forcibly dissolved. Who's to blame? Didn't your teachers tell you not to bond with a familiar stronger than yourself? To be honest, if your familiar became stronger than you, you'd probably force the bond dissolution too.】
【I have to correct that. The school teaches not to directly bond with a familiar stronger than yourself. This Beastmaster raised the Steel Sparrow from a young age until it evolved into Yuto Koyori; it's a different situation.】
We have to admit, there's a reason why almost no one in Supernest can cultivate a Bond Evolution familiar.
No matter what, I'm going to give this a try, even if it's bitter as hell.
I feel the same way. Cultivating familiars is so expensive these days that it's almost impossible. Especially when it comes to the materials needed for Evolution. I'd rather bond with a Steel Sparrow that can undergo Bond Evolution. If I can get the Steel Sparrow to Bond Evolve and cultivate it to the General-Class form, I won't have to worry about my future.
That's true. The Steel Sparrow is the first familiar that can Bond Evolve all the way from the Junior form to the General-Class form.
There's nothing more to say. I'm already on my way to the familiar cultivation base.
Steel Treasure, we did it... Qiao Sang felt a surge of warmth and looked at Steel Treasure, smiling. "Can you understand it?"
"Steel Slash."
Steel Treasure shook its head, unable to understand. It could only recognize a few words.
"Xunxun~"
Just as Qiao Sang was about to speak, Treasure Seeker teleported over and patted Steel Treasure's wings in a big brotherly manner.
It's okay if you can't understand. Big Brother will read it to you.
With that, he leaned over to the phone screen and started reading aloud, "Xunxun", "Xunxun."
As he read on, he even took the phone over.
Steel Treasure listened intently, its eyes growing brighter.
Qiao Sang recalled Treasure Seeker's manner of speaking and had an idea. She formed a hand seal and summoned Fangy, who had gone to bed on time last night.
"Ya Ya!"
Fangy called out energetically.
Right then, Liu Yao came over with an Energy Pill.
Fangy excitedly approached the Energy Pill and started eating it in large bites.
"When are you planning to return to Blue Star?" Liu Yao asked, setting the breakfast on the table and sitting down.
Qiao Sang took a sip of porridge and replied, "I want to go back the day after tomorrow."
Tomorrow is the last day of her class at Yulinton University.
She needed to leave early because the journey back to Blue Star would take a month. She couldn't just arrive and head straight to the Imperial Beastmaster Academy; she had to go home first.
Hearing this, Adinix, who was eating, paused.
Liu Yao nodded. "I'll go with you then."
"Adinix..."
Adinix looked at the Energy Pill in his hand.
...
5:45 PM.
Yulinton University.
"Steel Slash."
Steel Treasure was in a good mood and didn't remain silent as usual. Instead, it occasionally chatted with Fangy and Treasure Seeker.
Qiao Sang walked into the seventh research base.
"You haven't been here in a while", Dr. Doralar said, putting down the test tube with a smile.
"I've been busy with a lot of things", Qiao Sang said apologetically.
Since Professor Bilet arrived, her schedule had become even more packed, leaving no time to visit.
"Are you here to say goodbye?" Dr. Doralar asked calmly.
Qiao Sang nodded. "I'm leaving for Blue Star the day after tomorrow."
The lab fell silent for a moment.
After a few seconds, Dr. Doralar sighed. "It's all Gilbert's fault. Otherwise, we would have had more discussions about Emotional Energy."
This... Qiao Sang said, "Actually, we can still communicate through the Star Network."
That's not the same... Doralar gave her a pained look, then seemed to think of something and said seriously, "When you get back, I hope you can find a Gis Egg to keep with you long-term."
Qiao Sang was taken aback. Before she could ask, Doralar continued, "Your Iceapura's entire Evolution chain requires emotional fluctuations, and a Gis Egg can amplify the target's emotions to the maximum extent. You need it."
(End of Chapter)
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