Chapter 387 - 259: Sandstorm Iron Shattering Array

"Woof!"

Yu Bao stood up on his hind legs, striking the "Bright Moon" pose with a solemn expression.

Quicksand Shield: Li Style Golden Sand Armor!

...

Nothing happened.

The group of humans and Pet Beasts sat in a row, blinking.

Yu Bao froze for a moment, then gave a few coughs to feign composure and got back into position.

’The pose must have been wrong. Again!’

"Woof!"

...

Still no reaction.

"Wooo wooo wooo~!" Wu Bao pointed at Yu Bao and laughed hysterically.

"Woo-woof!" Yu Bao was getting frantic...

「Ten minutes later.」

"Wooo wooo wooo wooo..."

"Bao, why don’t you stop trying? I’m worried you’re going to fart from holding it in."

"Woof woof woof!" A dejected Yu Bao started rolling on the ground.

’He couldn’t even manage a single new Skill, and now he can’t even use the Sandstorm Iron Shattering Array that worked before... Was the first one just a free trial? Did my free trial expire??’

’This is even more frustrating than edging!’

Shan Bao comforted his big brother Yu Bao from the side. ’Calm down, it was still amazing that you did it even once...’

Su Zhi, however, was lost in thought. "Could it be that Yu Bao’s Gold Element Energy is also related to these ruins?"

"Wooo wooo." Yu Bao nodded.

Although the Energy concentration here was a little lower than at Fuguang Lake, it felt more... intimate. If he had to describe it, it was like... the one in the lake was bigger, but it felt secondhand. This place was a bit weaker, but it was the genuine, original article.

"What an odd metaphor..." Su Zhi started to say, then trailed off, his head full of questions. "Are you saying that Fuguang Lake and Tuoba Jing Village might be connected somehow?"

Yu Bao nodded.

Su Zhi looked blankly at Shen Chuqing, the local of the group.

Shen Chuqing nodded in thought. "Fuguang Lake and the ancient village ruins are both rather iconic locations in Hundred Rivers, and it’s true that they’re both fields where Gold Element Energy and Earth Element Energy are active... But the connection between them ends there.

"Tuoba Jing Village is some distance from Fuguang Lake and located deep in the mountains. There’s no energetic cycle or exchange between the two. Even for survival, the villagers rarely went near Fuguang Lake; they mostly dug wells nearby or drew water from the river."

Su Zhi said suddenly, "Then is it possible that their connection isn’t one of cause and effect, but of a shared commonality?"

Shen Chuqing looked at him. "You mean, while they aren’t related to each other, they’re both related to a third factor? Then what would this third factor be?"

"For example... a certain Exotic Beast?" Su Zhi thought of Tuoba Jing’s journal.

Shen Chuqing pondered for a moment before shaking her head. "I don’t know. We have too little information right now. Besides, this is all ancient history... Even if we wanted to investigate, I’m afraid there’s nowhere to start."

At this, both of them sighed in unison.

"Relax. It’s not like we’re here to crack a case. It’s fine if we don’t discover anything. If we really do find some major clue, the Dark Alliance will directly intervene in any follow-up matters."

Gou Yu comforted his two young comrades. "Yu Bao has made progress in his evolution, and that’s enough. I’ll have something to report to Alliance Leader Luo Sen... We still have a full day tomorrow. We can try again then to see if there’s a way to fully awaken Yu Bao’s Gold Attribute."

Su Zhi nodded in agreement. "That’s true. I’m already very happy that Yu Bao was able to make a breakthrough."

’Although his attempt to grasp a new Skill was a setback, at least Yu Bao has already integrated the Gold Attribute into his Yellow Earth Wall Skill, right?’

’As the saying goes, the first step is always the hardest. They’ve already overcome the most difficult part. He believed that sooner or later, Yu Bao would be able to awaken his Gold Attribute.’

’He just didn’t know what state Yu Bao would be in when it happened. Would he simply add a new Attribute to his existing Evolutionary Type? Or would he gain another switchable Evolutionary Type? Or would he directly become a brand new, three-Attribute Evolutionary Type by integrating the new Attribute?’

’If Luo Sen’s multi-Evolutionary Type theory is correct, it would probably be the second possibility. In that case, I could call him Anomalous Yu Bao... Golden Yu Dian Dog!’

"Woof." Yu Bao shot Su Zhi a disdainful look.

’Don’t give me a name if you’re bad at it. There’s no way I’m going to use such a corny name.’

"So—" Gou Yu’s tone suddenly shifted. "That’s all for today! Time to clock off and rest!"

Su Zhi didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "You were just waiting to say that, weren’t you?"

Shen Chuqing nodded. "Even though you didn’t do anything, you’ve still worked hard."

"What do you mean, I didn’t do anything? Doesn’t keeping you company count for something..."

Gou Yu muttered under his breath, then looked at Su Zhi, a little touched. "You actually didn’t forget about me this time! I really do have a place in your heart, my junior!"

Su Zhi: "Actually, I did forget. But Sister Shen said I’d get used to it, and it seems she was right..."

Gou Yu: "..."

Shen Chuqing: "Pfft..."

·

An evening breeze swept through the dense forest. The moonlight was like a tide, rising and falling across the ground. Specks of light danced in the night sky, like a dream being woven.

Even the most severe insomniac would soon feel the urge to drift into a peaceful sleep upon arriving here.

Yu Bao, as if not ready to give up, was squatting by a broken wall like a pondering scholar, lost in thought.

Wu Bao had taken its tablet and gone off to do who-knows-what, not forgetting to mock Yu Bao one last time before it left.

Shan Bao, on the other hand, was comfortably enjoying a full-body massage.

Su Zhi was holding his handheld, sitting with Shen Chuqing at the village entrance to enjoy the cool evening air. The faint sound of Vice Alliance Leader Gou’s snores drifted from the tent behind them.

"Chirp~"

[Pet Beast: Shan Bao (Flash Gold Sparrow)

Power: 1.00

Agility: 1.05

Intelligence: 1.04

Constitution: 3.99—4.29

Perception: 1.02]

[Real-time Energy Value: 3500]

"Chirp~" Shan Bao chirped contentedly.

Shen Chuqing asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

"...Massaging," Su Zhi said with a firm nod.

’That was close. I almost let slip that I was allocating points. But calling it a massage isn’t wrong, either. After all, allocating points doesn’t require any physical action.’

’I don’t know which Yu Dian Dog started this trend of wanting his head rubbed while I do it, but he’s been a bad influence on Shan Bao.’

’Yu Bao, you little punk.’

"I see." Shen Chuqing nodded thoughtfully. "You have a really good relationship with your Pet Beasts."

Su Zhi asked, curious, "It’s alright, I guess? I feel like you get along well with yours too."

"No, I rarely do such affectionate things with my Pet Beasts. If they aren’t afraid of you at all, they won’t follow your commands without question, and they won’t train properly."

Shen Chuqing rubbed her temples, looking like a world-weary veteran.

"What about you? Don’t you have similar concerns?"

"I do, I guess. They train so hard that I often have to tell them it’s okay to practice a little less."

Shen Chuqing’s mouth twitched. She sighed. "...I’m jealous."

Su Zhi put on an innocent, harmless expression.

’What bad intentions could my Pet Beasts possibly have? They just want a billion more points, that’s all.’

"BZZZT BZZZT~" The phone in his pocket started to vibrate.

A grin touched Su Zhi’s lips. He put down the handheld device and pulled out his phone. Just as he expected, the screen showed the avatar of a Huajing Cat.

Suppressing the joy on his face, Su Zhi answered the video call.

"Ahem, good evening!"

"Good evening, Su Baby~"

The girl with white hair and blue eyes appeared on the screen, her own expression lighting up with a little joy the moment she saw him.

"Your surroundings are so beautiful... Are you in the Luojin Mountain Range right now?"

"Mhm, we’re at the Tuoba Jing Village ruins!"

Su Zhi subconsciously lit up with excitement.

He had only been away from her for a day, but it felt like years. He rattled on in a single breath, talking about everything from getting lost in the morning to being dragged into a spar, then the museum, Fuguang Lake, and the village ruins... He even included trivial things like waking up at noon to look for Wu Bao.

Shao Ya propped her chin on her hand and listened patiently, occasionally laughing along with him. From the angle of the camera, she seemed to be lying on her bed. Her long, bright white hair was spread across the headboard, and her feet could be seen dangling and swinging at the foot of the bed.

"So you did get lost? Why didn’t you tell me then?" Shao Ya asked when Su Zhi finished, puffing out her cheeks in a playful pout.

Su Zhi tried to argue his case. "I was just trying to get breakfast and spar with a senior colleague... How can you call that getting lost?"

"Alright, alright. Next time you run into trouble, you have to tell me, okay?"

The girl watched his flustered-but-trying-to-act-tough appearance and giggled, but then she suddenly noticed the long, red hair at the edge of the screen.

"Su Baby? Is there someone next to you?"

"Ah."

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