34: Chapter 34 Shared Talent

The tenth day in the canyon, the darkest moment before dawn.

The natural stone cave that Lin Xuan had found was located halfway up a steep cliff face. Its entrance was completely covered by dense, gray-purple vines. The interior space was not large, only enough for two or three people to turn around, but it was dry and well-ventilated, with a subtle flow of air.

The first thing he did upon crawling in was to carefully inspect the cave—using a bamboo pole to tap the four walls and the ground to confirm there were no hidden holes or insects; he grabbed a handful of soil to sniff, finding only the earthy scent of rock, without the foul odor of beast feces or poisonous substances.

After confirming it was safe, he took out a tripwire and a copper bell from his Storage Pouch, set up a simple early-warning mechanism behind the vines at the entrance, and sprinkled a circle of insect-repellent powder in the corner of the cave.

Only after doing all this did he sit down with his back against the rock wall and let out a long sigh of relief.

Since the thrilling capture attempt at midnight, he had been traveling rapidly for nearly two hours, his mind highly tense. Only as he relaxed now did he feel the soreness in his muscles, and his Dantian Spiritual Qi had also been more than half depleted.

But all this fatigue was dispelled by the jade box in his arms.

He carefully took out the jade box and placed it on the flat stone surface in front of him.

Inside the box, that speck of purple light was still flying and bumping about uneasily.

Through the translucent jade wall, one could see the crystal-clear body and vibrating thin wings of the Thunder-Light Bug. Every time it struck the jade wall, it would create tiny sparks of electricity and a faint "bang-bang" sound.

Lin Xuan was in no rush to open it.

He closed his eyes, first sinking his mind into his Dantian to circulate the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art for a moment. Only after his Spiritual Qi recovered and stabilized, and his mind was concentrated to its optimal state, did he reopen his eyes.

"Let's begin."

He communicated with the spirit control tower in his Sea of Consciousness with his thoughts.

The shadow of the tower remained suspended eternally, but at this moment, the lowest level of the tower body was clearly glowing with a faint dark golden halo—this was a natural reaction to the pure Thunder Spiritual Qi energy.

Lin Xuan's consciousness reached out like a silken thread, passing through the isolation runes of the jade box to gently touch the panicked little insect inside.

The Thunder-Light Bug reacted immediately!

It stopped bumping, curled its body, folded its wings, and emitted a vigilant "buzzing" sound.

Lin Xuan could feel its weak consciousness—confusion, fear, resistance to the enclosed environment, and an instinctive craving for pure Thunder Spiritual Qi.

Its intelligence was indeed not high, roughly equivalent to that of a two or three-year-old child.

This perfectly met the conditions for a "slave" contract: relatively low intelligence and in a state of inability to resist.

He did not hesitate any longer; he communicated with the spirit control tower and activated the contract!

In his Sea of Consciousness, the lowest level of the spirit control tower suddenly lit up!

An invisible, intangible, yet dark golden energy carrying the will of an absolute Dominator flowed along the connection of Lin Xuan's consciousness, instantly penetrating the jade box and descending upon the Thunder-Light Bug's weak Divine Soul!

The Thunder-Light Bug's body shook violently!

It tried to resist, its wings vibrating frantically, and the purple light on its body flared brilliantly.

But its resistance in the face of the spirit control tower's power was like a firefly before the bright moon, ridiculously weak.

That dark golden energy easily broke through its instinctive mental defenses and branded a complex, profound tower-shaped mark at the very core of its Soul.

The moment the mark was formed—

Lin Xuan clearly felt that an extremely close master-servant connection had been established between himself and this little insect inside the jade box.

He could perceive its current emotions: panic had not yet faded, but there was a hint of bewilderment and... submission?

That contract mark was like an instinct, causing it to naturally develop a sense of belonging towards Lin Xuan.

At the same time, detailed information about this Thunder-Light Bug was fed back through the contract:

[Purple Lightning Glow Insect]

Rank: First Rank Medium Grade (equivalent to the third to fourth level of Qi Refinement Stage)

Status: Light injury (caused by striking the jade wall), startled

Talent: Thunder Gathering (Elementary)—Can gather and slowly purify stray Thunder Spiritual Qi in the air within a small range, making the environment more suitable for Thunder-attribute Cultivation and the growth of living beings.

Characteristics: Likes to live alongside powerful thunder beasts, feeds on pure Thunder Spiritual essence; gentle temperament, not good at fighting; extremely sensitive to high-quality Thunder Spiritual Qi.

"Thunder Gathering... As expected!" Joy that could not be suppressed erupted in Lin Xuan's eyes.

He suppressed the urge to share the talent immediately and first moved his thoughts.

The jade box disappeared from the stone surface.

The next instant, inside the Spirit-Taming Tower Space.

The Thunder-Light Bug appeared above the barren sandy land. It hovered blankly at first, seemingly not having realized the change in environment.

But soon, it sensed the Thunder Spiritual Qi within the space—though thin, it was ubiquitous—as well as... that gentle and pure aura in the central area that its Soul craved.

That was the Thunder Spiritual field emitted by the thunder-attracting vine, carrying the lingering rhythm of heavenly thunder.

The Thunder-Light Bug immediately flew in that direction.

It flew to the side of the thunder-attracting vine, circling around this spiritual plant that had already grown to three feet tall with twelve leaves, emitting a cheerful, faint "zzzt" sound.

After hesitating for a moment, it slowly landed on one of the broadest leaves, its six slender legs gently gripping the leaf surface.

Then, it quieted down.

The purple light on the surface of its body began to flicker rhythmically, its wings vibrated slightly, and an invisible, weak attractive force began to radiate from it as the center.

As the master of the space, Lin Xuan could clearly "see": those pale purple Thunder Spiritual Qi that were originally scattered and drifting in the air began to slowly but firmly gather towards the location of the Thunder-Light Bug.

What was even more wondrous was that these gathered Spiritual Qi, when approaching within a foot of the Thunder-Light Bug's body, seemed to have been filtered, with their violent factors weakened, becoming docile and peaceful, and then... naturally absorbed by the leaves of the thunder-attracting vine.

The thunder-attracting vine seemed to have also sensed the change; its leaves stretched out, the purple light flowing in its veins accelerated, and its growth rate increased slightly.

And while the Thunder-Light Bug was purifying and filtering the Spiritual Qi, it was also absorbing the gentle aura emitted by the leaves of the thunder-attracting vine, forming a small virtuous cycle.

The Herb-Seeking Mouse curiously came over, squatted at the base of the vine, and looked up at this new, glowing little thing, the purple fur at the tip of its tail twitching.

"It succeeded... and it's even better than expected." Lin Xuan exited his internal vision and took a deep breath.

The Thunder-Light Bug not only adapted to the space environment but also formed a kind of symbiotic relationship with the thunder-attracting vine!

This was beneficial for both sides.

The time was ripe.

Lin Xuan communicated with the spirit control tower again.

This time, his target was that profound function of "Shared Talent".

He had been saving the only two sharing slots available during the Qi Refinement Stage, specifically waiting for a talent that could fundamentally change his Cultivation dilemma.

Now, it had come.

"Share target: Purple Lightning Glow Insect."

"Shared talent: Thunder Gathering (Elementary)."

As he confirmed with his thoughts, the spirit control tower vibrated again!

The commotion this time was even greater than when the contract was made.

The second level of the tower body (which had always been dim before) actually lit up with a faint glimmer. Profound patterns flowed at the eaves of the tower, and a pale golden energy, more subtle and gentle than the power of the contract, poured out. It followed the contract connection, injected into the Thunder-Light Bug's body, and then... along some indescribable channel, fed back into Lin Xuan himself!

Lin Xuan's whole body shook!

He felt as if an invisible "organ" had appeared inside his body.

No, to be more accurate, it was the addition of a new kind of "instinct."

He closed his eyes, and without needing to deliberately circulate his Cultivation Technique, he could vaguely perceive the stray, pale purple Thunder Spiritual Qi light spots in the air within a three-foot radius around him.

They were originally chaotic and difficult to capture.

But now, his body naturally radiated a weak, imperceptible attractive force, like a magnet attracting iron filings.

Those Thunder Spiritual Qi light spots began to slowly and spontaneously move towards him, and in the process of approaching, they became... much more "docile."

Lin Xuan tried to circulate the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art.

As soon as the Cultivation Technique started, the change was immediately apparent!

The Thunder Spiritual Qi that previously required immense mental effort to "drag" out of the air now flowed into the pores of his body as naturally as a stream returning to the sea!

Although the total amount was limited by the environmental concentration and his own Cultivation level, and it was not a massive surge, the "smoothness" and "quality" of the intake had undergone a earth-shattering change!

If previous Cultivation was like scooping water in the desert with a colander, with nine out of ten scoops coming up empty, and what was scooped up mixed with sand;

Then now, it was like drawing water with a wooden bucket by a clear stream, scooping up a full bucket every time, the water quality clear and cold!

"This is the Thunder Gathering talent... This is sharing!" Lin Xuan opened his eyes, electric light flickering in his pupils—that was Spiritual Qi slightly overflowing due to being overly excited.

He roughly estimated that even in an ordinary environment where Thunder Spiritual Qi was thin, his efficiency in passively absorbing Thunder Spiritual Qi had increased by at least three times!

If he were in a place rich in Thunder Spiritual Qi, or had the assistance of the thunder-attracting vine and the Thunder-Light Bug itself, an increase of five or ten times was possible!

More importantly, this talent greatly increased his "affinity" and "control" over Thunder Spiritual Qi.

This had immeasurable benefits for Cultivating a Cultivation Technique like the Purple Heaven Divine Thunder Art, which required precise control over the power of thunder.

He looked towards the Spirit-Taming Tower Space.

The Thunder-Light Bug was still quietly lying on the leaf of the thunder-attracting vine, the purple light on its body flickering steadily, not withered from having its talent shared.

It seemed that it had only been "borrowed" for some kind of rule, and its original body had suffered no loss.

Lin Xuan completely set his heart at ease.

He exited his internal vision, leaned against the rock wall, feeling the continuous, weak attractive force inside his body, feeling the smooth process of the surrounding Thunder Spiritual Qi flowing into his body bit by bit and being refined by the Dantian Qi vortex; the smile on the corner of his mouth could no longer be suppressed.

More than a year of struggle, nearly a year of endurance, had finally... ushered in the light of dawn.