90: Chapter 90 Huge Gains!

Chapter 90: Tremendous Harvest!

After finding the first desolate star crystal, Zhang Xiaoxiao put it into the collection bag.

"Hehe, a great start!"

Zhou Ming smacked his lips, turned his head to look at Su Qingyuan, and grinned. "With Sister Su here, we're definitely going to have a huge harvest this time!"

Lin Chen glanced at Zhou Ming.

This kid was pretty smooth. He used to call her Classmate Su Qingyuan, but now he was calling her Sister Su.

Lin Chen deeply despised such overly opportunistic behavior, but for the sake of team harmony, he nodded in agreement. "Zhou Ming is right."

Su Qingyuan smiled slightly and did not respond.

She raised her head, her gaze passing through the darkness in front of her to look further and deeper into the wilderness.

In her vision, two extremely thin threads of energy stretched into the distance like a spiderweb, one green and one gray, pointing in different directions.

"This way." Su Qingyuan withdrew her gaze, turning to walk in the direction the gray thread pointed.

"Another discovery?" Lin Chen's heart stirred, and he immediately followed.

Zhou Ming and Zhang Xiaoxiao's spirits were also lifted, and they followed closely.

Under Su Qingyuan's guidance, the four of them bypassed a pile of jagged rocks that looked like crouching beasts under the starlight, arriving at a hollow where some dry, stiff grass grew.

Su Qingyuan stopped and pointed to a protrusion on the ground that was half-buried by a thin layer of sand and soil.

Zhou Ming immediately understood, quickly stepping forward to brush away the loose dirt with his hands.

Revealed beneath was a gray stone about the size of a palm. The stone's surface was rough, but upon closer inspection, one could see a milky white halo faintly pulsing inside like breathing. It was cold to the touch, yet a gentle energy could be felt within.

"Is this... Runyu Stone?" Lin Chen's spirit was jolted.

If he wasn't mistaken, this was a second-grade ore resource of the Normal attribute.

The energy contained within was gentle and pure, capable of mildly nourishing a pet's constitution and strengthening its physical foundation. It was suitable for Normal-type pets and had a slight strengthening effect on pets of other attributes as well.

Su Qingyuan nodded, confirming Lin Chen's judgment. "Yes, this should be one of the ore resources associated with desolate star crystals."

.

She paused, her gaze sweeping over the pets beside the three of them, finally landing on the Songsong Dog in Lin Chen's arms. Her tone was natural: "Among us, only Classmate Lin Chen's Songsong Dog is a Normal-type. The energy contained in this Runyu Stone will be of the most help to it."

"Classmate Lin Chen, let your Songsong Dog absorb it."

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Lin Chen glanced at Su Qingyuan.

Second-grade resources were not common goods; they could easily sell for over ten thousand on the market, and some particularly rare ones could even exceed one hundred thousand.

It seemed Zhou Ming was right; Su Qingyuan was indeed very generous.

As the thought flashed by, Lin Chen looked at Zhou Ming and Su Qingyuan. The two of them seemed to have long been accustomed to Su Qingyuan's distribution method, raising no objections.

Thus, Lin Chen did not refuse. "Alright, thanks."

Right after, he patted the Songsong Dog in his arms. "Go on, absorb it."

The Songsong Dog landed lightly on the ground and curiously approached the Runyu Stone. First, it sniffed with its nose, seemingly sensing some energy beneficial to itself, and then it stuck out its tongue to lick the stone's surface.

In the next moment, the milky white halo inside the Runyu Stone seemed to be drawn by some invisible force, transforming into threads of soft light that slowly drifted out, merging into the Songsong Dog's snout and body.

As the threads of light merged, an extremely faint luster also appeared on the Songsong Dog's body.

At the same time, the system prompt sounded:

[Ding!]

[Puppy Beast used a second-grade resource and gained 30 evolution exp.]

A flash of joy crossed Lin Chen's eyes.

To have such a harvest not long after entering the wilderness, it seemed teaming up with Su Qingyuan was indeed a very correct choice.

"Let's keep searching." Su Qingyuan withdrew her gaze and looked toward the pitch-black wilderness, where invisible threads flickered in and out of view, drifting in the low air.

Even though it was already late at night, the night was actually the best time to find desolate star crystals.

The desolate star crystals would emit a faint halo in the dark. In the unobstructed wilderness, as long as the distance wasn't too far, they were actually easier to spot than during the day.

Moreover, there was Su Qingyuan in the team, who was suspected of possessing a special treasure-hunting talent.

In the next two hours or so, Lin Chen and the other three barely took any detours, finding three desolate star crystals in a row. Their efficiency was incredibly high.

Every time, Su Qingyuan could precisely locate the desolate star crystals in the complex terrain. The other three only needed to follow silently and put the desolate star crystals into the collection bag.

"This is just too easy."

Zhou Ming stretched and sighed with heartfelt emotion.

Lin Chen nodded silently.

He had already basically confirmed that Su Qingyuan possessed a special treasure-hunting talent.

Due to the varying constitutions of Beast Tamers, there was a very small probability of a special talent being born, either innately or innately acquired.

For example, that rarely seen Bai Lu had innately awakened spiritual power. It was said that she now mastered multiple Spiritual-type skills, and her combat strength was comparable to a second-stage Spiritual-type pet.

There were also a few Beast Tamers who would awaken special talents as their spiritual power level increased, such as being able to hear the voices of history.

Su Qingyuan's treasure-hunting ability was likely a special talent awakened later in life.

However, Beast Tamers with special talents were always an extreme minority; one might not even appear among ten thousand Beast Tamers.

Moreover, these special talents generally had no direct impact on a pet's combat strength, having negligible effects in battle, though they were very useful in breeding and training.

"I'm so envious. Fortunately, I have a cheat," Lin Chen thought to himself.

In addition, during the process of searching for desolate star crystals, Su Qingyuan discovered another associated ore resource.

This time, it was a small cluster of Iron Bone Crystals buried in a rock crevice, which was also a second-grade Normal-type resource. Its main effect was to slightly increase bone density and strength.

Su Qingyuan still suggested letting the Songsong Dog use it.

"The associated ores around here seem to lean toward the Normal-type."

Su Qingyuan explained in her usual tone, her eyes scanning the surroundings as energy threads of other colors drifted before her eyes. "It might be related to the geological structure of this area and the specific way the star crystal energy permeates."

Lin Chen found it impressive though he didn't quite understand, but he couldn't help but feel it was too coincidental.

According to what he knew, under the influence of the desolate star crystal's energy, the attributes of the associated ores should be diverse—Rock-type, Spiritual-type, or even Light-type and Dark-type were all possible. Yet, it was Normal-type twice in a row, and both happened to be of great benefit to his Songsong Dog.

Was this really just luck?

But regardless, thanks to Sister Su's discovery, the Songsong Dog once again gained thirty exp.

[Evolution Bar: 470/500]

Before they knew it, only the final thirty exp was left to completely fill the Songsong Dog's evolution bar.

Time passed quietly, and it was already the early hours of the morning.

But as Beast Tamers, their energy was far more abundant than that of ordinary people. The four of them did not feel much fatigue; instead, their spirits became increasingly invigorated by the consecutive harvests.

However, when Su Qingyuan led them once again to find a desolate star crystal in a sheltered depression of a cliff wall, the situation was somewhat different.

The space below the star crystal was not empty; two wild pets were engaged in a fierce battle.

One side was a slender, lightning-fast cat-like pet.

It was about half a meter long, its entire body covered in short, alternating silver-gray and black fur that gleamed coldly under the starlight. Its limbs were slender, its claws and teeth sharp, and most notably, the tip of its tail actually split into two, resembling two flexible short whips.

Its movements were agile, and its eyes were fierce. It constantly leaped and maneuvered among the rocks, letting out threatening "hiss-ha" sounds as it launched attack after attack.

Lin Chen aimed his energy wristband at it: "Species Name: Shadow-Rift Cat."

"Attribute: Normal."

"Species Grade: Mid-tier Extraordinary."

"Strength Level: First Stage."

The Shadow-Rift Cat's opponent was a snake-like pet coiled on the ground, raising its head and flicking its tongue.

It was about two meters long, its body dark purple and covered in irregular dark markings. Its head was triangular, and its vertical pupils gleamed with a cold yellow light in the darkness: "Hiss, hiss~"

Dark purple fangs were exposed in its mouth, and the tip of its tail was flat and wide with sharp edges, resembling a short bone blade.

"Species Name: Blade-Tail Viper."

"Attribute: Poison."

"Species Grade: Mid-tier Extraordinary."

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"Strength Level: First Stage."

Seeing this, Lin Chen realized. "So it's these two kinds of pets."

The habitats and diets of the Shadow-Rift Cat and the Blade-Tail Viper were extremely similar, so they usually lived in the same environment and had a natural hostile relationship, often fighting to the death when they met.

At this moment, several dark purple marks grazed by fangs had appeared on the Shadow-Rift Cat's body. The toxin was spreading into its body through the wounds, making its movements slightly sluggish.

Meanwhile, the Blade-Tail Viper's blade-tail and body were also covered in bloody gashes torn by cat claws. Clearly, the battle had been going on for some time and was exceptionally fierce.

Under the gaze of the four, the Blade-Tail Viper, which had stronger defense and power, ultimately gained the upper hand. It endured a fierce pounce from the Shadow-Rift Cat, wrapping around and constricting it with its body, and then whipped its blade-tail hard against the Shadow-Rift Cat, sending it flying.

"Meow!"

The Shadow-Rift Cat suffered a heavy blow, crashing heavily against the rock wall and letting out a wail, temporarily losing its ability to move.

"Hiss, hiss~"

The victorious Blade-Tail Viper hissed with its head raised, its tail swaying left and right. It then slithered toward the desolate star crystal, opening its mouth, preparing to swallow it.

But at the very moment it was about to touch the desolate star crystal, the corner of its cold vertical pupils caught sight of the four people who had appeared at the entrance of the cliff depression at some point.

The Blade-Tail Viper's movements suddenly froze. It then quickly abandoned the desolate star crystal and turned to face the four.

Its upper body reared high, putting on a threatening posture. Its bone-blade-like tail suddenly rose, letting out warning "hiss" sounds as purple light flashed on its fangs.

"Whoa, is this fellow always this brave?" Seeing this, Zhou Ming wasn't afraid; instead, he was amused.

Lin Chen raised an eyebrow, doubt rising in his heart.

Why were these two pets fighting over the desolate star crystal?

This thing isn't a breeding resource either.

"Flame Eagle."

Zhou Ming raised his hand and pointed at the threatening Blade-Tail Viper, grinning. "You dare try to snatch our star crystal? Use Fiery Charge!"

"Screech!"

The Flame Eagle circling in the low air let out a loud cry. It suddenly soared higher, then folded its wings, its entire body bursting into raging crimson flames. Like a small fiery meteor, carrying a scorching wave of heat and a piercing sound of breaking air, it dived down to strike the Blade-Tail Viper below.

Its speed was extremely fast, and its momentum was astonishing.

Although the Blade-Tail Viper was fierce, it was ultimately just a weak first-stage pet.

It only had time to block its blade-tail in front of itself and spit out a mouthful of poison mist in an attempt to interfere.

Boom!

The flames exploded, instantly vaporizing the poison mist. The terrifying impact sent the Blade-Tail Viper rolling away, its body charred black.

It hissed in pain, writhing and struggling on the ground, instantly losing its combat capability.

The Flame Eagle having succeeded in one strike, landed majestically on a nearby rock, its eagle eyes looking down disdainfully.

Zhou Ming raised his chin, walked over to the desolate star crystal, collected it with the collection bag, then glanced at the Blade-Tail Viper slumped on the ground, snorting coldly. "That's what you get for showing off!"

On the other side, the Shadow-Rift Cat slowly woke up.

It struggled to raise its head, its glowing cat eyes glancing at the collection bag in Zhou Ming's hand, then at the pathetic Blade-Tail Viper lying on the ground, letting out an ambiguous meow from its throat.

Using all its strength, it stumbled to its feet, took a deep look at Lin Chen and the other three, and then dragged its injured body to leap nimbly through the darkness, quickly disappearing into the pile of rocks behind the cliff wall.

The four of them didn't care about this at all.

The law of survival in the wild was very simple: whoever had the bigger fist got the resources.

After retrieving the desolate star crystal that belonged to them from the Blade-Tail Viper, the four continued to explore deeper into the wilderness.

The night was thick and the starlight was lonely, accompanied only by the sound of the wind and the friction of sand and gravel beneath their feet.

However, before they had gone far, a sudden burst of fierce fighting came from an area ahead where weathered rock pillars stood in abundance.

"Someone's ahead!" Zhou Ming immediately warned.

But when he turned his head to look, Su Qingyuan had already summoned the Wind-Feather Bird in front of her, Zhang Xiaoxiao had shrunk behind Su Qingyuan at some point, and a tiny dinosaur had appeared by Lin Chen's leg.

Zhou Ming was suddenly taken aback.

He suddenly felt that his warning was completely redundant. What role did he even play in this team?

The four of them lightened their steps, using the cover of the rock pillars to quietly approach the place where the sounds of fighting came from.

In an open space surrounded by several thick rock pillars, a pack of Shadow-Rift Cats with fierce glints in their eyes were frantically surrounding and attacking a man and a woman from different directions.

The boy was wearing outdoor combat gear, his face obscured by the night, though his hairstyle seemed quite stylish.

He was directing a Stone Armor Lizard in a fierce battle against the pack of Shadow-Rift Cats. The Stone Armor Lizard's strength was decent, but facing the numerous and extremely fast Shadow-Rift Cats, it was constantly getting scratched and was struggling to cope.

Lin Chen was slightly startled. "A Stone Armor Lizard?"

The girl had neat short hair and a small build. She was directing a gentle-natured Water Spirit Sparrow to help the boy resist the pack of Shadow-Rift Cats.

But the Shadow-Rift Cats were numerous, and three of them even had second-stage strength, gradually suppressing the two.

The boy's voice soon rang out: "Don't be afraid, Xiaoya! I'll find a way to cover our retreat, you go first!"

The girl's voice was somewhat panicked: "No, I don't want to, let's go together."

Hearing the boy's voice, Lin Chen's brow furrowed slightly, finding it extremely familiar.

Beside him, Zhou Ming's eyes widened, and he blurted out in surprise, "It's Li Heng!"

"What is this guy doing here?"

Lin Chen suddenly looked at Zhou Ming, his face full of confusion.

He and Li Heng were childhood friends who grew up together, yet even he needed to carefully distinguish the other's voice in this kind of environment.

Why did Zhou Ming recognize it before he did?

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