69: Sage Mode

Bai Ye looked at his brand-new panel—King Rank Elementary Aptitude, Elite Intermediate Rank, and a host of powerful Skills and Talents—and felt an itch in his heart.

The heart of fusion allows Phantom Cats to undergo Fusion.

What if he were the one to use it?

Bai Ye released the Fusion Phantom Cat and continuously unleashed Aromatic Pollen onto her body.

After waiting for a long time, the Fusion Phantom Cat slowly woke up.

The pollen landed on her nose, causing the Fusion Phantom Cat to sneeze several times.

Her eyes were still hazy when she opened them. She shook her head before recalling what had happened earlier.

Although she knew the keeper's method for getting stronger, wasn't there a gentler way?

Bai Ye understood the meaning in the Fusion Phantom Cat's eyes through the newly acquired Telepathy.

“There is, there is. The effect is actually the same if you completely exhaust all your energy.”

The Fusion Phantom Cat immediately shook her head at the thought of the feeling of energy depletion.

Compared to that, being knocked out by a single Vine Whip felt much better.

Immediately, she turned into two streaks of white light, reverting back to Phantom Snow and Xiao Hei.

Part of the reason the heart of fusion is both golden and gray is that only one dominant consciousness can exist between the two Phantom Cats.

Unlike a certain Two-Colored Masked Hero, where two consciousnesses jointly control one body.

If the Fusion time is too long, the other consciousness might dissipate.

“Xiao Lan, Phantom Snow, Xiao Hei.”

Bai Ye waved to the three beast pets.

Xiao Lan, who was doing pull-ups with its Vine Whip, stopped immediately and turned into a streak of green light, landing on his shoulder.

“Come on, let's try a new trick.”

An eager expression appeared on Bai Ye's face.

He sat cross-legged, held the two Phantom Cats in his arms, closed his eyes, and fully immersed his mind in the connection with his three beast pets.

“Super Fusion!”

He shouted softly in his mind.

Buzz!

A strange energy fluctuation rippled out from him.

Xiao Lan responded first; it had always obeyed Bai Ye's commands unconditionally.

Emerald green vines extended from its body, covering Bai Ye's limbs and torso like living armor, eventually forming a majestic Vine Armor.

Next were the two Phantom Cats.

Xiao Hei and Phantom Snow exchanged glances, and their bodies simultaneously lit up, transforming into two streams of light, one black and one white, which drilled into Bai Ye's left and right shoulders, respectively.

The next second, two palm-sized Ragdoll Cats appeared out of thin air on Bai Ye's shoulders, one pure black and one pure white.

“This feeling...”

Bai Ye opened his eyes; within his pupils, three colors—emerald green, deep black, and pure white—flowed endlessly.

His body seemed to merge with the surrounding natural environment, and the natural energy floating in the air rushed toward his body.

[Special State Activated: Sage Mode (Pseudo)]

[Sage Mode (Pseudo): With the assistance of three beast pets, significantly enhances the absorption and control of natural energy. All attribute abilities receive a boost, and the power of Grass-type related Skills is greatly increased.]

“Sage Mode?”

Bai Ye was stunned for a moment. Why did that name sound so familiar?

It was just that the word (Pseudo) at the end was a bit of an eyesore.

His strength had increased significantly compared to before.

He tried throwing a punch.

The wind howled from his fist, and the compressed air resulted in a dull explosion.

A clear fist print was left on the alloy wall of the A-Grade Training Ground.

“Is this the power of Fusion? It's too strong!”

Bai Ye excitedly looked at his fist. This was only the most basic strength amplification. If he combined it with the Photosynthesis Talent, how terrifying a level would his power reach?

Before the excitement could fade, a sudden sense of weakness swept over his entire body.

But it was only for a moment. Immediately, an extremely terrifying Grass-type energy erupted from Bai Ye's body, suppressing the feeling of weakness.

“Hmm?”

Bai Ye frowned and looked down, noticing his skin had become abnormally pale, but it immediately recovered its rosy color under the massive Grass Attribute energy.

[Talent: Frail]

[Do you wish to terminate the Fusion state]

Bai Ye's face immediately darkened.

Why was this Negative Talent still haunting him!

He chose to terminate the Fusion without hesitation.

The Vine Armor covering him and the Ragdoll Cats on his shoulders instantly disappeared, turning into three streaks of light that returned to the ground.

Whether it was the Fusion Phantom Cat or himself, having this strike suddenly during battle could truly be fatal.

Bai Ye sighed, calculating in his mind.

Gray Talents are usually inherent flaws, and they are difficult to remove.

Ordinary treatment methods are useless; one must find a treasure capable of fundamentally changing the essence of life.

Some Beast Tamers even cruelly abandon their beast pets when they discover they possess a Gray Talent.

Some Gray Talents can even affect the Beast Tamer.

The profession of Beast Tamer is indeed a bottomless pit.

“Forget it. When the carriage reaches the mountain, there will surely be a road.”

Bai Ye shook his head, no longer dwelling on these bothersome matters.

The immediate priority is still to improve his strength.

He glanced at his Rank progress bar.

[Rank]: Elite Intermediate (360/625)

He still needed two hundred and sixty-five more times.

“Xiao Lan, I'm going to have to trouble you again.”

Xiao Lan's Vine Whip paused, and it nodded its Vine Whip toward Bai Ye... [Rank]: Elite Intermediate (370/625)

After the training ended, Bai Ye dragged his body back to the living room and threw himself directly onto the soft sofa.

He wasn't tired at all.

But he felt like the things he needed to do were increasing.

Just as he was about to close his eyes and rest properly, his phone suddenly rang.

Bai Ye picked up the phone with some annoyance and glanced at the caller ID—it was an unfamiliar number.

He thought about it and still swiped the answer button.

“Hello?”

“Good evening.”

A familiar female voice came from the other end of the line.

“Qin Yue?”

Bai Ye was stunned for a moment. Why did this girl change her phone number?

What happened to the old one?

“It's me.” Qin Yue's voice was still devoid of warmth.

“First, congratulations on winning the championship of the Sacred Dragon Cup.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Bai Ye replied casually.

He could tell that Qin Yue's congratulations didn't contain much genuine feeling; it seemed more like going through the motions.

This girl truly didn't know how to compliment people.

She was even more of a Steel Straight Man than he was.

At least he was genuinely expressive.

“...”

Silence fell on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, seemingly choked by Bai Ye's perfunctory attitude.

After a good while, Qin Yue's voice sounded again.

“I want to invite you to a place.”

“What place?”

Bai Ye raised an eyebrow. Could it be a higher-level trading venue?

Although he currently “didn't have much money,” it would still be excellent to broaden his horizons.

“Wenshuidu Beast Taming University, Plant System.”

“Wenshuidu Beast Taming University?”

When Bai Ye heard this name, some information immediately surfaced in his mind.

It was one of the top ten universities in Xuanhuang Nation, and especially in the field of Plant System beast pet research, it could be called the national authority.

Chen Yang, who went to the Xuxia Forest with him previously, was from this school.