236: Xu Jingyu, Dancing Peacock
If one could also receive the blessing of the fairy lingzhi flower and Awaken a new talent...
Who wouldn't go crazy?
"If you are also here to look for the fairy lingzhi flower, we can team up. It would be safer in the Gloomy Forest that way."
Seeing Su Ningyu staring blankly, the young man assumed he was hesitant and continued, "The forest is full of danger; it's too risky to go in alone.
My name is Xu Jingyu, a local university student from the North, and I am fairly familiar with the Gloomy Forest.
If we team up, the safety factor will be much higher."
Xu Jingyu.
Su Ningyu glanced at him, neither agreeing nor refusing immediately.
"My name is Su Ningyu."
He stated his name first, then asked, "How did you know I was here to look for the fairy lingzhi flower? What if I'm just passing through?"
Xu Jingyu smiled and pointed at Su Ningyu's backpack: "People who come to the Gloomy Forest are either here to hunt beasts to make money or to collect Materials.
Your backpack is too small; you don't look like you're here to hunt large beasts."
The corners of Su Ningyu's mouth curled up slightly.
This person had good observation skills, but he still guessed wrong. He wasn't here for the fairy lingzhi flower, but since he knew about such a Heaven And Earth Treasure, Su Ningyu wouldn't give it up.
"Are you alone?" Su Ningyu asked.
"I was, but when I saw you, I wanted to find a companion."
Xu Jingyu said candidly, "My own strength is average, and my family doesn't have much background. If I want to find the fairy lingzhi flower before those major factions, going it alone definitely won't work.
Having another person means having another set of eyes."
Su Ningyu was silent for a moment.
He did indeed need more detailed information.
Xu Jingyu was a local of the North and definitely had a deeper understanding of the Gloomy Forest than he did.
Furthermore, teaming up didn't mean they had to stay together the whole time.
If they found it unsuitable halfway through, they could separate at any time.
"Fine." He nodded, "Then let's go together."
Xu Jingyu's eyes lit up, and he reached out his hand: "Happy to cooperate."
Su Ningyu shook his hand.
The moment their hands clasped, Su Ningyu habitually activated his Spirit Eye.
[Beast Tamer: Xu Jingyu]
[Bronze-level Beast Master]
[Talent: Eagle Eye (Can significantly increase visual range and detail capture ability)]
A Bronze-level Beast Master, just like himself.
His talent was Eagle Eye; no wonder he could tell at a glance that he was here to look for the fairy lingzhi flower.
Su Ningyu withdrew his gaze and quietly deactivated his Spirit Eye.
"Let's go." He looked towards the direction of the Gloomy Forest, "Tell me what you know on the way."
The two walked side-by-side toward the forest entrance.
The clamor behind them gradually faded, and the tree shadows ahead grew denser.
The entrance to the Gloomy Forest was like a giant gaping mouth, waiting for everyone who stepped into it.
Su Ningyu and Xu Jingyu walked into the forest side-by-side.
After entering the forest, both of them simultaneously released their beasts.
With a thought, Su Ningyu had Lucky Frog and Coal Ball appear beside him.
As soon as Lucky Frog appeared, it hopped onto the top of Su Ningyu's head with practiced ease, squatting in the most comfortable spot, its amber eyes darting around as it sized up the unfamiliar environment.
Coal Ball followed quietly at his feet, its two tails swaying gently behind it.
Xu Jingyu's beast, however, made Su Ningyu pause slightly.
A flash of light passed, and two gorgeous, feathered peacocks appeared beside Xu Jingyu.
Their size was nearly double that of a normal peacock; when their tail feathers spread, they were over two meters wide, with every single feather displaying a gradient luster.
From deep blue to emerald green, from emerald green to golden yellow, layered one upon another, they shimmered brilliantly in the Gloomy Forest.
Very beautiful.
They held their heads high with elegant strides, but their eyes were vigilant and sharp; one look told you they weren't just decorative vases.
Dancing Peacocks.
And there were two of them, identical Dancing Peacocks.
Su Ningyu's Spirit Eye quietly activated, his gaze sweeping over these two beautiful flying-type beasts.
[Beast: Dancing Peacock]
[Strength: bronze Tier 7]
[Attribute: Flying]
[Talent: Radiant Feather, when using light-type skills, skill power increases by 50%]
bronze Tier 7. Both of them.
This level of strength was already quite outstanding among his peers.
But what truly caught Su Ningyu's attention was the Dancing Peacock's talent.
Radiant Feather, light-type skill power increased by 50%. This amplification ratio was already in a fairly high tier among talents.
"It's actually a Dancing Peacock?"
Su Ningyu looked at Xu Jingyu, his tone carrying a hint of surprise, "I remember this kind of beast is quite rare."
Xu Jingyu smiled, a hint of bitterness in his smile: "It's rare, yes, but it's also troublesome to raise.
The talent is good, but the evolution path is too narrow.
You also know that the Dancing Peacock only has one evolution path—the Angel sequence's Radiant Peacock.
It sounds warm and beautiful, but that path..."
He paused, "Ninety percent of Dancing Peacocks die on the path of evolution."
He reached out and gently stroked the crest of the Dancing Peacock on the left, his movements as soft as if he were touching fragile porcelain.
"My family has an obsession with the Radiant Peacock. Since my grandfather's generation, people in my family have been raising Dancing Peacocks, passed down generation after generation, but successful ones... there hasn't been a single one.
By the time it reached me, my family hoped I could break this curse."
Su Ningyu glanced at Xu Jingyu's expression.
When he said "my family hoped," his tone was calm, but there was a trace of imperceptible exhaustion in his eyes.
Clearly, this "hope" was, for him, more of a burden.
"So you came to the Gloomy Forest to find the fairy lingzhi flower to increase the safety net for the Dancing Peacock's evolution?" Su Ningyu asked.
Xu Jingyu nodded: "The blessing of the fairy lingzhi flower can make a Beast Tamer immune to all poisons and have natural affinity.
I heard from my family's elders that if a Beast Tamer themselves possesses the ability of natural affinity, during the Dancing Peacock's evolution process, they can better Pacify their emotions and reduce the risk of energy going out of control.
Even if it can only reduce it by a little, I am willing to try."
Su Ningyu didn't ask any more questions.
Everyone has their own path to walk, and everyone has their own obsessions to bear.
He was not the type of person who liked to pry into other people's family affairs.
"Your beasts are also very interesting."
Xu Jingyu looked at Lucky Frog on top of Su Ningyu's head and Coal Ball at his feet, his eyes full of curiosity.
His mouth opened, as if he wanted to ask something, but in the end, he just smiled and didn't press further.
After the two entered the forest, there were still many people on the road at first.
Groups of two or three adventurers, Beast Tamers, and treasure hunters moved forward along the relatively wide forest path, maintaining a polite distance from one another.
Some were talking, some were arguing, and some were whispering about something.
The topics all revolved around the same thing.
The fairy lingzhi flower.
"I heard the news about the flowering this time came from the Northland Adventurer's Guild; the authenticity is very high."
"Really? The fairy lingzhi flower only blooms once every few decades; I wasn't even born the last time it bloomed."
"If the news were fake, would so many people come? Look at those few over there, they're wearing the uniforms of the Nanling Adventure Group; they aren't just here for a stroll because they have nothing better to do."
"Stop arguing; whether we can find it or not is another matter.
The Gloomy Forest is so big, who knows where that thing grows."
Su Ningyu listened to these discussions.