The fluffy little spirit fox blinked its dark, beady eyes, looking at Qi Ping with a face full of curiosity.
Just why could it understand this two-legged beast?
Furthermore, this two-legged beast gave off a particularly comfortable feeling.
Why could it understand? Qi Ping thought for a moment and ultimately decided to attribute it to his own talent...
"Because one of my talents is the ability to understand the speech of spirit beasts!"
"Chirp chirp... (There's a talent like that? I've never met one before! Do you have any other talents?)"
"I have many other talents, but I can only tell my animal companions!"
"Chirp chirp... (Animal companions? What's an animal companion?)"
"An animal companion is someone who is a very good friend. We fight together, share many things together..."
Hearing Qi Ping's explanation, the little fox's eyes sparkled with anticipation.
"Chirp chirp... (Is that so? That sounds wonderful! Will you share tasty food with me?)"
"Of course, I can share many delicious things with you!"
"Chirp chirp... (Wow... then can I be your animal companion? But I don't seem to have anything to share with you. That feels bad... it's a bit unfair!)"
At this, the little fox's gaze suddenly dimmed...
"That's because you're still small. Every spirit beast needs time to grow. Once you grow up, you will have things to share with me!" Qi Ping explained patiently.
"Chirp chirp... (Is that how it works? Then can I be your animal companion?)"
The look of anticipation returned to its eyes.
"Of course you can!" Qi Ping replied affirmatively.
"Chirp chirp... (Hooray! That's great!)"
The little fox was entirely energized.
However, as if remembering something, it suddenly spoke up.
"Chirp chirp... (But I can't become your animal companion just yet. I have to wait...)"
The little fox suddenly began to count on its toes...
"Chirp chirp... (I have to wait half a day before I can be your companion! Don't be in a rush...)" Fearing that Qi Ping might get impatient, it quickly tried to comfort him.
"Half a day? I'm not in a rush... but why half a day?" Qi Ping looked at the fox with some confusion.
Hearing this, the little fox said very seriously:
"Chirp chirp... (Because before I got lost, my mommy told me that I can't become friends with other spirit beasts I just met... I don't really know how long 'just met' is, but half a day should count as a long time. So you'll have to wait patiently for half a day!)"
"So that's how it is... did you get lost on your own before?"
"Chirp chirp... (Yeah, it was all because I was too playful. I snuck out to play while mommy wasn't looking and got lost... The world outside is so dangerous! I was so hungry my tummy went flat and I had no strength. A few times, I almost got eaten by scary spirit beasts...)"
"Chirp chirp... (Later, I was caught by a very scary two-legged beast. Then I saw many more of them, and most of them made me feel afraid...)"
"Chirp chirp... (Lately, I stayed for a while with a very pretty two-legged beast. She was nice to me, gave me lots of food, and wasn't scary...)"
"Chirp chirp... (I just don't know why she gave me to other two-legged beasts... By the way, will you abandon me?)"
The little fox looked at Qi Ping with trepidation.
Qi Ping seemed very nice, but would he send it away one day too?
It was afraid of being hungry again, and very afraid of meeting those scary fellows...
"Of course not. As long as you become my animal companion, we will be friends forever. I will absolutely never send you away..."
Qi Ping pulled the little fox closer, stroking its head and comforting it with a twinge of pity.
"Chirp chirp... (That's wonderful! I'll never have to be hungry again... I want to grow up fast so I can share things with you too... Just half a day left...)"
With that, the little fox began counting its toes again.
It really wished that half a day would pass quickly...
As it counted, it unknowingly drifted off to sleep...
Looking at the slumbering little fox in his arms, Qi Ping thought silently:
'Don't worry, little one. You won't go hungry here, and I won't give you to anyone else...'
...
For the next few hours, Qi Ping did not disturb the fox's rest. Instead, he cultivated carefully while pondering the information regarding the Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox.
'A One-Seal Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox...'
[Species: Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox (One-Seal)]
[Bloodline: Rank Two High-Grade]
[Talents: Naturally Intelligent, Fairy-Trance Divine Seal, Fairy-Trance Illusion]
Naturally Intelligent: Possesses keen insight and intuition, along with exceptional talent in comprehension and learning.
Fairy-Trance Divine Seal: Originating from the Fairy-Trance bloodline. Those with the Divine Seal possess a solid spirit-soul and powerful divine sense, along with extremely high resistance to illusions.
Fairy-Trance Illusion: Possesses extraordinary illusions inherited from the Fairy-Trance bloodline, capable of enchanting, confusing, or collapsing an enemy's soul.
'I wonder which talent I will share this time...'
These three talents were the primary abilities of the Fairy-Trance Spirit Fox. Talent sharing usually resulted in one of these three.
Among them, the one Qi Ping favored most was the Fairy-Trance Divine Seal.
The effects of a solid spirit-soul and powerful divine sense alone were enough to make Qi Ping drool, not to mention the resistance to illusions.
The soul was the foundation of everything. An enhancement in soul strength would naturally boost comprehension as well, though not as much as the Naturally Intelligent talent would.
Next in preference was Naturally Intelligent. Although it didn't directly increase soul strength by a large margin, the boost to comprehension and learning would be of great benefit in understanding techniques and grasping Flame Intent.
Fairy-Trance Illusion was ranked last not because it was weak.
In fact, the power of Fairy-Trance Illusions was quite famous in the world of cultivation, far stronger than many illusion techniques and exceeding the capabilities of most illusion-based spirit beasts.
However, soul strength was the foundation of illusions. If Qi Ping only had the illusion talent without the corresponding soul strength, it would be a mere hollow shell with limited effectiveness.
'But no matter which one I share, it won't be a problem!'
He still had the Hundred-Eyed Flower Demon, an even rarer soul-attribute beast, in his storage bag.
By contracting two soul-attribute spirit beasts back-to-back, unless Qi Ping was exceptionally unlucky, obtaining a soul-related talent shouldn't be an issue.
Furthermore, almost every talent these two possessed was excellent; it would be hard to "miss."
The little fox's nap was particularly deep.
When it woke up with bleary eyes and saw the rising sun, it realized it had slept for more than half a day!
The first thing it did upon waking was calculate how much time had passed.
"Chirp chirp... (I think I came yesterday at noon. If it's now, more than half a day has passed... more than half a day is more than half a day... That means I've known him for more than half a day!)"
Realizing it could now become Qi Ping's companion, the little fox bounded up from Qi Ping's lap.
It rubbed its head against Qi Ping, its eyes full of anticipation and shimmering with mysterious power. It chirped excitedly:
"Chirp chirp... (Chirp chirp! Half a day has passed! I can be your animal companion now!)"