Astral Pet Store (WN)

“What is that contract space?” Diqiong asked again.

Su Ping came back to his senses. “Well… they are my battle pets. They are kind of like my servants, but they are more like my friends in battle. The contract space is where they live. The power of the contract opened up that space, not me.”

“Battle pets? Servants?”

Diqiong was still perplexed. But it did start to understand why Su Ping would stay with those odd-looking creatures. It turned out that they fought in battles together.

No wonder they would risk their lives for each other when they were of different species.

“What is that contract? How come you have one?” Diqiong’s curiosity was not yet satisfied.

Su Ping suddenly realized that the pompous bird was kind of innocent. He could not help but develop an urge to… trick it into leaving with him!

But he gave up on that idea as soon as he remembered the crow’s rank.

His mind would explode if he were to sign a contract with the Golden Crow!

I wish I was at the Fate State… Sadly, Su Ping thought to himself. His blood boiled with the mere thought of tricking a Golden Crow into leaving with him.

The Golden Crow was a creature from the ancient times, the first creature in creation. If he could get one as his battle pet, he would almost be invincible among others of his rank!

“That is a strength that everyone can have. They use themselves as the media and sign contracts with different creatures to become partners in battles…” Su Ping tried to simplify the explanation because he himself wasn’t quite able to explain it; the bird might not understand it if he spoke in complicated terms.

“Everyone can have it? Do you mean all humans can do that?” Diqiong was amazed. “So, the lives that you sign contracts with must obey you?”

Diqiong seemed alerted. Su Ping had realized that his prior idea was only wishful thinking. The Golden Crow didn’t understand what the contract meant but it wasn’t a silly bird.

“Basically, yes,” Su Ping said.

Diqiong immediately placed some distance between itself and Su Ping. “You’d better not use that wicked strength in me or you will die a miserable death!”

“…”

Su Ping was speechless.

He was offended by Qidiong’s warning. “But it’s already too late. I established a contract with you when we first came into contact. It’s just that I haven’t given you any orders and the contract power is lying dormant in you. You’ll have to follow my orders once I mobilize that power.”

“I don’t believe that!”

Diqiong was startled. The Golden Crow was more powerful than Su Ping but all creatures were born to be wary of the unknown. As far as Diqiong could tell, Su Ping was a strange creature because it couldn’t be killed, even though it was an awfully weak creature!

“If you dare to do anything to me… The elders will imprison you here for the rest of your life!” Diqiong warned Su Ping.

Su Ping burst into laughter. “I can leave just like I get here without you detecting it. Try me.”

“I will find out.”

Diqiong stopped. It was going to fly back to the elders.

Su Ping was startled, since Diqiong was actually getting serious. “All right, all right, I was just messing with you. If I had cast some curse on you, the elders would have noticed right away. Okay, stop wasting my time. Tell me about the trial so I can get ready.”

Diqiong gazed at him with some doubts in its eyes but it was less angry.

Well, Su Ping was right.

The informed and experienced elders would have found out if he had done something!

Also, while they were far from where the elders were perching, Diqiong knew that the elders were still able to monitor their movement and hear their conversation. Since the elders didn’t react and issued a warning, it was most likely that the human was joking!

Hmm!

Mean human!

Diqiong found Su Ping’s smile even more repulsive. “You will never be able to pass the trial. It is the rite of passage for us crows. Even the worst of us is hundreds of times better than you are!” Diqiong sneered.

Su Ping was not surprised since he had learned from the system about the trial’s difficulty. “Whether I can pass or not is none of your business. Tell me about it, maybe I will do it. What a slap on your face would that be if I can pass it!”

“Fat chance!” Diqiong answered with resolution.

Su Ping was riled up by Diqiong’s confidence. “Really. How about we make a bet?”

“A bet?”

“Yes, if I don’t pass the test, I’ll comply with one of your demands. Anything you tell me to do. But, if I can pass the trial, you’ll do something I say,” Su Ping taunted.

Diqiong understood the concept of “bet” at once. It was about to say yes when it heard a voice in its mind, “Qiong-er, behave.”

It was the Chief Elder.

Diqiong looked back. The elders were still gazing at them.

Even though they had flown away from the twig, the elders could still see them and hear them. Diqiong was not the least surprised.

“Chief Elder, the human won’t pass the trial!” Diqiong answered in its mind.

“This human is strange and he is a descendant of the Heaven Master. He may have some skills that have escaped our understanding, for example, the one that makes him unkillable,” the Chief Elder said slowly.

Diqiong remembered how Su Ping was able to come back to life again and again under its flames.

Diqiong came back to its senses and turned around, only to see Su Ping’s sneer. Suddenly, the crow found the human’s sneer was sinister!

It was all a ruse!

Diqiong felt lucky that the Chief Elder had alerted it in time. If Diqiong had agreed to that bet, it would have been beholden to deliver on that promise and Su Ping could ask for something outrageous!

Close call!

Diqiong thanked its lucky stars and then sneered at Su Ping. “I won’t make that bet with you. I am much more honorable than you, and I can do a great deal of things. What can you do? I don’t need you to do anything for me. In fact, you would have to follow my orders if I wanted to, whether you like it or not!”

Diqiong sounds too bossy.

Su Ping raised his eyebrows. Well, the bird didn’t take the bait.

“I didn’t know that a creature of ancient origins would wuss out.” Su Ping snorted.

“What is a wuss?”

“It means you’re fainthearted.”

“You!”

Diqiong would file its teeth if it had any.

“I won’t waste time arguing with you. Since the Chief Elder said you can participate in the trial, I can only oblige and tell you the rules, just in case you go back to that Heaven Master and decide to change black to white!” Diqiong snorted. Since young, all the other Golden Crows would speak with respect and no bird would argue back; Diqiong knew that it could never win against Su Ping when it came to quarreling.

Su Ping felt sorry for not being able to provoke the young crow; Diqiong’s reply also came as a surprise. That pretty bird enjoyed a high status and it had the ability to see the big picture. But the thing was, Su Ping had never known or heard about someone called the Heaven Master.

If he knew, he wouldn’t have gone there to find materials. He would have simply gone to beg the Heaven Master for materials, and he could get all of them, not just for level two!

“Fine,” Su Ping agreed.

“There are three locations for the trial. Your strength, spirit and skill will be tested!” Diqiong explained, “Strength would be the first to be tested. Your strength has to meet the standard in the trial space, or you will be ousted!

“The test on spirit is also a test of your willpower. Strength alone cannot carry you long enough!

“The test on skill is to find out your power of understanding! The specific details of the trial vary each time; we would know about it until the elders construct the trial space.

“In addition to the three, you will have to deal with the comprehensive trial!

“When you get to that place, you will have to use all the powers you know. The higher your score is, the more you will be liked by the elders!”

Diqiong suddenly added a touch of pride in the following remark, “The ones that can get the highest score will be qualified to try for the royal guard; once they pass the test, they would become members of the reserve. They will have a chance to stay with me to protect me and admire my good looks!”

“…”

Su Ping was speechless…

Diqiong had sounded dead serious at first, but then it all turned into a joke.

And yet, he could tell that Diqiong didn’t think it was a joke… That made things even funnier!

He had never seen a bird that shameless!

It seemed that arrogance was a trait which had existed since the beginning of life…

“What’s that look in your eyes?” Diqiong questioned Su Ping.

Su Ping gave a hollow laugh. What do you think?

But he didn’t say anything. His laugh said more than his words.

“So, you’re saying that you have a high status. Are you of the noble family lording over all of the Golden Crows?” Su Ping asked. He could tell from the elders’ attitude that the uppity bird was an important one. Also, the system did say something about an emperor-level bloodline. That wasn’t a common bird.

“Hmm!”

Diqiong didn’t say anything else. Its snort conveyed more than words did.

Diqiong flew forward and said to Su Ping, “You will be the first to be expelled in the comprehensive test. You should know now that it is a great honor for you to be able to talk to me this close and for such a long time.”

“…”

Su Ping produced a force smile.

So, that’s what this conversation was about.

“The trial will start in half a day. Think about it. Do not bring insult to your Heaven Master,” Diqiong said. The implied meaning was that he would never pass the test!

Su Ping was not in the mood to argue. He was certain that the trial would be difficult for him.

That would have to be the trial with the highest level he had ever experienced!

The trial to get the old dragon king’s legacy was insignificant compared to that one.

The Golden Crows were the earliest lives in creation; if the trial was difficult for them, it would be more than difficult for other races!

Su Ping believed that his talent was above that of humans. After all, few titled battle pet warriors could fight against a Fate State creature.

Still, he was nothing when compared to the Golden Crows, he was nothing.

I merely have ten days and I cannot go anywhere else. I won’t be able to gain more strength, no matter what I do. That is, unless I get the materials for the second level of the Solar Bulwark… Su Ping pondered.

Previously, he would find a cultivation site and use the harsh environment to tap into his potential as a way of training, and the repeated deaths made him stronger.

Even so, as time moved on, the effect of such training began to diminish.

After all, it was just a primitive approach.

That was not an option for him at the moment. All of a sudden, Su Ping realized he could not find a way to develop in ten days.

He had been relying on outside help and the cultivation sites. He had to rely on himself.

Su Ping realized that he had never gained strength by himself, ever since he got the system.

He had been relying on the system to better himself.

But that time, he was all that he had.

Su Ping sat in the golden cube, contemplating.

Diqiong did not disturb Su Ping; it was flying toward a seemingly far off twig.

That twig was not that far away for the elders, but it still took Diqiong a dozen minutes to arrive. The rest of the younger Golden Crows would have traveled for days so that they could reach that twig!

…

“I have to rely on myself…” Su Ping murmured.

He took a deep breath to calm himself and deal with his anxiety.

Cultivation was the only thing possible for him!

Speaking of cultivation, Su Ping thought of the many people’s voices which belonged to the conversations he had with Joanna’s subordinates in the Demigod Burial.

Those subordinates were all at the Fate State or even the Star Rank. Their conversations were sometimes inspiring for him.

“Strength needs to be accumulated…”

“Willpower needs to be toughened…”

“Skills need to be learned…”

Su Ping closed his eyes. Soon, he decided that he would have to focus on “skills.” As of that moment, the only way for him to make progress was to learn a new skill.

Still, that was the most difficult way to go.