"It worked, just like that?"
Hearing the collective willingness of the entire Golden Marrow Bee swarm to become his animal companions, Qi Ping found it hard to believe.
It was simply too easy! The entire process had been far smoother than he had dared to imagine.
After meeting Qi Ping and communicating with him, the swarm had immediately agreed to the bond. If this scene were witnessed by other Qi Refinement cultivators, they would likely turn green with envy.
This was especially true for other bee-keepers. They knew all too well how difficult it was to even raise Subterranean Golden Marrow Bees, let alone form a contract with them—a task considered nearly impossible.
'It seems the Beast King Druid remains incredibly potent even in the cultivation world!' Qi Ping marveled inwardly.
He didn't yet know how the class would interact with other high-intelligence creatures, but its performance with the Golden Marrow Bees was stellar. This suggested that for creatures similar to these bees, the effect would be equally remarkable.
In other words, the identity of a Beast King Druid would remain a massive advantage for any future contracts! Before becoming a Druid, contracting a nest of Golden Marrow Bees was something Qi Ping wouldn't even have dared to dream of. But now, it was a tangible reality.
"Then let the contract begin!"
Once he had the bees' consent, Qi Ping did not dally. He wanted to finalize the bond immediately. If some unforeseen accident occurred because of his hesitation, it would be truly heart-wrenching.
"Buzz... (Alright!)"
Following the Druidic knowledge ingrained in his mind, Qi Ping used his consciousness to pull at a surge of mysterious energy. Almost instantly, a cryptic contract array began to slowly take shape.
'I wonder which talent I will inherit from the Golden Marrow Bees after the contract...' Qi Ping felt a mixture of anticipation and anxiety.
The Golden Marrow Bees possessed three primary talents: Brewing Artisan, Toxic Tail-Stinger, and Wind Speed. According to his past gaming experience, there was usually an 80% chance of obtaining one of the primary talents and a 20% chance of gaining an obscure, non-primary trait.
Primary talents were of the highest quality. Non-primary traits were usually unremarkable characteristics, so what he would receive was ultimately a matter of luck.
Qi Ping was most hopeful for [Wind Speed]. Wind energy existed almost everywhere in the cultivation world, so awakening this talent would grant him a speed boost in any environment with wind. His affinity for Wind Qi would also see a slight improvement.
'Please don't give me Toxic Tail-Stinger...' Qi Ping prayed silently.
Although a companion's talent would adapt to the Druid's physical form when shared, Qi Ping really could not imagine what a Toxic Tail-Stinger would look like on a human. If a stinger actually grew out of his backside... the mere thought made his skin crawl.
After dozens of breaths, a mysterious, emerald-green array the size of a human finally materialized. Under Qi Ping's control, it vanished into the swarm in the blink of an eye.
In the modded DND game, a single animal companion slot could be used to contract an entire swarm. A collective entity like a bee colony would serve as a single companion. The births, deaths, and generational shifts of the Queen, drones, and workers would not break this contractual bond.
Facing Qi Ping's contract array, the Golden Marrow Bees did not resist. They allowed the power of the array to merge into their bodies. As the energy took hold, an emerald light erupted from them, and a matching glow rose from Qi Ping.
The process took longer than Qi Ping had expected. It was nearly fifteen minutes before the ritual was officially complete. During this time, Qi Ping remained immersed in the sensory experience of sharing the Golden Marrow Bees' talents.
The bees experienced something similar, though they did not share Qi Ping's talents. Instead, they felt the [Beast King's Grace] skill enhancing their very bloodlines.
[Beast King's Grace: As your animal companions, they gain increased growth speed and a higher success rate for evolution.]
This effect did not appear out of thin air. The skill actively refined the bloodlines of all of Qi Ping's animal companions, fundamentally altering their essence.
When Qi Ping finally regained his senses and realized how much time had passed, his first reaction was one of lingering fear. The contract took much longer than he had anticipated; in the game, it was instantaneous, but here, it had taken a full quarter of an hour!
'Luckily, no accidents happened. In the future, I must ensure I am in a safe environment before contracting new companions!'
Otherwise, an ambush would mean certain death.
'At least the ceremony was a success!'
The Golden Marrow Bee swarm was officially contracted! These mid-tier First-Order bees, which could make a mid-layer Qi Refinement cultivator both terrified and envious, were now Qi Ping's animal companions.
This meant that from this moment on, Qi Ping not only possessed a power capable of threatening those at the middle layers of Qi Refinement, but he could also obtain precious honey through them!
It was killing two birds with one stone.
Qi Ping was exceptionally satisfied with his first companion. They were capable of fighting, earning money, and were easy to hide as a trump card. Among all the spirit beasts he could realistically obtain, he truly couldn't find any other creature with a better overall value than the Golden Marrow Bee.
"Though, while the shared talent did successfully avoid the stinger, it wasn't Wind Speed either..."
Looking at the [Brewing Artisan] talent, Qi Ping didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
[Brewing Artisan: You possess a keen talent for pollen and certain spirit herbs, enabling you to brew them into honey with extraordinary effects.]
'There are some slight differences compared to the bees' version...'
The original talent of the Golden Marrow Bee was: [Possess a unique talent for honey-making. Not only can they brew pollen into honey, but they can also brew certain spirit herbs into honey and enhance the herbs' special effects.]
The primary change for Qi Ping was: [Possess a keen talent for pollen and certain spirit herbs...]
'If I think about it, this talent is actually quite useful. Increasing my sensory talent for spirit herbs is actually pretty good!'
'In any case, that small boost from Wind Speed probably wouldn't have increased my strength by much. Having another money-making skill isn't a bad trade...'
'As long as I develop it well, it might turn into a surprising ability.'
There were no useless skills, only useless players—especially in a world of infinite possibilities like the cultivation world. Although this ability certainly couldn't compare to alchemy, the combination of [Brewing Artisan] and [Plant Growth] would be enough to support Qi Ping's cultivation during the Qi Refinement stage. At the very least, compared to growing a tail stinger, [Brewing Artisan] was well within his range of acceptance.
Furthermore, with the Golden Marrow Bees as his companions, his combat power was already sufficient to threaten those at the middle layers. For a Layer 1 cultivator, that small speed boost really wouldn't have made a difference.
Once he reached this realization, Qi Ping felt no more regret. This was a massive upgrade from his previous situation, and he was more than content. A 'farming' talent also suited his personality.
"And the harvest might not even be over yet!"
Qi Ping had not forgotten the habits of the Golden Marrow Bees. They were extremely picky about their nectar sources. The fact that they had chosen to settle here proved that there were flowers or spirit herbs nearby that had attracted them—and in no small quantity!