The little Cloud-Dream cub had taken the initiative to show its friendliness, making the subsequent steps much easier.
After Qi Ping confirmed that the other Rank 2 herb seeds were in order, he immediately summoned his bees to bring the hidden spirit stones. This included all the wealth he had taken from the three late-stage Foundation Establishment cultivators. Once the trade was finalized, Qi Ping took the tiger and left the area quickly.
Originally, he had thought about selling off the other items from the three cultivators, but considering he had such an important creature in his hands, he decided to wait. If he lost an item worth over three hundred thousand stones and thirty thousand points due to some oversight, he would cry himself to death. It was better to let the Treant Clone handle it later.
The Treant Clone led the tiger a safe distance away before handing it over to the main body, who brought it back to the territory. This time, Qi Ping only brought the tiger and the seeds back. Other items—ores, manuals, and herbs—were temporarily left outside. The ores could be eaten by the Little Stone Spirit outside the territory, and the manuals could be read by the Treant Clone. This minimized the risk to his base. Qi Ping was truly spooked by the mysterious methods of the cultivation world.
Furthermore, Qi Ping had developed a new idea. Once the Cloud-Dream Immortal Tiger was raised enough to protect the territory, and with his own Grace of Heaven and Earth and Curse Immunity, he might consider sending the Treant Clone to join the Qing Yuan Sect. There, he could learn spells and knowledge that were impossible to find as a rogue cultivator. It was just a clone, after all. As long as the location of his main body and territory remained hidden, he was safe.
After this expenditure, Qi Ping's spirit stones had plummeted from five hundred and forty thousand to just one hundred and fifty thousand. His Black Market points had also dropped to 6,510.
[Black Market Spirit Stones: 10,800]
[Black Market Points: 6,510]
[Remaining Spirit Stones: 150,000]
The tiger alone had cost 376,000 spirit stones and 37,600 points. The four types of herb seeds had cost just over ten thousand stones and a thousand points. One tiger had nearly wiped out his fortune. 'Spending money like water' didn't even begin to describe it.
But as Qi Ping brought the cub back to the sanctuary, he felt no heartache, only joy. It was worth it! If the contract succeeded, even doubling the price would have been worth it.
Back in the territory, the little cub let out a soft "awoo" toward Qi Ping. Though it was just a cub, its voice already held an undeniable majesty and aura, even if it sounded mostly like a cute, milky roar for now.
The cub's basic form was similar to a white tiger, but it had a pair of horns resembling a dragon's, and its fur possessed a unique, divine rhythm. Most notably, its body emitted an auspicious aura that other tigers lacked. This was a unique power; just by standing near it, Qi Ping felt an indescribable sense of comfort.
This was the benefit of an auspicious beast. With it here, the entire territory—including Qi Ping and the other animal companions—would be influenced by its providence. Cultivation and breakthroughs would all trend toward better outcomes. And unlike the fierce nature of other tiger-type beasts, the Cloud-Dream Immortal Tiger was gentle and wise.
Since the tiger had already accepted him, the rest was simple. Qi Ping began the ritual for a new animal companion!
However, this time was different. Qi Ping's consciousness was incredibly focused and concentrated. He was no longer passively waiting as he had in the past. This time, he wanted to try actively selecting the talent he would share!
As his soul grew stronger, he had discovered that at the moment the contract was successfully forged, his consciousness entered a special realm within the companion. In that realm, there were three brilliant mystery lights and several smaller ones. If he wasn't mistaken, those were the three primary talents and other traits. In that brief instant, whichever light orb his consciousness merged with first would be the talent he obtained.
Qi Ping wasn't certain, but he had to try! As the ritual began, his tension rose to a peak.
'Here it comes!'
At the moment of success, Qi Ping's focus reached its zenith. His consciousness indeed arrived in that special space. Three large light orbs and several small ones lay before him. Each orb radiated a different aura. One emitted thick providence, another radiated dense water spiritual energy and the law of water, and the third pulsed with a clear sense of all-seeing insight.
Without a doubt, these were Boundless Providence, Monarch of Waters, and Insight into All Things.
In that split second of recognition, Qi Ping exerted his will to maneuver his consciousness. He dodged the orb of Insight into All Things that was flying toward him and plunged headlong into the orb radiating the aura of the law of water—Monarch of Waters!
The moment he dove in, waves of insights regarding the water attribute began to pour into his mind. He fell into a deep trance of comprehension. Simultaneously, dense water energy began to remodel his body.
Several days passed before Qi Ping slowly woke from his meditation. Upon waking, an intense joy filled his eyes.
'I did it! I actually did it!'
His excitement was beyond words. He was happy not just because he got Monarch of Waters—the talent he wanted most—but because this meant he could actively choose the talents he shared in the future!
Though success wasn't guaranteed, the chance of getting a 'trash' talent was greatly reduced. His speed in gathering the Five Elements talents would increase significantly.
Shared Talent: Monarch of Waters.
[Effect: You are a lord of the waters. Your talent for water-attribute cultivation is exceptionally high, and you possess the special [Cloud-Dream Spirit Body]. High cultivation speed, proficient in water spells, and can harness the power of rivers, lakes, and seas in battle.]
Cloud-Dream Spirit Body, proficiency in spells, and the power of the seas... 'A true lord of the waters indeed!'
Looking at the effect, Qi Ping was delighted. It was like getting three talents in one. The spirit body was on par with his Golden-Flame Physique, making him an elite cultivator. The proficiency would help him master water spells faster; his mind was already filled with insights. This would surely accelerate his progress in comprehending the True Intent of Water and studying water-based formations.
As for the third effect, it might not be very useful now, but the cultivation world was full of vast oceans. One day, it would be. Furthermore, if he set up arrays near water, he could use this power to make them even more formidable. This talent's value was sky-high, which is why he had bypassed the others.
Insight into All Things was not bad, but it consumed lifespan and vitality. For someone obsessed with longevity and the peak of the immortal path, that was unacceptable. Boundless Providence was excellent, but he already had Grace of Heaven and Earth. While the effects weren't identical, they overlapped significantly. Between luck and raw power, Qi Ping chose power. Besides, as long as the tiger was his companion, the tiger's luck would naturally influence him anyway.
'Now I have three of the Five Elements. Only Wood and Earth remain before I can switch to the Path of the Five Elements!'
With the tiger contracted, Qi Ping poured his energy into cultivation, law comprehension, and herb-growing. Because of various distractions and resource limits, his cultivation had been stuck at the early stage of Foundation Establishment. Now, he just needed to raise the tiger to Rank 2, and the territory would be safe. If anyone tried to divine his information, the tiger would sense it. He estimated that with the tiger, his Curse Immunity, and Grace of Heaven and Earth, even a Golden Core cultivator couldn't find him, and even a Nascent Soul might fail.