Although it was another blue-grade special item, the Skill Fusion Stone's description ran several lines longer than those of the Lucky Charm and Awakening Stone. Its three notes immediately made Xu Ran realize how precious it was.
Something that could fuse skills without side effects was only blue-grade? Why did he find that so hard to believe?
As he thought, Xu Ran opened Purple Cloud's panel and selected two skills.
[★★Electric Spark] + [★★Electric Arc] [Fusion success rate: 0] [Proceed with fusion?] [Yes][No]
Xu Ran: "..."
Was he somehow using this wrong?!
Let's try two different ones.
[★Bite] + [★Claw Edge] [Fusion success rate: 12.7%] [Proceed with fusion?] [Yes][No]
That probability looked more normal.
Maybe Electric Spark and Electric Arc couldn't be fused because they were innate skills gained upon awakening?
Let's try something else.
Xu Ran replaced Claw Edge with Self-Healing, and the success rate instantly dropped to 1.1%.
Just as he had thought.
Next, Xu Ran tried fusing Bite and Claw Edge with the newly acquired Blood Rage, obtaining success rates of 7.3% and 6.4%, respectively.
Both were decent, but Bite and Claw Edge were clearly the most compatible.
Besides, neither of those two skills was particularly important to Purple Cloud.
Then let's give it a shot!
Xu Ran selected those two skills again, then clicked [Yes].
Two masses of energy seemed to collide and grind against each other before his eyes, spinning rapidly like a yin-yang symbol as they tried to fuse, finally turning into a ray of golden light.
Xu Ran took a deep breath, tension written across his face.
Did it work?!
A moment later, a message appeared before him.
[Fusion failed]
Xu Ran: "..."
With all those flashy effects, I thought it had worked!
Still, Xu Ran wasn't discouraged. He selected the same two skills again.
[★Bite] + [★Claw Edge] [Fusion success rate: 20.4%] [Proceed with fusion?] [Yes][No]
Just as the item description had said, after one failed attempt, the success rate for fusing the two skills had increased-and by quite a bit.
Xu Ran only regretted not keeping Liu Gu, that lucky charm of a man, in the shop.
"One more time!" he declared, clicking [Yes] again.
The same effects flashed past, and a message appeared before Xu Ran.
[Fusion successful]
It worked!
Xu Ran pumped his fists twice in excitement, then looked down at the bewildered Purple Cloud in his arms. "How do you feel?"
How did it feel?
Purple Cloud blinked.
It only felt its memories of the two skills it had previously mastered suddenly grow hazy, replaced by an entirely new skill.
And this new skill seemed capable of replacing both previous skills completely, while being even stronger!
Remembering how it had felt when it was taught a new skill before, Purple Cloud's eyes widened.
Was this its Beast Tamer's doing again?!
"That's right. It was me again." Seeing what Purple Cloud was thinking, Xu Ran rubbed its head, then opened its panel.
[Contract Beast: Purple Cloud Species name: Lightning-Chasing Cat Attribute: Lightning Growth rank: Transcendent Rank (147/500) Species rank: Commander Species Skills: [★★Electric Spark (Stardust Level)] (21/100) [★★Electric Arc (Stardust Level)] (25/100) [★★Combat Instinct (Stardust Level)] (1/100) [★Self-Healing (Stardust Level)] (13/100) [★Blood Rage (Stardust Level)] (0/100)]
A two-star skill, Combat Instinct!
"Purple Cloud, try out Combat Instinct!"
"Meow~" (Okay!)
Purple Cloud withdrew its admiring gaze from its Beast Tamer, leaped lightly out of Xu Ran's arms onto the floor, and tried using its newly acquired skill.
Unlike Bite, which used its sharp teeth, and Claw Edge, which used its sharp claws, Combat Instinct was a remarkably comprehensive skill.
Under Combat Instinct's effects, its sharp teeth, claws, and every part of its body-even its tail-became powerful weapons.
And offense wasn't the only thing it enhanced. There was another aspect, too.
Agility!
Cats were already extremely agile creatures. With Combat Instinct, Purple Cloud could freely control every part of its body, taking its agility to another level.
If the previous two skills had been of limited use to Purple Cloud, which primarily relied on Electric Spark for ranged lightning attacks, then the new skill was clearly far more valuable.
After a brief test, Xu Ran's eyes shone.
"Come on! Let's go train!"
He had washed eight Contract Beasts today. He couldn't bear to keep the shop open for another second.
They would be heading out of the city tomorrow. He would use the remaining time to let Purple Cloud familiarize itself with its new skill, then prepare for the trip.
Clack-creak-thud!
Sitting in her room, Duan Anxun heard the security door open and close outside. Her expression instantly tightened. She straightened her back and sat properly, staring intently at the notebook in front of her as though she could make flowers bloom on it.
Tap~ tap~ tap~
The sound of slippers drew closer, each step seeming to land on Duan Anxun's heartbeat and making her breath catch.
"Anxun."
A woman with neat, short hair pushed the door open and entered. Her slender brows lent her a somewhat heroic air, while her eyes seemed veiled in mist, making her emotions difficult to read.
She pulled out the chair beside Duan Anxun and sat down, regarding her calmly. "Your homeroom teacher told me you lost to a classmate in the appearance assessment and didn't secure a place in the Youth Beast Tamer Pet Beauty Contest?"
"Y-yes." Duan Anxun's throat felt dry, making even speaking difficult. "Mom, I'm sorry."
"Turn around and look me in the eyes."
Her voice remained calm, but Duan Anxun felt her heart sinking further and further.
She slowly turned her chair until she faced the woman beside her. Raising her head, she met her mother's eyes, then instinctively looked away, only to force her gaze back again, over and over.
"A week ago, I was chatting with your Auntie Li, and the Youth Beast Tamer Pet Beauty Contest came up." The woman looked at her daughter, whose features closely resembled her own, and spoke calmly. "She's one of the judges. I told her you would be entering."
"A couple of days ago, your Auntie Wang told me her daughter, He Qianqian, had already secured a place in the Contract Beast Beauty Contest..." The woman paused. "You two often played together when you were little. Your Auntie Wang always said she should learn from you."
Her mother's emotionless account made Duan Anxun's hands tremble slightly against the chair.
"I've taken care of your place in the contest." The woman looked calmly at her daughter. "But I hope nothing like this happens again."
"I have a social engagement tonight. Stay home..." The woman slowly rose, glancing at the Rainbow Cloud Parrot beside them, which had remained silent throughout. "Get ready at home, then come with me tonight."
Without waiting for Duan Anxun to speak, the woman turned and left the room.
Before you continue