Companion Pact
Lu Heng held the card that had just emerged from the altar in both hands.
The card has a simple and clear texture, and the cool touch comes through the palm of your hand. It is just a thin card, but it carries an indescribable weight of rules.
The Wristband glowed faintly for a moment, quickly completing the scan and identification, and a series of clear entries were laid out in his field of vision.
[Companion Pact | Special Card]
Effect: Allows you to create any creature as your exclusive companion.
By-products lack independent intelligence and self-awareness, and are completely controlled by the host's will.
Companion creatures grow in sync with the survivors' Talent, strength, and skills, sharing some of the host's abilities and Talent characteristics.
The host can reverse-engineer the companion's racial resistances, unique abilities, and combat instincts.
Behind those few simple lines of text lies an extremely terrifying combat system.
Lu Heng gently stroked the surface of the card with his fingertips, and his mind involuntarily began to make connections. In ancient mythology, there were ancient and powerful beings like Zhu Rong, the god of fire. In the past, he had only regarded these as the fantasies of the ancients, but now, holding the [Companion Pact], he truly felt the artistic conception described in the legend. This was not about taming a pet, nor about summoning a follower, but about true symbiosis and coexistence.
Just as Lu Heng finished reading through all the card entries and completely digested the contract rules...
Buzz--
The Star Altar once again rippled with a soft light. The light was not dazzling, but it carried the power to penetrate the mind and flowed directly into Lu Heng's mind, directly imprinting itself deep into his consciousness.
A vast stream of information slowly unfolded in my mind.
For ordinary survivors to achieve a major breakthrough, the only way is through endless battles, repeatedly honing their Talent, and finally breaking through the bottleneck in their cultivation level. Growth relies on accumulation, breakthroughs depend entirely on hard work, and the ultimate limit largely depends on one's own opportunities.
But the rules that the altar bestowed upon him led him down a completely different path.
During each major level breakthrough, survivors can use special materials that are of the same origin and similar in attributes as their own Talent. Energy Core and Flesh Core of exotic beasts, or rare plants with special attributes, can all be used as materials for tempering.
The higher the quality of the materials used and the better they match one's own Talent, the more significant the attribute boosts, resistance bonuses, and refinement and enhancement of one's Talent essence will be.
Upon reading this, Lu Heng's mind trembled violently.
He instantly understood the class divide that existed between them.
This is similar to the powerful clans and top-tier tycoons of ancient times, who possess inherited knowledge and connections that outsiders could never see, and are born with shortcuts to growth that others can only dream of. Ordinary people at the bottom can only struggle and risk their lives for meager progress, their lives confined to a predetermined limit. But I, from the moment I acquired this knowledge, embarked on a completely different path of growth.
While others risk their lives to achieve breakthroughs, he can leverage resources and rules to elevate his foundation.
As his thoughts raced, Lu Heng couldn't help but recall the Geothermal Talisman's origin, which had long since shattered and completely merged into his flesh and bones.
His innate Talent is not limited to simple flames; it also includes high temperatures, low temperatures, and alternating hot and cold conditions. The power of the Geothermal Talisman and his own Talent are of the same origin.
When he tries to break through to higher realms like Bronze Tier, he should be able to advance directly. Unlike other survivors, he won't have to struggle through bottlenecks and gamble his life on the success or failure of his breakthrough.
Talent is not static; with the right materials, it can be continuously refined and its potential expanded.
While excited, Lu Heng secretly warned himself that there might be hidden, unknown costs behind this secret knowledge.
However, the most important matters of state are sacrifice and war. Perhaps other altars also contain related information, but it's unlikely they'd be usable, since I've never heard of sacrifices being related to style.
After careful consideration, Lu Heng formulated a long-term action plan in his mind. When he went out to explore and hunt various exotic beasts, he would pay special attention to and stockpile all resources that matched his Talent, Flesh Core, Energy Core, and special plants, to prepare for each major breakthrough in the future.
Suppressing the surging emotions within him, Lu Heng stopped pondering the issues of growth and refocused his attention on the [Companion Pact] in his hand.
He raised his hand to open the Wristband Space and took out the Mutant King Cobra egg that he had been carefully storing. He had obtained this egg during his previous adventure and had kept it until now, waiting for the right opportunity. The snake's stealth, venomous bites, and constricting abilities could perfectly complement the missing parts of his current fighting style.
Lu Heng focused his mind and activated the [Companion Pact] in his palm.
A pale white aura of contract suddenly spread out, completely enveloping the entire snake egg. Countless fine, translucent lines drilled into the cracks in the eggshell, completing the primal imprint within the egg, and the contract took effect.
Click.
A faint cracking sound echoed beside the silent altar. A crack slowly spread out, and a slender young snake emerged, its body covered in dark, fine scales, its forked tongue flicking.
It did not develop any self-awareness or possess any independent wild instincts. From the moment the contract was completed, it was no longer an ordinary beast, but an extension of Lu Heng's body and a part of his combat system.
All actions were entirely at Lu Heng's command. He would move about, launch surprise attacks, and entangle and imprison them; the moment he thought of it, he would execute it immediately.
It has two forms: it can leave the body to fight, or it can become ethereal and retract, transforming into a lifelike black snake tattoo that is imprinted on Lu Heng's skin. When it transforms into a tattoo, there is no leakage of any aura, and it does not occupy the Storage Space of the Wristband, making it most suitable for stealth and launching surprise attacks.
More importantly, it doesn't need to be fed or trained separately. Every time Lu Heng's own strength improves, the Symbiotic Snake will evolve in sync. Its toxicity, constricting power, explosive force, and stealth perception will all iterate and become stronger along with the host's Talent and strength.
Lu Heng's thoughts stirred slightly.
A faint glow appeared on the forearm. The newly hatched snake instantly became ethereal, shrinking into a cold snake pattern that quietly imprinted on the skin's surface, appearing as if it were a natural marking, completely imperceptible.
The bond between their minds was crystal clear. He could share the senses of his Symbiotic Snake and also borrow its innate resistance to venom.
Another powerful trump card has been played.
Reflecting on the spoils gained from the fierce battles in this supermarket instance, coupled with the large amount of resources obtained from the treasure chests, all the conditions for upgrading and renovating the Stone Cave Shelter are now met.