kiwanis-nylisc Chapter 325 - 313: Stepping Forward
Chapter 325 - 313: Stepping Forward
Before an Illusory Color Butterfly evolves into its final butterfly form, it goes through several stages.
These are its initial form, the Patterned Ring Worm; its intermediate form, the Tri-color Pupa; its Adolescent Stage form, the Rainbow Wing Butterfly; and its Adult Stage form, the Illusory Color Butterfly.
And finally, the ultimate evolved form of the Illusory Color Butterfly—the Myriad Phenomena Butterfly.
The Juvenile Stage Patterned Ring Worm resembles a caterpillar. Its body is segmented with rings, each a fixed color, making it look like a rolling tanghulu. It moves by wriggling, and its Speed isn’t fast.
Its Signature Skill is Multi-colored Foam, which releases small, dreamlike bubbles that float in the air.
Being hit by bubbles of different colors can make a person or Pet Beast feel joyful, become irritable, or fall into despair. It’s a relatively simple Spiritual Interference Skill.
The later forms, like the Tri-color Pupa, Rainbow Wing Butterfly, and Illusory Color Butterfly, each have their own powerful Core Techniques.
Gu Ming didn’t know how strong these intermediate forms were, but he had heard that the Adult Stage Illusory Color Butterfly possessed the ability of Illusion Weaving.
It was as famous as the Hidden Mist Butterfly, which meant it also had its own unique capabilities.
Its Adult Stage Racial Talent Skill, "Dreamlike Colors," allowed it to spread fantastical colors behind its wings when it soared high, dyeing the sky in rainbow hues.
Wherever it flew, it painted the world with Dreamlike Colors. All people and Pet Beasts under the rainbow sky would find themselves trapped in an Illusion Realm of its creation, making it extremely difficult to break free.
This reminded Gu Ming of the Signature Skill of Night System Pet Beasts, Nightfall. The Daoist Skill Principle behind the two was somewhat similar.
As for the ultimate form, the Myriad Phenomena Butterfly, Gu Ming didn’t know much about it.
"Why don’t we go talk to the Illusory Color Butterfly’s owner?" Gu Ming asked.
This time, the choice of Pet Beast was up to Lu You. Although Gu Ming was amazed, the final decision had to be hers.
Lu You nodded. She tried striking up a conversation with the owner and, a short while later, got the address of a villa on the local school campus.
Gu Ming went with her to the temporary residence of the Illusory Color Butterfly’s owner.
Yuan Ge led the way. As they arrived in front of the villa, the ornate iron gate had just made a "CLICK" as it unlocked, and a vermilion wooden door was pulled open halfway from the inside.
Behind the door stood a woman in a qipao, raising a hand to tuck a stray lock of hair back into her bun. Her wine-red qipao had a few embroidered patterns on its slanted placket, and the high slit revealed a fair calf. She wore backless slippers, her every glance radiant.
Hovering above her fragrant shoulder was a beautiful Illusory Color Butterfly.
Its wingspan was about the size of a palm. The tips of its wings were a translucent pink that gradually faded to transparency toward the center.
The innermost scales seemed to be covered by a thin veil of gauze, and when sunlight passed through them, it scattered into a flowing, iridescent light.
As it hovered by her shoulder, it trembled slightly, showering down tiny, multi-colored specks of light.
In the villa’s front yard, a small water elemental was practicing Cultivation by itself, spitting out bubbles. When the mist touched the Illusory Color Butterfly, several rainbows instantly appeared, hanging in front of the door.
Lu You’s eyes lit up. The sight was so adorable it melted her heart.
Without a doubt, the Adult Stage Illusory Color Butterfly was just too beautiful and too cute.
She just stared at the translucent Illusory Color Butterfly and its beautiful owner, unable to stop herself from asking inwardly: ’Can I really form a contract with a Pet Beast that’s so strong and so pretty?’
"You must be Gu Ming and Lu You. Come on in," the woman in the qipao said with a warm smile.
While Lu You was still hesitating at the doorway, wondering if she was even worthy...
Gu Ming had already taken a step forward.
He looked back and saw Lu still frozen in a daze, so he immediately reached out, took her hand, and led her forward.
As Lu You was pulled forward, she slowly raised her head. Looking at Gu Ming’s back as he advanced, her eyes were stung by the powerful, natural air of a social butterfly that radiated from him.
’So dazzling.’
But this also caused the Courage Divine Sense Sword Body in her Sea of Consciousness to once again burst with light.
Yes, she was being illuminated by Gu Ming’s light, forced to keep moving forward.
No matter how worried or anxious she felt, with all sorts of thoughts clouding her judgment, Gu Ming was like a beacon of light, guiding her toward the distant path ahead.
After entering the house, the owner led them into a side room. Inside was a nest woven from high-quality wood and plants.
Lying inside was a Zero-star Level larva. It had three ring-like patterns on its body, and tiny antennae grew from its head, wriggling gently in the air.
When the group entered the room, it opened its small, black, bead-like eyes and looked at the new visitors with a youthful gaze. It wore a timid expression and, in an instant, shrank back to hide behind a piece of cyan wood.
The woman in the qipao revealed a doting expression. She reached her small hand into the nest, gently picked the larva out, and placed it in her palm. While stroking its head, she said:
"This is the offspring my Illusory Color Butterfly gave birth to. I gave it a nickname, Mumu."
"So, who will be its new owner? Is it you, junior Gu Ming?"
After speaking, she stared intently at Gu Ming. She saw him gazing at the larva in her hand with a captivated look, but he shook his head at her.
Her smile immediately faded by half. Her eyes darted to the side, landing on Lu You, who was shrunk behind Gu Ming like a small animal, revealing only half of her body.
"Then is it junior Lu You?"
Beside them, a look of sudden realization crossed Yuan Ge’s face. Seeing her, her Pet Beast, and the fact that they were at Villa No. 5, he instantly recalled her name.
’Cyan Wood Beastmaster Academy’s rising senior, Yan Hongchun, last year’s top student of her grade!’
Yuan Ge only knew that her Pet Beast was incredibly strong. It possessed powerful control with its Illusion Technique and also had the terrifying ability of Flood of Mount Jinshan. It could both attack and control, having few rivals among its peers.
He just never expected that her Illusory Color Butterfly had been bred and produced an offspring.
Standing there, Yuan Ge felt her gaze sweep over him, causing goosebumps to prickle his skin.
It wasn’t a feeling of relief, but one of fear.
After all, this was the terrifying top student from last year’s junior class—a true powerhouse.
For someone like him, who was still running around working odd jobs to pay off loans, just seeing her felt like Mount Tai was crashing down on him. The pressure was overwhelming.
’Among the people here, only the national competition’s Champion Scholar from Wenquxing University would be qualified to adopt her Pet Beast.’
And Yan Hongchun had asked Gu Ming first, clearly with this intention in mind.
If the adopter turned out to be Lu You instead, her expectations would drop by more than a few notches. Whether this adoption could even happen would become uncertain.
At this thought, Yuan Ge’s heart skipped a beat.
’Adopting instead of buying isn’t so simple, after all,’ he thought.
Whether you can adopt for a low price, or even for free, depends on your status and ability.
If you’re lacking in both, getting a free adoption is just wishful thinking.
In that short time, Yuan Ge quickly grasped the unwritten rule of the Pet Beast adoption circle—you had to be a good match.
Not the kind of "good match" for marriage, but one where your family background or personal ability is sufficient to raise such a Pet Beast, providing it with a good living environment and resources for growth.
If you had to rely on taking out massive loans just to raise a Pet Beast throughout your university years...
...then without a doubt, the Pet Beast cub would most likely suffer along with you.
Although enduring hardship is an essential part of a Pet Beast’s growth, and Evolution itself is a process of overcoming adversity...
...some hardships are unnecessary. If it could find a better home, it would naturally be better off with a good owner.
Just then, Lu You felt an implicit, questioning gaze fall upon her. Afraid of interacting with people, afraid of being looked down on, the Courage Divine Sense Sword Body in her heart trembled.
A surge of burning courage erupted from within her.
She took a step forward and to the right, moving past Gu Ming to stand before Yan Hongchun. She looked her straight in the eye and said in the softest of voices, "I want to be its partner..."