The drunkard’s words echoed in Lu Fei’s ears, lingering long after he spoke. After a moment of silence, Lu Fei nodded solemnly.
What the other party said wasn't profound; it was quite easy to understand.
However, when combined with beast-taming techniques, this statement became a truth, something that some people couldn't truly grasp their entire lives.
The power of contracted beasts had been destined since ancient times. It was humanity that had always been insignificant. Yet, relying on their intellect, humans had created many heights that contracted beasts could not reach.
Ever since humans truly mastered the art of taming contracted beasts, these beasts began to be equipped with various offensive and defensive devices. These enhancements significantly boosted their combat power.
Concurrently, various beast-taming competitions required beast tamers to command their contracted beasts in battle. The value of a beast tamer lay precisely here: contracted beasts were powerful, but their intelligence was not high.
Yet, with human command, leveraging human wisdom, the combat effectiveness of contracted beasts could be maximized!
“Do you understand what I mean by that?”
The drunkard turned his head, his eyes seeming to ask, “I’m going to test you. Don’t pretend to understand if you don’t, kid!”
Lu Fei nodded again, his tone respectful and serious.
“You mean, if I want to tame Ironhead, relying solely on emotional appeals and building relationships is useless? If I truly want it to obey me, I need to let it know that following me will make it more powerful?”
Upon hearing this, the drunkard’s eyes flashed, and an expression of pleasant surprise flickered across his face before disappearing.
He nonchalantly turned his head, took a swig of wine, and casually said,
“So-so. You’ve at least taken some of it to heart.”
Lu Fei curled his lips, but soon a look of confusion reappeared on his face.
“Right, handsome guy, I have another question.”
The drunkard grunted in acknowledgment.
“Go on.”
Lu Fei recalled the scene where Huangfu Chenyi had beaten him and the Stubborn Snake without using his contracted beast. That kind of power was utterly beyond human capability. There was also Zhou Nanfeng; although the latter’s displayed strength wasn’t as exaggerated as Huangfu Chenyi’s, he had leaped over from over ten meters away. Even if he were a monkey, he couldn’t do that.
Lu Fei had once suspected if there were some cultivation methods in this world that could allow humans to master the powers described in fantasy novels.
“I’ve seen some humans who can fly in the sky like contracted beasts, and also control elemental attacks like water, fire, and lightning, just like contracted beasts. Why is that?”
The drunkard put down his wine gourd and stared at Lu Fei with a frown.
“What?”
Lu Fei looked around, completely bewildered.
“Are you a student at the Beast Taming Academy?”
“Yes.”
“Is the quality of teaching at the Beast Taming Academy that bad now?”
Lu Fei was speechless.
“Uh… that…”
The drunkard sighed. “Alas, this is the most basic common knowledge. You don’t even understand this? Forget about students from the Beast Taming Academy; even some children know this. Did you just arrive in this world?”
‘Yes, how did you know that…’ Lu Fei thought to himself, then playfully replied,
“I’m a slacker. Please, handsome guy, enlighten me.”
The drunkard glanced at Lu Fei, acting like a teacher.
“This is a type of beast-taming talent called ‘Soul Resonance’.”
“Soul Resonance?”
Lu Fei blinked his eyes. This was the first time he had heard this term.
“So-called ‘Soul Resonance’ means that a beast tamer can temporarily possess the abilities of one of their contracted beasts. For example, your Sword Guard behind you. If you achieve ‘Soul Resonance’ with it, you can also temporarily become a master swordsman, and wield skills like ‘Blade Edge’ with your hands.”
Lu Fei showed a look of surprise.
“Then what’s the point of having contracted beasts? Can’t humans just use Soul Resonance to fight themselves?”
The drunkard scoffed and rolled his eyes at Lu Fei.
“You’re dreaming. Beginner ‘Soul Resonance’ can only inherit 10% of the contracted beast’s power. Besides, do you think ‘Soul Resonance’ can be used just like that?”
“When using ‘Soul Resonance,’ mental energy will be consumed manifold. You youngsters probably won’t last a minute before your mental energy is completely depleted.”
“Also, the power of contracted beasts is something humans cannot handle. For instance, some ‘Soul Resonance’ abilities, like ‘Enlargement,’ cause the body to grow several times larger when ‘Soul Resonance’ is activated. But what happens after ‘Soul Resonance’ ends? You’ll have to endure the after-effects and injuries, enough to keep you in bed for ten days to half a month.”
The drunkard chuckled.
“Youth.”
Lu Fei listened intently, his gaze distant.
So that’s how it was. No wonder Huangfu Chenyi and Zhou Nanfeng could suddenly possess such incredible abilities; it was all influenced by the beast-taming talent called ‘Soul Resonance’!
“Can you use ‘Soul Resonance’?”
The drunkard shook his head.
“No!” He paused, then added, “I am not a beast tamer, and I don’t have contracted beasts.”
‘Yes, you don’t have contracted beasts, and all the contracted beasts in this entire Forget Worry Grassland are yours…’ Lu Fei thought to himself, despising this high-level humblebrag player.
“Then how can one master the ‘Soul Resonance’ talent?”
The drunkard said dismissively,
“This isn’t a rare talent; it’s just one of the auxiliary talents.”
Lu Fei opened his mouth, but before he could ask,
“I know what you’re going to ask,” the drunkard said, raising his hand impatiently, signaling Lu Fei to stop. “You understand. After reaching the level of a beginner beast tamer, when awakening beast-taming talents, one simultaneously awakens an auxiliary talent and a combat talent.”
“‘Soul Resonance’ is a type of auxiliary talent. There are also others, such as ‘Affinity,’ which increases the success rate of capturing contracted beasts, and ‘Root of Wisdom,’ which expands mental capacity. These are all auxiliary talents and cannot be used in combat, but they provide a buff to the beast tamer themselves.”
“Besides auxiliary talents, the other type is combat-enhancing talents used for combat buffs. These talents are more practical. For example, ‘Recharge,’ which instantly restores 10% of a contracted beast’s stamina, and ‘Swiftness,’ which increases a contracted beast’s battlefield movement speed by 20%.”
After listening, Lu Fei had a general understanding of the classification of beast-taming talents. He had some knowledge of beast-taming talents before, but it was a hasty understanding, and he was busy, so he hadn't grasped it very clearly.
At this moment, he remembered his own beast-taming talent, [Unstable Evolution].
He ventured,
“Handsome guy, are there any beast-taming talents that can possess multiple effects simultaneously?”
“Of course,” the drunkard replied without hesitation.
“Beast-taming talents, just like contracted beast skills, are also divided into grades. They are generally categorized into five levels: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced, Top-tier, and Master. The higher the grade, the greater the talent bonus and the more additional bonus effects there are.”
“Let me give you an example. ‘Swiftness’ is a beginner beast tamer talent, and I’ve already told you its effect. But there’s a Master-level talent called ‘Swift Echo,’ which increases a contracted beast’s battlefield movement speed by 50% and also increases skill casting speed by 50%!”
“Double bonus!”