The contracted beast was a deep azure, its body shaped like a colossal toad, yet it was devoid of unsightly warts, instead adorned with patterns resembling ancient copper coins.
Its profound eyes seemed capable of swallowing a person whole.
However, the most eye-catching feature was the parted bangs on the toad's forehead...
This appeared to be an indelible mark on Brother Chicken after transforming!
Brother Chicken was indeed a "little black chick"... Lu Fei snapped out of his astonishment, "Brother Chicken, what have you turned into?"
Brother Chicken paused, then retorted, "Isn't it like that huge creature we saw last night?"
"Not really..." Lu Fei blurted out.
As soon as he spoke, he took a closer look. Come to think of it, if one disregarded the color and patterns, and only considered the physique, there was indeed a slight resemblance.
Lu Fei took out a mirror and let Brother Chicken see for itself.
Looking at its reflection, Brother Chicken also fell silent...
After a long while, it deflated like a leaky balloon and reverted to its original form.
Lu Fei asked curiously, "Brother Chicken, what are the conditions for your transformation?"
"It seems like anything I've seen, I can transform into," Brother Chicken said somewhat uncertainly, "I'm still not very skilled with the transformation ability."
"You've seen the true form of that mysterious shadowy figure from yesterday?"
Brother Chicken shook its head, "Of course not. I don't know how I ended up like this either. I thought I'd also turn into a pitch-black blob."
"Oh..."
Suddenly, Lu Fei's eyes lit up, as if he had remembered something important.
"Can you gain the opponent's skills and combat power after transforming?"
If so, wouldn't that mean Brother Chicken would soar to unprecedented heights, directly becoming the most powerful contracted beast he had ever seen!
Brother Chicken showed an awkward expression, "After transforming, I felt completely drained. Where would I get the combat power..."
Lu Fei: "..."
This seemed to fit Brother Chicken's character...
As they walked and talked, Lu Fei no longer dwelled on why Brother Chicken had turned into a blue toad. It was possible that Brother Chicken's skills were not yet proficient, leading to issues during the transformation process.
However, overall, it was still cause for happiness. Although Brother Chicken's first skill lacked practical combat ability, it could play a very crucial role in certain battles.
Just then, urgent calls echoed from the distance.
"Lu Fei!"
"Lu Fei, where are you!"
...
Lu Fei perked up his ears and listened carefully.
"Is that Ke Xin's voice?"
"I'm here!"
He quickened his pace towards the direction of the sound.
Finally, he met up with the anxious Ke Xin and the others.
Ke Xin's eyes were flustered, her brows furrowed. "I thought you were captured by a contracted beast. I was so worried!"
Ke Xin had been awakened by the deafening roars of wild contracted beasts earlier, but upon waking, she found Lu Fei missing and quickly roused everyone to search.
She was worried Lu Fei had been attacked by wild contracted beasts, and had been uneasy the entire way. Now that she finally saw him, she was relieved.
Lu Fei looked at the worried expression on the young girl's delicate face, and his heart warmed.
He explained,
"Oh, I heard some strange sounds just now and went to check. Since you were all still sleeping, I didn't want to wake you."
"I told you, Old Lu is super sharp now. He's a commoner fighter! What do we have to worry about!" Tang Ao yawned, finding Ke Xin's reaction overly dramatic.
Zhou Shuyi, standing nearby, looked over and glared at Tang Ao!
This was clearly a jab at her! This title had been achieved at the expense of her Zhou family!
Tang Ao pouted and wisely remained silent.
"Did you see what happened?" Ke Xin asked.
Lu Fei replied naturally,
"No, I turned back halfway."
Then, he glanced at the sky. "It's almost dawn. Let's head back to camp, pack up, and depart."
...
The next day.
The group continued their journey along the river.
Their destination for this leg was the habitat of Otter Beasts and Platypus Beasts.
Before setting off, Ke Xin, as the leader, followed Lu Fei's advice and chose a C-rank difficulty mission: "Help the Otter Beasts reclaim their lost territory from the Platypus Beasts."
Based on the mission description, it was simply a matter of allying with the Otter Beasts to drive away the Platypus Beasts. However, as Sisi had mentioned before, contracted beasts were territorial and had an inherent aversion to humans.
If, during the mission execution, the Otter Beasts and Platypus Beasts saw human beastmasters intruding into their territory, they would very likely team up to drive them away first.
Suddenly, Lu Fei sensed ripples disturbing the calm river.
The group looked out and saw dozens of contracted beasts standing on either side of the riverbank. They were spraying water and throwing mud at each other, their roars occasionally piercing the air.
The contracted beasts on the left bank were a dull yellow, resembling plump balls. They had short limbs, and their chins were adorned with several extremely long, stiff whiskers, like steel needles.
These were Otter Beasts. Judging by their physical characteristics, they were similar to the otters Lu Fei remembered, with the exception of their body color and the whiskers that could almost serve as weapons.
The contracted beasts on the right bank were a pale blue. They looked like ducks, with a tuft of hair on their foreheads, flat beaks, and webbed feet. The difference was that their bodies were somewhat canine-like, slender and agile.
These were Platypus Beasts. Like the Otter Beasts, both were contracted beasts possessing both water and earth attributes. Even more remarkably, their appearances bore a certain similarity.
The group, having learned from their previous experience, did not rashly rush to intervene. Instead, they crouched behind rocks, observing the situation from a distance.
Fortunately, no one else had taken up this mission yet, so they had ample time to prepare. As long as they could mediate the conflict before the next group arrived, the mission completion would be theirs.
Of course, missions of this difficulty level attracted fewer interested parties, with many senior students deeming them beneath their notice.
If it were them, the solution would be simple and brutal: simply capture the leader of the Platypus Beasts and give it a thorough beating until it agreed to return the territory, then release it.
However, Lu Fei and his companions clearly couldn't do that, not because they didn't want to, but because their strength wouldn't allow it. If this army of over a hundred contracted beasts attacked them all at once, the outcome would likely be them being carried away from here...
"Lu Fei, how about letting the Shadowless Cat go scout for information? It's quite agile, and even if the opponents turn hostile, it can escape quickly..." Ke Xin whispered.
Before Lu Fei could reply, Zhou Shuyi snorted, "Then it's better to let my Three-headed Puppy go. It runs even faster!" She paused, then lifted her chin. "And it breathes fire!"
Ever since the Three-headed Puppy had turned the tide in the previous battle, Zhou Shuyi had made a habit of mentioning that it could breathe fire.
She emphasized it repeatedly.
"But the opponents are water and earth attribute contracted beasts, which are exactly resistant to fire," Ke Xin pointed out a crucial flaw.
Zhou Shuyi was about to retort.
Sisi, who had been silent all along, interrupted their argument, "Neither the Shadowless Cat nor the Three-headed Puppy can get close to them. When I traveled with Huang Huang and my parents in the past, we encountered groups of Otter Beasts and Platypus Beasts. Apart from contracted beasts of the same species, they wouldn't allow any outsiders to approach. If they encountered stronger beasts, they would immediately dive into the water. If they encountered weaker ones, they would unite to drive away the enemy!"
As her words fell, everyone felt as if a bucket of cold water had been doused on them.
Lu Fei's brow also furrowed.
They had already suffered a setback in the territory of the Big Monkey, and they could not afford to repeat the same mistake this time.
After a moment of thought, Lu Fei's eyes lit up, and he transmitted mentally,
"Brother Chicken, can you transform into their likeness?"