At noon the next day, Lin Zhao finally made up for his sleep, woke up leisurely, washed up, and ate.
At the dining table, Wang Ju's lunches were always lavish, with various delicacies, but the portions were not large, ensuring that everyone would finish them in one meal to avoid waste.
"Brother!"
Beside him, Luo Man handed Lin Zhao his chopsticks and smiled, "After you log in later, go back to the city. Xiao Xue and I will give you a gift."
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao was stunned, completely bewildered.
Chen Xue's lips curved slightly, and she said, "Xiao Xue and Luo Man got up early this morning to clear dungeons. They cleared it together, and they said they finally defeated a Tier-Earth Boss after exerting great effort, and it dropped a treasure. They're waiting for you to log in to give you a surprise!"
"Really?"
Lin Zhao stretched his neck to look at Mo Chenxue.
Mo Chenxue nodded with a smile, "Mm!"
Ding Chi grinned and said, "When they logged off at noon, these two were acting so mysteriously, they wouldn't even let us see what they got, saying it was a gift for brother."
Shen Xingchen frowned, a hint of a smile appearing on her face. A Yan, A Yan, you must be able to fight alone! There are quite a few girls who have their eyes on Lin Zhao, and they're all so beautiful. The competition is too fierce. Thinking of this, she glanced at Lin Zhao, who was picking at a piece of braised chicken head, unsure where to start. What's so great about this guy that so many girls are chasing him? Could it be that he's just that lucky with women?
Lin Zhao only focused on eating, his mind occupied with self-reflection. He naturally wasn't anything special, nor could he possibly make so many girls like him, as he had no particular charm with women. Luo Man was like that because she was playful and loved to have fun, and deep down, she was quite a solitary person. When a girl comes to a studio, she naturally wants someone to lean on. Her closeness to him was precisely for this reason. As for Mo Chenxue, she might be acting out of gratitude, which is why she seemed to like him. At this point, he needed to be self-aware. It was beneath a gentleman to take advantage of having helped someone and then seize their affection. Therefore, the only one who truly liked him might be Xu Yan.
But Xu Yan came from a prominent family, was beautiful and had long legs. He wasn't good enough for her. He had to keep working hard. Could a mere Golden Core Sword Cultivator at the Eighth Realm be worthy of Miss Leng? Not enough, at least the Great Sword Immortal of the Thirteenth Realm, Ascension Realm… perhaps, the Fourteenth Realm!
Chen Xue was eating when she suddenly saw Shen Xingchen staring at Lin Zhao in a daze, and then saw Lin Zhao staring blankly at a chicken head. She frowned. Things in the studio seemed a bit off these days. Never mind, I'll eat my meal, those things have nothing to do with me. But she seemed to have gained two pounds these past few days, which was troubling and made her feel a bit down. She pursed her red lips. Maybe she could ask Lin Zhao to go to the basement to spar this afternoon; beating him up might improve her mood.
Lin Zhao looked up and noticed Chen Xue's gaze was not right, with a hint of murderous intent. He immediately buried his head in his food again. What was she thinking? Was Chen Xue planning to join the army?
The group ate, each lost in their own thoughts.
Wang Ju watched them all, completely unaware of any unease, with a smile on her face. She was already planning what delicious food to make for everyone for dinner. The studio's income had been increasing recently, and the money allocated to her for groceries and household expenses had also grown. Wang Ju, who had a life of hardship, didn't know how to spend money, so she could only prepare more delicious food for everyone.
...
In the afternoon, he logged in.
"Swish!"
Lin Zhao directly crushed a return scroll to Baidi City and appeared in the east gate plaza of Baidi City. In fact, Lin Zhao rarely returned to Baidi City, but after all, it was the main city, and… his identity was quite sensitive. As the master of Xueyu Tianchi, appearing in Baidi City could easily attract the attention of those from Xiuyixuan and Shanhai Si.
"Brother!"
In front of the Great Saint Hall, Luo Man held Mo Chenxue's hand and waved in greeting.
Lin Zhao smiled slightly and walked over. He regarded Luo Man and Mo Chenxue as half-sisters. Since they had joined the Scarlet Moon Knights studio, he should take good care of them. Thus, he smiled and said, "What's the matter? You're being so mysterious, and you even had to ask me to come back to the city?"
"It doesn't take much time to come back once. It adds a sense of ceremony!"
Luo Man's lips curved, and she smiled, "Come on, let's go to the courtyard of the Great Saint Hall to talk."
"Oh."
Mo Chenxue followed Luo Man, and Lin Zhao followed Mo Chenxue. The three of them came to the woods in the backyard. A few players were playing games like Dou Dizhu and other team games not far away, which didn't bother them. Luo Man walked to a poplar tree, turned around, and took out a crystal-clear crystal card, holding it in her hand. She smiled, "It's this."
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao's gaze fell on the crystal card, and he was immediately shocked. It was a封印卡 (Sealing Card). Inside the sealing card, a giant wolf with flames swirling all over its body stood on a large rock, letting out a wolf howl towards the sky. Although he couldn't hear the sound, its imposing aura was extraordinary. Wisps of flame rose around it. This thing was definitely not ordinary.
"Illusion Beast?"
Lin Zhao exclaimed in surprise.
"Mm!"
Luo Man nodded heavily and said, "You're dealing with the plot system in Xueyu Tianchi, so you don't usually have a chance to encounter wild monsters. I heard Chen Xue say that brother doesn't have an Illusion Beast yet, which is unacceptable. So, three days ago, I conspired with Xiao Xue. We teamed up to clear dungeons by ourselves. Relying on Xiao Xue's output and control, and my Winds of Revival for healing, we soloed a Tier-Earth Boss. The guild brothers were also generous and let us have a few bosses that were likely to drop Illusion Beast Sealing Cards. And so, this morning, we finally got it."
As she said this, she pursed her lips, her pretty face slightly flushed. "Alright, I can't take all the credit myself. Xiao Xue is also a great contributor. Come on, say a few words?"
"Ah?"
Mo Chenxue's beautiful eyes widened. She didn't know what to say and just whispered, "It's fine as long as brother can use it..."
Lin Zhao was somewhat touched. "Then… then I'll really accept it?"
"Accept it."
Luo Man and Mo Chenxue smiled and nodded together.
Thus, Lin Zhao took the sealing card from Luo Man. A scorching power immediately flowed into his palm. Holding the sealing card, he cupped his fists and smiled, "Lin Zhao thanks Xiao Xue and Manman for the Illusion Beast, and thank you for your thoughtfulness!"
Luo Man pouted and said, "It's no fun if brother is so polite. To put it bluntly, Xiao Xue and I both like brother. As long as brother nods, we can both serve you. I'm 135, Xiao Xue is 246. On Sunday, brother can go find your Leng girl, and we promise not to be jealous. If Xiao Xue gets jealous, I'll convince her and strive to be brother's most considerate little cotton-padded jacket..."
"I… I didn't say that?"
Mo Chenxue's cheeks flushed, and she lightly punched Luo Man. "Luo Man, don't talk nonsense..."
Lin Zhao raised his fist at Luo Man. "Still talking nonsense?!"
"Ahhh~~~"
Luo Man covered her head and hid behind Mo Chenxue, wrapping her arms around her waist and resting her pretty face on her fragrant shoulder. She smiled, "Brother, hearing my words, tell me, are you tempted?"
"No."
Lin Zhao turned and left, repeatedly chanting "A gentleman is cautious in his solitude and does not deceive himself in darkness" in his mind. But it was actually quite difficult to remain steadfast. He raised his hand behind his back, waving to the two girls. "I'm going back to Xueyu Tianchi. You two work hard to level up and break through your realms! Don't disgrace me when you're out there in the future!"
"Mm-hmm!"
...
He teleported from Baidi City to Shanhai Pass, transferred in Shanhai Pass, and then teleported to Xueyu Tianchi. Only after emerging from the teleportation array in Xueyu Tianchi did Lin Zhao take out the sealing card. He flicked his hand, and the sealing card melted in his hand, turning into a ball of fiery red formation power, which then poured onto the ground in front of him, condensing into a fiery wolf cub less than 30 centimeters tall with fiery red fur. The moment it appeared, it had already signed a contract with Lin Zhao and merged into his Illusion Beast.
"Hoo~~~"
He took a deep breath, reached out to pet the cub's head, and its attributes immediately appeared—
[Flame Demon Wolf] (Tier-Earth Boss)
Level: 1
Attack: 100-150
Defense: 120
Health: 1000
Skills: [Bite] [Combo] [Phantom Armor]
Attack: ★★★★★★☆
Defense: ★★★★★★
Life: ★★★★★
Agility: ★★★★★★☆
Spirit Power: ★★★★★☆
Growth Value: 1.275
...
Looking at the Flame Demon Wolf's attributes, he couldn't help but swallow. These two little girls… really got him a top-tier Illusion Beast! Although Lin Zhao didn't have time to go down the mountain to catch a Level 1 Illusion Beast, and he was even considering bidding for a decent Illusion Beast at the auction house in Baidi City, he never expected Luo Man and Mo Chenxue to actually get him such an excellent pet. In terms of aptitude and growth, the Flame Demon Wolf was definitely the most top-tier at this stage!
Even though he didn't have an Illusion Beast before, he had flipped through the Illusion Beast system. In the current version of "Tian Xia" regarding the Illusion Beast mechanism, the limit of an Illusion Beast's aptitude was seven stars. This Flame Demon Wolf, however, had six and a half stars for attack and agility, six stars for defense, and only slightly weaker aptitude for life and spirit power. Overall, its aptitude was definitely top-tier. Another standard for evaluating the strength of an Illusion Beast was its growth. The highest growth of Illusion Beasts that had appeared in the current version was 1.28, and this Flame Demon Wolf's growth was 1.275, which was already close to the maximum. Compared to other players' Illusion Beasts with growths of 1.22, 1.24, 1.25, and 1.265, this 1.275 growth was absolutely divine.
In short, this Flame Demon Wolf was invaluable and would probably fetch around 10 million universal coins if thrown into the auction house!
...
He frowned. Luo Man and Mo Chenxue had given him such a great gift… he must remember it and find an opportunity to compensate them later, as this was already a considerable sum. As for how to compensate them, that could be discussed later. For Lin Zhao, there were many principles he adhered to, and repaying kindness was one of the important ones. Many people had been good to him over the years, and he remembered them all in his heart.
He took a deep breath, raised his hand towards the Flame Demon Wolf cub, and shouted, "Phantom Armor Form!"
"Awoooo~~~"
The little wolf raised its neck and let out a proud howl, then its body began to melt, turning into wisps of flame that clung to Lin Zhao's armor. In the blink of an eye, he was clad in a fiery red phantom armor!