Cultivation begins with forming a bond with a spirit bee.

Seeing this, how could he not know what was about to happen?

When I bought the iron-clawed crab, the shopkeeper bluntly stated that the crab wouldn't live more than a year.

I just didn't expect it to happen so quickly.

Suddenly, Qu Ye's feelings became somewhat complicated.

On the one hand, he was looking forward to the new talents that the Iron Claw Crab would bring him.

On the other hand, after feeding them for several months, I've developed some affection for them.

After a moment of silence, Qu Ye used his magic to gently capture the Iron Claw Crab in his palm.

The crab's body was cold, its eight legs drooping limply, with only its two large pincers trembling slightly, as if making a final struggle.

"Don't be afraid."

Qu Ye slowly channeled his magic into the crab's body, trying his best to maintain its life for a moment.

With the help of magic, the Ironclaw Crab regained some of its strength and vitality.

The crab, which was feeling a bit better, sensed Qu Ye's presence and waved its pincers, begging for food from him as usual.

While stabilizing the injection of magic power, Qu Ye took out a piece of bear meat and placed it in front of the Iron Claw Crab.

The iron-clawed crab picked up a piece of bear meat, trembling as it brought it to its mouth and took a bite.

It seemed to know that it didn't have much time left, so it ate each bite with extra care.

Before it could even take a second bite, the crab stopped moving and its pincers drooped limply.

died.

Seeing the lifeless Iron Claw Crab, Qu Ye stopped channeling his magic power.

In his mind, the animal skin book suddenly became a brilliant idea.

……

[Clan: Spirit Beast/Crab Clan]

[Rank: Tier 1, Low Grade]

[Talents: Rampage, Iron Claws, Water Breath]

[A Bond Formed Through Mutual Appreciation]

[Choose one of your talents to integrate]

Qu Ye suppressed his inner feelings and focused on considering his talent choices.

"Um…"

He doesn't want to walk sideways, and he doesn't want to walk with his body turned to the side either.

As for water breathing, it is clearly some kind of underwater talent of the Iron Claw Crab, most likely underwater breathing.

Qu Ye hesitated for a while, then also chose to give up.

There is a first-tier low-grade spell in the market called the Water Repelling Spell, which can form a thin film around a cultivator, allowing the cultivator to move normally underwater.

Therefore, simply breathing underwater is not enough for him to abandon his offensive talents.

So, Qu Ye had a sudden thought and chose the Iron Pliers talent.

A golden light flashed from the animal skin book.

Pliers

[Original effect: The shell is as hard as iron, with fine teeth on the inside, providing tremendous clamping force, used for hunting and self-defense.]

[Enhancement and Adaptation: When a cultivator gathers spiritual energy in both hands, if empty-handed, it greatly enhances arm defense and grip strength for a short period. If wielding a magical artifact, it increases the artifact's defense and penetrating power. When empty-handed, it has a slight suppressive effect.]

As the blessing was completed, Qu Ye felt some changes in his hands.

"This talent... it feels like it's designed to push me towards melee combat?"

The Iron Claws talent has three effects, two of which only take effect when you are unarmed.

"etc."

Qu Ye suddenly thought of something.

He usually controls magical artifacts to fly and defend against enemies, which frees up his hands.

Imagine the enemy getting lost in the maze, discovering him hiding in the shadows, and going through great lengths to break through multiple defenses to reach him.

Suddenly, his strength increased dramatically, and he forcefully suppressed it. Then, the swarm of bees and the Frost Pattern Sword charged forward again…

This…

Thinking of this, Qu Ye couldn't help but smile slightly.

Although this talent doesn't quite fit his original fighting style, if he can combine it with other methods, his margin for error in combat will become much higher.

Besides, if all else fails, one can simply wield the Frost Pattern Sword and let the blessing become an increase in the penetration and defense of magical artifacts.

After thinking it over, Qu Ye didn't rush to test the effects of his new talent.

He took out a wooden box, put the iron-clawed crab's corpse inside, and placed it next to the queen bee's corpse.

Thank you.

Qu Ye quietly expressed her gratitude to the Iron Claw Crab.

He wasn't the kind of old monster who had cultivated for hundreds or thousands of years and had become completely indifferent to worldly emotions.

Although his ultimate goal is still to gain talent through forming a bond, he will not interfere with the birth, aging, sickness, and death of spirit beasts.

But he felt grateful to all the monsters that had given him his talents.

Even those who cultivate immortality must have their own bottom line.

After putting the box away, Qu Ye let out a long breath and removed the wood and restrictions around the pool.

After doing all this, he left the courtyard and went to a grove of trees on the back hill.

The woods were lush and green, with several hard boulders lying among them, carrying a faint herbal fragrance.

Qu Ye stood among the trees, his gaze sweeping over his surroundings, and his heart gradually calmed down.

With a thought, he gathered magical power in his hands and instinctively unleashed his Iron Pliers talent.

With his talent enhanced, Qu Ye felt as if his hands were enveloped by a resilient force, and a faint tension came from the joints of his fingers.

Immediately afterwards, he felt the skin on his arms become much stronger, as if every muscle was being compressed and then expanded into a more solid state.

"This feeling..."

Qu Ye's eyes flashed, and his fingers suddenly grabbed at the boulder beside him.

boom!

His fingertips felt a slight resistance before smoothly sinking into the boulder.

Qu Ye clenched his right hand and pulled it outward, firmly grasping the entire boulder, lifting it half an inch off the ground.

He put the boulder down and withdrew his hand.

"So, it seems that the supposed improvement in grip strength also increased arm strength?"

After testing his bare-handed strength, Qu Ye took out the Cold Pattern Sword, looked at his arm, and gently slashed it upwards.

bass!

The Cold Pattern Sword slashed through the air, producing a crisp clanging sound.

Qu Ye looked at the faint white mark on his arm and nodded in satisfaction.

"Although no magic power was infused into the Frost Pattern Sword, it is still a mid-grade magic weapon."

"Judging from this, the defensive power of the arm is probably comparable to that of an ordinary low-grade defensive magic weapon."

Then, he grasped the hilt of the Cold Pattern Sword.

The tension in my fingers suddenly disappeared, and the skin on my arm returned to normal.

The Cold Pattern Sword seemed to have undergone some change, becoming more solid and even exuding a distinct sharpness.

Qu Ye brandished the Cold Pattern Sword and slashed at the tree trunk beside him.

Swish!

The tree fell with a thud, the cut surface smooth and flat, covered with a layer of frost.

The sharpness of the Frost Pattern Sword alone is enough to easily slice through a tree trunk.

"This talent is more useful than I imagined."

Qu Ye sheathed the Cold Pattern Sword and stared thoughtfully at the cut on the tree trunk.

The change in the enhancement occurred almost instantly when he grasped the Cold Pattern Sword.

This also means that during battle, he can switch between two different states at will to deal with complex situations, depending on the battle conditions.

Even when faced with sudden danger, he can block attacks using the jade pendant and the iron clamp talent that enhances the defense of his arms.

Survival ability has been improved!

"But how long exactly is this 'short time'?"

Qu Ye stopped what he was doing and waited for a moment.

About sixty breaths later, a feeling of weakness came over his body, and the Cold Pattern Sword returned to its original state.

The feeling of weakness is very mild and does not affect normal movement at all.

"One hundred and twenty breaths of blessing time is enough."

True duels rarely last long; most are aimed at killing the opponent with every move, and the winner is decided in a short time.

From this perspective, 120 breaths might even be slightly more than enough.

After testing his new talent, Qu Ye cleaned up the traces, glanced at the sky, and turned back to the courtyard.

He sat cross-legged in the cultivation room, calming the surging magical power within his body.

Now that I've acquired a new talent, I still need to practice continuously to master how to combine it with other combat techniques.

Wang Meng's family is also about to leave the market, and he doesn't have anything urgent to do right now.

Presumably, there will be a long period of downtime ahead.

until…

Qu Ye cleared his mind, opened the restriction, closed his eyes, and silently began to circulate the Gold-Refining Technique.