Chapter 38: Effortless Discovery

Looking closely at the opponent's status panel, Qin Lang quickly identified the key point.

The experience points of this four-star Food Spirit had already reached their maximum limit!

In an instant, Qin Lang understood Zhou Tianhao's intention. "Brother Zhou, are you looking to have Cream undergo a Food Spirit Rejuvenation?"

"Exactly," Zhou Tianhao nodded slightly. "Cream's experience points are full. I only need to improve its origin cuisine to trigger the Food Spirit Rejuvenation, which will significantly boost its strength."

"Once Cream successfully rejuvenates, I will have over ninety percent confidence in passing the examination of the three second-tier Spirit Controllers and activating my fourth star pulse!" As he said this, Zhou Tianhao's voice rose, his eyes filled with a fighting spirit.

However, he immediately followed this with a troubled look.

"But that is also the most difficult part."

"There is only one chance for Food Spirit Rejuvenation. The better the improved origin cuisine, the greater the boost after the rejuvenation."

"I have been racking my brain on how to improve it, but I have never been satisfied."

"That is the main reason I chose to travel to various places."

"I need to taste gourmet food and seek inspiration."

"I believe you can do it, Brother Zhou," Qin Lang said earnestly.

What troubled the other party was not something his current level of strength could touch, so all Qin Lang could do was offer his blessings.

"I will!" Zhou Tianhao clenched his fist tightly and waved it in the air.

"By the way, Brother Zhou, I have another question."

"Go ahead."

Qin Lang glanced at Cream and the nearby Red Bean, then spoke slowly, "Why are both Cream and Red Bean's awakened combat skills of their own element?"

The first combat skill a Food Spirit awakens upon birth corresponds to its own attribute, but skills awakened during subsequent star upgrades are not necessarily of the same element.

Liu Chuang, a member of the Treasure Hunter team Qin Lang met previously, had a Food Spirit whose second awakened skill was a non-elemental mental type.

Tang Yu's Food Spirit, named Hunting, had three awakened skills, but only two were of its native fighting type, while the third was of the lightning type.

Yet, Red Bean and Cream—the former possessing four awakened skills and the latter five—were able to keep all of them consistent with their own attributes.

This was definitely not a coincidence.

"So that's what you wanted to ask." Zhou Tianhao smiled and took a crimson gemstone from his backpack. "The secret lies in this."

Carefully taking the gem, which bore a fire-element symbol on its surface, Qin Lang looked surprised. "This is?"

"A fire-attribute gemstone, an auxiliary item," Zhou Tianhao explained. "Fire-type Food Spirits carrying it can enhance their potential and speed up their leveling."

"Besides that, it has one special effect."

"If a Food Spirit carries an attribute gemstone while undergoing a star upgrade, it is guaranteed to awaken a combat skill of the corresponding attribute."

"Of course, not every Spirit Controller chooses to have their Food Spirit awaken only native-element skills. After all, skills can also be learned through self-study."

"It really depends on the Spirit Controller's philosophy of cultivation."

"I see." Qin Lang looked enlightened, staring at the fire-attribute gemstone in his hand. "How much does a gemstone like this cost?"

"Attribute gemstones also vary in quality," Zhou Tianhao smiled. "Lower quality ones cost over a hundred thousand, while high-quality ones can cost millions or even tens of millions."

Qin Lang: "..."

He quickly returned the fire-attribute gemstone to Zhou Tianhao.

Confirmed: this was also something he could not afford.

Even with a million in his pocket, he was still a pauper.

"Gloo!"

An incredibly excited cheer brought Qin Lang back to his senses.

He turned his head to the other side and saw Egg Treasure flying toward them, looking exceptionally excited. "This is... did it learn it?"

Zhou Tianhao did not speak, but after receiving feedback from Red Bean, who was trailing behind Egg Treasure, his expression became a bit strange.

"Your Food Spirit can truly be considered gifted."

"Huh?" Qin Lang was stunned by Zhou Tianhao's words and couldn't help but look at Egg Treasure. "What did you learn?"

Upon hearing Qin Lang's inquiry, Egg Treasure excitedly flew into the air, took a deep breath until its little head turned bright red from the heat, and then spewed fire.

The distance of the flames remained the same, but the searing light instantly wrapped around the space surrounding Egg Treasure in a full 360-degree radius, leaving Qin Lang dumbfounded on the spot.

Egg Treasure's display was somewhat similar to the second development direction Red Bean had shown, yet it was different.

If the flames released by Red Bean formed a flat circle, then the flames released by Egg Treasure formed a massive fireball that completely enveloped it.

When the flames dissipated and he saw Egg Treasure's head still spinning wildly inside its body, Qin Lang realized with a mix of amusement and frustration what had happened.

Egg Treasure's body structure was very unique.

This special structure allowed its head to rotate with extreme ease, even allowing for irregular rotations in different directions.

So, it hadn't just quickly learned the combat skill Red Bean demonstrated; it had also made further improvements based on it.

Zhou Tianhao was right—this was indeed a sign of being gifted.

"Gloo~ (๑﹏๑)"

It took a long while after the skill ended for Egg Treasure to recover, though it still kept spinning in circles as it flew.

"Haha!" Zhou Tianhao was amused by Egg Treasure's peculiar appearance. "This direction of development is indeed more effective, but the side effects are not small."

Qin Lang caught Egg Treasure, feeling a mix of laughter and tears. "It still needs more practice."

"Proficiency in any technique requires a great deal of practice," Zhou Tianhao agreed with a nod. "It will get better in the future."

"Speaking of which, Brother Zhou, why are you in these mountains?" Qin Lang asked curiously, looking at Zhou Tianhao.

"Me?" Zhou Tianhao laughed. "I came from Bailu City on the other side of the mountains. I heard there is a Tianhua Flower Expo in Dongxia City, where many types of flowers will be on display, so I intend to go and broaden my horizons."

"I see," Qin Lang understood.

"What about you?" Zhou Tianhao glanced at Egg Treasure. "If I am not mistaken, you are planning to travel and train with your Food Spirit?"

"You guessed wrong," Qin Lang smiled. "I entered the Xiaxi Mountains to look for a special flower."

At this point, Qin Lang paused, his eyes thoughtful as he looked at Zhou Tianhao.

Since the other party came from the other side of the mountain, perhaps he had seen the Crimson Land Lotus?

Thinking of this, he took out the hand-drawn sketch from his pocket.

"Brother Zhou, have you seen this in the mountains?"

"Eh?" Zhou Tianhao glanced at it, a look of surprise appearing on his face. "So you were looking for this."

"If it is this flower, I did see it on my way here."

He pointed toward a nearby stream. "Follow the mountain stream upstream for a few kilometers; there is a gentle thicket of bushes where they grow."

Upon hearing this, Qin Lang's eyes lit up instantly.

It really was effortless to find.