stjorthotic Chapter 3 Pet Training Mission: Humanoid Pet?
Chapter 3 Pet Training Mission: Humanoid Pet?
The next day.
The first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the gaps in the curtains and fell on the silvery-white pom-pom at the foot of the bed.
The fierce dog, Feng Lei, curled up at Su Chen's feet, its tail draped over the edge of the bed, breathing evenly.
Su Chen sat cross-legged on the bed and slowly opened his eyes.
A faint blue light flashed in his eyes, like a lingering arc of lightning that flickered in his pupils before dissipating.
"Cool!"
He let out a long breath, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.
"That feels so good!"
The pet learning machine can actually accelerate cultivation!
In just one night, he activated a new acupoint: Yanglingquan on the Gallbladder Meridian of Foot-Shaoyang.
Yanglingquan, located on the lateral side of the lower leg, in the depression below and in front of the head of the fibula, is an acupoint where the tendons of the leg converge, and it governs the strength and explosiveness of the lower limbs.
The activation of this acupoint means that his leg power will be smoother, and his speed, jumping ability, and kicking power will be significantly improved.
But that didn't stop his surprise.
The connectivity of the original twelve meridians has also been slightly improved, and he has discovered a total of nine new acupoints from the meridians.
Although most of these are tiny, nameless acupoints that are far from meeting the standard of "activation," as long as the meridians are unblocked and they are gradually warmed and nourished, these acupoints will eventually shine and generate heat.
Even if it's not fully activated, it can still play a certain role in actual combat.
There are 361 acupoints in the human body.
Even if all fourteen meridians are open, there are actually fewer than one hundred acupoints that can be explored at the beginning.
Because of differences in physical constitution, the acupoints that are most easily activated vary from person to person.
Some people have sensitive acupoints on their arms, making them suitable for practicing boxing; others have well-developed acupoints on their torso, making them suitable for practicing defense.
The first priority after entering the Acupoint Opening Realm is to find the acupoints that are easiest to open, and then choose cultivation methods, spiritual techniques, and martial arts skills according to the distribution of acupoints.
Someone with exceptional cultivation aptitude like Jiang Wei, after opening all fourteen meridians, would likely be able to discover the rudiments of at least 150 acupoints, and then nurture those acupoints in a targeted manner, selecting the most suitable spiritual pearls.
She was able to absorb the spiritual pearl of the Water God Gonggong system at the Hundred Acupoints Realm, which must have been due to extensive preparations made beforehand.
Those corresponding acupoints have probably already been warmed and nourished during the meridian-opening stage.
"The spiritual techniques I gleaned from the spirit pearls are incredibly powerful!" Su Chen muttered to himself, "The key to fighting opponents of higher levels!"
In the past, he wouldn't have even dared to think about such a thing.
But now...
"If we find more types of pets, such as powerful lightning-type pets, we can give each skill dozens of treatments."
"Even if not all the corresponding acupoints can be activated temporarily, as long as the corresponding locations are dug out, it can be gradually nurtured over time."
"When the time is right..." His voice lowered, but his eyes brightened, "Couldn't I also achieve this, fusing the spiritual pearls of the Thunder God, Lightning Goddess, Thunder Child, and the Thunder Gods' related pantheons while still in the Opening Acupoint Realm?"
You must understand that although the Spirit Pearl is powerful, it is not something you can try to use rashly!
In the early days of the apocalypse, the success rate of those who forcibly fused with the spirit orbs was less than 2%. For the losers, there was only one word—death!
Only now, after preliminary research on the Spirit Pearl and the development of a complete theory, has it become much safer.
Even so, there are still many spirit orbs that have not been fully understood and should not be attempted lightly.
"If we follow this path, it really feels like we can do it."
The more I think about it, the more excited I get!
But before the excitement had subsided, a very serious problem suddenly occurred to him:
I'm out of pet energy points!
........
Su Chen's consciousness sank into the pet space.
A semi-transparent virtual interface unfolded before his eyes, and the number in the lower right corner made his heart tighten:
Pet Energy: 41
When I first activated the system last night, I had 100 points. I trained for twelve hours, and each training session consumed 1 point.
Seventy-two training sessions...
The Wind and Thunder Claw was trained for seventy minutes, seven times. The Swift Step and other skills combined took eleven hours, sixty-six times.
There were more than seventy repetitions in total, consuming more than seventy points.
With the system's automatic hourly replies, there are now 41 points remaining.
But 41 points won't last more than a few hours!
He stared at the number for two seconds, his brow furrowing slightly.
How exactly do I obtain pet energy points?
"Relying solely on natural growth, it's only a little over a point per hour, which isn't enough..."
He was only focused on having fun last night and didn't think about this issue at all.
Now that you've had your fun, you want to keep having fun, but you've realized you're almost out of fuel!
This is really frustrating.
It would be great if I could top up my account with real money.
Just then, his gaze inadvertently swept over Little Purple in the pet space.
The virtual projection of the Wind and Thunder Fierce Dog was squatting next to the learning machine, with a small floating panel that had appeared above its head at some point.
I've never seen it before.
Su Chen touched the panel with his consciousness, and information flooded in:
[Pet Training Mission: Wind and Thunder Fierce Dog]
Task 1: 100km Run
Task: Accompany the Wind and Thunder Fierce Dog on a 100-kilometer run.
Progress: 0/100
Rewards: Pet Energy x50, Wind and Thunder Pill x3
Mission Two: Hundred-Enemy Slayer
Mission objective: Assist the Wind and Thunder Hound in killing 100 soldier-level monsters.
Progress: 0/100
Rewards: Pet Energy x200, Bone Shaping Pill x5, Skill Stone - Thunder Charge
Mission Three: Advance to the Peak of Soldier Level
Mission objective: Raise the strength rank of the Wind and Thunder Fierce Hound to the peak of the Soldier level.
Progress: High-tier Soldier/Peak Soldier
Rewards: 500 Pet Energy, 10 Soul Ascension Pills, Pet Equipment - Wind and Thunder Armor
"Hmm? A pet training mission?"
Su Chen quickly scanned the three tasks and made a mental calculation.
"One hundred kilometers. I, at the Meridian Opening Realm, can run that many kilometers in a day! It's not that difficult."
"Killing soldier-level monsters isn't particularly difficult. But killing a hundred... that's definitely not something I can do in a short time. The safest way is to wait until the weekly or monthly practical assessments and then try to get a piece of the action."
"It's difficult to complete the assessment in one go. With my current abilities, I estimate it would take three assessments to pass."
"Then it will take three weeks."
"Task Three..." He glanced at Xiao Zi's panel. It was a high-level soldier, still some distance from the peak. "This can only be done slowly; it can't be forced."
He roughly calculated the rate of return.
Even if you complete Task 1 in one day and get 50 pet energy points, it will only sustain you for eight hours of training.
Eight hours isn't even enough for him to get a good night's sleep.
My 24-hour lie-flat plan failed!
"But at least there's a way to get it," Su Chen comforted himself.
In addition to energy points, the rewards also include pills, skill stones, and pet equipment, all of which are truly valuable items.
The Wind and Thunder Pill, as its name suggests, is an auxiliary pill with wind and thunder attributes!
These types of pills can only be used by those at the lowest level of the Opening Meridian Realm.
In the market, each one costs at least several thousand yuan. Those for pets are two to three times more expensive!
After all, the elixirs for cultivating immortality are controlled by the government and even subsidized.
Those who can afford to keep pets are all rich people, so fleece them ruthlessly!
Bone-Shaping Pills are also expensive. They are used to reshape bones and muscles, and are a form of hard currency for martial artists in the Body Tempering and Meridian Opening stages, starting at 15,000.
As for skill stones...
Su Chen licked his lips.
"I've never heard of this on the market."
"In terms of function, the Spirit Orb is somewhat similar to a Skill Stone."
"Thunderous Body Impact, sounds pretty good! Let's try to get our hands on it as soon as possible and see how it works."
Just then...
"Xiao Chen, come down for breakfast!"
Li Huilan's voice came from downstairs, full of energy.
"Coming, Mom!"
Su Chen rolled out of bed, but before his feet even touched the ground, Xiao Zi had already sprang up from the foot of the bed, its tail wagging like a propeller, circling his legs twice.
"Let's go, let's go eat."
A person and a dog descended the wooden stairs, their footsteps making a clattering sound.
.......
The restaurant on the first floor.
Su Guoliang was already sitting at the table, with a bowl of purple rice porridge, two meat buns, and a small dish of side dishes in front of him, and he was slurping down the porridge.
Seeing Su Chen come down, he glanced at his son, then looked at the large silver-white dog at his feet, and smiled.
"How did things go with Xiao Zi last night?"
"That's great!" Su Chen pulled out a chair and sat down. Xiao Zi immediately lay down beside him, resting her head on his slippers. "Mom, what is Xiao Zi eating?"
"Your dad prepared it last night." Li Huilan brought out a stainless steel basin from the kitchen, which contained a nutritious meal mixed with minced alien meat. "It's the recipe the city guards gave us, just follow it."
Xiao Zi smelled the aroma of minced meat and her ears immediately perked up, but she didn't move; she just looked up at Su Chen.
Su Chen put the bowl on the ground and patted its head: "Eat."
The silver dog then lowered its head and began to eat heartily, its tail wagging happily the whole time.
Watching this scene, Li Huilan's eyes were full of smiles: "This dog has truly recognized its owner! It wasn't this affectionate when your dad brought it home yesterday."
"That's right!" Su Guoliang snorted. "When I picked it up, it was indifferent to me, and I could only pet it. Sure enough, dogs will forget about their old masters when they see a young one."
Xiao Zi lifted her head from the basin, glanced at Su Guoliang, and then buried her head back down.
Su Guoliang: "..."
Li Huilan laughed and kicked him under the table, then turned to Su Chen: "Alright, hurry up and eat. Aren't we going out for training later?"
"Yeah, I made plans with Wang Yichuan and the others." Su Chen took a bite of his steamed bun. "We'll meet at the training ground nearby at ten o'clock. We'll probably eat out for lunch and won't be coming back."
Upon hearing the name "Wang Yichuan," Li Huilan's smile deepened.
Wang Yichuan, a child from the same community, scored 687 points in the recent joint exam of ten schools. He is extremely talented and also works very hard in his training.
The key is that he has good character, looks honest, and his whole family is the kind of people who know how to repay kindness.
"Okay, okay, spend more time with Yichuan." Li Huilan nodded. "By the way, do you have enough pocket money?"
Su Chen took a bite of the steamed bun and mumbled, "That's enough! Don't worry."
Li Huilan was still worried, so she turned to Su Guoliang and said, "He's in his final year of high school, there are many expenses. Transfer 80,000 yuan to our son later."
Su Guoliang paused with his chopsticks: "Eighty thousand?"
"What's wrong? Feeling sorry for him?"
"What's there to be worried about?" Su Guoliang waved his hand generously and said, "I'm wondering if 80,000 is enough? Should we give another 20,000?"
"That's enough, that's enough." Su Chen quickly stopped her. "It's just for daily expenses, I don't need that much."
"Okay, 80,000 for now, we'll talk about it if it's not enough." Su Guoliang took out his phone and made a few noises, and Su Chen's phone in his pocket vibrated.
Su Chen silently drank his porridge.
He thought to himself, "This life is so great!"
...
Su Guoliang finished his porridge in a few bites, wiped his mouth, and carried two large bags out of the kitchen.
The package contained neatly arranged pork jerky wrapped in oil paper, weighing about twenty or thirty pounds.
The other bag contained several small porcelain bottles, their mouths sealed with wax.
"These jerky pieces are made from the best parts of Thorn Demon Boars, which are at the soldier level, and are made with special spiritual ingredients. They're definitely ten times better than what you can find on the market!" Su Guoliang pushed the oil paper package over. "As for these pills, I bought them in the city center. Qi-replenishing pills are 3,000 each, 50 in total. Yuan-cultivating pills are 8,000 each, 20 in total."
As he spoke, he laid out the porcelain vases one by one on the table, like setting up a street stall.
"These pills are like hard currency," Su Guoliang patted the porcelain bottle. "You can also use them as spiritual food. Share a few with your classmates who seem to be nice and have good relationships with you."
"Dividing... pills?" Su Chen was a little surprised.
He understood when they used to distribute dried meat.
It's our own stuff, and there's a lot of it, so it's just a small favor. But pills are different; these are bought with real money, and each one costs several thousand.
Su Guoliang noticed his son's confusion and smiled, "When we used to distribute jerky, it was just small-scale stuff. Now that you're in your final year of high school, the value of what we give you naturally has to be increased."
He paused, then his tone became serious: "The world has changed a lot before and after the apocalypse, but human nature hasn't changed! Our culture has always been a society based on human relationships."
"You're in the honors class, where there are many highly talented students. Now, when you get along, there doesn't seem to be any distance between you, no difference in status, and you might even occasionally feel that their family background is nowhere near as good as ours."
"But in the future, they may all become figures you look up to!"
"To put it bluntly," Su Guoliang pointed to himself and then to Su Chen, "no matter how much we train, our martial arts talent will only get us to the Qi Refining or Spirit Martial Realm. But those kids are different; they have talent, resources, and a platform."
"Once they reach the Divine Power Realm, Earthly Origin Realm, or Heavenly Martial Realm, you won't be able to see them as easily as you want. What will you use to talk to them? Our two thousand pigs? They could wipe them out with a single slap!"
Having lived two lives, Su Chen naturally knew that his father was right.
"Isn't this the reason I asked you to bring things from home to distribute at school?" Su Guoliang said, laughing first. "Dried meat, supplements, pills—these things are nothing to a Heavenly Martial Realm expert, right? But they only have talent now; they haven't fully matured yet. If you offer some help at this time, they'll remember your kindness."
Li Huilan added from the side, "But you have to choose your friends wisely."
Su Guoliang nodded, as if recalling something unpleasant: "Look at our community, there are three talented kids, Wang Yichuan, Liu Xiangdong, and that Lin family's daughter. As a prominent family here, I give gifts to a few of them during holidays. But to be honest, that Liu Xiangdong family isn't exactly grateful."
He shook his head and sighed, "A little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment. The better you treat this kind of person, the more they feel indebted to you."
"This...then why do we send so many gifts to their family every year?" Su Chen said.
"You can talk behind people's backs, but you still need to be polite to their faces," Su Guoliang said seriously. "A gentleman can be deceived by his principles, but not by those who do not follow the right path. A petty person is different; they are difficult to deal with and should not be offended. Just keep a respectable facade."
Liu Xiangdong...
The student from Class 5 next door scored over 670 points in this joint exam; he's definitely gifted.
Because they lived in the same community, Su Chen had quite a few interactions with him.
However, when Su Chen met with him, it was usually Wang Yichuan or Lin Xiyue who were present.
Su Chen recalled that the two seemed to have very little direct contact.
Once the father started this topic, he couldn't stop...
Su Chen listened quietly, but another thing came to mind: humanoid pets.
He had seen this cheat function last night when he was researching the pet space.
[Humanoid Pet Capacity: 0/1]
He was puzzled at the time.
A humanoid pet? Is it one of those powerful demons that can transform into human form?
What's the minimum standard for transformation? The Spirit Pearl theory textbook states that only beasts reaching the sixth realm, the Divine Power Realm, are qualified to transform. But even that's limited to those with exceptional talent!
A powerful demon in the Divine Power Realm who can transform into human form is someone who can rival those in the Earthly Origin Realm and the Heavenly Martial Realm.
How could he possibly make a contract with such a powerful figure?
But... what if it's not a transformed great demon?
Can humans make contracts?
Humans are a type of living being, aren't they? They perfectly resemble human form, don't they?
Su Chen was startled by his own thought, and his chopsticks stopped in mid-air.
If that's the case, then the contract standards for humanoid pets should be different from those for exotic beasts, right?
Otherwise... why isn't there a contractual reminder when Mom and Dad are right in front of them?
Monsters can be forcibly contained, but people may not be. People are free and have their own thoughts; they cannot be captured and brought back like monsters.
Does it require the other party's consent?
Or is some condition required?
He bit his chopsticks, his mind racing, but his expression remained impassive.
This matter cannot be rushed; it needs to be studied slowly.