Free Web NovelChapter 346: Chapter 346: Conversion
Ning Xuan was a bit unsure of what to do. She knew that Spirit Controllers who had awakened two Companion Spirits were rare. If she went to the information center to register, she couldn’t be sure her information wouldn’t be leaked.
After thinking for a few minutes, Ning Xuan called Yu Mingche over. When Yu Mingche saw the young dragon coiled in Ning Xuan’s hand, a shocked expression appeared on his face.
Although he already knew that Ning Xuan had formed a second Companion Spirit and had even seen video footage of it, he had never observed it this up close and personal.
The young dragon’s body was covered in fine golden scales that shimmered faintly with each breath. It had two round bumps on top of its head; these cute little nubs were the very dragon horns that could unleash its Thunder ability.
The way it was coiled was elegant yet languid, making it look gentle and harmless.
Although this young dragon’s power wasn’t particularly immense, the aura surrounding it—that bloodline pressure emanating from the depths of its very genes—was incredibly potent. The pressure it exuded was actually no less than that of the Fire Spirit Vermilion Bird.
"Xuanyuan, are you feeling alright?" Yu Mingche asked, looking at Ning Xuan with concern.
"I’m fine. What’s wrong? Is there a problem with this little guy?" Ning Xuan asked, poking the Little Golden Dragon with her finger.
As if it understood Ning Xuan’s words, the Little Golden Dragon turned, lifted its head high, and glared at Yu Mingche with hostility.
A chill ran down Yu Mingche’s spine as the Little Golden Dragon stared him down with its vertical pupils, which flashed with golden light. Those pupils were like molten gold, swirling with mysterious patterns. The Little Golden Dragon’s glare seemed to threaten him, as if it wouldn’t hold back if Yu Mingche dared to say a single word against it.
"N-no," Yu Mingche denied, shaking his head as if compelled by some unseen force.
"It’s just... what about the Fire Spirit Vermilion Bird? How is it doing?" Yu Mingche asked.
"Little Red? Oh, it’s fine. It just seems to be in a deep slumber, cultivating. Why do you ask?" Ning Xuan focused her senses for a moment and found the Fire Spirit Vermilion Bird still dormant within her Fire Element Spiritual Vein. Countless tiny red specks of light were scattered throughout the vein; these specks were the body of the Fire Spirit Vermilion Bird.
Yu Mingche’s question made Ning Xuan realize that even though she could use Fire Element Energy fluently and at will, the Fire Spirit Vermilion Bird hadn’t appeared even once since the Little Golden Dragon was born.
Yu Mingche watched Ning Xuan with concern, and under his gaze, her brow slowly furrowed.
Ning Xuan closed her eyes and tried to summon the Little Red Bird. However, the red specks of light just kept shifting and flowing, refusing to coalesce into a solid form. Ning Xuan could clearly sense the Little Red Bird’s presence, yet she couldn’t summon it.
As Yu Mingche saw Ning Xuan’s expression darken, his own heart grew heavy. The Little Golden Dragon also sensed the shift in Ning Xuan’s emotions and suddenly lunged at Yu Mingche’s head like a bolt of lightning. A golden flash of Thunder erupted. Caught completely off guard, Yu Mingche was struck. His neatly combed-back hair instantly shot up, and he froze on the spot, his face covered in soot and his hair standing on end as if he were a startled cat.
The Little Golden Dragon’s attack was swift, but Yu Mingche’s reaction was just as fast. His first instinct was to counterattack, but this was Ning Xuan’s Companion Spirit—a part of her. So, he forced himself to stop, letting the Thunder strike him.
The Thunder left his entire body numb. He struggled just to turn his eyes toward Ning Xuan, his lips trembling slightly as he tried to reassure her. "I’m fine."
The Little Golden Dragon circled triumphantly above his head, occasionally spitting out small sparks of electricity that made a ZAP! sound. Seeing Yu Mingche’s sorry state, Ning Xuan’s grim expression cracked, and she couldn’t help but let out a "Pfft!" of laughter.
"Sorry, Ming Che. Here, take this pill." The reason Ning Xuan wasn’t worried was because she could sense that Yu Mingche’s vital signs were stable. He looked a mess, but he wasn’t seriously injured. She fed a healing Elixir Pill into his mouth, trying hard to stifle her laughter as she reached out and recalled the Little Golden Dragon.
The little guy reluctantly flew back to her hand, not forgetting to bare its fangs at Yu Mingche one last time.
After taking the Elixir Pill, Yu Mingche’s body slowly recovered. Just as he breathed a sigh of relief, his legs gave out and he nearly collapsed to his knees. He touched his fried hair; it was charred, frizzy, and dry. At his light touch, flakes of blackened hair crumbled and fell away.
Yu Mingche stared at the handful of brittle, broken hair in his palm and complained helplessly to Ning Xuan, "My hair is completely fried. I’ll have to cut it all off. Xuanyuan, you need to keep it in line from now on. Don’t let it touch my hair."
Ning Xuan coughed lightly, suppressing a smile. "Don’t worry, Ming Che. I’ll discipline it in a moment. Its reaction was influenced by me, too."
At that, Ning Xuan remembered her inability to summon the Fire Spirit Vermilion Bird, and her mood sank once more.
Seeing this, Yu Mingche didn’t bother tidying himself up and quickly said in a serious tone, "Xuanyuan, I was just about to tell you this. When someone awakens two Companion Spirits, they usually can’t summon both at the same time. After all, our Spiritual Sea and physical endurance are limited. Your second Companion Spirit has only just awakened, so it’s perfectly normal that you can’t switch between the two of them smoothly yet."
He was trying to comfort Ning Xuan.
’In truth, Yu Mingche was secretly worried. The more powerful a Companion Spirit, the greater the demand on the host’s physical constitution and the breadth of their Spiritual Sea. Female Spirit Controllers have always been physically weaker. It was already incredible that Ning Xuan had awakened one Legendary Level Companion Spirit. Now, this newly awakened Little Golden Dragon also seems incredibly powerful. This might not be a good thing for her at all.’
"I can’t summon them at the same time? In that case, Little Jin, you go back for now." Disregarding the Little Golden Dragon’s reluctance, Ning Xuan instantly recalled it into her body.
Next, Ning Xuan sent her spiritual power probing into her Fire Element Spiritual Vein. The very next second, with a sharp cry, a red bird burst forth from her body. The bird flapped its wings and let out a long, clarion call that seemed to pierce the heavens. Scorching flames swirled around its body, fierce and magnificent.
It circled above Ning Xuan’s head, its crimson-gold eyes sharp and piercing. The moment it appeared, the temperature in the courtyard rose significantly, and the air around the bird began to distort from the intense heat.
Yu Mingche’s pupils contracted. "Is that the Fire Spirit Vermilion Bird?" he asked in shock. "How did it suddenly get so big?"
’She recalled the Little Golden Dragon and immediately summoned the Fire Spirit Vermilion Bird. She can switch between her two Companion Spirits... and so quickly, too!’ Yu Mingche marveled to himself.
Ning Xuan’s face was a little pale; clearly, the sudden switch to the Fire Spirit Vermilion Bird had caused her some discomfort.
