169: Chapter 169 Pet Evolution
*Shing!*
A silver-white saber light flashed like lightning. The cleaver swept out from Yue Yun's hand, heading straight for his opponent, the Floating Leaf Bamboo Swordsman.
The Floating Leaf Bamboo Swordsman's eyes narrowed. Its trembling body burst forth with its final strength as it stepped forward without hesitation, thrusting its bamboo branch sword straight out with all its might!
*Puchi!*
Yue Yun raised his hand and caught the sword.
The bamboo branch sword, infused with immense power, pierced through his shoulder. His illusory health bar trembled slightly, dropping by a negligible amount.
The sharp blade stopped mid-air.
A powerful surge of Qi landed on the Floating Leaf Bamboo Swordsman's swaying body, yet it miraculously stabilized it.
"How is this possible?"
Yue Yun's brow furrowed slightly but quickly returned to calm. With a composed expression, he pulled out the bamboo branch sword embedded in his shoulder.
It was indeed unexpected that the Floating Leaf Bamboo Swordsman's bamboo branch sword could break through Yue Yun's strength and pierce his shoulder even after being caught, but the situation remained unchanged.
Yue Yun sheathed his blade and stood still, nodding in respect to his opponent.
The Floating Leaf Bamboo Swordsman did not return the gesture. It looked at the bamboo branch sword that had pierced its opponent's shoulder, then at Yue Yun, before falling into a mysterious and profound state.
Its body, skillfully assembled from bamboo joints, along with the bamboo leaves on itself and its sword, shed all dust. With a gentle shake, it looked brand new, emitting a soft emerald-green glow.
"Qingye..."
Shen Dao couldn't help but grow nervous at the sight.
Yue Yun naturally knew when to hold back, but what if the Floating Leaf Bamboo Swordsman couldn't take it and was broken?
Before his worried words were finished, the two Safety Officers flickered in front of Shen Dao and Yue Yun, dragging them away from the Floating Leaf Bamboo Swordsman.
The Safety Officer from Wen Guyu's team reminded him, "Your Pet Beast is evolving. This is a good thing, don't worry!"
Evolution!
A change in the life level of a Pet Beast individual.
Not only would its energy form change, but even its potential rating could improve, as if it were being reborn.
Wen Guyu and Long Han were dumbfounded, and Xu Qingfang's trio also stared wide-eyed; none of them expected an evolution to occur.
Shen Dao's daze turned into ecstasy.
The Floating Leaf Bamboo Swordsman was already a powerful Pet Beast with an A-grade potential rating and strong single-target damage capabilities.
Even if it didn't reach an S-grade potential rating after evolving, its strength would advance by leaps and bounds. In terms of damage output alone, it would be comparable to, or even surpass, high-intensity Pet Beasts with S-grade potential.
At this thought, Shen Dao's excitement was beyond words.
Wen Guyu and the others also offered their sincere congratulations. After all, evolution was truly difficult, and the opportunity for it was something that could be sought but not easily found.
*Buzz!*
Emerald light blossomed around the Floating Leaf Bamboo Swordsman.
A sharp Sword Intent surged out, and the clear ring of a sword echoed within a five-hundred-meter radius as Sword Qi crisscrossed and spread in all directions.
Thick trees caught in the Sword Qi were snapped in half like dry twigs. Seeing this, the two Safety Officers acted decisively, and Pet Beasts emitting Elite-level auras instantly shielded everyone.
Watching the Sword Qi ravage the ground, everyone couldn't help but think of Su Lixia's leg, which had been caught in the power of a Pet Beast's evolution.
"Thank goodness the Safety Officers are here!"
Mo Yu spoke up with lingering fear.
Everyone nodded in unison, agreeing with him.
If not for the protection of the Safety Officers, they would never have dared to watch a Pet Beast's evolution without any safeguards.
The two Safety Officers exchanged a silent glance.
*Buzz, buzz, buzz!*
Dazzling emerald light surged, and a thick pillar of light shot into the sky, rising like a lit candle flame before slowly descending.
The light gradually began to recede.
Dense Grass Elements and pure Sword Intent merged together, slowly outlining the evolved form of the Floating Leaf Bamboo Swordsman.
It was still assembled from jade-like bamboo joints, with even its fingers becoming tiny bamboo twigs. Its silhouette was vaguely humanoid, its body slender as a sword, with Sword Qi seemingly swirling around it.
The bamboo branch sword had grown an inch thicker, and the bamboo leaves at its top were even more vibrant; it hung at the waist, never leaving its side.
On the other side hung a thick bamboo tube that made a sloshing sound with every movement, likely containing something like bamboo tube wine.
Large bamboo leaves were woven into a Conical Hat on its head and a Straw Raincoat draped over its back. At first glance, it looked like a wandering Swordsman of the Jianghu, its cold aura warning strangers to stay away.
It had transcended the solitary Swordsman to become a Seeker pursuing the Dao through the sword. It was no longer obsessed with victory or defeat, but rather with the ultimate pursuit of the Way of the Sword and its opponents.
Meeting friends through martial arts, seeking the Dao through the sword!
This was the evolved form of the Floating Leaf Bamboo Swordsman—the Floating Leaf Bamboo Sword Saint, who sought the Dao through the sword and no longer obsessed over winning or losing!
As the churning Sword Qi dissipated, Shen Dao rushed to the front of the Floating Leaf Bamboo Sword Saint, calling out excitedly and nervously.
"Qingye!"
"Sa!" The Floating Leaf Bamboo Sword Saint responded with a nod, lowering the brim of its Conical Hat and striking a pose to tell its Beast Tamer that it had become stronger.
Shen Dao was beyond excited and quickly opened the status panel.
[Name: Floating Leaf Bamboo Sword Saint]
[Species: Floating Leaf Bamboo, Plant]
[Talent: Heavenly Listening Sword Heart (Listen to rhythms to perceive the direction of the opponent's energy flow, predicting their trajectory to deliver powerful counter-strikes that strike second but land first.)]
[Skills: Thousand Leaf Slash (Slashes out sword light that transforms into multiple strands of Sword Qi, pouring down like a rainstorm), Floating Leaf Bamboo Shadow (Leaves behind three Sword Intent afterimages along its movement path), Sword Bamboo Prison (Grows interlocking Floating Leaf Bamboos from the ground to form a closed, three-dimensional sword prison), One Sword Return to Truth (Locks onto a target through Heavenly Listening Sword Heart to launch a powerful slash that ignores distance and defense.)]
[Potential: A]
Shen Dao read word by word, afraid of missing anything.
His expression changed constantly, from confusion to smiles, before finally breaking into uncontrollable, ecstatic laughter.
Although the Floating Leaf Bamboo Sword Saint's potential rating hadn't broken through A-grade to reach S-grade, its Racial stats had received a massive boost, and it had gained a powerful skill like One Sword Return to Truth.
The power of One Sword Return to Truth lay not only in its ability to ignore distance and defense but also in its short cooldown and lack of restrictions.
Combined with the bonus from the Heavenly Listening Sword Heart talent, the damage of One Sword Return to Truth was not to be underestimated.
One could imagine the Floating Leaf Bamboo Sword Saint's control over one-on-one duels!
Shen Dao burst out laughing.
Wen Guyu and Long Han looked at each other, and after losing patience, Wen Guyu kicked Shen Dao. "What's so funny?"
"Ouch, take it easy!" Shen Dao was kicked quite hard by Wen Guyu. He clutched his calf and rubbed it, hissing in pain.
He straightened up slightly and gave a brief account of the Floating Leaf Bamboo Sword Saint's evolution, leaving everyone stunned.
"Ignores defense?"
Yue Yun thought for a moment and then relaxed.
The Floating Leaf Bamboo Sword Saint's One Sword Return to Truth was indeed strong, and the trait of ignoring defense was useful anywhere, but Yue Yun's defense was already close to zero; he relied entirely on his terrifyingly high health.
The Floating Leaf Bamboo Sword Saint was also aware of this. It walked up to Yue Yun and nodded in respect. "Sa~ Sa sa sa~ Sa!"
Yue Yun blinked, unsure of how to react.
Shen Dao suppressed the corners of his mouth from curling up and said sincerely, "Qingye is thanking you for your help. If you hadn't been willing to spar with it, it would have been hard for it to find the true essence of seeking the Dao through the sword."
"Qingye says you are a respectable opponent and hopes to continue meeting friends through martial arts and spar with you again in the future!"
After a pause, Shen Dao also gave Yue Yun a solemn thanks.
"If not for you, Qingye wouldn't have been able to evolve. I will remember this kindness, and I'll definitely back you up in the future!"