'This is truly good news!'
Among all forms of cultivation, the tempering of the Dao Heart was the most elusive and difficult to improve. It could only be understood slowly through experience. Qi Ping had no specific method; all he could do was seriously reflect on the path he walked.
Fortunately, as Meng Yan had said, he possessed an extraordinary Heart of Wisdom, giving him an advantage in comprehending the Dao Heart. Based on this development, he wouldn't even have to worry about the stability of his heart when he reached the Golden Core stage.
Next, Qi Ping tested the power of his enhanced Farming Domain. The results left him very satisfied.
'At the same early stage of Foundation Establishment, there are likely very few who could hurt me now. Ordinary cultivators probably couldn't even leave a scratch!'
The Farming Domain, stacked with his other means, had raised his defense to a terrifying level. After finishing his tests, Qi Ping had planned to tidy up the territory and settle the Spirit Vein Essence and the four seeds before contracting the deer after they became more familiar. However, the little Three-Colored Deer noticed that it was the only one not yet contracted, while everyone else was already Qi Ping's animal companion.
When the deer saw Qi Ping finish his business, it ran over eagerly. If Qi Ping hadn't been asleep for ten days, it would have approached him sooner. The most important reason was that its impression of and affection for Qi Ping were already through the roof.
Qi Ping's Beast-Friendship talent already worked wonders on spirit beast cubs, setting a high baseline for affection. Furthermore, the divine Nine-Colored Deer was a Son of the Forest, and the Three-Colored Deer, bearing its bloodline, naturally shared this trait. Qi Ping's identity as a Treant Shepherd shared a similar essence with being a Son of the Forest; combined with his status as a Beast King Druid, he had effectively maxed out the deer's favorability.
Adding to this, the little Spirit Fox and the little Flower Spirit had spent the last ten days singing his praises. It could be said that of all the companions Qi Ping had contracted, the initial affection of this jumping little deer was the highest.
'Yo-yo... (Can I contract with you? I want to be your animal companion too!)'
'Yo-yo... (Fox and Fairy both said they're contracted with you!)'
After speaking, the little deer stood somewhat constrained before Qi Ping, its eyes full of expectant light. It didn't know if Qi Ping would refuse, which would make it very sad!
Looking at the snowy-white, divine little creature radiating the aura of the forest, Qi Ping felt a deep affection for it as well. Naturally, he would not refuse. In fact, contracting the Three-Colored Deer had been his goal all along.
"Of course you can!" Qi Ping smiled and nodded.
'Yo-yo! (Yay!)'
An ethereal and joyful deer cry echoed through the territory. The sound was unique, like the language of the forest itself. Wherever the cry reached, the trees and grass seemed to resonate in harmony.
'Even the flora is resonating with the deer?'
Qi Ping was shocked. He knew the deer's affinity with the forest would be high, but he hadn't expected it to reach this level.
'Perhaps this individual's talent is exceptionally high!'
It was possible for certain individuals to possess talents far exceeding others of the same bloodline.
'If one had to choose the most suitable spirit beast for a Druid to contract in this world, the Nine-Colored Deer bloodline would certainly be at the top of the list!'
'Yo-yo... (Let's start quickly!)' the little deer urged, seeing Qi Ping dazing out.
"Alright!"
Qi Ping did not hesitate. With his practiced movements, a contract array slowly formed under his summons.
'All three of the deer's primary talents are good—Soul, Comprehension, and Wood. Any of them would be useful. But I hope it's Comprehension! Otherwise, creating my own techniques will be difficult with just soul and cultivation talents!'
Species: Three-Colored Deer.
Bloodline: Rank 3 Low-grade.
Talents: Forest Soul, Tri-Color Spirit, Forest Heart.
Forest Soul: Bloodline is blessed by the forest, granting high affinity with the woods; the soul becomes more stable and powerful as a result.
Tri-Color Spirit: Possesses a small portion of the Nine-Colored Deer bloodline; the soul possesses a unique spirituality. This spirituality grants extremely high Comprehension and allows the user to sense and control the power of the forest.
Forest Heart: Possesses an extremely high wood-attribute cultivation talent. The spiritual power cultivated through this has strong healing properties, excelling at repairing fleshly wounds and offering some effect on soul injuries.
Evaluation: A spirit beast that dislikes conflict and naturally loves the forest. Favored and blessed by nature, its combat ability increases greatly within a forest environment. During its growth, it can continuously learn and master various forces within the forest.
Forest Soul! Tri-Color Spirit! Forest Heart!
One could only say the Nine-Colored Deer bloodline truly deserved the title of Son of the Forest; the Three-Colored Deer had already clearly displayed these characteristics. With Forest Soul and Forest Heart, it could achieve high cultivation speeds within a forest.
But Tri-Color Spirit was the core talent! With this, the deer could attempt to learn and master almost any power belonging to the forest. A mature Three-Colored Deer in its home forest was a terrifying existence; few opponents of the same rank could stand against it there.
Strictly speaking, in terms of potential and strength within a forest, the Three-Colored Deer far surpassed the Heavenly-Sound Dream Oriole. The reason their prices were similar in the market was due to the deer's limitations. Without a forest environment or guidance from a previous generation, its growth and combat power would be very low.
However, this did not affect Qi Ping. His status as a Treant Shepherd meant he preferred staying in the forest anyway. And with his ability to communicate fluently with the deer, he could gradually guide its growth. Overall, buying a Three-Colored Deer for less than sixty thousand spirit stones was an absolute steal.
The contract array took a while to fully form. Once it was ready, Qi Ping did not hesitate and sent it directly into the little deer's brow.