In the Radiant Land, Su Hao hid behind a rock wall. He had pushed back the larger spirits—the Lightning Bear, the Fire Crow, and the Water Drake—making them stay obediently around the corner.
"The Light Orb can evolve into Dawnlight Spirit, then further into Holy Radiance Spirit. Due to the unique traits of light-type spirits, Holy Radiance excels at buffs and healing, and its combat ability is quite formidable too! "As for the Light Orb's second path, it can evolve into Twilight Spirit, also light-type, but its final form reverses into a dark-type spirit, specializing in poisoning the enemy with false heals."
In the valley, Su Hao hadn't seen any Twilight Spirits. It was related to the environment. Many first-stage and second-stage evolved spirits in the Radiant Land had evolved only because they stayed near light-element crystals for a long time.
Holy Radiance had high growth potential, and Su Hao was tempted. He hadn't originally planned to contract any spirits, but plans... are always broken by surprises.
"Common spirits, like Ginseng Doll or Pure Jade Lotus, also have healing abilities, but they're not pure enough... in simpler terms, their healing output is insufficient." Pure Jade Lotus's specialty is creating barriers to protect allies, but its recovery ability is practically nonexistent. As for Ginseng Doll, it has a unique racial trait—its ginseng roots can split off, and eating one makes you full of energy. Its recovery isn't weak, but its endurance... is too poor. And its combat power is low.
"Other spirits in the valley, like the Radiance Butterfly and Moonlight Hare, are also worth considering. "The Moonlight Hare's final evolution is the Moonlit Fairy, a humanoid spirit with... decent looks. "As for the Radiance Butterfly, its final form hasn't been researched yet, but it's speculated to be a good-looking humanoid too."
Su Hao thought it was feasible...
"Gu-nuo~!" Die Xiaodie disagreed. Probably some butterfly rivalry.
Just as Su Hao was thinking...
...
"It really is a light-type spirit!" The bald man was trembling with excitement. "So many light-type spirits, we... hit the jackpot! "In the market, even a single light-type spirit sells for an extremely high price, let alone the fact that there are many initial-stage spirits here."
Initial-stage spirits were more valuable than evolved ones! The younger, the more valuable! That meant they could be contracted!
"Wait, Captain, that's..." A young man looked up, gasped, then quickly covered his mouth.
The bald man also looked up and saw the blinding sun, blurting out a "Holy shit!" "It's a light-element crystal, at least basketball-sized, no, bucket-sized! That's worth... worth... it's not even comparable to money anymore!"
His eyes burned with greed. But the next moment, he heard a sharp screech. The group of light-type spirits had spotted them and charged straight at them.
"Take them down!" The bald man twisted his neck and sneered. Light-type spirits didn't matter anymore—as long as he could get that massive light-element crystal.
...
Boom!!! The bald man's Great Ape threw a punch, sending a Fluorescent Sprite flying. It twisted its body and delivered a brutal kick, embedding a Holy Mantis Warrior into the rock wall, leaving a human-shaped crater.
The Radiant Land had many spirits, but only a small portion were elite-level, and their individual combat power was far inferior to the elite explorers, who were experienced and mastered multiple techniques and ultimate moves. For a time, the spirits were pushed back.
Suddenly— A beam of light swept down from above, causing explosions wherever it passed. Several Holy Radiance Spirits joined the fight, making the scene even more chaotic.
Rumble~! The bald man directed his spirit, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings, when he suddenly froze. "There's someone there!"
He saw a massive rock caught in the blast and shattered, and in the dust, a figure was retreating. "Someone's hiding there—can't let him leave!"
He immediately ordered another spirit, the Rainforest Giant Ape, to clasp its hands together, gather a massive energy ball, and hurl it.
"Damn it!" Su Hao cursed under his breath.
The massive energy ball slammed into Die Xiaodie's psychic shield, shaking it violently until it finally shattered. And the Rainforest Giant Ape charged forward.
...
"That's a Whale Island University student, Captain, are you crazy?" "I'm not crazy! If he leaves and the news gets out, do you think we can take that massive light-element crystal?" "The Captain's right. That thing could drive even master-level trainers insane. If word leaks, we're all in danger! "He's just a student! If he dies here, no one will know!"
They all stared at the massive crystal, only sparing a glance at the situation on the right. The Captain's Rainforest Giant Ape was at the elite-level limit, with two other elite-level spirits assisting—that should be enough to handle a student.
They thought this, then suddenly widened their eyes as countless bolts of lightning erupted, wrapping around their spirits.
...
The Rainforest Giant Ape, Elephant General, and Groundshaker Wolf charged straight at Su Hao. They were common spirits, but battle-hardened and formidable.
Even when the imposing Fire Crow burst out, they didn't hesitate, kicking up dust to block it before continuing their charge at Su Hao. Attack the summoner! That was their battle instinct. They wouldn't fight by the rules like academy-trained spirits.
Boom! Die Xiaodie flew in front of Su Hao, hurling energy balls and creating a psychic shield to guard him. The Fire Crow burst through the dust and tackled the Groundshaker Wolf, but the other two spirits didn't hesitate, pressing forward until they were close to Su Hao.
Then— "Roar!!!" A great white bear charged from the side, letting out a taunt. But the Elephant General and Rainforest Giant Ape ignored it, even speeding up!
The Lightning Bear taunted again, "Roar~!" At the same time, lightning erupted from its body, forming chains that shot out and wrapped around the Elephant General and Rainforest Giant Ape, then yanked them back! Hardcore aggro pull! Come on! Fight me head-on!
The Lightning Bear roared as it tumbled into a brawl with the two spirits, while Su Hao took the chance to leap onto the running Water Drake. Finally, some safety!
The Fire Crow and the other two spirits erupted in fury, and with a series of bangs, booms, and crashes, two spirits fell, leaving only the elite-level limit Rainforest Giant Ape struggling.
The bald man's face darkened. "A tough nut to crack." But he was decisive. "Hold them off! Once I grab that light-element crystal, we're out of here!"
With that, he grabbed his Forest Griffin and took to the sky. The Forest Griffin, with its superb flying skills, twisted and dodged through the air, evading countless beams and energy balls as it closed in on the blinding light orb.
"What are you doing here?" He noticed a wiry young man also approaching on a flying spirit. "I'm here to help." "Cover me from the surrounding fire." "My Sandstorm Roc is faster—let me grab it." "My Windchaser Pegasus is quicker—let me do it, you cover me."
They jostled for position. In the end, the Sandstorm Roc was a step ahead, its claws reaching for the massive crystal.
Then— A blinding white light erupted. A Holy Radiance Spirit with even more eerie patterns on its body appeared before the Sandstorm Roc. Its glowing arms pierced straight through the Sandstorm Roc, and countless beams of light burst forth, raining down on the wiry young man. His protective barrier held for only a few seconds before shattering with a crack.
Man and roc fell from the sky.
The bald man and the others were horrified. Even without their eyes, they knew— The Holy Radiance Spirit before them was... Transcendent-level!