Chapter 117: A Meeting of Minds

At that moment, a faint blush spread across Zizi’s cheeks as she asked somewhat nervously, “Chuan, if in the future I need your help with something, would you be willing?”

Qin Chuan, within his spiritual core, smiled gently and replied, “Zizi, aren’t we friends? Your matters are my matters. Of course, I’m willing.”

Hearing this, Zizi immediately relaxed. In her mind, Qin Chuan had always seemed somewhat aloof—though he occasionally joked, most of the time he remained distant.

Now, she couldn’t help but feel a flutter of excitement as she said, “Really? You’d even let me hold onto you in battle? Of course, not in any kind of servitude—just friends helping each other.”

Her voice grew softer with each word, and her heart fluttered with anxious anticipation.

Qin Chuan remained silent for a moment. As a spiritual weapon fighting alongside someone, he certainly could unleash greater power. Yet, he was not content being just a weapon; he longed to be a living person.

Had anyone else made such a request, Qin Chuan would have refused outright. But Zizi held a special place in his heart.

After a brief pause, he whispered, “I’m willing.”

At Qin Chuan’s affirmative response, a surge of emotion welled up in Zizi’s heart, tears glistening in her eyes.

“Chuan, thank you. May I hold you? Just once?”

“Sure, come ahead.”

“Mm.”

Zizi softly responded, her blush deepening. With a heart full of excitement, she slowly extended her snowy white jade-like hand, trembling slightly from nerves.

In the next moment, a warm, tender sensation instantly flowed into Qin Chuan’s spiritual core, reaching deep into his soul.

What was more intoxicating was that Zizi’s delicate fingers lightly slid along the sword’s hilt, sending a sudden electric thrill through Qin Chuan.

That sensation was truly exquisite.

“Hum!”

Unable to contain himself, Qin Chuan let out a faint sword hum, a gentle orange glow emanating from him.

Within the volcanic cavern, a peerlessly elegant young woman stood on the cliff’s edge, wielding an orange spiritual weapon, molten lava boiling below.

At this moment, the scene was strikingly beautiful.

Yet, for Qin Chuan and Zizi, trapped within this moment, their feelings were quite different.

“Ding! Congratulations, host has acquired a fusion skill: Heart Connection.”

As Qin Chuan heard the system notification, Zizi also sensed a feeling beyond words.

She felt an inexplicable fluctuation along Qin Chuan’s sword blade, a ripple tightly linked to her own spirit.

“What… what is this?”

“Zizi, is that you? I sense your presence.”

“Chuan, is it really you? Can we truly connect our hearts?”

“Yes. I have gained a new skill, called Heart Connection.”

“This… it’s incredible. What does this skill do?”

“When activated, it greatly enhances our attributes. You won’t need to worry about getting hurt when unleashing wide-range Lightning Protection spells anymore. However, only I can initiate the skill.”

“Ah? Really? Chuan, I… I love you so much!”

*Pop!*

Overcome with excitement, Zizi couldn’t help but lean down and kiss the green spiritual pearl embedded on the sword’s hilt.

This sudden gesture sent a jolt through Qin Chuan’s entire body, nearly overwhelming him.

“Chuan, are you okay?”

“Chuan, say something!”

...

The sleep bug’s evolution took quite some time. Three days later, its cocoon nearly doubled in size.

*Shh!*

A sharp claw tore open the cocoon, startling Zizi into leaping up with a scream: “Snake!”

Flustered, Zizi stumbled over her words—do snakes even have claws?

From the other side, another cocoon split open, revealing a creature with a head somewhat like a dragon’s, though not quite a true dragon’s head.

The sleep bug’s antennae had transformed into long tendrils, sprouting two horns. Its blue eyes now radiated an air of majesty.

With a hissing sound, a white, serpentine “dragon” appeared before Qin Chuan and Zizi.

Its body was covered in scales, with four legs—two front and two rear—each ending in three claws.

“Ding! Discovered a level 25, third-tier, exquisite Five-Element Venomous Anaconda (a rare), quality: precious, five-star elite.”

Hearing the system alert, Qin Chuan finally realized, “So it’s an anaconda. It doesn’t look too terrifying, though the name sounds fierce.”

The sleep bug twisted its somewhat awkward body as it approached and spoke in a cute voice, “Big brother, Sister Zizi, do you think I look handsome now?”

Despite its miniature size, the sleep bug was still a tiny anaconda.

Maintaining a partly soft and adorable appearance, combined with its sweet voice, it was hard to feel any fear.

*Pat!*

Zizi stepped forward and gave the sleep bug’s body a gentle slap, then ran her fingers over its scales, nodding, “Hmm, not bad. The texture is similar to before. I was worried you’d turn into a big snake—that would be terrifying.”

“Sister Zizi, stop touching me—it tickles!”

The sleep bug wriggled at her touch, still ticklish as ever.

“Alright then, let’s go find that treasure spot.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Thus, the three adventurers left the muddy swamp to seek the legendary treasure site.

Following the sleep bug’s lead, after circling around, they arrived near the treasure location.

It was a dense forest, quite rare within the Seven Star region, yet no spiritual creatures inhabited it.

Qin Chuan used a powerful technique to clear a five-meter-wide path.

At the heart of the dense woods, the three paused.

“Big brother, it’s here.”

Qin Chuan surveyed the area. Although the ground was lush with grass, there were some unusual markings.

Zizi crouched down and, after some examination, said in surprise, “Huh? This looks like a formation, but it’s so ancient you wouldn’t notice it unless you looked carefully.”

Qin Chuan asked, “Zizi, can you tell what kind of formation it is?”

Zizi furrowed her brow but shook her head firmly, “I can’t tell.”

“Alright, since we’re here, we have to try. Little brother, help me clear this out.”

“Okay.”

Moments later, they cleared a ten-meter area, removing grass and soil to reveal an ancient formation etched into the ground.

The worn and corroded patterns were barely discernible, but on either side of the center were two round holes.

Their size perfectly matched the black and white pearls Qin Chuan had obtained.

“This is strange—such an ancient formation existing in the spiritual realm. Clearly, it wasn’t made by any spiritual creature.”

“I wonder where the Mudman King and Goldman King got these black and white pearls.”

Many questions stirred in Qin Chuan’s mind, but having come so far, they had to activate it and see what happened.

After some attempts, the formation faintly glowed.

*Click!*

With a slight sound, the formation suddenly burst into bright white light, enveloping the three adventurers completely before vanishing.

At that moment, Qin Chuan felt a strong sensation of weightlessness and couldn’t help exclaiming, “Whoa, is this a teleportation array?!”

Qin Chuan’s guess was correct—it was indeed a teleportation array, an extremely ancient one.