As Ye Zhongming emerged from the mountain, he saw several high-ranking elders of Thousand Beast Villa standing nervously at the entrance, each holding a tool used to summon Chisel Tooth.
Looking up, he noticed Xia Bai hovering in the air, her wings slowly flapping. Clearly, she had been waiting outside, ready to charge in if anything went wrong.
Xia Bai’s prowess was well-known, and her ability to fly with a pair of wings alone was enough to unsettle anyone. Many assumed it was a bloodline ability, but the duration of this ability was unusually long. Those who had studied Cloud Peak knew that Xia Bai’s bloodline ability was to become invisible in the dark, as evidenced by her faintly visible form in the air. The skill of her wings remained a mystery.
Coupled with her impressive feat of killing Jiu Long and subduing Jiu Bao earlier that day, the elders were extremely tense. They feared that Xia Bai might lose her temper and charge in, and they had little confidence in their ability to stop her.
Seeing Ye Zhongming come out, the elders collectively breathed a sigh of relief.
Ye Zhongming waved at Xia Bai, signaling her to land beside him. After apologizing to Li Daqian, he returned to his quarters with his loyal follower in tow.
Before even reaching the courtyard, Ye Zhongming sensed a restless, uneasy aura, along with several suppressed energies. Upon entering, he saw Jiu Bao, half of its massive body buried in the ground, visibly agitated in Xia Bai’s absence. The female guards, unfamiliar with the creature, were on high alert, wary of it going berserk. This tension only heightened Jiu Bao’s anxiety.
When Xia Bai returned, Jiu Bao let out a whimper, like a child seeing its mother, and its enormous body lunged toward her.
This creature was a hundred meters long, and even with half its body buried, its lunge caused the entire courtyard to tremble as if a magnitude five or six earthquake had struck.
Although Ye Zhongming wasn’t sure how Xia Bai had tamed this level-eight battle beast, which originally had an owner, or what kind of bond had formed between them to make Jiu Bao behave this way, he knew that this battle beast was different now. Since Ye Zhongming hadn’t seen Jiu Bao before, he couldn’t compare its previous and current strength, but one thing was clear: the giant worm’s personality had changed, or perhaps its intelligence had diminished, as its attachment to Xia Bai seemed abnormal.
This wasn’t unprecedented in Cloud Peak. The Three-nose Elephant’s behavior toward Park Xiuying was similar.
However, this wasn’t necessarily a bad thing from another perspective. Ye Zhongming wasn’t a member of an animal welfare organization, and the intelligence of battle beasts wasn’t his primary concern. He only needed to ensure that these battle beasts benefited Cloud Peak and his subordinates.
Currently, Jiu Bao’s extreme dependence on Xia Bai meant it would fight under her control, and that was enough.
As for what abilities Jiu Bao still possessed, that would depend on Xia Bai’s understanding of it and further research by Liu Zhenghong back at the villa.
Leaving Xia Bai to bond with Jiu Bao, Ye Zhongming returned to his room and laid out the items he had acquired that day.
First were the six life eggs. Ye Zhongming placed them in a special container. While it wasn’t as effective as the stone coffin, it would preserve them for a while.
The life energy emanating from the eggs was comforting to Ye Zhongming. Regardless of their species, level-nine creatures possessed immense energy, and their eggs were no exception.
This comfort was different from the effect of Bug Emperor Honey. It was a purification and celebration of life itself.
After sealing the container, Ye Zhongming stored the life eggs, planning to hand them over to Liu Zhenghong upon his return. She would undoubtedly be ecstatic to have materials from a level-nine creature.
Next, Ye Zhongming examined the pair of golden door god shields that had belonged to Kim Jongyuan.
He had specifically asked Deacon Water about these shields and learned about the unique circumstances surrounding them. Deacon Water even demonstrated her water barrier, allowing Ye Zhongming to experience its strength, and mentioned that the door gods’ attacks could easily break through it.
This revelation genuinely surprised Ye Zhongming.
Deacon Water’s Water Barrier wasn’t an exceptionally powerful defensive ability, and Ye Zhongming could naturally break through it. However, it was quite sturdy against summoned creatures, so the fact that the door gods could shatter it indicated their considerable offensive power.
This piqued Ye Zhongming’s interest.
Currently, Shengyuan wielded an excellent shield, but it paled compared to this golden set. If he could repair this equipment, it would significantly enhance the strength of his lifelong brother.
However, Ye Zhongming didn’t possess a specialized ability to repair equipment, and he wasn’t sure if he could fix something of this level—especially a set.
After some thought, he decided to give it a try.
If he hadn’t attempted it now, he would have to eventually. Given the current conditions, there was a good chance of success, especially since Ye Zhongming had six Job Advancement Scrolls!
Two of these scrolls had been obtained by Cloud Peak, while the other four had been delivered by Five Ring Money and Cannibal Chain after arriving here.
Purchasing these four scrolls had cost Ye Zhongming dearly, as these items became increasingly precious as the apocalypse progressed.
Originally, Ye Zhongming had planned to upgrade the Thousand Blade Saint profession to its highest level. However, after seeing these shields, he had a new idea.
He would prioritize upgrading the Glory Smith job to its highest level first! At the highest level, it would unlock a new ability: Restoration Techniques.
This ability would truly restore equipment to its pristine condition and even had a chance to increase the number of gem sockets.
Previously, Ye Zhongming had been able to repair some equipment, but mostly through Strengthen or Enchanting. Essentially, he used higher-level materials to upgrade damaged equipment, thereby compensating for the flaws from lower levels.
This method consumed a lot of high-level materials and was less effective on equipment above blue grade, as golden-grade equipment couldn’t be easily upgraded through simple enchanting or reinforcement.
Given that his offensive capabilities were still among the best on the planet, upgrading the Smith job was a solid choice.
Once he made his decision, Ye Zhongming didn’t hesitate. He sequentially upgraded Collection and Refinement, Strengthening, Crafting, Enchanting, and Chisel Technique to the next level, then advanced the Glory Smith job as a whole.
A surge of power coursed through him, and Ye Zhongming became a Super Glory Smith.
He had occasionally upgraded individual crafting abilities in the past, but the sensation wasn’t as profound. Now, he felt a surge of strength throughout his body, and even his mental energy had significantly improved.
Checking the abilities of the Super Glory Smith, he confirmed that Restoration Technique had been unlocked. To his surprise, there was also a description for the highest level of craftsmanship!