"Qichi Village?"
Yangyang nodded: "It's an ancient village, but now it's abandoned."
"Rover, are we going there now?"
Rover nodded: "Let's go now. I can feel that time is of the essence."
...
"Alright! The Violetplume Heron has been subdued!" Lucian exclaimed excitedly, holding a gourd.
Finally, they wouldn't have to run around miserably—flying was definitely faster than running!
But they still needed to catch two more.
Lucian carefully examined the Violetplume Heron's back, which was covered in sharp black spines.
Though he really wanted all three of them to ride together, it seemed a bit inconvenient this way.
Kinda hurts the butt!
Seeing Lucian pick up the his sword and head toward another Violetplume Heron, Yangyang asked in confusion:
"...Why catch so many?"
Lucian's voice suddenly became impassioned: "How is one enough for all of us?!"
"If the Fractsidus next door sees us, they'll think we can't afford more!"
"Let's catch two more! One for each of us!"
Yangyang: "..."
Rover: "..."
A short while later, Lucian looked at the three obedient Violetplume Herons before him and nodded in satisfaction.
"Good! I'll give you names!"
He pointed to the one in front of Rover: "You'll be called Flappy Rove!"
Then he pointed to Yangyang's: "You'll be Flappy Yang!"
Finally, he patted his own Violetplume Heron: "And you'll be called Handsome Lucian!"
The three Violetplume Herons let out cheerful cries.
Rover: "...Why are ours 'Flappy,' but yours is 'Handsome'?"
Lucian climbed onto Handsome Li: "The name fits the person."
Rover: "?"
Yangyang smiled: "This is my first time riding an Echo. It feels really strange."
"Isn't a glider also an Echo?"
Yangyang chuckled: "True, but this is a completely different experience."
The three Violetplume Herons took off into the sky.
"Woo-hoo—!" Lucian shouted into the wind, exhilarated.
[Ding! Achievement Unlocked: Jinzhou's Fastest Legend!]
[Reward: 'Running in Style' has leveled up!]
...
Lucian adjusted his wind-tousled hair and narcissistically admired his reflection in a puddle:
"Ah, as expected, handsome people can pull off any hairstyle!"
"Stop admiring yourself and come here," Rover called, standing at the stone steps leading into the village.
Yangyang's expression was grave: "This is the place..."
"Earlier, I sensed faint traces of ominous energy on the leaves, but it was too weak for me to be certain."
Lucian approached the two and used his Resonance ability to sense the surrounding frequencies:
"Hmm... There really is an unsettling feeling here."
Yangyang: "This air is filled with pain and hatred—I don't even need to focus to feel it..."
"Rover, Lucian... Something terrible must have happened here..."
The three of them ascended the steps and arrived at the dilapidated village.
The most striking feature was the central area, where the distinct markings of a Tacet Field were clearly visible on the ground.
It was the same shape as the Tacet Field they had encountered when facing the Crownless.
Lucian quipped: "Are we gonna get jumped by another Crownless when we get closer?"
Rover teased: "If another Crownless really shows up, you're not gonna cling to my leg again like last time, are you?"
"Hahaha..." Lucian forced a laugh:
"Rover, you know me—I love joking around."
"Last time was just a little prank!"
"And also... a little test for you!"
Rover smirked: "Oh? And what did you learn from this 'test'?"
Lucian turned to her with a serious expression:
"Rover, your legs are really nice to hold onto!"
"Smack—"
"Rover, if you keep hitting me like this, you won't get to see this handsome face anymore!"
Rover snorted coldly: "Good. That way, you'll stop fooling around with girls."
Lucian gasped dramatically: "How can words so cold come from a mouth so warm?!"
Yangyang covered her mouth, laughing: "Should I call this 'love-hate relationship'?"
"No, Yangyang! Hitting is affection, scolding is love—this is the strongest proof of Rover's love for me!"
"Alright, enough nonsense. Let's get closer and check. If any Tacet Discords appear, we'll deal with them quickly."
The three drew their weapons and approached the central Tacet Field.
As they slowly advanced, a wave of Tacet Discords materialized out of thin air.
Lucian glanced around—these were just minor common-class Tacet Discords.
The strongest among them, the 'Stonewall Bracer,' was only a Elite-class.
Though it was just one rank below the Overlord-class Crownless, the difference in danger was like night and day.
"Perfect chance to test out the 'Purification Force Field' skill I got from Jianxin."
As for why he wasn't using 'Chixiao: Shadowless'—
After obtaining the skill, he realized it was more of a burst technique.
The strain on his body was immense, and with his current Resonance strength, using it once would leave him in a weakened state.
So unless absolutely necessary, he wouldn't use it. If his strength improved in the future, it could become a regular skill.
Lucian charged forward with the Raincaller Blade, activating 'Purification Force Field' first to gather all the Tacet Discords in one place. The Aero (Wind) Resonance ability dealt significant damage to them.
The two women, slightly behind him, were stunned: "When did you become a Resonator?"
Becoming a Resonator wasn't something that followed a set pattern.
For example, Yangyang became a Resonator naturally, without any special event triggering it.
But some people awakened under specific circumstances—like Chixia, who did so in an environment of extreme heat and flames.
The two women had no idea when Lucian had awakened, as there had been no prior signs, and he hadn't mentioned it.
When Lucian used the 'Blood Saber' technique on those exiles earlier, he hadn't used Resonance abilities.
So they had assumed he was just an ordinary person with some combat skills.
But now, every slash of his blade was infused with Aero Resonance energy.
As the saying goes, "Mastery comes from diligence, neglect leads to decay." The more he used his Resonance abilities, the more refined they naturally became.
"Quit staring and help out."
Even though he was now a Resonator, taking on so many Tacet Discords alone was still a bit overwhelming.
Yangyang reacted first—her Resonance attribute was also Aero.
Combining their skills, they gave the Tacet Discords a "punk-rock makeover."
Meanwhile, Rover's Resonance attribute was Spectro. She rushed in and mercilessly cut them down.
"Moment of resonance.!"
Rover pulled back her fist, and a golden Spectro energy sphere suddenly formed, enveloping all the Tacet Discords. There was even a brief time-stop effect during its activation.
In an instant, all the Tacet Discords vanished.
Lucian's face lit up with excitement: "Damn, Rover, that was so cool!"
I'm definitely learning that move!
Speaking of which… Why hasn't Rover's affection level reached 80 yet?
Rover humbly replied: "That 'Bloodshadow Pursuit' move you used against the exiles earlier wasn't bad either."
Yangyang frowned at Lucian: "Once we get back to Jinzhou City, you have to go to Huaxu Academy for a check-up."
"Why?"
"Because becoming a Resonator isn't without risks."
"Some people undergo physical changes after awakening, and in more severe cases, there's a risk of Overclocking. So we need to check your body's frequency stability."
Lucian looked slightly worried: "It's that serious?"
Well… the system gave me this power, so it should be fine, right?
In the end, am I still gonna get dissected by Baizhi?!