Ling Tian looked at Ali, a smile on his face. Ali looked back at Ling Tian, unafraid, sensing the goodwill emanating from him.
Ling Tian waved his hand, signaling Ali to come closer. Ali remained still, watching him. This was not surprising. While felines are known for their curiosity, often leading to their downfall, this was a misconception and prejudice. Cats are actually very cautious of the unfamiliar.
Seeing this, Ling Tian had an idea. With a flash of thought, a piece of dried squid jerky appeared in his hand.
This was a local specialty he had obtained when he was cultivating on an island with his close companions.
Fresh squid, after being caught and brought aboard, was baked using a special process. The roasting process released a large amount of aromatic substances and monosodium glutamate, or MSG. MSG has another name: flavor enhancer!
Ling Tian had hundreds of pounds of this dried squid jerky stored in his spiritual realm space, which served as a good snack to pass the time.
Now, Ling Tian held the jerky in his palm, secretly channeling his power. A surge of scorching internal energy was transmitted to the jerky, causing its aroma to be released tenfold. The surface of the jerky even began to sizzle and ooze oil.
For a dog to do that would be like signing Ali's death warrant. Cats, after all, are very gluttonous creatures, hence the term "greedy cat." Felines have no resistance to the deliciousness of marine life like fish.
Especially for a cat that had been confined and cultivating within a formation for a thousand years, suddenly encountering the enticing aroma of dried squid jerky was like having countless knives scraping at its stomach.
Thus, Ali arched its back and suddenly lunged forward. The next moment, Ling Tian's pupils contracted sharply. He was astonished to find that the dried squid jerky in his hand had vanished.
And then, more than two meters in front of him, Ali, with the jerky in its mouth, began to devour it greedily.
Ling Tian was extremely surprised because Ali's position just moments ago had been nearly thirty meters away, across a wide expanse of water.
Ling Tian had been observing Ali with his Heavenly Eye divine ability, as he couldn't be sure if the cat posed any danger. But he had clearly seen the cat seemingly disappear from mid-air and reappear almost simultaneously less than half a meter away, snatching the food from his hand!
Ling Tian replayed the scene in his mind. He was 100% certain that the cat hadn't flown across the water, but rather seemed to have torn through space, crossing over from another dimension into the current one!
Ling Tian was no stranger to this phenomenon. His recent battles had involved frequent entries and exits from his spiritual realm space, achieving an effect almost identical to the method Ali had just used.
In other words, this little cat was no ordinary creature; it possessed the ability to traverse space!
Whether in the East or West, ancient or modern times, space and time had always been the ultimate laws.
As Ling Tian was lost in thought, he suddenly noticed that the two-pound chunk of dried squid jerky he had been holding had been completely consumed in such a short time.
Ali's belly was visibly distended, and it kept licking its lips. Its pair of large, blue eyes were fixed on him. Ling Tian immediately understood: the little cat hadn't had enough.
Ling Tian smiled wryly and nodded. With another flash of thought, a large plate filled with several slices of dried squid jerky appeared in his hand.
He bent down and placed the plate about a meter in front of him. Then, Ling Tian took out a large bowl from his spiritual realm space, filled with pure water.
The little cat hesitated, still somewhat wary, but soon trotted over and began to eat greedily.
After more than ten minutes, Ali finished the food and drank almost an entire bowl of water. Only then did it straighten up with a satisfied air and begin to lick its paws.
Ling Tian was now even more certain that this cat was extraordinary. The volume of food and water Ali had consumed was twice its own size. Any ordinary cat would have been stuffed to death after eating so much.
Yet, looking at the little cat before him, it appeared completely content, showing no discomfort from overeating.
After cleaning its fur, Ali stood up, its tail held high, and walked towards Ling Tian. Ali could now sense that this human meant it no harm.
Ali came up to Ling Tian and rubbed against his legs. For cats, this action had two meanings: firstly, it expressed goodwill; secondly, it was to leave its scent on him, marking its territory.
If you encounter a stray cat on the street, and it lets you pet it, and you happily go buy it some ham or cat food, and it does this, then congratulations, you've been adopted. Surprising, isn't it?
As Ali rubbed against Ling Tian, it also purred contentedly. Ling Tian knew this was a sign of great pleasure for a cat.
Back at the Taoist temple in Longpan Mountain, there were also cats. One of them, a large orange tabby, had accompanied Ling Tian and Qiu Hong through their youth. When the old cat eventually passed away, Ling Tian had cried for a long time, deeply saddened.
The little cat before him reminded Ling Tian of his childhood companion.
So, Ling Tian squatted down and stroked Ali's head, then extended his finger to scratch Ali under the chin. Cats generally enjoy having their chins scratched by familiar people. Of course, if it were a strange cat, attempting to scratch its chin would likely result in a bloody price.
After interacting for a while, the barrier between man and cat was completely broken. At this moment, Ling Tian extended his hand and formed a hand seal. A golden light appeared in his palm.
Ling Tian carefully placed his glowing palm in front of Ali.
Ali hesitated for a moment, then extended its paw and touched the ball of light.
In an instant, the mental worlds of both man and cat seemed to be connected by a channel, and within their respective consciousnesses, the image of the other appeared.
The technique Ling Tian used originated from the Myriad Laws Pavilion within his spiritual realm space. The technique was called the Spirit Communion Art!
According to the records in the Myriad Laws Pavilion, when the Spirit Communion Art was cultivated to its peak, it could commune with plants, rivers, and even heaven and earth!
Of course, Ling Tian was still a very long way from reaching that level.
However, Ling Tian could master the basic Spirit Communion Art. Through this art, Ling Tian could commune with humans.
Even if two individuals had completely different cultural backgrounds, languages, and other aspects, Ling Tian could use the Spirit Communion Art to enable them to understand each other's intentions and thoughts.