The Strongest Beast-Tamer (Transmigration)(GL) - Chapter 63

With just one encounter with the high-level phantom beast, countless people had died or been wounded. Looking at the bodies sprawled across the ground, Yi Xian could not tell whether she had saved them or doomed them instead.

The five students from Haishi Academy watched the enormous white tiger carrying the woman on its back as it ran off into the distance. Their expressions were uneasy. “It just left like that?”

At that moment, a signal flare shot into the sky and burst like fireworks. The character ‘Xie’ spread wide across the clouds.

They stared at the glowing mark with knitted brows. “The Xie family’s woman they prepared to deal with the phantom beast was taken by the beast itself. They will surely blame us for this.”

“If I had known, we should have left when they cleared the area earlier. We should never have stepped into this mess.”

“I want to go back.”

“With everything that has happened, I no longer feel like continuing the training. Besides, the Xie family suffered heavy losses. More than half are dead or wounded. That steward woman swore this matter wasn’t over, which means we will surely take the blame.”

“How can you say that? We agreed to train for three months. Now a single incident makes you all retreat?”

Yi Xian listened quietly as the five argued among themselves. Their words carried nothing but regret for getting involved. Most people feared trouble. Yet, if they had not been tempted by the lure of the high-level beast, would the steward’s coaxing alone have driven them here to die?

She checked her surroundings and confirmed that those who had escaped quickly had likely survived. The slower ones lay scattered across the ground, without exception, dead. The Xie disciples had followed Steward He’s retreat. Only a few survivors remained among the bodies.

“Take care, everyone.”

One of the men glanced at his four companions, then looked toward Yi Xian, who was turning to leave by herself. “Hey, where are you going? Are you leaving too?”

Yi Xian waved her hand without looking back. “Training.”

At her words, the man straightened, suddenly filled with confidence. “See that? She went through the same thing we did, yet she still continues her training. She’s just a support cultivator and doesn’t give up. Why should we?”

Yi Xian found a secluded spot, then gently took Lord Yin Bao out of her pocket. She inspected it and saw a long cut on its small belly. Yi Xian immediately used her light spirit energy to heal the wound. “That Steward He must be at least at Earth-level, fifth stage. Even the stewards of the Xie family are this strong. Their overall power really cannot be underestimated.”

Just one Xie Ying had been troublesome enough, and now another Steward He had appeared. Yi Xian only hoped no one even stronger would come next.

Lord Yin Bao lay comfortably in her palm, its small body wrapped in healing light. It soon dozed off, looking exactly like a tiny creature at peace. “You and Xiao Nan have spent too much time together. Even your sleeping posture looks the same now.”

Lord Yin Bao twitched its ears. “I left her a pile of fruits. I hope she doesn’t eat them all in one day.”

Yi Xian doubted it. That little one had always eaten like she was starving, probably from her harsh life in the Beast Tribe Territory. Ever since her diet improved, she had been unable to stop eating like that. “You miss her, don’t you?”

Lord Yin Bao’s ruby-like eyes rolled about. “When we return, will her leg be back to normal?”

Yi Xian nodded, though she wondered how Lan Tong planned to take the cub out hunting. Hopefully, she would not just toss the child in front of a phantom beast and call that training.

Thinking of Lan Tong and the little one reminded Yi Xian of the high-level beast that had carried off the woman in the cage. From the moment it appeared until it disappeared, everything it did seemed centered around that woman. “Lord Yin Bao, the scent you noticed on the woman in the cage, is it the same as the one on that phantom beast?”

Lord Yin Bao scratched its head. “I didn’t get close enough. I don’t know.”

Yi Xian sighed. A high-level beast taking a woman and running off with her was truly baffling. If it brought her into the inner valley, what would the Xie family do to capture it again?

Still, that kind of impulsive behavior reminded her a little of Lan Tong. Perhaps all beasts share similar instincts.

Lord Yin Bao flicked its ears and was about to nap again when it suddenly jumped from Yi Xian’s hand. The small triangular spikes on its body launched into the shadows, forcing a figure to step out from hiding. It was one of the Haishi Academy students.

Xia Feng poked his head out and greeted Yi Xian with an awkward laugh. “Your phantom beast is incredible. I didn’t know it had that many skills.”

Yi Xian noticed how he tried to change the subject and glanced behind him. None of his companions were there. “The other four left?”

Xia Feng’s face flushed red. He sighed heavily and looked disappointed. “They all made excuses. Truth is, they fear the Xie family will come back for revenge. Cowards, all of them. Good riddance.”

Yi Xian smiled slightly at his defiant expression. “And you?”

Xia Feng puffed out his chest. “Of course I’ll continue training. We said three months, and I mean to see it through. A man’s word is his bond. You stayed too, didn’t you?”

Yi Xian had only wanted to understand why he was not afraid of retaliation. “I came to Phantom Beast Valley to find a beast that resonates with me.”

At that, Xia Feng glared. “You hid your strength well. You’re not just a support cultivator. You’re a dual-root beast tamer with both support and attack abilities. No wonder you didn’t want to join us. You probably thought we’d just slow you down.”

Yi Xian had never thought that way. She simply preferred solitude. You can never truly know another person. The girl selling wooden lotus seeds in Jiangqing Town had certainly proved that. If the owner of Jiangzi Pavilion had not warned her, she might have handed over the golden leaf Duanmu Ya had given her, thinking it would save someone’s life, only to be tricked and beaten like the others.

“No. I’m just not good with people. I like being alone.”

“Liar. You just look down on my cultivation level.”

“Absolutely not.”

“Then let’s travel together. If the Xie family comes back for revenge, we can watch each other’s backs.”

If this had been before, Yi Xian would have refused immediately. But after going through the Xie family’s cruelty and surviving it together, she did not know how to turn him down. He was right about one thing. If the Xie family returned, she would be their main target, and they would not show mercy. “We each train separately and don’t interfere with each other.”

“Of course,” Xia Feng agreed.

After reaching that understanding, they truly did train separately each day. Xia Feng, a water-element beast tamer of Heaven-level stage eight, had come to Phantom Beast Valley hoping to break through to stage nine and advance to Earth-level.

Yi Xian’s situation was more complex. She had to cultivate both of her elements equally. Neglecting one would upset her spiritual balance. She also needed to find a Lightning-element phantom beast, yet despite traveling through the second and third regions, she had not encountered a single one. Water, fire, earth, and wind beasts were common, but lightning beasts were nowhere to be found.

One morning, Yi Xian opened her eyes and saw Xia Feng pacing back and forth in front of her. He had been there for some time. She frowned. “Didn’t we agree to train separately?”

The moment he saw her awake, he grabbed her wrist in panic. “No time to talk. Run! I disguised myself to trade supplies in Jiangqing Town and overheard that the Xie family steward gathered new disciples. She swore to capture us and crush us herself!”

Yi Xian thought for a moment before calling softly, “Lord Yin Bao, we need your help again. Phantom Beast Valley’s terrain is too complex. Lead us to safety.”

Xia Feng blinked in surprise. “Your phantom beast can do that too?”

Yi Xian gave him a look. “Don’t underestimate it. It is excellent at finding safe paths and avoiding danger.”

Fortunately, Lord Yin Bao loved digging. It led them through twists and turns until they reached a secluded area with gentle scenery and a river nearby.

For a water-element beast tamer like Xia Feng, this was perfect. “Your beast is amazing. I’ve been in Phantom Beast Valley for days and never found a better training spot.”

Yi Xian turned away quickly when she saw him stripping and jumping into the river. “I’ll keep training. Don’t disturb me.”

Xia Feng laughed. “I’m training too. Water training gives twice the results.”

Yi Xian rolled her eyes and asked Lord Yin Bao to raise a thick earthen barrier behind her, both to block the view and to ensure peace. She never expected that simple act to save her life.

With Lord Yin Bao standing guard, Yi Xian felt secure and focused entirely on her cultivation. As the sun sank and night fell, the water suddenly churned violently.

She heard splashes echoing through the darkness. Her heart tightened, and an uneasy feeling crept over her. It came without reason, prickling at her nerves. Something is wrong. She opened her eyes immediately.

The earthen wall behind her shattered to dust.

Lord Yin Bao yanked her aside as they rolled across the ground. From the bushes, three long tails burst forth, striking toward her from all directions. Two more blocked Lord Yin Bao’s escape.

Yi Xian counted quickly. Five tails? What was this creature?

She summoned Little Pony in haste. The light flared brightly, illuminating the area. Following the slithering tails, she saw two cold eyes emerging from the water. A massive snake rose slowly, its additional tails coiling tightly around Xia Feng until he was completely trapped.

She counted again and realized there were nine tails.

Yi Xian stared in disbelief. She had heard of nine-tailed foxes, but never a nine-tailed snake. Yet somehow, they had encountered one.

Xia Feng was barely conscious, his face pale as he gasped. “Didn’t you say your beast could avoid danger?!”

Lord Yin Bao let out a weak squeak while dodging the whipping tails.

Yi Xian fired bolts of Lightning Spirit at the tail chasing her and shouted breathlessly, “This area really had no other creatures. That’s why Lord Yin Bao thought it was safe!”

Another splash came from the river as Xia Feng was dragged underwater again. Hearing this, Yi Xian finally understood what must have been happening earlier while she was training.

Xia Feng burst out of the water and shouted angrily, “This is all because there’s a high-level phantom beast guarding this place! I… argh…”

Yi Xian was already developing a psychological shadow when it came to snakes. Fortunately, it was not her who had gone into the water. “Aim for its weak point.”

Whether a snake had one tail or nine, there would always be a vital spot.

Xia Feng unleashed his water-element skill, but when it struck the nine-tailed snake, it barely had any effect. It was like scratching an itch through boots. In return, four of its tails coiled tightly around him, nearly suffocating him.

Yi Xian’s Lightning Spirit hit its mark every time. Each strike caused one of the snake’s tails to go numb and lose its ability to fight for a moment. Yet instead of easing, her pressure increased. The nine-tailed snake seemed to realize that only Yi Xian’s lightning energy could truly harm it. Two more tails suddenly lashed toward her in retaliation.

Caught off guard, Yi Xian’s leg was snared by one tail, lifting her into the air. Another tail wrapped tightly around her right arm, trying to restrain her from summoning lightning again.

As if simply holding her hand could stop her.

Yi Xian wanted to teach the snake a lesson. She quickly pulled a lightning orb from her storage pouch and hurled it toward the creature’s tails. Little Pony immediately understood her intent and nodded, channeling lightning toward the orb. The nine-tailed snake, however, seemed to sense their plan. One of its tails swung hard, triggering the orb midair. It exploded with a deafening crack, and the tail that struck it was blown apart, leaving a severed piece thrashing on the ground.

Yi Xian thought grimly that the snake must have already gained intelligence. It could sense their thoughts ahead of time. “Hit its weak point!”

Xia Feng measured the serpent’s massive body and almost cried. “It has nine weak points!”

Yi Xian nearly threw a lightning strike at him instead. Facing a beast this clever was pure disaster. “Each of us target one weak point. Go!”

No sooner had she spoken than the snake’s entire body began to tremble. It was not the same slight shudder from being struck by lightning earlier. This time, its body convulsed violently, churning the water into a whirlpool. The tails that had trapped Yi Xian’s ankle and arm snapped back, releasing her. She landed steadily on the ground just as a loud splash echoed from the water, followed by Lord Yin Bao’s excited squeaks.

It turned out Lord Yin Bao had struck the snake right on one of its weak points. Not only that, it had clawed deep enough to leave a hole. Yi Xian raised her thumb. “Well done, Lord Yin Bao.”

Back in the Beast Tribe Territory, Lord Yin Bao had done the same, leaving a mark on another snake’s weak spot that had helped her kill it. This time was no different.

Xia Feng was trapped in the swirling water, unable to escape. He barely managed to raise his head above the surface and yell, “Go! The snake lost a tail and has gone mad!”

A high-level phantom beast was difficult enough to deal with, but one in a frenzy was even worse. The surface of the water erupted with countless bubbles that circled around them. Yi Xian ordered Lord Yin Bao to wrap silk threads around Xia Feng’s wrists. “Lift.”

They each pulled one hand, dragging him away just as the snake lunged with its bloody jaws wide open. They snatched him from its mouth in the nick of time and teleported instantly.

As soon as Xia Feng escaped the water, he shouted urgently, “Don’t look back. Run as fast as you can.”

Yi Xian did not need to turn around to know what was following them. The water droplets floating behind her shimmered faintly, like the cold, watching eyes of the nine-tailed snake. She teleported repeatedly, but the droplets followed them wherever they went.

“I think… we can’t escape.”

Yi Xian heard the weakness in Xia Feng’s voice. She could smell the strong scent of bl00d in the air. Without looking, she knew he was badly wounded. They could not keep running like this. This won’t work. He won’t last much longer. “Lord Yin Bao, take us somewhere with people, or somewhere filled with phantom beasts.”

Lord Yin Bao immediately changed direction. Yi Xian followed, teleporting again and again. Her thoughts focused solely on one thing, escaping from this place. We must get out of here. We must survive.

“Over there, I think I heard something.”

“Could they be the ones unlucky enough to run into a high-level phantom beast?”

They truly were that unlucky.

Yi Xian turned toward the voices and came face to face with several Xie family disciples. Both sides froze, staring wide-eyed at each other. Thinking quickly, Yi Xian spun around and pointed behind her. “The ones Steward He was looking for are over there. They just ran into a high-level phantom beast.”

“A high-level phantom beast?”

“Yes, a five-tailed snake.”

The disciples exchanged glances. “We must report this to Steward He immediately and let her decide.”

As they pulled out their signal flares, Yi Xian grabbed Xia Feng and teleported again. She repeated it dozens of times before finally reaching the outer region of Phantom Beast Valley. The floating droplets were gone. Perhaps the Xie disciples had taken their place as prey, becoming the serpent’s next meal.

When Xia Feng finally stopped running, his body was covered in bl00d. His back was riddled with holes from the serpent’s watery attacks. As soon as Yi Xian halted, he collapsed.

Yi Xian caught him quickly. “Hey, after everything we went through to escape, you can’t die now.”

He took a long time to breathe again before letting out a faint laugh. “That was intense. I thought we could avoid the Xie family, but instead, we stumbled right into a high-level phantom beast’s nest. Still, at least we managed to lead the danger away. I’d say that’s worth it.”

Yi Xian took out the medicine bottles Duanmu Ya had given her and found a hemostatic pill. She shoved it into his mouth. “Worth it? If you have any real ability, make that beast your partner. Then everything we went through today might actually be worth it.”

Xia Feng slapped his thigh in regret. “You’re right. Why didn’t I think of that?”

Seeing that his spirit had returned, Yi Xian stopped teasing him. “Focus on recovering. If those Xie disciples we misled die at the hands of that beast, it’s fine. But if they survive and realize we deceived them, they’ll hate us to death.”

Yi Xian was right. Those men followed her directions straight to the nine-tailed snake and were nearly wiped out. When Steward He arrived later and pieced everything together, she immediately saw through Yi Xian’s trick.

The only thing Yi Xian was grateful for was that she had not run directly into Steward He during their escape. Otherwise, she would have faced wolves ahead and tigers behind, a fate too terrible to imagine.

“If you want to find a Lightning-element phantom beast, you’ll have to go to Lightning Spirit Valley. That’s where you might find one.”

“Lightning Spirit Valley?”

Xia Feng nodded. “It’s near the inner region of Phantom Beast Valley. It’s dangerous. If you’re careless and run into another high-level beast, you might not even get the chance to escape. Think carefully before going.”

Yi Xian shook her head. “No need to think. I came here for a Lightning-element beast, so I have to go.”

Lightning Spirit Valley was a place filled with endless lightning. Anyone other than Lightning-element tamers would be struck down instantly. Xia Feng could not go there. After traveling together for a few more days, they had to part ways.

“You’re not an ordinary mercenary, are you?”

“I’m not. I’m from Qingshan Sect.”

Yi Xian had not intended to reveal it, but true friendship required honesty. “I had no choice but to disguise myself as a mercenary. I hope you don’t mind.”

Xia Feng waved dismissively. “Meeting you has made these days far more exciting than my time at Haishi Academy. If you ever visit, you must come find me. I’ll consider you a friend.”

Yi Xian nodded. “You’re welcome at Qingshan Sect anytime. My name is Yi Xian.”

She handed him a male disguise pill. It might come in handy one day. After carefully explaining how to use it, she turned and headed toward Lightning Spirit Valley.

The valley was relatively safe because any beast that entered would be struck down by the endless lightning above. That made it a forbidden zone, an unclaimed land.

After confirming several positions, Lord Yin Bao finally located the right place.

“I’ll be cultivating here for a while,” Yi Xian said. “Stay outside and keep watch.”

Lord Yin Bao saw the lightning bolts falling one after another from the sky and trembled before quickly burrowing into the ground. Yi Xian gave it several final instructions before stepping into Lightning Spirit Valley.

The moment she entered, lightning struck her body, making her tremble all over. Bolts rained down in rapid succession, forcing her to endure the pain with every strike. Yet it was also an extraordinary opportunity. In the past, she could only train when it rained and thundered. Here, lightning was endless and inexhaustible.

No wonder Senior Sister Zi Han had told her to come to Phantom Beast Valley. So this was her true intention.

Yi Xian crossed her legs and began to cultivate with full focus. Streams of lightning poured into her body endlessly. Soon, her light spirit energy reacted. A new struggle began within her dantian.

After surviving one wave of pain, another quickly followed. The Light and Lightning energies in her body were out of balance, colliding fiercely and sparking within her.

She noticed that the sunlight in Lightning Spirit Valley was also intense and had a sudden, daring idea. At first, the balance between her two energies had been four parts light to one part lightning. As her lightning orbs increased, the light orbs grew fewer, throwing her balance into chaos and tormenting her endlessly.

She tried cultivating lightning with her left hand and light with her right. Several attempts failed. Finally, she split her consciousness in two, calming her mind and channeling both energies simultaneously. Gradually, the Light and Lightning orbs within her dantian spun together like twin spirals. The sensations in each side of her body felt completely different.

Joy surged through her heart. She closed her eyes and focused on her training. When both Light and Lightning reached a peak, they each strove to advance.

Yi Xian had never experienced anything like it. Her cultivation path had diverged from others long ago, and now even her advancement felt strange.

She forced herself to stay calm as the Light and Lightning orbs clashed again, neither yielding. This breakthrough can end in only two ways, she told herself. Either I die under the force of their collision, or both succeed and ascend together.

With this resolve, Yi Xian steadied her breathing and guided the two energies slowly. Bit by bit, the fifth light orb and second Lightning Sphere formed within her.

She felt her body split in half between fire and ice. The right side, nourished by light, felt warm and comfortable. The left side, washed by lightning, burned with sharp, thrilling pain. The two sensations intertwined, pushing Yi Xian to the edge of madness.

Fortunately, nothing else caused any further trouble.

Yi Xian let out a long sigh of relief when the fifth light orb formed within her dantian. However, as soon as the second Lightning Sphere was born, a thick bolt of lightning struck from the sky above Lightning Spirit Valley, scorching her inside and out until she felt charred. She exhaled a mouthful of turbid air, only for a spiritual rain to fall right after, soothing every burn and injury she had suffered from the endless lightning over the past few days.

It felt as if the heavens had slapped her, then offered her honey right after.

Yi Xian’s body felt light and clear, her spirit refreshed. But when she looked inside her dantian again, she nearly jumped in shock. Between the five light orbs and two Lightning Spheres, a small golden bead had suddenly appeared. It was perfectly round and smooth, absorbing both Light and Lightning energy as it spun constantly.

What on earth is this thing?

Yi Xian examined it for a long time but could not figure it out. The sudden appearance of this mysterious object felt like having a ticking bomb in her body that could explode at any moment.

The lightning above Lightning Spirit Valley did not stop. Bolts continued to strike her crown, sending powerful energy rushing through her. Even if she did not actively cultivate, the Light and Lightning energies within her body kept running on their own. This place forced her to train without pause.

Yi Xian stood up and took a few steps forward. Each step felt as if she were walking through lightning. A tingling numbness spread across her body, reaching deep into her heart. Gradually, she forced herself to grow used to this method of cultivation, ignoring the sharp pain and numbing sensation while observing the valley around her. Beyond the thick web of lightning that filled the sky, she noticed something peculiar. At the far end of the valley floated a single blue cloud.

She took a few more steps and frowned. Lifting her head, she looked again. Lightning filled the sky, yet that blue cloud remained still and unmoving, like a fixed marker. “Strange. Why is there only one cloud in the sky?”

Yi Xian had barely walked fifty steps when her progress stopped. The lightning ahead changed color, and she remembered what Nian Yunyin had once mentioned about the seven hues. With a thoughtful look, Yi Xian retreated. “This place is truly remarkable.”

If she had not needed to return to participate in Qingshan Sect’s final competition, she would have loved to stay here for a year or two. Light and Lightning energies were abundant, and there were countless phantom beasts to practice with. It was the perfect place for training.

Still, the constant cultivation was monotonous. After staying in Lightning Spirit Valley for several days, Yi Xian began to feel restless. Looking at the nearly full fifth light orb and second Lightning Sphere in her dantian, she should have felt elated, eager to take advantage of the momentum and push through to the sixth stage of light and the third stage of lightning. Yet she found herself strangely disinterested. Knowing this emotion was dangerous, she decided it would be best to go outside and fight a few third-tier phantom beasts to release her frustration.

The sky above Lightning Spirit Valley was always bright, making it impossible to tell day from night. Yi Xian raised her head and looked again, frowning. The blue cloud she had used as a landmark earlier was no longer where it had been. It now hovered right above her and even blinked.

Yi Xian rubbed her eyes and looked again, thinking she was imagining things. Then she stood up, preparing to leave the valley and find someone to ask what day it was so she would not miss the sect competition.

As she moved forward, the blue cloud floated along above her, matching her pace. Yi Xian suddenly stopped and turned sharply. The cloud hovered above her head, unmoving.

Yi Xian took a few more steps, then halted again. She stared up at the cloud that kept following her. Unwilling to believe it, she walked backward several steps and froze. The blue cloud rolled slightly, curling at one edge as if turning a page of a book.

It looked startled, as if it had been caught doing something wrong.

Yi Xian pretended not to notice and lowered her head. The curled edge of the cloud slowly relaxed, and she thought she even heard a small sigh, almost as if it were proud of a job well done.

Yi Xian immediately launched a lightning strike toward the blue cloud. Only then did she realize that there could not possibly be a blue cloud in this world. She must have been so absorbed in her training that she confused the sky’s blue and the cloud’s white with this strange color.

No wonder she had always felt something was off here.

“Ouch!”

“What was that?”

The blue cloud-like object was struck by her lightning and fell from the sky, rolling along the ground like a piece of paper come to life. The sight left Yi Xian dumbfounded.

It turned out this odd little thing was not afraid of her lightning at all. Even when she sent another bolt at it, the energy vanished without a ripple. The creature continued to let out soft “ouch, ouch” sounds while running around at surprising speed.

Since lightning had no effect, Yi Xian decided to use her long-unused Five-Section Needle Light. With a quick sweep, a light barrier formed around the creature, trapping it inside.

The blue creature poked the barrier with its curled edges, then backed up slightly. Two tiny black eyes blinked at Yi Xian with curiosity.

So she had not been mistaken. This floating little thing was actually a phantom beast.

And perhaps it was the Lightning-element beast she had been searching for.

“What are you?”

“What are you?”

Yi Xian could not help but stare in silence. So this is my Lightning Beast? Of all the possibilities… She had not expected her future partner to be such a fool. She had not hoped for something as powerful as the Lightning Dragon she had seen before, but surely it should not have been this silly.

Feeling helpless, Yi Xian released the barrier. The creature poked the air where the barrier had vanished, blinking in confusion. It hesitated before cautiously rolling toward her. When she ignored it, its courage grew, and soon it stood before her, shaking and swaying in an attempt to look cute.

Yi Xian had finally found a Lightning Phantom Beast, only to realize it was a simple-minded one. She frowned and waved it away. “Go, before I lose my patience.”

The creature trembled, puffed itself up, and grew rounder, like a ball of cotton candy. Before Yi Xian could even study it, it fired a volley of tiny Lightning Spheres at her, each the size of a bullet. Although she blocked most of them, several slipped through and struck her directly. The sensation was sharp and tingling, and strangely familiar. These were the very same lightning strikes she had sent at it moments ago.

Touching her arm, she found it bleeding.

The small creature seemed to have exhausted all its energy. It flattened again into a thin, paper-like form.

Yi Xian stared in astonishment. The creature tilted its head, watching her curiously, then began spinning in a joyful dance, as if celebrating its small victory.

Yi Xian looked at her bleeding arm, thought for a moment, then gently touched one of its tiny black eyes with her fingertip. Her red bl00d quickly seeped into it.

The little creature rubbed the spot she had touched, then stretched up and reached toward her forehead.

Yi Xian stopped it and pointed to her wound. “It must be your bl00d that touches here, or it will not work.”

The creature bit one of its curled corners and winced. Blue liquid dripped from the wound as it whimpered softly. Then it reached forward and dabbed its bl00d on Yi Xian’s forehead.

As they exchanged bl00d, the familiar red eye that governed her beast contracts appeared once more. It hovered in the air, staring at the little creature in confusion.

The blue creature whimpered as its blue liquid stopped flowing, yet it did not back down. Tilting its thin body, it gazed up at the red eye and then suddenly bounced upward, colliding with it.

Yi Xian waited. For the first time, the red eye’s expression shifted, revealing a trace of uncertainty. “What kind of contract?” she asked calmly.

After a pause, the red eye flickered faintly. “Equal… contract.”

Yi Xian raised her brows and glanced at the silly creature still trying to strike the eye again. The softness beneath her fingers earlier made it impossible to associate it with anything dangerous. “Fine. Equal contract.”

The red eye seemed almost troubled. “Contract complete.”

Then the heavens echoed it. “Contract complete.”

A beam of blue light entered Yi Xian’s body, while a red light flowed into the small creature. This was the first time she had formed a contract fully conscious. She immediately thought of the dragon she had encountered before. So that one had indeed failed.

“Come on. Let’s go out first. We can return later to continue training.”

“Roar roar.”

Yi Xian chuckled. Its attempt at speech sounded more like mimicry. “Do you have a name?”

“Do you have a name?”

She sighed. “I can’t keep calling you fool. You need a name.”

The creature sat on Yi Xian’s shoulder. It had started on the right, but somehow ended up on the left. Yi Xian thought for a while. “I’ll call you Cotton Candy.”

“Cotton Candy.”

“Cotton Candy.”

Yi Xian touched it lightly again. The soft texture spread through her fingertips. It looked like paper but felt like human skin.

As soon as they left Phantom Beast Valley, Lord Yin Bao crawled out from a tree hollow. Seeing the strange creature on Yi Xian’s shoulder, it tilted its head. “Yi Xian, what is that?”

Yi Xian replied, “The Lightning-element phantom beast I just contracted. I named it Cotton Candy.”

Lord Yin Bao repeated curiously, “Cotton Candy? What is that?”

Yi Xian smiled, uncertain how to describe something like the candy from her previous life. “You’ll know later.”

Lord Yin Bao had been about to climb into Yi Xian’s pocket, but upon seeing Cotton Candy sitting on her left shoulder, it changed its mind and perched on her right. It chirped twice toward Cotton Candy, who responded with two identical sounds.

Lord Yin Bao scratched its head in confusion. “Yi Xian, why is it calling me Cotton Candy?”

Yi Xian covered her forehead with her hand. “It repeats every word it hears, like an echo. It might take us time to get used to it. Hopefully, one day it will learn to say our names properly.”

So it truly had a problem with its mind.

Lord Yin Bao generously rummaged through Yi Xian’s storage pouch and pulled out a single purple fruit, offering it to Cotton Candy. The creature curled its edges and held the fruit delicately as if it were a treasure.

Lord Yin Bao took a bite to demonstrate. Cotton Candy followed her example but swallowed the entire fruit in one gulp without chewing.

Lord Yin Bao fell silent.

Its eating habits were exactly like Xiao Nan’s.

Yi Xian watched them with amusement. With Lord Yin Bao by her side, she felt no worry. Yet her smile did not last long. Ahead of them, five Xie family disciples were walking toward their direction.

Lord Yin Bao reacted instantly, dragging Cotton Candy with it as both dove into Yi Xian’s pocket.

One of the disciples called out, “Hey, why are you wandering here alone? This area is dangerous. High-level phantom beasts often appear.”

“Yes. I’m leaving now.”

Yi Xian lowered her head, planning to find an excuse to leave quickly. Just then, another disciple shouted, “Wait. You look familiar. Lift your head and let me see you.”