"BZZZZT!"

The sharp beak collided with the dark figure, but it failed to break through its defense, instead setting off a high-frequency vibration.

King Leou’s head was ringing, and for a moment, the great bird was completely dazed.

The feeling was similar to biting into a dumpling and chomping down on a coin.

"Arf!" Seeing that familiar back, Yu Bao’s eyes lit up.

"Ooh!" Little Black Fighting Emperor raised a middle limb and gave Yu Bao and Su Zhi a thumbs-up.

’My brothers, I’m here!’

The supervisor watching from a distance was dumbfounded. ’How are they getting reinforcements?’

"SWISH SWISH SWISH—"

Several vines shot out from the surrounding trees in an instant, cutting off King Leou’s escape route. Countless more vines sprouted rapidly from the soil, lashing out at King Leou.

The power of Wood Skills was on full display: in an area with dense vegetation, they had a nearly limitless source of energy!

King Leou couldn’t dodge in time and was tightly bound by the vines. Xiaoyue had specifically made the summoned vines grow thorns, inflicting a bleed Effect while restraining King Leou.

"EEOOO!!"

King Leou let out a furious cry. Before Yu Bao and Little Black Fighting Emperor’s pincer attack could land, it flapped its wings, broke free of the vines, and soared high into the sky.

Xiaoyue secretly grit its teeth.

Unfortunately, the gap in their Real-time Energy Values was too large to ignore, so it hadn’t managed to create an opportunity for its companions to land the finishing blow.

Then again, even if it had created an opportunity, they probably couldn’t have stopped King Leou from escaping...

"...Ooh!"

Amidst the thunder and lightning of the night, Little Black Fighting Emperor stepped forward, standing united with Yu Bao and Xiaoyue.

The three Pet Beasts raised their heads to look at King Leou in the sky.

King Leou looked back at them, a hint of rapid calculation flashing in its savage gaze.

’Individually, none of these three Pet Beasts are my match, but they aren’t opponents I can kill at will. If they coordinate their attacks, I might not even gain an advantage...’

"Eoo."

King Leou shot them one last vicious glare, then turned and flew away. The other six Leos followed their leader, eventually disappearing from everyone’s sight.

[Assignable Attribute Points: 0.00...0.04]

"Done!"

Su Zhi and Shao Ya both let out a long sigh of relief and high-fived.

Yu Bao also high-fived Little Black Fighting Emperor, then went to high-five Xiaoyue. Xiaoyue wanted no part of it and, with a cry of "Bling Bling," ran back into Shao Ya’s arms.

"Long time no see!" Su Zhi said with a smile, waving at Little Black Fighting Emperor—

[Pet Beast: Black Fighting Emperor (Wild)

Attribute: Wood Element, Fighting Element

Race: Middle Elite Race

Real-time Energy Value: 1050]

This Energy Value was a notch below Yu Bao’s and Xiaoyue’s, but it was still quite impressive.

After all, Little Black Fighting Emperor was a wild Exotic Beast, with no access to systematic, scientific training, nor could it rely on a Beast Taming Space to accelerate its growth.

To have reached this level, it must have put in an extraordinary amount of effort.

Suddenly, Little Black Fighting Emperor’s body trembled, and it collapsed weakly on the ground.

Su Zhi hurried over to check on it. "Are you injured?"

Little Black Fighting Emperor shook its head and curled up pitifully in Su Zhi’s arms. "Ooh..."

"Woof woof."

Yu Bao translated: Little Black Fighting Emperor said the Leos were really scary, and it was afraid.

Su Zhi asked curiously, "But weren’t you pretty brave when you charged out just now?"

"Ooh..." "Woof."

It had forgotten to be scared just now, but now that it remembered, it was scared again.

Su Zhi: "..."

He dismissed his recent, wonderful fantasy about Little Black Fighting Emperor’s bravery.

·

Rain poured down in sheets, shrouding the Huai City Mountain Area in night and water. The lush forest swayed in the downpour, as if the entire mountain was trembling in fear.

In a semi-open cave with solid rock walls, a bonfire gave off a warm glow that danced on the stone.

On the walls were the shadows of a boy and a girl, occasionally crossed by the shadow of a creature with pointy ears and a long tail, a goofy-looking shadow, and a large, horned, lumpy shadow.

"All done!"

After setting up the tent together, Su Zhi and Shao Ya dusted off their hands, looked at each other with a smile, and sat cross-legged by the fire.

Then he folded his arms, his expression blank as he looked at the five people waiting outside the cave, covered in blood.

"Scram."

"Oh..." The five of them scrammed.

"Pfft!" Watching the five miserable figures leave in the rain, Shao Ya covered her mouth and giggled. "Su Baby has become so decisive!"

Su Zhi pursed his lips. "Saving their lives was generous enough. If I let them think I’m a pushover, there’ll be more trouble later. It’s better to be harsh from the start."

"Mhm, don’t pout, you did the right thing~"

Shao Ya patted Su Zhi’s shoulder and said languidly, "If it were me, I would’ve just thrown them to the Leos. When the supervisors couldn’t bear to watch anymore, they’d naturally step in to save the day~"

"Good grief..."

Su Zhi shook his head and laughed. Shao Ya’s tone was so light, yet her ideas were even more ruthless than his.

"Alright, let’s change the subject!"

The girl shifted her position, stretching out her long legs. "Have you tried the milk tea from that place next to the chicken cutlet shop? Want to try it when we get back?"

"I’ve had it. Let’s skip that one. I’d recommend the one next to the barbecue rice bowl place..."

There was still some time before the Leo skewers were cooked, so the two chatted idly, smiles on their faces.

Outside, there was wind and rain.

Inside the cave, there was fire, light, a barbecue feast, and Pet Beasts snuggling together for warmth.

"Woof-woof! Woof-woof!"

While the two Beast Tamers were chatting, Yu Bao was off to the side, practicing its Sand Manipulation Technique.

It was just so greedy... The mere scent of the roasting Leo made tears stream unbidden from the corners of its mouth.

But Yu Bao was a smart puppy now.

To prevent a vicious cycle of hunger, Yu Bao the Wise One decided: it would overcome the temptation of food with arduous training!

Xiaoyue sat a little farther away with a look of disgust, trying to avoid being splattered by the sand and dust covered in the stupid puppy’s drool.

"Ooh?"

Little Black Fighting Emperor, shoveling grass into its mouth with a forelimb, curiously watched Yu Bao slowly levitate, finding it incredible.

’What are you practicing?’

"Woof-woof~" Yu Bao raised its head smugly. ’You don’t get it this time, do you?’

Then, with an arm slung over its good brother’s shoulder, Yu Bao, using the concise words and beautiful rhetoric of a Wise One, explained the necessity and importance of practicing its Sand Manipulation Technique, comprehensively expounding on the superiority of the Yu Bao-style skill path.

Little Black Fighting Emperor’s eyes sparkled.

’I don’t understand, but it sounds really impressive!’

Xiaoyue, who had been sleeping in the corner, rolled its eyes helplessly and went to lie down by Shao Ya’s leg.

’Every Pet Beast that gets close to that stupid mutt seems to turn into a dog. Is there something wrong with this world?’

Watching the three little ones, Su Zhi and Shao Ya couldn’t help but have a hint of a smile in their eyes.

Just then, the girl leaned forward, sniffed the air, and her eyes lit up. "The Leo is cooked!"

The two humans and three pets sat in a row before the bonfire. Shao Ya grabbed a few skewers of Leo and passed them out one by one.

Once cooked, the meat was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It had the characteristic crispiness and slight numbing spice of an Electric Element Pet Beast, and with careful chewing, one could also feel the firm texture of a Wind Element Pet Beast.

It was really tempting... no, cruel.

For the sake of such delicious food, Su Zhi forgave the Leos.

Xiaoyue took a skewer and went to a corner to eat by itself.

Su Zhi held Yu Bao in his arms and fed it. Little Black Fighting Emperor held grass in its forelimbs and a skewer in a middle limb, taking a bite of greens and then a bite of meat.

"Woof woof?"

"Ooh ooh."

"Woof..."

During their chat, Su Zhi and Yu Bao learned about Little Black Fighting Emperor’s situation.

It turned out that not long after they parted ways that day, Little Black Fighting Emperor had temporarily left its parents.

This was a tradition of the Black Fighting Emperor Race. After reaching a certain age, the young must go out alone to train for a period of time before returning home, honing the fighting skills inherited from their parents.

The day it can defeat its parents is the day it has truly inherited their will, becoming a Warrior who can stand on its own.

Little Black Fighting Emperor was in the middle of this trial!

"Oh?" "Woof?"

Yu Bao and Su Zhi narrowed their eyes, their gazes toward Little Black Fighting Emperor turning mischievous.

"Ooh!" Little Black Fighting Emperor stomped its feet anxiously.

’I really was on my trial! I beat up lots of Exotic Beasts!’

"With you being such a coward, who would you dare to beat up?"

"Woof woof."

"Ooh." Little Black Fighting Emperor lowered its proud head.

To be on the safe side, it usually picked on opponents that looked weaker than itself.

Yu Bao took a bite of Leo meat, waved its paws, and gave a look that said, ’Isn’t that still being a coward?’

"Ooh! Ooh ooh!" If Little Black Fighting Emperor had a face, it would have turned bright red.

’It’s strategy! Strategy... Can you call what a wild beast does cowardly?!’

What followed was a string of words Yu Bao couldn’t understand, like "Law of the jungle," "Dao of survival," and "Fierce and Warlike Fighting Race," filling the small cave with cheerful air.

After a long string of "oohs," Little Black Fighting Emperor finally hung its head.

The more it tried to cover it up, the more pathetic it sounded. It admitted that Yu Bao had seen right through it.

’I am a coward. I’ll never grow up. I can’t learn to be brave. I’m so useless...’

Su Zhi patted its carapace and comforted it softly, "Don’t be so hard on yourself. Every Pet Beast has its own flaws and its own unique qualities."

"Ooh." Little Black Fighting Emperor looked at Su Zhi, its eyes sparkling.

Yu Bao also patted its good buddy’s shoulder with the air of a seasoned veteran.

’Back in the day, I was often ridiculed for not being able to learn Rock-Breaking Teeth, but didn’t I soar to new heights later on? When people mention God Su, the first thing they think of is me, his little earth dog.’

While Little Black Fighting Emperor was listening intently, Yu Bao sneakily took a bite of its roasted Leo and continued its speech.

Then another bite, and another...

After hearing Yu Bao’s life story, Little Black Fighting Emperor was about to resume eating its roasted Leo, only to find nothing but a bare skewer. It froze for a second.

’So...’

’I already finished it without realizing?’

’Big Brother Yu Bao is truly a great mentor! I was so captivated that I even forgot I was eating dinner!’

Little Black Fighting Emperor cast a look of pure adoration at Yu Bao.

A corner of Yu Bao’s mouth twitched up as it waved a paw with deep solemnity.

’Don’t just admire me. Become me.’

Xiaoyue: "..."

’Yep, it’s confirmed. All those points in Intelligence just went into scheming.’ Su Zhi thought, laughing in spite of himself as he watched Yu Bao completely bamboozle Little Black Fighting Emperor.

Suddenly, two Pet Beasts walked to the mouth of the cave and took up a battle stance—

·

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Day fourteen of updating 10,000 words daily!!!