It took a week for the Soul Realm foundation to settle completely. He had improvised a nutritious drink for the beast after a careful mix of what both races would need without poisoning the other.

It worked but Lind was unhappy until he could confirm it was truly what the baby needed.

When he was finally able to safely examine the beast, it tried to run away! It was happily laughing as it raced around the clearing. He could have caught it but the days of his own children flashed in his mind and he smiled.

The play went on until the rumbling of their tummy brought back looking up at him with literal puppy dog eyes. He looked down sternly before the softened meat and special drink were given.

They then happily crawled into his lap and fell asleep. He sighed at how easily it equated him with a bed but that was fine for the moment.

He proceeded to examine it and was surprised at what he found.

They indeed had earth, water, dark, and light Qi in their beast core. What he had not expected was the beast core itself!

It was not a dragon or wolf core! It was completely something else! He quickly thought of every bestiary he had ever read or researched but nothing came back with such characteristics.

Despite the strong draconic features and reactions, were they not a dragon at all? He had no way to know.

It was possible the beast core was a kind of blank canvas for the host to decide what it would become.

"Too bad I already have a Life layer or you could have had me jumping at the chance to form one." The little baby was inspiring enough that Lind knew other Divine Realm cultivators might have found them very useful.

The rest of its body was a harmonious mix of the 2 races. He was right that the coat would grow thicker in time as all the signs pointed to healthy fur roots.

It would just grow along the scale patterns so they were too spread out. Anyone trying to kill the little beast would be shocked when the scales handily deflected most weapons.

Being of snow dragon origin, they would normally have a weakness to fire or lightning attacks. Yet, the wolf part compensated. Earth and light allowed the little baby to be quite resilient.

Compared to the base abilities of its mother race, the little beast could exist in relatively dangerous areas the snow dragons dare not go. It was only after reaching the Heaven Realm that beasts could normally compensate for their weaknesses.

Even then, it was not comparable to having the primary element from the start. He was honestly curious what would happen when the little beast added fire and air to its dantian.

He was also curious if they had a breath attack. Snow dragons usually had more of a gale storm attack rather than flames. It was extremely cold and deadly in its own way.

Dodging it did not mean it did not affect its target also. The baby was too young to test that, but Lind was finally able to confirm he had to adjust its diet. The meat was not as beneficial because it was the wrong type.

He needed to find both creatures of the forest and frost. Thankfully, they were in the best spot for those.

The nutrient fluid also was wrong. He needed to get rid of more aspects of wolf milk and even some dragon fluid. If there was any weakness it was that. Its requirements for food were highly specific.

It would make its cultivation through the Sky Realm very complicated and possibly very slow. It would all depend on the strange core at the heart of its meridians.

In honor of its mother’s tribe, he combined both their parents’ names into a neutral name. He called them Ryl.

The reason was because for some damned reason it had no sex at all. The organs were not formed yet.

It was also possible they never would.

It was a mix that was never meant to exist. Heaven and Earth gave a chance at life but propagation was not a requirement for that. It would be up to Ryl what kind of path they wished to follow.

It also complicated a decision to make. Ryl would not be able to form bonds as a simple beast like that. They may not have any of the normal instincts to attach to others outside of familiar recognition.

The wolf pack never came for their fallen member so it may have been a rogue wolf too. It was possible that wolves could also be seen as brethren to Ryl, yet they would never accept them.

Later, in the higher realms, there could be an opportunity but it would be far too late. It had been Lind’s experience that early bestial activity often dicated the latter personality of the Heaven or Immortal Realms.

Ryl’s complex situation might also delay the arrival of sentience since the normal milestones would need to be achieved by Ryl alone.

Normally, after attaining enough cultivation and power, sentience could awaken in various races well before even the Sky Realm.

Divine races were a good example. Ethry, even as a baby, could communicate and understand other races.

How much she understood was not entirely clear but her attempt at self sacrifice when he was about to die was not a simple decision. It showed clear sentience, even if it was something he never wanted her to understand back then.

Spiders and other species that could already build intricate lairs or traps also tapped into sentience long before other races.

A Sky Realm spider could easily have the same sentience of a human or demon, possibly more.

Lind was no longer stuck in place and he began the process of teaching Ryl to hunt. They were still too young to do much on their own but he demonstrated with his claws and tail what was possible.

Ryl seemed really excited when he showed his own scales. Their wolf eyes glowed with joy.

He kept it simple. He also had to constantly keep his aura and scent in check. One whiff of either would send everything running for the hills.

Months passed and Lind was left shocked at the results. Ryl’s coat grew as expected but that was not all. Their cultivation skyrocketed!

The Soul Realm was usually fast in the Divine Lands, granted, yet it still should have been a few years before touching on the World Realm.

Ryl blue past the Soul Realm, Sand, Stone, and Iron Tiers of the World Realm as if they were nothing!

He had heard beasts had it easier in the Divine Lands as well but even that was not what he saw before him. He observed and noted that once they got the right nutrients, it was like some kind of key was turned.

There was no sign of any instability or issues at all. It was like Ryl was born to cultivate.

Still, the first tribulation was a hard stop like always. Bowling that over was not so easy. Lind was curious to see what would happen too.

His own children were born aware so they had relatively little issues preparing but he had honestly never seen a beast overcome the first tribulation to reach the Gold Tier.

Ryl was also strangely small for the 2 races that made them up. They were now too big to fit in his lap but the wolf was still bigger. Snow dragons had a variety of sizes depending on many factors so that was harder to judge.

Given the pieces left over though, their mother was also at least of similar size to the wolf too. So why was Ryl so small?

Lind traversed frozen tundra to dank forests and saw Ryl thrive in both.

Nothing stopped them at all.

The time to leave was coming soon. If they could overcome their first tribulation, he would feel safe in finally moving on. It was honestly fascinating and his researcher’s heart had made many notes to dive deeper into in the future.

Lind had enjoyed his time with Ryl too. The young beast had become nearly self reliant. They no longer needed specialized fluid so a good water source would suffice with the proper meat.

Much like Annabelle, Ryl used a combination of illusions and vicious attacks to capture prey. Their hard scales generally protected them while the agility and quick thinking of the wolf served them well.

It was very possible Ryl would achieve sentience in the Sky Realm based on all he saw.

It took 5 years before he finally saw Ryl go through a change. They seemed to have an itch they could not scratch and their body seemed to be storing energy more than using it.

Dragons sometimes would face tribulation and then hibernate to consolidate the new foundation. Wolves did not do that but they might rest still too for a long time.

Based on studies, Ryl leaned more towards the draconic side. Lind thus taught them how to prepare a safe place. He used actions more than words but still demonstrated why he was making a solid cave and had Ryl use their illusions to hide it.

He smiled wide as finally the rumble of thunder in a cloudless sky came. Ryl seemed to know and moved away from him.

It began and Lind felt a twinge of sadness. If successful, it was time to say goodbye to his new companion.

He kept an eye on them but could not interfere. It was Ryl’s tribulation and if they died, he would be there to bury them.

A flicker of movement caught his eye and he frowned. There was a pack of wolves watching? Why? He was currently hiding himself entirely so they were unaware but he felt they were not there for good reasons.

He then felt an Immortal arrive. The woman was stern looking and held a jagged spear in her hands. Her rage was clear even from a distance. They had come for Ryl and they were clearly not there to be friends!