Shen Yuan stared at him for a full second. "Whatever. This was your prey and your family. You take this one, but I will use the next one we get."

With a small movement, he threw the core right before the scar-faced wolf’s mouth.

The crystal rolled twice across the dirt before stopping besides the wolf’s mouth.

There wasn’t even the slightest hesitation.

Crunch.

The wolf swallowed the entire Silver Core whole.

"..."

Shen Yuan slowly blinked.

"You..."

"...Didn’t even chew."

The wolf ignored him completely.

Its throat moved once as the core slid into its stomach.

For a brief moment...

Nothing happened.

Then—

Boom.

A violent pulse of spiritual energy exploded from the wolf’s body.

The surrounding grass bent outward.

Leaves spiralled into the air.

Shen Yuan instinctively jumped backwards; the axe had already appeared in his hands.

"What now?" Silver light burst from beneath the wolf’s skin.

Its wounds, which had only barely stopped bleeding moments ago, suddenly began wriggling before Shen Yuan’s very eyes.

The torn flesh slowly started knitting itself together.

The deep claw marks across its ribs shrank.

The shattered muscles along its shoulders tightened.

Even the broken bones produced faint cracking sounds as they aligned themselves.

Crack....

The transformation did not stop there.

Crack....

The transformation did not stop there.

The wolf’s skeleton expanded with a series of muffled pops as every bone in its body grew denser. Thick muscles rippled beneath its hide before settling into a leaner, more explosive build.

Its once grey fur gradually darkened.

Then a shade so black it seemed to devour the sunlight around it appeared. The hair standing along its spine began swaying without any wind.

At first Shen Yuan thought it was simply because spiritual qi was overflowing from the beast’s body.

Then he looked closer.

"..."

Those were not strands of fur.

Or rather...

They were.

Yet each strand constantly shifted between being solid and intangible, flickering like wisps of black flames dancing over its body. Every now and then they disappeared entirely before reappearing an instant later.

It was like an illusion that refused to remain an illusion.

The surrounding air warped ever so slightly around the beast.

Shen Yuan narrowed his eyes.

"What kind of power is this..."

The wolf’s body continued growing until it stood nearly a head taller than before.

Its shoulders broadened. The claws dug deep trenches into the earth beneath its paws. The scar on its face glowed with a purple hue, concealed by the darkness.

Still...

It remained noticeably smaller than the Silver Core Beast lying nearby.

After all, that beast had already reached the middle rank of the Silver Core Stage.

The scar-faced wolf had only just stepped into it.

Its transformation finally reached its eyes.

The black colour slowly faded away. Silver-grey pupils emerged in their place.

Deep within those silver eyes lingered faint streaks of black, drifting like ink beneath clear water.

The pressure radiating from its body gradually settled.

...

Silence returned to the forest.

Half an hour had passed before Shen Yuan even realised it. He was still standing in the same place with a frown on his face.

The wolf slowly exhaled.

A stream of white mist escaped its nostrils.

It lowered its head and inspected its own body.

The horrifying wounds from earlier had vanished.

The torn flesh had completely regenerated.

Its shattered bones no longer showed the slightest sign of injury.

Only the old scar stretching across its face remained.

It was as if whatever had caused that wound had become an integral part of its existence.

The beast flexed one foreleg.

Then... It casually swiped one claw through the air.

Ssshhh—

A sharp black arc flashed across the empty space before disappearing into nothingness.

Several leaves drifting nearby were silently sliced in half.

The wolf stared at its own claw for a brief moment.

Then...

It lifted its head.

Its silver-grey eyes landed on Shen Yuan.

Shen Yuan had been watching the entire transformation without blinking.

There was no excitement on his face.

He had no fear in his eyes, only curiosity.

His curiosity resembled that of someone examining a rare medicinal herb. So this is a Silver Core Beast..."

He spoke to himself rather than the wolf.

Just as he was observing, the wolf suddenly stepped forward and began walking towards him with its head held high like it was the king of the jungle.

Shen Yuan watched it move with a raised eyebrow. Within moments, it stopped less than three metres away.

The two simply stared at one another.

Neither moved.

Then—

"Grrrrrr..."

A deep growl escaped the wolf’s throat.

Unlike before, there was no hatred inside it.

but there was no love for him in it either. What was present, though, was a look of defiance in its eyes. The growling challenge was in its voice.

Shen Yuan’s lips curled up. "Oh..."

He slowly tilted his head.

"Are you challenging me?"

The wolf obviously couldn’t understand the words. Yet something about Shen Yuan’s tone made it bare its fangs.

"Grrrr..."

Its tail stiffened.

The black flame-like fur along its back flickered more intensely.

Shen Yuan smiled.

"So you really are."

He loosened his shoulders before rolling his neck; thick blood slowly dripped from his naked body.

Several joints cracked loudly.

"I suppose this is what it feels like..."

"...feeding a snake."

He wrapped his fingers tightly around the handle of the axe resting over his shoulder.

"I saved your life."

"I fed you."

"And the first thing you do after getting stronger..."

"...is trying to beat me. Dissatisfied with me always beating you?" A grin slowly spread across his face. "I like it!"

Shen Yuan raised his free hand and gestured for the wolf to attack him without taking a stance. "Come on. I am not still feeling a bit dissatisfied with the old battle. Show me what you got."

He watched the Wolf snarl in annoyance before crouching down and added under his breath, "Show me you have what it takes to stand by my side."