[Fireball]

Danzo instinctively reacted, releasing a ball of flame from his hand and sweeping it towards Tyler.

Seeing this fireball, Tyler didn’t panic. He quickly used Iron Curtain, strengthening his defenses as the fireball struck him.

Boom!

The fireball collision created a massive explosion.

"Yes!"

Danzo excitedly got up. But then the hairs on his body suddenly stood up. At this moment, he released an enormous amount of mana into his legs.

Whoosh!

[Sword Drawing Technique]

Tyler’s sword sliced through the smoke and cut through the air.

Danzo reappeared a few steps away, and a slash mark appeared on the corner of his neck.

Splash!

As red blood spilled, Tyler murmured.

"So, even those at Mana Condensation Realm can dodge my attack. It seems like the difference between the fifth and seventh levels is quite huge."

Tyler originally assumed they were at the sixth level, but when he released that enormous mana, he realized their true strength.

He wasn’t sure about Hiruzen, but at least Danzo was at seventh level. His mana was at least four times as large as his.

At this moment, he released his Mana into his feet and activated Instant Step.

"Damn it! You are just a third-level Condenser. How dare you be so arrogant?"

Upon closer inspection, Hiruzen noticed the limits of his mana, and he regained his confidence as he roared angrily.

But just as he finished speaking, Tyler appeared in front of him and kicked him in the chest.

Hiruzen noticed his arrival. He released an enormous amount of mana into his fist and punched forward.

Bang!

His fist and Tyler’s feet collide, creating an enormous impact. They felt the force penetrating their skin and bones.

Tyler pulled his leg back, letting Hiruzen throw a punch, but blocked it with his left hand.

Hiruzen noticed something and panicked. He was about to pull back his fist when Tyler suddenly caught the hilt of his sword.

[Sword Drawing Technique]

"No!!!!"

Hiruzen roared, trying to pour out all of his mana into his body, emptying his mana circuit. His body coated with blue energy tried running back.

Unfortunately, before he could even move, Tyler released mana to increase his grip strength, keeping Hiruzen in place while he unsheathed his sword.

Splash!

The sword tore through the layer of blue energy and cleaved his head off.

Thud!

Only then did he let go of his hand. Tyler turned his head towards Danzo, who was in a state of disbelief.

His body was shaking. He looked stunned and horrified at the same time.

"No, don’t kill me! Please let me live! I will be your dog."

When he saw Tyler looking at him, he lost all of his courage and knelt down. He didn’t understand why someone at the third level was stronger than him.

He only knew that if he didn’t do this, he would die. Unfortunately, even if he did this, he was going to die.

Tyler just didn’t let him know that. He nodded and asked.

"If you answer my questions, I will let you go."

"Really?"

A look of disbelief appeared on his face, quickly replaced by a flattering and ugly smile as he asked.

"Please ask me anything!"

"What kind of race is Yellow Cat? Why is it so sought after?"

Tyler asked.

Danzo immediately replied. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

"Yellow Cat is a unique sub-race of the feline species. They are known for their unique yellow skin and interest in melodic sound."

"They are also very powerful if cultivated to a higher realm. A Rank One Yellow Cat isn’t that powerful, but Rank Two can release powerful lightning bolts."

"I haven’t seen Rank Third, so I don’t know much about them. Because of their unique attachment to melody, they can easily be tamed."

"So, rich families often buy these cats and keep them as pets for their children."

Hearing that, Tyler nodded and asked.

"That Treasure Hunting Mouse, show it to me!"

Danzo hurriedly took out the mouse from a special bag and presented it to him with both hands.

Tyler looked at the mouse, which wasn’t very interested in him, and caught it. The mouse tried to call for help, crying towards its master.

"It seems like you have a connection with this mouse. Tell me more about this mouse!"

"Sir, Treasure Hunting Mice aren’t unique, but despite their large number, only a few manage to survive since they often try to hunt treasures."

"Unfortunately, their strength isn’t high, so they are caught and killed before they can steal anything."

"But they have a unique sense of smell. It is said that they can smell anything from anywhere as long as they know the smell."

"There is a rumor about them having Spatial Powers, but only those who survive and reach a higher realm should have such supernatural ability."

"This mouse is quite normal."

Hearing that, Tyler looked surprised as he glanced at the mouse. An idea cooked in his head.

"What is that bag?"

"Sir, this is a Beast Keeping Bag. It has air, water, and land inside it for a beast to survive."

"But this is only an ordinary bag, so it only has one meter of land, a week’s worth of air and water."

Hearing that, Tyler nodded.

"Good! Then, break your connection with this mouse, give me that bag, and you can leave."

Danzo’s heartbeat soared.

"Yes, immediately! I will break the contract immediately. But I need a little bit of its blood."

Tyler passed him the mouse, and only then did the mouse stop struggling. Danzo held the mouse in his hand and used his knife to make a small cut.

The mouse cried in horror as Danzo placed it on the ground and made a cut on his palm.

Suddenly, two drops of blood merged as he started whispering an incantation until he slapped his palms together and shouted.

[Spirit Breaking Contract]

At this moment, the mouse closed its eyes for a split second. When it reopened them, it no longer cried.

Instead, it looked at Tyler and Danzo before running away.

"Oh, wait, give me the contract to bind as well!"

"Yes, sir!"

Danzo hurriedly gave him the Beast Keeping Bag and a scroll before running away.

But he had only run five meters away when a large bolt of lightning fell from the sky.

Bang!

His entire body was charred and burnt by the power of the lightning

"Nee?"

Shibyo suddenly appeared on Tyler’s shoulder and showed him a disdainful look.

"Sorry, I needed this battle. Without it, I wouldn’t even know just how powerful I am."

Tyler chuckled as he apologized to Shibyo for stopping him from making any moves.

Otherwise, with his strength, Shibyo would’ve annihilated them a long time ago.

"Nee? Nee?"

Shibyo looked at the mouse and showed a similar attitude. It didn’t care about the mouse.

When the mouse saw Shibyo, his heart almost froze. Unlike when it was tame, it could smell the danger from this cat.

Fearing his power, the mouse’s body hair stood up.

"Shibyo, keep an eye on it! I need to understand and master this power."

Tyler said as he placed the mouse next to Shibyo while he opened the scroll. This scroll was about a technique.

[Spirit Contract Technique]

It had two usages. One was establishing the contract, and the other was breaking the contract.

Both required similar methods, which meant he only had to memorize the incantation.

Memorizing the incantation wasn’t hard. It only took him five minutes. After he memorized it, he made a cut on the mouse’s body and drew some of its blood.

Then, he made a similar cut on his palm and started the incantation. When he finished the incantation, he clapped his hands.

Suddenly, both of them closed their eyes at the same time. The mouse felt a new connection urging.

It didn’t try to reject this connection because it felt an overwhelming mana in that connection.

It loved that mana, so it actively tried to forge that connection. Tyler felt the same. He realized he could sense the mouse’s condition in his mind.

He could feel whether the mouse was hungry, its feelings, and even its thoughts to a certain degree.

This mouse wasn’t as smart as Shibyo, so this was a huge advantage for him.

Tyler opened his eyes and patted the head of the mouse. This time, he didn’t fear his palm.

"Alright, since you are my spirit beast now, I should give you a name."

"How about Nezumi?"

Nezumi blinked his eyes and showed crescent eyes. Obviously, he loved the name and felt a strong joy in his mind.

Although he didn’t understand why.

Seeing this, Tyler turned towards Shibyo and asked.

"How about it? Do you want to make a contract as well?"

Shibyo snorted and pointed at Tyler and himself, then he stretched out both of his arms.

Tyler’s joyful expression immediately dropped.

"I know the gap between us. You don’t have to remind it every time."