Fierce Battle with a Hundred-Year Soul Beast, Shadow Leopard!

At dinner, Qing Mu said to Qing Tianfeng, "Dad, could you fence off that small patch of forest south of our territory and use it as my Mimic Training Ground?"

"You want that forest?"

Qing Tianfeng froze for a moment before replying, "Of course. But to be safe, you'll have to wait a few days."

Although that small forest was an ordinary one and far too small to support Soul Beasts, this concerned his son, so he could not afford to be careless.

Qing Mu nodded. "Alright!"

"Oh, right, son."

At that moment, Xu Yao took a thick book from a box beside her and handed it to Qing Mu. "Your father and I went through many books, consulted many Wood Attribute Control System Spirit Masters, and combined that with our own experience to specially prepare this training plan for you. Make sure to study it carefully when you get back."

Qing Mu looked at Xu Yao, then at Qing Tianfeng. Though both tried to appear energetic, they could not conceal their exhaustion. The training plan suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds in his hands.

Qing Mu accepted the training manual and said solemnly, "Don't worry, Dad, Mom. I'll make sure to master this book completely."

Seeing this, Xu Yao and Qing Tianfeng exchanged glances and smiled faintly.

The past few days had indeed been exhausting, and they had even owed quite a few favors, but hearing their son say that made it all worthwhile.

Five months later.

Within a dense forest, Qing Mu opened the cage holding a Sika Deer. The Sika Deer dashed out at once, racing toward the depths of the forest along an unpredictable path like a streak of golden lightning.

Yet after it had only sprinted a few dozen meters, several green Vines suddenly burst from the ground and bound it tightly. No matter how it struggled, it could not break free.

Then, several seeds glowing green flew out from somewhere unknown, shooting directly toward the bound Sika Deer.

The instant the seeds touched its body, thick green Vines rapidly grew from them, wrapping the Sika Deer into a tight bundle in an instant.

The next moment, green light rose from those Vines, and the Sika Deer immediately cried out in pain as it felt its life force rapidly draining away.

As if sensing that the seeds had struck their target, the Vines that had originally restrained the Sika Deer slowly retracted, burrowing back underground and vanishing without a trace.

At that moment, a blue-green, toad-like creature with a garlic-bulb-like plant seed on its back slowly emerged from the nearby bushes. It was Bulbasaur.

After Bulbasaur emerged, white motes of light flew out from the Vines binding the Sika Deer and entered Bulbasaur's body, restoring some of its strength.

"Bulbasaur, well done. You can rest now."

From not far away, Qing Mu nodded in satisfaction at the sight.

After five months of training, his Soul Power Level had now reached level nine, only one step away from level ten.

Moreover, Bulbasaur had mastered a new move not long ago: Leech Seed!

With that, Bulbasaur possessed five moves: Vine Whip, Tackle, Ingrain, Growth, and Leech Seed.

"Da Na, Da Na~"

Hearing that it could rest, Bulbasaur's tense heart immediately relaxed, and it quickly ran toward Qing Mu.

Qing Mu took out the lunch the guards had just delivered, and he and Bulbasaur ate together.

After lunch, Qing Mu and Bulbasaur found a flat patch of grass and lay there together, basking in the sun.

As a Grass Attribute Pokémon, sunlight was one of the essential elements for Bulbasaur's growth.

And because Qing Mu had awakened Bulbasaur as his Martial Soul and gained the Chlorophyll trait, he too found sunlight comfortable.

Thus, one boy and one frog lay on the ground, enjoying this rare moment of leisure.

However, before long, Qing Mu and Bulbasaur sprang to their feet. Qing Mu immediately drew the small knife at his waist, his eyes fixed tightly on a patch of shadow beneath the trees.

Seeing that it had apparently been discovered, a large dark-purple cat about two meters long slowly emerged from the shadows beneath the trees.

The moment Qing Mu saw the figure emerge, his expression turned grim. He enunciated each word: "A Shadow Leopard—and a Hundred-Year one at that!"

Soul Beasts varied in strength. Though the Shadow Leopard could not compare to the very strongest Soul Beasts, it was still among the more formidable kinds, no weaker than the renowned Hell Spirit Cat.

What was worse, this Shadow Leopard was at the Hundred-Year level. Though it looked as though it had only just reached that level, it was more than enough to put Qing Mu under immense pressure.

After all, Hundred-Year Soul Beasts corresponded to Soul Grandmasters among Spirit Masters, and a Top-Tier Soul Beast like the Shadow Leopard was undoubtedly more troublesome than an ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Beast.

"Da Na, Da Na~"

In an instant, Bulbasaur leaped in front of Qing Mu. Two green Vine Whips immediately extended from its neck, shielding Qing Mu behind it.

At the same time, Bulbasaur roared loudly at the distant Shadow Leopard, seemingly trying to drive it away.

But upon seeing this, the Shadow Leopard across from them curled its lip in disdain. Such a weak creature was, at most, a Ten-Year Soul Beast, yet it dared to provoke a top-tier Hundred-Year predator like it?

Forget it. It would kill them quickly. It had never eaten this type of Soul Beast before; it wondered how it tasted.

With that thought, the Shadow Leopard instantly transformed into a dark-purple blur and charged toward Qing Mu and Bulbasaur.

"Da Na!!!"

Seeing that the Shadow Leopard truly dared to rush them, Bulbasaur immediately grew furious. It activated Growth, and under the sunlight, its body nearly doubled in size.

Then another four thick Vine Whips extended from Bulbasaur's neck and plunged into the ground, tunneling swiftly beneath the earth like Earth Dragons.

"Roar!"

Suddenly, like a phantom, the Shadow Leopard swiftly slipped past the two Vine Whips Bulbasaur had raised for defense and appeared behind Qing Mu. It extended its sharp claws toward him.

Sensing the movement behind him, Qing Mu immediately turned and slashed with his knife, but the Shadow Leopard crouched low and dodged the blow.

Then, a triumphant smile appeared on the Shadow Leopard's face. It extended its claws, intending to kill Qing Mu on the spot.

But at that very moment, a thick green Vine burst from the ground and struck the crouching Shadow Leopard directly.

As an assassin-type Soul Beast, the Shadow Leopard's defense was weak to begin with. Moreover, the attack had struck its vulnerable belly. Without any surprise, Bulbasaur's Vine Whip pierced straight through it.

Still unwilling to give up after being struck, the Shadow Leopard extended its claws, wanting to kill Qing Mu first. Yet the instant its attack was interrupted by the blow, Qing Mu had already used the speed boost granted by Chlorophyll to retreat several steps, escaping its attack range. Its attack was destined to miss.

The next instant, several more green Vines burst from underground and pierced through the Shadow Leopard's body. A great amount of blood gushed out, staining the ground red.

Qing Mu wiped the Shadow Leopard's blood from his face and looked at it calmly. "In the end, you underestimated us too much."

Against an opponent specialized in speed, Bulbasaur's first priority was naturally guarding against its attacks.

So although Bulbasaur appeared to be using only two Vine Whips to protect him, all six Vine Whips it had summoned were positioned around him, waiting for the very moment the Shadow Leopard attacked.