At dinnertime, Qing Mu said to Qing Tianfeng, "Dad, can you fence off that small patch of forest south of our territory for me to use as a Mimic Training Ground?"
"You want that forest?"
Qing Tianfeng paused in surprise before replying, "Of course, but just to be safe, you'll have to wait a few days."
Although that small forest was merely an ordinary woodland and far too small to support Soul Beasts, this concerned his son, so he had to be cautious.
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 compiled this training plan specifically for you after consulting many books, seeking advice from numerous Wood Attribute Control System Spirit Masters, and combining it with our own experience. You must study it carefully after you return."
Qing Mu looked at Xu Yao, then at Qing Tianfeng. Though both of them tried to appear energetic, they could not hide the exhaustion on their faces. The training plan suddenly felt heavier than a thousand jun.
Qing Mu then 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 a glance 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 rushed out at once, darting toward the depths of the forest along an unpredictable path like a golden bolt of lightning.
However, after it had only run several dozen meters, several green vines suddenly burst from the ground and tightly bound it. No matter how it struggled, it was useless.
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 sprouted from them and wrapped the Sika Deer into a tightly bound bundle.
The next moment, green light rose from the vines, and the Sika Deer immediately cried out in pain as it felt its life force rapidly draining away.
As though sensing that the seeds had struck their target, the vines that had initially bound the Sika Deer slowly retracted into the ground and vanished without a trace.
At that moment, a blue-green, toad-like creature with a bulb resembling a garlic plant seed on its back slowly emerged from the nearby grass. It was Bulbasaur.
After Bulbasaur emerged, specks of white light flew from the vines binding the Sika Deer and merged into Bulbasaur's body, restoring some of his strength.
"Bulbasaur, well done. You can rest now."
Not far away, Qing Mu nodded in satisfaction at the sight.
After five months of training, his Soul Power Level had reached level nine, and he was only one step away from level ten.
Moreover, Bulbasaur had recently mastered a new move: Leech Seed!
With that, Bulbasaur possessed five moves: Vine Whip, Tackle, Ingrain, Growth, and Leech Seed.
"Bulba, Bulba~"
Hearing that he could rest, Bulbasaur's tense heart immediately relaxed, and he quickly ran toward Qing Mu.
Qing Mu took out the lunch that the guards had just delivered, and he and Bulbasaur ate together.
After the meal, Qing Mu and Bulbasaur found a level 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, the relaxed Qing Mu and Bulbasaur instantly sprang to their feet. Qing Mu even drew the small knife at his waist, his eyes fixed tightly on a patch of shadow beneath the trees.
Seeing that it seemed to have been discovered, a large cat roughly two meters long and entirely dark purple slowly emerged from the shadows beneath the trees.
The moment Qing Mu saw the figure emerge, his expression turned grim. He said word by word, "A Shadow Leopard, and a Hundred-Year one at that!"
There were strong and weak Soul Beasts alike. Though Shadow Leopards could not compare to the absolute strongest Soul Beasts, they were still among the more formidable kind, no weaker than the famed Hell Spirit Cats.
Worse still, this Shadow Leopard was at the Hundred-Year level. Though it appeared to have only just reached that age, it was enough to place immense pressure on Qing Mu.
After all, Hundred-Year Soul Beasts were comparable to Soul Grandmasters among Spirit Masters, and a Top-Tier Soul Beast like a Shadow Leopard was undoubtedly more troublesome than an ordinary Hundred-Year Soul Beast.
"Bulba, Bulba~"
In an instant, Bulbasaur leaped in front of Qing Mu. Two green Vine Whips immediately extended from his neck, shielding Qing Mu behind him.
At the same time, Bulbasaur roared loudly at the distant Shadow Leopard, seemingly trying to force it back.
But upon seeing this, the Shadow Leopard across from them curled its lip disdainfully. Such a weak creature was, at most, a Ten-Year Soul Beast, yet it dared provoke a top-tier Hundred-Year predator like him?
Forget it. He would kill them quickly. He had never eaten this type of Soul Beast before. He wondered what it tasted like.
With that thought, the Shadow Leopard transformed into a dark purple shadow and charged toward Qing Mu and Bulbasaur.
"Bulba!!!"
Seeing that the Shadow Leopard truly dared rush at them, Bulbasaur immediately became furious. He activated Growth, and under the sunlight, his body abruptly nearly doubled in size.
Then four more thick Vine Whips extended from Bulbasaur's neck and plunged into the ground, rapidly tunneling beneath the earth like burrowing dragons.
"Roar!"
Suddenly, the Shadow Leopard flashed past the two Vine Whips Bulbasaur had used for defense like a phantom and appeared behind Qing Mu, extending his sharp claws toward him.
Sensing the movement behind him, Qing Mu spun around and slashed fiercely with his knife, but the Shadow Leopard crouched low and evaded it.
The Shadow Leopard then revealed a triumphant grin and extended his claws, intending to kill Qing Mu on the spot.
But at that 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 defenses had always been weak. Moreover, the attack had struck his vulnerable abdomen. Without any surprise, Bulbasaur's Vine Whip instantly pierced through him.
Unwilling to accept defeat, the struck Shadow Leopard extended his claws, hoping to kill Qing Mu first. However, the instant he was hit and his attack was interrupted, Qing Mu had already used the speed boost granted by Chlorophyll to retreat several steps and escape his attack range. His attack was destined to miss.
The next moment, several more green vines burst from underground and pierced straight 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 calmly at him. "In the end, you underestimated us too much."
Against an opponent specialized in speed, Bulbasaur's first priority was naturally defending against the enemy's attacks.
Thus, although it appeared that Bulbasaur had only used two Vine Whips to protect Qing Mu, all six Vine Whips he had summoned had been positioned around Qing Mu, waiting for the moment the Shadow Leopard attacked him.
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