"Ding! Congratulations, host. You have absorbed 100 Blood Qi, 50 Strength, and 50 Martial Skill Experience from a Phantom Water Wolf."
One Phantom Water Wolf yielded more than a hundred Great White Rabbits.
For Gu Han, absorbing attributes was like rolling a snowball.
As Gu Han grew stronger, he could kill stronger Demonic Beasts.
And the stronger the Demonic Beasts, the more Blood Qi and attributes he could absorb.
Gu Han dug a pit near the cave and buried the Phantom Water Wolf's corpse so other Wild Beasts wouldn't eat it.
Then he silently recited in his heart,
"Exchange the Water Essence Lotus for Water Element Power."
"Congratulations, host. The exchange was successful. You have obtained 30 Water Element Power."
Following the system's instructions, Gu Han used all the Water Element Power on Little Wolf.
The air around them seemed to grow damp in an instant as invisible Water Element Power flowed toward Little Wolf.
The next moment, Little Wolf, who had been chewing roast meat with its eyes closed, suddenly opened them.
Little Wolf blinked, then instinctively lifted its head and stared at Gu Han with a dazed, innocent look.
In that instant, Gu Han felt his heart melt.
"Just as I thought. Cute pets are the way to go."
Gu Han couldn't resist giving Little Wolf a good rub.
"Awooo..."
With its eyes closed, Little Wolf hadn't noticed much.
But now that it had opened them, the sensation of suddenly leaving the ground—and the weightlessness that came with it—filled Little Wolf with alarm.
In a panic, Little Wolf clutched Gu Han's hand with both tiny paws, too frightened to let go.
The worry was plain in its bright, expressive eyes.
Gu Han stopped teasing Little Wolf and set it on the ground, where it affectionately rubbed against his trouser leg.
Gu Han's gaze fell on the brand-new Attribute Panels for himself and Little Wolf.
Host: Gu Han Cultivation: Fifth-Order Martial Disciple Blood Qi: 1058 (Fifth-Order Martial Disciple Blood Qi range: 1000–2000) Strength: 787 (Fifth-Order Martial Disciple Strength range: 200–500) Defense: 258 (Fifth-Order Martial Disciple Defense range: 200–500) Speed: 666 (Fifth-Order Martial Disciple Speed range: 200–500) Spirit: 129 (Fifth-Order Martial Disciple Spirit range: 100–200) Cultivation Art: Qi Guiding Art Martial Skill: Fierce Fist (Proficient)
The Wild Beasts he had hunted recently had provided Gu Han with nearly seven hundred Martial Skill Experience.
That had raised his Fierce Fist proficiency from Slightly Accomplished to Proficient.
Battle Pet: Phantom Water Wolf King Strength: Second tier Blood Qi: 180 (One-star, second-tier Demonic Beast Blood Qi range: 50–200) Strength: 42 (One-star, second-tier Demonic Beast Strength range: 20–50) Defense: 24 (One-star, second-tier Demonic Beast Defense range: 20–50) Speed: 41 (One-star, second-tier Demonic Beast Speed range: 20–50) Spirit: 21 (One-star, second-tier Demonic Beast Spirit range: 20–30) Racial Skill: Phantom Water Clone (Controls Water Element Power to form Phantom Water Clones with 10% of its own strength to assist in battle. The higher its mastery, the stronger the clones and the more it can create.)
"Little Wolf sure is growing fast."
Seeing it rocket from below the first tier to the second tier in what felt like the blink of an eye left Gu Han amazed.
And now, the Phantom Water Wolf King's racial advantages were beginning to show.
Even among second-tier Martial Apprentices, Little Wolf's attributes put it among the strongest.
Its astonishing speed and strength alone would give any other second-tier Martial Apprentice a headache.
"Come on. Let's find you something to eat."
Gu Han patted Little Wolf's head and continued hunting in the wild.
Before long, Gu Han finally realized just how enormous Little Wolf's appetite had become after its transformation!
It could even eat as much as he could.
Gu Han and Little Wolf were like two bottomless pits. They couldn't even fill their stomachs with an entire wild boar!
As the sky turned golden, Gu Han headed back toward the Military Camp with Little Wolf.
"Once we're back at camp, stay quietly in the bag. Don't make a sound, understand?"
Gu Han patiently reminded Little Wolf.
Perhaps staying in the wild would have been the best life for Little Wolf.
But the wilderness was full of dangers, and Gu Han couldn't bear to expose a pup that had only just been weaned to them.
After hesitating, he decided to take Little Wolf back to camp with him.
Still, if anyone at the Military Camp discovered it, he would likely be in for trouble.
Fortunately, Little Wolf was very intelligent and obediently nodded at Gu Han.
"Awooo~"
Gu Han couldn't understand Little Wolf's howl, but through their mental connection, he sensed that it meant it understood.
On their way back, they came across some War Soldiers picking up Wild Beast corpses.
Gu Han didn't want any trouble and couldn't be bothered to care about the people collecting the corpses he had left behind. He took a detour and headed back to camp.
But just as he was about to pass a ravine, Little Wolf suddenly let out a soft, plaintive howl from inside his backpack.
It even stuck its head out and growled toward the woods to the east.
Gu Han asked, puzzled,
"What's wrong, Little Wolf?"
"Awooo~"
This time, Gu Han understood what Little Wolf meant.
"You're saying someone who smells like me is in danger over there?"
After Gu Han voiced his guess, Little Wolf quickly nodded.
Gu Han's gaze sharpened. Little Wolf's sense of smell was probably right.
The only people who smelled like him had to be one of the Gu brothers.
He let Little Wolf hide in the backpack, then hurried toward the direction it had indicated.
In a secluded patch of woods,
A muffled groan rang out, followed by the crack of breaking bones.
A figure in a War Soldier's uniform slammed hard into a towering tree.
The man cried out in pain, feeling as though his spine had been badly injured.
Blood poured from his mouth, soaking the front of his clothes.
"Spit! You even brought a poisoned dagger with you!"
One man glared darkly at Gu Lin.
"If I hadn't brought an Antidote Pill, you might've actually gotten the better of me today!"
Another young man in civilian clothes spat on the ground and sauntered over to Gu Lin.
He looked down at Gu Lin, who could no longer get up.
"Lei Chao wants to beat you up, so you should just take it. And you actually dared to report him."
Several other young men stepped forward too, folding their arms and looking at Gu Lin with contempt.
"You made me hunt a hundred fifth-tier Wild Beasts in this godforsaken place! There are so many of us, we can't even get enough by fighting over them!"
"I didn't think you'd have the guts to come out here at a time like this."
"That bastard Lei Chao got put under house arrest, so I might as well take my anger out on you!"
The man grinned viciously, planted a foot on Gu Lin's chest, and ground down hard against his breastbone.
"Out here in the middle of nowhere, even if you die, nobody will know we did it."
"And even if anyone gets suspicious, they'll blame Lei Chao!"
Before you continue