Before the Evolution of Youye!

Elder Mu shook his head.

"Not just that."

He turned around, gazing into the depths of the darkness:

"What you just contracted is no ordinary Void Shadow Beast."

"It is the king of the Shadow Valley."

Bai Lan was stunned.

A king?

Elder Mu continued:

"When I came here last time, it was already thirty thousand years old."

"Since then, it has been living within the shadow space."

"Out of ten thousand soul beasts that enter, perhaps not even one comes out alive."

"And it even grew into a fifty-thousand-year soul beast so quickly!"

He looked at Bai Lan, his gaze profound:

"You won't find a second soul beast as peculiar as this one on the entire continent."

Bai Lan fell silent.

He looked down at the mark on the Contract Book.

A deep violet light flickered faintly.

It was as if it were responding to his gaze.

"Master."

A low voice resonated in his mind.

Bai Lan was slightly startled.

It was the voice of the Void Shadow Beast.

"I need... time to recover..."

"After I recover... I will let you see... my true strength..."

The voice vanished.

Bai Lan lifted his head and looked at Elder Mu.

Elder Mu was watching him as well.

"Let's go," Elder Mu said. "It's right; it needs time to recover."

He turned and began walking toward the exit of the valley.

After a few steps, he suddenly stopped.

"Oh, right."

He looked back at Bai Lan, the corners of his mouth curling upward:

"Good fight."

Bai Lan was taken aback.

Then, he smiled.

"Thank you, Elder Mu."

Elder Mu waved his hand and continued walking forward.

Bai Lan followed him.

Yinxing hovered by his side, clutching her shoulder, but a faint smile graced her face.

"Master," she said.

Bai Lan looked at her: "Hm?"

Yinxing looked at him, her eyes soft:

"You are stronger than I imagined."

Bai Lan smiled and said nothing.

The three of them passed through the darkness, heading toward the outside of the valley.

Behind them, the Shadow Valley remained shrouded in endless darkness.

But those Shadow Charms no longer dared to approach.

Because.

Their king already had a master.

On the way back.

The darkness gradually dissipated.

Bai Lan looked at the Contract Book in his hand.

On the third page, the mark of the deep purple black panther was glowing faintly, as if it had come to life, slowly prowling across the page.

"Master."

Yinxing landed beside him, clutching the wound on her shoulder, her face still somewhat pale.

Bai Lan looked at her: "How is the injury?"

Yinxing shook her head: "It's nothing, a few days of rest will be enough."

Bai Lan nodded, his gaze returning to the Contract Book.

He could feel that inside the Contract Space, the massive Void Shadow Beast was curled up in a corner, its aura weak and chaotic.

A fifty-thousand-year-old fierce beast, beaten into such a state by him.

But Bai Lan knew this wasn't his achievement alone.

The golden body of the Tiangang Bamboo had blocked the most lethal strike.

Yinxing's Void Domain had sealed the opponent's teleportation ability.

And he—

He had simply seized the opportunity.

"Master."

A low voice echoed in his mind.

It was the Void Shadow Beast.

Bai Lan moved his intent, his consciousness sinking into the Contract Space.

It was a void space, with faint golden light permeating the surroundings.

The Void Shadow Beast lay on the ground, bathed in blood, with at least a hundred golden arrows embedded in its body.

Those arrows emitted a weak light, slowly dissipating.

It raised its head and looked at Bai Lan.

In its deep purple eyes, the previous coldness and anger were gone.

There was only a complex emotion.

Awe? Resentment? Or resignation?

Bai Lan couldn't tell.

But he didn't care.

"What is your name?" he asked.

The Void Shadow Beast was stunned for a moment.

"Name...?"

It murmured, repeating the word as if contemplating a question it had never considered before.

After a long while, it lowered its head.

"None," it said. "Never had one."

Bai Lan fell silent.

A fierce beast that had lived for fifty thousand years, without a name.

Struggling in the Shadow Space for ten thousand years, still without a name.

It had only ever been living.

Always growing stronger.

Always alone.

"Then I will give you one," Bai Lan said.

The Void Shadow Beast raised its head and looked at him.

For the first time, ripples appeared in those deep purple eyes.

Bai Lan thought for a moment, looking into those eyes.

Deep purple, like an abyss, and like the night sky.

"Let's call you... Youye," he said. "The 'You' of darkness, the 'Ye' of night."

The Void Shadow Beast froze.

It lowered its head, softly chanting:

"Youye... Youye..."

Then, it raised its head.

"Why... give me a name?"

It asked, its voice hoarse.

Bai Lan looked at it, his gaze calm.

"Because you are my Contract Beast."

"Not a tool."

"Not a servant."

"A partner."

Youye was stunned.

It had lived for fifty thousand years.

It had seen countless humans.

Those people saw it and were either fearful, greedy, or wanted to kill it to obtain its Soul Ring.

Never had a single person called it a "partner."

"You... aren't you afraid of me?" it asked.

Bai Lan smiled.

"Why would I be afraid of you?"

He pointed to the Soul Rings on his body, one black and one red, pulsing slowly:

"My thirty-thousand-year Tiangang Bamboo, my hundred-thousand-year Void Butterfly Empress."

"You are fifty thousand years old, and currently weakened to this state."

"Do you think I should be afraid of you?"

"Besides, you are already my Contract Beast."

Youye fell silent.

It lowered its head to look at the wounds covering its body.

Then it looked at the giant golden bamboo and the silver-white figure behind Bai Lan.

Suddenly, it laughed.

It was the first time it had laughed in fifty thousand years.

"Interesting," it said. "Truly interesting, so this is your Martial Soul."

Bai Lan looked at it and suddenly asked:

"Right, I have a question for you."

Youye raised its head: "What is it?"

Bai Lan asked: "Under normal circumstances, how long would it take for you to become a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast?"

Youye was taken aback.

Then, its eyes dimmed.

"A long time," it said.

"Fifty thousand years is the limit I can reach within the Shadow Space."

"Beyond that, the help the Shadow Space can provide me is negligible."

It paused, its voice low:

"If I cultivate normally, it might take several hundred years, or even longer."

Bai Lan raised an eyebrow: "Several hundred years?"

Youye nodded: "The cultivation of Soul Beasts is different from humans. Humans have techniques, resources, and teachers. Soul Beasts only have instinct and time."

"Especially after crossing the fifty-thousand-year mark, every step forward is as difficult as ascending to heaven."

It looked at Bai Lan, a hint of confusion in its eyes:

"Why do you ask?"

Bai Lan did not answer.

He simply raised his hand and opened the Contract Book.

On the first page, the golden mark of the Tiangang Bamboo.

On the second page, the silver butterfly shadow of the Void Butterfly Empress.

On the third page, the purple leopard shadow of Youye.

His gaze rested on the third page.

There, a line of small text appeared:

[Evolution Count: 0/3 (Can evolve three times)]

"Youye." He spoke.

Youye looked at him: "Hm?"

Bai Lan asked: "You are weak right now, can you evolve directly?"

Youye was stunned.

It looked at Bai Lan, looking into those calm eyes.

It seemed to have forgotten something.

It seemed to be immersed in its memories, searching for familiar words.

Suddenly, it came back to its senses: "Right, you told me before that your Martial Soul could allow a Contract Beast to evolve..."

"Come on, you can do it now, let me see how effective your Martial Soul is!"