Spirit Feather Champion!

"My fruit!" Xiao Yu's alarm bells went off, and fury surged through him! He had worked so hard to "act cute" to earn these rations! How dare this clueless lion set its sights on them?

Almost by instinct, Xiao Yu gave a mighty beat of his wings. His tiny body became a blurry white streak, cutting through the air with a sharp whistle. He moved faster than the Scarlet Mad Lion, darting in front of the fruit just before its massive paw could come down!

"You're asking for it!" A cold glint flashed in Xiao Yu's eyes as power surged through him.

He didn't care what you wanted to do. Even if you wanted to kill someone, he could ignore it. But you should never, ever have laid a hand on his things!

The Scarlet Mad Lion's massive paw swept through the stench of blood, now less than half a foot from the fruit! A cold glint blazed in Xiao Yu's eyes, and the air around him instantly froze—

"Flash Strike!"

Buzz!

Amid a piercing shriek as the air split apart, a dazzling streak of blue light shot straight through the Scarlet Mad Lion's skull!

Splurt—!

A spray of blood and brain matter burst into the sunlight! The huge lion's body flew backward as if struck by an invisible hammer, crashing several yards away into the bushes.

The lion's hideous head had been reduced to half an empty shell!

Silence.

The sneer froze on Xue Beng's face, his eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets.

The two Soul Ancestor guards shuddered violently. The glow of their Martial Soul Possession instantly dimmed, as though an invisible hand had closed around their throats.

They hadn't even seen how that streak of blue light had appeared!

"Anyone who tries to steal my food dies." Xiao Yu hovered in the air, shaking the crimson blood from his claws as his icy gaze swept over Xue Beng. There was no rage in his eyes, only the indifference of someone crushing an ant.

"Y-Your Highness... it... it killed the thousand-year-old Scarlet Mad Lion..." One of the guards stammered, pointing at the twitching remains in the bushes.

Xue Beng snapped back to his senses, and a chill shot from the soles of his feet straight to his scalp!

His carefully prepared "trump card" had been killed in an instant by this "young beast," as easily as swatting a fly?!

Shame and fear swallowed him whole. Pointing at Xiao Yu, his face twisted as he roared, "Beast! How dare you kill my pet?! Kill it!!"

"Enough!" Xue Qinghe's shout rang out like thunder! He stepped forward, putting himself between Xiao Yu and Xue Beng. Soul Power erupted around him, and four dazzling Soul Rings—yellow, yellow, purple, purple—rose into view!

The Crown Prince's imposing presence crashed down like a mountain. "Xue Beng! You let your beast run wild and attack someone, and now you dare insult my honored guest?! Take your men and get out of the Royal Forest at once!"

"Honored guest?! It's just a beast—" Xue Beng's roar cut off abruptly.

The undisguised coldness in Xue Qinghe's eyes left him frozen with fear.

He had never seen his "imperial elder brother" look so terrifying!

Xiao Yu couldn't even be bothered to raise his eyes.

He swooped down and pawed through the fruit scattered and stained with lion's blood. Then he picked up the only two intact, crimson berries in his beak and glanced disdainfully at the Scarlet Mad Lion's corpse and Xue Beng's ashen face.

"Leo~ (What a nuisance.)"

With a beat of his wings, he shot toward the top of the giant tree without looking back, not sparing the humans below another glance.

Xue Qinghe watched the resolute white figure disappear into the canopy. His heart gave a sudden pang, as though he had pushed something precious away with his own hands.

He took a deep breath and turned to Xue Beng, whose face had gone ashen. Each word was icy:

"If a single word about what happened today gets out... you know the consequences."

Ignoring Xue Beng, who had collapsed to the ground, he said to his two trusted guards in a low voice, "Clean this place up. Tomorrow... bring more fruit."

After all that had happened, Xue Qinghe knew that staying here any longer would likely annoy the Soul Beast.

Thinking of the culprit behind all this, Xue Qinghe glared at Xue Beng once more.

As the guards cleared the scene, Xue Qinghe looked up toward the treetops, but the pure white figure was nowhere to be seen. He sighed.

After Xue Qinghe and the others left, Xiao Yu munched on a berry as a clear system chime rang in his ears:

[Congratulations, Host, on completing the monthly mission "Defeat one thousand-year Soul Beast"]

[Rewards: Cocoa Fruit*10, Wing-Type Essence*1, Leo's Memory*3, Water Blade Skill Stone*1, Light Spear Skill Stone*1, Flame Charge Skill Stone*1]

"Three skills. That's quite a haul. I didn't expect to complete the monthly mission by accident." Xiao Yu muttered, raising his eyebrows. "So what were they here for, anyway? Did they come just to help me complete the mission?"

Unable to figure it out, Xiao Yu shook his head and stopped worrying about it.

That wasn't the most important thing right now.

Xiao Yu casually took out a Cocoa Fruit and ate it.

[Consumed Cocoa Fruit*1, gained 100 experience points.]

[Current level: Lv. 20 (50/200)]

[Energy saturated. Bloodline awakening requirements met!]

[Consume Leo's Memory*2 to evolve into "Spirit Feather Champion"?]

Xiao Yu licked the last drop of sweet juice from his claw. His eyes shone brightly. So he really could evolve only at level twenty!

"Evolve!"

Buzz!!!

An indescribable force of wind, as if it came from the very origin of the world, erupted without warning from Xiao Yu's body!

Dazzling blue-white light instantly swallowed his tiny form! The light was pure and vast, carrying an air of supreme majesty and freedom. It was like the sudden formation of a miniature storm at its core!

Powerful waves of energy formed visible blue ripples that spread outward from Xiao Yu.

Wherever they passed, fierce winds sprang up, making the surrounding trees sway violently and sending leaves swirling through the air.

At the heart of the storm, Xiao Yu felt power stirring throughout his body. His once-tiny form began to change, growing longer!

"Aw~!"

His voice was no longer the childish sound of his Leo stage. There was a sharp edge to it now, along with a boyish quality.

The storm quickly faded, but Xiao Yu had undergone a complete transformation.

He hovered half a meter above the ground, nearly twice his former size, his body sleek and agile.

His entire body was covered in immaculate Void Feather, its edges shimmering with black-and-white iridescence. The shifting feathers resembled gilded trim on a formal coat, their deep black-and-white starlight flowing across them.

Two pairs of enormous Spirit Wind Wings beat slowly behind him. Each movement stirred a gentle yet immensely powerful current, keeping him suspended in the air with an elegant, imposing grace.

His eyes were no longer round. They had become sharp as an eagle's, gleaming with wisdom and power.

An invisible force of Wing-Type Affinity, born of his bloodline, quietly spread with his gaze.

Within dozens of miles, every Soul Beast capable of flight, regardless of its level, felt it in that instant. One after another, they turned toward him and lowered their heads, expressing the awe and submission that came from instinct.

At that moment, the forest seemed to hold its breath.