Holy Wing Guard

High above the Royal Soul Beast Forest, a "soul beast" never before seen soared through the air, its wings beating rhythmically.

"Aoo~" Xiao Yu roared toward the sky. Ever since his evolution, he felt as though he possessed an inexhaustible supply of energy that demanded to be released.

Flight was the method Xiao Yu chose, and it served as the perfect opportunity to test his bloodline talent, Wing-Type Affinity.

"Evolution is truly wonderful. Before, my arms felt too short and it was uncomfortable to swing them, but now it feels so much better." As if a seal had been broken, Xiao Yu tumbled through the air, feeling like a fish returning to the sea.

Just then, Xiao Yu sensed a presence. He looked down and saw several avian soul beasts flying up from below.

"Cree~"

They cried out toward Xiao Yu as if on a pilgrimage, immediately falling in line behind him to fly in his wake.

Is this what Wing-Type Affinity is? Xiao Yu felt as though he could establish a connection with these soul beasts and understand their language.

"Interesting." Xiao Yu stopped paying them mind; he wanted to see just how far the limits of his Wing-Type Affinity went!

As Xiao Yu flapped his wings, the number of avian soul beasts behind him grew, forming a spectacular sight in the sky.

The other soul beasts below first looked up at the scene in terror, but they soon lowered their heads in reverence. The nobility inherent in their bloodlines forced them to acknowledge his status.

In this world, Xiao Yu, the only son of the Holy Wing King lineage, had revealed his territory to the world for the first time. Even if Xiao Yu himself was unaware of it, to the soul beasts of this Royal Soul Beast Forest, he was the only king here!

Thanks to the unique status of the Royal Soul Beast Forest, even with such a disturbance occurring within, those outside the forest had no idea what was happening.

From noon until sunset, Xiao Yu "patrolled" his territory without a moment's rest, as if he would never tire, only snapping back to reality when he saw the setting sun.

"No wonder people in my past life loved street racing; this feeling of freedom is truly wonderful." Xiao Yu slowed down with some reluctance, hovering in the air as if savoring the lingering sensation.

Only then did he look at the group of avian soul beasts that had followed him for so long. At the beginning, there had been many—hundreds of them—but as time passed, many had given up.

It wasn't that they didn't want to continue, but their stamina simply couldn't keep up.

Xiao Yu examined them closely. With the system's assistance, he could easily distinguish the age of the soul beasts. Among the remaining few dozen, there were five thousand-year soul beasts, while the rest were eight or nine-hundred-year soul beasts.

In this Royal Soul Beast Forest, such a concentration of soul beasts was already significant, given the intentional control exerted by the Heaven Dou Emperor.

"From now on, you will follow me." Seeing this, Xiao Yu let his thoughts be known through his Wing-Type Affinity.

"Hearing" this, the avian soul beasts could not suppress their inner excitement and began to chirp.

These sounds echoed through the forest, leaving the avian soul beasts that had fallen behind feeling dejected. Yet, they were resigned; among soul beasts, strength was everything. Since their own abilities were insufficient, they had no complaints.

"However, there are quite a few of you, and I can't command everyone individually. How about this: the five of you will form the Holy Wing Guard that reports directly to me, and you can divide the remaining soul beasts among yourselves," Xiao Yu said to the five thousand-year soul beasts at the front.

These five thousand-year soul beasts were of different species, so their vocalizations were all different; by the time they reached Xiao Yu's ears, he couldn't even tell who was speaking.

"Quiet down. Let's do this: I will name you first so it will be easier to communicate later." As he spoke, Xiao Yu looked at them with a hint of nervousness.

After all, this was his first time being a "king," and he was still very inexperienced. He didn't know if these soul beasts would even want names.

But clearly, these soul beasts had no such thoughts. To them, the "king's" command was absolute; whatever the "king" said was law.

Seeing they had no objections, Xiao Yu pondered for a moment before saying to the thousand-year soul beast on the far left, "You shall be called Yu Yi."

"Woo~" The thousand-year soul beast responded with great joy, which made Xiao Yu feel much less nervous about the naming process.

"You are Yu Er."

"Cree~"

"You are Yu San."

"Roar~"

"You are Yu Four."

"Cheep~"

"Then you are Yu Wu."

"Awoo~"

After finishing the naming, Xiao Yu nodded. It felt just like raising puppies. Looking at the big family before him, Xiao Yu felt a great sense of accomplishment.

"Everyone, follow me back to where I live for now. I'll explain your duties later." After noting these soul beasts, Xiao Yu turned and flew toward the large tree.

The soul beasts hurriedly followed.

Meanwhile, in the Heaven Dou Imperial Palace.

Xue Qinghe stood before the window, gazing in the direction of the Royal Soul Beast Forest with a furrowed brow.

Xue Beng's foolish actions today and the cold, resolute gaze of Xiao Yu were like two thorns stuck in her heart.

The connection she had worked so hard to establish with that mysterious soul beast had been almost completely ruined by Xue Beng.

"Your Highness," a trusted guard appeared silently behind her, reporting in a low voice, "The Fourth Prince was summoned to the palace by the Emperor this morning. It seems... he was severely reprimanded and has now been confined to his residence."

A flash of coldness crossed Xue Qinghe's eyes, but there was little satisfaction in it.

Great Emperor Xue Ye's reprimand and confinement were more out of anger regarding Xue Beng's unauthorized entry into the Royal Forest with a dangerous soul beast, and to maintain the dignity of the Crown Prince, rather than any true understanding of the soul beast's uniqueness, let alone the loss she felt in her heart.

"I understand." Xue Qinghe's voice was devoid of emotion. "You may go."

"Yes!" After the guard retreated, two soul masters with vastly different builds emerged from the shadows of the room.

One was tall and slender, while the other was rugged and burly; neither of these two had any connection to the Heaven Dou imperial family, as they were subordinates directly under Xue Qinghe—no, under Qian Renxue—namely Snake Lance Douluo and Porcupinefish Douluo.

"Your Highness." The two, Snake Lance and his companion, bowed in salute.

"Mm." Xue Qinghe nodded, paused for a moment, and asked, "What did Grandfather say? Did he find any information on this spirit beast?"

Since even she did not recognize such an intelligent spirit beast, Xue Qinghe naturally hoped to learn more about it, so she had no choice but to seek help from her grandfather, the Great Elder of Martial Soul Hall, Qian Daoliu.

Upon hearing this, the two Douluo exchanged glances, and Snake Lance shook his head helplessly, saying, "Apologies, Your Highness. The Great Elder does not know what kind of spirit beast this is either; it seems to be the first time it has appeared on the continent."