Lin Mo cleanly defeated an Iron-Claw Wolf at mid-Beast Soldier Rank, proving himself and giving Wang Keke a chance to hold her head high.
The little girl wrapped her arms around Lin Mo's neck, her face flushed with excitement. She was nothing like the composed young genius she usually seemed to be. Deliberately keeping her arms around Lin Mo, she paraded him around the training grounds several times, basking in the surprised, envious, and incredulous looks of the surrounding family members.
"See? This is my Mimi! A Winged Tiger! Isn't he amazing?" Wang Keke's voice brimmed with undisguised pride and delight. She didn't forget to shoot a glance at Wang Xiao, whose face had turned ashen and who looked as if he wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.
The young family members who had once criticized this "white-skinned pet" all fell silent, looking at Lin Mo with a little more awe. In a world where strength reigned supreme, no matter what one looked like, great power was always the best calling card.
Lin Mo played along, holding his head high and occasionally flapping his now reasonably developed wings, covered in fine white down. Each flap drew a fresh round of gasps. He found this kind of "showing off" a little ridiculous, but seeing how happy Wang Keke was made him feel the fight had been worth it.
That evening, they returned to Wang Keke's spacious, comfortable room.
After polishing off a carefully prepared Beast General Rank steak as his reward, Lin Mo licked his lips and began planning his next move.
He couldn't keep suffering through Iron-Wire Snakes. He had already acquired Tough Skin, so his defenses were covered. Now he needed a new target. Attack, speed, or perhaps some kind of special ability...
He paced over to Wang Keke's desk. An open copy of Common Monster Bestiary (Juvenile and Growth Stages) lay spread across it. He reached out with a paw and skillfully flipped through the pages, making them rustle.
"Mimi? What tasty treat are you looking for now?" Wang Keke was lying on the bed, kicking her legs in the air. Seeing what he was doing, she immediately came over, curious. After the Iron-Wire Snake incident, she had realized her battle pet had an unusual "persistence" and "taste" when it came to eating.
Lin Mo's paw finally stopped on a page. It showed a muscular rabbit with exceptionally powerful hind legs and a fierce expression: an Irritable Jumping Rabbit. Below it was a description: Beast Soldier Rank, lives in groups, meat rich in blood energy and exceptionally delicious. (Note: Easily angered and violent; capture with caution.) Suspected to possess the innate abilities [Burst] or [Leaping].
[Burst] or [Leaping]! Those were exactly what Lin Mo needed at this stage. They could greatly increase his explosive power and acceleration, and combined with the gliding ability of his wings, they would make him terrifyingly agile!
And, most importantly, the Bestiary explicitly said its meat was "exceptionally delicious"!
Lin Mo's eyes lit up. He looked up, tapped the picture of the Irritable Jumping Rabbit emphatically with his paw, then turned to Wang Keke. His amber eyes were filled with unmistakable longing, and his tail was wagging so fast it was nearly a propeller.
Afraid Wang Keke wouldn't understand, he used his paw to trace the shape of a whole rabbit, then mimed wolfing it down.
Wang Keke looked at the rabbit in the Bestiary, then at Lin Mo's impatient expression. She remembered how he had looked while eating the Iron-Wire Snake, suffering as if he were making a heroic sacrifice, and compared it to his eagerness for the rabbit. She immediately burst out laughing, understanding at once!
"Hahaha, Mimi, you clever little thing! So you know how to pick the tasty stuff!" She laughed so hard she nearly doubled over. "All right, all right, from now on, I'll feed you Irritable Jumping Rabbits! Whole ones, right? No problem! They're way better than those hard Iron-Wire Snakes!"
She was happy that Lin Mo had finally "come around" and learned to enjoy good food. After all, seeing her battle pet painfully gnaw on "iron rods" every day had tugged at her heart as his owner.
With his food supply sorted out, Lin Mo contentedly curled up in his soft nest and began looking forward to tomorrow's rabbit feast.
Meanwhile, deep inside the estate, in the patriarch Wang Qingtian's study...
The room was brightly lit. Wang Qingtian stood with his hands behind his back by the window, listening to a trusted guard report from the shadows behind him.
"Reporting to the patriarch: Today, the young lady's battle pet, 'Mimi,' fought against Young Master Wang Xiao's Iron-Claw Wolf and won decisively. Its defensive power far exceeds that of others of the same rank, its battle intelligence is exceptionally high, and it has begun learning to use its wings, allowing it to glide effectively and evade attacks tactically."
Wang Qingtian's gaze was deep, and his fingers tapped absently against the window frame. "Incredible defenses... Is that the effect of devouring those Iron-Wire Snakes?"
"This subordinate suspects that is very likely. The young lady has been providing it with large numbers of Iron-Wire Snakes every day for over half a month. An examination after today's battle showed that its fur is exceptionally tough. The Iron-Claw Wolf's claws couldn't harm it at all."
The study fell silent for a moment.
After a while, Wang Qingtian spoke slowly, his tone grave. "Its growth is abnormally fast, its intelligence far exceeds that of ordinary Mutated Beasts, and it deliberately seeks out and devours specific kinds of monsters... This Mutated Winged Tiger is probably more extraordinary than we imagined."
He turned around, his eyes gleaming. "Keke is deeply attached to it, and that's a good thing. But if she can't truly understand its intentions and communicate with it effectively, complications may arise in the long run. After all, it isn't one of us..."
He pondered for a long time, as if reaching a decision.
"Go. Use my family contribution points to contact the Ancient Civilization Ruins Exchange Office. I remember a batch of damaged jade slips excavated from the outskirts of Ruins No. 003 was recently sent back for deciphering. One of them seemed to contain a... mental communication technique? Was it called the Spirit-Rhino Resonance Chapter?"
The trusted guard was slightly taken aback. "Patriarch, that secret technique costs an enormous number of contribution points to redeem. And according to the experts who deciphered it, the text is incomplete and the cultivation requirements are extremely demanding. One party must be a Spirit Reader, while the other must also possess sufficiently strong and agile mental power before they can establish an initial connection and communicate through vague impressions. The chance of success... is said to be very low."
"It doesn't matter." Wang Qingtian waved a hand. "It's worth a try, no matter how many contribution points it costs. Keke is already a Spirit Reader, and that 'Mimi'... From what I've observed of its intelligence, its mental power is certainly no ordinary sort.
"Take it to Keke and let her try to form a deeper bond with her battle pet. If she succeeds, it will greatly benefit both her combat strength and our ability to control this battle pet with limitless potential."
"Yes! This subordinate will take care of it at once!" The trusted guard accepted the order and slipped quietly out of the study.
Wang Qingtian turned back to the dark night outside the window. His gaze seemed to pierce through space and settle on the white cub, who was yawning contentedly in his soft nest.
"Little fellow, just how many more surprises do you have in store for us...? I hope this Spirit-Rhino Resonance Chapter can truly build a bridge of communication between you and me—no, between you and Keke."
Meanwhile, Lin Mo, completely unaware of all this, was having a sweet dream. It was filled with Irritable Jumping Rabbits, roasted crisp on the outside and tender within, their aroma wafting through the air...
Before you continue