Persuasion

Become stronger!?

As the voice faded, Little Blue hadn't yet reacted, but Di Yi, who had been feigning interest in the sky nearby, pricked up its ears.

After a long while, Little Blue struggled and said, "Um, Beast Tamer, can I choose not to?"

Di Yi: !!!!

"Are you crazy? The Beast Tamer wants to help you become stronger, and you're actually refusing? Don't you want to become stronger?"

It stopped looking at the sun, turned around, and stared at Little Blue in disbelief.

"I, I do want to..." Little Blue hesitated, then whispered, "It's just that the Beast Tamer already helped me grow rapidly once before. If I do it again, I'm afraid there might be danger..."

Di Yi: ?????

"What are you afraid of? Afraid your foundation will be unstable?"

Little Blue timidly nodded its leaves.

Seeing this, Di Yi was speechless, feeling that this newly acquired little brother was a bit foolish.

"Beast Tamer, I'm not afraid! Why don't you help me become stronger instead?"

Ignoring its foolish little brother, Di Yi shoved its head in front of Xu Bai, looking eager and attentive.

"Di Yi, don't make trouble." Xu Bai reached out and pushed the tiger head away.

It's not that I don't want to help you get stronger, it's entirely because the materials required are too expensive; I, as a Beast Tamer, simply can't afford it.

Secretly feeling a flicker of apology toward Di Yi in his heart, he looked at Little Blue and continued in a gentle tone, "Little Blue, you can rest assured. I can guarantee that the final result of this growth will pose no danger to you whatsoever."

Di Yi: ??????

So, love really does fade, doesn't it?

Watching the Beast Tamer being so attentive to Little Blue, Di Yi felt its heart turn cold. It flopped down to the side and began silently drawing circles on the ground.

The Beast Tamer had better come over to comfort me right now, otherwise... three, I won't eat a single meal today, I'll scare him to death!

On the other side, Xu Bai naturally noticed the shift in Di Yi's mood, but he still had to coax Little Blue and had no time to deal with it, so he would just have to compensate it later.

"The result has no danger, but what about the process?" Little Blue hesitated for a moment before asking in a small voice.

Xu Bai put on a serious expression. "If the result is safe, do you really think the process would be dangerous?"

Little Blue thought about it and decided that made sense.

"Little Blue, you know your current strength. I'm afraid even a slightly stronger ten-year Soul Beast could kill you on its own. Although Di Yi and I usually protect you, there might be times when we aren't around. If you encounter danger then without sufficient strength, what will you do?"

Xu Bai glanced at Little Blue, turning up the intensity of his persuasion.

Hearing this, Little Blue couldn't help but freeze.

That's right. Without strength, when danger strikes, it wouldn't even have the ability to protect itself. And to protect itself, it must possess great power.

Thinking of this, Little Blue's leaves trembled, as if it were about to make an important decision.

Seeing this, Xu Bai played his trump card: "Little Blue, you wouldn't want to lose the ability to bask in the sun and moon forever, would you?"

Little Blue: !!!!

"Beast Tamer, I'm willing! Please, let me become stronger!"

"It's a deal?"

"It's a deal!"

Xu Bai nodded slightly.

This is something you agreed to yourself; I didn't force you, so don't blame me later.

Muttering to himself, he turned his gaze back to Di Yi.

After coaxing Little Blue, I have to go comfort Di Yi. Am I raising Soul Beasts, or am I raising children...

Xu Bai sighed softly, feeling a bit weary.

Fortunately, Di Yi was easily satisfied. It only took the promise of a delicious meal for it to let go of its resentment and become lively again.

Although the matter was considered settled for Di Yi, Xu Bai still explained the reason to it and promised that once he had enough money, he would definitely prioritize helping it increase its strength.

Watching its Beast Tamer's solemn vow, the Little White Tiger was moved to tears, loudly proclaiming, "The Beast Tamer's kindness is endless, truly endless."

With the trivial matters resolved, all that remained was purchasing the materials.

For this, Xu Bai naturally chose to shop at the Seven Treasures Trading House, which he was already very familiar with.

Unfortunately, the Seven Treasures Trading House in Huangshan City was only a branch, and a branch in a medium-sized city at that, so their inventory wasn't very comprehensive. He only managed to scrape together most of the materials.

Fortunately, as a medium-sized city, Huangshan City had plenty of shops. Xu Bai spent the entire day scouring the city until he finally gathered all the necessary materials.

However...

Xu Bai's eyes flickered, and he glanced behind him from the corner of his eye.

Within the crowd, a figure seemed to be trailing far behind him.

After achieving the rank of Great Soul Master, his mental power had improved once again, already surpassing most Soul Elders and even rivaling some Soul Ancestors.

Anyone whose strength did not exceed that of a Soul Elder could not possibly evade his perception while tailing him.

It seems I was a bit too flashy today, attracting the attention of those with ulterior motives...

Xu Bai furrowed his brows slightly, continuing to walk as if nothing were amiss while silently calculating in his mind.

Within Huangshan City, there were only five factions with combat power at or above the Soul Ancestor level: the Spirit Hall branch, the City Lord's Mansion, the Grand Soul Arena, the Chen Family, and the Seven Treasures Trading House.

As local overlords, if they had set their sights on him, they would most likely send an expert to summon him directly; it was impossible that they would choose to have that small fry behind him, who might not even be a Soul Master, tail him.

Setting aside these five major powers, the others were not worth fearing to Xu Bai.

Since his proficiency with "Metal Spirit Power" had reached the pinnacle, his combat power had increased significantly.

With prior preparation, killing a Soul Elder through underhanded means was no difficult task.

Therefore, Xu Bai did not alert the enemy, intending to return home and prepare thoroughly.

He wanted to see exactly who was targeting him; if he was lucky, he might even make a small fortune.

Thinking of this, a sense of anticipation rose inexplicably in Xu Bai's heart.

After buying the evolution materials for Little Blue, his small treasury was nearly spent, and he had been worrying about how to make some quick money; now that someone was delivering it to his door, it was truly like being handed a pillow just as he was getting sleepy.

Returning to his small courtyard, the feeling of being watched vanished; he figured that person must have gone to report back.

"First, come out and get to work!"

With a thought, Xu Bai forcibly summoned First from his Beast Taming Space.

What is it, Beast Tamer? First walked out, dazed, and raised its head in confusion.

"We've been targeted again, and I suspect they'll make a move tonight," Xu Bai replied truthfully.

Targeted again! First became instantly alert, its eyes gleaming with excitement.

As a tiger-type Soul Beast, it possessed inherent warlike genes.

However, it had been nearly a year since it became a Beast Tamer's beast, yet it had only experienced one real battle, and that was the kind where it had fired arrows from the shadows.

Especially since its proficiency in "Metal Spirit Power" had reached the pinnacle a while ago, its combat power had surged, and its sharp claws had long been itching for a fight.

Beast Tamer, why don't we just strike first and take the initiative? First offered its suggestion, not wanting to wait.

"Nonsense, we have no idea what the opponent's strength is; rushing in blindly could very well cost us our lives!" Xu Bai scolded lightly, then said sternly, "First, you aren't young anymore. You need to learn to be calm when facing situations. Look at Little Blue's steady personality; you should learn from it sometimes."

Meanwhile, Little Blue, who was sunbathing not far away and was completely unaware of the matter: ?????