I, I'm not dead?
The doubtful voice came through Telepathy, pulling Xu Bai's thoughts out of his Sea of Consciousness.
"How could you possibly die? I promised I wouldn't let you be in any danger." Xu Bai smiled as he spoke.
At the sound of his voice, Little Blue froze for a moment, then let out a wounded cry: Beast Tamer, you, you lied to me! The process wasn't safe at all. I, I almost really died just now...
A playful smile appeared at the corner of Xu Bai's mouth. "Little Blue, don't go accusing an innocent man. I never said the process would be safe."
Little Blue stood dumbstruck. The conversation with its Beast Tamer that day replayed in its mind.
It had asked whether the process was dangerous, and the Beast Tamer had replied, "The outcome won't be dangerous. Do you think the process could be?"
The Beast Tamer hadn't actually said the process was safe, but wasn't he obviously playing word games with it?
At the thought, Little Blue burst into tears. It gently smacked Xu Bai with its vines as it babbled things like, "Beast Tamer, you're such a big meanie!"—words that made no sense to anyone else.
Xu Bai knew he was in the wrong, so he could only stand there and let Little Blue vent its feelings. It took a long while before it finally calmed down.
Even then, its leaves still quivered now and again, as if it were sobbing.
"Have you finished venting?" Xu Bai asked softly.
No! Little Blue flung up a vine and said indignantly, My first instinct was right. You really are a bad person!
"Fine, fine, I'm a bad person." Xu Bai shook his head with a laugh. Little Blue, waving its vine, looked just like a proud little girl with one hand on her hip and her chin held high.
"Besides, I only did it to make you stronger. Take a closer look and see if you've mastered another racial skill."
Another one? Little Blue stared blankly, then carefully checked—and sure enough, it had mastered one more skill.
In an instant, every unhappy feeling in its heart vanished, replaced by joy.
After all, in a fantasy world, the pursuit of strength was an instinct shared by all living beings. Even Little Blue, who cherished its life as much as anyone, couldn't help feeling delighted by its newfound strength.
Beast Tamer, you're not a bad person. I was wrong to blame you. Little Blue changed its tune faster than someone flipping a book. A moment ago, it had looked as if it had suffered a terrible injustice; now it was positively cheerful.
"Now you understand my good intentions?" Xu Bai chuckled. "What does your new skill do? Try using it so we can see."
Beast Tamer, I think it's some kind of support skill. Usually, it can help people calm their minds and focus. When necessary, it can also defend against mental attacks.
Little Blue spoke slowly, then released the skill.
The glow on its Blue Silver Grass blazed brightly, forming a deep-blue circle of light within a three-meter radius.
Inside the circle, Xu Bai's mind suddenly felt clear, his thoughts utterly calm, and his thinking seemed to speed up a little.
"The Calm Heart Focus effect is pretty good. It could come in handy in special circumstances, but we can't test its ability to defend against mental attacks for now."
Xu Bai stroked his chin as he gave his assessment.
After a pause, he asked, "Can this circle distinguish between friend and foe?"
Little Blue checked again and said softly, Um, I don't think it can...
Xu Bai nodded slightly. That was just as he'd expected.
After all, its skill proficiency was only at the introductory level. Learning to distinguish friend from foe could be one of their next training goals.
He thought it over briefly, then suddenly remembered something. "Little Blue, use that Entangle skill again."
Oh, okay. Little Blue didn't know what he was getting at, but obediently did as he asked.
The next moment, vines burst out of the ground and wrapped around an unknown ordinary tree.
Xu Bai hurried over, grabbed the Blue Silver Grass, channeled Soul Power, and gave it a hard tug.
But it didn't snap.
"Just as I thought. Little Blue's revival this time gave it a new skill, but also greatly improved its own strength."
Xu Bai murmured softly. Before this revival, Little Blue's vines could only restrain an ordinary One-Ring Soul Master—and only if their Martial Soul wasn't a Beast Martial Soul.
With this level of strength, it could probably restrain a Soul Grandmaster. This revival really had transformed it from the ground up.
"Little Blue, from now on, you'll be able to help when we fight other people. Are you happy?" Xu Bai patted the sturdy vines wrapped around the tree and asked with a smile.
Fight someone?
Help!
Little Blue's leaves stiffened. Looking at its Beast Tamer's smiling face, it replied awkwardly, I'm happy. Of course I'm happy to help Big Bro and you, Beast Tamer...
Then it timidly asked, Beast Tamer, what exactly did you mean by helping?
"Your vines have some strength now. When the time comes, you can stay behind me while I face the enemy up front, and make a little trouble for them from the rear."
Only then did Little Blue relax. Its leaves bobbed happily. Don't worry, Beast Tamer. I definitely won't let you down.
Xu Bai nodded in satisfaction. After checking the time and chatting with Little Blue a little longer, he summoned First to help him pack.
He really didn't want to live in a house where someone had died. Besides, he'd finished reading the books in the Spirit Hall Branch in Huangshan City, so it was time to find somewhere new.
He said he needed First to help pack, but there wasn't much to put away.
He usually kept valuable things like materials and ingredients in the Beast Taming Space, so all that needed packing was everyday stuff like pots, bowls, and utensils.
He had meant to pack up the bedding, too, but it was stained with blood, and he immediately lost all interest in keeping it.
Once everything was packed, he checked the time again.
It was only just starting to get light, and the city gates wouldn't open for a while.
Given the height of Huangshan City's walls, First could easily draw metal from underground and condense it into a platform to carry Xu Bai over the walls, thanks to its now-masterful control of Metal Spirit Power.
But the problem was that two Soul Kings were guarding the walls. If First started flying him over, the two Soul Kings could probably knock them right back down.
It wasn't worth taking that risk just to save a little time.
Time passed slowly.
He didn't waste the time waiting. He and First took the opportunity to add to the Beast Taming Space. Their progress was slow, but every bit helped.
Of course, the main reason was that he had nothing else to do.
A few days earlier, while Xu Bai had been letting his thoughts run wild, he'd formed some vague suspicions about his Beast Taming Space Martial Soul.
Judging by the various signs so far, the Douluo Continent he'd transmigrated into should be the manga version—at least, as far as Martial Souls were concerned, it followed the manga's setting.
Soul Masters in the manga version had one more trait—or perhaps one more ability—than those in the novel and anime.
That was the full-body True Body Armor they awakened upon reaching Soul Elder.
However, True Body Armor didn't simply appear out of nowhere. When Soul Masters obtained their first and Second Soul Rings, the parts of their bodies needed to use their Soul Skills developed armor-like keratin when they activated those skills. That was the early form of True Body Armor.
Clearly, Xu Bai still had no such keratin.