Failure?

The next day, early morning.

Xu Bai opened his eyes and bolted upright, bracing himself with one hand as he gasped for air.

He had just had a nightmare, dreaming that he was frantically licking a size 46, sweaty, giant foot.

The dream was so vivid that he could still smell that sour, pungent stench even now.

Wait, no!

Xu Bai suddenly snapped back to reality; this strange odor was clearly emanating from his own body.

He hurriedly scrambled up and rushed out of the room, skipping the water heater to take a fierce, ice-cold shower.

He dared to do this only because he had already achieved the rank of Great Soul Master, and his physique far surpassed that of an ordinary person.

Otherwise, if a regular kid tried this, they would be down with a cold or fever, if not suffering from the chill for quite a while.

After scrubbing himself clean, Xu Bai felt refreshed and invigorated.

Just as he finished changing his clothes, Diyi, who had been waiting expectantly for a long time, ran over.

It gently bit his pant leg and tugged him toward the kitchen. Its intention was obvious; even without using Telepathy, Xu Bai could see it clearly.

Diyi: Beast Tamer, hungry, food, don't want to eat pre-made meals!

Xu Bai chuckled, patted Diyi on the head, and entered the kitchen under its hopeful gaze.

Having awakened its "foodie" attribute, Diyi had been eating pre-made meals for three days—meals that even Xu Bai found mediocre—and it was now nearly driven mad, desperately needing a luxurious gourmet feast to save it.

After a delightful breakfast, Diyi returned to its usual lazy self, its brow filled with satisfaction as it sprawled comfortably in the center of the courtyard to bask in the sun.

Seeing this, Xu Bai shook his head helplessly before quickly tidying up and walking slowly over to Diyi.

Then, with a beaming smile, he took out the bottle of Spirit Ascension Liquid that he had painstakingly refined.

Pop~

The stopper was pulled out, and a strange, medicinal fragrance drifted slowly from the bottle's mouth, heading straight into Diyi's nostrils and causing its already satisfied cells to become active once again.

'Beast Tamer, what is this? It smells so good~~'

Diyi instinctively leaned its nose in and took a deep sniff, its tiger face immediately showing an expression of intoxication, looking exactly like a kitty cat controlled by catnip.

"Promised it to you, remember?" Xu Bai said with a smile.

'Promised to me...'

Diyi hesitated for a moment, then suddenly realized something, its face instantly lighting up with wild joy:

'Could the stuff in this bottle make me stronger?'

"Want to see how it works?" Xu Bai didn't deny it; he tilted the small bottle, signaling for Diyi to open its mouth.

Diyi understood in a second and hurriedly opened its gaping maw.

The pale green liquid slowly entered its mouth; Diyi felt it was sweet and refreshing, with an endless aftertaste.

'Beast Tamer, is there more? I want more!'

After drinking it all in a state of intoxication, Diyi asked expectantly.

Xu Bai shook his finger: "Once every seven days, don't be greedy."

'Ah~'

Little White Tiger looked dejected.jpg

"You really are a little glutton."

Seeing Diyi like this, Xu Bai gave its head a playful smack and asked, "Feel it, how is the effect of the potion?"

Hearing this, Diyi paused, hurriedly closing its eyes to feel carefully. After a long time, it opened its eyes, looking suspicious and uncertain, and said sheepishly:

'Beast Tamer, if I say it doesn't seem to have any effect right now, would you believe me...'

"No effect?" Xu Bai frowned. He pondered for only a split second before his face turned black.

Damn it, don't tell me I failed again!

'Beast Tamer, are you okay?'

Looking at his Beast Tamer, whose face had suddenly turned gloomy for no reason and whose aura of resentment was almost tangible, Diyi shrank its neck and asked cautiously.

"I! Am! Fine!"

Xu Bai gritted his teeth, fiercely threw the empty Spirit Ascension Liquid bottle aside, and turned to stride toward the room where he kept his equipment, tossing a sentence over his shoulder:

"Diyi, I'm going into seclusion for a while. You'll have to bear with it and keep eating pre-made meals for a few more days."

Keep, eating pre-made meals!

Terror flashed in Diyi's eyes. It stumbled twice on the spot, feeling as if the sky had collapsed.

'Beast Tamer, don't go! How can I live without you...'

Seeing that his Beast Tamer was about to enter that hateful room again, it immediately lunged forward and hugged his legs.

Xu Bai frowned and scolded: "Diyi, I'm doing this so you can get stronger! To become stronger, can't you even endure this small desire for food?"

"If you can't even endure this bit of hardship, how can you talk about becoming a powerhouse, let alone seeking revenge!"

Although the voice was youthful, the tone was stern and the volume quite loud.

If any birds had been nearby, they surely would have been startled into flight.

On the other side, Little Blue, who had been happily basking in the sun, was trembling in fear, unable to understand why its Beast Tamer, who was usually so easygoing, had suddenly lost his temper.

And he had spoken so loudly, too—it had really scared it...

Unlike Little Blue's fear, these words struck First like a bolt of lightning, causing it to freeze in place instantly as pain and struggle flashed through its eyes.

After a long while, it finally made a decision and slowly loosened the two claws it had wrapped around Xu Bai; compared to the desires of its stomach, it still wanted revenge more.

Seeing this, Xu Bai's expression softened. He gently rubbed First's head and said in a gentle voice, "Don't worry, I shouldn't be in there too long this time; I should be out quite soon."

The main reason was that the materials for making the Spirit Ascension Liquid could not withstand many more attempts.

After speaking, he was about to turn around when his peripheral vision caught sight of Little Blue, who was trembling in the corner, trying to minimize its presence.

"The materials are precious; I should bring Little Blue along this time."

Thinking this to himself, Xu Bai walked straight toward Little Blue.

Little Blue: ?????

Wait, why am I involved in this?

"Beast Tamer, is something the matter?" Little Blue asked timidly.

"I need you to assist me in my cultivation," Xu Bai said calmly.

Little Blue: ?????

Xu Bai chuckled, "I'm teasing you. I'm refining medicine and my focus is slipping; I need your 'Mind-Cleansing and Spirit-Calming' help."

"Oh, I see," Little Blue let out a sigh of relief. "You should have said so earlier! I thought you were going to scold me too."

"You're so cute, how could I ever scold you?"

Xu Bai smiled and rubbed Little Blue's leaves, saying, "Let's go, we'll try to finish as quickly as possible."

"Oh my, how am I cute..."

Although Little Blue was a bit embarrassed by the compliment, it didn't forget the task at hand, hurriedly pulling its roots from the ground and following behind Xu Bai.

"Wait, Beast Tamer!"

Just then, as if it had thought of something, First spoke up to stop him.

"What is it!"

Xu Bai turned around, his eyebrows knitting together once more.

"Um, Beast Tamer, why don't I try cultivating for a bit? Maybe that potion of yours is meant to accelerate cultivation speed..."

First lowered its head, glanced up at its Beast Tamer, and spoke cautiously.

Xu Bai's furrowed brows eased slightly. He thought for a moment and decided he should be more confident, so he said, "Fine, give it a try, but be quick about it."

"Understood, Beast Tamer."

First responded, then lay down on the spot, controlling the rhythm of its breathing to begin the most primitive form of cultivation for a Soul Beast.