What an extraordinary battle!
The opponent was neither a Demon Beast nor a person, but heaven and earth itself.
Under the threat of death, the Heavenly Fox and Chu Yun worked together. Their trust in each other grew from nothing, surging rapidly. In a short time, the Heavenly Fox had developed an extraordinary sense of trust and closeness toward Chu Yun!
It was an unexpected delight.
Chu Yun could feel the intense dependence coming from the Heavenly Fox. He was immeasurably comforted. At last, he had hatched the Heavenly Fox perfectly. In this life, they would once again work together in perfect harmony, creating miracles and glory.
"Old friend!" He crouched down and spread his arms.
As if reliving a scene from their previous life, the Heavenly Fox gave a joyful cry and dashed toward him.
Its fur was pure white as snow, without a speck of another color. As it moved among the rocks, it seemed to drift like falling snow. Its beautiful tail swished behind it, and its four paws seemed barely to touch the ground, as though it were riding the wind.
It plunged straight into Chu Yun's arms. The force of its charge made his chest heave, and it knocked him flat on his backside.
The Heavenly Fox let out a whimper, a trace of apology in its eyes.
Chu Yun couldn't help laughing aloud, tears filling his eyes. He had gone through this exact experience in his previous life. Later, though, the Heavenly Fox had learned to be considerate of him, and each time it charged, it would check its momentum. He was sure it would change in the same way in this life.
"Gah..." His laughter abruptly stopped, and Chu Yun sucked in a sharp breath.
His tongue hurt like hell!
He had bitten the tip of his tongue to perform the blood sacrifice. After shouting at the top of his lungs for more than an hour, he had finally come out of that state of total concentration—and immediately felt the agonizing pain of the wound.
He gritted his teeth and endured it.
Holding the Heavenly Fox and stroking its wonderfully soft fur, Chu Yun walked back into the cave. After such a grueling battle, the Heavenly Fox was starving. The moment it saw the eggshells on the ground, its eyes lit up, and it immediately tried to dash over.
Chu Yun caught it at once, stopping it from getting away.
The Heavenly Fox looked up at its master in his arms and whimpered. Its voice was so soft and tender that anyone hearing it would feel a surge of pity.
But Chu Yun remained resolute. The hatching process wasn't over yet.
Step eight—whetting its appetite.
This was an added finishing touch.
The Heavenly Fox had only just been born. To protect its new stomach, it couldn't be allowed to eat anything too hard. So its appetite had to be whetted first.
And the food for that was a bag of fresh coconut milk.
Under the Heavenly Fox's reproachful gaze, Chu Yun gathered all the eggshells from the ground and tucked them away. Then he took out the bag of coconut milk.
The Heavenly Fox caught the scent and perked up at once. It sidled up to Chu Yun, its big tail swaying slowly behind it. Its eyes glistened as it gazed up at him at a 45-degree angle.
Chu Yun couldn't help smiling wryly. The Heavenly Fox really had the same personality as in his previous life—greedy!
Carefully pinching the mouth of the waterskin, he slowly tipped out a thin stream of fragrant, pure-white coconut milk.
The Heavenly Fox immediately forgot all about the eggshells. It sprang forward, opened its mouth, and stuck out its bright red tongue, catching the coconut milk perfectly.
But Chu Yun poured only for a moment before putting the waterskin away.
The Heavenly Fox licked its mouth clean, looking unsatisfied. Then it raised its head and gazed innocently up at its master.
Whetting its appetite naturally meant it couldn't drink too much. Chu Yun steeled himself, ignored its pitiful expression, and firmly put away the waterskin. It was for its own good.
If its stomach really became overloaded, the loss would outweigh the gain.
Half a day later, Chu Yun proceeded to step nine—feeding it.
Naturally, he fed it the Heavenly Fox Egg's shell. The shell contained abundant nutrients and energy, making it the best food for a newborn Demon Beast.
This step seemed simple, but it carried great significance. It was the final stage of hatching, marking the Demon Beast's successful emergence and its ability to eat on its own—the first step toward survival.
The Heavenly Fox had no trouble at all. As it chewed on the eggshell, though, its eyes stayed fixed on the waterskin at Chu Yun's waist. Clearly, it was still thinking about the exquisite taste of fresh coconut milk.
Once it had finished chewing the eggshell, the great weight in Chu Yun's heart finally lifted.
Cleansing, washing the egg, choosing a site, building a nest, blood sacrifice, spiritual calling, breaking the shell and establishing its foundation, whetting its appetite, and feeding. At last, he had completed all nine steps of hatching.
All the Snow Sand and Pearl Tear he had brought had been used up. Even the 992 Earth-Fiend Stone Coins he had obtained by killing his enemies had dwindled to a pitiful six.
The process had been full of twists and turns, and even a Demon Tribulation had arisen. Chu Yun had been pushed to the brink of success and failure several times. But in the end, he had succeeded.
After weathering one danger after another, Chu Yun had finally erased a great regret. From now on, a Heavenly Fox with perfect aptitude would become his most important and powerful ally!
"A new life truly begins with this step!" After resting for half a day, Chu Yun clenched his fists and left the Nameless Volcano with the Heavenly Fox.
Crash, crash, crash...
The tide rose and fell, the ocean gently greeting the shore. The damp, fresh sea breeze brushed against their faces. In the eastern sky, the morning glow blazed like fire, its light reflected on the sea. As the waves rolled, they seemed to dance with flames.
Along the coast, a dazzling avenue of shells stretched beneath a luxurious carriage, silver-bodied and traced with gold, rolling along at an unhurried pace.
The scarlet brocade curtain was drawn aside. Lady Shu gazed out at the poetic shore, where water and fire seemed to dance together, enjoying the fresh air that swept toward her.
In the thirty-eight years since she had married into Shu Family Island, she had never once felt so relaxed and happy.
As the saying went, "A rainbow in the east, rain in the west; the Shu men marry Ning women." The men of Shu Family Island were famous for their strength and courage, while the women of Ning Family Island were renowned far and wide for their beauty and grace.
Lady Shu had once married out of Ning Family Island and into Shu Family Island, becoming Shu Tianhao's wife. It had been a celebrated match. But who could have known the bitterness she had suffered behind it?
Back then, Lady Shu had loved someone else, not the "boorish and unbearable" Shu Tianhao. But she had been unable to disobey her family's wishes.
"Thirty-eight years. I've spent morning and night waiting, and at last I'm about to see the end of it. As long as I help my sons become the successors, I'll have fulfilled the task my family entrusted to me."
Looking out at the rising and falling sea, Lady Shu's heart surged.
Thirty-eight years.
After enduring all those long, agonizing days and nights, she was finally about to see her moment of triumph!
Her two sons had certainly made her proud. Not only did they both have the talent to become Spirit Beast Masters, but their first Demon Beasts were also gifted seeds with excellent potential. Given time, what could stop her plans from succeeding?
Once she seized the inheritance rights to Shu Family Island, she was sure Ning Family Island would soon gain another subordinate island.
"Shu Tianhao is the foremost man of the Shu family, fierce and brave, with no one able to stand against him. But who says expansion has to be achieved through war?" As Lady Shu thought this, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. She had always been loyal only to her own family, never to her husband.
"My precious darlings, you must do well in your first assessment. Don't let your guard down. As long as you show your true strength, the first and second places will certainly be yours." Lowering the curtain, Lady Shu turned to Shu Da and Shu Er, who sat beside her, her eyes tender as water.
Shu Da immediately thumped his chest and lifted his chin. "Don't worry, Mother! First place will be a piece of cake."
Shu Er smiled obediently. "That little rascal Chu Yun looks clever, but he's actually a complete fool. Mother, with me here, what do you have to worry about?"
"Good, good. Both of you are my good boys." Lady Shu was delighted. At that moment, life seemed blissful—she had finally endured the bitter and reached the sweet.
On the first day, they had received their Demon Beast eggs. On the second, the youths had each hatched their eggs. Early on the third morning came the first assessment of the coming-of-age ceremony.
When Shu Da and Shu Er brought their Demon Beasts back to the Earth Altar, Chu Yun was already waiting nearby.
The moment Shu Da saw Chu Yun, he glared at him mockingly. "Boy, getting here early doesn't mean you'll place well. If you want to take first place, you'll have to rely on your strength!"
As he spoke, he patted the head of the Sea Burst Crocodile behind him.
The Sea Burst Crocodile was enormous. Standing upright, it came up to Shu Da's shoulder. When its master patted it, it immediately opened its jaws, revealing teeth sharp as a saw, and let out a low growl.
"Hahaha..." Shu Da threw back his head and laughed, swaggering.
Chu Yun smiled faintly, calm and collected. The Heavenly Fox sat at his feet, its eyes half closed and its fur smooth as satin, white as snow. It seemed neither asleep nor awake. Neither of them took the Sea Burst Crocodile seriously.
"You!" Shu Da couldn't keep laughing. Fury surged through him. Chu Yun's smile was so infuriating that he ground his teeth in hatred.
Shu Er swept a cold glance over them, then shifted his gaze to the Heavenly Fox at Chu Yun's feet. His eyes narrowed. "Huh? There's something strange about your Fire Fox. Why is its whole body so white?"
A Fire Fox should naturally be red as flame. But the Demon Beast at Chu Yun's feet was white as snow, astonishingly handsome and beautiful. It was enough to make anyone stare.
Chu Yun wasn't foolish enough to reveal the Heavenly Fox's true grade. He raised his eyebrows and put on a scornful look. "Ever heard of a mutated Demon Beast?"
A mutated Demon Beast?
Shu Da had also noticed that the "Fire Fox" was unusual. At the words, he froze—he really hadn't heard of one.
Mutation was a departure from the norm. Even among humans, there were similar peculiarities: a sixth finger growing on one hand, unusually sharp eyesight, heightened senses of smell or hearing, or even a body covered in hair.
Demon Beasts had such mutations too. Generally speaking, a mutated Demon Beast had some special talent beyond that of an ordinary one, but wouldn't live long. Its cultivation was hard to advance, and it had some innate defect.
"So that's it. No wonder you're so cocky! How can a mutated Demon Beast stand up to my Green Fang Snake, with eight years of cultivation? You're asking for it! Hmph..." Shu Er sneered. Now that he understood what Chu Yun was relying on, a cold glint flickered briefly in his eyes. He didn't say anything more, hoping to see the look of utter disappointment on Chu Yun's face after the assessment. That would be satisfying.
"All right, the assessment begins. Follow me inside." The Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master led the way.
The farther they went into the Earth Altar, the more oppressive the atmosphere became. Though the area was brightly lit, it still made it hard to breathe.
A moment later, the Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master stopped. His face was solemn as he declared impartially, "We're here. This is the Spirit Pressure Tunnel. Order your respective Demon Beasts to fetch the jade slip at the end of the tunnel. The hourglass will measure the time; the less time you take, the higher your score. Begin."