The Pretty Boy Trend, the Great Demon Wasteland Bear

Spirit Beast Masters possess exceptional comprehension; they command spirit beasts in battle, assist them in understanding the Dao, and nurture them with meticulous care. In return, the spirit beasts provide feedback in the form of spiritual energy, which is channeled into the Spirit Beast Master's body through a mysterious luminous resonance.

The warm current Chu Yun felt while sleeping was precisely the spiritual energy the Heavenly Fox was feeding back into his body. Like a spring breeze and rain, this energy nourished everything silently, quietly reshaping Chu Yun's physique and enhancing his physical constitution.

Suddenly struck by a thought, Chu Yun exited the cave and arrived at the edge of a deep pool that resembled a clear mirror.

A young man was reflected in the water. He had red lips and white teeth, a refined and handsome face, and eyes like bright stars. Most notably, his skin was as smooth as water, even emitting a faint, subtle glow.

"I've turned into a pretty boy," Chu Yun said with a wry smile. He had always been somewhat refined in appearance, but after being reshaped by the spiritual energy, his skin had become as smooth as jade, and even his overall features and temperament were undergoing a transformation.

He was standing out from the ordinary, trending toward becoming a handsome young man.

These were all phenomena caused by the spiritual energy the Heavenly Fox fed back to him, which was actively remodeling his body.

Every spirit beast feeds spiritual energy back to its master, reshaping the master's body, appearance, and temperament while improving their physical constitution.

However, these changes do not always trend toward handsomeness. Some spiritual energy can turn a dashing master into someone hideous. Some can alter skin or hair color. Some can cause a man standing eight feet tall to gradually shrink into a short, stout dwarf, while others can transform a thin, small person into a bloated pig.

For example, the Green Blade Mantis spirit beast causes its master's eyes to become triangular while their arms grow long and slender. The Drunkard Dog spirit beast causes the master's body hair to grow thick, resulting in a bushy beard and a brawny, robust physique.

The higher the grade of the spirit beast, the greater the degree of transformation and improvement for the master. When it comes to peerless-grade spirit beasts, the effect of the feedback energy is particularly powerful, even capable of developing innate special abilities.

Take, for instance, Chu Yun's current Fire Eye.

Fire Eye is a talent often bestowed upon masters by peerless-grade fire-attribute spirit beasts. As long as one focuses their gaze, they can perceive the presence of fire elemental energy with the naked eye.

Although these innate abilities cannot compare to any Daoist techniques in terms of raw power, their auxiliary utility is immeasurably vast.

With Fire Eye, one can discern a spirit beast's attributes, the dangers of a terrain, the true nature of an enemy, and can even unearth fire crystals buried deep underground.

In his previous life, Chu Yun had possessed Fire Eye. It was this pair of magical eyes that repeatedly helped him overcome many crises in desperate situations. It was a great pity that after the Heavenly Fox died, these eyes gradually faded away.

"In my memories of my past life, it wasn't until the Heavenly Fox grew into a Great Demon that it bestowed the Fire Eye ability upon me. To think that now, as only a 21-year-old Lesser Demon, it can already achieve this. The aptitude of a perfect Heavenly Fox is truly admirable; it never ceases to surprise me!" Chu Yun sighed with genuine emotion.

ROAR!

Just then, a sudden, furious roar from a spirit beast erupted. It shook the heavens and earth, sweeping in from the distance.

"Hm? What's happening?" Chu Yun felt as if the entire forest had been stifled in that instant. The ground trembled slightly, and the once-calm pool began to ripple.

"This pressure—it must be a Great Demon! Are there Great Demons fighting?" Chu Yun's heart skipped a beat. He quickly climbed the mountain wall and peered into the distance.

Thanks to the Heavenly Fox's spiritual energy reshaping his body, his eyesight had greatly improved. He could barely make out a mountain-like black shadow at the edge of his vision, struggling and flailing its thick forelimbs in the air as if battling an invisible, powerful foe. It let out roar after roar, forming waves of sound that swept across the entire forest.

"It's actually a Wasteland Bear, a Great Demon-level Wasteland Bear. It's being chased by a swarm of wild bees—that must mean there's Gold Spirit Honey!"

Chu Yun's eyes lit up. Combining his experience from his past life, he immediately deduced the truth of the situation.

The Wasteland Bear is a spirit beast that loves to steal Gold Spirit Honey. However, any hive capable of producing Gold Spirit Honey must have at least one Great Demon-level Queen Bee. The two sides were evenly matched, locked in a fierce struggle.

"A Great Demon of this level must be the king of the forest. What a great opportunity! Gold Spirit Honey is a mid-grade material for alchemy. Even if not used for alchemy, it can be used as food for the Heavenly Fox. It's much better than the Satiety Pills I bought."

Chu Yun's heart stirred, and many thoughts began to take shape.

The eggshell was already consumed, and Chu Yun was currently feeding the Heavenly Fox ordinary Satiety Pills. These pills were merely low-grade goods, their only utility being to stave off hunger.

There was no help for it; although Shu Family Island had mid-grade grain pills, they were quite expensive. Chu Yun did not have much money to spend on large-scale purchases.

"I'll go try my luck." The adventurous spirit within him took hold. Chu Yun took a deep breath, feeling his entire body trembling slightly.

To steal Gold Spirit Honey right under the noses of two Great Demons—the immense risk and potential reward made his pores open, a feeling of both trepidation and exhilaration rushing through his entire body.

It was intoxicating.

Just as the man and the fox began their adventure, venturing deep into the inner circle of the forest, a fierce battle had been raging for an entire day and night in a certain sea area.

On the ocean, corpses drifted, and blood stained the seawater red. Firelight reached the heavens, the sounds of battle were deafening, and spirit beasts shrieked.

It was a tragic naval battle. On one side was the valiant Shu Family Island fleet, led by Shu Tianhao. On the other was the notorious Remnant Wolf Pirate Group.

"Volcano Turtle, Magma Rolling Stone! Follow my command: three, two, one, fire!" the commander of Shu Tianhao's side shouted loudly.

Under his unified command, a team of Spirit Beast Masters coordinated with one another, directing their respective Volcano Turtle spirit beasts. Almost simultaneously, they spat out magma boulders the size of baskets.

BOOM, BOOM, BOOM...

In an instant, dozens of magma boulders, carrying intense heat, traced crimson arcs across the sky, enveloping nearly ten warships of the Remnant Wolf Pirate Group.

BANG, BANG, BANG...

Some magma boulders fell into the sea, kicking up towering columns of water. Others struck the warships and exploded, spraying molten magma that corroded the hulls and pierced through human flesh, triggering waves of screams. Some boulders grazed the sails, and raging flames immediately ignited the canvas.

"Mystic Frost Fish, Frost Bullets, fire!"

Almost simultaneously, the counterattack from the Remnant Wolf Pirate Group arrived. Nearly a hundred snow-white ice bullets rose into the sky and rapidly rained down upon Shu Tianhao's side.

The temperature plummeted instantly, and ice shards flew everywhere. Sailors unfortunate enough to be struck were immediately bloodied, their bodies quickly encased in a layer of frost before they were frozen to death.

Although the pirate group's attacks were chaotic and disorganized, their sheer numbers compensated for the lack of quality in their volleys. Shu Tianhao's side fell into a position of absolute disadvantage.

"Damn it! How does the Remnant Wolf Pirate Group suddenly have such fierce firepower?" On the deck, Shu Tianhao stood as steady as a mountain, anchoring the morale of his troops like a needle in the sea. His expression was resolute and cold, but in reality, a thick shadow had already cast itself over his heart.

"The enemy came prepared; they must have a scheme. The Remnant Wolf Pirate Group has always struck once and then fled far away. Engaging in such a tragic and grueling naval battle is not their style. There is definitely a hidden hand behind this..."

Shu Tianhao vaguely sensed a mastermind behind the scenes, yet he was powerless to act; his entire fleet was currently mired in a desperate struggle.

As for breaking through?

Shu Tianhao glanced at the sea surface surrounding his warships, now frozen into white ice, and dismissed this impractical notion.

"Retreat will only lead to a rout. You detestable Remnant Wolf pirates! Even if I must die, I am determined to drag you down to the Yellow Springs with me!"

A sharp, electric glint flashed in his eyes. In the face of such a dire predicament, Shu Tianhao's aura surged instead, becoming awe-inspiring and inviolable.

He reached his right hand behind his back and slowly drew a large blade from the scabbard strapped there.

A fine blade!

The blade was six feet long with a thick, broad spine. The tip curved upward, forming an elegant streamline with the edge, resembling a massive wave surging from the sea.

The great blade was snow-white throughout, its hilt like ice. The moment it left the scabbard, a chill mixed with a faint fragrance instantly permeated the entire ship.

In an instant, countless warriors felt the shift and turned to look. Their gazes were burning with intensity, fixed upon the man standing atop the bridge, holding the great blade and standing tall like a tiger.

Drunken Snow Blade, Shu Tianhao!

Suddenly, shouts erupted from all sides. Shu Tianhao did not say a word; the mere act of drawing his blade and standing firm had infected every warrior with his spirit.

The morale of the Shu Family Island fleet soared!

"Remarkable, truly remarkable! Is this the man known as the All-Star Fierce Tiger?" Inside the flagship of the Remnant Wolf Pirate Group, a middle-aged man with rolls of pale, fatty flesh and eyes squinted into slits gazed into the distance, sighing with genuine admiration.

If anyone in the know were here to see him, they would surely cry out in shock: "The manager of the Tianbao Shop?"

Yet in truth, this fat man's real identity was the strategist of the Remnant Wolf Pirate Group, the one who acted in tandem with the Remnant Wolf leader: White Prowler!

This man was insidious, cunning, and full of treacherous schemes. He devised plans for Remnant Wolf and was consumed by greed.

"All-Star Fierce Tiger? Heh heh heh, he is nothing more than a sick cat without claws or fangs now." Sitting beside White Prowler was a one-eyed man.

As he spoke, his single eye flickered with a cold, bone-chilling light.

"Today's battle is destined to make Remnant Wolf famous throughout the All-Star Archipelago! Even the All-Star Fierce Tiger shall be torn to shreds by the wolf fangs of my Remnant Wolf!"