Hou

On the outskirts of Sunset Forest, a peculiar beast leaped between the branches.

It had a horn on its head. Its forepaws and hind legs were immensely swollen, their explosive muscle lines making it look exceptionally strong.

A bone spike protruded from its tail, while its body was black streaked with silver stripes.

At last, it arrived before a mountainside overgrown with weeds. It seemed to roar a few times, and the weeds and shrubs slowly parted to either side, revealing a cave.

The strange beast walked into the cave. Once it had entered, the plants covered the cave again.

"Oh, you're back?" A pair of blue eyes opened and looked at the beast.

"Roar! Roar!" the beast replied.

Clearly, these two were Bai Xiao and the Black Leopard. Except, in a sense, the Black Leopard was no longer a Black Leopard, but a synthetic beast.

Naturally, it was Bai Xiao's handiwork.

After the previous battle, Bai Xiao had subdued the Black Leopard. Partly because of gratitude—after all, Bai Xiao had saved it—and partly because of Bai Xiao's strength. Soul Beasts were naturally inclined to submit to the strong. Besides, could the Black Leopard even have gotten away if it wanted to?

Bai Xiao discovered that the Black Leopard had many wounds, some so deep that bone showed. It broke Bai Xiao's heart!

So he immediately used his Martial Soul to create anesthetic toxins and knock the Black Leopard out, then dragged it onto the operating table—usually Bai Xiao's laboratory.

After Bai Xiao's series of treatments—modifications—the Black Leopard felt as though it had been reborn. (Black Leopard: Didn't I become an entirely different species? Even my mother wouldn't recognize me.)

At first, the Black Leopard was somewhat unaccustomed to it. After all, this was Bai Xiao's first time performing such surgery—modification. But it was fine. Bai Xiao said, "What aren't you satisfied with? We can change it!"

The Black Leopard had no idea how many times it had been anesthetized before it was finally modified into its current form. Its speed, strength, and agility had all improved dramatically. It had practically become a weapon born solely for battle.

During the surgery—experiment—Bai Xiao used his Cell Martial Soul to implant tissues from other Soul Beasts he had previously collected into the Black Leopard's body, fusing them with its own tissues.

Thanks to Bai Xiao's Martial Soul, the two would not experience rejection at all. On the contrary, the joined areas were nearly impossible to see.

After the surgery, Bai Xiao also used his Martial Soul to accelerate cell division in the Black Leopard's injured areas. Bai Xiao's experiments proved that the joined areas would not become weaknesses.

Bai Xiao had even deliberately fused his own flesh and blood with the Black Leopard's flesh and blood, then differentiated it into neural tissue. He implanted it into the back of the Black Leopard's neck, allowing Bai Xiao and the Black Leopard to communicate simply.

Based on the state of the brains in high-level Soul Beast corpses, Bai Xiao also catalyzed the Black Leopard's brain development, greatly opening its intelligence.

Only now did the Black Leopard truly count as Bai Xiao's companion. Bai Xiao named the Black Leopard in its current form "Hou."

"Little Hou, you said you found a hundred-year-old plant Soul Beast!"

"Roar roar. (Yes.)"

"Good. I'll make preparations, then you can take me there," Bai Xiao said.

"Roar~" Hou lay down, closed his eyes, and began to rest.

Before long, Bai Xiao had packed up. Seeing this, Hou immediately rose. Bai Xiao braced himself with his left hand and sprang up with both legs, landing on Hou's back. After all, Bai Xiao's body was only six years old now.

"Go!" Bai Xiao said.

Hou moved his claws and began sprinting toward the cave entrance. The plants concealing it opened the entrance before they arrived, then covered it again after the two had passed through.

A black figure leaped between the branches, advancing toward the depths of Sunset Forest.