First Evolution

"Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear?"

Joy flickered in Su Wen's eyes.

The group stood in the treetops, looking down at the scene below. An injured Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear was roaring at a massive ink-black python, its body crouched low, teeth bared as it warned the other party off.

"Injured?" Yan Shaozhe raised an eyebrow.

Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bears were considered rare spirit beasts in the Star Dou Great Forest. Along the way, they had only encountered one ten-thousand-year specimen, but due to its terrifying combat power, even with Yan Shaozhe present, they had not provoked it and had instead kept their distance.

This Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, however, was just the right age. Judging by its size, it was around three to four thousand years old.

"That's no problem..."

The corners of Su Wen's mouth lifted.

As long as it was taken into the Pokeball, no matter what kind of injury it had the first time, it would instantly recover, equivalent to a "refresh." He had tested this on the Ice Sovereign, so he was in no hurry to act.

And in his field of vision—

Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear

Potential: 8

Cultivation: 3,700 years

Evaluation: A spirit beast species with extremely high average potential. Its combat and defense are both extremely abnormal existences among the entire spirit beast population. One of the best Pet Beast choices...

He also sighed in passing.

As expected of a Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear. The ink-black python opposite it was a full thirty to forty meters long, with sturdy scales on its back that absorbed most of the sunlight. It coiled on the tree trunk, its pupils cold and sinister. If not for the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, it would likely have been hard to find at all.

But on the python's back, there were also obvious injuries.

Looking at the panel again—

A Spirit Ink Snake with over thirty thousand years of cultivation. Its combat power definitely could not be considered weak among spirit beasts of the same level...

To be able to fight an existence with a cultivation seven or eight times higher than its own—this was the Xiao Yan of the Spirit Beast World, fighting above its level like it was nothing.

"If you've taken a liking to it, you need to act as soon as possible."

Yan Shaozhe reminded him from the side.

"Though the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear is powerful, against a thirty-thousand-year Spirit Ink Snake, being swallowed is only a matter of time. Of course, the Spirit Ink Snake will have to pay quite a price too..."

"Roar!"

Along with another furious roar from the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear—

The injury on its abdomen became even more obvious. There was a bloody hole there, as if the Spirit Ink Snake had bitten it hard. As time passed, the blood flowing out of its abdomen even became as thick and sticky as ink, causing its entire body to slowly stiffen.

"The Spirit Ink Snake... some scholars also classify it as poison-type. Its ability is that after biting its prey, it injects its own characteristic blood. This blood can merge into the opponent's blood, turning into something like congealed ink and slowly coagulating the opponent's blood..."

Su Wen silently recalled the knowledge from the library.

These years, living in the Sea God Pavilion, Mu En had tacitly allowed him to enter the library to study at any time. Thus, he had systematically studied Cultivation Techniques, spirit beast illustrated manuals, and difficult miscellaneous questions. Today, it could finally be put to use.

"Go!"

No longer hesitating, Su Wen hurled the Purple Pokeball tightly gripped in his palm. With the help of the wind, it flew precisely toward the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear.

"Roar!"

Two astonished gazes simultaneously turned toward the treetops.

The Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear instinctively wanted to flee, but the injuries within its body and its nearly coagulated blood left its brain short of blood. Dizzy and disoriented, it toppled headfirst to the ground, then was enveloped by a dense beam of white light.

"Hiss..."

A trace of anger flashed in the Spirit Ink Snake's cold eyes.

In order to hunt this Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, it had spent nearly half a month. Such a delicious and nourishing meal—several delicious feasts' worth—had now been handed over to someone else for nothing. Naturally, it was unwilling...

But a terrifying aura rose beside that weak human.

Seeing this, the Spirit Ink Snake could only quietly leave.

Couldn't afford to offend them. Couldn't afford it...

"Level thirty-one!"

The Purple Pokeball beneath the tree disappeared, then appeared in Su Wen's palm.

At the same time, the sound of some bottleneck shattering quietly rang out inside Su Wen.

Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear

Level: 31

Strength: 77.4 (5.0)

Speed: 12.4 (6.4)

Stamina: 65.4 (5.4)

Defense: 81.1 (10.1)

Skill: Dark Gold Dreadclaw (Brown)

Attribute: Metal (Ultimate)

Potential: 8 (Peerless Grade)

Next Evolution Stage: Behemoth

Fuck...

Su Wen's pupils suddenly contracted.

At first glance, these numbers made it look like a Soul Beast of seven or eight thousand years. Defense and strength in the seventies or eighties were practically seven or eight times those of Soul Beasts of the same tier!

But who could have imagined that this was only a thousand-year Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear?

And its skill, Dark Dread Golden Claw, was brown quality—two whole tiers higher than the Ice Sovereign's skill, "Ice Domain"! (Heaven, Earth, Profound, Yellow colors)

An Ultimate Metal Attribute was normal. If it weren't Ultimate, that would be the real problem...

But after rising to level thirty, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear hadn't advanced?

Was its second stage also the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear, or did Soul Beasts captured at this critical juncture automatically lose the ability to advance?

However, the Dark Gold Dreadclaw Bear's sheer power made him throw that question to the back of his mind.

He began inspecting Hurricane and the Ice Sovereign instead.

Storm Baboon

Level: 31

Strength: 14.4 (5.0)

Speed: 48.4 (6.4)

Stamina: 16.4 (5.4)

Defense: 14.1 (10.1)

Skills: Blade of Gale Wind (Cyan), Resurrecting Wind (Cyan)

Attribute: Gale Wind (Top Grade)

Potential: 8 (Peerless Grade)

Next Evolution Stage: Hurricane Demonic Ape

After changing into a Storm Baboon, Hurricane shot up from its original two and a half meters to around three meters. The muscle lines in its arms and legs grew increasingly pronounced, going from skinny to full and solid. At the same time, a faint purple pattern extended from the edges of its eye sockets toward its temples, and the fur across its body became even cleaner, as white as snow.

"As expected, its attribute advanced too!" Su Wen grinned.

Although gale wind still couldn't be considered an Ultimate Attribute, it was already very close. Similar to Wu Feng's fire attribute, this kind of wind was enough to rank among the best of all Wind Attributes. That made Hurricane's combat power surge, instantly advancing from a long-term backup who could only sit inside its Pokeball and watch every battle to a main fighter.

Agile Attack System Soul Masters had a future too.

The other newly appeared skill, Resurrecting Wind, could heal the target's injuries and even restore Soul Power and the like. It was just a little lacking compared with a professional "healer," but it still solved an urgent early-stage need, so it counted as a transitional skill.

Moreover, the main reason Hurricane could only sit off the field and watch before was that the Ice Sovereign's skill, "Ice Domain," made no distinction between friend and foe. Letting it out wouldn't have been much use, since its greatest advantage, speed, would have been mostly canceled out.

But now, things were different.

Ice Jade Emperor Scorpion

Level: 31

Strength: 41.4 (5.0)

Speed: 13.4 (6.4)

Stamina: 32.4 (5.4)

Defense: 59.1 (10.1)

Skills: Domain of Eternal Freeze (Purple), Ice Pincer (Cyan)

Attribute: Ice (Ultimate), Poison (Ordinary)

Potential: 7 (Unparalleled)

Next Evolution Stage: Frost Extreme Emperor Scorpion