"Crack--"
On the eggshell, yet another crack appeared.
Yu Chen could not help clenching his fists. "Future partner, you can do it!"
The cracks grew larger and larger.
Finally, a small head poked out.
Yu Chen looked closely and saw that this was a Silver Hatchling.
Its size was about that of a puppy, its whole body covered in liquid-like, silvery-white scales. On top of its head were two horns, a pair of purplish-gold vertical pupils, sharp claws, and a pair of silver dragon wings sprouting from its back.
"A new species?"
A flash of sharp insight appeared in Yu Chen's eyes.
He searched his memories of the Pokédex, only to find that not a single one matched the creature before him.
"Little fellow, hello, my name is Yu Chen!"
Yu Chen crouched down, flashing a brilliant smile.
However, the "Pokémon" did not respond, merely staring at him blankly.
Gu Yuena surveyed everything around her.
A simple, unadorned room, a human child of six or seven years old, and the special connection between herself and him...
"I... I actually became someone's Martial Soul!"
Boom--
In an instant, Gu Yuena's mind went completely blank.
Becoming someone else's Martial Soul!
How could this be!
Even the Dragon God did not possess the ability to directly turn a deity into the Martial Soul of a mere child.
Yet...
Gu Yuena tried, but no matter what she did, she could not sever the connection between herself and Yu Chen.
Furthermore, she discovered that her current state was exceptionally poor.
Not only had her body transformed into a Martial Soul, but the power of this Martial Soul was also extremely weak, almost comparable to a Hundred-Year Soul Beast.
The only thing that brought Gu Yuena a shred of comfort was that her soul remained relatively intact.
"Slap--"
Just as Gu Yuena was lost in a daze, she suddenly felt a pat strike her backside.
"Why is there no reaction?"
"Could it be mentally disabled?"
Yu Chen furrowed his brow slightly and scooped the "Pokémon" into his arms.
Smack, smack, smack-he continuously patted its backside.
Having worked at a research institute for many years, he had long since committed Pokémon care knowledge to memory.
Just like human infants, newborn Pokémon needed to learn to breathe immediately. Whether crying or laughing, they had to be made to produce a sound.
Smack, smack, smack--
Yu Chen's hands did not stop, each strike heavier than the last.
"Bastard!"
"Abominable human, how dare you hit me!"
Gu Yuena wriggled her body, struggling fiercely, yet she was utterly unable to break free from Yu Chen's clutches.
As a god-tier Soul Beast, Yu Chen's slaps did not hurt her at all.
However...
Being spanked by a six-year-old child filled her with incomparable shame!
"Iya, iya--"
Gu Yuena's sounds of protest entered Yu Chen's ears, transforming into a burst of adorable Growl.
"It finally spoke, you scared me to death."
Yu Chen let out a sigh of relief and placed the "Pokémon" onto the bed.
Looking at the cute little dragon, he smiled knowingly. "Since you're a new species of Pokémon, let me give you a name. How about Xiao Bai?"
"Iya!" (Abominable!)
"Xiao Bai, it seems you really like this name."
"Yi-ya, yi-ya!" (Bastard, I'm going to kill you!)
Yu Chen smiled and scooped Xiao Bai back into his arms.
Gu Yuena struggled fiercely, but all her efforts were in vain.
"Xiao Bai, as your partner, I'll be the one taking care of and training you from now on."
Yu Chen's tone carried a hint of excitement.
Though she was a Martial Soul, Xiao Bai possessed an independent soul.
In his eyes, she was no different from the Pokémon of his past life.
Pity he lacked a Pokémon scanner; he had no idea what Xiao Bai's specific attributes and abilities were, so he would just have to figure them out slowly in the future.
Back Mountain, within the woods.
Yu Chen was cultivating, and the Xiao Bai Dragon sat upon a rock to sunbathe.
For these past three months, he had maintained his released Martial Soul for the majority of the time, only recalling it once his Soul Power consumption exceeded the halfway mark.
A trainer had to constantly foster bonds with his Pokémon.
"Crack!"
Yu Chen raised his fist and smashed it down against a tree trunk as thick as a water bucket, and a fissure instantly appeared in the bark.
"Just as I thought!"
"Humans in the Pokémon world have completely abnormal physical qualities!"
Yu Chen felt the surging strength within his body, and a trace of emotion stirred in his heart.
Ever since he was three years old, Yu Chen had discovered that his physique was somewhat unusual. The most direct manifestation was that ordinary children could only eat half a bowl of rice per meal, while he could eat three large bowls.
Fortunately, Old Tom was the village chief, or else he wouldn't even have been able to afford to feed him.
Yu Chen began exercising from a young age-running, strength training, endurance... After finishing his workouts, not only did he not feel tired, but he actually felt even more energetic!
To prevent others from discovering anything unusual, he had always hidden in the small woods to train.
After awakening his Martial Soul, Yu Chen felt his personal strength grow even stronger.
Naturally, his appetite had also doubled.
"Never would I have expected the Golden Dragon King to also manifest upon him, and in the true form of a Martial Soul, no less!"
Gu Yuena watched Yu Chen, her eyes flickering with uncertainty.
Over the span of three months, she had finally accepted the reality of becoming a Martial Soul.
She had also discovered Yu Chen's Second Martial Soul.
Under normal circumstances, deities and divine beasts had no way of directly becoming a human's Martial Soul, because a human's body was far too fragile and fundamentally incapable of bearing divine power.
Unless one was the inheritor of a deity.
Or else...
After a deity died, in order to live out a second life, they transformed into a Martial Soul and attached themselves to a human.
"Is the Golden Dragon King already dead...?"
"How can this be!"
Aside from her shock, a trace of sorrow also welled up within Gu Yuena's heart.
She and the Golden Dragon King were both avatars of the Dragon God; as long as one devoured the other, there was a chance to obtain the Dragon God's complete power.
For tens of thousands of years, the two had viewed each other as enemies.
During the previous Divine War, the Soul Beast Deities were defeated by the Human Deities. The Golden Dragon King was sealed within the Divine Realm, and she herself suffered heavy injuries, fleeing all the way to the Douroland.
Gu Yuena had still been planning to counterattack the Divine Realm, rescue the Golden Dragon King, and then devour him.
Never had she imagined...
That the two former Sovereigns of the Soul Beasts would both end up reduced to such a plight.
"The Golden Dragon King's eye for talent isn't bad."
Gu Yuena looked toward Yu Chen, quickly figuring out the crux of the matter.
"This brat's bodily strength is simply no different from a Soul Beast's. Even without the Golden Dragon King's bloodline power, he is still a monster."
"Twin Martial Souls!"
"Innate Full Soul Power!"
"With the assistance of myself and the Golden Dragon King, as long as he doesn't suffer an untimely death halfway, he will definitely reach level 100 and become a god."
It was just that...
A Martial Soul transformed into a deity would never exceed the host's rank.
Even if Yu Chen became a God King, she and the Golden Dragon King could only become First-Level Gods.
Two First-Level Gods?
Does he have the ability to protect the Soul Beast Clan?
Gu Yuena felt a profound wave of despair.
She would rather die in battle, split apart by the sword of the Asura God with her soul scattering into nothingness, than abandon the Soul Beast Clan to survive on her own.
"Swish--"
Yu Chen threw a branch with force and shouted, "Xiao Bai, go fetch it back!"
"Damn it, what does this little brat take me for!"
"A dog?"
Gu Yuena instantly felt a surge of anger ignite from the depths of her heart.
"Roar--"
She opened her mouth, and a ball of flames spewed out.
"Hot, hot, hot--!"
Caught off guard, Yu Chen was directly engulfed by the flames.
In the span of a few breaths, all his clothes were burned to ashes, and a significant portion of his hair was scorched as well.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
"Xiao Bai, you actually possess the ability to use fire!"
Yu Chen spoke, black smoke puffing out from his mouth.
There was a special bond between Pokémon and their trainers. Attacks landing on one's own trainer fell under the category of heavy smoke with zero damage.
Otherwise, Ash could never have withstood a Thunderbolt head-on.
"Hmph!"
Gu Yuena tilted her head, a sound of disdain escaping from her nostrils.
Fire, water, earth, wind, light, darkness, space...
Elemental manipulation was one of her most fundamental yet most powerful abilities.
"In that case, I roughly know the training direction for the future!"
Joy appeared on Yu Chen's face, completely unbothered by Xiao Bai's haughty attitude.
Having worked part-time at the research institute for over a decade, Yu Chen's understanding of Pokémon was no less than that of those Gym Leaders.
Fire-type happened to be one of the directions he understood best.
Not only that, but he also had a preliminary plan for his First Soul Ring.
"Xiao Bai, fire-type moves have high burst damage, but their soul power consumption is a bit large."
As Yu Chen spoke, he picked up Gu Yuena.
She struggled symbolically for a moment, then gave in to the resistance, letting Yu Chen pet her.
"I'll teach you a versatile move, Rest, which can quickly recover energy."
"Close your eyes and breathe to my rhythm."
"Inhale~ Inhale~"
"Exhale~"
In the Pokémon world, Rest could vastly restore the user's vitality and cure all status conditions such as burn, poisoning, paralysis, freezing, and sleep.
The cost was the inability to move or use signature moves.
Except for Sleep Talk, Snore, and certain Ghost-type skills.
On the other side.
Gu Yuena speechlessly rolled her eyes.
Did sleeping still need to be taught?
When she was at the Lake of Life, she could sleep for decades at a stretch.
Yet, she still closed her eyes.
Because if she didn't follow along, this inherently wicked little brat would spank her bottom again.
The Star Dou Great Forest.
The Lake of Life, an Alternate-Dimension Space at the bottom of the lake.
The Silver Giant Dragon abruptly opened her eyes.
"I'm back!"
"Roar--"
Feeling the abundant power within her body, Gu Yuena couldn't help letting out a long roar.
In an instant, space trembled.
Ripples after ripples oscillated outward, directly kicking off a massive Earthquake in the soul beast forest on the ground.
"Could it all have been a dream?"
Gu Yuena let out a long sigh of relief, her heart calming down.
These three months were the most profound, most agonizing, and most humiliating three months of her long draconic life.
She had actually turned into someone else's Martial Soul, and even had her bottom spanked by a little brat!
Yet the next moment, an abrupt voice sounded out.
"Xiao Bai, you're not being a good girl."
Gu Yuena turned her head, and once again saw those innocent and harmless eyes of Yu Chen.
Before you continue