It was happening!
That familiar feeling was back!
Purple Cloud felt an itch in its head, followed by a flood of knowledge appearing out of nowhere. It was a new skill, and it could already use it properly.
It felt like its brain was growing!
If it hadn't understood what was happening the first time, then this time, recalling what Xu Ran had just said, Purple Cloud suddenly got it.
Its Beast Tamer had taught it this skill!
At once, its gaze toward its Beast Tamer took on a new measure of reverence.
So my Beast Tamer is this amazing!
It patted the back of Xu Ran's hand with a little paw, its eyes shining with anticipation.
"Meow!" (Again!)
"Uh..." This time, it was Xu Ran's turn to feel awkward.
After awakening as a supernatural creature, Purple Cloud had become much smarter. Xu Ran had expected it to figure out he was involved after he taught it a few more skills.
But...
Once he finished teaching Self-Healing, it vanished just as Claw Edge had before. He didn't have another skill to teach Purple Cloud.
"Let's work together to bring in customers. Once we have more customers, I'll have new skills to teach you." Rather than explain the system's existence outright, he gently patted Purple Cloud's head to reassure it.
"Meow!" (Okay!)
Far from being disappointed, Purple Cloud wore an almost human look of realization.
So that's how it is!
My Beast Tamer works so hard grooming other Beast Tamers' Contract Beasts to make me stronger!
Previously, it had felt a little jealous when Xu Ran groomed other Beast Tamers' pets. Now, however, Purple Cloud felt guilty for having thought that way.
My Beast Tamer has endured all this humiliation for our family!
In that case, I have to work hard as his Contract Beast, too!
Purple Cloud raised its head slightly and gave Xu Ran a look that was three parts gratitude and seven parts determination.
A question mark slowly rose over Xu Ran's head.
Has this little one misunderstood something?
Never mind. It doesn't matter.
"The new skill you just learned is called Self-Healing. You should already know what it does," Xu Ran explained. "It speeds up your recovery when you're injured. It's very useful."
"There's no need to try it out right now. I was planning to take you training in a bit anyway. You might get hurt during training, so that'll be a good chance to test how quickly this skill heals you."
Purple Cloud's eyes gleamed.
It had picked out the key word in Xu Ran's remarks.
Training!
Is my Beast Tamer finally going to keep last night's promise and take me training?
After losing last night's battle, Purple Cloud was now fiercely determined to grow stronger and defeat Su Xiaoxiao's Blazing Fox. Its eyes instantly lit up, and it was raring to go.
Watching Xu Ran leave the boarding shop, then close and lock the door behind him, Purple Cloud felt a surge of gratitude.
From what it had observed, running a shop meant staying open during fixed hours. It was still noon, nowhere near the boarding shop's closing time.
My Beast Tamer closed early just to train me!
I'm so touched!
"Let's go. We'll buy some food suitable for you first." Holding Purple Cloud, Xu Ran set off, following the navigation directions. "The canned cat food you ate yesterday can't meet your daily nutritional needs anymore. Contract Beasts have their own special food."
As he spoke, Xu Ran's gaze flickered toward the two bottles of Stamina Potion stored in the system inventory.
According to his original plan, pet food wasn't the only thing he needed to buy for Purple Cloud.
Food could only meet its daily needs. When a Contract Beast expended large amounts of energy, it needed more valuable resources to recover. There were also resources that helped Contract Beasts grow stronger, which he would need to purchase as well.
But drawing those two bottles of Stamina Potion had reminded Xu Ran of something.
Perhaps he could obtain both of those latter categories through the system in the future.
So buying some everyday food would be enough.
That would save quite a bit of money. After all, he wasn't earning that much from grooming yet.
Purple Cloud knew nothing of Xu Ran's thoughts. Curled up in his arms, feeling the warmth from its Beast Tamer's chest, it was already looking forward to its new food.
It should taste pretty good, right?
"Boss, what kinds of Contract Beast food do you have here?"
Stepping into the Contract Beast supply store closest to his boarding shop, Xu Ran got straight to the point and asked the burly man inside.
"Oh, we've got plenty." The owner laughed. "Young man, are you buying food for this feline Contract Beast?"
"Yes." Xu Ran nodded. "Let me see what you've got that's suitable for feline Contract Beasts."
"No rush!" The owner smiled. "To find the right Contract Beast food, you also need to consider your Contract Beast's element. What element is this little cat?"
"Lightning." Xu Ran silently chided himself for the oversight.
He had to consider both species and element when grooming. Choosing food was clearly no different.
"Oh! Lightning types are pretty rare." The owner gave Purple Cloud a surprised look, then turned toward the densely packed cabinets inside the shop. "Give me a moment to look... I think it's over here... Ah, found it!"
Soon, the owner returned with an opened bag of food. He found a small bowl and scooped a little into it. "Little one, have a taste and see if you like it."
The food in the bag consisted of pieces roughly the size of jelly beans. It looked rather like ordinary cat kibble, except that the pieces were purple on the surface, much like the color of Purple Cloud's paw pads.
"Purple Cloud, give it a try." Since the owner offered samples, Xu Ran certainly wasn't going to refuse.
"Meow~"
Purple Cloud gave a soft cry, sprang out of Xu Ran's arms, and leaped over to the little bowl. It sniffed carefully, picking up a rich aroma.
The smell gave it the same feeling it had experienced when Xu Ran first offered it canned cat food yesterday, instantly whetting its appetite.
Purple Cloud gracefully lowered its head and devoured the kibble in the little bowl at remarkable speed. Then it raised a paw and licked it, looking thoroughly satisfied.
Tiny sparks of electricity danced across its body before disappearing.
Clearly, Purple Cloud loved this food.
"We'll take this one." Seeing its reaction, Xu Ran immediately took out his phone. "I'll buy a week's worth for now. How much?"
"One bag is exactly a week's worth." The owner seemed to have expected Xu Ran to buy it. Like a magician, he produced an unopened bag with the same packaging and handed it over. "That'll be thirteen hundred. Thank you for your business."
Xu Ran couldn't help grimacing.
Food alone for a Transcendent Rank Contract Beast cost five or six thousand a month. Beast Tamers really were powerful, but they really did burn through money, too.
Then again, he could earn a month's worth of food money for Purple Cloud from a single grooming session...
Hmm... That's me for you!
"Let's go, Purple Cloud. We're heading to the training grounds to train." Picking up Purple Cloud, who was curiously inspecting the other foods on the shelves, Xu Ran turned and left the Contract Beast supply store.
Next came today's main event: training!
Before you continue