"Purple Cloud isn't quite strong enough yet," Xu Ran admitted frankly. "Once it gets stronger, I hope we'll have a chance to spar."
"Of course." Gu Ling smiled. "Don't get the wrong idea, Mr. Xu. My Dark-Scaled Dragon loves fighting. Whenever it meets an opponent it respects, it wants to spar. There's absolutely nothing else to it."
"Roar!"
The Dark-Scaled Dragon nodded in agreement. Seeing that it wouldn't get a fight today, it folded its foreclaws across its chest and gave Purple Cloud a look that said, "I'll be waiting for our next battle."
What an arrogant jerk!
Purple Cloud wanted nothing more than to fight three hundred rounds with the Dark-Scaled Dragon right then, but remembering that all its opponent's skills had reached Starlight Level proficiency quickly cooled its head.
Its victory over the Blazing Fox had gone to its head a little, but now that restless pride gradually settled down.
Back when Purple Cloud had been a stray cat, it had witnessed the rules of survival among strays.
The strongest cat in a group could steal food that the others had worked hard to obtain. That meant it got enough nourishment every day, growing stronger and sturdier in a virtuous cycle.
The other cats lost some of their hard-earned food, went hungry every day, and grew increasingly scrawny, making them even easier to bully in a vicious cycle.
That was why a stray cat couldn't just become stronger. It had to work hard to become stronger than the other strays.
Those experiences had planted the seeds of aggression and competition deep in its bones. Now, under the Dark-Scaled Dragon's provocation, Purple Cloud's fighting spirit blazed to life.
It might be no match for the Dark-Scaled Dragon right now.
But it believed the day would come when it was stronger than the Dark-Scaled Dragon!
With 1% of its own hard work and 99% of its Beast Tamer's point allocation!
"I'm home!"
Gu Ling pushed open the door and called into the house.
"You're back, Ling'er!" A handsome middle-aged man emerged from the kitchen with a smile, carrying a pot of wonderfully fragrant soup. "Have you had lunch?"
"I have. Xiaoxiao and I ate at Liu's Beef Noodles." Gu Ling's expression held a trace of lingering pleasure. "It's been years, but it still tastes just like I remember."
"The noodles there really are good." The middle-aged man nodded slightly. "Even if you've had noodles, have some soup too. I just made Pork Trotter Soup~"
"I'll have a bowl!" Gu Ling's eyes lit up. Then she suddenly remembered what she had meant to do and cleared her throat. "Before that, Old Gu, I've got something to show you."
"What is it?"
The middle-aged man set the pot on the dining table and calmly wiped his hands.
A Six-Pointed Star Formation flickered behind Gu Ling as she summoned the Dark-Scaled Dragon standing outside into the house. "Ta-da~"
"Did you take it for grooming?" The middle-aged man smiled, then looked at the Dark-Scaled Dragon with a hint of surprise in his eyes. "The quality of this grooming... is excellent! Grooming at this level can actually influence a Contract Beast's condition to some extent."
"Xiaoxiao took me to a new shop. Its grooming services are better than those places in Cloud-Gathering City, but it's a little expensive."
"You get what you pay for." The middle-aged man smiled. "What's the shop called? The Red-Eyed Demon Dragon hasn't had Grooming in a while. I'll take it there and give it a try."
"It's called the Starfire Foster Shop." Gu Ling giggled. "But they don't take extra-large Contract Beasts."
"That's a shame." The middle-aged man spread his hands. "All right, let's enjoy this delicious Pork Trotter Soup!"
Father and daughter each ladled out a bowl and chatted as they ate.
"Your transfer is all arranged. The day after tomorrow, you'll be in the same class as Xiaoxiao." The middle-aged man took a blissful sip of soup. "Remember to make some more friends in your new class."
"I will, I will." Gu Ling picked up a tender, gelatinous piece of pork trotter and popped it into her mouth, mumbling, "Oh, right, Old Gu. You mentioned some Rookie Beast Tamer Challenge coming up soon, didn't you? Is it fun?"
"You want to enter?" No one knew a daughter better than her father, and the middle-aged man saw through Gu Ling at once. "It's something new they're trying. The championship prize is pretty good, but unfortunately, it won't mean much to you."
"I'm just worried the Dark-Scaled Dragon won't find any decent opponents." Gu Ling shook her head. "Back in Cloud-Gathering City, it picked fights with other Contract Beasts every few days."
"Roar~"
The Dark-Scaled Dragon beside them nodded in wholehearted agreement.
"Then go ahead." The middle-aged man thought for a moment. "I might be very busy for a while, but if you make it to the finals, I'll have to be there to cheer you on."
"It's a deal!" Gu Ling took a sip of soup.
So delicious.
Three days passed in a flash.
With its fighting spirit thoroughly ignited by the Dark-Scaled Dragon, Purple Cloud threw itself into a training frenzy.
Xu Ran had previously worried that he might not draw any more Stamina Potions once they ran out, so he had planned to keep one in reserve. But as he made more draws, he realized they weren't that difficult to obtain and stopped being so stingy.
The remaining two Stamina Potions were used up over those three days, raising the proficiency of all Purple Cloud's skills by a notch.
Even Blood Rage, its least proficient skill, had risen from (11/100) to (35/100). Electric Arc had made the fastest progress among its other skills and had now reached (87/100).
Such strenuous training substantially increased the power of every one of Purple Cloud's skills, while also rapidly boosting its growth progress.
Combined with point allocation and daily meals prepared by Xu Ran, Purple Cloud's growth progress rose from (183/500) to (251/500), finally passing the halfway mark.
Unfortunately, few Beast Tamers had come in for grooming over those three days, so he hadn't obtained any skills suited to Purple Cloud. Otherwise, it could have grown even stronger.
Even after reaching this point, Purple Cloud remained unsatisfied. Its goal was to reach Starlight Level in every skill, just like the Dark-Scaled Dragon, and then fight it!
Over those three days, the foster shop gained no new residents, but the Shadow-Hunting Lizard's condition improved day by day. Although it still provided fewer happiness points than the Steel-Armored Rhino, it gave far more than when it had first arrived.
Xu Ran couldn't help marveling at how right he had been to use delicious food to win it over.
Early on the fourth morning, Xu Ran prepared food for Purple Cloud and the two foster residents as usual, but the Steel-Armored Rhino seemed a little different.
"Roar~"
It let out a low roar at Xu Ran, its eyes gleaming with eagerness.
Xu Ran froze for a moment before realizing what was going on.
Du Heng had come to the shop yesterday to let him know that the Hunting Squad would be heading out again today. When he needed the Steel-Armored Rhino, he would summon it over.
"Eat up while you have time." Setting the Steel-Armored Rhino's food bowl in front of it, Xu Ran pumped a fist in encouragement. "You can do it!"
The Shadow-Hunting Lizard raised its head from its food bowl.
Over the past three days, its senior's optimism had rubbed off on it, easing much of the sorrow it felt over being abandoned by its Beast Tamer.
Now, it looked at the Steel-Armored Rhino with eyes full of admiration.
Suddenly, the Shadow-Hunting Lizard's eyes widened.
Behind the Steel-Armored Rhino, which had finished its meal, it saw a shining Six-Pointed Star Formation.
That was-!!!
The Shadow-Hunting Lizard watched in disbelief as the Steel-Armored Rhino vanished on the spot. Suddenly, its heart ached terribly, and even the delicious food in front of it lost its appeal.
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