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Ah Yue’s Little Cloud Dog quickly shifted sideways, creating distance before launching a long-range Mud Bomb attack.
Several large mud projectiles, about the size of bowls, sped toward their target. This was the Little Cloud Dog’s core skill—its power surpassing even that of the Earthquake Wave. If it hit, it could easily incapacitate the Little Skeleton.
“Reconstruct!” Mu Huiyue commanded.
“Reconstruct?” Ah Yue was puzzled. The Reconstruct skill was just a D-grade undead ability that allowed the Little Skeleton to piece itself back together. The Mud Bomb hadn’t even struck it yet, so why had Mu Huiyue ordered the use of Reconstruct now?
Click!
The Little Skeleton shattered into fragments before the Mud Bomb could hit, skillfully dodging the deadly attack. Its skull leapt backward, while the rest of its bones quickly reassembled, unscathed, before the mud projectiles hit the ground, splashing harmlessly on the edges of the battlefield.
“What?!” Ah Yue stared in disbelief. He hadn’t expected Reconstruct to work this way.
Mu Huiyue clenched her fist in satisfaction. Eren, her Little Skeleton, had perfectly understood the command. It was a smart little creature—just as she had expected.
Reconstruct didn’t allow the Little Skeleton to regenerate endlessly—if it could, it wouldn’t be a D-grade skill. It was more like an innate ability of undead creatures. Before its core was completely damaged and it lost all combat ability, the Reconstruct skill allowed it to reform as long as its core remained intact. This meant even if the rest of its body was injured, it could still move and fight.
The timing of Reconstruct shouldn’t be dictated by the opponent’s attack. The Little Skeleton could actively break apart its bones to adapt to different combat situations.
It required excellent battle awareness and control, and Eren was far more suited to the pace of battle than most of its kin.
“Don’t give up, Little Cloud Dog! Use Rock Teeth!” Ah Yue called out, regaining his composure.
The Little Cloud Dog’s canine teeth transformed into sharp, rocky points. It lunged forward, sinking its “teeth” into the Little Skeleton’s leg bone.
Eren froze, its entire skeletal form stiffening. Its jaws clicked uncontrollably—click, click, click.
If Eren had to rank the skills it most dreaded, being bitten by a dog would definitely top the list.
“Eren, Shadow Hide!” Mu Huiyue quickly adjusted her strategy, seeing that her Little Skeleton was struggling against the biting attack.
Shadow Hide could only be used when in a shadow. The battleground had been flat and featureless until now, with no shadows for Eren to merge into. But after the Earthquake Wave and Mud Bomb attacks, deep cracks had appeared, disrupting the balance of light and shadows.
Eren transformed into black mist and poured into the shadowed crevices, moving as fluidly as a fish in water.
“He actually learned Shadow Hide…” Ah Yue gritted his teeth. A low-tier elite species like the Little Skeleton couldn’t possibly have mastered a C-grade skill on its own—it had to be taught by the Beastmaster.
He extended his hand toward his Little Cloud Dog, grayish-brown energy crackling around his eyes. “Little Cloud Dog, unleash Maximum Earthquake Wave!“
A surge of earth-energy resonated between Ah Yue and his Little Cloud Dog. The creature’s aura spiked dramatically.
Earth Affinity Enhancement!
The Little Cloud Dog let out a long howl before leaping high into the air. With a powerful downward stomp, the entire battlefield cracked open as massive fissures spread. The shadowed Little Skeleton, now forced out of concealment, reappeared.
“Now! Mud Bomb!” Ah Yue shouted.
With the Beastmaster’s enhanced resonance, the Mud Bomb had grown several times larger. Eren’s scattered body wouldn’t be able to evade it this time.
Mu Huiyue, seeing the enormous mud projectile forming before her, thought quickly. “Use the shadows of the Mud Bomb to hide!”
Click!
In an instant, the Little Skeleton transformed into black mist once again. As the mud projectile rocketed toward it, Eren merged into the shadows cast by the crater below, narrowly dodging the attack. After emerging from the shadow, it leapt straight toward the Little Cloud Dog.
“Bone Strike!”
Mu Huiyue’s voice rang out at the same time as Eren’s bony leg swung. The attack landed with pinpoint precision, striking the Little Cloud Dog’s vulnerable spot.
“Howl—!” The Little Cloud Dog yelped in pain, stumbling back two steps, and the energy resonance around it began to dissipate.
“Little Cloud Dog!” Ah Yue called out in worry as the creature shook its head and struggled to its feet.
The damage from the Bone Strike was still too weak…
Mu Huiyue thought to herself. Even if it hit the vital spot, an E-grade skill wasn’t enough to take down a mid-tier War General like the Little Cloud Dog in one hit. At this point, the Little Skeleton only had that one offensive skill.
If only I could do what Ah Yue did, she mused, and enhance the power of my skills…
As the thought crossed her mind, she felt a warmth spreading from her heart to her limbs, eventually gathering in the Beastmaster’s space within her mind. It felt like the sensation she experienced when she consumed the petals of the Azure Blue Flower.
Her contract with the Little Skeleton pulsed with her heartbeat, dark energy flickering in her eyes. Eren, too, seemed to sense something, turning its head to glance at its Beastmaster.
Click!
Eren nodded firmly. Dark energy surged through its bones, resonating in sync with the bond between them.
Mu Huiyue clenched her fist and smiled. “Go ahead, give it your all—Maximum Bone Strike!”
This time, the black mist surrounding the elongated leg bone was much denser than before. Eren jumped high, using the rocks from the Earthquake Wave to leap with all its strength.
Enhanced Bone Strike—Critical Hit!
This time, there was no chance for the Little Cloud Dog to recover. It collapsed to the ground and didn’t rise again.
“Little Cloud Dog has lost combat ability. The Little Skeleton is victorious!” Coach Li Hai, who was acting as referee, stepped forward, confirming both combatants’ states. Afterward, he raised his hand toward Mu Huiyue. “The winner of this battle is Mu Huiyue!”
“…I won.” Mu Huiyue whispered to herself, feeling a surge of excitement that far surpassed her expectations. She stepped forward and bent down to gently high-five Eren. “Well done, Eren!”
Click, click, click!
“I lost.” Ah Yue sighed, holding his dazed Little Cloud Dog as he approached, sheepishly scratching his head. “I underestimated you. I’ve never seen such a powerful Little Skeleton. Its battle awareness, and its bond with you, are far better than what I have with my Little Cloud Dog.”
After losing the match, Ah Yue seemed intrigued by Mu Huiyue and asked, “Did you really just awaken a few days ago? No wonder you’re Mu Tong’s daughter.”
“This victory is between Eren and me, it has nothing to do with my father,” Mu Huiyue replied coldly. In truth, this was how she often appeared in front of others—stoic and distant.
“I’ll be going now, Coach Li,” she nodded, leaving the battlefield with her Little Skeleton.
“Why do you feel like a completely different person when you’re in battle… Did I say something wrong?” Ah Yue asked, still unsure of what had just happened.
Coach Li Hai rubbed his student’s head, “Alright, go treat Little Cloud Dog. You’ve had enough for today.”
Mu Huiyue walked back to her room with her Little Skeleton.
The dojo was massive, with not only the main battle arena but also large training fields tailored for various elemental beasts. As they passed a fire-element training ground, Mu Huiyue suddenly heard a long, deep howl.
“Awoooo—”
She froze for a moment, quickly realizing who it was. She hurried toward the source of the sound and, as expected, found a familiar creature in the center of the field.
“Pali, you’re here!”
A large canine creature stood in the center of the fire-themed training ground. Its thick white fur was tipped with fiery red, and its strong limbs moved gracefully. Its tail, once a curled cloud shape, now stretched into an irregular fan-like flame, as though a raging fire burned behind it.
It was the fire-elemental second-stage evolution of the Little Cloud Dog: the Redflame Combat Wolf.
[Name]: Pali (Little Cloud Dog → Redflame Combat Wolf)
[Attribute]: Fire
[Species Rank]: Mid-tier Monarch
[Growth Stage]: Fully Evolved
[Core Talent]: Crimson Lotus Flame (B-Rank)
[Inherent Skills]: Flame Charge (B-Rank), Fire Fang (C-Rank)
The Redflame Combat Wolf named Pali saw Mu Huiyue and wagged its tail, walking up to her before licking her soft cheek.
Woof.
Tiny sparks floated around it, and its tail and neck fur were ablaze with fire, yet the flames didn’t burn the girl petting it—a clear sign of the deep trust between them.
Only Eren, the Little Skeleton, was startled. It quickly activated Shadow Hide and retreated into Mu Huiyue’s shadow, its skull peeking out to observe the situation.
Oh, no… Eren thought. This huge white dog is even bigger than the last one. Not only could it bite my bones, it could probably swallow me whole without breaking a sweat.
Mu Huiyue gently stroked Pali’s warm, thick neck. Pali was her father Mu Tong’s first contracted beast. It had been with her since she was a child and had a special bond with her—almost like the only one she could truly confide in.
In her memories, Pali had never shown the typical fiery temperament of a fire-type beast. Instead, it had always comforted the stubborn little girl who was trying so hard but still couldn’t meet her father’s expectations. Mu Huiyue often found herself running to the dojo just to see Pali.
Compared to her father, who had buried himself in work after her mother disappeared, Pali’s gentle encouragement was the role her father had played in her childhood memories.
She had once told Pali, full of hope, that when she became a Beastmaster, she would contract a Little Cloud Dog just like him.
But what had Pali’s response been? It had looked at her with a hint of sadness, then shook its head, gently pushing her away with a paw—a rare moment of rejection.
Pali was the contracted beast that Mu Tong had “abandoned.”
Its core talent, Crimson Lotus Flame, had never found a higher-ranked skill. No matter how hard Pali tried, it could never raise its core talent beyond B-Rank. Because of this, it couldn’t undergo its third evolution into an Emperor-tier beast.
In fact, it wasn’t just the Little Cloud Dog—most extraordinary creatures only evolved to the Monarch rank at full maturity. The evolution path to becoming an Emperor-tier beast was a rare and difficult one. Pali had been Mu Tong’s primary beast until the day the Daybreak Flame Wolf appeared.
The High-tier Emperor Species: Daybreak Flame Wolf—not only did it possess the rare light attribute, but it also wielded fire, boasting over two A-tier fire-elemental skills. Every aspect of it was far stronger than the Redflame Combat Wolf.
Moreover, Mu Tong’s Beastmaster talent, Beastmaster Space Enhancement, allowed him to manage up to 21 contracted beasts after becoming a legend. With more powerful beasts sharing the burden of his energy cultivation, Pali, as his first contracted beast—one that had lost its growth potential—was naturally forgotten and relegated to being a sparring partner at the dojo.
Mu Huiyue had always liked Pali, but during the long period when she struggled to awaken, she had avoided seeing her.
An abandoned beast, rejected for not meeting expectations by a legendary Beastmaster—just like the daughter, rejected by a legendary father for her own failure to meet expectations. Pali was like a mirror to Mu Huiyue, constantly reminding her of a painful truth she wasn’t ready to face.
Woof.
Pali wagged its tail, once again licking the face of the girl who had grown up in its presence.
It didn’t understand why Mu Huiyue had stayed away for so long. It only remembered how she used to be downcast whenever they met. But today, she seemed different, her state much better, still the same determined girl it remembered.
Yes, Pali hadn’t given up. It had never conceded defeat to the Daybreak Flame Wolf.
Day after day, it trained at the dojo, chasing after that elusive, unknown chance of evolution—whether or not it truly existed.
Perhaps this was the real reason Mu Huiyue had been unable to face it for so long.
“I’ve awakened as a Beastmaster, Pali,” Mu Huiyue said with a smile, introducing her new contracted partner to the Redflame Combat Wolf.
The Little Skeleton quickly floated up from the shadow, standing tall under the watchful gaze of its predecessor.
“This is Eren,” Mu Huiyue proudly announced. “It just won a battle against Ah Yue’s Little Cloud Dog.”
Woof…
The Redflame Combat Wolf tilted its head, surprised, and lowered its gaze to examine the small skeleton. It had trained Ah Yue’s Little Cloud Dog before, so it found it hard to believe that such a small, fragile bone could have defeated it.
As the huge canine head leaned in closer to inspect, Eren tensed up, its joints locking in place. It was terrified that the elder wolf might suddenly lick it, but if that was going to happen… it would just have to take it! There was no way it could show weakness, especially not in front of its Beastmaster’s elder.
“Someday, we will be stronger than Mu Tong,” Mu Huiyue said, clenching her fist and holding it out toward Pali. “You think so too, don’t you?”
The Redflame Combat Wolf let out a long howl and nudged its nose against the girl’s fist.
Howl! (That’s for sure!)