Chapter 25: Click

After finalizing her plans, Mu Huiyue set off for the Changning Dojo, accompanied by her two contracted beasts.

The dojo was bustling with activity on this Sunday, with several combat arenas hosting battles and a variety of other creatures scattered throughout the training grounds. Despite their overall rarity, the little cloud dogs were prized stars of the Xingzhou region, making them a luxury for only those Beast Masters with a bit of wealth.

At the back of the fire-type arena, Mu Huiyue spotted the red flame fighting wolf, Pari. It had graciously given up its space for training apprentices, taking on the role of safety supervisor while resting at the back of the arena.

“Pari!” Mu Huiyue called out, waving her hand in greeting.

The tall, white wolf perked up its ears at the sound of her voice, rising to its feet and striding toward her with a regal air. Its long, flame-colored fur billowed in the wind, the flickering flames around its neck and tail adding to its majestic presence.

Pari nuzzled Mu Huiyue’s face affectionately, but suddenly paused, sensing the presence of a fellow wolf nearby. It lowered its head, recognizing the familiar energy from the little skeleton lingering in the shadows, along with a new little cloud dog, who stared wide-eyed at the powerful creature, wagging its tail eagerly.

“Woof!” Baiya, clearly excited by the sight of this impressive evolution, circled around Pari several times before finally positioning itself between the two.

“I’ve contracted a little cloud dog too, Pari,” Mu Huiyue said with a smile, giving Baiya an affectionate hug.

Pari’s gaze softened as it leaned closer, sniffing Baiya curiously. But then its expression darkened.

“Wang ao…” Pari thought to itself, sensing something amiss. This little cloud dog’s talent core was likely even weaker than its own, perhaps struggling to even achieve a single stage of evolution into a fighting wolf form.

If only Mu Huiyue could contract a little cloud dog with flame skills! She was a hardworking and talented Beast Master, deserving of the most promising creatures to help her reach greater heights.

But this little cloud dog… Pari sighed softly, recognizing that its current state mirrored Baiya’s future.

“Woof?” Baiya wagged its tail, puzzled by the sudden shift in Pari’s mood.

“I know what you mean, Pari,” Mu Huiyue reassured, stroking Pari’s thick neck fur, where little sparks of flame danced but caused her no harm. “I brought Baiya here to meet you for this very reason.”

“The evolutionary pathways for little cloud dogs are so diverse, I’m certain there are routes that the breeding bases haven’t yet discovered.”

“I will work with Baiya…”

She paused, her mind racing with possibilities for her little companion, filled with determination. After all, even the most elusive paths could lead to greatness, and she was ready to uncover them together.

Searching for ways to reach its strongest form, Mu Huiyue stroked the fluffy white puppy in her arms. “This is the bond between Baiya and me.”

The little cloud dog jumped down from Mu Huiyue’s embrace, standing tall and howling with determination.

“Woof—! (Even if I can’t evolve in the end, I will become the strongest little cloud dog—!)”

Pari paused, its fiery eyes focused on the little cloud dog and the human girl, a flicker of emotion passing through it.

If only its Beast Master could be as resolute…

What Mu had failed to achieve in the past, his daughter was now striving to complete.

“Woof!” Pari swung its long tail, responding to the little cloud dog’s bravado. It would help this little one, just as that small human girl had once stayed by its side when it felt abandoned.

“Click, click…” In the shadows, a small, rounded skull peeked out timidly. At the sight of this commotion, it quickly retreated.

The fear of being licked by the little cloud dog was something it could somewhat overcome, but the imposing figure of the red flame wolf was still a bit too overwhelming for the young skeleton.

Time flew by, and two months passed in the blink of an eye.

After meeting Pari, Mu Huiyue decided to move back into the dojo dormitory. During the day, when she attended school, Baiya remained at the dojo for special training under Pari’s watchful eye.

Ellen also spent most of his time in the training grounds of the Beast Space. When Mu Huiyue returned to the dojo, she had both her beasts engage in combat practice together.

During this time, Mu Huiyue’s ranking in the school selection competition rose to fifth place. Not long ago, she had defeated a teammate who used a Flame-Tailed Meow in a formal battle, taking over their ranking.

In the past two months, no new secret realms had appeared in Changning City. The investigators’ work had stalled, remaining in the early stages of knowledge gathering. Mu Huiyue took advantage of the time to read numerous investigation reports, gaining a preliminary understanding of the secret realms within the Da Yan territory.

Thanks to the battles in the school selection competition and the sparring in the dojo, she managed to accumulate enough resources for two ten-draw sessions, but unfortunately, she didn’t pull any rainbow SSR-tier items. However, she did gather quite a few SR-tier crystal seeds, prompting her to consider whether to unlock the farmland facility next.

One day after school, Mu Huiyue returned to the dojo, as usual, to check on Baiya in the training area.

In these two months, the little cloud dog had grown sturdier, its fur healthier and fluffier, its limbs stronger and more powerful. Its touch felt even better, and Mu Huiyue found herself unable to resist petting it for a while each day, relishing the relaxation after a long day of effort.

“Woof!” Spotting her Beast Master, Baiya let out a joyful bark and rushed over, leaping into her arms.

Mu Huiyue laughed as she caught the fluffy white puppy, giving its nose a gentle kiss before wrapping her arms around its body in an affectionate hug.

Name: Baiya (Little Cloud Dog)
Attribute: Dark
Species Level: Intermediate Warrior
Growth Stage: Stage Seven (Juvenile)
Talent Core: Howl (Dark, C-Rank)
Skills:

Dark Assault (Dark, C-Rank)

Shadow Ball (Dark, C-Rank)

Ice Fang (Ice, C-Rank)

Frost Claw (Ice, D-Rank)

Strengthen Body (Steel, D-Rank)
Base Hidden Energy Value: 7,580 P

After two months of hard work, along with feeding it various experience and physique fruits, Baiya had reached Stage Seven of its juvenile form and learned three new skills.

Among them, Ice Fang was drawn from the skill pool. Baiya’s adaptability to ice attributes was impressive, and since the skill book indicated that only Baiya could learn this skill among the contracted beasts, Mu Huiyue taught it to him.

Shadow Ball was learned during training at the dojo through a special teaching method, allowing it to condense dark energy into a spherical attack. It was Baiya’s only ranged attack skill at the moment.

Under Pari’s special training, Baiya’s combat awareness improved significantly. It began to understand how to leverage its advantages in various battle situations rather than recklessly charging in like before.

After all, even at the little cloud dog stage, no amount of reckless behavior would fool its teacher, Pari, who could easily rein it in.

However, Baiya’s love for a headstrong fighting style hadn’t changed much. Thanks to its excellent physical condition, it even learned the passive skill Strengthen Body (Steel, D-Rank) on its own.

This passive ability enhances the beast’s physical capabilities during combat, and after evolution, it would transform into Robust Physique (Steel, C-Rank), significantly boosting all of the beast’s abilities.

As a result, Baiya’s base hidden energy value reached a staggering 7,580 P at the juvenile stage. Considering the maximum energy value of 10,000 P at the full juvenile stage, Baiya’s value could rival that of many royal breeds in their juvenile forms.

Unfortunately, it still couldn’t learn the B-Rank recovery skill Moonlight. If it could, with Baiya’s formidable stamina combined with a recovery skill, it could wear down even much stronger opponents through relentless combat.

“How did today’s special training go?” Mu Huiyue asked, ruffling its fluffy head.

“Woof woof!” (I can handle Pari’s Flame Wheel now!)

dog, who was quite pleased with itself as it wagged its tail.

“Woof!” (Of course, it’s the juvenile version of the suppressed ultimate move!)

Pari, the Red Flame Wolf, strode over from the training ground, effortlessly bursting the little dog’s bubble of pride.

As a complete form of the Monarch race, Pari’s hidden energy value surpassed Baiya’s by a considerable margin. Even though Baiya belonged to a mythical race, it could never withstand a full-power attack from a complete form in its juvenile stage.

Mu Huiyue understood this well, but being able to withstand the juvenile version of the Flame Wheel was impressive enough.

Pari’s battle experience and skill proficiency were top-notch among complete forms, and being able to handle its attack meant that Baiya could take on any opponent’s Flame Wheel within the same tier.

“That’s my Baiya, so capable!” Mu Huiyue generously praised it, lifting the fluffy puppy high above her head.

“Woof woof!” Baiya’s tail wagged furiously; praise from its Beast Master was the best reward it could receive.

After giving Baiya ample compliments, Mu Huiyue returned it to the Beast Space, bidding farewell to Pari before heading back to her dorm to prepare dinner.

The food at the dojo’s cafeteria simply didn’t measure up, so Mu Huiyue ultimately chose to cook for herself. Besides, the pets preferred the food she made with her own hands.

On her way back to the dorm, Mu Huiyue noticed her shadow suddenly blur, its color deepening significantly.

“Ellen, are you done training?”

As she walked, she asked, knowing that after leaving the Beast Space, the little skeleton would usually slip right into her shadow. Ellen popped up with half of its skull emerging from the darkness, its entire frame emanating an air of exhaustion.

“Gurgle…” Its lower jaw remained hidden in the shadow as it spoke, sounding like it was bubbling.

(That Baiya is really pushing it… As soon as training ends, it goes straight to the training ground. At this rate, I’m going to fall behind…)

Mu Huiyue couldn’t help but chuckle, “You don’t need to push yourself so hard, Ellen. You’re already doing great!”

Unlike Baiya, the little cloud dog that relied heavily on its physical strength, Ellen’s combat style perfectly showcased the eerie and cunning nature of dark-type beasts.

Its innate battle instinct combined with its Shadow Concealment allowed Ellen to move like a ghost on the battlefield. No matter how powerful an opponent’s ultimate move was, if it couldn’t hit Ellen, it posed no threat.

Ellen was the type to rely on tactics and skills to determine the outcome of a battle. Given the diffEllence in species levels, it was only natural that its hidden energy value wouldn’t match Baiya’s at the same tier. Mu Huiyue had mentioned this specifically, yet Ellen still seemed very concerned, pushing itself to train hard to level up.

Mu Huiyue reached into her bracelet to sense the little skeleton hidden in the shadows…

skeleton.

Name: Ellen (Little Skeleton)

Attributes: Dark Type, Undead

Species Level: Low Elite

Growth Stage: Juvenile Level 9

Talent Core: Reorganization (Undead D-Class)

Skills: Bone Spike Assault (Dark Type C-Class), Shadow Concealment (Dark Type C-Class), Phosphorescent Fire (Fire Type C-Class), Bone Fluid (Steel Type D-Class)

Normal Hidden Energy Value: 7600P

Two months have passed, and Ellen has reached Juvenile Level 9, just a breath away from the critical point of evolution.

During one of its level-up sessions, Ellen’s bone-smashing skill evolved into the Dark Type C-Class Bone Spike Assault. Now, it can wield multiple bones as weapons simultaneously, enhancing its ability to stun opponents when striking vital points to about three seconds of immobilization.

Typically, a pet’s evolution boosts its species level, and there’s a high probability that the talent core and other skills will also improve.

The enhancement of the growth stage is referred to as a minor evolution, which usually increases physical abilities and normal hidden energy values. In rare cases, non-core skills may also see upgrades.

This indicates that the pet has fully grasped the essence of the skill at this stage. Its internal energy has matured to the point where it can utilize higher-level skills, naturally enabling it to learn advanced techniques.

Bone Spike Assault is an upgraded skill from the bone-smashing technique, and among the Teeth Guards, very few can master it.

Ellen can execute a C-Class Bone Spike Assault at the Little Skeleton stage, thanks not only to its exceptional battle awareness, allowing it to hit opponents’ vital points within a few rounds but also due to absorbing a considerable amount of the Eternal Blue Flower.

Even without learning a new skill, the fact that the bone-smashing technique can evolve into Bone Spike Assault is a testament to Ellen’s hard work over this period.

Just a few days ago, it pushed itself to reach Juvenile Level 9, overtaking Baiya’s previously superior hidden energy value by a slim margin.

Although it only surpassed Baiya by 20P, a lead is still a lead—even if it’s just 1P!

As for what comes next, when Baiya levels up again, Ellen anticipates that it will have evolved by then, and it’ll surely be one step ahead of the little dog.