Chapter 122

Compared to the time when it was a small cloud dog, White Fang’s size as a Frostnight Battle Wolf had increased by more than ten times, and it had gained three different types of A-grade skills.

Controlling one’s body and using learned skills is the instinct of extraordinary creatures, but on the battlefield, White Fang had to change its past tactical habits.

For example, moving with the agility of its small form, using stealth attacks with full force anytime and anywhere.

Higher-level skills meant greater power and higher consumption, along with the increased latent energy value after evolution.

How to balance these changes is a problem that every evolved beast must learn to adapt to.

The same goes for Beastmasters.

Mu Huiyue walked into the training ground, where Ellen and White Fang were in the middle of their combat practice for the day.

When they saw her coming, the two didn’t stop their attacks until the battle ended with a clear winner.

The winner was still Ellen.

White Fang lowered its tail in disappointment and sharpened its fangs, which had become even sharper after evolution.

How is it that, after evolving, I still can’t beat Senior Ellen…?!

Clearly, now, whether it’s the race level, latent energy value, or high-level skills, it should be at a disadvantage.

In the past month of training, Ellen had successfully leveled up, breaking through to the first stage of maturity.

He had fully absorbed the B-grade dark element resource, Death Mist Jewel. As a result, the accompanying Death Mist had become even thicker and more refined. Meanwhile, the C-grade skill Bone Ghost was also successfully upgraded in a small evolution, transforming into the B-grade undead control skill Necromantic Summon.

The same evolution had affected the C-grade dark element attack skill Bone Spike Assault, which had been upgraded to the B-grade dark element attack skill Bone Blade Piercing.

After the evolution, Bone Blade Piercing not only greatly increased in attack power, but also allowed Ellen to condense more bone blades at once, which could then be used in combination with the skeletons summoned by Necromantic Summon.

As a low-tier monarch species without any A-grade skills, the paper strength of the Fang Soldiers seemed to be inferior to that of the Frostnight Battle Wolves.

However, in combat practice, White Fang still lost more often than won.

“Clack clack.” (You shouldn’t have used Eclipse Impact with full force in your last attack, little dog.)

The tall and upright skeleton stepped forward, retracting the ivory bone blade in its hand.

“Awu?” (Why?)

White Fang tilted its head, earnestly seeking advice from Senior Ellen.

“Because Eclipse Impact couldn’t reliably hit Ellen, but the consumption gap after using it left you open to vulnerabilities, White Fang.”

Mu Huiyue’s voice replaced Ellen’s to answer.

“Woof!” White Fang’s bark immediately changed direction, and it affectionately nuzzled the Beastmaster’s hand, seeking a touch.

“Clack.” (Mu Huiyue is right.)

The skeleton opened its jaw bone, as if giving the Beastmaster a smile.

“Look at Ellen. When he judges that Bone Blade Piercing‘s power is enough, he doesn’t even stack on Calcification.”

“That’s the reason you lost to him—it’s the difference in combat experience… or rather, the precision in using skills.”

Mu Huiyue gently stroked the Frostnight Battle Wolf, analyzing the information received from the meditation feedback.

“In a situation where you can directly overwhelm the opponent, let’s set that aside. In an evenly matched 1v1 scenario, the use of skills is not always about higher-level skills having greater power and being more effective.”

“Take White Fang’s evolved core talent, Eternal Night Echo, for example. The effect of this skill fully replaces Howl and is even more powerful, but White Fang hasn’t been able to use it very smoothly in combat, right?”

“Woof.” The white wolf nodded seriously. From the meditation feedback, Mu Huiyue fully understood every detail of their combat practice. It indeed had trouble using this skill to interrupt the opponent’s attack.

“Because Eternal Night Echo has a longer skill wind-up than Howl, the previous tactic of creating gaps through Howl‘s instant suppression effect doesn’t work as smoothly anymore.”

“Also, the Eclipse Impact from earlier—it’s the advanced skill of Moon Blast, with tremendous power. Once it hits the target, it’s basically a guaranteed kill.”

“But Eclipse Impact also comes with a higher cost, and after using the skill, the recovery time is longer, leaving you more vulnerable to opening yourself up.”

Mu Huiyue continued, explaining that this wasn’t a characteristic of the skill itself, but rather the natural law of energy consumption. All creatures are the same in this regard—after performing a large action, more time is needed to recover to a state where the next step can be taken.

“But just because you’ve learned Eternal Night Echo, does that mean you’ve forgotten Howl, White Fang?”

“Woof…” White Fang shook its head, looking thoughtful.

The evolution of a skill doesn’t mean forgetting it. Only after fully mastering and understanding a lower-tier skill can one hope to intuitively comprehend its higher-tier counterpart.

The skill fusion evolution that White Fang underwent during its evolution was the same. It can use Eternal Night Echo, but it can also still use Howl and Intimidate.

It’s like a puppy learning to run—it also knows how to walk.

But not every situation requires running.

“Woof woof?” (In situations that require instant suppression, I should use Eternal Night Echo at Howl’s power level, not the full power of Eternal Night Echo, right?)

“That’s right!” Mu Huiyue smiled, hugging White Fang’s thick, soft neck fur and giving it a good scritch.

When it comes to combat, White Fang is undoubtedly a quick learner, the kind that gets it with just a little explanation.

“So your focus in practice from now on should be on subtracting.”

“Precisely control the power of each skill, make different judgments in different situations, and apply varying levels of power to maximize your advantages.”

“Woof!” (I understand!)

Having grasped this point, White Fang felt enlightened.

Just like in the last round of the battle where it lost to Senior Ellen, since it wasn’t sure if it could land a hit, the skill used at that moment was more for cover and feint, and Eclipse Impact didn’t need to be used with full force.

Eighty percent… no, around fifty percent of its power would have been enough. If it had reduced the consumption by half, after using Eclipse Impact, it wouldn’t have been left in a vulnerable state, giving the Fang Soldier the opportunity to land Bone Blade Piercing.

Looking back at the previous lost battle practices, every match actually had similar opportunities for a comeback.

The more it thought about it, the more excited it became. Its long tail behind it swished, like a wisp of smoke, flowing beautifully.

Mu Huiyue couldn’t help but reach out to touch that lovely tail.

Having set the training goals for White Fang, Mu Huiyue looked toward the crow perched at the edge of the training field.

“Harvey needs to practice subtracting too.”

The crow spread its wings, signaling its determination to work hard.

The tall skeleton walked over, and Mu Huiyue smiled as she looked at him.

Ellen had never made her worry about training. His control over his skills was precise enough that, during their training sessions, he often took on the role of a coach for the other two companions.

In terms of rank, Ellen was also steadily progressing. His most important task now was to make the Nightmare Rose Seed sprout and hatch into a true Nightmare Rose.

However, despite Mu Huiyue and Ellen trying many methods over the past month, the rose seed in the shadows hadn’t changed at all.

She had no clue how to cultivate this rare, extraordinary resource.

But there was no rush. Ellen had only just broken through to maturity, and it would still take a long time to prepare for the next evolutionary level. For now, they would just follow the usual pace and allow things to develop slowly.

After confirming the status of the three pet beasts, Mu Huiyue’s consciousness withdrew from the Beast Control Space, and she opened her eyes.

Today, in addition to harvesting the Heaven and Earth Five Metal Fruits and upgrading the Training Grounds, there was another matter to arrange.

Previously, the first batch of crystal seed plants in the Farmland facilities had matured, yielding a significant amount of high-quality attribute crystals.

Mu Huiyue kept the dark attribute crystals and sent some of the fire attribute crystals to Wen Li.

The Red Fire Worms had been in their cocoons for over a month, and recently they had absorbed a considerable amount of fire crystals. Calculating the time, the cocoon should break open in the next few days.

Mu Huiyue had agreed to meet with Wen Li today to see if there was any way she could assist with the hatching of the worm cocoons.

The cultivation cycle of insect-type extraordinary creatures is short, and they grow quickly, making them ideal pets for early-stage training, especially in situations like Wen Li’s, where her Beast Control talent could provide a significant boost.

Since the Red Fire Worms entered their cocoons, Wen Li had been using her Bloodburn talent to nurture them, never relaxing for a moment.

In the days leading up to hatching, Wen Li rented a property cultivation room provided by the school, modifying the environment to suit the growth of fire-type beasts and keeping a close watch on the condition of the Red Fire Worms’ cocoons.

The two had agreed to meet in the attribute cultivation room. Mu Huiyue knocked on the door, but after a long while, there was no response, which made her feel a little puzzled.

She checked her phone, and Wen Li hadn’t sent any new messages either.

Suddenly, there was a noise at the door, and it was Yanxi Miao who opened it, leading Mu Huiyue into the cultivation room.

The temperature here was very high, with large patches of fire attribute crystals scattered across the floor. Under the influence of Wen Li’s Bloodburn talent, the room seemed to transform into a small volcanic crater, with every breath of air carrying a scorching heat.

“Chou chou chou chou Yue Yue Yue, what should we do ah ah ah ah——” Wen Li, rolling up her sleeves, helplessly cradled the cocoon in her hands, looking frantically at her friend who had just entered.

Flames etched into her skin covered her body, extending from her face and arms all the way to the cocoon she held. The intense firelight flowed between the lines, flickering with a peculiar rhythm that never ceased.

“Relax and breathe slowly,” Mu Huiyue quickly reassured her, guiding Wen Li to match her breathing rhythm. They took two deep breaths together, and Wen Li slowly started to calm down.

The flickering firelight within the patterns seemed to adjust its frequency as well, gradually synchronizing with Wen Li’s heartbeat.

“I wanted to check on Xiao Chi’s condition, but as soon as I touched the cocoon, this happened…” Wen Li carefully maintained her posture and whispered, “The energy from Bloodburn is flowing through these lines, and I can’t seem to stop…”

“It’s okay, Xiao Chi is about to hatch,” Mu Huiyue said with a gentle smile.

She could already sense the little life inside the cocoon, radiating feelings of joy and excitement.

The flickering firelight grew faster and faster, just like Wen Li’s heart, which was gradually accelerating. Waves of energy echoed throughout the cultivation room.

The Red Fire Worm’s cocoon had finally absorbed enough fire energy, and it burst forth with a clear, radiant glow.

The light of evolution!

The round cocoon cracked open in the glow, and a pair of enormous wings slowly unfurled.

When the brilliance faded, the cocoon had completely disappeared, replaced by a magnificent moth.

Its wings were covered in fiery flame patterns, with bright firelight flowing subtly, resembling the effects of Wen Li’s Bloodburn talent.

Beneath its wings, the moth’s body was round and full, its eyes deep and narrow, and a collar of soft fur surrounded its chest, with threads of fiery flow drifting from its edges.

Its size was about half a meter, and it flapped its wings, hovering above Wen Li’s head like a late-night hat adorned with fiery tassels.

An invisible sense of deterrence spread as it flapped its wings, gently scattering the sparks floating around.

The temperature in the cultivation room suddenly rose significantly, and all the fire attribute crystals on the ground exploded. The burning red flames gathered in mid-air and eventually all merged into the beautiful moth’s body.

B-rank fire attribute skill Intimidation and A-rank fire attribute status skill Fire Devouring Body.

This was the high-tier monarch species, the Fire Velvet Moth!

“Xiao Chi…!” Wen Li, witnessing the evolution of the Red Fire Worm firsthand, was so moved she had tears in her eyes.

“That’s amazing, you’ve successfully evolved into a Fire Velvet Moth!”

“Mm~” The moth, which had been perched on her head, slowly flew down, leaving a trail of sparkling scale powder in its wake.

Mu Huiyue also showed a touch of sentimentality. No matter how many times she had seen it, the moment when an extraordinary creature evolved still moved her deeply.

Xiao Chi responded to the Beast Master’s hard work throughout the semester. With the evolution into a Fire Velvet Moth, Wen Li would now be able to perform even better in the upcoming final exams.