Present time…
Horo, now a personal disciple of High Elder May, resided in his new quarters. These quarters were directly connected to his master's, a significant change from his previous abode.
After returning from his last mission in the Moonlit City, Horo immediately resumed his cultivation. He had long reached the peak of the golden core realm and had been struggling to form his nascent soul for the past two months. He had anticipated that his experience from his past life would make the process easier, but it proved to be far more complex. It was as if an unseen force was hindering his progress.
Despite his skill [Passive energy circulation] evolving into the advanced skill [Restless Energy Collector], it was no use when he entered the next realm of cultivation. This realm required not only hard work and cultivation but also comprehension.
Horo hypothesized that something from the power system of this world was essential for the formation of his nascent soul, but he was far from understanding its nature.
Alma, his companion, worked tirelessly day and night to decipher the solution to entering the Nascent Soul Realm.
Horo yearned to ascend to the next realm on his cultivation path, as it marked his trial to enter the next stage. Moreover, if he succeeded, he would receive his last piece of origin and soul.
He believed that this would make him an unchallenged force in the upcoming tournament of Azure Moon Kingdom. However, it seemed that luck had not been on his side so far, and he only had about six more months before the tournament commenced.
Beyond his cultivation progress, Horo was also delighted by the awakening of his new companion, Kusho.
....
A while back, when the beast first emerged, Horo was astounded by the transformation in its appearance and the emergence of its newfound powers.
It was not just Horo who benefited from the contract.
It acquired numerous abilities compatible with Horo's powers, and it continued to benefit from Horo's gained powers while it hibernated within him.
It even received a pseudo soul module directly connected to Horo's module.
With it, he could check its notifications.
....
"A mutual companion contract has been formed between Host (Kusho) and Companion (Horo Trueheart)"
"Host has received a [True Name]"
"Host is evolving"
"Host has gained affinity with [Negative Energy]"
"Host has gained a trait [Negative Void]"
"Host has gained a secondary trait [Negative Claws]"
"Negative Claws has been imbued with [Sword Force]"
"[Negative Claws] has evolved into [Dark Claws of Severence]"
"Host has gained [Darkstar Pattern]"
"[Darkstar Pattern] has merged with Physique [Void Child]"
"[Darkstar Void] Physique has been born"
"Host's body grows tremendously"
"Host has gained [Starry Realm of Enlightenment] and [Spirit]"
"Host has gained affinity with [Shadows]"
"Host has gained the ability [Shadow Dweller]"
"Host has become a (Black Cloud Resident)"
"Host has gained the ability [Dark Beast Phantom]"
"Host has gained the ability [Silence]"
"Host's Soul has inherited a portion of your Fiend God Aura"
"Host's Soul has inherited a portion of your Emperor's Regal Aura"
"Host's Soul has become Imperial Fiend Beast Soul"
"Host's Soul grows tremendously"
"Host's stats now depend on Companion"
"Host has inherited memories from companion"
"Host has gained [Spirit Mana Core]"
"Host has gained Negative Immortal Core (Dantian)!"
"Host has finished evolving!!!"
"HOST HAS BECOME DARK VOID BEAST!!"
....
After reading these notifications, Horo checked Kusho's actual status, which appeared as expected except for the "Dependent on Companion" stats.
....
[ Name : Kusho ]
[ Tier: N/A
[ Spirit Mana Core: Golden ]
[ Negative Immortal Core : Awakened ]
[ Race : Dark Void Beast ]
[ Physique : Darkstar Void ]
[ Soul: Imperial Fiend Beast Soul ]
_____
[
[ STRENGTH : Dependent on Companion ]
[ AGILITY : Dependent on Companion ]
[ INTELLIGENCE : Dependent on Spirit ]
[ ENDURANCE: Dependent on Companion ]
[ LUCK: Dependent on Companion ]
[ HEALTH: Dependent on Companion ]
_____
[SPIRIT MANA: Dependent on Companion ]
[ NEGATIVE : Dependent on Companion ]
_____
[
[ Negative Void ]
[ Space Cutter ]
[ Dark Claws of Severence ]
[ Shadow Dweller Lv. 19 (Advanced) ]
[ Dark Beast Phantom (Advanced) ]
[ Void Skip ]
[ Void Transition]
[ Cloud Switch ]
_____
[
[ Starry Realm of Enlightenment ]
....
After viewing all of Kusho's information, Horo fully analyzed his appearance.
Kusho looked entirely different.
Firstly, he appeared much more majestic than he did previously. He resembled a giant 3-meter wolf without a tail. The difference lay in the smaller details, such as his paws. They were much longer and more robust than any wolf's, and his claws could extend much further than any creature Horo had ever witnessed.
Those same claws emitted a dull, flickering light that seemed to pierce the very fabric of space around them.
His fur had transformed into miniature, shimmering stars that alternated between a light and dark glow.
The stars stopped at his joints before his paws, and all the fur below that point had become as black as the void before creation.
His eyes now had a white sclera and pupil, while his iris was a dark void filled with constellations.
His limbs were packed with muscles and energy. Horo could sense that Kusho's unique physique was the reason for this. Unlike every other creature, Kusho lacked energy pathways, but instead, all his energies directly reinforced his physical structure.
With this newfound physique, Kusho's defensive abilities now matched his offensive prowess.