The Sky-Tearing Evil Dog whimpered softly, clearly aggrieved by the punch earlier. It crept forward cautiously, ears lowered, tail tucked, as if begging for forgiveness.
Xiao Tianyang sighed and waved it over.
"Alright, come here."
The so-called vicious dog trotted up, wagging its tail eagerly.
"Sit!"
The dog sat.
"Lie down!"
It flopped onto the floor.
"Spin!"
It spun in place, tail wagging even faster, tongue lolling out in joy.
"…What the hell."
Watching this goofball perform like a circus act, Xiao Tianyang's mouth twitched.
I hope it just looks like a husky… please don't actually be one.
Trying to focus, he turned his attention to the system.
Ding!
Congratulations, host! Sky-Tearing Evil Dog has hatched. Would you like to generate a pet page?
"Yes."
A second status page unfolded beside his own, showing a new creature profile. At the top sat the smiling face of a familiar dog.
[Pet]: Sky-Tearing Evil Dog
[(Name Change Available: 1 time)]
[Physique]: Hidden Body – Can blend into surroundings, extremely difficult to detect.
[Soul Level]: Level 10 – Soul Warrior
[Soul Skills]: None
[Soul Bones]: None
[Martial Spirit]: Main Body – Sky-Tearing Evil Dog
Xiao Tianyang's eyes widened.
"It… it can level up? It can absorb soul rings?"
What he had thought was a goofy husky was in fact a serious, scalable soul beast!
"I take it back. This isn't a mutt—it's a treasure."
He stared at the cheerful idiot in front of him, tail still wagging like a propeller.
"…But that name. 'Sky-Tearing Evil Dog'? No way I'm yelling that in public."
After a short moment of thought, he clapped.
"I'll call you Bubu from now on."
The beast tilted its head. Clearly, it didn't understand.
Still, Xiao Tianyang grinned and used the system's one-time name change feature.
Sky-Tearing Evil Dog → Bubu
With that done, he felt oddly lighter. Bubu might be weird, but it was his weird.
Just as he relaxed, he caught sight of Bubu slowly turning its head… eyeing the furniture.
That look…
It was like saying: "Alright, furniture. I'll spare you while the master's here. But when he leaves… it's on."
Xiao Tianyang felt a chill.
"No way… this thing demolishes furniture too?"
Suddenly, the system reward didn't feel quite so free.
The next morning, Xiao Tianyang yawned as he got out of bed—only to freeze the moment he opened his eyes.
All the furniture in his room…
Destroyed.
The table, shattered. The chairs? Splinters. Cabinets? Gone. Only his bed had miraculously survived.
And in the middle of the wreckage, like a victorious general, stood Bubu—wagging his tail proudly, tongue out, looking up as if expecting praise.
Xiao Tianyang's mouth twitched.
"You're… amazing. Really."
The next moment—
Crash! Bang! Smack!
The house erupted with the sounds of righteous punishment and doggy howls.
When Xiao Tianyang finally stepped outside, he looked oddly refreshed.
Behind him, Bubu followed with a cheerful limp, tongue lolling out, as if nothing had happened.
Atop the usual hill, Xiao Tianyang began his warm-up. Meanwhile, Bubu, having raged all night, curled up nearby in the sun—snoring loudly, tongue out, drooling freely.
Before long, footsteps approached from behind.
But before Xiao Tianyang could turn—
Bubu's eyes snapped open. He leapt up, all trace of laziness gone, and darted in front of Xiao Tianyang like a loyal bodyguard. Teeth bared, eyes sharp, growling.
"Who are you?"
Tang San stopped in his tracks, raising an eyebrow. Then he looked at the young man beside the dog.
Xiao Tianyang raised a brow.
"…Who am I? You don't recognize me?"
Tang San frowned. The voice sounded familiar. He blinked.
"…Brother Tianyang?"
"Who else?"
Xiao Tianyang sighed. "What, did blacksmithing fry your brain? One night and you've already forgotten me?"
Tang San gawked. "It's really you?!"
"Bubu, relax. He's a friend."
The dog huffed, but obeyed.
Xiao Tianyang noticed Tang San still staring.
"What's with that expression? Did I grow another head overnight?"
Tang San opened his mouth, paused, then silently grabbed Xiao Tianyang by the arm.
"Come with me. You need to see this."
Near a pond in the woods outside the village, Xiao Tianyang stared at his reflection.
He blinked.
Then reached up, touching his face.
"…No way."
His hair—once short and black—was now long, white, and silky, flowing just to his shoulders like he'd stepped out of a salon. His facial features were sharper, more refined, the soft lines of youth replaced with something almost ethereal. Most striking of all were his eyes—now a cool gray, deep and luminous.
Even he barely recognized himself.
Sitting down, dazed, he muttered under his breath, too softly for Tang San to hear.
Tang San, however, was growing worried. Xiao Tianyang looked handsome, yes—but now he was acting… off.
"Brother Tianyang? Are you okay?"
"Huh?" Xiao Tianyang blinked and came back to reality. "Yeah, I'm good."
He touched his face again.
"…Just surprised by how handsome I became overnight. It's gonna take some getting used to."
Tang San: "…"
Still unsure, he asked again, "Are you really okay?"
Xiao Tianyang stood, stretched his arms, and grinned.
"I feel great! Like I could beat you ten times over."
"Well… as long as you're okay."
Tang San gave him a skeptical nod.
"Anyway," Xiao Tianyang said, brightening up, "let me introduce you to my new pet. I picked him up yesterday. His name's Bubu."
"Wang!"
Bubu trotted over and plopped down in front of Tang San, tail thumping. Then he raised a paw.
Tang San blinked. "Uh… what's he doing?"
Xiao Tianyang looked embarrassed. "He… wants to shake hands with you."
"…Oh."
Tang San cautiously reached out and took the paw.
Bubu grinned like a doofus.
And Xiao Tianyang could only stare at the scene, thinking to himself:
Why do I feel like I'm the one being raised here…