Bai Tianlong stood quietly in his courtyard.
The Heaven Plundering Scripture, along with the Bai Clan's spellbook and the Five Element Sword Technique, lay untouched on the table. Just moments ago, he'd been ready to rush to the clan hall, filled with the naive urge to pass on his newfound cultivation technique to his grandfather.
But the Sage had already stopped him.
And what he revealed changed everything.
His grandfather's injuries were far worse than they appeared. Even with the Heaven Plundering Scripture in hand, the transformation could kill him. Unless… unless Tianlong could find a Monarch-grade treasure—a healing treasure powerful enough to restore part of his grandfather's crumbling foundation.
Even one such treasure was something most great clans across the continent couldn't obtain in a hundred years.
Tianlong exhaled slowly.
"So this is where the road really begins..."
He turned from the table and sat down cross-legged on the meditation mat. His eyes glanced toward the sky.
Not long ago, he would've acted out of pure instinct. But now… he had to play a long game.
"I can't let anyone in the clan see this technique—not yet. I can't even let them know about Master... or the system..."
There was too much at stake.
If word got out… if someone even suspected he'd gained something beyond the mortal norm, even his own blood might look at him differently. A genius? Or a reincarnated old monster? Worse—a vessel for something ancient and malevolent?
The fear of the unknown could turn even kin into enemies.
"I'll wait," he said aloud, as if sealing a promise to himself. "I'll return with power and answers. Then I'll bring Grandfather what he deserves."
He closed his eyes and began circulating his qi.
He would cultivate, and wait for the day he could walk out into the world as more than just a youth with secrets.
He would return with answers—and with strength that could silence all doubts.
---
Three days passed.
In that time, Bai Tianlong did not leave his courtyard once.
He cultivated with single-minded focus—absorbing, circulating, refining. Every breath was a battle of control, every movement guided by the meticulously annotated notes passed down by the Bai clan's ancestors. He followed the first volume of the Five Element Sword Technique not as a swordsman, but as a spiritual cultivator, drawing from the elemental balance within his newly awakened root.
On the morning of the fourth day, as the rising sun bathed the sky in vermillion light, Bai Tianlong's body trembled.
A soft hum resonated through the courtyard.
Then—click.
A lock deep within his meridians opened.
His spiritual sea stirred.
And a single wisp of silvery-white qi ignited in his dantian, as soft as smoke yet brighter than moonlight.
"Qi Condensation... First Stage," he muttered, barely believing the words as he exhaled.
It had only been a few days, and yet his soul, body, and energy had begun their first true transformation. He wasn't just cultivating anymore.
He was now a cultivator.
And as if heaven and earth acknowledged his advancement, something stirred behind him.
He turned.
Little Yan—his sleepy lion cub—was glowing faintly. A dim aura of heat pulsed from his body, subtle yet tangible. The cub yawned, revealing small, sharp teeth, and stretched lazily like a cat that had just woken from a deep slumber. But Bai Tianlong noticed it immediately—Little Yan had grown. A few centimeters taller, his muscles more defined, his coat more lustrous.
"Did he... respond to my breakthrough?" Tianlong's eyes narrowed in wonder.
But that wasn't all.
The Void Egg—resting in a formation plate to absorb ambient qi—shone with a dim but sacred glow. The runes on the egg's shell flickered in response to his breakthrough, as if something within it had awakened ever so slightly.
Then, as if the system sensed his observation, two semi-transparent screens materialized in front of his vision.
---
[Beast Companion: Little Yan]
Stage: Mortal Beast
Current Cultivation Path: Demon Beast Progression
Evolution Progress: 72/100
Estimated Time to Evolution: 30 Days
---
[Beast Companion: Void Eagle Egg]
Status: Dormant
Spiritual Pulse Detected
Estimated Time to Hatching: → 180 Days
---
Tianlong's heart stirred.
"Feedback…" he murmured, realization dawning. "When I rise… they rise too."
The feedback link wasn't a one-way street. Even though his bond with Little Yan was still relatively shallow, his own cultivation was beginning to subtly nurture his beast companions. This—this was the true foundation of the Imperial Beast Tamer path.
Not just contracts. Not just taming.
Growth. Mutual growth.
He stood in silence for a while, watching the faint golden light fade from Little Yan's fur and the quiet pulse within the Void Egg.
"One month," he whispered. "You'll step onto the Demon Beast realm in one month."
His gaze shifted to the egg.
"And you... six months more."
He clenched his fists, both excitement and pressure surging in his chest.
That gave him a clear deadline. In one month, Little Yan would evolve. And if he wanted to keep up, to lead his beasts—not be dragged behind—he had to keep pushing forward.
His path had just begun.
But it was already speeding ahead like a tide that waited for no one.
---
Bai Tianlong sat beneath the shade of the plum blossom tree, watching the last flickers of qi vanish into the morning mist. His breathing was calm, his expression composed—yet behind his eyes burned a quiet fire of momentum.
The system screen had already faded, but its meaning lingered in his thoughts.
"Qi Condensation First Stage... now begins the true path."
But he knew better than to let one step lull him into false comfort.
He sat in silence for a while longer, his gaze drifting toward the avatar resting under the shade of a twisted stone outcrop.
White Fang.
Now curled in a spiral, the white-scaled Poison Water Dragon Boa looked like a mythical beast lying in wait. Ever since its evolution, it had only grown more intimidating. Even in rest, its aura rippled faintly across the courtyard. The jade-like scales shimmered with moisture and poison-light, and the beast's slitted eyes flickered open every so often, scanning its surroundings as if dreaming of combat.
Bai Tianlong's lips curled into a thoughtful smile.
"Now that I've broken through to the first level of Qi Condensation," he muttered to himself, "and it'll take some time before I reach the second and higher stages..."
He trailed off, his eyes narrowing.
Then he nodded, decision solidifying in his heart.
"It's time to turn my focus back to you."
White Fang stirred slightly, as if sensing its master's intent.
"With your current strength, you're already capable of contending with peak early-stage Qi Condensation spiritual beasts. With your evolution bloodline, multiple talent skills, and innate adaptability, even if you can't win... you can at least survive."
His voice grew colder with certainty.
"And survival... is more than enough to grow."
He stood, brushing off his robes. The stillness around him broke.
"Starting Tommorow," he said, half to himself, half to the silent courtyard, "alongside my cultivation, we'll begin refining your combat instincts in earnest. You'll go to the outer sea and hunt. Spiritual beasts, feral remnants, wandering mutants—anything you can eat, devour. Every kill, every hunt will become your nourishment."
He clenched his fist.
"Your evolution isn't complete. Neither is mine. And we will rise... together."
White Fang raised its head slowly. A subtle pulse of spiritual intent connected them—obedience, battle hunger, and trust. It hissed faintly, not as a threat but in acknowledgement.
Bai Tianlong smiled.
It was no longer enough to grow in peace behind clan walls. White Fang would walk the blood path ahead of him, hunting and evolving, while he tempered his foundation and rose toward his second stage. In time, their synergy would become their greatest strength—one body, one will.
And one day...
They would become legends.
---