At the Mu Manor's assembly hall, almost all the key members of the clan were gathered.
Seated at the head was a strong, middle-aged man. His powerful frame, with a broad back and muscular, dark-skinned arms, exuded strength. However, he was currently holding a teacup, occasionally sipping from it, meticulously trying to appear refined.
But this refinement looked comical on such a giant, causing an involuntary smile.
Nevertheless, no one dared to laugh. The powerful aura emanating from the man clearly spoke of his strength at the initial stage of Heavenly Yuan. This was Mu Tao, the head of the Mu Manor and the clan's only Heavenly Yuan master.
"Mu Yun, I heard Lingsha has already returned to the manor. The hunt isn't over yet, why did she come back early?" Mu Tao asked.
All eyes turned to a middle-aged man sitting in the front row, a sign of his high status in the clan.
Mu Yun replied, "Head, there were unforeseen circumstances on this hunt."
"Oh? What happened? Did Lingsha lose and get eliminated early?"
"Lingsha is the strongest among our clan's youth. Even though she's at the eighth level of Body Tempering, her agility allows her to evade even a regular ninth-level master. A simple person couldn't knock her out of the hunt."
"Did forces from Qingyang interfere?"
"I heard that Lei Li from the Lei clan has been at the ninth level of Body Tempering for half a year now. Did he break through to Earth Yuan?"
At these words, a shadow of rage appeared on Mu Tao's face, and his feigned refinement vanished without a trace. The Heavenly Yuan aura erupted, making everyone in the hall hold their breath in fear. Fortunately, Mu Tao quickly restrained his power, and the assembly breathed a sigh of relief.
Mu Yun, noticing Mu Tao's reaction, realized his mistake and quickly explained: "Head, my daughter was not eliminated. She had a stroke of luck on the hunt, and to avoid drawing attention, she decided to withdraw from further participation."
"What kind of luck?" Mu Tao asked, surprised.
At the thought of Mu Lingsha's prize, the corners of Mu Yun's lips involuntarily curled upward.
"During the hunt, Lingsha stumbled upon a severely wounded fire python-tiger that had just given birth to its cubs. In an alliance with the youth of the Lin clan and the Mad Blade School, she managed to secure them. As a result, Lingsha got one cub and, to avoid unnecessary trouble, rushed back to the manor."
"What? A fire python-tiger cub?!" Mu Tao exclaimed.
The hall gasped, everyone collectively taking a breath in astonishment.
Upon reaching maturity, a fire python-tiger gains the power of the Heavenly Yuan level. However, these demonic beasts are fierce by nature, and they can only be tamed by raising them from infancy.
Possessing a cub meant that the clan would gain a pet comparable in strength to a Heavenly Yuan master in the future! If the news that the Mu Manor had acquired such a beast were to spread, even the influential forces of Qingyang would turn green with envy.
After all, even the powerful Lei clan, which had developed for years, could only boast five Heavenly Yuan masters. And in the Mu Manor, which was much weaker than the Lei, there was only one such master—Mu Tao. A python-tiger cub, if raised correctly, promised the clan not just an increase in strength, but a true leap.
The hunt itself was only for the sake of a decent placement, to bring honor to the name of the Mu Manor. No one expected it to yield such a generous prize.
Compared to a fire python-tiger cub, the hunt itself seemed trivial.
The attendees, all the top leadership of the Mu clan, understood this perfectly, and their breathing became heavy with excitement.
Mu Tao, the clan head, couldn't stay in his seat. Leaping from his chair, he asked excitedly, "Is this true?"
Mu Yun replied, "It's the absolute truth. I saw the cub myself; it's with my daughter now."
Mu Tao burst into laughter: "Excellent, excellent, excellent! Lingsha has done well! In our Mu Manor, we always make a clear distinction between rewards and punishments. For such a feat, she will not be without a reward."
Mu Yun smiled with relief: "On my daughter's behalf, I thank the Head for his generosity!"
...
"Sister, is this a fire python-tiger?" Mu Zi asked, curiously examining the creature in Mu Lingsha's arms.
The cub hadn't opened its eyes yet and was squeaking in the girl's embrace, looking more like a kitten than a tiger.
"Too bad it's a regular python-tiger; its limit is Heavenly Yuan," Mu Zi thought.
Lin Dong, the son of the world, with the help of the Ancestral Stone, chose a python-tiger with a rare mutation. Over time, it evolved, and its blood transformed into the legendary Dark Saint Tiger lineage—a power comparable to the Heavenly Marten or the Dragon Clan.
"Hehe, that's right, a python-tiger! I saw its mother giving birth myself," Mu Lingsha replied.
The girl was dressed in a tight-fitting leather outfit that emphasized her graceful but strong figure. Her skin, not snow-white like most girls, but bronze, radiated health and a wild attractiveness. She was like a young panther, full of explosive power.
Mu Lingsha's smile faded, and a flicker of worry appeared in her eyes as she looked at Mu Zi: "Little sister, are you okay? You locked yourself in your room for several days, letting no one in; Dad and I were worried sick!"
Mu Zi, feeling guilty, lowered her head and said softly: "I'm sorry, sister, for making you and Uncle worry."
Mu Lingsha continued: "Little sister, if something happened, you have to tell me, understand?"
Touched by her concern, Mu Zi smiled, changing the subject: "Everything's fine, I even broke through to the third level of Body Tempering! You promised to teach me martial arts, didn't you?"
Seeing that her sister didn't want to delve deeper, Mu Lingsha didn't insist.
"Okay, when do you want to start?"
"Right now! How about it?" Mu Zi blurted out excitedly.
Mu Lingsha sighed helplessly: "What an impatient girl!"
Mu Zi jokingly retorted: "Sister, you have to keep your promises!"
After a moment of silence, Mu Lingsha softened: "What am I going to do with you, you little rascal!"
Seeing Mu Zi look at her with wide, expectant eyes, she added: "Little sister, studying martial arts is dangerous. Are you absolutely sure?"
"Even if you don't study them, it's not a big deal. Dad and I will always protect you."
Mu Zi's face became serious. She looked straight into her sister's eyes and said firmly: "Sister, I'm not afraid of danger. And I don't want to hide under someone's wing my whole life. How can I not be a part of the peak of martial arts?"
An unmatched confidence flared in her eyes, and an indomitable aura emanated from her—a determination to follow the path of a warrior, unshakeable even if the sky were to fall and the seas were to run dry.
Mu Lingsha, looking at her sister, so unlike her former self, was momentarily stunned.
"How quickly time flies," she thought. "My little shadow has grown up overnight."