Inside the administration office, the system interface floated quietly before Zhao Feng.
He studied the panel calmly.
Lingxi remained loosely coiled around his forearm, her smooth white scales cool against his sleeve.
[Divine Template System]
[Host]: Zhao Feng
[Template]: Li Han — Ten Thousand Beast Sovereign
[Assimilation]: 2 / 10
[Cultivation]: Bronze Beast Tamer (13%)
[Talents]: Supreme Comprehension (SSS), Contract Amplification (SS), Beast Talent Assimilation (SS)
[Beast Talent]: Dimensional Body (SS)
Below that—
[Contracted Beast: Lingxi]
[Species]: Celestial Void Dragon
[Rank]: Bronze Beast (9%)
[Bloodline]: SSS
[Affinities]: Space (SSS), Lightning (SS)
[Talent]: Dimensional Body (SS)
[Skills]: Void Flight (C), Dimensional Pouch (D), Thunderbolt (E)
Zhao Feng rested his chin lightly on his hand as he observed the stats updated by the system.
Through the contract, their cultivation had already begun to synchronize.
That was the fundamental nature of the Beast Tamer path.
The tamer and beast cultivated together.
Each strengthening the other.
But what interested Zhao Feng more was the Dimensional Body talent.
He slowly stood up from the chair.
Lingxi lifted her head as he moved. Her tail flicked lightly against his sleeve, but she stayed comfortably wrapped around his arm.
He took a step.
Then another.
The change was subtle.
But unmistakable.
His body felt…
Lighter.
Not physically lighter, but spatially lighter.
Distances felt clearer.
Precise.
The space between objects seemed easier to judge.
Zhao Feng moved his hand slightly.
His fingers passed through the air smoothly.
No resistance.
No awkwardness.
Almost as if space itself accommodated his movements.
'Dimensional Body…'
Li Han had studied this ability after acquiring it from his own Celestial Void Dragon.
Memories surfaced naturally.
Spatial offset.
Dimensional step.
Void stabilization.
Dozens of refined techniques.
Yet Zhao Feng only possessed Bronze-level spiritual power.
Most of those techniques remained unusable for now.
Still—
Even the passive effects were impressive.
He walked toward the window.
Outside the window, the lights of Green Ridge Wildlife Park flickered on one after another as evening settled across the forested hills.
For a moment, Zhao Feng simply stood there.
The world felt different now.
Not dramatically so.
But unmistakably different.
The spiritual sea within his mind had stabilized after the contract.
Because of that, his awareness never fully faded into the background.
Life within the zoo brushed gently against his senses.
Visitors moving toward the exit plaza.
Keepers finishing their evening routines.
Animals settling inside their enclosures.
Yet the sensation was not vague or blurry.
Each presence existed within a clear position in space.
The macaques climbing through their ropes.
The bears shifting their weight inside their rocky habitat.
The wolves pacing slowly near the forest boundary.
Even the quiet flutter of birds inside the aviary appeared distinctly in his awareness.
Zhao Feng rested a hand lightly against the window frame.
"…This is quite useful."
A normal Beast Tamer sensed life through spiritual fluctuations.
What Zhao Feng experienced was slightly different.
Because of Dimensional Body, his perception did not only sense life and spiritual energy.
It understood space.
Distances between objects felt naturally defined.
Movements were easier to follow.
Every presence seemed to occupy a precise point within an invisible three-dimensional structure.
Almost as if the surrounding environment had quietly arranged itself into a map inside his mind.
Zhao Feng observed the sensation for a while.
The range extended further than it should.
Nearly one hundred meters before gradually fading.
His gained mastery of Li Han's optimized techniques had clearly improved the efficiency of his perception.
Lingxi suddenly lifted her head.
Her violet eyes focused toward the predator section.
Then she nudged Zhao Feng's wrist.
*Papa.*
Zhao Feng glanced down and gave her head a small pat.
Lingxi leaned into the touch and nudged his wrist lightly before turning her gaze back toward the zoo.
Zhao Feng extended his perception in the direction Lingxi was watching.
In the predator section, the Siberian tiger moved slowly along the edge of its enclosure.
Lingxi observed it quietly for a moment, her tail giving a small flick before she lost interest.
Zhao Feng chuckled as he stepped away from the window and returned to the desk.
Lingxi loosened her coil slightly as he sat down.
She leaned forward curiously as Zhao Feng opened one of the drawers and removed a stack of documents.
Zoo reports.
Animal care schedules.
Maintenance records.
He flipped through them quietly.
Lingxi's nose nearly touched the papers as they moved.
Then she tapped one lightly with the tip of her tail.
*Papa?*
Zhao Feng smiled faintly.
"This place is ours now."
Lingxi blinked.
The words themselves meant little to her.
But the emotion behind them was clear.
Her gaze drifted toward the window again.
Toward the animals outside.
Zhao Feng followed her line of sight.
Green Ridge Wildlife Park stretched across the wooded terrain.
Stone paths.
Wooden enclosures.
Lights glowing softly between the trees.
Zhao Feng tapped the stack of papers lightly against the desk.
To most people, this zoo was a struggling business.
But from the perspective of a Beast Tamer—
It was something else entirely.
A controlled environment. Multiple species.
A forest reserve. Plenty of space.
The potential was obvious.
Lingxi suddenly stiffened.
Her eyes had locked onto something on the floor near the desk.
A small metal bottle cap.
She slowly stretched her neck toward it.
Then—
**flick**
The bottle cap vanished.
Zhao Feng paused.
"…Lingxi."
The young dragon looked up immediately.
*Papa?*
Through the contract Zhao Feng felt a ripple of unmistakable satisfaction.
Zhao Feng glanced at the empty floor.
Then back at her.
"…Did you just steal that?"
Lingxi blinked slowly.
Then she rested her head against his wrist as if nothing had happened.
Zhao Feng chuckled quietly.
"…I see."
Lingxi nudged his wrist again.
Her eyes were bright.
Through the bond Zhao Feng felt a small pulse of excitement.
"…You want to look around?"
Lingxi lifted her head immediately.
*Go! Go!*
Zhao Feng stood up.
"Alright."
Lingxi tightened her coil around his arm as he walked toward the office door.
The hallway outside was quiet.
Most of the staff had already left for the evening.
When Zhao Feng stepped outside the administration building, cool air greeted him.
Lingxi suddenly lifted her head.
The night breeze brushed across her scales.
For a moment she froze.
Then her eyes widened.
She stretched slightly along Zhao Feng's arm, tasting the air.
New smells.
New sounds.
*Papa.*
The zoo had settled into its evening rhythm.
Lights glowed softly along the pathways.
Wind rustled through the trees.
Somewhere deeper in the park, an owl called.
Zhao Feng paused for a moment.
His perception spread naturally across the surrounding area.
The nearby enclosures.
The keeper station.
The maintenance buildings.
Everything appeared quietly within his awareness.
Lingxi lifted her head again.
This time her attention shifted toward the darker forest beyond the zoo paths.
The restricted reserve.
Ten hectares of dense woodland lay beyond the visitor areas.
Trees.
Hills.
A small stream.
Very few people entered that part of the park.
Zhao Feng looked in the same direction.
The forest reserve occupied nearly half of Green Ridge Wildlife Park.
For wildlife conservation, it was the park's most valuable feature.
For Zhao Feng—
It might become something else entirely.
Lingxi watched the dark trees with quiet interest.
Then she uncoiled slightly and climbed higher along Zhao Feng's arm.
In one smooth motion she slid up his sleeve and settled across his shoulders.
Her head peeked over his collar.
*Papa.*
Zhao Feng chuckled softly.
Then he began walking along the quiet pathway.
The zoo at night was peaceful.
Animals resting.
Wind rustling through leaves.
Water flowing faintly somewhere in the distance.
Zhao Feng had spent most of his previous life surrounded by violence.
Gunfire.
Orders.
Endless danger.
Standing here now felt… strangely calm.
Lingxi shifted slightly across his shoulders.
Through the bond he felt the same quiet curiosity from her.
Zhao Feng looked up at the night sky.
"…Let's see what kind of future we can build here."
Lingxi's eyes brightened. "Lingxi!"
Far above them, the night sky stretched silently over Green Ridge Wildlife Park.
For everyone else, the zoo remained an ordinary place.
But tonight—
Something new had quietly begun.
---
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