“It’s over!” Jiang Mian cried out in his heart, looking at the Poké Ball that had swayed twice and then stopped moving.
That Spirit Beast was incredibly fast, so much so that Jiang Mian had captured it before he even clearly saw what kind of Spirit Beast it was.
Although his Poké Ball could capture Spirit Beasts regardless of their age, there was a strict condition: the more severely injured the Spirit Beast, the higher the capture rate. If it was completely unharmed, the capture rate was almost zero.
But that Spirit Beast just now, it didn't look seriously injured at all, did it? Could it be that it willingly allowed Jiang Mian to capture it?
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear squatted on the ground, despair evident in its eyes. Its Spirit, which had been growing stronger with each battle, completely withered at this moment.
Jiang Mian retrieved the Poké Ball, and in an instant, his entire body felt as if it had been electrocuted, trembling uncontrollably.
“Em… Emperor…” Jiang Mian slapped himself hard twice across the face before he managed to calm his emotions: “Emperor Ruishou!”
The reason Jiang Mian reacted this way was because the karma involved with the Emperor Ruishou itself was simply too great.
In the original work, the Black Dragon King Di Tian had launched a beast tide because of the Emperor Ruishou’s sacrifice. If a beast tide were to be triggered now because of him, even Qian Daoliu, the Level 99 Limit Douluo of Spirit Hall, might not be able to resist it.
The Emperor Ruishou, also known as the Three-Eyed Golden Lion, was born from the Spirit Beast's luck in the Star Dou Great Forest. In its presence, Spirit Beasts’ cultivation speed would double, and their chances of breaking through bottlenecks would greatly increase.
Therefore, the Emperor Ruishou became a key protected target for those fierce beasts. In the original work, the eighth-ranked of the Ten Great Fierce Beasts, the Scarlet King, always protected him closely.
Now, those fierce beasts were all in slumber. Presumably, this Emperor Ruishou had secretly snuck out to play, but for some unknown reason, Jiang Mian had managed to capture it directly.
Jiang Mian’s Spirit had an incredible function: he could use Spirit Beast abilities, which meant he could both use Spirit Abilities and summon Spirit Beasts during combat.
Just now, he clearly felt that his body had gained the attributes of ultimate light and ultimate fire. These were the ultimate attributes unique to the Emperor Ruishou.
“Human…”
From the depths of the Star Dou Great Forest, a majestic and inviolable dragon roar echoed. The surrounding mountains and forests, and all the beasts, bowed their heads. The spirit power of the Star Dou Great Forest was sucked into the Life Lake like a whirlpool.
“Is that the Black Dragon King Di Tian?” Cold sweat poured down Jiang Mian’s forehead as his mind raced, thinking of a countermeasure.
That eighty-thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear had already fainted from fright. The Emperor Ruishou had been captured by a human while in its care. Now that Di Tian was forced to awaken, how could it possibly survive?
“Senior Di Tian, please hear me out, junior.” Jiang Mian said loudly, “Junior had no intention of capturing the Emperor Ruishou, but please rest assured, Senior Di Tian, the Emperor Ruishou is perfectly fine. If Senior doesn’t believe me, you can come and see.”
With that, Jiang Mian quickly released the Three-Eyed Golden Lion from the Poké Ball: “It is a fact that the Emperor Ruishou has been captured by me. If Senior kills me, the Ruishou will also dissipate. Therefore, Jiang Mian dares to ask Senior to weigh the pros and cons.”
“Are you… threatening me?”
A golden-eyed, long-haired man, wearing a black robe and at least two meters tall, suddenly appeared before Jiang Mian. His expression was calm, but Jiang Mian felt an almost solidified pressure.
The ruler of Spirit Beasts, the Black Dragon King Di Tian!
“I wouldn’t dare.” Jiang Mian controlled his trembling legs and explained, “The Ruishou possesses the Eye of Destiny and has an innate ability to seek advantage and avoid harm. Just now, the Ruishou actively entered my Spirit, which indicates that I am only beneficial to the Ruishou.”
Di Tian snorted. He completely ignored Jiang Mian and walked directly in front of the Emperor Ruishou: “Why did you sneak out?”
The Emperor Ruishou snorted and said, “You are all absorbing the energy of that Ice Silkworm. I wanted to eat it, but you wouldn’t let me, and you wouldn’t let me come out to play?”
Di Tian’s expression was somewhat complex. This scene, in Jiang Mian’s eyes, made him feel as if these two were like a strict father and a tsundere daughter.
“Senior Di Tian, my Spirit is different. Although the Ruishou has been captured by me, she is still free.” Jiang Mian quickly explained, “Moreover, my Spirit can greatly increase the cultivation speed of Spirit Beasts. I think this is also why the Emperor Ruishou chose me.”
“Oh?”
Di Tian glanced at Jiang Mian. He placed his hand on the Ruishou’s head and carefully examined its body, finding that the Ruishou had not changed at all. Only then did he believe Jiang Mian’s words were true.
Di Tian asked coldly, “You just said that if you die, the Ruishou will also die?”
“Yes.” Jiang Mian lied without batting an eye, saying seriously, “After all, the Ruishou was captured by my Spirit. If I die, my Spirit will disappear, and the Ruishou’s fate will also be to perish.”
“And you said you can greatly help Spirit Beasts increase their cultivation speed?” Di Tian asked again.
“That’s right.” Jiang Mian nodded, saying decisively, “As long as the Emperor Ruishou engages in combat, its cultivation will steadily increase, and breaking through to the God level in the future is not impossible.”
Pokémon can continuously gain experience through combat, and Spirit Beasts naturally can too.
“Oh?” When Di Tian heard “God level,” his eyes lit up involuntarily. He had lived for over eight hundred thousand years, constantly striving to break the rule that Spirit Beasts could not become gods.
Jiang Mian was now telling him that he could help Spirit Beasts become gods?
The most crucial point was, if Di Tian’s feeling was correct, this boy in front of him wasn’t even ten years old, was he? How could he know so much? Could he truly be sent by Heaven to help the Spirit Beast Family reach its peak?
Spirit Beasts increase their cultivation in only a few ways: through cultivation, by consuming innate spiritual treasures, or by devouring their own kind.
Devouring one’s own kind is definitely the fastest way to cultivate. That Deep Sea Demon Whale King broke through its bottleneck by devouring its own kind, but this method carries extremely high risks and is easily backfired upon.
Moreover, the cultivation gained from devouring one’s own kind is like the moon in the water, a flower in the mirror; it cannot be fully utilized at all. To become a god is even more of a fantasy.
“How do they battle?” Di Tian’s expression was normal, but Jiang Mian could hear a hint of excitement in his tone.
“The Ruishou only needs to battle Spirit Beasts or Spirit Masters. There’s no need to kill the opponent. During the battle, the Ruishou will continuously gain a large amount of cultivation.”
Jiang Mian said, “And the stronger the Spirit Beast, the more cultivation it gains.”
Di Tian was deep in thought. Although the Ruishou currently only had several thousand years of cultivation, its own strength could be compared to a hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beast.
It might be worth verifying.
Thinking of this, Di Tian casually dragged over the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, which was playing dead. He said coldly, “If you don’t want to die, then behave yourself.”
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear bristled upon hearing this, quickly sat down obediently, and quietly awaited Di Tian’s instructions.
“You let the Ruishou battle it,” Di Tian said indifferently.
“Okay.” Jiang Mian nodded and walked to the Ruishou’s side. He whispered, “Ruishou, are you willing to listen to my command?”
The Ruishou shook its head dismissively. With a whoosh, it directly pounced on the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, its speed already exceeding the speed of sound.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear was knocked to the ground by a single claw from the Three-Eyed Golden Lion. Its recently closed wound burst open again, and blood gushed out. The Three-Eyed Golden Lion showed displeasure and lifted its foot to press down on the Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear’s face.
This strike was powerful and heavy. The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear’s head was directly deformed, its entire skull caving inward.
“It’s true after all.” Di Tian’s vision was incredibly sharp. He clearly felt that after only a moment of combat between the Ruishou and this eighty-thousand-year Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, she had already increased her cultivation by nearly a thousand years.
A thousand years! What a concept! Even if the Emperor Ruishou could accelerate Spirit Beast cultivation, a thousand years of cultivation would take decades or even hundreds of years to achieve.
And Jiang Mian only used a few minutes!
Moreover, this was just a simple battle, without even harming the life of the opponent Spirit Beast.
Jiang Mian watched Di Tian’s reaction, already planning which Spirit Beasts he would subdue next.
Since Di Tian had seen his usefulness, wouldn't he be the boss of the Spirit Beast World from now on?
“The rise of Spirit Beasts, it is now.” Di Tian’s excitement was evident, but he quickly controlled his emotions, and even his expression towards Jiang Mian softened a bit.
“Jiang Mian, from now on, you will stay in the Star Dou Great Forest. I must ensure your safety.” Di Tian smiled, “From this day forward, you are an honored guest of my Spirit Beast Family.”
“Impossible.” Jiang Mian decisively refused Di Tian. He eloquently said, “Senior Di Tian, Spirit Masters have far more experience than Spirit Beasts. You should let me take the Ruishou to battle in the human World, so that the Ruishou can become a god sooner!”
“The human World is too dangerous,” Di Tian said with some displeasure. “You and the Ruishou are gifts from Heaven to me. If anything were to happen to you, it would be an irreparable loss to my Spirit Beast Family.”
“My Spirit can recall the Ruishou at any time, allowing her to heal inside.” Jiang Mian pulled out the Poké Ball and demonstrated it to Di Tian on the spot: “And I can use all of the Ruishou’s abilities.”
“So,” Jiang Mian’s lips curled into a smile, “if you’re truly worried, you can find a powerful Spirit Beast to accompany me.”
“You.” Di Tian pondered for a moment and asked, “You can’t subdue a second Spirit Beast right now, can you?”
“That’s right.” Jiang Mian nodded, “To subdue a second Spirit Beast, I’ll have to wait until Level 20.”
“I see.” Di Tian nodded, “Then you should stay in the Star Dou Great Forest to cultivate first. When you are able to subdue a second Spirit Beast, I will have the Scarlet King accompany you.”
“Don’t you want to become a god?” Jiang Mian asked with a smile.
“When you are capable of managing the Spirit Beast Family, I will let you capture me,” Di Tian said calmly. “Of course, if you do anything detrimental to the Spirit Beast Family, I won’t kill you, but I will make your life worse than death.”
“Don’t worry,” Jiang Mian said, “With the Black Dragon King’s strength, I am but a small fry.”
The reason Di Tian trusted Jiang Mian so much was largely due to his confidence in his own strength. He was the Black Dragon King, an existence capable of rivaling a Limit Douluo.
As long as Jiang Mian had not reached the level of a god, Di Tian was confident he could suppress him.
Jiang Mian followed Di Tian towards the core area of the Star Dou Great Forest. Due to Di Tian's awakening, the two Titan Giant Ape and Sky Azure Bull Python, who had fortunately occupied the core area, had already vanished without a trace. One couldn't help but sigh, they really ran fast.
Di Tian didn’t care about their whereabouts. Hundred-thousand-year Spirit Beasts who couldn’t even rank among the fierce beasts were no different from ants in Di Tian’s eyes.
“After you subdued the Ruishou, even you yourself gained the ability to double Spirit Beasts’ cultivation speed?”
Di Tian and Jiang Mian walked side by side. Di Tian felt the changes within himself and couldn’t help but sigh, “How good it would be if you were a Spirit Beast. Why did you have to end up with this stinking human skin?”
“That’s not something I can decide,” Jiang Mian said with a wry smile. “Senior, are you and the other fierce beasts absorbing the cultivation of that Heavenly Dream Ice Silkworm?”
“How did you know?” Di Tian asked in surprise. “You’re only 6 years old, but the maturity you show and your knowledge base are astonishing.”
“Perhaps this is what’s called being favored by Heaven.” Jiang Mian laughed heartily, “Following me is definitely the right choice. I will certainly become a god in the future.”
“I will lead the Spirit Beast Family into the God Realm,” Jiang Mian promised, “and restore the Dragon God’s glory.”
“Dragon God Honored Lord.” Di Tian’s eyes showed deep respect. “The Honored Lord was split into two by the Asura God back then, becoming the Gold and Silver Dragon Kings. The Gold Dragon King has always been suppressed in the God Realm, while the Silver Dragon King…”
At this point, Di Tian suddenly realized he had misspoken. He quickly ended the topic and said indifferently, “In the future, I will arrange for the Honored Lord to meet you.”
“Okay.” Jiang Mian nodded, not saying much more.
The Dark Gold Terrorclaw Bear, seeing the two living ancestors walk away, quickly got up and scurried off, secretly vowing in its heart that it would definitely avoid them from now on and never see them again.
— — — — — —
“What?!”
Inside the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School, Ning Fengzhi, who had just returned, felt as if the sky had fallen when he heard the news of Ning Rongrong breaking off the engagement and forcing Jiang Mian away. A genius with innate full spirit power, and you people bullied him away from me?
“Go find him immediately! You must bring him back!” Ning Fengzhi looked at the disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile School before him, furiously smashing the teacup in his hand.
“Sect Master, it’s a done deal.” Bone Douluo Gu Rong frowned slightly and said, “Even if we find him, he probably won’t come back.”
“Uncle Gu.” Ning Fengzhi looked at Gu Rong helplessly, suppressing his anger and saying, “You just spoil Rongrong too much. That was innate full spirit power! How many years does it take for a genius with innate full spirit power to appear on the continent, and you just handed him over to someone else?”
“This…” Bone Douluo was momentarily speechless.
“Where’s Rongrong? Tell her to come see me!” Ning Fengzhi sighed and said coldly.
“Princess Xue Ke of the Heaven Dou Empire is looking for Rongrong, and Rongrong has already gone,” Sword Douluo Chen Xin said from the side. “Moreover, Jiang Mian might already be dead by now.”
“Uncle Jian, did you send someone to assassinate him?” Ning Fengzhi’s lips trembled slightly, his face gradually returning to calm: “Forget it. Since he cannot be used by me, he should be killed quickly!”
“Bear Qing, the attendant, should be back soon,” Chen Xin said, calculating the time. “I told him to act in a secluded place. This matter, no one will know.”
“Bear Qing, the attendant, is more than capable of assassinating a level ten child.” Ning Fengzhi closed his eyes. No one knew what he was thinking at that moment.