Chapter 2 The Awakening
The next day, upon waking, the little beast found itself on a soft bed. It yawned softly and then climbed off.
Then... the bed collapsed. (￢_￢)
The little beast's face was filled with shock. It glanced furtively towards the door, then snuck out.
Huh? Why had it suddenly become taller? No, it had also grown bigger. The little creature looked down at its greatly changed form, utterly bewildered. It had only slept, how could it have suddenly grown?
"I saw it!" Xing Yue leaned back in her chair, her eyes filled with amusement. "You owe me another bed."
The little beast stared at the ledger in Xing Yue's hand and lunged forward, only to... *thump*, be sat upon by Xing Yue.
"You have spiritual energy but no technique. You need more practice." Xing Yue's expression was displeased, as if finding it too weak.
The little beast slumped onto the ground, its face a picture of despair. It was still a child, less than a year old. How could one exploit a child?
Xing Yue fully demonstrated: one could!
After the little beast was asked countless times to change its attack methods, it became enraged. It flopped onto the ground, refusing to move no matter what Xing Yue did.
Xing Yue looked at the little beast, which had grown to be about her height, its fur sleek and shiny, and her hand twitched with anticipation.
Once satisfied, the little beast's fur was in disarray, its face devoid of life, and its eyes tightly shut, choosing to see no evil.
"I'll let it go today. From now on, I'll check on you every month. Cultivate diligently!" Xing Yue took out several cultivation manuals suitable for it from her storage ring.
Given the commotion yesterday, she had realized that this little beast, regardless of its race, must have a lineage. Otherwise, with so much spiritual energy poured into it, it would have exploded rather than broken through.
Therefore, Xing Yue only gave the little creature some offensive and defensive techniques, lest it have high cultivation but be unable to defeat those of a lower realm.
Then, certain things became commonplace on Ruo Yue Peak.
"Faster!"
"Not enough strength!"
Every time the little beast caused trouble after completing its assessments and resting for a few days.
Then... more debts were added to the ledger.
Six months later, the little beast had mastered its size and could transform into a size Xing Yue could easily hold. On the eve of its assessment, it nestled into Xing Yue's embrace, its expression innocent and docile.
Xing Yue, stroking its fur absentmindedly, suddenly seemed to recall something and chuckled, "It's been so long, I don't think I've ever given you a name. Do you have one?"
The little beast shook its head, its eyes full of anticipation.
"In that case, I'll give you one!"
"Hmm~ Meeting is fate. How about calling you A'Yuan? You'll take my surname, so let's call you Xing Yuan. From now on, I'll be your elder sister." Xing Yue couldn't help but pat the little creature's head. Its fur was soft and very comfortable!
Xing Yuan's tail wagged non-stop, incredibly excited. It finally had a name!
It nuzzled gently against Xing Yue, making soft cooing sounds, its eyes full of affection. When its elder sister wasn't forcing it to cultivate, it quite liked her.
"Tomorrow I'm going into seclusion to attempt to break through to the Heaven Realm. I'll let you off this time. When I emerge, I hope you will have also broken through to the Earth Realm. Then you'll be able to speak with me." Xing Yue gently stroked Xing Yuan's head.
Although raising this little beast had made her temper flare quite a bit during this period, it had also added a lot of fun to her life outside of cultivation, making her seem much more human.
Xing Yuan looked reluctant. It had heard from people below the mountain that once they formed a contract, they could communicate at any time. Why wasn't Elder Sister forming a contract with it? It wanted to contract with Elder Sister.
The little creature felt extremely wronged and began to scratch without restraint, tearing off a corner of Xing Yue's clothes with a *rip*.
Xing Yue took a deep breath, lamenting her celestial silk clothes internally, and then silently added it to the ledger. Indeed, raising a spirit beast was troublesome. How much had she spent on it during this time? It would have been faster to accumulate merit with these resources.
But since she had started raising it, and it had grown this much, Xing Yue was not one to give up halfway.
Xing Yue closed her cave dwelling door without hesitation, leaving behind a complexly emotional Xing Yuan.
After observing Xing Yue's cave dwelling for two days and confirming she was preparing for her breakthrough, it found a place to prepare for its own breakthrough to the Earth Realm.
In fact, it had been capable of breaking through since its first cultivation, but a voice in the back of its mind had constantly urged it to consolidate its cultivation and not break through so quickly, which was why it had waited so long.
During its breakthrough, the scene from its first breakthrough reappeared: fierce winds raged, and spiritual energy ran rampant.
It had deliberately chosen a spot farthest from Xing Yue's seclusion. Its breakthrough was rapid, breaking through the barrier without hindrance in just one hour.
The moment it transitioned from mortal to earth realm, its wings suddenly unfurled, and a colossal wing phantom appeared, shrouding the sky. However, when Xing Yuan stopped circulating its cultivation technique, the wings silently vanished. Unnoticed, a beam of light detached itself from the wings and drifted into the distance.
Before an ancient hall in the Demon Realm, the High Priest gazed with surprise at the sudden changes on the array plate. His gaze towards his disciple, Ying Qing, who was kneeling outside to atone, suddenly softened.
He lightly waved his scepter, and a strand of green light floated out, landing on Ying Qing. Ying Qing felt his injuries, sustained from his failure to complete his task, rapidly healing.
The demons were always straightforward. If they disliked something, they fought! If they were educating their young, they fought! If orders were disobeyed, they still fought!
Ying Qing had failed his mission and had been hiding outside for a while. Eventually, he was caught and brought back for punishment. After being thoroughly "educated" by his senior brothers, he had deeply realized his mistakes and was now kneeling outside the hall, hoping for his master's forgiveness.
"You know you were wrong?" The High Priest's majestic voice echoed in Ying Qing's ears.
"Yes! This disciple knows he was wrong and will never repeat it." Ying Qing said respectfully, his face full of reverence.
"Since that is the case, Master will assign you another task." With that, he used his spiritual energy to lift the array plate in his hand and present it to Ying Qing.
"It will sense the person you are looking for. Now, she must have broken through to the Earth Realm. Find her as soon as possible. You must do this before the Myriad Races Realm opens. This concerns the future of our entire Demon Realm and even this world."
The High Priest paused before continuing, "If there are other cultivators around her, do not reveal your identity. Protect her from the shadows and ensure she enters the Myriad Races Realm.
"Master, is she special? Why do you..." Ying Qing couldn't help but ask.
"You don't need to know so much. Just do as I say. Moreover, there are many in the Demon Realm who wish to find her and gain an advantage. This is your opportunity." The High Priest revealed a little to his disciple to ensure he took it seriously.
Ying Qing solemnly promised, "Master, rest assured, this disciple will complete the task."