Looking at the puppy-sized creature in front of him, Evan Chu immediately understood what it was. He smiled and said, "Little guy, are you the Bloodshadow Berserker Lion? You don't look like a lion at all!"
The little Bloodshadow Berserker Lion cub jumped straight onto Evan Chu, licking his wrist with its tongue as if to thank him for hatching it with his blood.
"Evan, that's not just a Bloodshadow Berserker Lion. Did you see the horn on its head? That's exactly like a Divine Dragon's horn, except it's a single horn. I think that's because of your blood." Luna's voice rang out at this moment.
Evan Chu looked closely at the little creature in his arms and sure enough, there was a tiny horn on its head. But now a problem stumped him—what did this little guy eat? He’d been absorbing stellar force for days, so it must be starving by now. It was so small, did it still need milk?
He didn’t have any milk to give. "What does it eat? We can’t let it starve, right? By the way, how many days have I been in here? Shouldn’t I be heading out soon?"
"You've been in here for twenty-nine days. One more day and it's the Hunting Tournament between your academy and Sea Dragon Academy. It's impressive you managed to finish the fusion at this time—it's about time to head out. As for the cub, don't go looking for milk. It's a real glutton, only eats the good stuff."
"Eats what? Delicacies? Fine wine?"
"It eats Starstones, spiritual herbs, and of course, monster beasts. Honestly, getting a pet like this is ridiculously lucky for you."
"It eats those things? Seriously? I’m not sure I can afford to raise it!" Evan’s forehead was covered in black lines as he imagined Starstones and spiritual herbs vanishing into the little guy’s mouth, feeling a wave of heartache.
"It’s still small, so it can’t eat much. In these past few days, it’s only eaten a little over a hundred low-grade Starstones. What are you so worried about?"
"A hundred or so?" Evan Chu felt dizzy when he heard that number. That’s not much? This little guy was going to bankrupt him!
Just as Evan was getting depressed, a childish boy’s voice echoed in his mind: "Master, don’t be upset. Once I grow up a bit, I won’t need those anymore. I’ll find my own food!"
The sudden voice nearly scared Evan out of his wits. He stared at the little cub in his arms in shock and said, "Was that you talking to me? You can communicate with me in my mind?"
The Bloodshadow Berserker Lion cub in his arms actually nodded, and the voice sounded again: "I formed a Soul Contract with you the moment I was born, so of course I can talk to you. You’re my master, and I’ll never treat you badly!"
"Holy crap! I actually need you to look after me? Seriously, this little guy is something else!" Evan felt like he’d struck gold—this was just too awesome.
But then another problem bothered him: storage rings couldn’t hold living things. How was he supposed to keep the cub? He couldn’t just carry it around all the time.
"Master, don’t worry. My Bloodshadow Berserker Lion Clan is born with a secret art that lets us possess our contracted master’s body. But since I’m still young, I can only stay attached for five days before I have to come out for an hour." The cub’s voice echoed in Evan’s mind again.
"There’s actually such a great thing? Awesome! Really awesome! Okay, I’ll give you a name today. Looking at you… let’s call you Shishi!" Evan said with a grin.
"Shishi? No way, that’s a girl’s name. I don’t want it!" The little Bloodshadow Berserker Lion rejected it instantly.
"You can even tell boy from girl? Seriously? Fine, how about Xiao Ying—Little Shadow?" Evan said, exasperated. This little guy was sharper than most people.
"Alright, I'll be called Xiao Ying (Little Shadow) from now on. Thank you, Master!" the little Bloodshadow Berserker Lion said.
"And don’t call me ‘Master’ anymore. Call me Brother Feng—that’s way more friendly, haha!"
With a flash of red light, Little Shadow suddenly vanished from Evan Chu’s arms, leaving him baffled.
"Stop looking around. It’s on your arm—see the new lion tattoo? That’s the Bloodshadow Berserker Lion Clan’s possession skill," Luna said, sounding a bit exasperated.
Sure enough, just as Luna said, a palm-sized lion tattoo appeared on Evan’s arm—vivid and lifelike, a perfect miniature of Little Shadow.
"Not bad! I’ve got a flashy little sidekick now, haha! Time to head out!" Evan stood up, took out the key, and opened the chamber door, walking straight out.
Outside, Dean Xavier Xu and Marcus Gongsun were still playing chess in the pavilion. When they saw Evan come out, both stopped and looked him over.
After a moment, Dean Xu asked, "You broke through?"
"Yeah! Just a small breakthrough—mainly because there weren’t enough Starstones. Otherwise, I would’ve broken through even further!" Evan replied with a grin.
Marcus Gongsun’s face was dark as he said, "Enough nonsense. Tomorrow’s the day of the Hunting Tournament with Sea Dragon Academy. Don’t let us down. Get back to your class—your instructor should be explaining the rules and precautions right now. And go take a bath, you stink!"
Evan Chu shot Marcus Gongsun a glare and laughed, "If it stinks, you guys deserve it! I know what to do—I won’t let you down!"
After a few steps, Evan stopped and called out to Dean Xu, "Old man, you nearly killed me! The gravity in that Stellar Chamber was insane—I almost got flattened. When I get back from the tournament, I’m settling accounts with you!"
After Evan left, the two men stared in disbelief. "Marcus, did you hear that? The kid actually triggered the chamber’s gravity and survived! How is that even possible? Even you and I might not manage it so easily!"
"Maybe he really is a monster. Nothing’s impossible for him. Let’s just wait and see how the tournament turns out," Marcus replied, still shocked.
Dusty and exhausted, Evan Chu rushed into the Ordinary Class classroom. Lucy Lu was explaining something to the other students, and everyone looked at Evan in confusion as he ran in.
To most people, Evan Chu was like a dragon that showed its head but not its tail—here one moment, gone the next. Ever since his appearance on the Life-and-Death Platform, he’d vanished for nearly a month. Many students wondered if he’d left Heavenly Dragon Academy for good.
But now that he was back, everyone found it strange. A strong smell of sweat hit Lucy Lu’s nose, and she couldn’t help but ask, "Evan Chu, how long has it been since you took a bath?"
A beautiful instructor asking a student such a question was already unbelievable, but Evan’s reply was even more outrageous.
"Not long, just about a month. Is it really that bad? I don’t think I smell! Go on with your explanation—I haven’t heard it yet!" Evan said, even deliberately sniffing himself.
Lucy Lu rolled her eyes at Evan Chu and continued her explanation...