In the beast master space, Joanne looked at how Zi Yang coaxed, lured, promised and encourage the little serpent. To be honest, she still felt a little jealous.

She has accompanied master longer and also helped a lot more than any beast – the beast master space was also opened through her information retrieval.

But Master still did not contract her until now.

She felt, yes as a machine – she felt.

Because she has been affected by the energy constantly for sixteen years, she knew that she was not a pure mechanical beast – she had an odd mix of energy affecting her from time to time.

But she could never voice out these thoughts for the fear of being abandoned by her master, if he finds out that she is not a pure mechanical beast.

She has retrieved information from the world void using that energy and knew that self-thinking machines were once a taboo for human race.

She wanted to be contracted, but also not. She was in a twinge now.

Thankfully, she felt the constant trust that her master gave off when he allowed her entry in the beast even without being contracted.

Unlike the A.I. Joanne who was rich in inner drama, the little frog was purely jealous.

On the other side, Zi Yang finally convinced the little ancestor with a series of promises: a habit built for evolution containing water resources, dragon resources, and time resources along with bloodline purification and body strengthening resources.

He now doubted even more when the mysterious mother of this beast really was a research scholar – otherwise, how could this newly hatched egg know so much?

* Thanks, Zi Yang. I will become powerful and definitely help you!

At the kid knew gratitude, Zi Yang smiled inwardly.

But he had to spend these resources anyway in future, so promising now was not a big deal. Expect that he felt a little extorted – he did not know if it was his feeling.

Of course, he did not see the cunning gleam flashing in the eyes of the little serpent.

When he was undergoing promotion, besides the information on survival, resources, and failed evolution attempts, the serpent also found some excerpts about human dealings.

He understood and copied the process to gain more benefits from his beast tamer.

It was also these excerpts that fully allowed him to understand what happened before and how Zi Yang treated him as a partner instead as a beast to lord over.

If he had not been worried about his low bloodline, Zi Yang could have broken through the Elite level without having to have this conversation.

With the emotional blockage, Zi Yang felt a crack sounded and he broke through to Elite Level 1 from the feedback from the beast master space.

Chronox also broke through to Mortal Level 9.

Seeing master breakthrough to Elite Level 1, the little frog took the first opportunity to jump in front of him.

“Master, please make a contract with me now!”

Zi Yang did not move however, he looked at A.I. Joanne and asked, “Are you alright with that Jo?”

“Yes master, no problem”, A.I. Joanne replied in a heartbeat.

Zi Yang first placed Chronox along a shallow river with the extreme chaos bell and then made a contract with the little frog.

He immediately received feedback from him too, but it was like a water drop falling into the ocean.

Just as he thought so, the little frog started undergoing promotion.

Feeling a familiar energy, Joanne quickly shouted – “Don’t use that extreme chaos qi energy for your promotion, doofus!”

The frog was startled awoke by the sound and quickly corrected.

Even so, he was still promoted from Mortal Level 1 to extraordinary level 1.

He rode the bus too and went straight from Elite Level 1 to Elite Level 12.

It was faster than riding the bus. This was clearly a rocket.

But neither Joanne nor the frog seemed very happy about it.

Zi Yang knew why. This was the same energy that allowed Joanne to access information of one level higher than her own universe.

With the same logic, the little frog could technically travel a universe one level higher this one.

Thinking of getting a unique resource from a higher-level universe, Zi Yang immediately suggested that the little frog use it now.

But then he hesitated.

A higher-level universe means a high danger. What if something were to happen?

The little frog felt his concern and his heart warmed. He remined, “Master, I can escape unharmed by expensing this energy in case something goes wrong. And I won’t go too deep from the anchor point I set at the junction of spirit sea consciousness and chaos.”

Joanne also spoke of the high quality of energy and how it is seemingly powerful. Moreover, this energy seemed to be inherently unable to stay in this universe after leaving his sea of consciousness and will constantly leak.

It is better to use it early.

Finally in an attempt to erase the last worry, the little frog said, “Master, I have new skill after promotion.”

Oh? Zi Yang raised his eyebrow.

Checking the little frog’s panel, Zi Yang saw:

[Name]: Hollow Jade Frog

[Attribute]: Space, Spirit

[Race Level]: High Level Soldier

This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.

[Cultivation Level]: Extraordinary Level 1

[Skills]: Space Jump, Space storage, Spirit Talk, Charming Social Butterfly, Pseudo-Contract

---

Zi Yang focused on the skill and read the introduction:

[Skill Name]: Masked-Contract

[Skill Level]: Advanced

[Description]: Contract a creature using this skill to temporarily act as his beast partner and share feedback and skill improvements. This skill is invisible to anyone expect the beast and his true beast master.

[Note]: Mutated skill comprehended by using an extremely high-level energy, a tear of pure love and nostalgia and attributes of charming social butterfly.

Oh Damn.

Oh Damn.

Oh Damn.

Zi shouted thrice.

This ability is so buggy. He could easily cheat and make a lot of money with this ability.

Damn Zi Yang, why rob? This is the first thought that comes to your mind?

Shame. Shame.

Zi Yang chided himself for a moment before calming down.

But then realized that this was perhaps another coping mechanism for the little frog should he get caught.

With this, he was finally a little relieved. Even if he failed to run in the off chance of 0.001% – he could act cute.

Finally, before leaving, he had to one more thing – pack supplies and get a name.

For the name of this frog, Zi Yang had thought long ago.

“Tabi Kaeru, that’s your name. What do you think?”

“What does this mean, master?”

“It’s meaning is very simple. Tabi means journey or to travel, and Kaeru means a frog as well as returning”

A.I. Joanne pitched in timely, “Master means to return safely after every journey. The name is from the Traveling Frog game in his previous life. Come to think of it, you are also a frog and your space attribute is very convenient for travel.”

Tabi Kaeru also felt the name was nice.

Hence the name was finalized.

With a few edible portions to satiate his hunger pangs, Kaeru said goodbye to everyone and jumped out of the beast master space and into the surrounding extreme chaos energy.

Seeing Kaeru leave and Nox falling asleep, Zi Yang finally looked at A.I. Joanne.

“Jo, I’m already at Elite Level 12, so don’t worry – I will contract you next.”

A.I. Joanne’s little mechanical heart almost leapt out of her body.

This time, with his entire attention placed on her – Zi Yang finally discovered this anomaly.

He raised his eyebrow in doubt and asked, “Why, you don’t want to contract with me? That’s fine. We traveled together in this world – doesn’t mean we must be bound together again.”

Joanne became even more flustered when she heard that.

“No master, it’s that… I am not a pure mechanical beast – I have other energies as well.”

Of course he knew that, he knew that Joanne had the creative thinking skills – which was a near impossible skill for mechanical beasts to have.

But he took it for granted after all the shocks he experienced recently.

He expressed that he did not mind the skills so much.

Joanne knew that she could not hide anymore. So, she finally revealed – “Master, Except the skills – I have the extreme chaos energy affecting me which caused me to have non-mechanical attributes as well – such as emotions like other beasts.”

This time, Zi Yang finally understood.

After one of his classes with the Void Empress, Zi Yang knew that the Mechanical empire – the Iron City was established by mechanical beasts and hybrids who rebelled against their creators – the humans.

So, the tolerance towards self-thinking mechanical beasts was quite low in any human empire.

After all, the lessons from history dictated that the trust lost once can never be established again, and a rope cut joined forcibly still leaves a knot.

Seeing the silence of his master, Joanne felt depressed and lost even more hope.

Just as she was about to suggest leaving it as it as, Zi Yang spoke again.

“Jo, why did you help me open the beast space?”

“Because you are my master, master. Both in your previous life and now.”

“Then why worry so much? There is no need to think too much.”

“But master, if other humans know about my self-thinking nature – if may cause you trouble.”

Zi Yang knew she was right.

But he was never one to abandon his friend for such an absurd reason.

In the fear of what happened eons ago, should he doubt a partner without whom he would have to wait for a decade to start his career?

He waved his hands grandly and said, “No issues, Jo. If something happens, it’s not like I am alone – I have backing too. I will stay with you and Master will back me.”

Listening to this, Joanne transformed into spectacles again nudged his nose bridge repeatedly.

“yeah, yeah. I know you’re happy. But from on, learn a division skill or something and divide a part of you as a spectacle and leave it be. This back and forth is troublesome.”

“Roger!”

Really?

He just said it as a joke.

Well, machines can certainly do it.

Never mind.

The time spent in the beast master space came full circle and now it was time to leave.

Outside, Mama Mei had already packed his bag and Dark Void was waiting at the gate of the house opposite.

Stepping out he said, “Mama Mei, tell Zi Ming about it. I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Sure, Zi Yang. Come back safely.”

As he stepped out of the front yard and went to his master’s house’s backyard.

Here, Void Empress wished him success after straightening his collar.

Dark Void summoned her beast.

He saw a mysterious pattern shrouded in golden color appear. Looking at the color, he knew it was a general level beast.

Finally, a noble bird came into view.

He used his talent instinctively and saw:

[Name]: Star Phantom Phoenix (***)

[Attribute]: ***

[Race Level]: ***

[Cultivation Level]: ***

[Skills]: ***

Well, just the name.

Still, he could guess the attribute to be star and fire.

“Hop on, Zi Yang”, called on Dark Void.

He carefully urged his energy and came to the eye level view of this majestic phoenix.

“Thank you for the ride”, she said softly as he bowed with hands clasped.

The arrogance in the phoenix’s eyes faded slightly as she heard this and a little more recognition flashed in the depths of her eyes.

She snorted softly and used her energy to pull him up and place on her back softly.

His actions pleased all three ladies present.

With a loud flap of her wings, the star phoenix flew straight into air.

Even during the day, one could see star light and phantoms of a galaxy flashing in the air as the phoenix took her flight.

With this flight, Zi Yang finally took a step out of this town since his rebirth.

A step.

A step to the sky.