Sniff sniff

Inside a sparse forest, Tian Lang snored comfortably. Although he had his eyes closed, his nose twitched involuntarily. As if being pulled by a magnet, Tian Lang’s body slid on the uneven ground as he chomped on a crystal.

Dragon Crystals! Cried Tian Lang in his dream.

Lick lick

However, the taste in his dream and reality differed so much that Tian Lang’s face wrinkled, and he scrunched a big part of the Demon Crystal. But the taste of the dark element twisted his already wrinkled face even more.

The offended pup got up and gave the crystal in his mouth a disdainful glance. The taste of dark qi gave him a unique euphoria. The power and authority of this element were indeed a dominant one. However, the impurity along with the slight corruption wasted both the taste and quality.

Growl~

Tian Lang frowned a little.

A long-long time ago, there was an enemy the great pup, Tian Lang, couldn’t overcome. The mighty pup found a way to suppress that enemy by luck. Very soon, the pup forgot about this frightening encounter.

However, however! After such a long time, that terrifying existence returned back to hunt the even mightier pup.

Hunger!...

Because the big-mounded human gave him Dragon Crystals, Tian Lang could go a long time without any consumption. This time though, Tian Lang spent his whole energy reserve to relieve his frustration.

However, the problem was that Tian Lang smelt a Dragon Crystal in his dream, and yet, the smell hadn’t disappeared.

Tian Lang gave a look at his surroundings and sighed. He hated being thrown in some random places. And only that big fleshy-mounded human had the hobby of throwing him in some random forests.

But murderous intent shot up in Tian Lang’s heart. A sea of Giant Demon Worms blocked his path.

Who dares!

Who dared to steal the mighty Tian Lang’s Dragon Crystal?!

Ah, how was it his? Err... because the mighty pup claimed it so?

Tian Lang skipped the corpses and found a stone slab. On top of it stood an exquisite crystal in the form of a trophy.

Woah! Tian Lang unconsciously let out an amazed breath. For this crystal had the purest energy he had seen so far.

Tian Lang was so absorbed in the taste of the crystal that he failed to notice the leopard.

For such a pure Dragon Crystal, the taste was rather plain. No, Tian Lang immersed himself in the profoundness. Rather than saying plain, it was like he sensed it everywhere.

Right, the taste of air. A strong force of air. Wind~?

Hunger? It didn’t scare Tian Lang anymore. He had long disregarded this small stepping stone to his greatness.

Finishing the Dragon Crystal, Tian Lang burped satisfyingly. Only then did he notice the leopard. Looking at the crowd of Giant Demon Worm corpses, Tian Lang felt slightly guilty. Yup, only slightly.

On a second glance, the leopard had slight bumps over its head. Aside from that, there were hardly any discernible changes. Tian Lang thought it to gain a massive boost after absorbing the [Beast Soul]. Who thought it would only grow some to-be-horn.

But it was weird. Who left this crystal for him? The human with big fleshy-mounds? Only that human had Dragon Crystals, but it left him already?

Tian Lang became sad again. He needed a soft fleshy bed to heal his broken heart and dream.

Tian Lang jumped on top of a Demon Worm and woofed at the leopard to follow him, but something caught his eyes. On the sides of the stone slab, there was a message for him in human language.

Tian Lang perked his eyes and read carefully.

Basically, the human understood his dilemma and explained why it sent him to Tong Tian Tower. The big fleshy-mounded Human wanted Tian Lang to complete the missions of Tong Tian Tower not because of the rewards but for the experience. Once he completes the tasks of the first floor, he could enter the second floor. If he continued this way, he would become a Holy Beast in less than three years. Also, should the leopard be trained, it would become a strong force alongside him.

Tian Lang psyched himself up. Just complete the missions for three years and become a Holy Beast. Sounds like a sweet plan to him.

Only one problem, though. Tian Lang had no idea how long a year was. What he did know was ‘1’ having the lowest value while ‘9’ the highest. The human, Yue Yang, didn’t need Tian Lang to manage its business or wealth.

Third from below, doesn’t seem that long.

Anyway, just three years. How long could that be? Nothing the mighty pup should be worried about.

Yep, Star’s Domain! I have to find a suitable human and enter the Star’s Domain. This mighty self loves difficult challenges.

The mighty pup stepped lightly and almost slipped. Demon Worms had a slippery surface. At least, that got him clear-headed.

He first destroyed the message. Leaving it like that, wouldn’t that be the end of him? As for the Demon Crystal, he threw it to the leopard. It may be a little, but he did feel guilty. Plus, He didn’t like the taste, and the Dragon Crystal satiated him more than enough.

As for sharing the Dragon Crystal? Even if he had seen the leopard, he wouldn’t. Not like he had forgotten what had happened in front of the War Dragon Monument. Only because he had a new option did he not lash at the leopard. Besides, what was that vine? He never remembered meeting one, let alone own!

The Tong Tian Tower must have some serious faulty!

Anyway, the Great Tian Lang was mighty and magnanimous. He wouldn’t pursue it so long as he had no way to do so.

Getting out of the forest, Tian Lang quickly found his way. The Giant Demon Worms played a great part in that. Since selecting a particular human had to be done among many others, Tian Lang chose to wait at the starting point of the Tong Tian Tower.

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Since countless warriors and summoners entered and exited the tower every day, this place had to be the most crowded and suitable for choosing a human.

However, the pup found his plan hard to realize.

Humans hardly stopped at the teleportation gate or out of it. They passed by the place very soon. If it went like this forever, how could Tian Lang judge a human’s intelligence? Only those frail humans stopped for more than a minute and begged whether they needed an experienced guide.

Tian Lang once considered the thought of hiring a so-called-guide. He realized even a guide could get his job done. Not like the guide had to do anything but follow. Sadly, this plan fell through before he could begin.

He had no way to communicate. And before he could signal that he wanted to hire, they would probably jump after him to form a contract.

Suddenly Tian Lang noticed a suspiciously fat human acting overly suspicious. He even had a fat pouch with him, which also looked suspicious. The human seemed so round that Tian Lang hesitated to label it as a human. If it wasn’t because all the other humans didn’t mind its existence, he would’ve thought it was really a different species of monster.

One of the lanky guides approached the human, “Brother, are you here for the first time? Do not be afraid. You might be overwhelmed at first, but... WAIT BROTHER! I’m no one suspicious! I’m just a guide!”

The fat human eyed the lanky human cautiously, “You sure?”

“Absolutely! Where do you need to go? Just tell me. You don’t have to pay a coin before you reach your destination!”

The fat human suddenly grabbed the guide’s hand and pulled it to a corner. It suspiciously searched every nook and cranny before finally feeling relieved.

Since the duo looked so suspiciously suspicious, Tian Lang couldn’t help but get curious. Could it be he finally encountered one of those rare but illogical humans who worshipped demons?

“Brother? What’s the most crowded place on the first floor? Where people gather to trade every day? Do you know where Warrior’s Auction House is located?”

The lanky human slapped its chest reassuringly, “Don’t worry, brother. Those are just common places. Both warriors and summoners gather at the Mercenary Guild. They also trade there. I can guide you through some dangerous refining missions too. We just have to pass through the Royal Dragon Valley Road, and you will be there.”

The fat human suddenly opened its eyes wide. “Royal Dragon Valley Road! L-little brother, I, Young Master Hai, am a noble grimoire contractor with a bronze-ranked Level 2 Iron Rhinoceros and not afraid of anything but let me tell you, I have a precious silver-ranked beast egg with me! I’ll need protection! You understand, right?”

Tian Lang’s heart was struck dumb!

Mercenary Guild! Trades District! Auction House!

Those were definitely places he could search for a suitable human partner! Unlike here, humans would most likely spend their time on trades and guilds. Since the Royal Dragon Valley Road had innumerable spikes with weirdly-shaped rocks and cliffs, there were plenty of shadows to make use of. He took a suitable shadow and passed The Royal Dragon Valley Road at a breakneck speed.

The Mercenary Guild was most common and eye-catching after passing the valley. The problem was the lack of hiding spots in the guild. Not to mention, because of the massive door, he would stand out easily. Plus, there weren't any connected shadows he could use either.

Tian Lang bided his time in a corner glared at every mercenary fiercely. He noted some humans with moderate hard fleshy mounds. Though he didn’t know the difference between hard and soft fleshy mounds, Tian Lang knew he liked soft the most. As for the difference in their strength, he had no idea either. So he was cautious about approaching them.

Still, Tian Lang had decided to consider them so long as they passed the intelligence check. After all, he would be troubled if they ran away randomly. And he lacked the luxury of being picky.

One thing Tian Lang found inconceivable about humans was their habit of gathering in a circle. By now, he had seen such a thing uncountable times. Every now and then, here or there, anyone would find such gatherings in numbers.

Trading? Tian Lang wondered. If they did so, he had to check there.

When Tian Lang approached the group, he suddenly stopped and looked at another group further away. A powerful and unique scent of nature attracted him–a smell that felt faintly familiar.

Somewhat cautious, Tian Lang approached that group. Entering shadows, he inched in that direction. As great as [Shadow Movement] was, it had its limitations for Tian Lang. He could neither see clearly, nor could he sniff any scent and could not maintain his position in any moving shadow either.

He ignored the leopard, which was trying to gain his attention and show off its ever-so-growing horns, and slightly poked his head out of the shadow, only to be forced down by a sturdy shoe.

...

W-what was that?

The sudden push dumbfounded the pup. Did any creature notice him in the shadows? That shouldn’t be right.

Tian Lang glared at the leopard. Its weird behavior was definitely suspicious. Snuggling on him, twisting its body, and even showing its head, every action of the leopard looked meaningless, which was... suspicious!

Now that he thought of it, the letter and action of that big fleshy-mounded human also seemed suspicious! That human was trying to hide something from him! But he already destroyed it and couldn’t figure what.

Anyway, Tian Lang snooped out of the shadow again and found a forest of legs. He bypassed them with care and finally found the source of the familiar scent.

It was human with a Grimoire!

But not anyone he was familiar with.

The human had two [Treant Warriors] and an opponent [Manticore] coiled in roots. The human’s voice quivered as it said in indignation, “Shen Tu Hao, Take it back! Take what you said about Third Brother, back!”

“Don’t think you’ve won! Trashes will always be trash! Both of you are the same. One can’t even contract the Grimoire and you, Yue Bing, have only affinity for plant-type category beast which is the same as being useless.” Shen Tu Hao declared, but it looked anxiously at the Manticore. It had already suffered several injuries, anymore and that would be the end of it.

Yue Bing glared at Shen Tu Hao in silent indignation. The Treant Warriors moved to deal with a death blow when another human joined the battle. It summoned a Bronze-Ranked Level 3 [Raging Leopard] and burned the Treant Warriors with Blazing Flames.

Treant Warriors were inherently weak to fire and ice. They were quickly burned and returned to Grimoire to recover. As it was a [Guardian Beast] which could never die, they won’t suffer any harm but Yue Bing, as their summoner, suffered from a rebound.

“This is outrageous. That was 1vs1 Warrior’s Challenge, how can they interfere like that? What did they learn at the academy?”

“Even if they are from the prestigious Shang Jing Academy, that’s all they amount to. I’m surprised that a famous talent like Yan Po Jun of The Three Great Killing Stars would take part in this.”

“You know what’s funny? That’s Yue Yan. They are from the same Yue Clan. And he is not even helping her. Should I say ruthless or stone-hearted?”

The mercenaries quietly criticized them, but none dared to voice out. After all, Yue Clan and Shang Jing Academy were both giant powerhouses.

Tian Lang watched the battle with great interest. It was a first for him to see a summoned and fighting tree, also another Leopard. Although different, they were of the same race.

He thought the Shadow Leopard would show some interest, but it revealed no reaction.

Tian Lang observed Yue Bing. That name sounded familiar, but Tian Lang could only recall that it matched with Yue Yang and Yue Shang. As for its appearance... that didn’t help him at all.

The only way he could differentiate between a human and another included their eyes, height, fleshy mound, and unique scent or aura. Otherwise, all humans looked the same to him.

While Tian Lang guessed the origin of this familiarity, Shen Tu Hao approached the crouched Yue Big. It smirked and said deviously, “As the leader of the Rose Team, I regretfully have to kick you out. We can’t have everyone slow down just because of one trash. Haha, I can’t wait to see your devastated look when you fail to complete the refining. Then you’ll be another disgrace of the Yue Clan like that Third Trash. Haha!–”

Shen Tu Hao noticed a young human within the group and quickly shut up.

The crowd dispersed as Tian Lang escaped from there. He finally remembered the origin of that familiarity. It was Lady Xian of the Yue Villa, but this human lacked the unnatural feeling of closeness. Since it also had a little amount of fleshy mounds, Tian Lang decided to follow it. If it matched his requirement, then he would approach this human.

As for why Tian Lang decided to choose Yue Bing over the winners of this fight, it was definitely because Tian Lang could see more. Compared to its opponents, Yue Bing had slightly bigger fleshy mounds. From their movements, he also deduced them to be soft-type. A type he was familiar with both in terms of coziness and fighting prowess.

Why did Yue Bing still lose? One might say it was out-numbered, but Tian Lang, the genius, begged to differ. Even if there were more, Yue Bing could beat them in a jiffy. Had it not been for their rule of only using their beasts, Yue Bing would’ve come out victorious overwhelmingly.