“Thank you for your offer, but I’m not used to adventuring with others,” Wei Yun declined without hesitation.

His decision wasn’t just because he didn’t know the young man well; it also tied to his unique abilities. Wei Yun had three main goals for this trip into the wild:

* To enhance the strength of his bonded creatures.

* To complete tasks and earn rewards.

* To search for high-quality spritit beast.

Of these, the third goal was the most critical. The wilderness was home to countless untamed, high-quality creatures. If Wei Yun encountered one with exceptional potential, contracting it would exponentially increase his strength.

Even if the creature wasn’t one he needed, he could temporarily contract it and later trade it in the market. High-quality creatures were rare, and such trades could provide a steady stream of valuable resources.

For Beast Tamers, success depended on two crucial factors: the strength of their contracted spirit beasts and the resources to nurture them.

Contracted spirit beast set the upper limits of a Beast Tamer’s potential, but without adequate resources, even the best spirit beasts couldn’t reach their full power, resulting in wasted potential.

To avoid exposing his plans or abilities, Wei Yun chose to decline the offer.

The thick-browed young man didn’t seem upset by Wei Yun’s refusal. After all, everyone had their own goals, and he couldn’t force the issue.

However, the man’s companion, a scar-faced youth, sneered and muttered under his breath, “Doesn’t know what’s good for him.”

Wei Yun cast a brief glance at the scar-faced youth before turning back to the thick-browed young man. With a polite smile, he said, “Thank you, but I’ll take my leave now.” With a slight bow, he turned and walked away.

Once Wei Yun left the Wei family estate, he looked at Mira and asked, “Mira, can I ride on you?”

Aside from combat, Mira could also serve as a mount.

“Roarrr…”

Mira hesitated briefly but nodded. At over two meters in length and nearly a meter tall, she could barely manage to serve as a mount.

When Wei Yun climbed onto her back, Mira felt the weight press down. Thankfully, Wei Yun’s slim figure and light frame made it manageable. Otherwise, Mira would have struggled to carry him.

Even so, her speed was lightly reduced.

But Mira was no stranger to weight training, so even with Wei Yun on her back, she moved swiftly and silently. The scenery blurred as they sped along, the landscape streaking past in flashes of green and brown.

After some time, Mira came to a stop at the foot of Azure Cloud Mountain. Before them lay a narrow, overgrown path leading into an untouched wilderness.

While wild creatures occasionally strayed into the Wei family estate, their numbers were limited. The wilderness, however, was a different story. It teemed with life, offering a far greater chance of encountering high-quality creatures.

Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Wei Yun dismounted and stepped onto the trail, his eyes scanning the surroundings as they advanced.

The wilderness stretched out before them, dotted with knee-high sagebrush and vibrant wildflowers. Rustling sounds came from the undergrowth, and shadows of wild creatures darted between the foliage.

Wild spirit beasts could generally be divided into two categories based on temperament: aggressive and passive. Aggressive spirit beasts, often carnivorous, would attack anything that entered their territory. Passive spirit beasts, mostly herbivores, avoided confrontation unless provoked.

Wei Yun extended his spiritual sense, which now spanned over fourty meters. His ability had grown alongside his cultivation, giving him a significant edge in the wild.

When his spiritual sense swept over the area, it acted like a radar. Faint dots appeared in his mental map, each representing a nearby wild creature. Their uniform brightness indicated that they were all of lower quality.

Wei Yun wasn’t surprised. Ignoring the creatures, he pressed forward.

Mira followed closely, her intelligent eyes flashing with curiosity and confusion as she watched Wei Yun’s seemingly aimless movements.

“Mira, stay sharp and don’t let your guard down. Consider this your first survival lesson,” Wei Yun said calmly.

He didn’t bother explaining further, Mira wouldn’t fully understand anyway.

Though Mira was highly intelligent for her kind, creatures below the higher tiers couldn’t match human intelligence. Her level of understanding was comparable to that of a clever monkey, meaning overly complex concepts were beyond her grasp.

Suddenly, Mira’s ears twitched. Her body tensed, and her gaze sharpened as she instinctively moved to shield Wei Yun. Her eyes locked onto a rustling patch of tall grass ahead.

Wei Yun stopped, his spiritual sense confirming something moving within the brush.

The rustling grew louder until a large boar-like creature burst forth, charging directly at Mira.

The beast was roughly a meter long, with a bulky frame, short legs, and sharp white spines covering its back and tail.

“Needleback Boar,” Wei Yun muttered, recognizing the creature immediately.

Unlike ordinary wild boars, Needleback Boars were larger and far more dangerous due to their sharp spines. They were a common species in the surrounding area.

“Dodge it and use Bite!” Wei Yun commanded.

Mira sidestepped the boar’s charge with agility, narrowly avoiding the attack.

Pivoting on her hind legs, she lunged at the boar with explosive speed. Her jaws opened wide, razor-sharp fangs gleaming as she avoided the spines and clamped down on its exposed neck.

Squeal!

A shrill cry erupted from the boar as blood spurted from the wound. It thrashed violently, desperate to shake Mira off.

Mira held firm, using her powerful jaws to tear a chunk of flesh from its neck. The boar’s movements grew frantic but weaker as it lost blood.

Sensing the danger, the boar turned its spiny back toward Mira in a last-ditch effort to defend itself.

“Mira, watch out!” Wei Yun warned.

In response, Mira’s wind-elemental aura flared as she activated Tailwind. A light breeze wrapped around her body, amplifying her speed to incredible levels.

Just then, the boar’s spines shot outward like projectiles, whistling through the air.

But Mira was already moving. Her enhanced speed carried her out of harm’s way, and the spines embedded harmlessly in the ground.

“Now, finish it with Crushing Claw!” Wei Yun ordered.

In a blur, Mira closed the distance to the wounded boar. Her claws shimmered faintly as she swiped at its head.

Crack!

With a sickening crunch, her claws smashed into the boar’s skull. The creature collapsed to the ground, its limbs twitching weakly before going still.

“Mira, well done!” Wei Yun praised warmly.

“Roarrr!” Mira roared triumphantly, wagging her tail as she basked in the praise.

Since Wei Yun didn’t have a spatial storage item, he harvested the boar’s core and left the rest behind, continuing deeper into Azure Cloud Mountain.