Zachary sat cross-legged on a branch, his back against the tree trunk. His head was down, his long black hair covering his face. His two hands were held close to his chest, his palms facing upward. In one hand was a summoning card with a tiny blue crystal embedded in the center. In the other was another blue crystal of about the same size. Both items were slightly glowing.

Eternum swirled and moved through his body according to his will. With every breath, he absorbed the energy of the world from the surrounding air to nourish his soul as well as his summon within the card. Simultaneously, he steadily drew out Eternum from the blue anima crystal, the product of the wild aquatic creature’s soul and life force. He fed that excess energy to his summon, healing its wounds and improving its soul.

A period of time passed and the solitary anima crystal lost its color. All of the energy within had been expended and the crystal structure crumbled to dust. A gust of wind carried what was left away, to rejoin the world from where it came.

Zachary pulled out another blue anima crystal. It gradually met the same fate and was replaced with a third. This time, there was a noticeable change as the crystal within the summoning card reacted strongly, glowing much brighter than before.

“Finally… it’s going to break through.”

When he had caught Hammer, it was at the Three Paths Novice Rank. For Ensouled within summoning cards, training them to become stronger was not too difficult at the novice rank but it also was not easy. It had taken four anima crystals in total to heal its injuries and then four more to get to this point.

The bond between a summon and a card summon was not very efficient. A lot of Eternum was lost during the process of cultivating. If it had been Yaoyao, which had been his soul summon, a pure bond with nothing acting as the intermediary, it would have required half the amount.

“Come on. Do it!” He muttered.

He urged Hammer onward. The crab was struggling mightily within its own soul. Of its eight paths, three were already open and he was steadily pushing against a fourth. Supplied with what seemed like boundless energy from the external anima crystal, it only had to continue doing what it was doing, fighting against the discomfort, and pushing past its limits.

After a long struggle that depleted the anima crystal, it finally happened. The fourth soul path within Hammer popped open like a cork and fresh Eternum poured through it. In the real world, its summoning card glowed bright with blue light before settling down.

Zachary let out the breath he had been holding, “Four Paths Novice Rank, good.”

“It’s done?” Katherine asked.

“Yeah.” He held up the card to his forehead, “Hammer, come out!”

A ray of light shot out, landing on the ground below the tree. It took shape and Hammer appeared. Its red and brown shell gleamed under the sun, strong and healthy. Its two claws were large and potent. One was used for crushing while the other for slicing.

Zachary hopped down and walked around it. He examined it from top to bottom and even rubbed the hard shell of its claws. He was glad he had not given up on Hammer. The crab was a strong Ensouled, it had even grown a little bigger after the breakthrough. Its body was now wider than a washbasin. If stretched out fully, it was well over a meter from claw to claw.

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Katherine walked up beside him and gave him a hug, “Good job.”

“Thanks.” He replied simply and returned her hug, wrapping an arm around her small shoulders.

Zachary and Katherine agreed not to risk the deeper jungle until they had recovered and improved their strength. They were spooked by the strange trees and appearances of treants that could not be easily detected. They stayed near the river, at most moving up and down its banks for the optimal hunting spots.

In the past week, Zachary finally healed Hammer and then steadily trained until it finally reached the Four Paths Novice Rank. After increasing its level, Hammer grew bigger and its claws were tougher and more dangerous. It was still as expressionless and stoic as before, though the amount of bubbles it produced seemed to have increased with its size.

The recent addition to the lineup, the treant which he had named Oakley, was at the Three Paths Novice Rank. It had a sturdy body and the ability to entangle opponents with its vines. It was his second strongest summon and the primary focus of training at the moment.

He did not neglect his other summons, at least the ones that could fight on land. Boba, Blue, Arrow, and Onkie; he raised them all to the Two Paths Novice Rank. From the One Path Novice Rank to the Two Paths Novice Rank, just one level did not require too much in terms of anima crystals but the benefits were great. Blue was able to fly faster. Arrow's poison spit increased in volume. And Onkie grew a little bigger and heavier.

As for the aquatic summons, he temporarily set them aside. Dream, the rainbow fish, was at the One Path Novice Rank. Sugo, the seaweed slug, was at the Two Paths Novice Rank but its combat power was even lesser than Dream. Whiskers, the fat catfish, was the strongest at the Three Paths Novice Rank but it was a pity that it could not grow legs and walk on land.

All in all, Zachary was satisfied with the current strength of his summon lineup. He felt confident enough to continue exploring the jungle. He made up his mind. He wanted to gather up their things and prepare to leave.

Katherine sensed the change and snuggled closer, hugging him fully and rubbing her head against his chest.

“Do we have to go?” She asked.

“We should. We can’t stay here forever.” He said.

He could continue to raise Boba, Blue, and Arrow to the Three Paths Novice Rank and then the Four Paths Novice Rank but it would take a lot of time. The aquatic creatures they could catch from the river were mostly at the One Path or Two Paths Novice Rank. Three paths or higher was a rarity and often escaped from their traps.

After the Four Paths Novice Rank, their pace of soul cultivation would drop down significantly. The only way to offset the difficulty of the higher soul paths was to head deeper into the jungle and hunt stronger Ensouled. Stronger ones would leave behind bigger anima crystals that contained far more Eternum. These would make soul cultivation at the higher soul paths that much more efficient.

“You’re right.” Katherine said softly, her breath warming his skin, “But can we stay just a little while longer?”

She looked up at him. He caught her gaze and he knew what she wanted. He leaned down and her lips opened to greet his.

Katherine was sometimes aloof but sometimes, she was needy and passionate. This was one of those times. Her tongue quickly met his and wrapped around each other. She bit his lip and moaned into his mouth. Her hands roamed over his chest, down his lean stomach, and between his legs, giving his lower half a thrilling greeting.

All of their times together, he had never initiated it. It had always been her. He didn’t mind it as he had enjoyed every moment, just like he was going to enjoy it this time.

Zachary's hands slid up to knead her small breasts. After he had gotten enough, he moved to her butt, before finally gripping her thighs and lifting her into the air. He turned them around and pressed her against the tree. She wrapped her legs around him and invited him in. He pierced her deeply, with a strong and steady rhythm, and the only sounds that could be heard above the rushing waters of the nearby river were her cries of pleasure and his steady, satisfied groans.

Beside them, Hammer stood obediently, its eyes watching its summoner and his companion. It did not quite understand what they were doing not that it really cared. Its mouth foamed with white bubbles as it dreamed of its next meal.