Inside the medicinal cauldron, the bath shimmered with a deep emerald glow.
A rich herbal fragrance filled the air. The sheepdog, highly sensitive to medicinal scents, took a gentle sniff and exclaimed in surprise, "How incredible… I can sense many strange herbs inside. They're all unfamiliar to me!"
Ruofeng looked at her in astonishment. How could she detect the ingredients so precisely? The sled dog explained, "Master… ever since the first generation of sheepdogs was born, our kind has possessed the ability to distinguish medicinal materials. According to the Canine Sage, this was a gift from fragments of the God Tree. Through their sense of smell, sheepdogs can identify any herb. Even complex medicines can often be analyzed just by a single sniff."
Ruofeng was filled with admiration. "That's truly amazing. So this is the power bestowed by the God Tree—an almost perfect healing ability."
The sheepdog lowered her head shyly. She was a young female, still quite small, and now looked a little embarrassed. Then she asked hesitantly, "Master… the scent of these herbs is so unfamiliar. I've never encountered anything like them. How were they refined?"
Ruofeng did not know how to answer. He was no alchemist, and even if he understood the formula, refining such medicine himself would be nearly impossible.
He slowly removed his clothes and stepped into the medicinal cauldron.
"—Hiss…"
The moment he entered, he sucked in a sharp breath.
The bath was not particularly hot, more like a warm spring. But as soon as his body was submerged, he felt streams of energy rushing into him. With every breath, the green mist seemed to turn into flowing currents that slid into his lungs and spread throughout his body.
The instant this energy entered his flesh, intense pain surged forth.
It was as if countless tiny blades were carving through his muscles, purging every impurity.
Ruofeng's face twisted as he endured the agony, forcing himself to begin refining his chakra. The circulation of chakra slightly eased the pain.
But as he continued, the green energy no longer entered only through his breathing. It seeped directly through his skin, pouring into his pores and surging toward his bones.
The sensation was unbearable—like his skeleton was being torn apart and reforged.
Yet, as Ruofeng persisted, his physique steadily strengthened, and his chakra grew denser and more powerful.
The chakra flowed endlessly, to the point where he could no longer judge its exact level. He only knew that, for now, it still could not rival the Uzumaki clan. After all, physical constitution directly determined chakra reserves, and at his age, surpassing them was impossible. Even the Uchiha clan, known for their eyes, did not possess especially large chakra pools.
As the training continued, the medicinal bath showed no signs of fading. Its green glow remained vivid, while the medicinal power poured relentlessly into his body. Soon, Ruofeng reached the absolute limit of what his six-year-old body could endure.
His face turned pale, pain etched into every expression. Chakra began leaking from his body, forming visible currents in the air around him.
Seeing this, the sled dog's expression changed dramatically. "This is bad—Master can't endure it any longer! Quickly, pull him out!"
The sheepdog nodded and reached forward to drag Ruofeng from the cauldron.
But the moment her paw touched the chakra surrounding him, it was repelled by a powerful force, as if his chakra itself were acting instinctively to protect him.
This strange scene startled everyone.
Just as the sled dog was about to intervene personally, a white object suddenly flew across the hall.
It was an egg.
The egg streaked through the air and plunged straight into the medicinal bath.
In an instant, the green medicinal energy was violently absorbed.
The sled dog exclaimed, "That's the egg Master brought back!"
Ever since forming the contract with the canine clan, Ruofeng had entrusted all his treasures to them for safekeeping. With their absolute loyalty, there was no safer place.
This egg, obtained from the world of Swallowed Star, was originally meant to be incubated by the canine clan. Ruofeng had wanted to see what kind of creature would emerge. But it showed no reaction for a long time, and he had nearly concluded it was a dead egg. At one point, he had even considered boiling it—until he remembered the terrifying nature of the RR virus and abandoned the idea.
He never expected the egg to suddenly awaken now.
As the egg absorbed the medicinal power, the overwhelming energy that Ruofeng could not withstand vanished almost completely.
Ruofeng finally let out a long breath and slowly opened his eyes. "That was close…"
Though his eyes had been closed, his heightened perception allowed him to clearly sense everything. He naturally understood that the egg had saved his life.
Now, the white egg hovered in the bath, spinning gently as it devoured the remaining medicinal energy. In moments, the bath's power was nearly drained, with only a small portion absorbed by the cauldron itself.
Fine cracks began to spread across the shell.
"Crack… crack…"
The crisp sound of breaking echoed through the hall.
Ruofeng no longer cared about the changes within his own body. His gaze locked onto the egg. "Is it hatching?"
The sheepdog nodded nervously. "Master… it's about to hatch. I wonder what will come out."
Suddenly, a tiny head pushed through the shell.
Bleary, newborn eyes looked straight at Ruofeng.
Ruofeng's jaw dropped. "What… what is this? There's a dog inside the egg?!"
The small head was unmistakably canine. Ruofeng was absolutely certain—after all, he had contracted the entire canine clan.
Not only him, even the sheepdog was dumbfounded. "Master… I've helped deliver many newborn pups, but I've never seen a dog hatch from an egg!"
Ruofeng had no explanation either. After all, this egg came from another world—anything was possible.
The small white puppy soon wriggled free from the shell, paddling clumsily through the now-clear medicinal bath.
Ruofeng reached out and gently lifted the puppy, then handed it to the sheepdog. "What breed is this?"
As he spoke, he stepped out of the cauldron.
This time, he clearly felt the difference.
His body was far stronger than before. And more astonishingly, he discovered that his chakra had increased by nearly ten times.
The journey continues on [email protected] Advanced chapters ahead, are already available on my p@treon.
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