As Qiangu Yuan explained in a slow, measured tone, Yin Zhang finally understood.
Back in his youth, after Qiangu Yuan had entered the Star Dou Great Forest with a team, they once encountered a lone, young Howling Moon Wolf.
Just as the wolf was about to fall into the jaws of a powerful Tiger-type spirit beast, Qiangu Yuan acted on impulse.
He thought that if he captured it and brought it back to Spirit City, he could surely sell it for a hefty sum.
However, in order to escape the pursuit of a ten-thousand-year Tiger King, Qiangu Yuan—while carrying the young Howling Moon Wolf—panicked and fled straight into the territory of an even more terrifying spirit beast.
At the most critical moment, the Howling Moon Wolf clan arrived.
A Howling Moon Wolf tens of thousands of years old, leading more than twenty thousand-year and ten-thousand-year Howling Moon Wolves, descended upon the scene.
They rescued Qiangu Yuan, and before parting, rewarded him for saving one of their kind.
A ten-thousand-year Spirit Bone.
Qiangu Yuan felt both deeply ashamed and immensely grateful.
To spirit beasts, a ten-thousand-year Spirit Bone was of little use.
But to the vast majority of Spirit Masters, it was an unparalleled treasure—one that could completely change a person's fate.
It was said that in ancient times, even a thousand-year Spirit Bone was enough to spark wars between nations.
Let alone a ten-thousand-year one.
Yet the intelligence of a ten-thousand-year Howling Moon Wolf was no different from that of an adult human.
Even though it had roughly grasped Qiangu Yuan's original intentions, it still gave him the Spirit Bone as a token of gratitude.
That alone spoke volumes about the character of the Howling Moon Wolf race.
"It's embarrassing to admit," Qiangu Yuan said with a sigh, "but if it weren't for that ten-thousand-year Spirit Bone gifted by the Howling Moon Wolf King, I probably would've peaked at Spirit Emperor in this lifetime."
"It was precisely because of that Spirit Bone that my aptitude greatly improved. I was able to cultivate all the way to Spirit Saint. Only then, relying on my father's and uncle's connections, did I manage—through a bit of backdoor maneuvering—to become Vice Dean of Spirit Hall Academy."
Qiangu Yuan shook his head helplessly.
"Sometimes, opportunities really are just that coincidental."
Yin Zhang fell into thought.
It was also because of that Spirit Bone that he'd had the chance to meet Qiangu Yuan in the first place. Otherwise, the one who came to fetch him back then wouldn't have been Qiangu Yuan, but another Vice Dean of Spirit Hall Academy.
Soon after, the two arrived at the territory of their first target—the 2,900-year Blazing Flame Elephant Turtle.
Looking at the empty space ahead, Yin Zhang took to the air to scan the surroundings, but there was no sign of the turtle.
After landing, he turned to Qiangu Yuan.
"Uncle Qiangu, where's that elephant turtle you mentioned?"
Before setting out, Yin Zhang had actually been quite satisfied with this Blazing Flame Elephant Turtle.
After all, the information about it was several years old.
Back then, it had already been 2,900 years old. After all this time, even if it hadn't reached three thousand years, it should've been very close.
Qiangu Yuan frowned and looked around. Just as he was about to speak, his gaze suddenly locked onto something ahead.
"What's that?"
He stared at a strangely shaped hill in front of them—or rather, a massive mound, conical when viewed from above.
"Huh? Uncle Qiangu, did you find something?"
Yin Zhang followed him forward. Just as he was thinking it was merely an unusually large mound of earth—
"Coiling Dragon Rod!"
Qiangu Yuan shouted.
A massive rod wrapped in a coiling golden dragon appeared firmly in his grasp.
"Ha!"
Qiangu Yuan swung the Coiling Dragon Rod down at the mound.
The next instant, both of them stepped back.
Boom—boom—
Huge clouds of dust mixed with shattered rock exploded outward.
Dust filled the air, completely obscuring their vision.
When it finally settled, an enormous turtle shell—about the size of a small room and covered in moss—was revealed.
Yin Zhang was stunned.
"This… this is a turtle shell?"
"The shell of a 2,300-year Blazing Flame Elephant Turtle is already this big?"
Qiangu Yuan retracted his spirit and sighed with regret.
"Who would've thought that in just these few years, the Blazing Flame Elephant Turtle would leave behind nothing but this shell."
"If we hadn't come today, this shell would've slowly decayed over time, merging with the earth, never to be discovered."
"Of course, the real pity is that only the shell remains. We'll have to move on to the next target."
"Uncle Qiangu," Yin Zhang asked, looking up at the massive shell, "is this shell useful for anything? Could it be made into soft armor or something?"
"Soft armor? Forget it," Qiangu Yuan replied, examining the shell. "Although it's been here for years, the surface shows very little damage."
"If you want to haul the entire thing back for processing, that's just wishful thinking. Does your gold bead chain even have that much storage space?"
"…Fair enough."
Yin Zhang nodded.
"Then let's check the next target's habitat. Hopefully nothing goes wrong this time, or it'll really be a waste."
And so, the two once again set off toward their next destination.
"The second target is called the Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger, originally recorded at 2,800 years," Qiangu Yuan said while walking. "But this information is also several years old."
"By now, it may have already reached three thousand years—or even higher."
"It should provide you with a very powerful Spirit Ability."
As they traveled, Qiangu Yuan took out the records and showed them to Yin Zhang.
Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger?
Incineroar?
Why did that name sound so familiar?
After nearly another half hour of travel, Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yuan arrived near the boundary between the outer and inner regions of the Star Dou Great Forest.
Just as they stepped into the forest from a clearing, an earth-shaking roar thundered through the area.
"That's the Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger," Qiangu Yuan said calmly. "True to its name, the most distinctive trait of this species is its roar—exceptionally loud and filled with overwhelming intimidation."
"Because of this, many opponents lose ground in terms of aura the moment a confrontation begins, allowing the Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger to seize the initiative."
"Looks like our luck isn't bad. We found a suitable spirit beast on our second try."
Qiangu Yuan turned back and smiled at Yin Zhang.
Yin Zhang grinned in response.
"Yeah. Good. Then it's decided!"
[Detected that the host is about to face a 3,000-year Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger. Triggering choices as follows:]
[One: Crimson Flame Roaring Tiger—homophonous with 'Incineroar,' a fellow Fire-type starter alongside Charizard. Do not hunt it; instead, treat it with love and affection.]
[Reward: Spirit Ring Year Enhancement Card (200 years)]
[Two: …]