Looking at the calf-sized dragon cub in front of him, Yin Zhang couldn't help but smile.
Because the little dragon was crawling straight toward him.
It was probably because it had just been born and wasn't yet familiar with controlling its body. But after crawling only a step or two, it quickly adapted—its small dragon wings even spreading instinctively.
"Roar—"
Xiaolong let out a low growl.
Qiangu Yunying looked puzzled, but Yin Zhang burst into laughter.
This little dragon clearly regarded him as its mother—but even if it acknowledged him as a parent, he should be the father, not the mother!
"Xiao Zhang, it really thinks you're its parent!" Qiangu Yunying said in amazement.
Yin Zhang raised his right hand—the dragon claw that had absorbed the Firewing Dragon's palm bone—and gently stroked the little dragon's forehead.
"Roar—"
Xiaolong looked extremely pleased, rubbing its head affectionately against Yin Zhang's chest.
Qiangu Yunying couldn't hide her envy.
"Xiao Zhang, I want to hug it too!"
Yin Zhang smiled helplessly.
"This little guy is pretty domineering. Most dragon-related Soul Beasts have terrible tempers. What if it hurts you?"
Qiangu Yunying pouted.
"I don't care. Doesn't it see you as its parent? Just talk to it!"
Yin Zhang nodded reluctantly.
"I'll try communicating with it. But if it refuses, don't get upset—this little guy is extremely precious."
Yin Zhang attempted to communicate, and to his surprise, the dragon cub was remarkably intelligent, clearly possessing a high level of awareness.
---
One month later.
The dragon cub that had once been only calf-sized had grown to nearly ten times its original size under Yin Zhang's careful feeding.
However, over the past few days, Yin Zhang noticed that its growth had suddenly slowed.
He suspected this was related to age.
As everyone knew, on the Douluo Continent, a Soul Beast's age did not directly correspond to how long it had actually lived.
Otherwise, would a hundred-thousand-year Soft-Boned Rabbit really have lived for a hundred thousand years?
If simply hiding in a corner for a hundred thousand years were enough, then any old turtle could become a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast.
That clearly made no sense.
A Soul Beast's age was closely tied to its lifespan, but also depended on race, talent, and opportunity.
Take the million-year Soul Beast Tianmeng Ice Silkworm from the later era—strictly speaking, it already existed during this time. It had lived deep within an ice crevice in the Far North, where there was an endless supply of ten-thousand-year cold marrow. It ate, slept, and eventually, through sheer accumulation, became a million-year Soul Beast.
Then there was Xiao Wu's family.
According to the original records, not only was Xiao Wu herself a hundred-thousand-year Soul Beast, but both her parents were as well. Without extraordinary circumstances, no one would ever believe it.
The dragon cub was named Xiaolong. More accurately, it was Qiangu Yunying who gave it the name—Yin Zhang hadn't been able to come up with anything suitable and simply agreed.
From the moment Xiaolong was born, its lifespan was already measured in thousands of years. Now, it had reached nearly five thousand years—a truly astonishing rate of growth.
Over the past month, Xiaolong had almost devoured all the Soft-Boned Rabbits in the valley.
Previously, the Firewing Dragon had exercised restraint, keeping the rabbits in captivity and never wiping them out entirely, ensuring they could reproduce. After eating a portion, it would hunt other Soul Beasts in the forest.
Xiaolong, however, didn't care about any of that. It simply ate without restraint.
Afterward, Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying ventured into the Soul Beast Forest multiple times to hunt additional Soul Beasts for Xiaolong.
Of course, that was only part of it.
To cultivate Xiaolong's ferocity and instincts, the two of them usually let it hunt on its own while they supervised from nearby.
Since this was the core area of the Xuanwu Forest—territory shared by many high-aged Soul Beasts—they also had to intimidate the surrounding Soul Beasts whenever Xiaolong went hunting.
Over the course of the month, the two humans and the one dragon grew extremely close.
Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying often rode on Xiaolong's back, soaring freely through the sky.
And now, it was finally time to leave.
"Roar—!"
Xiaolong swooped down from the cliffside cave and landed on the grass in front of Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying, whipping up a powerful gust of wind.
Qiangu Yunying brushed aside her ruffled hair and looked at Yin Zhang.
"Xiao Zhang, a whole month has passed. We can finally leave the Xuanwu Forest. But… it seems Uncle Liu is still waiting outside."
Yin Zhang froze.
Liu Tian?
When they entered the Xuanwu Forest, Yin Zhang had told Liu Tian to wait in the small town outside.
He hadn't expected they'd stay here for more than a month.
"Oh no!" Yin Zhang said with a sigh.
"We need to hurry to that town. What if Uncle Liu thinks we died in the Xuanwu Forest? If he reports it, it could cause serious misunderstandings—and unnecessary trouble. That would be terrible for our journey."
He felt a bit helpless. After entering the forest, he had completely forgotten about Liu Tian, who had been guarding the luxurious carriage Salas provided. If he'd known, he would have gone out to explain things during the month.
Qiangu Yunying suddenly realized the gravity of it.
"Yes! If that information gets reported to Spirit City, wouldn't my two grandfathers—and your teacher—be worried sick?!"
Yin Zhang gave a wry smile and nodded.
"That's exactly the problem. Let's go check immediately. If we're too late, things will get ugly. We might even have to cut our trip short and return to Spirit City. With the speed of a Title Douluo, even if nothing has happened yet, my teacher—and your grandfathers—might already be on their way!"
With that, Yin Zhang and Qiangu Yunying mounted Xiaolong and left the valley they had lived in for over a month, flying straight toward the outskirts of the Xuanwu Forest.
---
In truth, when Qiangu Yunying and Yin Zhang failed to emerge from the forest for over half a month, Liu Tian had already panicked, convinced that the two had likely met with disaster.
He immediately had the carriage driven away from the town and rushed back to Heaven Dou City.
When Salas received the news, his face turned deathly pale.
If anything had happened to those two little demons, he would never escape responsibility.
Suppressing his resentment, he dispatched messengers to ride day and night toward Spirit City to report the situation.
At the same time, he personally led a group of men toward the Xuanwu Forest.
Neither the lord of Xuanwu City nor the local Spirit Hall branch understood what was happening—until Salas finally explained the reason.