Chapter 226: This Little Thing Is Definitely a Hidden Master!

Exactly!

After retracting the Thunder Dragon Beast, Lin Tianhao turned around and bellowed at the top of his lungs.

「Nie Lao is absolutely right！」

「This is the reward the Tian Shu Bureau gave my son—it's my son's bonded beast！」

「Since it's my son's matter, it's up to my son to decide！」

Lin Tianhao waved his hand, his face full of disdain.

「What are you two fussing about over here？」

「All this talk of tactics and combos—that's only for the weak！」

「Before absolute firepower, all tactics are nonsense！」

「Go away, go away, don't distract my son from choosing his pet！」

After being so brutally shut down by Lin Tianhao,

Guhe and Zhang Qi's mouths twitched uncontrollably.

「Hey!!! Lin Tianhao, you old bandit!!! Aren't we just concerned about Lin Mo's future？」

It looked like they were about to start a fight.

Nie Lao waved his hand, stopping them.

Then he turned to Lin Mo and said calmly:

「Lin Mo.

「As your father said, this is the reward the Tian Shu Bureau gave you.

「Make your own decision.

「Whether it's that Thunder Tyrant Ape or this Formless Grand Void Beast, the final choice should be yours.

「Don't have any reservations.

Hearing Nie Lao's words,

Lin Mo lifted his head, met everyone's gazes, and nodded firmly.

「I understand, Nie Lao.

Immediately after,

Lin Mo stepped forward and walked straight toward the corner where the little white fox was.

……

Not long after,

Lin Mo arrived before the barrier enclosing the little fox.

He crouched down.

Only then did Lin Mo truly see the Formless Grand Void Beast's appearance.

Its body was truly tiny, its fur like the purest first snow of heaven and earth, without a single impurity.

Its ears were sharp, slightly upright.

In its clear eyes shone curiosity and liveliness.

Seeing Lin Mo crouched before it,

the little fox did not retreat.

Instead, it cautiously approached.

Through the bars, it extended its pink little tongue and gently licked its paw.

Then, tilting its tiny head, it let out a soft, mewling sound.

「Ying~」

Lin Mo couldn't help but reach out, pass his hand through the bars, and stroke the little fox's head.

The little fox didn't flinch; instead, it closed its eyes in pleasure and rubbed its tiny head against Lin Mo's palm.

Its obedient demeanor was utterly irresistible.

Lin Mo couldn't help but smile gently.

「Little ones.

「What do you think of this little thing？」

In the skill bar,

【【Ice Spike Spell】instantly transformed into a girl unable to walk past something cute: 「Waaah! So cute! So cute! Sooooo cute!!! 】

【【Ice Spike Spell】spun wildly in the skill bar: 「Master! Take it! Take it! This lady wants to hug it and snuggle it hard! 】

Lin Mo's face darkened.

Of course.

Women all love cute things.

【【Fireball Spell】flames trembled around it, then forced a haughty pose: 「Hmph... 】

【【Fireball Spell】coughed twice: 「Though it's still trash... it's not entirely unpleasant to look at. If I must choose, I pick this little fox. 】

Arrogant.

Dead arrogant.

Lin Mo rolled his eyes.

「Thunder Strike Spell」 didn't speak,

but it was clear—it was staring intently at the little white fox, lightning flickering in its gaze, clearly brimming with curiosity.

「Xiao Tu, what do you think？」

Lin Mo looked toward the "Earthbending" skill in the bar.

【【Earth Shield Spell】poked its curious head forward: 「Big bro, Fourth Sister's right! Second bro agrees too—this little fox is fluffy and adorable. 】

【「Perfect as our family mascot! Master, pick it! 】

Seeing the skill's unusually unified stance,

Lin Mo smiled.

In fact, even if the skills had disagreed, he already had his answer.

Contracting the Thunder Ape outside, or an Ice Lion, or a Flame Unicorn—on the surface, combat power would indeed increase somewhat.

But...

In the end, those were all single-element bonded beasts.

I'm a blank-slate mage with full-element potential.

Keeping a monkey that only shoots lightning, or a lion that only spits ice, feels too limiting for my scope.

But this little fox?

It's a blank slate.

But... think of it another way!

Lin Mo looked at the prompt panel before him.

【Target: Formless Grand Void Beast】

【Attribute: None】

【Would you like to submit a soul contract to this target?】

【Current number of bonded beasts: 0/1】

Blank slate means infinite possibilities!

Just like me!

It has no elements now, but that doesn't mean it can't carry all elements in the future!

Moreover...

「Formless Grand Void Beast...

Lin Mo murmured the name softly.

「Formless means encompassing all things.

「Grand Void means the primordial universe.

「This name sounds anything but ordinary!

「This little thing is definitely a hidden master!

Thinking this,

Lin Mo sat down on the ground, leaning casually against the iron bars.

He reached out again, gently stroking the soft fur along the little fox's back.

The little fox let out a contented rumble, even rolled onto its back, exposing its snowy, fluffy belly for Lin Mo to pet.

「Little fox...

Lin Mo stroked the fox as he spoke softly.

「Do you know?

「Actually, I'm just like you—a 'blank slate' too.

「Ying?

The little fox opened its eyes, gazing at Lin Mo with clear, puzzled eyes.

Lin Mo smiled and gently scratched the little fox's chin.

"It's true."

"Back then…"

"Everyone at school mocked me."

"They thought I was ruined for life, that I couldn't even cast a simple fireball properly."

"In a world where strength reigns supreme, a mage without elemental affinity is worse than a stray dog on the street."

"Mmm…"

The little fox let out a soft cry, extending its tiny tongue to gently lick Lin Mo's fingers.

As if comforting him.

Lin Mo watched this profoundly sentient moment, his gaze growing ever softer.

"Look."

"They saw no elemental response in you and assumed you were probably useless."

As he spoke,

Lin Mo's hand slid from the fox's chin to its pointed ears.

"But…"

"Think of it another way."

"Perhaps there's no elemental response because lowly elemental reactions simply aren't worthy to enter your body!"

"Because a blank slate is the purest vessel!"

"It holds the infinite potential to devour all and embrace everything!"

Saying this,

Lin Mo stared straight into the fox's eyes.

In that moment, their gazes met tightly in midair.

Blank slate to blank slate.

In that instant, an indescribable resonance seemed to arise.

A brilliant smile appeared on Lin Mo's lips.

"So…"

"Will you bond with me?"

"And together, prove to this world…"

"That the so-called blank slate is truly the supreme ruler of this world?"

【Soul Contract submitted to target 'Wuxiang Tai Xu Beast'!】

【Awaiting final response from target…】