Chapter 404: Continuous Breakthroughs (Three-in-One Chapter, Requesting Recommendation Votes)

Aixi is too eager for success!

Its mindset has already become unbalanced; the more anxious it feels inside, the less it is able to concentrate, which directly leads to the phenomenon of the radiance on its body surface dissipating.

If this continues, what awaits Aixi will inevitably be a failed breakthrough.

Seeing Aixi's situation, Li Zhangsheng shook his head; naturally, he would not remain indifferent, and he hurriedly took out an irregularly shaped piece of golden jade from his Space Ring, which was flickering with wisps of golden light.

This piece of gold stone is called Yaohua Gold Jade, a type of mineral that assists Gold Element Demon Pets in breaking through; it is only effective for Gold Element Demon Pets below the Leader level, making it just right for Aixi at this moment.

Aixi did not dodge, allowing Li Zhangsheng to press the Yaohua Gold Jade against its forehead.

The moment the two made contact, the Yaohua Gold Jade suddenly released a rich golden light, which poured into Aixi's body in a continuous stream.

The Yaohua Gold Jade began to slowly melt, much like a burning candle.

Aixi closed its eyes, feeling only streams of Gold Element energy carrying a sharp quality pouring into its body.

Assisted by this Gold Element energy, Aixi's spirit was invigorated, and its physical body was frantically devouring this energy, strengthening at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Within the span of a few breaths, the Yaohua Gold Jade had completely melted and merged into Aixi's body.

With the assistance of the Yaohua Gold Jade, the energy on Aixi's body surface that was about to dissipate quickly gathered and became internalized; the light of advancement began from its head and rapidly permeated its entire body.

Its body size began to swell rapidly, and its aura even showed a trend of qualitative change, which, combined with its Intimidation trait, brought a suffocating pressure to others.

When the advancement light disappeared, Aixi's body size had grown from the original ten meters in length to 14 meters (excluding the tiger tail), and its height had also reached about 7 meters, while the two protrusions on its shoulders had also become more prominent.

Roar—

Aixi let out a roar, which sounded like a Thunderclap, echoing rapidly through the mountains, causing nearby wild Spirit Beasts to flee in panic once again.

At this moment, Aixi lowered its massive tiger body, revealing an embarrassed, human-like expression.

Aixi knew very well that if Li Zhangsheng had not taken out the Yaohua Gold Jade, it would not have been able to complete the breakthrough.

Li Zhangsheng's voice carried a stern tone, "Aixi, a fall into a pit, a gain in your wit; don't be so impatient next time!"

Wasting a piece of Yaohua Gold Jade made Li Zhangsheng feel a bit of heartache; the Yaohua Gold Jade was worth thousands of Soul Crystals, and just like that, it was gone.

"Aixi, today's training is doubled!"

In order to make Aixi remember the lesson, Li Zhangsheng gave it the corresponding punishment.

Aixi whimpered; it also knew that this time it was its own fault, otherwise, given its quality, it might have been possible to save this piece of Yaohua Gold Jade.

At this time, Li Zhangsheng looked toward the Crowned Flame Bird.

Unlike Aixi and Kailan, the Crowned Flame Bird was all Thunderclap and no rain; apart from emitting rich flames, it showed no signs of advancing at all.

This had a lot to do with the Crowned Flame Bird's quality; it was also the only formal Demon Pet in Li Zhangsheng's hands that had not yet reached top-tier quality.

But the Crowned Flame Bird also had advantages; its species was the highest, and it possessed three very excellent traits.

Without hesitation, Li Zhangsheng took out the pill furnace he had obtained from Danwang Biefu.

After the furnace lid was opened, a fiercely burning, scorching flame floated slightly, emitting a faint, scorching aura.

Compared to ordinary flames, the heat emitted by this flame was significantly lower; this was a manifestation of the energy being extremely internalized.

This was also a characteristic of the Undying Fire!

As soon as it saw the Undying Fire, the Crowned Flame Bird stared fixedly at it, its eyes full of undisguised longing.

For a Fire Element Demon Pet, the Undying Fire possessed extreme temptation and was absolutely a great tonic.

"Crowned Flame Bird, this is the Undying Fire; I believe it will be of great help to your breakthrough, eat it!"

Li Zhangsheng pointed at the Undying Fire; he dared not touch the Undying Fire, nor did he know how to let the Crowned Flame Bird absorb it, so in the end, he could only let the Crowned Flame Bird decide.

As soon as Li Zhangsheng's voice fell, the Crowned Flame Bird became visibly excited; its two huge fiery red wings gently embraced Li Zhangsheng, and it lowered its head, constantly nudging Li Zhangsheng to express its excitement and gratitude toward him.

After lingering for a moment, the Crowned Flame Bird released Li Zhangsheng and impatiently opened its sharp Bird Beak; a suction force was generated, and the Undying Fire turned into a long line of fire, which it swallowed into its stomach in one gulp.

As soon as it swallowed the Undying Fire, the Crowned Flame Bird swayed and collapsed to the ground, a painful expression appearing on its face; it was clearly in great discomfort.

Its blood temperature was very high, and it could bathe in magma, but it still felt as if its body had become like a furnace, filled with an unusually scorching aura that had exceeded its capacity to bear.

Chirp—

The Crowned Flame Bird let out a loud cry, and a rich, scorching-colored flame erupted on its body surface, instantly shrouding it in the fiercely burning flames.

The flames swept rapidly toward the surroundings, and Li Zhangsheng and Ning Bizhen hurriedly took the Demon Pets and retreated dozens of meters.

Within the span of a few breaths, the scorching flames swept across the surrounding twenty or thirty meters, the grass was burned away, and the ground turned black-red before it finally stopped expanding.

After retreating a distance, Li Zhangsheng's gaze remained fixed on the fiercely burning flames, where he could vaguely see the figure of the Crowned Flame Bird.

Not long after, the scorching flames underwent a change; the color and range of the flames did not change in the slightest, but the temperature they emitted showed a strange downward trend.

This was a phenomenon of the flames beginning to internalize, and it was also a trait of the Undying Fire—concentrating more energy within the flames rather than letting it dissipate.

A quarter of an hour passed, and the temperature emitted by the flames had dropped significantly, reaching an outrageously low level.

This gave one the feeling that it was not a raging fire covering dozens of meters in front of them, but merely a small furnace.

Only at this moment did the temperature of the red flames finally stop dropping.

Li Zhangsheng could clearly feel that the Crowned Flame Bird's flames were significantly more terrifying than before.

Regarding the changes in the Crowned Flame Bird, Li Zhangsheng finally set his mind at ease; this indicated that the Crowned Flame Bird had initially grasped the Undying Fire.

This was clearly a matter of internalizing all the temperature of the flames, twisting all the heat into one strand, which, while causing greater damage to the enemy, also significantly extended the burning time of the flames.

It was no wonder that as long as one absorbed the Undying Fire, the burn probability of Fire Element skills would gain a trend of doubling, as well as causing secondary damage to the opponent.

As long as the opponent did not actively extinguish the flames attached to their body surface, the flames would continue to burn, instead of only being able to last for a very short time as in the past.

Of course, it would still take some time to fully grasp the Undying Fire.

Once the Undying Fire was fully grasped, the temperature of the flames released by the Crowned Flame Bird would inevitably drop again, until it no longer emitted any temperature.

By that time, the flames would become the Crowned Flame Bird's 'toy'; it could internalize them so they no longer emitted temperature, or it could erupt and emit high temperatures, all decided by its will.

Chirp—

A loud cry suddenly rang out from the flames, followed by the red flames rapidly contracting, and in the blink of an eye, they were absorbed by the Crowned Flame Bird, revealing its figure.

Compared to before the advancement, the Crowned Flame Bird's body size had grown slightly more, its fiery red feathers had become more translucent, and its bright, piercing eyes carried an inherent, intense power.

In addition to this, a layer of fiercely burning red flames was attached to its body surface.

At the first moment, the Crowned Flame Bird immediately rushed in front of Li Zhangsheng, proactively bringing its head close to him to express its joy.

Li Zhangsheng stroked the Crowned Flame Bird's flaming head, a satisfied smile appearing on his face.

It was no surprise to him that with the assistance of the Undying Fire, the Crowned Flame Bird took the opportunity to complete its breakthrough, becoming Li Zhangsheng's third Leader-level Demon Pet.

Just after advancing to a Fourth-rank Demon Tamer, he already possessed three Leader-level Demon Pets, reaching a level comparable to a veteran Fourth-rank Demon Tamer.

With Li Zhangsheng's current strength, he had the confidence to defeat even an ordinary Fifth-tier Beastmaster.

In this way, the combat power ranking of the Demon Pets in Li Zhangsheng's hands changed: Aixi jumped to the top spot, Kailan and the Crowned Flame Bird shared the second spot, below them was Adai, while Roundy, Day and Night were not much different in strength from the Red Dragon, the Light Blessing Bird and Venomous Flying Dragon behind them were also on par, and finally were the Leopard Kirin Beast and the Treasure Hunting Mouse.

It was normal for Aixi to jump to the top spot; although the Crowned Flame Bird's race was high, its quality held it back, so the combat power bonus given to it was naturally lower.

A higher race by one grade could not completely bridge the gap in combat power bonuses between Superior Quality and Top Quality.

Kailan was mainly known for its support, otherwise it would also have surpassed the Crowned Flame Bird instead of sharing the second spot with it.

Because he had just broken through, Li Zhangsheng subconsciously wanted to find Ning Bizhen for a spar, so that he could have a clear understanding of his current combat power.

Whether he could contend with a Fifth-tier Beastmaster would only be known after trying.

Ning Bizhen shook her head, pointed at the sky and said, "It's too late, let's go to sleep early, we'll spar tomorrow!"

"I almost forgot it was night if you hadn't mentioned it."

Li Zhangsheng looked up at the starry sky and rubbed his forehead in embarrassment.

At this time, Kailan yawned and lay directly on Roundy's soft belly, while the Crowned Flame Bird landed on a large tree not far away, clutching a thick branch and falling into a deep sleep.

Only Aixi was relatively awake, but it was a feline animal and had the habit of being nocturnal.

"Alright, let's go back to sleep!"

Amidst Ning Bizhen's exclamation, Li Zhangsheng picked Ning Bizhen up horizontally and walked towards the tent not far away.

Ning Bizhen struggled for a moment, then buried her face in Li Zhangsheng's arms with a blushing face.

During this period of special training, the relationship between the two heated up rapidly; except for the final line of defense that Ning Bizhen strictly guarded, Li Zhangsheng had done everything he could.

This was also the main reason why Li Zhangsheng came to Tiger Roar Mountain for special training; here he could be alone with Ning Bizhen without any third wheels to disturb them, and Ning Bizhen could appropriately let down her guard.

Not long after, shadows flickered in the tent, and one could vaguely hear sounds full of charm.

The next morning, the two chose a patch of grass to serve as the venue for their spar.

"Old rules, one-on-one! Aixi, enter the field!"

Li Zhangsheng directly sent out his strongest, Aixi, while the rest of the Demon Pets watched from the sidelines.

"Xiaofeng, enter the field!"

Ning Bizhen thought for a moment and sent out the Qixi Wind Speed Cat.

Among Ning Bizhen's four Leader-level Demon Pets, the strongest was naturally the Three-Legged Fire Crow, followed by the Cold Jade Rabbit, then the Qixi Wind Speed Cat, and finally the Dark Night Marten.

Such a choice could test Li Zhangsheng's approximate level; if Aixi could go toe-to-toe with the Qixi Wind Speed Cat, it meant that Li Zhangsheng had the level to contend with an ordinary Fifth-tier Beastmaster.

Woo woo woo~

When Aixi entered the field, a strong storm blew up on the ground, causing fallen leaves and flowers to dance in the sky, and for a time, the visibility on the field was greatly reduced.

At the same time, light cyan Wind Element energy emerged on Aixi's body surface, draping a beautiful Wind Cloak over it.

Suddenly, the storm on the field intensified; it turned out that the Qixi Wind Speed Cat also possessed the Storm trait, which directly caused the visibility on the field to drop further.

Roar~

Aixi subconsciously roared at the Qixi Wind Speed Cat, the sound like thunder, and an invisible Pressure permeated the area.

Unfortunately, due to the gap in cultivation, the Pressure trait had no effect on the Qixi Wind Speed Cat.

"Aixi, free mode!"

"Xiaofeng, free mode!"

Li Zhangsheng and Ning Bizhen did not want to interfere with this spar and prepared to let the Demon Pets decide their own tactics.

Meow~

At the first moment, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat chose to strike first; accompanied by an excited cat cry, countless cyan light spots quickly condensed, turning into a two-zhang-long Giant Wind Blade that spun rapidly as it flew towards Aixi.

Roar~

Aixi narrowed its eyes and similarly condensed a huge Wind Blade to confront the Qixi Wind Speed Cat head-on.

In an instant, the two Giant Wind Blades collided, making an unusually sharp and piercing sound as if countless blades were rubbing and resonating.

Crack! Crash~

The two stalemated for a moment, but Aixi's Giant Wind Blade was the first to be unable to resist, countless cracks appeared on its surface, and it was finally cut directly in two.

The Giant Wind Blade released by the Qixi Wind Speed Cat continued forward, looking as if it were about to strike Aixi.

In a Lightning Flash, Aixi tilted its head, revealing a mouth of sharp fangs, and bit directly onto the Giant Wind Blade.

Crack~

This Giant Wind Blade was already on the verge of shattering; with just a light bite from Aixi, it broke into two pieces.

Boom~

After the energy structure shattered, the two halves of the Wind Blade flickered violently and exploded with a bang.

Aixi had been prepared and had stepped out of the explosion range a step early.

It was also at this moment that the Qixi Wind Speed Cat stepped with agile footwork and quickly pounced towards Aixi.

It knew Aixi quite well and was very clear that the longer the time dragged on, the faster Aixi would become, so it naturally had the idea of a quick victory.

The Qixi Wind Speed Cat's speed was very fast, not only not slower than Aixi at this moment, but even a bit faster.

The Qixi Wind Speed Cat was known for its agility and possessed the Swift trait, which increased its speed by 30%, and coupled with its advantage in cultivation, its speed became like a ghost.

In a flash, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat appeared behind Aixi's rear and clawed towards Aixi's anus.

This could be said to be the vital point of any animal-type Spirit Beast; once successfully struck, it would cause pain that could not be described in words.

Aixi was so frightened that her fur stood on end, and she hurriedly released Wind Barrier, covering herself in a thick cyan light screen a step ahead.

Pop—

The cyan light screen flickered violently, emitting a shattering sound.

Just at this moment, Aixi's tail lifted, shimmering with a rich metallic luster; like a vertical steel whip, it emitted a piercing sound of breaking air and lashed out at the Qixi Wind Speed Cat based on instinct.

Unfortunately, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat seemed to have anticipated it, moving out of its original position in the next step, which directly caused Aixi's Steel Tail to land on empty air.

Before Aixi could finish turning around, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat performed a lazy donkey roll, rolling directly between Aixi's legs and taking the opportunity to scratch Aixi's abdomen, leaving behind several bloody marks.

If Aixi were male, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat would definitely have attacked those troublesome roots.

Aixi reacted quickly, and like a golden mountain collapsing and a jade pillar toppling, her massive tiger body landed directly on the ground, wanting to deliver a Mount Tai Pressing Down upon the Qixi Wind Speed Cat.

Wind Stealth!

Sensing Aixi's movement, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat narrowed its eyes; cyan light exploded on its body surface, and as if transforming into a cyan Residual Shadow, it rushed out from under Aixi's abdomen a step ahead.

Aixi moved her feet rapidly, pouncing toward the Qixi Wind Speed Cat several meters away with lightning speed.

During this process, Aixi opened her mouth wide, revealing snow-white, sharp fangs, as if she were about to swallow the Qixi Wind Speed Cat whole.

Meow—

Suddenly, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat let out an unusually sharp cat cry; the piercing sound wave penetrated directly into Aixi's ears, leaving Aixi's mind blank, and her body subconsciously paused for a moment.

This was a Bloodline Inheritance Skill originating from the Pale Cat, which had the same effect as the Treasure-Seeking Mouse's Giant Sound skill, using sound waves to influence the opponent's will while simultaneously inflicting a certain amount of damage.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat hunched its back, and Aixi leaped directly over it.

The moment Aixi leaped over from above, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat bit down on her tail.

Roar-woo—

Under the pain, Aixi instantly regained her clarity; she flicked her tail, directly sending the Qixi Wind Speed Cat flying toward a large tree to the side.

In mid-air, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat nimbly adjusted its orientation, its four limbs landing precisely on the tree trunk, and using this force, it clawed toward Aixi's forehead.

It was also at this time that a second layer of Wind Cloak draped over her, causing Aixi's speed to surge once again.

Aixi also raised her right claw, a sharp cold glint flashing by, and collided with the Qixi Wind Speed Cat's right forelimb.

Boom—

A dull sound rang out, and the two held each other in a stalemate for a moment; the Qixi Wind Speed Cat looked petite, but just like the Cold Jade Rabbit, having reached the Lord-level, its strength was naturally not small.

Utilizing her advantage in tonnage, Aixi slapped the Qixi Wind Speed Cat away.

Boom—

The moment it fell to the ground, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat used a rolling motion to limit the damage.

Not far away, Aixi opened her large mouth, and countless golden light spots gathered frantically, instantly spraying out a Golden Light Beam as thick as a water vat.

Wind Barrier!

Seeing that it was difficult to avoid, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat was immediately covered by a thick cyan light screen.

Pop— Clatter—

The cyan light screen fluctuated violently, and after holding on for a while, it finally could no longer be maintained and shattered with a roar.

The aftermath of the Golden Light Beam landed on the Qixi Wind Speed Cat, directly blowing it away.

Instant Flash!

Before the Qixi Wind Speed Cat could land, Aixi pounced again; as if shifting positions, her figure suddenly disappeared, and when she reappeared, she had already arrived at the Qixi Wind Speed Cat's landing point a step ahead.

Seeing this, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat flapped its wings with all its might, forcibly changing its falling direction, but at such a time, it could not exert its fastest speed, causing Aixi to hurriedly shift her position and bite toward the Qixi Wind Speed Cat's body.

Meow—

Another high-pitched cat cry rang out; this time, a rich cyan flowing light emerged on the Qixi Wind Speed Cat's body surface, transforming into strips of cyan ribbons that, as if possessing life, instantly bound Aixi.

This was the Wind Binding skill; Aixi struggled with all her might, forcibly snapping the cyan ribbons one by one.

By the time Aixi broke free from the binding, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat had already landed on the ground and condensed dozens of foot-long Wind Blades, flying toward Aixi head-on.

Iron Wall!

The moment the Wind Blades flew over, Aixi condensed a metal wall, blocking it in front of her.

Ding-ding-dang-dang—

Dozens of Wind Blades landed continuously on the metal wall, only able to cut out shallow scratches.

By the time all the Wind Blades disappeared, the metal wall, aside from countless scratches, still stood tall.

At this time, a third layer of Wind Cloak draped over Aixi; until this moment, Aixi's speed finally surpassed the Qixi Wind Speed Cat.

In the time that followed, Aixi changed her fighting style, no longer being led by the nose by the Qixi Wind Speed Cat, and began to tangle with the Qixi Wind Speed Cat using speed.

After another two minutes passed, when Aixi draped on the fifth layer of Wind Cloak, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat, which had still been holding on, completely fell into a disadvantage.

Meow—

Not long after, during one instance of defense, the Qixi Wind Speed Cat was slapped away by Aixi, slamming fiercely into a large tree.

Crack— Creak— Clatter—

Under the immense force, the large tree snapped into two halves and fell heavily to the ground.

Before the Qixi Wind Speed Cat could stand up again, Aixi used her monstrous speed to appear before it once more, and under the Qixi Wind Speed Cat's terrified gaze, she bit down.

Rather than calling it a bite, it was more like a carry; after all, this was only a sparring match, so Aixi naturally would not use a heavy hand, gently placing the Qixi Wind Speed Cat on the ground.

Aixi, victory!

Although she achieved the final victory, Aixi also looked very disheveled, covered in wounds and having sustained not-insignificant injuries.

This match could, at best, only be considered a pyrrhic victory.

"Changsheng, I feel that you already have the strength to defeat an ordinary Fifth-tier Beastmaster by leaping ranks!"

Ning Bizhen gave her affirmation.

However, even as Fifth-tier Beastmasters, there was a large gap between them, among which Ning Bizhen could be considered a top-tier Fifth-tier Beastmaster.

If Ning Bizhen had sent out the Three-Legged Fire Crow or the Cold Jade Rabbit for this sparring match, Aixi would not have been a match for her at all.

As for an ordinary Fifth-tier Beastmaster, City Lord Qin Fangxin is one such example now; having lost his two strongest lord-level Demon Pets, his strength has clearly regressed by a great deal.

At dusk, the two of them packed up the dismantled tents; there was no other reason for this, mainly because the matters the Li Clan had been planning during this period had been finalized, and the clan hoped he would return to the Li Family Manor as soon as possible to take charge.

It is Monday, asking for recommendation votes as per usual!

Today's goal: Three, pigs, verified!

(End of this chapter)