[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-starlight-professional":3,"chapter-starlight-professional-starlight-professional-chapter-539":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Starlight Professional",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2309199,4512,"Chapter 539: Shadow","starlight-professional-chapter-539",539,"\u003Cp>'Judging by the driver’s aura, he must follow a combat-oriented path...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Keeping the heart beast outside is a common habit among drivers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some are simply poor, lacking extra space for equipment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Others keep their heart beasts close at all times for protection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet as the two passed each other, Fang Xing felt his spiritual sense twitch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'How could an old one-eyed beast convey such rich emotion through its gaze?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a thought, he flicked his finger, sending a pinch of powder onto the old one-eyed beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Drivers constantly maintain their heart beast’s protection, making them highly sensitive to foreign substances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But ordinary heart beasts have no such issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It’s unavoidable for a wolf to get dirty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The powder Fang Xing flicked wasn’t poison—just medicinal powder.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Erha, recently trained, is highly sensitive to this scent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This makes tracking possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half a day later, as he watched the middle-aged driver enter an inn, Fang Xing quietly memorized his room number.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A few days later, he had gathered the man’s basic information: 'Xia Feimang, a Combat Driver, whose core heart beast is an insect... He specializes in controlling all manner of insects. No wonder he was drawn to the old one-eyed beast’s combat power—probably captured it to keep nearby.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For Combat Drivers, most Soldier-rank drivers are extremely impoverished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whether feeding, learning skills, or investing celestial treasures for advancement, the costs are always heavy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Choosing an insect specialization is simply out of necessity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Insect heart beasts grow rapidly and require little food, accounting for nearly half of all Soldier-rank drivers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But rapid power growth means weak long-term potential, and insect heart beasts have consistently low attack power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Later on, they must either abandon them or develop toward toxins and similar paths.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This Xia Feimang clearly isn’t committed to the insect path—capturing the old one-eyed beast is likely an experiment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'In short, he’s weak... worth a try.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three days later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Feimang left Lüsen City, heading toward Mount Qinglong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even with minimal consumption, insect drivers still live in dire poverty, forced to take on tasks, hunt, or gather resources...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their earnings, of course, could never match Fang Xing’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside Xia Feimang, the old one-eyed beast ambled along lazily, occasionally alerting to its surroundings.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, it lifted its head, staring at a black-clad figure who had appeared ahead, its wolf face showing a flicker of shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Indeed... not the real old one-eyed beast. Too lax in vigilance. For a heart beast roaming the wilds, losing awareness equals death...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing, face covered in black cloth, stared at Xia Feimang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Friend... what are you planning?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Feimang stepped back, summoning a Black Iron–rank Heart Scripture.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he opened it, three pages glowed, releasing three heart beasts: Soldier Upper-rank 'Furious Needle Wasp,' Soldier Upper-rank 'Hypnotic Butterfly,' and Soldier Lower-rank 'Hard-Horned Sky Beetle...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Three summoned beasts plus your core heart beast—an old one-eyed wolf. A standard Five-Form Battle Array.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing lowered his voice, smiling faintly: 'You’re even poorer than I imagined. Is the old one-eyed wolf kept outside because your Black Iron Scripture has no spare space?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, his protective aura intensified, becoming almost tangible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his hand appeared a Bronze Scripture: 'Or do you want to fight me first, and learn combat from me?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'General-rank?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Feimang gasped, immediately bowing: 'I had no intention of challenging you...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, if they fought, he’d realize the mysterious man was merely a crippled driver with one General-rank heart beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, even that was beyond his capacity to match.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Victories of the weak over the strong are celebrated only because they’re exceedingly rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Plop!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A money pouch landed on the ground, its mouth open, revealing golden radiance within.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'One hundred taels of gold...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing spoke: 'I want to buy your old one-eyed wolf.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'This...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Feimang stared at the wolf beside him, hesitating: 'It’s just an old wolf...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet over these days, he’d noticed the old one-eyed beast’s unusual nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it lacked mastery of many wolf skills, it displayed remarkable humanity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gradually, Xia Feimang had come to regard the old one-eyed beast as his true companion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old one-eyed beast stared at the black-clad man with its single eye, as if remembering something, its wolf eyes filled with fear as it bit at its master’s sleeve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Just answer me: yes or no?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing’s voice was dull, his Bronze Scripture flipping pages with a rustling sound.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed any moment a powerful General-rank heart beast would leap out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, if Xia Feimang persisted, he’d discover Fang Xing could summon only a Blackfire Dog and a juvenile Earth Rampager...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, just Erha alone could obliterate all five Soldier-rank heart beasts before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Purely by cultivation years, he’d need at least ten Soldier Upper-rank heart beasts to even match Erha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But with quality differences factored in, the gap was an unbridgeable chasm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'I agree.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Feimang finally nodded, crouching to stroke the old one-eyed beast’s back: 'My companion... you’re free!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, an invisible thread snapped within him, and his heart power dipped noticeably.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Breaking a bond with a heart beast naturally carries a cost.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this cost can be regained through later cultivation. Compared to angering a powerful General-rank driver and risking death, his own life mattered more.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After losing its master, the old one-eyed beast appeared dazed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the next instant, a beam of light enveloped it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It came from Fang Xing’s Bronze Heart Scripture!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Compared to the juvenile Earth Rampager, the old one-eyed beast resisted slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the severance of its bond had severely damaged its spirit—it remained in spiritual shock, and eventually dissolved into light, settling onto the Bronze page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside a lifelike gray-white old wolf, text appeared:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Gray Wolf]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Elder Stage]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Cultivation: Eight Years]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Quality: Black Iron]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Skills: Bite, Claw Strike]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he read each line...\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Seems ordinary. Is this an illusion?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing murmured to himself, turning to Xia Feimang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'My lord, may I leave now?'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xia Feimang rose, wiping sweat from his brow, and asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Yes. Take the hundred taels of gold—it’s yours.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing nodded, watching Xia Feimang depart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He turned and began running.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, he entered a small grove.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Such places, near human settlements, rarely host wild heart beasts—only traces of ordinary animals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He slapped his Bronze Heart Scripture, releasing the old one-eyed beast.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The old one-eyed beast stared blankly, then remembered to snarl.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Aowu!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a flash of light emerged from Fang Xing—Erha leapt out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Its three-meter-long frame immediately made the old one-eyed beast recoil in fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even its eyes showed a flicker of awe.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Indeed... you recognize the Blackfire Dog. You guessed my identity...'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing tore off his face cloth, revealing his true face: 'And... your eyes betrayed you. You’re skilled—you evaded the Bronze Heart Scripture’s appraisal. But I still need to confirm.'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet the old one-eyed beast remained dazed, seemingly stunned by Erha.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>'Go!'\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing pointed casually—Erha lunged, clamping its jaws around the old one-eyed beast’s neck, pinning it to the ground, exposing its belly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Exposing one’s vital points without reservation is how canines express submission—even when forced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If that’s the case…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Xing squatted down and pressed his palm against the old one-eyed wolf’s forehead: “I never expected my first foreign heart-beast to be you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Humming!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In his eyes, a burst of light suddenly erupted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, using his heart-force as a link, he prepared to form a contract with this gray wolf!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wrong!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With Fang Xing’s current mental state, he could sense that the true subject of the contract was not the gray wolf before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was the gray wolf’s shadow!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It controlled the gray wolf entirely, as if possessing it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But upon sensing Fang Xing’s heart-force, the old wolf’s shadow immediately recoiled, transforming into a human silhouette, surrounded by a hazy ring of gray mist.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ghost Shadow?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A name, startlingly apt, surfaced unexpectedly in Fang Xing’s mind.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, his heart-force spread out and unhesitatingly forged a contract with the Ghost Shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In an instant, information about the Ghost Shadow appeared in his mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Ghost Shadow】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Juvenile Stage】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Cultivation: Eight Years】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Quality: Emperor】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>【Skills: Deception, Ghost Possession】\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>……\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hss…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Emperor-quality heart-beast? No… this gray mist feels familiar… Are you the heart-phantasm of Fang Leng?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Through mental communication, Fang Xing immediately understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Leng had indeed died, but his heart-phantasm had endured, using a special ability to possess the gray wolf.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it was born from Fang Leng’s heart-phantasm, it retained fragments of his memories—hence the complex expression on the old one-eyed wolf’s face when it saw Fang Xing…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Back then, Du Gu Fang of the Heart Sanctum had misidentified it… Fang Leng’s heart-phantasm wasn’t the ‘Gray Mist’ of Decayed Wood quality—it was the Emperor-quality ‘Ghost Shadow’… Though perhaps it wasn’t his fault; the Ghost Shadow excels at deception, even fooling the Heart Phantasm Canon’s identification…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never thought I’d witness the rumor—that when a powerful Master dies, their core heart-beast doesn’t perish but becomes a wild heart-beast…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>From the Ghost Shadow’s memories, Fang Xing uncovered the truth of that night three years ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That night, Fang Leng went out alone, encountered a heart-beast, and was killed by wolf fangs… But the Ghost Shadow, though merely a heart-phantasm, possessed a unique ability—it did not vanish, instead using ‘Ghost Possession’ to possess the old one-eyed wolf, secretly absorbing heart-force over these years until finally coalescing into a heart-beast… Had I not appeared, it might have grown into an immensely powerful heart-beast, becoming Xia Mang’s golden key to ascendancy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—if Fang Leng hadn’t gone out that night, but accepted his fate, he might have discovered his heart-phantasm’s secret in a few more years… and risen himself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My brother’s heart-phantasm became my wings? So you really did send me a golden key, Fang Leng?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1631,"2026-06-20T11:03:22.760Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","328f17593c12b8771ba8574396417665ad781eee9146699e6138192324be3112","starlight-professional-chapter-540","starlight-professional-chapter-538",726,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fstarlight-professional-cover.jpg"]