Yun Jin looked down at Gun Gun with a mix of amusement and helplessness. If nothing else, the little guy had an impressively thick skin.
"What, not going back to the Beastmaster Pavilion?" she teased.
Gun Gun replied without hesitation, "Never going back! What does the Pavilion have to offer? I, Gun Gun, belong to Master in life and in death."
As he spoke, he clung tightly to Yun Jin's leg, eyes wide with devotion.
Yun Jin: "..."
"Master, let big brother go first," Huan Huan offered sweetly.
Gun Gun immediately shot her a look of approval.
But Huan Huan only responded with a sly smile.
Heh.
With her soft fur, pleasant scent, convenient size for cuddling, and understanding personality, how could Master not be completely smitten with her?
That dumb Iron-Eating Beast thought winning a little sparring match was enough?
Please.
The real contest was only beginning.
What they were fighting for now... was love.
She, Huan Huan, would become Master's most beloved little treasure!
"Good girl," Yun Jin said warmly, giving Huan Huan an approving glance.
Huan Huan nuzzled affectionately into Yun Jin's arms. Clean, fragrant, well-behaved, and never rolling in the dirt... what master wouldn't adore her?
Gun Gun remained oblivious to Huan Huan's schemes. He was too focused on urging Yun Jin to use the new skill on him.
Yun Jin didn't delay. She had Gun Gun take a step forward and activated the innate skill "Bloodline Purification."
This skill was said to refine a beast's mixed bloodline, restoring it to its most powerful form.
In Gun Gun's case, that meant potentially becoming a Demon God Iron-Eating Beast.
A soft white light enveloped Gun Gun's body.
A moment later, he felt a strange shift deep within his blood.
It was followed by a surge of intense pain.
Gun Gun howled in agony.
Yun Jin blinked in surprise.
Was bloodline purification supposed to hurt this much?
"System, check Gun Gun's status."
After deducting a simplification point, the system responded:
[Iron-Eating Beast: Undergoing first bloodline purification. The process induces unavoidable pain. Duration: Three hours. After purification, Iron-Eating Beast will become a high-grade spirit beast.]
Yun Jin exhaled in relief.
So the pain was normal.
And since the system said it couldn't be alleviated, Gun Gun would just have to endure it.
She knelt beside him, gently stroking his fur. "Gun Gun, my skill is purifying your bloodline. Once it's over, you'll become a high-grade spirit beast. Later on, you might even undergo second and third purifications. One day, you could become a legendary divine beast."
Gun Gun only heard the last part.
Divine beast!
Master's skill could help him ascend to that?
Was it painful?
Yes!
But it was the sweet kind of pain!
The glorious kind!
If it didn't hurt, he'd be disappointed!
Huan Huan watched Gun Gun's suffering with a shiver.
This skill... would she have to go through it too?
She definitely didn't want to be twisted in pain like that.
Yun Jin had planned to use the skill on Huan Huan next, but to her surprise, it came with a ten-day cooldown. The next use wouldn't be available until then.
"Huan Huan, you'll have to wait ten days before I can use this skill on you," Yun Jin said apologetically.
Huan Huan shook her head vigorously.
No rush. None at all!
As the pain dragged on, Gun Gun gradually built up tolerance. His cries lessened.
For three hours, he suffered. And for three hours, Yun Jin stayed beside him, soothing him.
When the first light of dawn spilled in, the purification ended.
A soft white glow shimmered around Gun Gun, radiating from his crown to his paws. Then, like stardust, the light scattered and seeped into his body.
His size hadn't changed, but his fur gleamed more brightly. Even the dark rings around his eyes seemed deeper, richer.
Yun Jin checked the system.
Gun Gun's status had upgraded from mid-grade to high-grade spirit beast.
Even his original racial skill, Iron Armor, had evolved into Battle Armor.
What was the difference between the two?
Yun Jin, curious, asked Gun Gun for a demonstration.
Gun Gun was equally excited. He adjusted to the new skill, and in the next instant, a layer of black plating covered his body.
Gone was the cuddly, harmless creature. In its place stood a beast radiating power.
"Master! This is the base form of Black Armor, tied to my current cultivation. Once I improve my realm and raise the skill level, the armor will evolve even further," Gun Gun boasted. "Right now, it's already ten times tougher than my old Iron Armor. If I fought Huan Huan again, I wouldn't even need to move. She couldn't break through it."
Yun Jin nodded thoughtfully.
From what she could tell, only Gun Gun's racial skill had changed with this advancement.
Which meant that in ancient times, the true Iron-Eating Beasts probably had Battle Armor as their original racial skill. But as generations passed and their bloodlines grew diluted, Battle Armor had weakened until it became the ordinary Iron Armor.
Gun Gun had now begun the path to reclaim his bloodline's lost glory.
"Good. Keep it up. Once your cultivation improves, we can attempt second and third purifications. You'll grow even stronger," Yun Jin encouraged.
Gun Gun had already forgotten all about the earlier pain. His face was filled with pure hope.
Yun Jin was just about to run a full diagnostic on his new state when her communication token lit up.
Yue Zhao's voice came through. "Junior sister, you asked me to keep an eye on Ye Danxia. Just now, a disciple reported that she's heading out of the sect."
Yun Jin raised an eyebrow.
The Grand Sect Assembly had ended. She knew the time for the male lead's appearance was drawing near.
Still, so much had changed in this life. She wasn't sure if the plot would follow the original timeline. Just in case, she'd told Yue Zhao to watch Ye Danxia. The moment she tried to leave the sect, she wanted to know.
By her calculations, this should be the time when Ye Danxia encountered the male lead in her past life.
After all her interference, was this meeting still going to happen right on schedule?
Yun Jin narrowed her eyes.
The male lead. The female lead. Both were blessed with immense fate.
And now, their paths were about to cross.
So be it.
Perfect timing. She would harvest some Emotional Value from the situation and, while she was at it, slowly siphon away their fortune for herself.
Yun Jin believed, wholeheartedly, that Ye Danxia and this Demon Sovereign would contribute generously to Tianxing Sect's rise as a Holy Land.