Before stepping into the furnace, Lin Xuan closed his eyes and extended his spiritual sense outward.
Ever since he had pushed the Beast Taming Art to the Minor Accomplishment stage, he had gained some ability to wield spiritual power.
It was like opening a god's-eye perspective: wherever his spirit touched, the world unfolded in detail within his mind.
In an instant, the surrounding eight hundred meters came into view.
A few figures moved past the area, but none seemed interested in this secluded rock cave. Relieved, Lin Xuan finally entered the furnace.
The inner space was vast. Even with him and the family of four tigers inside, it didn't feel crowded at all.
Earlier, Chiling had informed him that the Fire Python Tiger mother had already awakened.
She had raged wildly at first, but within the furnace space....where every array and every flame answered to Chiling...she had been swiftly suppressed.
Now, exhausted from repeated clashes, she could do nothing but lie low, watching her three cubs closely.
Only then did she notice something strange. The scarlet aura around her wasn't harming her....it was closing her wounds, slowing the blood loss that had nearly drained her life away.
Even so, suspicion lingered in her fierce golden eyes.
"Where am I?"
"Why are my children here too?"
"Why hasn't that human killed me yet?"
Her doubts deepened when a streak of white light split the air. The boy from before appeared again.
"Roar!" The Fire Python Tiger tried to rise, body trembling, every muscle bristling with vigilance.
In the glow of the crimson flames, Lin Xuan finally saw her clearly....her weakened body curled protectively around the three tiny cubs.
"Don't be afraid. I don't want to harm you." His voice didn't come from his lips but from his spirit, transmitted directly into her mind.
The tiger mother stiffened, startled.
"Relax," Lin Xuan continued as he stepped forward slowly.
"If I wanted to kill you, you and your cubs would already be dead."
The beast's breathing grew heavy. Though her body trembled, she didn't retreat.
Her eyes, however, remained clouded with unease.
"Soon, many others will arrive here.
If I release you now, your injuries will give you away, and none of them will spare you."
Lin Xuan's tone softened. "To be honest, I didn't plan on saving you at first.
But when I saw your three children… I changed my mind."
His hand gestured toward the cubs.
He wasn't lying. His desire to save her stemmed entirely from those little ones....or rather, from one of them.
Among the three cubs, one would grow into the Dark Saint Tiger....the mightiest of all tigerkind.
Lin Xuan intended to raise that cub, to forge a bond that would one day rival that of sworn brothers.
Knowing the course of fate, how could he not act now?
He remembered how things had unfolded in the original path of destiny.
The mother had been surrounded and slaughtered by Lei Li and Xie Yingying, while Lin Dong and Wu Yun had slipped in to steal the cubs.
Lin Dong hadn't been cruel—he simply hadn't known. To him, the Fire Python Tiger was nothing but an obstacle, a casualty of chance.
He could never have imagined that one cub would become his brother for life.
But regrets like that were the cruelest. One day, perhaps the grown cub would ask about its mother, and Lin Dong would remember… only to realize it was far too late.
Lin Xuan refused to let that happen.
For the sake of his future brother, he would save this family.
"Come with me," Lin Xuan said sincerely, his spirit-voice ringing with determination. "I can protect you. I can raise your cubs."
Beasts had instincts sharper than words. They could sense kindness, or malice, in a heartbeat.
The tiger mother's gaze softened. She remembered his strikes earlier....he could have ended her, yet he had held back.
And now, instead of delivering the killing blow, he was helping her recover.
Her wounds were deep. Without intervention, death would have come quickly.
Yet this human had brought her hope.
And more importantly, her cubs still needed her. She couldn't die.
Slowly, trembling, she lowered her body to the ground, signaling her submission.
"Good," Lin Xuan murmured, kneeling so his eyes were level with hers.
"You've chosen wisely. But you're strong...too strong. If your strength recovers fully, I may not be your match.
I intend to raise your cubs, and for their sake, I won't kill you. I'll even heal your wounds… and let you go."
Her eyes brightened at those words....but the light faltered when she realized it meant leaving her cubs behind.
She hesitated, her gaze flickering toward the tiny lives pressed against her.
Lin Xuan caught that look and smiled faintly. He didn't press further, letting her heart do the work.
Maternal instinct needed no persuasion. She licked the cubs, her eyes brimming with tenderness and sorrow.
When he saw the hesitation deepen, Lin Xuan struck while the iron was hot.
"You don't want to leave them. I don't want to separate you either. Then here is the choice...stay by my side. Accept my spiritual brand. Become my beast."
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