The Race and the Pact

  A man and a beast ran side by side in a fierce contest, dashing swiftly through a dense, humid forest swarming with insects. As they ventured deeper, the presence of Rank 1, 2, and 3 beasts became increasingly evident along the path. From the city outward, the land extended in all directions within a radius of fifty kilometers. With each kilometer traversed, the forest grew darker, the atmosphere more oppressive danger lurking in every shadow. Yet neither man nor beast faltered. Each kept a sharp eye on the other, ever watchful of their rival’s movements.

  At the twenty-five-kilometer mark halfway through the course, the beast decided to pick up the pace. Coincidentally, the man had the same thought. Both surged forward with all their might, soon catching sight of a river ahead. It could prove the decisive terrain that would tip the balance of the race.

  What they didn’t anticipate was that within that river lay a lake, where a brutal territorial clash was underway between a Black-Shelled Turtle and a Giant Serpent, both Rank 5 beasts, each equivalent to an Earth Rank cultivator. Their battle was ferocious, fueled by a hatred passed down through generations, clear by the scattered remains of their ancestors resting at the river’s depths.

  Huang Di and the Wolf-Panther reached the riverbank and were stunned by the sight of the two giants locked in combat. Huang Di instinctively slowed his pace, while the Wolf-Panther seized the moment as an opportunity. Utilizing a natural ability of its species, Phantom Step, which allowed it to sprint through the air in brief bursts it pulled ahead, gaining the lead.

  Huang Di, observing this, was now more concerned with safety than with victory. As he carefully watched the clashing beasts, he noticed the serpent’s massive tail whipping through the air, driven back by the turtle’s unyielding advance. The Wolf-Panther, still focused solely on the race, failed to recognize the danger.

  Suddenly, the serpent’s tail lashed out with terrifying force directly toward the Wolf-Panther. Huang Di had no time to call out a warning, not without compromising the terms of their duel. In that instant, he made his decision. He channeled his trump card: the One With Sound technique. In a flash, he was at the beast’s side, startling it, just in time to alert it of the incoming threat.

  The blow struck Huang Di instead. The impact sent him flying across the lake, and he landed heavily on the far bank, blood trickling from his lips. Still, he quickly recovered.

  The Wolf-Panther, stunned that a human had risked his life to save it, was further astonished when Huang Di, rather than seizing the lead paused, turned, and called for it to hurry and catch up. Instead of exploiting the advantage of winning, he waited, for a fair race.

  When the beast reached him, it stared at the young man with newfound respect. The contest wasn’t officially over, but Huang Di had already won in spirit.

  Just as Huang Di was preparing to move on, the Wolf-Panther lifted a paw in acknowledgment an unspoken gesture of defeat and agreement to the terms of victory. The young warrior was taken aback. He hadn’t expected such a proud beast to yield so readily.

  He extended his hand and placed it gently on the beast’s paw. In that moment, a connection was formed a Pact of Equals. This spiritual bond offered mutual benefit: for beasts, advancing in rank was a long and arduous journey. But through such a pact, they shared a spiritual channel with their summoner or tamer. As Huang Di ascended, that growth would ripple through his companions and vice versa.

  Huang Di, in turn, would gain little in cultivation but greatly in skill, as he could now wield the natural abilities of the bonded beast. Yet due to his unique, non-traditional cultivation method, he required significantly more resources to break through his rank, meaning he would need many bonded beasts to advance in kind for the exchange to truly be balanced.

  The Fusion and the Beginning of the Plan

  The telepathic connection between Huang Di and the Wolf-Panther was now established, allowing man and beast to communicate and understand each other more deeply. Satisfied with this new dynamic, Huang Di watched the two massive creatures, oblivious to his presence, continuing their fierce battle, driven by a hatred and rancor visible in every strike, always targeting the vital points of their opponent.

  As he observed, Huang Di thought to himself:

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  “It would be great to have an aquatic summon.”

  After all, much of Huang Di’s homeland, the Great Blue River, was covered by water whether seas, rivers, or lakes. Having a loyal aquatic beast would prove immensely useful when exploring those territories. However, he realized that the beasts present were adults, which made their loyalty questionable. Thus, he concluded it would be better to obtain a young beast.

  Huang Di recalled knowledge he had received from Madame Escarlate: the fusion of beasts a technique capable of creating a mutant creature by combining two or more beasts. The best part was that the new creature generally had the chance to ascend in rank if the original beasts had good compatibility. He remembered seeing, before entering that world, an image of a great Turtle with the tail of a Serpent. Another important feature of fusion was that the new creature would always appear in its young or baby form, sometimes even hatching from an egg. Moreover, all memories and recollections of the fused beasts could be dispersed by the fusionist, creating a new being influenced by him.

  Huang Di decided it was a perfect moment to give a name to his new partner in the journey. Transmitting a telepathic message to the Wolf-Panther, he asked if it already had a name or if he could name it. The beast looked meaningfully and replied telepathically in simple language:

  “Nox Umbra.”

  Huang Di liked the sound and, in his grimoire, changed the designation to Umbra, a name he considered unique and distinct.

  Then he said:

  “Partner, are you ready to take out your frustrations on those big guys? Do not fear them, I will assist in this fight. But focus on restraining their movements, for I need their bodies alive for an experiment.”

  Umbra, eager to bite something, looked at his fangs while licking his lips, already drooling with anticipation to devour them. Had Huang Di not warned him not to kill, he would have charged long ago.

  With the plan set, they moved forward, coordinating their attacks. Huang Di targeted the Black-Shelled Turtle, while Umbra charged at the Giant Serpent. Huang Di grabbed one of the turtle’s legs, spun around creating a powerful vortex, and hurled it with force into the forest trees. Umbra, meanwhile, used a gigantism skill, tripling his size, and mimicked his partner by biting the giant serpent’s tail and spinning to the other side, throwing it in the opposite direction into the forest, separating the two battling beasts.

  Thus, a man and his beast launched into combat against their foes, ready to execute Huang Di’s plan.

  Confront and Capture

  Huang Di and Umbra faced their challenges head-on, united by the telepathic connection they shared. Huang Di stared at the Black-Shelled Turtle, which looked at him confused, unable to comprehend the presence of a stranger in its path. With a determined smile, Huang Di said:

  “Friend, you have two choices: surrender or receive the blow of love.”

  The beast, unable to understand his words but feeling the challenge, charged forward. It entered shield mode, retreating into its shell and beginning to spin like a top toward Huang Di. Realizing he had to handle the situation more aggressively, Huang Di smiled and, with an agile leap, grabbed onto nearby trees. Determined not to seriously harm the beast, he thought of a way to quickly render it unconscious. The solution came to mind: he needed to strike his hard head with force.

  The Black-Shelled Turtle, though curled inside its shell, was able to chase Huang Di wherever he went. In a moment of distraction, it stopped and unleashed a powerful jet of water in his direction. Huang Di, seizing the opportunity, activated his One with Sound ability, dodged the jet, and struck one of the large trees. Using the speed and pressure generated, he leapt from tree to tree while the beast tried to hit him with water jets, growing increasingly confused and losing its target.

  Suddenly, Huang Di appeared with a powerful kick on the beast’s head, striking it forcefully. The blow was so intense that it nearly killed the turtle instantly, but due to its exceptional defense, the damage was greatly reduced. Still, it was enough to keep the beast unconscious, its tongue hanging out.

  Satisfied with the result, Huang Di wanted to assist his companion, wondering about the silence from the other side. With the Black-Shelled Turtle unconscious, he took out his grimoire and marked symbols on the beast’s body with his own blood, activating dominion formations over the creature. This technique was part of the Spiritual Summoning Art and was called Sealing Ability, allowing one to capture and tame beasts later. The formations served to establish a binding contract between Huang Di and the beast, without needing its consent, as the goal was captured for domestication or trade.

  In the world of Escarlate, this process was common despite ethical concerns that Huang Di ignored. He activated the seals to initiate the formation and, since the beast was unconscious, the process was quick and efficient. The Black-Shelled Turtle was sucked into the grimoire, which, now having ascended from bronze to silver rank, had much greater space, though still limited.

  Huang Di, who had not awakened his Spiritual Palace to see and communicate with the treasures (as this only occurs upon reaching the Earth rank), could not see or interact with the beasts inside the grimoire. So, he went to check on Umbra, startled to see the scene before him: a Giant Serpent thirty meters long shrinking and trembling before Umbra, who was only six meters.

  Perplexed, Huang Di thought:

  “How did he manage that?”

  He approached Umbra and repeated what he had said to the turtle:

  “You have two choices: surrender or receive the blow of love.”

  To his surprise, the serpent lowered its head in a sign of submission.

  With the formations activated, Huang Di sealed the beast inside his grimoire and said to Umbra:

  “Good job, friend. Looks like we make a good team.”

  Umbra, expressing hunger, followed Huang Di in search of their next targets, but this time, the goal was to become dinner. As night fell, they set out to hunt the beasts’ meat and satisfy their hunger. Thus, Huang Di and Umbra remained in the forest, hunting and mapping the northern region.

  Two and a half more days passed during this.