"Ling~"

Yin Yi was very concerned about Egg Pancake. It didn’t retract its vines; instead, it gently brushed them over Egg Pancake’s body. A verdant green light flowed out, helping it recover from its injuries more quickly.

"Egg Pancake’s Physical Strength and energy are completely spent. It’s asleep now, so let’s just let it sleep soundly for a while."

Han Ning smiled, stroking Egg Pancake’s cheek before recalling it to the Soul Beast Space.

After Egg Pancake evolved, he felt the changes in his own body.

He discovered that his physical attributes and Spiritual Power had once again increased by a small margin.

This meant that as his second Soul Beast grew stronger, it would also drive his own body to become stronger.

’The more Soul Beasts I contract with, and the stronger they become, the more powerful my body and Spiritual Power will grow.’ Han Ning clenched his fist.

Back in his dorm, Han Ning called up Egg Pancake’s panel:

[

Race: Rock Fire Lizard

Sex: Male

Talent: E+

Level: Awakening Level I (1/600)

Talent: None

Acquired Soul Techniques: Flaming Claws (0/500), Mimicry (0/500), Giant Rock Crash (0/500)

Power: 28.7

Physical Strength: 27.2

Agility: 27

Spiritual Energy: 4.7

Elemental Affinity (Earth): 3

Fire: 2.1

]

[Flaming Claws]: Focus Flame Power into its claws and fangs, then use immense, explosive muscle power and sharp talons to tear enemies apart.

[Mimicry]: The Rock Fire Lizard can use Earth Power to camouflage itself, lying in wait in complex terrain to ambush and kill its prey.

[Giant Rock Crash]: Commune with Earth Power to envelop its body in layers of rock. Within the rock, it can manipulate the Earth Element to move its body freely.

’High recovery, a strong physique, and the ability to control Fire and Earth Elements... it’s the exact kind of warrior I’ve always dreamed of.’

Seeing Egg Pancake’s information, Han Ning’s mind began to race as he considered the direction for its Soul Technique training.

Just the ability to control Fire and Earth opened up a lot of slick moves.

He imagined that once Egg Pancake grew a bit stronger, it could use a fusion technique with Fire and Earth, combining the two to form scorching, viscous magma that would stick to enemies and inflict multiple types of damage.

’Giant Rock Crash could turn it into a living cannonball. It would be the ultimate disruptor in a team fight.’

’Or it could generate a thick rock shield for defense.’

Of course, achieving the magma transformation seemed extremely difficult.

Besides, Egg Pancake wasn’t a Spiritual Energy-focused type, so the magma could only be released at close range.

When Yin Yi was at the Awakening Level, it could at most condense a few dozen Emerald Flower Thorns. To turn Fire and Earth into magma, Egg Pancake could probably only cover its fists or claws with it and smash its enemies with heavy punches.

But this didn’t stop Han Ning from letting his imagination run wild.

The specific plan would have to be based on observing the results of daily training and tailored to Egg Pancake’s physical condition.

’But then again,’ Han Ning thought, ’Egg Pancake’s evolution from a Swamp Guardian to a Rock Fire Lizard was actually a bit difficult. If it were a wild individual, or another student’s Swamp Guardian, wouldn’t evolution be even harder?’

Han Ning considered it. Reaching the conditions for this evolution was, in a way, both difficult and not.

Wild Soul Beasts certainly fought often. As long as they pushed their bodies to the limit in battle, there was a good chance their potential would erupt, triggering an evolution.

He had seen the fight between the mushroom-head and the flame ants; both sides fought as if trying to splatter each other’s brains out.

Besides, he’d watched nature documentaries before he transmigrated. Fights between wild animals, especially predators, were often bloody, life-or-death struggles. In some ways, those situations were perhaps even more brutal than a simulated environment.

As his thoughts drifted, Egg Pancake, who had been sleeping soundly in the Soul Beast Space, slowly began to wake up.

"Jiwu?" It looked around the pitch-black space in a daze, then sat up and scratched its head with a goofy expression.

’Awake?’ With a thought, Han Ning summoned Egg Pancake from the Soul Beast Space.

"Ji!"

The moment Egg Pancake appeared, it instinctively began to search the room for Han Ning.

"Egg Pancake, I’m over here." Han Ning reached around from behind Egg Pancake and patted its head.

"Ling~"

Yin Yi, standing beside him, waved its vines at Egg Pancake.

"Ji!"

A look of delight on its face, Egg Pancake spun around at once, reached out its thick forelimbs, and hugged Han Ning.

With a shoulder height of over one and a half meters and a body three meters long, it was now even larger than a fully grown tiger. Standing before Han Ning, it had a rather imposing presence.

Before its evolution, it had only been slightly larger than a silly-looking Chinese alligator.

Its pupils, once the pitch-black of a Swamp Guardian, were now black with a hint of faint red.

Its originally brownish-yellow skin had taken on a redder hue overall, making it look more dangerous.

Its tongue was thick and wide, and an earthy-yellow halo of light flowed across its surface.

The two rock-like protrusions on its head had transformed into two thumb-length, curved, delicate-looking little horns of a brownish-black color, giving it a majestic and domineering air.

The lines of its muscles were elegant and fluid, and its abdominal muscles looked like a solid slab of marble.

It exuded a sense of wild, explosive beauty.

Its sharp, silver-white claws reflected a grim, cold light.

What caught Han Ning’s attention the most were several slender, deep-red lines that had appeared on the back of its front paws.

The lines intertwined irregularly, appearing chaotic yet filled with a sense of mystery. 𝑓𝓇𝘦ℯ𝘸𝘦𝑏𝓃𝑜𝘷ℯ𝑙.𝑐𝑜𝓂

You could say that from the back or the side, it still looked like a rather large Guardian, but upon closer inspection, it was completely different.

And yet, as it stuck out its tongue and laughed foolishly, Egg Pancake’s silly temperament was the same as ever.

"Egg Pancake, how do you feel? You’re a big guy now. You can carry me around from now on."

Han Ning reached out and gently tapped its solid chest.

"Jiji!" Egg Pancake opened its mouth, spitting out a spark, and pointed to its own back with a sharp claw.

"Ling~"

Yin Yi gave a light hop and leaped onto Egg Pancake’s sturdy back. It lay down, propped its two vine-like arms behind its head, and crossed its left leg over its right, swinging it back and forth.

It chittered "Lingling" nonstop, as if to say,

’Egg Pancake is so big now. It’s finally a proper moving bed.’

Amused, Han Ning also scrambled up Egg Pancake’s thigh onto its back, straddling it as if riding a horse.

"It feels alright, but its muscles are so firm they’re digging into my thighs."

Han Ning patted Egg Pancake’s back and shouted, "Egg Pancake, let’s go! Let’s take a stroll outside!"

"Jiwu!"

The corners of Egg Pancake’s mouth split into a grin as it cried out happily.

Despite the major changes to its appearance, the one thing that hadn’t changed was its trust and reliance on Han Ning and Yin Yi.

As Egg Pancake grew larger and larger, the dorm room’s doorway was now just barely wide enough for it to pass through.

Han Ning recalled Egg Pancake’s panel data and noticed that its Power had now surpassed its Physical Strength and agility, which had previously been its strong suits.

’I can’t help but feel that Egg Pancake is developing in a weird direction...’

He leaned down and patted Egg Pancake’s thick thigh.

An image appeared in his mind: Egg Pancake, covered in muscle, a mouth full of fangs, cackling maniacally as it smashed a Soul Beast of the same level to bits with a single punch, without even using Spiritual Energy.