Chapter 45: The Little Skinny Dragon

While the onlookers found the spectacle entertaining, Ji Jiuxuan herself was in a far more tragic predicament. The spirit beast eggs rolling in from all directions, both large and small and of every conceivable type, bore down on her with an oppressive force.

In that moment, Ji Jiuxuan couldn’t help but recall the time in the sect’s library when she had been besieged by a swarm of spell manuals. If all these spirit beast eggs surrounded her, wouldn’t she be crushed flat on the spot?

Fortunately, the red glow on her ring, which indicated the target location, remained still. She had no choice but to run for her life.

Ji Jiuxuan felt she had never run so fast in her entire time in this world—how utterly miserable!

Outside the Spirit Valley, someone congratulated Qi Dongcheng: “Congratulations, Elder Qi. I’ve heard this young lady is the granddaughter of the Xuantian Sect Master. To attract so many high-ranked spirit beast eggs seeking a contract—her talent is enviable indeed.”

Qi Shuoyuan was a direct descendant of the Qi family, and Qi Dongcheng was of the same lineage. Though Ji Jiuxuan bore the surname Ji, her bloodline could nearly be considered half Qi.

Qi Dongcheng was all smiles, delighted by the young girl’s aptitude. Had Qi Shuoyuan not insisted that Ji Jiuxuan’s primary cultivation was the Sword Path, Qi Dongcheng would have been tempted to have her join the Beast Taming Sect on the spot.

A beast tamer could contract with a single spirit beast or several; the number depended entirely on individual talent. The more spirit beast eggs that chased someone through the Spirit Valley, the greater their potential as a tamer.

Similar scenes played out for Min Chengjun and Meng Chengfang, who received even more congratulatory remarks. Though Meng Chengfang was a bit of a chatterbox, he was discreet; he could lead someone in circles without ever revealing what shouldn’t be said.

By contrast, Min Chengjun needed only a few words to silence all further inquiries—his aura was simply too overwhelming for anyone to endure.

Meanwhile, although Ji Jiuxuan’s spiritual energy seemed inexhaustible, she couldn’t keep up with the relentless expenditure. The longer she ran, the more breathless and exhausted she became.

“Heavens! Why are they chasing me like this? It’s terrifying!” she gasped between breaths, not forgetting to speak with the shadowy figure beside her. “Suiyi, if I can’t run anymore, you have to help me! I don’t want to be crushed by these spirit beast eggs!”

How could something so ridiculous happen?

“They want to form a contract with you,” the shadow replied calmly.

Ji Jiuxuan couldn’t help but grumble, “Have I become some sort of hot commodity? First the spell manuals fought over me, and now even the spirit beast eggs—what kind of luck is this?”

Glancing back at the eggs not far behind her, she asked, “If I just contract with one, will the rest leave me alone?”

She had been warned before entering the Spirit Valley: the rule was to choose and contract with only one egg. No taking more, and no multiple contracts.

“I suggest you observe first and contract only when you sense the right one,” the shadow advised.

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ji Jiuxuan tripped with a loud thud, crushing a spirit beast egg beneath her. A gash appeared on her hand, blood welling up bright red.

In that instant, the pursuing eggs seemed to sense something dreadful; they all retreated, rolling back to their original spots. Silence returned.

Ji Jiuxuan wanted to cry. How could she be so unlucky as to smash a spirit beast egg? Had she just wasted her only chance? Otherwise, why would all the other eggs flee?

Just as she was about to burst into tears, a contract array lit up on her body. Layers of clouds gathered overhead, as if something extraordinary was about to be born.

Lightning flashed—but before it could strike her, the Spirit Valley formation absorbed it, transforming the energy into nourishment for the eggs.

Ji Jiuxuan barely had time to process this. She scrambled to her feet and found the shattered egg beneath her, broken into several pieces—completely empty inside.

“Where did it go?” she wondered, searching for the vanished spirit beast. Using the lingering sense from the contract array, she felt its presence nearby, yet there was no trace of a beast to be seen.

“Here,” said a voice, younger than the shadow’s but similar in tone.

Instinctively, Ji Jiuxuan looked at her ring and discovered a tiny, scrawny black dragon curled around her forearm. It was so thin it resembled an eel, its tail coiled around her wrist and its head resting atop the ring, looking for all the world like a black bracelet.

“So you’re the spirit beast I contracted with?” Ji Jiuxuan eyed the undernourished creature doubtfully, seriously wondering if it was just a random straggler.

“Yes. Well? Don’t I look impressive?” the little dragon proclaimed.

So it was not only arrogant but also completely unaware of its own shortcomings. Was it really a dragon? It didn’t look like one at all.

She worried that the dragon’s presence had caused the once-bright ring to stop glowing. Lifting the little black head from the ring, she dangled the tiny dragon from her hand—it swung back and forth, utterly limp.

After confirming the ring was perfectly normal, Ji Jiuxuan couldn’t help but ask, “Suiyi, why isn’t the ring glowing anymore? Did the thing we were tracking disappear?”

“We’ve found it. We can return now,” Suiyi replied, prompting her to look incredulously at the little dragon. “You mean this is what we were searching for?”

“Yes. It won’t stay like this forever; it will change,” Suiyi’s serene voice reassured her. “Its future potential is great, but it will take time.”

The little dragon seemed rather smug. A thought flashed through Ji Jiuxuan’s mind. “You—can you hear my conversations with Suiyi? And why does your voice sound like his?”

At once, the little dragon looked aggrieved. “I can hear you. As for why my voice is similar, I don’t know. My inherited memories are incomplete, or I’d be able to check.”

“He’s telling the truth,” Suiyi added.

In the end, Ji Jiuxuan could only let it go. Looking down, she saw the little dragon had already fallen asleep, its head resting on her ring.

She tried to put it into her beast pouch, but no matter how she tugged, it wouldn’t budge. It clung to the ring like a black stone carving, unmoving.

“Hey! What’s with this thing?” She had never seen anything so strange.

Before coming to the Beast Taming Sect’s Spirit Valley, she had memorized the appearance of every kind of spirit beast egg. After all, beyond fate, identification was crucial—especially in competition. Yet this creature was entirely unfamiliar.

“It’s fine. It’s just sleeping. You don’t need to worry; it won’t fall off,” the shadow reassured her, his figure standing within the ring’s space, seeming more substantial than ever before.

He opened his hand, the solidity of his form most pronounced there. Gazing through the ring at the sleeping beast outside, he murmured, “Is it related to this little one? Could the reason I couldn’t fully manifest be connected to it?”

Ever since the little black dragon had appeared, he’d felt a distinct change in his body; he would no longer struggle to wake during the day.

Hearing it wouldn’t fall, Ji Jiuxuan tried a few times and found it was indeed firmly attached—remarkably so.