With just three, Han Ning successfully pushed Egg Pancake’s power to the War General Level, with even some to spare.
The moment Egg Pancake’s power broke through from the Extraordinary to the War General Level, its body began to grow even larger as it threw back its head and let out a deafening roar.
Surging Fire and Earth Type Spiritual Particles converged from all directions, swirling around its body.
An otherworldly red flame shot toward the sky, forming a quietly burning, vibrant Red Lotus that enveloped Egg Pancake within.
At this point, all three of Han Ning’s Soul Beasts had broken through to the War General Level.
Yin Yi, War General Level III (6885/10000)
All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm, War General Level I (1/6000)
[
Race: Red Lotus Dragon Lizard
Gender: Male
Talent: C+
Level: War General I (1/8500)
Talent: Super Gravity, Red Lotus Fire
Acquired Soul Techniques: Molten Rock Pressure III (3542/4500), Primordial Power III (3125/4500), Red Lotus Breath IV (4256/5500), Red Lotus Armor I (1/6000)
Power: 645
Body: 789
Agility: 612
Spiritual Energy: 107
Dragon Type Affinity: 76
Giant Beast Affinity: 57
Elemental Affinity (Fire): 103
Earth: 89
]
[Red Lotus Armor]: The Red Lotus Dragon Lizard draws various mineral elements from the ground to construct an offensive weapon or a suit of armor. Depending on the Earth Elements extracted, the Armor will exhibit different properties.
The surging Flame and Dragon Power within its body imbue the Armor with a Spiritual Ability Attribute, allowing it to deal extra damage to Elemental Creatures.
"Egg Pancake, try using Red Lotus Armor!"
"Kree..."
Egg Pancake scratched its head, tilting it in thought. Then, it reached out with a draconic claw and clenched its grasp on the empty air before it.
Earthy-yellow particles, visible to the naked eye, rose from the ground beneath Egg Pancake’s feet. They flowed from all directions, traveling up its hind legs and gathering between its front claws.
Vast amounts of Earth Element and pitch-black mineral particles coalesced, and a spear of rock that emanated a faint, dark glow slowly began to form between Egg Pancake’s claws.
FWOOSH~
Immediately after, loose rock particles crumbled from the spear’s surface. A streak of bright red, flame-like markings, like mystical cloud patterns, spiraled around its shaft and head, giving it the oppressive appearance of slowly shifting lava.
Egg Pancake spent a lot of time on the internet. As it grew more intelligent, it memorized many kinds of human weapons.
And now, it was forming a long spear!
Han Ning was surprised. ’I didn’t expect it to have a thing for spears.’
’After all, spears are the go-to weapon for slaying dragons in many movies and anime.’
The Rock Spear took a full ten seconds to coalesce, forming a "long spear" that was about sixty meters long, pitch-black, and had a pitted surface with a sharply curved tip.
SPUTTER~ FWOOSH~
Thick sparks, like bursting magma, would intermittently erupt from the tip of the spear, illuminating the dark night sky.
"Kree!"
Egg Pancake excitedly sized up the Rock Spear in its grasp, casually giving it a few twirls.
"WHOOM~"
The heavy Rock Spear made a dull whooshing sound as it cut through the air. Dense Flame particles seared the surroundings, leaving behind faint, arcing trails of fire that resembled Red Lotus petals.
To Han Ning, its sixty-meter length made it seem as if Egg Pancake were wielding an entire skyscraper. The powerful gust of wind it generated created an incredible visual impact.
Sensing the mysterious energy within the Rock Spear, Egg Pancake lifted it with its right claw and gently tapped the ground a few meters away.
BANG!
Where the spear tip touched, the ground in a 300-meter radius instantly caved in, creating a spiderweb of deep cracks.
A torrent of Flame Energy erupted from the spear tip, engulfing the collapsed crater in a sea of crimson fire.
"Kree-a-woo~"
Like a child with a new toy, Egg Pancake stood amidst the raging inferno, excitedly brandishing the heavy Rock Spear.
"Okay, Egg Pancake. Now try forming the Rock Armor."
"Kree!"
Egg Pancake nodded, planted the Rock Spear in the ground beside it, and its expression turned serious.
The surrounding Earth Element continued to gather on the surface of its enormous body.
’As expected of a Soul Beast with the bloodlines of a Giant Dragon and a Giant Beast.’ Egg Pancake’s body now towered over twenty stories high. Just by standing there, its breathing alone could probably blow away weaker Soul Beasts.
To Han Ning’s surprise, the Rock Armor formed even more slowly than the Rock Spear had.
After a long twenty seconds,
Egg Pancake had only managed to form a band of pitch-black Rock Armor around its chest.
Just like with the weapon, once the Rock Armor solidified, red flames coated its surface. As the red, cloud-like patterns swirled across it, they faintly formed the shape of a Red Lotus.
In addition to the thick physical defense of the Rock Armor, a semicircular, translucent red barrier flickered into existence a meter or two from its surface, coalescing into an Energy Shield.
Furthermore, as the "Chest Armor" formed, the whole dragon seemed to become a bit more sluggish. Every time its Dragon Palms stomped on the ground, they made a dull THUMP-THUMP-THUMP sound, and the earth caved in beneath them—a testament to its immense new weight.
"Kree!"
Egg Pancake patted its solid chest, indicating that this was its limit!
’Well... with a Level I Skill Level, I can’t ask for too much...’
Han Ning turned to Yin Yi, who was watching curiously from the side, and said, "Yin Yi, hit Brother Bing’s chest with a few blasts of Cyan Wood Radiance. Make sure you control your power."
"Ling!"
Sensing the terrifying might now radiating from Egg Pancake, Yin Yi no longer showed the hesitation it might have in the past.
’Brother Bing’s power has probably surpassed my own now!’
It flew to a spot thirty meters in front of Egg Pancake and extended its arm.
A brilliant cyan light emerged from the tip of its arm, which was formed from slender, interwoven vines.
BOOM!
A thick, long column of Energy Particles instantly shot out, tearing through the night sky to slam into the thick Rock Armor on Egg Pancake’s chest.
BOOM!
When the Cyan Wood Radiance struck the fiery Energy Shield, dense cracks instantly spiderwebbed across it before it shattered. The force of the explosion blasted Egg Pancake back several meters, and it just barely managed to steady itself.
"Kree~"
Egg Pancake shook its head and looked down.
The Rock Armor on its chest had completely shattered. There were some scorch marks on its skin from the Cyan Wood Radiance, but the blast hadn’t even penetrated its scaly defense.
’Such incredible defensive power. This means... Yin Yi’s current Soul Techniques can only do limited damage to Egg Pancake now... Truly worthy of a powerful Soul Beast with the bloodlines of a Giant Dragon and Giant Beast.’
Han Ning clicked his tongue in amazement. He gazed up at Egg Pancake’s blackened chest, his heart filled with admiration.
’Once it raises the Skill Level of this Soul Technique and can form a suit of Rock Armor covering its entire body, Egg Pancake will basically be a walking fortress. I wonder if it could even withstand a nuclear blast...’
But his joy was tinged with worry.
Although Soul Beasts’ emotions weren’t as complex as humans’, when Yin Yi saw its signature Cyan Wood Radiance cause so little damage to Egg Pancake, its spirits plummeted.
’Without me even realizing it... has Brother Bing’s power already surpassed my own?’
’Forget Egg Pancake, even that goofy All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm is about to surpass me!’
In the end, the world of Soul Beasts was one where the strong devoured the weak and power was paramount. Even among the Contracted Soul Beasts of a single Beast Master, a subtle rivalry over strength would inevitably form.
’Egg Pancake and the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm breaking through to the War General Level has given Yin Yi a strong sense of insecurity,’ Han Ning thought.
Keenly sensing Yin Yi’s mood, Han Ning sent a Spiritual Message telling Egg Pancake to "keep a low profile," then beckoned for Yin Yi to fly back.
"Ling~"
Yin Yi landed sullenly before Han Ning, making no sound.
Han Ning stepped forward, gently wrapped his arms around its body, and held it close. Patting its back, he said softly,
"Yin Yi, do you trust me?"
As the first Soul Beast to accompany him, adventure with him, and protect him in this dangerous world, Han Ning felt a special bond with Yin Yi.
He couldn’t quite put a name to the emotion.
Unfortunately, its innate racial disadvantages hindered its growth—a problem that had been a persistent headache for him.
Yin Yi looked up and nodded forcefully.
"Once we’re finished here, we’ll go gather the materials you need to evolve. After you succeed, you will become unbelievably powerful!"
Han Ning smiled at it, his voice filled with confidence.
"Ling!"