Chapter 7

"Breakthrough."

After giving the crippled child ten Fire Orbs, Li Tianming and Little Yellow Chicken absorbed the remaining Fire Orbs, and they once again connected a Beast Vein, both reaching the fourth level of the Beast Vein Realm.

In the symbiotic cultivation system, the cultivation of the Beast Vein Realm is a complementary process between the Beast Tamer and the Companion Beast, forming a single cultivation core.

Since their Beast Veins and Beast Essence are integrated, their realms are naturally always the same.

"I must say, this Eternal Hellfire Beast Essence is truly scorching and vast, flowing through the Beast Veins and body like boiling magma. If it weren't for the bloodline transformation into the body of an ancient chaotic giant beast, I doubt I could withstand such terrifying Beast Essence."

"Moreover, since Little Yellow Chicken has become a Companion Beast, there must be a bloodline lock. This is definitely not its complete form. If it can break through the bloodline lock, my physical body will also become stronger."

Right now, it still looks like a chick, but to transform into the eternal bird that devours the sun in my dream, it won't be that easy.

At that time, although Li Tianming won't be able to transform into the eternal bird, he will definitely have a similar physique.

"At that time, I won't eat stones anymore. Maybe I'll start the day by eating a sun?"

The thought was crazy.

"Of course, although the potential is great, it's more important to stabilize our minds. After all, we are still equivalent to 'young beasts' right now."

Even the fiercest tiger, when just born, can't fight a wild wolf.

"Growing steadily and avoiding rash actions is the way to go."

It was late at night. After the breakthrough, Little Yellow Chicken was snoring on his chest, and Li Tianming was also feeling tired. He lay down on the freshly tidied bed and fell into a deep sleep.

"Damn." In his sleep, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left hand, as if being torn by a fierce beast. Li Tianming quickly sat up, and the Little Yellow Chicken rolled off his chest onto the floor.

"What's going on!"

In the dim candlelight, Li Tianming didn't see any fierce beast tearing at his left arm, but terrifyingly, his fingers and the entire palm had turned black!

When he woke up, the blackness quickly spread upward, and in a short time, his entire left arm had turned pitch black!

Even more terrifying, the black skin began to sting, as if billions of ants were crawling on his arm.

He gritted his teeth and panted, trying not to wake his sleeping mother.

"How can this be!" He was shocked to see that the skin was growing black scales!

These scales were very intricate and regular, each one a perfect hexagon.

These hexagonal black scales covered his entire left arm, making it look eerie and ominous, exuding an unimaginable aura of terror.

At that moment, Li Tianming felt as if this arm wasn't his own!

How to describe this aura?

It was as if this was a being that ruled all life, and any life form under this aura could only kneel and tremble in fear.

This wasn't the end. After the black scales covered his arm, even his nails changed, turning into blood-red claws. Now, his left hand looked more like a beast's claw.

The claws were crimson and sharp, feeling as if they could easily tear through skin and flesh.

"Is this just a dream?" Li Tianming was almost laughing and crying at the same time.

Now, the pain was gone, and he felt that his left arm was much stronger than the rest of his body. The violent sensation was hard to describe in words.

Not only was his strength increased, but this was the most fundamental change in his left arm, as if he had become a different species.

Moreover, this unique aura and bloodline from his left arm had already spread throughout his body, though it wasn't visible on other parts.

Next, Li Tianming saw something even more terrifying!

He opened his palm, which had become a beast's claw, and a blood-red line suddenly appeared in the center of his palm. The line split open, revealing a blood-red eye!

When that blood-red eye stared at Li Tianming, what did he feel?

He thought he would be terrified, as if another monster had taken over his body, but to his surprise, he saw himself in that eye.

Yes, he saw a young boy sleeping soundly, looking at 'himself' in fear, and this 'himself' was actually the blood-red eye itself.

This feeling was strange!

On one hand, Li Tianming was looking at the beast's claw and the eye.

On the other hand, Li Tianming was looking at the terrified 'himself,' feeling as if he was seeing his own two eyes for the first time without a mirror.

"Damn, this eye is mine!" He finally realized.

He now had two perspectives: the eye on his head, which was his original perspective, looking at his beast's claw, and the eye in the claw, which was his second perspective, looking at himself.

These two perspectives combined in a strange way, not affecting Li Tianming's overall vision at all. Apart from a bit of confusion in his mind, there seemed to be no other impact.

He was completely stunned.

He had grown a third eye in his palm, not another monster inside his body.

He opened his palm and placed it behind him, and indeed, he could still see his back. He even put it inside his pants and could clearly see his leg hair!

"Ah!" Li Tianming took a deep breath, feeling that this wasn't a dream. His black left arm still felt a bit numb.

"Li Tianming, what are you doing?" Suddenly, a scream came from in front of him. Li Tianming looked up to see Little Yellow Chicken staring at him with a strange look, grinning mischievously.

"Nothing!" Li Tianming said.

"Don't hide it. Stretching your hand into your pants in the middle of the night and panting, what else could you be doing? Tsk tsk, young man, you need to be more restrained. If you can't control yourself, why not go to the Jade Green Tower?" Little Yellow Chicken chuckled.

Li Tianming was sweating profusely.

How could such a small thing be so perverted?

"Come here." Li Tianming grabbed it with his right hand.

"Stop, I'm not your chicken, don't touch me!" Little Yellow Chicken said nervously.

"..."

This little guy, so small but so mischievous.

"Look, what is this?" In the darkness, Li Tianming showed his left arm.

In the flickering candlelight, Li Tianming's left arm was covered with intricate hexagonal black scales, and his left hand had turned into a beast's claw.

In the center of the claw, a pair of blood-red eyes stared at Little Yellow Chicken with a mocking look.

"Ah! It's a ghost!" Little Yellow Chicken was so scared that its feathers almost stood on end, jumping three feet high and almost fainting.

It was genuinely afraid.

Because Li Tianming realized: this arm was exactly the same as the dark hand he saw in the dream when Little Yellow Chicken was born!

At the time, he was so shocked that he didn't pay attention to whether the dark hand had an eye in its palm, but he could see that its skin also had these hexagonal black scales.

These hexagonal scales resembled the pattern of a honeycomb, so Li Tianming remembered them. Just from this, he couldn't believe that his left arm turning into this had nothing to do with the dark hand.

"This is that hand!" Little Yellow Chicken finally realized, the aura from this dark arm almost making it instinctively afraid.

"I guess so." Li Tianming looked at his suddenly changed arm, equally puzzled. The only thing he was sure of was that this arm was still under his control.

Apart from the increased strength, there were no other noticeable changes.

"What's going on?" Little Yellow Chicken asked seriously.

"I'm not sure. It suddenly changed. I guess it might be because your enemies haven't given up and have caught up with us?" Li Tianming said.

"Damn!" Little Yellow Chicken cursed, still staring at the dark arm. To be honest, they didn't have the means to know the whole truth right now.

What the dark arm was, why it was after it, why it had become a Companion Beast with Li Tianming, and why Li Tianming's arm had turned into a dark arm—these questions couldn't be answered by mere speculation.

Unless time would reveal the answers.

"Don't worry, if I were your enemy, I'd give you a quick death, like picking some mushrooms on the mountain and making a mushroom stew with a chicken?" Li Tianming laughed, seeing its fear of death.

"Heh, so that's your reason for sticking your hand in your pants in the middle of the night?" Little Yellow Chicken sneered.

"At least it's better than you 'attacking' a male Fire Feather Bird."

"Shut up!"

Little Yellow Chicken flew up and pecked Li Tianming with its beak. Despite its small size, the beak was powerful.

Clang, clang, clang!

Li Tianming blocked it with his left arm. When the beak hit the scales, sparks flew.

"Anyway, it seems like a gain. At least this arm seems to be impervious to blades and bullets."

Li Tianming gazed at the hexagonal scales in the candlelight. By clenching his fist, he could indeed feel a terrifying strength that transcended his bloodline.

He wrapped his left arm with white bandages, changed into a new shirt, and covered the entire arm, even wearing a glove to hide his left hand completely.

Otherwise, if others saw it, they would definitely think he was a monster.

Little Yellow Chicken also accepted the change, being lazy and figuring it was better to wait and see.

"Maybe I have a connection with that dark hand?" In the middle of the night, thinking about the dark hand that defeated the Eternal Hellfire Phoenix, Li Tianming fell into deep thought.

He stared at his arm for a long time, feeling as if he no longer recognized it, unsure of its true power and whether it would exceed his control.

"Even though I don't know its origin, maybe it will give me more confidence to participate in the final selection of the Yanhuang Academy in a few days."

After the breakthrough and the appearance of the dark arm, Li Tianming spent the remaining time rehearsing the 'Battle Techniques' he had once learned, entering a combat state.

He had cultivated to the Spirit Source Realm and had learned many Battle Techniques.

'Battle Techniques,' like 'Cultivation Methods,' were created by ancestors through countless battles and practices. Cultivation Methods were mainly used for cultivation and enhancing Beast Essence, while Battle Techniques were advanced combat skills, the crystallization of the wisdom of countless Beast Tamers on the Yanhuang Continent.

Powerful Battle Techniques could defeat enemies stronger than oneself.

Battle Techniques were divided into two parts: 'Martial Techniques' for the Beast Tamer and 'Beast Techniques' for the Companion Beast.

Martial Techniques and Beast Techniques could complement each other, and when used together, they formed the strongest power of the Battle Technique.

As the Beast Tamer and Companion Beast advanced in realms, they gained many abilities to fight side by side, and the Martial Techniques and Beast Techniques were just a part of it.

For example, fierce beasts couldn't learn Beast Techniques.

According to legend, Battle Techniques were divided into five levels based on their power and complexity, briefly called 'Beast, Source, Heaven, Earth, and Saint.'

Among them, 'Beast' was the most basic level, suitable for Beast Vein Realm Beast Tamers and Companion Beasts, and was further divided into three sub-levels: Low, Middle, and High.

Of course, there were also some extraordinary ones called 'Extraordinary.'

Extraordinary Beast-level Battle Techniques could dominate the entire Beast Vein Realm.

The next level, 'Source-level Battle Techniques,' were suitable for Spirit Source Realm Beast Tamers. It was said that some Beast Vein Realm Beast Tamers could also learn Low-level Source Battle Techniques.

Li Tianming had once broken through to the Spirit Source Realm, and although his Beast Essence was gone, his mastery of Battle Techniques remained. However, Little Yellow Chicken needed to relearn the Beast Techniques.

But this little guy was incredibly talented. The Battle Techniques that Golden Feather had spent a lot of effort practicing with Li Tianming, it understood immediately, with no difficulty at all.

These advanced combat skills greatly enhanced its ability to fight using Eternal Hellfire Beast Essence.

In recent days, he and Little Yellow Chicken had integrated many of the Battle Techniques they had once learned.

Everything was ready for the day of Li Yanfeng's wedding!