Chapter Forty-Nine: The Boss’s Heart, a Needle in the Sea!

Upon hearing the leader’s summons, the four-legged little blue serpent sluggishly crawled out from the spirit beast pouch.

That ferocious beast sat crouched on the ground, its sharp claws scratching at the stone, producing a harsh “zzz-la zzz-la” sound. The three beasts sat upright in a row, as quiet as chickens.

Su Li spoke, “As beasts, we must have the most basic principle: never suffer losses! Simply put, if you can fight, don’t waste words; if you can win, fight, if not, run. If you can’t outwit, use cunning tricks.”

The bluebird responded, “Agreed.”

Tiger Soul echoed, “We’ll follow the team leader.”

Lan Yu Jiao: …

If it were in human form, its face would surely be a mix of confusion and shock. But the robust beast was already watching, so it quickly said, “Whatever the boss says goes.”

The other two turned to look at it, thinking this silent fellow was actually quite cunning!

Lan Yu Jiao remained calm and said, “Boss, I need to enter seclusion for a while.”

Su Li praised, “Yu Jiao is always the most aware. The most important thing for you now is to improve your cultivation. If you can’t even beat Ah Hua, it’s a disgrace to beasts.”

Tiger Soul didn’t want the serpent to steal all the attention and immediately said, “Team leader, I will also enter seclusion. Once I absorb the drop of White Tiger blood, I’ll be stronger than the others.”

Su Li’s heart stirred, deciding to give them more motivation. She said seriously, “Let’s do it this way—from now on, once a year, we’ll rank our household by strength.”

“Can I be the boss too?” The silly bird asked, eyes bright.

The ruthless beast swiped a claw.

“Chirp!”

Seeing the deep pit smashed into the cave wall, the remaining two beasts barely dared to breathe.

Then they heard a cold voice, “Anyone else want to challenge the boss?”

The faint light at the cave entrance shone upon Su Li’s sharp claws. Though she made no move, the others felt a chill deep in their bones.

Tiger Soul immediately declared loyalty, “Boss is boss! Anyone who tries to take your place, I’ll be the first to beat them to death.”

Lan Yu Jiao said, “I only recognize you as the boss.”

The sharp claws retracted into their pads, and Su Li happily leapt into the young man’s arms, her paw patting the ring on his index finger as her tail flicked playfully.

Tiger Soul and Lan Yu Jiao’s faces twitched: …

The adorable beast before them couldn’t possibly be the fierce creature from moments ago, right?

Indeed, the boss’s heart is as unfathomable as the sea!

The furry tail brushed against Shen Luo’s chin, tickling him. A faint smile curved his lips, and he fed Su Li several Focus Pills in succession. Seeing the other three beasts watch intently, he misunderstood them as wanting some as well, so he fed two of them, leaving Tiger Soul—who was in a spiritual form—only able to gaze longingly.

One had to admit, the pills refined by Ke Rongzi were plump and fragrant, perfect to relieve fatigue and replenish spiritual energy, and could even be eaten as snacks—simply perfect.

Previously, Lan Yu Jiao had reservations about Shen Luo’s pill refining, but now, it hoped he would cultivate harder. With a master of such extraordinary talent in pill-making, the future seemed full of promise.

After their discussion, they decided to stay and recover. The cave was spacious, and Shen Luo organized it into four separate rooms.

As for spiritual energy, Tiger Soul tossed Shen Luo a copy of “The Complete Guide to Spirit Arrays.” After studying it for a while, Shen Luo used tens of thousands of low-grade spirit stones, arranging them according to the special positions of the Five Elements and Eight Trigrams, then placed thousands of high-grade stones as the array’s core, forming the “Five Elements Gathering Spirit Array.” Instantly, the cave was flooded with spiritual energy, and every pore relaxed.

Besides the spirit array, Shen Luo, learning on the spot, used fifty thousand mid-grade spirit stones at the cave entrance to set up defensive and concealment arrays, plastering talismans with various effects all around, creating a temporary cultivation haven.

Shen Luo frowned, feeling spirit stones were depleted too quickly; after just an hour, few remained. Still, it was worth it for himself and his beasts.

The beasts gathered again, marveling in awe.

Tiger Soul exclaimed, “Master is a genius—nothing can stump him.” This was no exaggeration; every spirit array required unique incantations and gestures, yet Shen Luo mastered them at first sight and succeeded on his first attempt. Tiger Soul clicked its tongue, “I’ve lived millions of years and seen many talented people, but only master was born for the Dao!”

Bluebird insisted, “Master is the best!”

This time, Lan Yu Jiao had no objections. It gazed at the white beast on the boy’s shoulder, wondering—did she willingly sign the soul contract because she already believed he would reach the pinnacle?

Suddenly, Su Li turned her head.

Their eyes met.

It was as if Lan Yu Jiao’s chaotic thoughts collided with a tranquil pool, instantly calming and revealing the obvious answer. For the first time, it willingly said to Shen Luo, “Master, I’m off to cultivate.” Saying so, it slowly crawled into the nearest cave.

“Master, I’m going to cultivate too.” Tiger Soul was frustrated, always outshone by that fellow. When it emerged, it would teach him a lesson with its fists—being the second brother wasn’t a title to be taken lightly!

With its juniors so diligent and proactive, Su Li swung her tail in satisfaction, her gaze sweeping to the silly bird hopping around. She decreed, “Yingtian, continue your diet.”

Bluebird drooped, deeply dejected.

Su Li, in high spirits, hopped to the ground and looked up at Shen Luo with a soft, adorable expression, as if saying: Go cultivate, I promise not to cause trouble.

Shen Luo couldn’t help but laugh. He picked her up and pressed a kiss to her forehead.

As expected, the beast in his palm bristled instantly, eyes wide.

He couldn’t help but smile, eyebrows and eyes filled with amusement. Shen Luo patiently reminded, “Take Feng Xi with you, don’t wander too far. Be back every evening, or I’ll come looking for you.”

Su Li was instantly indignant—taking advantage and then setting rules, life was impossible like this! She extended her little paw and scratched his arm, then landed on all fours with a thud, storming out of the cave.

Three faint scratches appeared on his arm, barely breaking the skin. Shen Luo frowned in resignation.

With such a heavy landing, would she sprain her paw?

Looking again, Su Li had already vanished.

Shen Luo wasn’t worried; with her abilities, she’d always be the one to get the better of others—except for that previous accident.

Thinking of that, a fierce emotion surged in his eyes. Anyone entangled with the Shangguan clan would find no good fortune. If they slinked away quietly, he’d let it pass; if they dared return…

His hands clenched abruptly—then they’d see how ruthless he could be!

Just as quickly, the fierce emotion melted away, and the boy’s eyes cleared, bright as the sky. He crouched, speaking to the restless beast, “Go on. If you wait any longer, you won’t catch up.”

Bluebird, upon hearing this, dashed out in a hurry. Time alone with the master was precious, but running wild with the team leader… No, adventuring outside was far more important.