48: Chapter 48 Little Blackie Awakens?!

It was already dark by the time Jiang Yun arrived home.

As he pushed open the front door...

...his younger sister, Jiang Yunyun, was curled up on the sofa, intently watching a replay of a beast taming competition on television.

Her eyes were sparkling, and she was softly whispering the names of the skills.

Hearing the door open, the little girl whipped her head around; seeing it was her brother Jiang Yun, a brilliant smile instantly blossomed on her face, and she skipped over to him happily.

"Brother! You're back!"

She grabbed Jiang Yun's arm, looking up at him and chirping incessantly, "You've been gone all day! Did you go out to play without me? Did anything fun happen?"

Seeing his sister's lively and adorable appearance...

...much of the fatigue from Jiang Yun's busy day dissipated.

He doted on her, rubbing her head, his voice gentle. "I wasn't playing; I was out to Cultivate. I need to become stronger, otherwise, how can I protect you."

"Brother is so amazing! Working so hard!"

Jiang Yunyun's eyes were immediately filled with admiration.

She clenched her small fists and declared solemnly, "I'm going to work hard like you! Next time you go to Cultivate, take me with you, okay? My Sky-Swallowing Rabbit can help too!"

"Alright, when you're a bit stronger, I'll take you along."

Jiang Yun agreed with a smile and then asked, "By the way, how is your Sky-Swallowing Rabbit doing?"

At the mention of her beast, Jiang Yunyun became even more excited.

"Little Blacky is so good! The day before yesterday, it ate a hundred Spirit Stones and even drained all the Spiritual Qi from a Black Iron beast core! It's still sound asleep in the Beast Taming Space, working hard to digest it all! I feel like it's about to become even stronger!"

A hundred Spirit Stones plus a beast core?

Jiang Yun raised an eyebrow slightly.

The Sky-Swallowing Rabbit's "appetite" seemed larger than that of a Common beast of the same tier, yet it was nowhere near as exaggerated as the Fire Dragon Fish's.

It seemed that its [Devour] talent skill...

...hadn't been activated yet.

"Mm, very good."

Jiang Yun nodded. "Yunyun, you need to keep it up too. I'm a bit tired today, so I'm going to my room to rest. If Mom comes back, tell her I've gone to sleep."

"I know! Go get some rest, Brother!"

Jiang Yunyun nodded obediently.

Jiang Yun returned to his tidy room.

He closed the door, shutting out the sound of the television from the living room.

Jiang Yun took a deep breath, his gaze becoming focused.

Rest?

Now was not the time.

Next was time to feed Little Cloud Sparrow and Little Fire.

With a slight thought, the extraordinary Little Cloud Sparrow, its body flickering with faint electrical arcs, was summoned.

It affectionately rubbed its beak against his finger.

"Little guy, you must be starving, right? I'm giving you an extra meal today."

Smiling, Jiang Yun poured five hundred thunder-glistening Spirit Stones from his storage ring with a clatter, instantly spreading a small, brilliant blue halo across the floor. A dense thunder-element energy filled the air, and even the atmosphere seemed to become more active.

"Chirp?!"

Little Cloud Sparrow was clearly stunned by this sudden feast. Its beady black eyes went wide as it looked from the Spirit Stones to Jiang Yun, seemingly unable to believe it, yet filled with intense longing.

When it was with its parents, life had been tight; when had it ever seen such a display?

"Eat up. Eat as much as you want, until you can't eat anymore."

Jiang Yun encouraged it.

Having received its master's permission, Little Cloud Sparrow cautiously pecked at the first Spirit Stone.

With a crunch, pure thunder-attribute energy surged into its body, making it ruffle its feathers comfortably.

Immediately after, it no longer hesitated and began to peck rapidly, one after another, its speed increasing as if it were tireless.

Jiang Yun observed closely.

Little Cloud Sparrow ate happily, but there was a clear upper limit to its speed, unlike a certain someone whose eating could be described as "gulping down like a whale."

Finally, when Little Cloud Sparrow let out a satisfied little burp and stopped, the Spirit Stones on the floor had decreased by about three hundred.

"Three hundred..."

Seeing this, Jiang Yun breathed a sigh of relief and even felt a hint of gratification.

One had to know that when the Fire Dragon Fish was at the Black Iron level, its smallest meal would consume five or six hundred Spirit Stones.

In comparison, Little Cloud Sparrow's appetite for only three hundred stones was practically thrifty.

"Very good. It seems I can still afford to raise you and Little Fire for now."

Jiang Yun smiled and stroked Little Cloud Sparrow's feathers, which had become even more lustrous.

He sent the drowsy, full Little Cloud Sparrow back into the Beast Taming Space, allowing it to use the space's [Rapid Growth] trait to accelerate its absorption and digestion.

However, Jiang Yun's expression immediately turned solemn.

Next would be the true test of his wallet's depth.

He waved his hand again.

*Buzz!*

A scorching and powerful aura instantly filled the entire room, and the Fire Dragon Fish—its body growing larger, scales grim, and Dragon prestige beginning to show—was summoned.

As soon as it appeared, the temperature in the room seemed to rise several degrees, and the once spacious room suddenly felt a bit cramped.

Looking at this glutton, Jiang Yun gave a helpless smile and again poured out Spirit Stones from his storage ring.

This time, it was a small mountain of over five thousand mixed water and fire spirit stones!

Shining brightly with surging energy, they took up nearly half the room!

"Eat up, Little Fire. I know you've been starving too."

Jiang Yun patted the Fire Dragon Fish's thick body.

"Roar!"

The Fire Dragon Fish let out a low, joyful hiss. With its mouth wide open, it didn't even need to chew; a powerful suction force generated out of thin air, and like a whale swallowing water, over three hundred Spirit Stones were instantly swallowed into its belly!

This efficiency made Jiang Yun's eye twitch.

What followed was a one-sided slaughter.

The Fire Dragon Fish took bite after bite, and the mountain of Spirit Stones on the floor rapidly diminished at a visible rate.

Finally, when the Fire Dragon Fish stopped with satisfaction, a red light swirling around its body and its aura growing a bit thicker, over three thousand of the five thousand plus Spirit Stones had disappeared!

Jiang Yun looked at the floor, which was now nearly half empty, and fell silent.

After promoting to Bronze Rank...

...Little Fire's appetite had indeed surged again... it had doubled... He checked his storage ring; the remaining water and fire spirit stones only added up to a little over three thousand.

"It's only enough to fill you up one more time..."

Jiang Yun felt a pang of heartache and a strong sense of impending bankruptcy.

However...

...it was only because his Beast Taming Space possessed the Heaven-Defying trait of [Rapid Absorption] that he dared to let his beasts devour such massive amounts of energy so recklessly.

If any other Beast Tamer dared to feed their beasts like this, the energy would have stagnated; at best, the beast would fall into an eternal slumber, and at worst, it would explode and die.

This kind of luxurious worry was, in itself, a symbol of strength.

After returning the satisfied Fire Dragon Fish to the Beast Taming Space to accelerate its absorption, Jiang Yun sat cross-legged and began to plan his next move.

"Now that I've contracted a second beast, the Advanced Class assessment should be put on the agenda as soon as possible."

"However, I can't use Little Fire for the assessment; its Bronze Rank strength is too conspicuous."

He understood the principle that the tallest tree in the forest is the first to be blown down by the wind; before having enough power to protect himself, it was necessary to hide his trump cards appropriately.

Unless absolutely necessary...

...he decided not to let Little Fire appear in the public eye.

"Once Little Cloud Sparrow finishes absorbing these three hundred Spirit Stones, its strength should rise to around Black Iron Eighth Tier. At that time, I'll use it to take the assessment, which will also be a good way to test its actual combat ability."

Having made up his mind, Jiang Yun's mind grew calm.

The next day.

It was still the weekend, a day off for rest.

Jiang Yun enjoyed a rare sleep-in.

With both beasts in the Beast Taming Space fully digesting yesterday's massive energy, he was happy to be idle, taking it as a holiday for himself to relax his mind.

In the afternoon...

...his sister Jiang Yunyun's excited cheers came from the living room.

"Brother! Brother! Come out quickly! Little Blacky is awake! It's become so powerful!"

Jiang Yun walked out of his room to see his sister holding that fluffy, black-furred Sky-Swallowing Rabbit, looking very excited.

"Look, Brother! Little Blacky has promoted to Black Iron Third Tier! That was so fast!"

Jiang Yunyun held the Sky-Swallowing Rabbit up to Jiang Yun like a prized treasure.

The Sky-Swallowing Rabbit's red eyes seemed more agile and spirited, and its overall aura had indeed strengthened considerably.

"Mm, very good. Both Yunyun and Little Blacky are amazing."

Jiang Yun was truly happy for his sister.

At the same time, his curiosity was piqued.

Having eaten a hundred Spirit Stones plus a beast core and successfully promoted to Black Iron Third Tier, had this Sky-Swallowing Rabbit's [Devour] talent also awakened?

With a curious mind...

...Jiang Yun's thought shifted, and the [Manifestation of All Things Entries] ability quietly activated as he looked at the harmless-looking black rabbit.