By the time
Mu Liang and Mino
found Xiao Xuanwu, the hills around the area were
covered in jagged rock spikes
.
“Awoo~~”
The
giant turtle
let out a
pitiful cry
the moment it saw Mu Liang.
Mu Liang
raised an eyebrow
.
“You’re… hungry?”
The
message from their mental link
was clear, making Mu Liang feel a
headache coming on
.
Mino’s
jaw dropped
.
“Xiao Xuanwu’s hungry?”
She stared at its
massive body
, her
mind going blank
.
How much food would it even take to fill up a creature this big?!
Just then—
Ding!
[Feeding a tamed beast costs 1 Evolution Point per day, which eliminates hunger.]
Mu Liang’s
expression darkened
.
“System, you should’ve told me that earlier!”
How was he supposed to feed something
this massive
on his own? He’d end up
starving
instead!
The system remained
silent
.
Mu Liang
sighed
, then motioned at Xiao Xuanwu.
“Bring your head over here. I’ll give you some energy to eat.”
Mino’s
blue eyes widened
in curiosity.
“Energy?”
“Awoo~~”
Xiao Xuanwu
happily rumbled
and
lowered its enormous head
.
Mu Liang placed a hand on its forehead.
“System, evolve Xiao Xuanwu—and feed it while you’re at it.”
Ding!
[Upgrading Rock Armor Turtle from Level 2 to Level 3. Deducting 100 Evolution Points.]
Ding!
[Evolution complete!]
Ding!
[New ability unlocked: Earth Rock Spike Burst.]
Ding!
[Syncing with Tamer. Adapting skill: Earth Rock Spike Burst.]
Mu Liang felt
a familiar surge of warmth
spread through his body as
his strength increased again
.
Curious about his progress, he commanded:
“System, open my status.”
Tamer: Mu Liang
Stamina:
22
Speed:
21
Strength:
21
Spirit:
32
Lifespan:
24 years / 420 years
Taming Points:
10 (Refreshed Daily, Can Accumulate)
Evolution Points:
219
Abilities:
Earth Rock Spike Burst (Level 3)
Mimicry Stealth (Level 3)
Tamed Beasts:
Rock Armor Turtle – Earth Rock Spike Burst (Level 3)
Three-Color Lizard – Mimicry Stealth (Level 3)
Mu Liang
smirked
.
“Over four hundred years of life now, huh? Never would’ve imagined that before.”
Before he could dwell on it further—
Mino
grabbed his sleeve
with
trembling hands
.
“M-Mu Liang… l-look at Xiao Xuanwu…!”
Mu Liang turned around—
And
froze in place
.
Xiao Xuanwu had
grown again
.
If before, its
shell was the size of a small house
…
Now, it was
as large as a full mansion—easily a hundred square meters in size!
“Awoo~~”
The
giant turtle let out a mighty roar
, stomping its foot against the ground.
BOOM!
A
rock spike erupted
from the ground, then
launched forward like a missile
CRASH!!
It
slammed into a distant cliffside
,
shattering stone into dust
.
Mino’s
rabbit ears shot straight up
in shock.
Her
blue eyes were completely dazed
.
Mu Liang, on the other hand,
raised an eyebrow in approval
.
“Finally, a long-range attack.”
Mino slowly came back to her senses.
Then, she
bounced excitedly
, her words tumbling out—
“Xiao Xuanwu is AMAZING! SO COOL!”
She was so excited, she
couldn’t even find the right words
.
Mu Liang mentally
commanded
Xiao Xuanwu:
“Lower yourself. We’re getting on.”
At
over six meters tall
, climbing up would be
nearly impossible
Especially with
rocky spikes covering its shell
.
“Awoo~~”
Xiao Xuanwu obediently
lowered its massive body
, summoning
a staircase of solid rock
that rose
all the way to its back
.
Mu Liang led Mino up the steps, and soon, they stood
atop the giant turtle’s shell once more
.
“So much space!”
Mino
twirled in circles
, marveling at how
vast
the turtle’s back had become.
Mu Liang watched her
dart around like a butterfly
, then asked curiously:
“Mino, how do you want to build our house?”
Mino
froze mid-spin
.
“Huh? You’re asking me?”
“Yeah. What kind of house do you want?”
She
squatted down
,
her rabbit ears twisting into knots
as she thought hard.
Mu Liang watched
her ears twitch with emotion
, fascinated.
“Even her ears show her mood… I kind of want to tug them.”
After a long moment, Mino
raised her head hesitantly
.
“Mu Liang… how about… just building a wooden hut?”
Mu Liang
chuckled
.
“Think bigger. A wooden hut is too simple.”
Mino
pouted
.
“I don’t know what else to build…”
Mu Liang
grinned
, then pulled out
a cloth with charcoal sketches
.
“Then come look at what I designed.”
Mino
leaned over
, staring at the
blueprint on the fabric
.
The more she
looked
…
The
wider her eyes grew
.
She suddenly
snapped her head up
, her
blue eyes locking onto Mu Liang’s
.
“This… we can REALLY build this?!”
Mu Liang
smiled confidently
.
“Of course.”
The blueprint he had drawn
the night before
was simple but well-planned:
Two bedrooms
A living area
A bathroom
A small courtyard
Mino’s
rabbit ears shot up excitedly
Then suddenly
drooped down
as she realized something.
“This is amazing, but… where will we get all the materials?”
Mu Liang
smirked
.
“You’re forgetting something.”
He
stomped lightly
on Xiao Xuanwu’s shell.
“Who are we standing on?”
Mino’s
eyes widened
.
Just then—
“Awoo~ Awoo~~”
Xiao Xuanwu
rumbled in understanding
.
The
hills around them trembled
As
chunks of stone
rose into the air
and
floated onto its back
.
One by one,
large rectangular stone blocks
stacked neatly in place.
Mino
stared in awe
.
“Xiao Xuanwu… is incredible.”
Mu Liang
rolled up his sleeves
.
“Now, let’s start placing the stones according to the blueprint.”
He pulled out a
piece of charcoal
and began
marking guidelines on the shell
.
Since
Xiao Xuanwu
couldn’t
read blueprints
, they’d have to
build manually
.
At least for now.
Maybe in the future, if the turtle’s
intelligence improved
…
Mino
pumped her fists
.
“Leave it to me!”
Mu Liang
smirked
, sending a
mental compliment
to Xiao Xuanwu.
“Good job.”
Actually, Xiao Xuanwu’s
shell spikes
could also be
used as materials
…
But that would
weaken its defenses
, which
wasn’t worth it
.
It was better to
gather rocks
, shape them, and
bind them together with Earth abilities
Essentially
eliminating the need for cement
.
And for Xiao Xuanwu?
This extra
weight
was
nothing
.
A house on its back?
Barely noticeable.