Beast Taming Star Journey

Xiao Ling hesitated, poked her little head out, sniffed the entrance to the passage, then retreated, looking at me timidly.

Its furry body trembled slightly, clearly filled with fear of the unknown passage.

I crouched down, stroked its soft fur, and gently comforted it, "Little Ling, don't be afraid. I know you're very brave. This passage may look dangerous, but I know you can do it. We've been through so much together; you've become very strong, haven't you?"

I placed my hand on Xiaoling's head, feeling the unease emanating from it.

Through the contract, I could sense its inner fear. I took a deep breath and passed on my courage and confidence to it.

Gradually, Xiaoling stopped trembling. It raised its head and looked at me with its wet eyes, its gaze now filled with determination.

"Go, Xiaoling."

I gently pushed it towards the entrance of the passage, saying, "I believe in you."

Xiao Ling took a deep breath and took her first step. The light at the entrance of the passage was dim, and only the intricate mechanisms inside could be vaguely seen.

Xiao Ling moved forward cautiously, taking each step with great care.

It leaps, crawls, and turns sideways, deftly avoiding the traps.

I held my breath, watching its every move with bated breath.

The walls on both sides of the passage were inlaid with some sparkling stones, which emitted a faint light and illuminated Xiaoling's path.

These stones seemed to contain some kind of energy, making Xiaoling's movements more agile.

I noticed that whenever Xiaoling approached these stones, a faint golden light would flash from its body.

Lin Hu stood aside, observing everything with a cold eye. He had originally thought I would embarrass myself, and that Xiao Ling would be trapped by the traps, or even injured.

However, Xiaoling's reaction was beyond his expectations. His face darkened, and his hands clenched into fists so tightly that his nails almost dug into his flesh.

Time passed second by second, and Xiaoling had already walked halfway through the passage.

The mechanisms inside the passage became increasingly complex and dangerous.

Sharp blades, shooting flames, falling boulders... all sorts of traps and mechanisms emerge one after another.

However, Xiaoling always manages to cleverly avoid these dangers at the last minute.

It seemed to understand my thoughts perfectly; it could instantly comprehend and execute my every idea.

I share Xiaoling's power through the contract, and I can feel the tension and excitement brought by its every jump and dodge.

My heart raced with Xiaoling's every step, and my palms were sweaty.

Finally, Xiaoling reached the end of the passage. It turned around, let out a joyful cry, and its eyes were full of pride and joy.

My heart finally settled down, and a relieved smile appeared on my face.

"Congratulations, Xiaoling."

I walked over to it and gently stroked its head. "You did very well." The witch approached me, her eyes gleaming with a strange light. "This little beast... is indeed extraordinary." She paused, then added, "Next, the second test."

My heart leaped into my throat again. I knew this was just the beginning…

"What is the second test?" I asked. The old witch smiled mysteriously and pointed to a rock-enclosed area deep inside the shrine. "The second test is to have your little beast compete against the cub of your family's guardian beast."

My heart sank. The family's guardian beast was a powerful demon beast called the Crimson Flame Lion, and even its cubs possessed formidable power.

Although Xiao Ling has made rapid progress, it is still too much for her to fight against the Crimson Flame Lion cub.

I looked in the direction the witch was pointing, and in the center of the rocky area, a lion cub, its body entirely red, was lying lazily.

Despite its small size, it exudes an imposing aura, with a faint fire elemental energy permeating the air.

Upon seeing us, it raised its head, a hint of disdain flashing in its golden pupils.

"This..." I hesitated and looked at the witch. "Isn't this too dangerous?"

The old witch shook her head. "The way of beast taming is inherently full of challenges. Only by experiencing real battles can one continuously grow."

I took a deep breath, knowing I had no other choice.

I walked over to Xiaoling, squatted down, and gently stroked its fur. "Xiaoling, we're going to fight side by side again."

Little Ling seemed to sense my determination. It raised its head, looked at me with a firm gaze, and let out a low growl.

I placed Xiao Ling in the rocky arena. The Crimson Lion cub stood up, stretched its body, and let out a deafening roar.

The battle was about to begin. The Crimson Lion cub launched the first attack, rushing towards Xiao Ling like a red lightning bolt, its sharp claws, burning with scorching flames, viciously grabbing at Xiao Ling.

Little Ling nimbly dodged the attack, but the Crimson Lion cub was too fast for it to retaliate.

The attacks from the Crimson Lion cubs came wave after wave, and Xiao Ling could only dodge them.

I was frantic with worry, but powerless to do anything. If things continued like this, Xiaoling would be defeated sooner or later.

Suddenly, a scene of fighting wild beasts in an ancient forest flashed through my mind.

At that time, I cleverly avoided the beast's attack by taking advantage of the terrain and environment, and found an opportunity to fight back.

"Little Spirit!" I shouted, "Use the rocks! Dodge its attacks and look for an opportunity to counterattack!"

Xiao Ling seemed to understand what I said, and it began to use the rocks in the area as cover to avoid the attacks of the Crimson Lion cubs.

Although the Crimson Lion cub's attacks were fierce, they could not hit Little Spirit.

Gradually, the attack speed of the Crimson Lion cubs slowed down.

It seemed to realize that it couldn't defeat Xiaoling if things continued this way.

Just then, Xiao Ling found an opportunity. Taking advantage of the moment when the Crimson Flame Lion cub was catching its breath, it suddenly darted out, its sharp claws flashing with a golden light, and fiercely grabbed at the Crimson Flame Lion cub.

The Crimson Lion cub couldn't dodge in time and was struck by Little Spirit. It let out a painful howl and staggered back a few steps.

Little Spirit pressed its advantage and launched another attack. This time, it concentrated all its strength in its claws and fiercely clawed at the head of the Crimson Flame Lion cub.

The Crimson Lion cub was powerless to resist and was knocked to the ground by Xiao Ling.

It struggled to stand up, but eventually collapsed helplessly.

I breathed a sigh of relief, and my heart finally settled down.

Xiao Ling, you won! The village chief and the witch finally showed expressions of approval.

They came up to me, praised my beast-taming abilities, and acknowledged my identity.

Lin Hu's face grew even more somber. He glared at me fiercely, then turned and left the ancestral hall.

I knew he wouldn't give up so easily. I was basking in the joy of being recognized, stroking Xiao Ling's soft fur.

However, I was unaware that a new crisis was about to unfold.

I took Xiaoling back to my residence, ready to start training, only to find that the beast-taming resources allocated by the family were pitifully small, consisting of only a small bag of low-grade beast food and a few inferior spirit stones.

I frowned. "What... is going on?" I turned and walked towards the village chief's residence...