"Master, the Shadow Wolf breakthrough. It is now a Second Grade Shadow Wolf," the Heavenly Pavilion screamed in excitement.
Arthur almost felt his head explode when he heard the high-pitched voice. Squinting his eyes in dismay, he stared at the spirit beast that was lovingly nudging him.
Its eyes were glowing with such intensity that even the luminous pearl seemed to have lost all its brightness.
Arthur was charmed by the spirit beast and brushed its fur gently, and the wolf moved closer to him as if trying to please him.
Arthur chuckled, finding its actions adorable. "Do you like me so much?"
As if understanding his question, the Shadow Wolf nodded, and Arthur's eyes widened in surprise.
"Master, Master, bind the spirit beast with a contract. It does not have an owner yet; make it yours, Master."
"Before I do that, tell me what its powers are."
Arthur had no idea what the Shadow Wolf was capable of. No doubt he found it cute. But he couldn't bind it just because he found it cute, could he?
"Master, Shadow Wolves control darkness, fear, and stealth. They are quite good at manipulating darkness."
Arthur listened to the Heavenly Pavilion with intrigue while he continued to caress the beast's fur, making it purr in joy.
"They can blend into shadows, disappear from sight, and create areas of total darkness. But their main and terrifying power is that they can summon nightmares and control fears, creating illusions that trap their enemies in their worst visions."
"Did you say they can create illusions?" Arthur asked, staring at the Shadow Wolf as if it were a treasure.
"Yes, Master. Some of the Shadow Wolves in their highest levels of cultivation have trapped their prey in such daunting illusions that the prey ended up killing themselves."
"Ah huh!" Arthur had expected the wolf to be a normal predator, perhaps with greater power and agility.
Who knew that it was a lot more than it looked?
"How do I bind the Shadow Wolf?" Arthur asked, deciding to keep the spirit beast to himself.
"Master, ask the Shadow Beast if it wants to bind itself to you. You can offer anything in return. Perhaps a few spirit stones. It is up to you to negotiate."
Arthur narrowed his eyes, his mind gears spinning wildly.
"Do you want to bind a contract with me?" he asked the Shadow Wolf, which immediately nodded in return.
"Do you want something in return?" he asked again, and the Shadow Wolf nodded again.
"What do you want?"
This time, the Shadow Wolf mewled softly, making Arthur chuckle.
"Spirit stones?"
The Shadow Wolf nodded.
"How many?"
The Shadow Wolf remained silent.
"One green stone."
No response.
"Two green stones?"
Again, the spirit beast didn't respond.
Meanwhile, the Heavenly Pavilion was rendered speechless by its Master's offer. Why was he being stingy when he had been so generous some time ago?
"Master, the Shadow Wolf has an orange spirit root. You need to offer spirit stones of similar color or higher in power level," it reminded, and Arthur hummed lightly, not at all feeling sheepish at his previous actions.
"How about one orange stone?"
The Shadow Wolf perked up its ears and looked at him eagerly. However, it still didn't nod.
"Master, you need to offer more. Otherwise, it will not agree."
The Heavenly Pavilion was close to having a breakdown. What was Master doing? Why is he being a miser?
"Fine, fine," Arthur relented. "How many do you think you think I should offer?"
"Master, it is a Second Grade Shadow Wolf. You need to at least provide it with an orange stone every few days so that it will grow stronger."
Arthur was taken aback by its words. He had assumed a few spirit stones would do the charm. Who knew he had to provide it frequently?
Was the Heavenly Pavilion trying to scam him?
"How about this?" Arthur started, staring at the Shadow Wolf. "I'll give you an orange spirit stone every fortnight. Whenever you succeed in following my orders, I'll reward you with a blue spirit stone."
"Master, Master, what about when it breaks through again?"
Arthur was speechless. Why was the Heavenly Pavilion more eager and worried than the Shadow Wolf?
Ignoring the Heavenly Pavilion for the time being, he focused on the spirit beast, which was looking at him cutely.
"Don't worry, I won't mistreat you. When you break through to the next stage, I'll give you the other spirit stones accordingly. What do you think?"
The Shadow Wolf nodded enthusiastically. It was more than happy with the offer. With its master providing it with the spirit stones, it had nothing to worry about.
'My wolf life is complete,' it thought.
"Now, how do I bind the Shadow Wolf with a contract?"
"Master, you will have to state the backlash for betrayal. What if the Shadow Wolf betrays you one day?" the Heavenly Pavilion reminded. "They have extraordinary deceptive skills. What if it uses its skills on you?"
Arthur had completely ignored this matter. Everything was novel to him. So, he hadn't thought along these lines.
"Let us discuss the backlash if you betray me," he remarked, and the Shadow Wolf whimpered as if to say that it would never betray him.
"If you ever betray me, your cultivation level will regress to what it was before we met. You will only use your powers on me if I instruct you to."
The Shadow Wolf shook its head as if it were pledging its loyalty.
"We have an agreement, then."
The Shadow Wolf nodded.
"Good. Heavenly Pavilion?"
Barely had he finished speaking when a golden scroll appeared on his palm.
Arthur noticed that everything they had discussed was mentioned in the wording. Satisfied, he nodded at himself and showed the scroll to the beast, which too nodded in consent.
"Master, the Shadow Wolf has to leave its spirit essence on the contract, and it will be bound to you."
"Ohh..." Arthur had no idea what spirit essence meant. He just did whatever the Heavenly Pavilion told him.
The Shadow Wolf closed its eyes, and the next instant, a thin wisp of white light emerged from it, which was absorbed by the golden scroll.
The next instant, Arthur felt a faint warmth in his heart. It was discernible, and Arthur held his breath, waiting to see what was happening.
A golden, circular array formed around them, with seven outer runes, having a triangle inside.
Arthur watched the scene with awe. His eyes were glowing as they took in the astonishing sight.
Slowly, the circular array shrank in size, and within a few seconds, it vanished completely.
'That was quite a sight,' he thought.
"Master, the Shadow Wolf is bound to you. Congratulations on binding your first spirit beast," the Heavenly Pavilion said with obvious joy.
Arthur hummed softly and stared at the Shadow Wolf, making it fidget uneasily.
"I have a task for you," Arthur said suddenly, and the Shadow Wolf's ears perked up.
"I want you to summon nightmares on someone."
The Shadow Wolf nodded, ready to follow its master's instructions.
"Who, Master?" the Heavenly Pavilion asked curiously.
"King Shen Xuandi."