The forest was quiet—too quiet.
Ye Fan stood still as the wind whispered between the trees. Sunlight barely filtered through the black-leafed canopy of the Blackscale Wilds. A place said to house countless low- to mid-tier spirit beasts. Dangerous to normal people. Suicidal to ordinary twelve-year-olds.
But Ye Fan was not ordinary anymore.
Behind him, Xue Ying silently wiped her blade. The blood of the Twin Fang Hound still steamed on the metal. Her expression remained blank, calm.
Ye Fan opened the system interface with a thought. The glowing blue panel expanded in front of him.
[Summon: Xue Ying] Class: Shadowblade Assassin
Martial Spirit: Phantom Fang
Spirit Rings: 3
Rank: Spirit Disciple Lv.11
Bond Level: 1 (Neutral)
Growth Status: 11% to next level
Status: Battle-ready
Affinity: Shadow / Assassin
[Host: Ye Fan] Martial Spirit: Shadow Mist Blade (Decoy) Spirit Rank: None (System-bypassed) Summons Deployed: 1/5
Inventory: 1 item (Lightning Core - Low Tier)
The system interface was intuitive, efficient. Ye Fan could even feel a faint connection to Xue Ying's energy signature. Not controlling her—but in sync with her presence.
"How are your reserves?" he asked aloud.
"Stable," she replied. "Minimal consumption. The beast was weak."
He nodded and closed the panel.
[New Feature Unlocked: Mission Board] [Opening first mission...]
A second screen appeared:
[Daily Mission: Spirit Beast Elimination] Objective: Defeat 5 wild spirit beasts within 48 hours. Reward: 50 EXP, 1 Basic Summon Token, 1 Minor Healing Pill Progress: 1/5
Ye Fan's eyes narrowed. "So the system gives daily missions now."
[Confirmed. Completing missions accelerates host and summon growth. Token rewards allow new summons. Inventory now unlocked.]
He turned toward Xue Ying. "We hunt."
Over the next two hours, they tracked deeper into the Blackscale Wilds. Xue Ying was a natural hunter—no branch snapped under her step, no sound betrayed her presence. Ye Fan followed as best he could, using the map overlay the system projected in his vision.
[Spirit Beast Detected: Razorback Ape - Level 13 - Aggressive]
The beast emerged with a roar. Towering, muscular, fur covered in thick gray spines.
"Target that arm first," Ye Fan instructed. "Strike when it lunges."
Xue Ying nodded and vanished.
The ape roared and charged—but it met only mist. A second later, Xue Ying's blade flashed across its bicep. Tendons snapped. The beast screamed.
It whirled wildly, but she was already behind it.
One more strike. It fell.
[Beast Eliminated. EXP: +44] [Summon Rank Up: Lv.11 → Lv.12] [Mission Progress: 2/5]
[Core Extracted: Ironhide Core - Mid Tier]
[Inventory: 2/50]
Ye Fan let out a breath. He was growing too—indirectly. Every action they took felt real, not like grinding levels in a game.
Still, he needed more power. He couldn't rely on one summon forever.
[Summoning Slots: 1/5 Used] [Available Tokens: 0]
[Next Token: Rewarded upon mission completion.]
"We keep moving," he said.
By nightfall, they had eliminated three more spirit beasts—each fight a lesson in tactics, timing, and survival. Xue Ying's techniques grew sharper. Her third ring skill, Night Veil, became crucial when they fought a pack of wild Shadow Foxes.
As they rested near a cliffside under starlight, Ye Fan leaned against a tree and opened the system panel again.
[Daily Mission: COMPLETE] [Rewards Claimed: +50 EXP | +1 Basic Summon Token | +1 Minor Healing Pill]
[Summon Token Inventory: 1] [Would you like to summon a new unit? Y/N]
Ye Fan hesitated.
One summon had changed everything. Two might make him unstoppable—or unstable.
He looked at Xue Ying. She stood by the cliff, arms crossed, gazing into the night.
"Ready for a sibling?" he asked.
She didn't turn. "If they serve your will, I will stand beside them."
He smiled faintly.
[Confirmed. Initiating summon...]
[Summon Type: Random] [System Sync Initiating... Searching realms... Candidate found.]
[Calibrating power scale. Assigning Martial Spirit. Generating spirit rings...]
[Summon incoming: Prepare for retrieval. Safe-zone: 270 meters west.]
Ye Fan stood.
"Let's go meet number two."