Chapter 026: Divine Beast? (2)

Shen Duo couldn’t help but let the corners of her mouth curl upward. Since arriving in this foreign world, she had spent her days in a constant state of tension and repression. Yet now, for the first time, as she conversed with Yusha, she felt a hint of ease.

She raised her fist to her lips and coughed lightly before regaining her composure. “Yusha, are you a divine beast?”

Yusha’s tiger-like face finally softened a little. He glanced at Shen Duo with a disdainful snort, “What’s so special about a divine beast?”

Shen Duo was secretly startled. Magical beasts were known for their immense pride and rigid hierarchy. A lower-level beast would never dare to boast about being of a higher rank. Clearly, from Yusha’s tone, he did not even regard divine beasts with any respect.

Yusha lifted his tiger head and, noting the astonishment in Shen Duo’s eyes, let out a cackling laugh. “Well? Curious, aren’t you? Beg me, and maybe if I’m in a good mood, I’ll tell you my rank.” Sensing an opportunity to tease Shen Duo, Yusha seized it with relish.

Shen Duo quickly concealed her surprise, her lips curling into a faint smile. Her cold gaze suddenly softened. “If you don’t want to say, so be it. Let’s focus on how to get out of here first.”

Yusha hadn’t expected her to be so indifferent about his rank. The mocking words he had prepared were stuck in his throat, with no chance to be spoken. Tilting his head, he stared at Shen Duo. Despite her frail and petite figure, her bright eyes always seemed to gleam with a strange allure, as if capable of enchanting those who met her gaze. She spoke neither arrogantly nor humbly, and even after learning she possessed the greatest treasure of the Holy Radiance Continent, she showed no excessive delight, always measured in her actions. At this moment, Yusha thought that even if Shen Duo was not a phantasmancer, it would not have mattered.

With a dejected snort, Yusha lowered his head, the flames on his body dimming. “You only asked one question, can’t I even answer you? Keeping words bottled up feels awful,” he grumbled.

Even with her typically serious demeanor, Shen Duo couldn’t help but laugh at Yusha’s remark. No matter how powerful his abilities or terrifying his true form might be, his childlike temperament made it impossible to treat him with cruelty.

“Yusha, just call me Shen Duo from now on. Since we’ve made a pact, we’re partners. From this moment, you’re my closest magical beast companion on the Holy Radiance Continent. Now, can you tell me your rank?”

A magical beast that has formed a contract with a phantasmancer cannot stray from its master; betrayal would incur harsh punishment by the laws of heaven and earth. Generally, after taming a beast through a beastmaster, phantasmancers would raise them as pets, a practice that deeply wounded the dignity of magical beasts. Thus, most magical beasts resented becoming a human’s contracted companion. Even if a phantasmancer’s beast advanced to the level of a divine beast, it still had to address its master with utmost respect. Though Yusha’s contract with her was indirect, it was still a binding one.

Yusha had feared Shen Duo would treat him as other phantasmancers did, reducing him to a mere pet. To hear her consider her magical beast a friend was truly rare. His tiger eyes sparkled. Glancing at Shen Duo’s earnest face, a trace of shame washed over him. He had just been lamenting her weakness and resenting his fate as her companion. Awkwardly coughing twice, Yusha’s tiger tail drooped forlornly as he muttered, “Actually, I don’t know my rank. I’ve been here since birth, surrounded by fire. I don’t even know my true form. But those so-called divine beasts you speak of all fear my presence.”

Shen Duo hadn’t expected such an answer. Was Yusha still not fully matured?

“Yusha, can’t all magical beasts control their true forms and disguises?”

Yusha sighed. “Low and mid-tier beasts can, but high-level magical beasts must wait until adulthood to reveal their true form. I’m still in my juvenile stage. Even with our contract and the nourishment of the Holy Radiance energy, I have no idea when I’ll reach maturity.”

Shen Duo studied the adorable white tiger cub before her. So Yusha was merely an immature high-level magical beast of unknown rank! Even as a juvenile, he could command such a vast beast tide. What would he be capable of upon reaching adulthood? The thought made Shen Duo draw a sharp breath. Just what kind of true form did Yusha possess to wield such power?

Yusha seemed a little downcast. Anyone would feel lost not knowing their origins, especially a magical beast as powerful as he was—already so formidable in his youth, his parents must have been beings of unimaginable strength.

Shen Duo reached out and patted Yusha’s tiger head. “Let’s focus on getting out first. My friend was injured in the beast tide, and I still don’t know how he’s faring.”

Sure enough, Shen Duo’s words snapped Yusha out of his melancholy. He stood up on the water, the flames around him blazing anew. Proudly, he declared, “Little Duo, it’s easy if you want to get out. Just wait a moment.”

Shen Duo’s eye twitched at Yusha’s address—“Little Duo”? Did this little beast really think himself so grand? A juvenile magical beast daring to act like a senior.

Yusha bounced twice on the water’s surface, letting out a couple of odd sounds. “Little Duo, I may still be in my juvenile stage, but I’ve lived for more than a hundred years.”

Now not only was Shen Duo’s eye twitching, but her brow as well. This little fellow was over a hundred years old! Wait—how could Yusha know what she was thinking?

Proudly circling Shen Duo twice, Yusha explained, “Magical beasts are different from humans. High-level ones can live for thousands of years, but human phantasmancers only gain a century’s lifespan upon reaching the Sky Phantasmancer rank. If they cultivate diligently, at the Phantasm Lord stage they can extend their lives by another century, but if they fail to break through, they only live three hundred years at most. As for high-level magical beasts, without outside aid, some can remain juveniles for three centuries. And Little Duo, didn’t you know? Contracted beasts are connected to their master’s mind. Unless you deliberately shield your thoughts, I can sense everything you think.” Yusha finished with unmistakable pride.

This mind connection was designed to allow phantasmancers and their beasts to coordinate flawlessly in battle, communicating silently during duels and organizing their strategies.

Shen Duo was not yet a phantasmancer herself, and no one had ever explained these things to her. Hearing Yusha describe it now was fascinating. She tried reaching out with her thoughts, and sure enough, she sensed Yusha’s emotions and intentions.

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