The crack of violet light continued to widen.
Thin strands of spatial distortion spread outward like ripples across still water, bending the air in front of Zhao Feng's desk.
A faint hum filled the office.
Low.
Resonant.
Ancient.
Zhao Feng stood still, watching quietly.
His expression remained calm, but his gaze had sharpened.
'Spatial transfer.'
Through Li Han's knowledge, he understood what he was seeing.
Space itself had been opened.
And something was about to pass through.
The violet tear widened further.
A pulse of spiritual energy washed through the room.
Zhao Feng felt it clearly.
It was subtle.
Yet extraordinarily pure.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
'Interesting…'
The tear expanded one last time.
For a brief moment, the space within it seemed impossibly deep, like a window opening into another dimension.
Then—
Something moved.
A white shape slipped through the tear.
The spatial crack sealed instantly afterward.
Silence returned to the office.
The object dropped lightly onto Zhao Feng's desk with a soft thump.
Zhao Feng blinked.
On the desk in front of him was—
A slender white serpent nearly a meter long.
Her body was elegant and smooth, covered in pristine white scales that faintly reflected the office lights.
Two delicate horns curved slightly from her head.
Her eyes glowed a soft violet.
The beautiful creature lay coiled loosely on the desk, blinking slowly as if she had just woken from a deep sleep.
For a moment—
Man and beast simply stared at each other.
Then the serpent lifted her head.
Her violet eyes locked onto Zhao Feng.
"…Sss?"
The sound was soft.
Curious.
Zhao Feng raised an eyebrow slightly.
'Void dragon bloodline…?'
At that moment the system interface appeared.
[DING!]
[Contracted Beast Transfer Successful]
[Beast Species]: Celestial Void Dragon
[Rank]: Bronze Beast (0%)
[Bloodline]: SSS
[Affinities]: Space (SSS), Lightning (SS)
[Talent]: Dimensional Body (SS)
[Skills]: Void Flight (C), Dimensional Pouch (D), Thunderbolt (E)
Zhao Feng stared at the panel.
Then slowly lowered his gaze toward the serpent resting on his desk.
"…Celestial Void Dragon."
Through Li Han's memories, he knew exactly what that meant.
This species stood at the very peak of spirit beast bloodlines.
Even in the Desolate Beast Realm, such creatures were considered mythical.
Li Han had spent decades researching bloodline evolution.
Countless experiments.
Countless resources.
And only after years of painstaking work had he been able to successfully evolve his first contracted beast into a Celestial Void Dragon.
Yet the creature in front of him—
Already possessed that SSS bloodline.
Zhao Feng glanced toward the system panel.
"System."
The interface flickered faintly.
"Is this the same beast from Li Han's memories?"
A response appeared almost immediately.
[Negative.]
[The transferred beast possesses the Template of Li Han's Celestial Void Dragon.]
[However, it is not the original entity.]
Zhao Feng's eyes shifted toward the serpent again.
'So…'
'This is essentially a new life…'
'But with the bloodline and potential of Li Han's evolved dragon.'
That explained everything.
The dragon Li Han had painstakingly evolved over decades had already reached the peak of its bloodline.
What Zhao Feng received was not the same creature—
But a new dragon carrying that perfected template.
Which meant its growth would begin from the start.
Yet with SSS potential.
Zhao Feng exhaled slowly.
"…I see. Just like me."
At that moment—
The serpent suddenly moved.
In a smooth motion, she slid forward and loosely coiled around Zhao Feng's forearm.
Her body was warm.
Comfortable.
Before Zhao Feng could react, the young dragon lifted the upper half of her body along his arm.
Her violet eyes studied his face curiously.
Then—
She nudged his cheek.
Once.
Then again.
Softly.
As if confirming something.
Zhao Feng blinked.
The smooth white scales brushed lightly against his skin as the dragon pressed her head gently against his face.
Then—
A faint sensation brushed against his mind.
Gentle.
Curious.
Like a child reaching out cautiously.
Then a soft voice appeared inside his consciousness.
*Papa…?*
Zhao Feng froze.
His gaze slowly lowered toward the dragon wrapped around his arm.
"…Telepathic communication."
That was one of the natural abilities shared between spirit beasts and Beast Tamers.
Even newly hatched beasts could instinctively form a mental link with the one they recognized.
The young dragon looked up at him again.
*Papa?*
Her voice carried innocent curiosity.
Zhao Feng studied her quietly.
Her body was long and elegant, nearly a meter in length, more serpent than dragon at this stage.
Yet Li Han's knowledge confirmed it without doubt.
A Celestial Void Dragon hatchling.
Even at birth—
They were already Bronze rank.
'SSS bloodline…'
Zhao Feng looked at her for a moment longer.
Then he spoke calmly.
"…Lingxi."
The young dragon blinked and tilted her head slightly.
Her glowing violet eyes looked up at him with curious confusion.
Zhao Feng's lips curved faintly.
"That will be your name."
For a moment, the white dragon simply stared at him.
Then her eyes suddenly brightened.
*Lingxi?*
She nudged his cheek again, clearly pleased.
*Lingxi!*
She happily rubbed her head against his face again.
Zhao Feng watched her quietly.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"…You seem to like it."
Lingxi lifted her head proudly.
*Lingxi!*
Then Zhao Feng's expression became slightly more serious.
Through Li Han's knowledge, he understood something important.
The bond between Beast Tamer and spirit beast had not yet been fully established.
What they had now was an instinctual bond.
A true contract required guidance.
Zhao Feng gently placed his fingers on Lingxi's head.
Then he circulated the upgraded spiritual technique Li Han had created for forming beast contracts.
A faint ripple spread through the air.
Lingxi blinked.
Then her violet eyes brightened.
A soft glow formed between them.
The moment the connection deepened—
BOOM.
A powerful surge of energy erupted between them.
Lingxi suddenly lifted her head.
Her scales shimmered as faint spatial distortions rippled across her body.
Zhao Feng felt the feedback instantly.
The contract had formed.
At the same moment—
Something inside his mind shattered open.
A vast expanse unfolded within his consciousness.
An endless sea of spiritual energy.
His spiritual sea had awakened.
Zhao Feng inhaled sharply.
'So this is the true foundation of a Beast Tamer…'
But the transformation did not stop there.
The moment the contract stabilized—
his talents began to exert their influence.
Contract Amplification surged through the bond.
Lingxi suddenly stiffened.
Her body glowed faintly.
Her already elegant form grew slightly longer.
From nearly one meter—
to almost one and a half.
Her aura stabilized instantly.
The faint spatial distortion around her scales became clearer.
Then Zhao Feng felt another change.
Beast Talent Assimilation.
A strange sensation spread through his body.
The air around him warped slightly.
Distances felt clearer.
Sharper.
More precise.
His body felt lighter.
More fluid.
As if space itself subtly adjusted around him.
'Dimensional Body…'
Through the contract, Lingxi's innate ability had become his as well.
Lingxi blinked.
Then happily rubbed her head against Zhao Feng's cheek again.
*Papa!*
Zhao Feng exhaled slowly.
The bond between them had stabilized completely.
He could feel Lingxi's emotions clearly through the connection.
Curiosity.
Joy.
Trust.
Zhao Feng glanced down at the dragon wrapped around his forearm.
"…Welcome to the family, Lingxi."
Outside the window, the zoo continued its quiet evening rhythm.
Birds rustled softly inside the aviary, settling among the branches.
For a moment, everything remained peaceful.
Then, almost imperceptibly, the atmosphere shifted.
Deep within the predator zone, the Siberian tiger paused mid-step.
Its massive head lifted slowly, golden eyes narrowing as it stared toward the administration building.
In the nearby wolf enclosure, several wolves grew restless.
Ears twitched.
Bodies stiffened.
They glanced in the same direction.
The strange sensation lingered only briefly.
A faint instinctive unease.
Then, just as quietly, the feeling faded.
None of the keepers noticed anything unusual.
Inside the office, Zhao Feng opened the system interface and studied his and Lingxi's new stats.
Lingxi remained loosely coiled around his forearm, her smooth white scales brushing lightly against his sleeve.
The young dragon lifted her head.
*Papa?*
Zhao Feng looked down at her.
For a moment, he simply watched the dragon that had just entered his life.
Then he reached out and lightly tapped her head.
"…Let's see how far we can go."
Lingxi's eyes brightened immediately.
*Go!*
Zhao Feng chuckled quietly.
Outside, Green Ridge Wildlife Park slowly settled into the night.
None of its keepers knew that something extraordinary had just awakened within its grounds.
---
Hello, Author here,
Thanks for reading — Leave a comment to tell me what you think about this chapter, and drop Power Stones if you're enjoying Zhao Feng's story so far! Let's grow this story together.
Patreon (for support and/or advance chapters): /Still_Searching