The afternoon sun blazed fiercely, a faint breeze rustling the shadows of the trees.
Ming Shuang opened his eyes and stared at the swaying leaves overhead for a long moment before slowly sitting up.
His expression was somewhat dazed as he leaned against the tree trunk beside him and looked around.
The seasons in the Card Pool cycled automatically, now at the third slot, but the place remained eternally mild like spring, with no discernible difference.
Ming Shuang had no idea how long he had slept this time, but the gray magical formation hovering in the sky indicated that it still hadn’t been activated during his slumber.
Disappointment flickered in his eyes, and he flopped back onto the grass, yawning sleepily.
Ever since he was the only one left here, Ming Shuang often fell into deep sleeps, losing all track of time.
Ever since… his master had vanished, and the other four Card Beasts had inexplicably departed.
Ming Shuang gazed at the drifting clouds on the horizon, lost in a silent daze.
He had been raised in the Card Pool since he was little by his master. The other four Card Beasts weren’t of the same race as him, but they had been his constant playmates.
As a Card Beast, Ming Shuang never had to fight and even got to tag along with his master on outings from time to time.
Because he was the youngest, his master doted on him endlessly, and the other four Card Beasts got along well with him too.
But suddenly, everything had changed. For the first time, Ming Shuang felt true loneliness. He didn’t even know how long he had been stuck in the Card Pool.
With the magical formation unactivated, he couldn’t leave.
A wave of intense drowsiness washed over him again, but this time Ming Shuang didn’t want to sleep. He forced himself to stand up from under the tree.
He conjured an ice ball in his palm and tucked it into his collar to stay alert, then headed toward the edge of the forest.
The Card Pool’s space was vast. On the plains below the forest stood a small castle, its rooftop gems sparkling in the sunlight.
Scattered around the castle were many other structures: pavilions, enormous wooden racks for climbing, and a height-marked board carved with notches.
Several marks of similar height scarred the side of the board, with crooked drawings below them.
There were five figures in total: a little white dragon, a pitch-black round ball, a little red bird, a blue oval orb, and a gray kitten head with pointed ears.
The five Card Beasts held hands, and on the little dragon’s other side, a shadowy human figure joined the chain.
But thick layers of dust blanketed all the buildings and items, untouched for ages.
Ming Shuang shuffled past slowly, stuffing another ice ball into his collar.
When he reached the lake in front of the castle, he could no longer hold out. He sat by the water’s edge, breathing lightly.
After recovering for a while, Ming Shuang lay back flat and stared up at the magical formation in the sky, a hint of grievance in his eyes.
Why…
Ming Shuang pondered blankly for a long time before closing his eyes and drifting off to sleep.
Some unknown time later, Ming Shuang jolted awake from a dream.
The sky had darkened, signaling the onset of night. The wind by the lake picked up abruptly, whistling through the grass.
High above, the magical formation reignited with light.
Ming Shuang barely had time to react before a beam projected down from it.
Darkness swallowed his vision, and the world spun wildly.
~~~
Night fell over the Thorny Jungle.
Hot gusts whipped up dry fallen leaves, while thorny vines writhed chaotically across the ground.
Xuzhi clutched the wound on his right hand and retreated, his gaze fixed ahead.
Six pairs of eerie green eyes glowed around him.
These were six Wild Sand Hounds, Tier 1 Magical Beasts that usually lurked in the jungle’s middle sections.
Perhaps drawn by some disturbance in the valley tonight, they had banded together here in search of food.
The nearest Wild Sand Hound locked eyes with Xuzhi, growling low in its throat before lunging ferociously.
Xuzhi dodged aside, stabbing his short blade into the beast’s forepaw and forcing it back.
At that moment, something strange stirred in the jungle.
A faint buzz hummed from low in the air, and the ground trembled slightly.
The temperature in the air plummeted, faint ice mist materializing out of nowhere to enshroud the area.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning tore through the night sky.
“Boom!”
Thunder crashed immediately after. Xuzhi instinctively scanned his surroundings, his brows furrowing.
Something wasn’t right.
In a short span, the mist in the jungle thickened, obscuring vision.
Lightning and thunder persisted relentlessly, the ground quaking harder, gale-force winds howling as the ice mist churned and surged—like some colossal entity on the verge of bursting from the earth.
Xuzhi braced himself against a tree trunk, but just as quickly, everything abruptly calmed.
Then, a rustle came from nearby grass, like wind through leaves or a snapped twig falling.
The ice mist thinned somewhat. Of the Wild Sand Hounds besieging Xuzhi, two were injured, leaving four intact.
The largest one, leading the pack, hesitated warily for a moment before charging at its prey without hesitation.
Xuzhi responded coolly, repelling one Wild Sand Hound only to be tackled to the ground by another.
Razor-sharp fangs loomed inches away, thorny vines from the tree whipping toward him. Xuzhi wedged his blade in the beast’s jaws with one hand while grabbing a vine with the other.
Thorns pierced his palm, but he didn’t so much as blink. He used the vine to throttle the Wild Sand Hound’s neck, then kicked away a third one lunging at him.
The ice mist dissipated a bit more. In the grass nearby, the Little Dragon Hatchling stared blankly.
Suddenly yanked from the Card Pool by the magical formation, Ming Shuang had witnessed this exact scene.
The young man before him appeared just barely of age, clad in simple, practical attire with slightly tousled black hair. Moonlight traced the sharp lines of his profile.
He was very young, and compared to Ming Shuang’s memories, his features had changed a little, his demeanor different too.
But that face—Ming Shuang knew it better than anything.
…Master?
Overjoyed, the Little Dragon Hatchling couldn’t help taking half a step forward. “Whine…”
Huh?
Ming Shuang sensed something off and looked down, freezing in place.
Why had he suddenly reverted to his dragon form?
And in his juvenile state, no less…
The Card Pool had closed behind him—he couldn’t return for now. Attempts to shift back to human or adult dragon form all failed.
Meanwhile, the remaining Wild Sand Hounds pressed their assault undeterred.
Xuzhi was under attack. Ming Shuang paid no mind to anything else, instinctively shoving aside the underbrush and rushing forward.
Sensing the new presence approaching, the Wild Sand Hounds hesitated briefly, their green eyes swiveling toward the Little Dragon Hatchling in the grass.
The Little Dragon Hatchling showed no fear. He let out a low growl and slammed his tender claws into the ground.
“Awoo!”
Get lost, you ugly mutts!
Ming Shuang glared at the Magical Beasts several times his size, his gaze hostile.
But after sleeping so long, he was too thrilled to see his master, too disoriented by the situation, and too unaccustomed to his juvenile body. He failed to rein it in, accidentally releasing a trace of Dragon Breath.
Ice Magic activated simultaneously. Frost-laced mist erupted from beneath the Little Dragon Hatchling’s claws, spreading rapidly outward before quickly dissipating into the damp soil.
He hadn’t assumed a true battle stance—just unleashed his aura. The ice mist seemed utterly harmless.
Reverted to his juvenile form, Ming Shuang’s power was inevitably diminished.
But that sliver of Dragon Breath was more than enough to intimidate low-tier Magical Beasts.
Silence fell for a moment. The remaining Wild Sand Hounds truly dared not advance, trembling as they turned tail and fled swiftly into the woods.
Nearby, Xuzhi frowned, hacking through two attacking thorny vines with his short blade before turning his gaze to Ming Shuang.
What emerged from the grass was clearly a Magical Beast Cub, no taller than an adult’s palm, covered in silvery white scales with a pair of white horns atop its head and a pair of strikingly unusual blue-gold heterochromatic eyes.
The left eye gleamed gold, the right a deep azure.
Xuzhi studied the Magical Beast Cub impassively, backing away while scanning the surroundings.
—Where had it come from?
He hadn’t encountered many Magical Beasts and knew few varieties, but this cub didn’t look native to the Thorny Jungle.
And the earlier anomaly in the jungle—was that tied to whatever was happening in the valley?
At this point, the Little Dragon Hatchling retracted his claws and looked up at Xuzhi again, eyes shining brightly.
Master…
Yet Xuzhi’s dark brows knit in wariness and detachment.
The next second, he stood and walked away without a backward glance.
Ming Shuang froze, then hurriedly spread his wings and gave chase.
W-What’s going on?
Why was his master ignoring him, acting like he didn’t even recognize him…
Ming Shuang had no clue where he was. Towering, twisted tree trunks and dense, tangled undergrowth surrounded him—a completely alien place.
Noticing the pursuit behind him, Xuzhi glanced back and quickened his pace.
The wind rattled the branches as the Little Dragon Hatchling dodged desperately, stumbling in chase.
Freshly awakened in this clumsy juvenile body amid unfamiliar terrain, Ming Shuang tripped over roots several times, watching helplessly as Xuzhi’s figure receded farther.
“Whine, whine…”
The Little Dragon Hatchling called out softly, receiving no response.
Panic gripped Ming Shuang. He’d only just reunited with his master—could he really be abandoned like this?
Clutching a high branch with his claws to catch his breath, eyes filled with confusion and grievance, he mustered his strength and flapped his wings hard once more.
Flecks of frost swirled with the wind, clearing a path ahead. A streak of silvery light flashed through the woods, barreling straight forward.
Xuzhi nearly stumbled from the impact, then felt a tug at his sleeve.
He finally halted, lowering his head in silence.
The Little Dragon Hatchling clamped his jaws firmly on Xuzhi’s sleeve, hugging his wrist tight with his claws.
“Whine…”
The hatchling’s eyes brimmed with tears, on the verge of crying.
Don’t go…
Xuzhi opened his mouth. “You…”
Could this hatchling have just been born and mistaken him for a parent?
But a newborn should have an adult Magical Beast guarding it at all times.
“Whine, whine…”
The Little Dragon Hatchling whimpered twice more, his expression utterly pitiful as he clutched Xuzhi’s hand even tighter and tried to clamber higher.
Gazing into those striking blue-gold heterochromia eyes, Xuzhi found himself hesitating.
There had been movement from the direction of the valley. The earthquake had spread all the way to the Thorny Jungle, and tonight’s weather felt off as well. Those Wild Sand Hounds from earlier could return at any moment.
Without an adult magical beast to protect him, leaving this hatchling here meant he faced a high risk of danger.
In the earlier darkness, Xuzhi hadn’t gotten a clear look at Ming Shuang’s ice magic. He assumed the Wild Sand Hounds had fled upon seeing one of their own injured and mistaking him for a Beast Tamer.
If they had come across a lone human—or another lone magical beast cub—those hounds would have attacked without a second thought.
As for that brief anomaly from before, Xuzhi figured it was most likely caused by the miasma fog. The idea of suspecting the hatchling never crossed his mind.
Meanwhile, Ming Shuang had accidentally unleashed his Dragon Breath and given chase through the jungle for some distance. Now, he was completely spent.
“Mm…!”
The Little Dragon Hatchling’s body slipped a little lower, his grip on Xuzhi’s hand starting to fail. Panic flashed in his eyes as he gazed up imploringly.
Don’t leave me behind…
