The first thing Tang Miao did after leaving the Three-Step Pagoda was to summon his sickly cat.
At this moment, Little White was like a patient who had just undergone full-body surgery, aching all over. Tang Miao felt pained just watching it wince and grimace.
Advancement was incredibly painful, as it required shedding the original skin. The first two steps alone felt like having all bones and muscles shattered and blood drained.
The final step, soul shaping, was even more terrifying. It was a destruction and reshaping of the soul, and the pain of the soul was the hardest to erase from one's heart, requiring the summoned beast to possess an extremely strong belief in becoming stronger.
Fortunately, after witnessing the Sky-Marked White Tiger, which had higher bloodline and cultivation than it, during their trip to Tianshan Mountain, Little White also yearned to grow stronger!
Its belief was certainly up to par... Moreover, its survival environment in the Ancient Wilderness of the Summoning Plane did not allow it to be a weakling at the mercy of others.
From not long after its birth, it had been trying every means to survive on the Ancient Wilderness Continent of the Summoning Plane, constantly fighting and battling...
Looking at Little White, Tang Miao advised, "Prepare for excruciating pain. If you really can't hold on, don't force yourself. There will be other opportunities."
"Roar~"
Little White let out a few low growls, telling Tang Miao that it could definitely endure it!
"Alright, soul shaping begins!"
...As the advancement began, Tang Miao carefully examined the form of the beast soul.
The beast soul was not a deceased demon beast, but a giant black tiger, pure black all over without a single Variegated.
Its red eyes were filled with an eerie aura, and its body length exceeded eight meters. Its muscles bulged, and its weight was probably over a thousand catties.
The 'king' character on its forehead was also black, but unlike the black of its fur, it was a dark, misty black.
The most peculiar thing was its tail. Compared to ordinary tiger-type demon beasts, its tail was much longer and stood upright, composed of countless bone segments. The very tip was a huge barb, glowing with a chilling, eerie light!
"Shadow Demonic Tiger!?"
Tang Miao recalled Dean Xiao mentioning it, but he hadn't paid much attention then. After all, whether it could successfully evolve was a matter of luck.
The aura of this beast soul was indeed intimidating, but the stronger it was, the greater the transformation would be if it was defeated.
Moreover, Little White, having witnessed the aura of the Sky-Marked White Tiger, showed no signs of backing down.
Clearly, having interacted with powerful beings, some commander-level demon beasts no longer posed any threat to it...
After a long time...
On a training ground at Mingzhu Academy, a sharp roar suddenly shook the ground violently, and the surging beast aura even caused the surrounding teaching buildings to tremble!
Inside the office.
Upon hearing this beast roar, Dean Xiao sighed with emotion, "This kid really knows how to create surprises. He actually succeeded..."
This "Shadow Demonic Tiger" beast soul was obtained by Dean Xiao through connections and cost three hundred million.
Of course, he didn't provide it for free, as the academy wasn't a money-making institution.
Dean Xiao asked Tang Miao to pay him half the money later, and Tang Miao agreed that if the advancement was successful and his strength improved, he would pay half the money to the school.
Inside the training ground, Tang Miao looked at the giant black tiger in front of him, clicking his tongue in amazement!
"No wonder Dean Xiao still wanted one hundred and fifty million from me. This aura is impressive. Go, return to your world, and be a overlord! Go and comprehend your power instantly."
Tang Miao himself hadn't expected to succeed in the advancement on the first try.
Moreover, judging by its aura, even the previous Giant Lizard Wyrm was no match!
But thinking about having to pay another one hundred and fifty million... Tang Miao felt a pang of heartache.
"Roar~"
Upon hearing Tang Miao tell it to return, the Shadow Demonic Tiger let out a low growl, licked Tang Miao, and then left this world.
Immediately after Tang Miao dismissed the "Shadow Demonic Tiger," Dean Xiao arrived.
"How was it? Did you succeed in advancing?"
Upon hearing this, Tang Miao directly shook his head and said, "No, no!"
"You brat, are you trying to go back on your word?"
Dean Xiao's face darkened. He seemed to have never met anyone more shameless than Tang Miao!
With such a huge commotion just now, he wasn't so old that he had lost all his senses. Tang Miao saying this was simply trying to renege on the deal.
"Hehe... Dean Xiao, just kidding, just kidding."
Although Tang Miao was indeed a miser, he wouldn't go as far as to trick Dean Xiao.
After all, Dean Xiao had said that this beast soul, at market price, could cost up to four hundred million!
It was only because Dean Xiao put his reputation on the line that he managed to get it for three hundred million.
It wasn't unreasonable for Tang Miao to pay half, as Dean Xiao could have simply provided a cheaper beast soul to fulfill his obligation.
But in the end, he still meticulously found an expensive one for Tang Miao, which was already very benevolent.
"I'll pay you back when I return next time."
Upon hearing this, Dean Xiao paused, then said, "You're leaving again, kid?"
Tang Miao nodded. He planned to go hunting demon beasts! And the location, of course, was Dongting Lake, where he remembered the strongest demon beasts were commander-level ones.
With his current strength, commander-level demon beasts no longer posed any threat to him.
Not to mention having the Shadow Demonic Tiger, he could already cast high-level ice magic. Although he couldn't cast high-level lightning magic yet, his intermediate-level lightning magic had directly reinforced 49 star-seeds on the way back.
Most importantly, his magic equipment, the Black Serpent Magic Armor and the Cloud-Treading Boots, were already usable, so there was no need to worry about safety at all.
If possible, Tang Miao even wanted to hunt a commander-level demon beast. One commander-level demon beast, even if it didn't drop a spirit essence, its body alone was valuable!
Now, with a debt of 150 million, plus tens of millions a month for his daughter Xue Nu's milk powder... and his own cultivation also required resources, tsk tsk...
If he didn't go hunting demon beasts, he would already be struggling to make ends meet.
After bidding farewell to Dean Xiao, as he left, Tang Miao also conveniently accepted some hunter bounties. For example, if there was a need for materials from the Lizard-Skull Giant Demon clan, he wouldn't miss out on any of it!
A day later...
Tang Miao arrived at Biyi City, southeast of the Dongting Lake Plain. After purchasing some food supplies there, he immediately left and headed towards Dongting Lake...
Xizhao Valley, this small valley with numerous depressions, would display unusual iridescent colors during the afternoon sunset. Some said that a special kind of flower that bloomed suddenly in the evening grew here, which sounded very beautiful and even attracted some explorers to venture here to take photos...
But unlike others, Tang Miao came here purely for hunting demon beasts and seeking treasures. He had no interest in admiring the scenery.