The Cornflower Witch

The next morning.

Around seven o'clock, Sylutia was woken by the birds chirping outside her window. Still feeling drowsy, she decided to sleep in until nine, then slowly sat up.

She shook her head to clear her mind, then freshened up and changed into an pale yellow summer dress before heading to the beast pen.

As usual, she greeted Big Yellow Dog as he came running to welcome her, scratched his head, dodged his wagging tail, and then saw the awake "Shadow-Walking Beast."

Today, she sparred with it as usual to warm up, then fed the Shadow-Walking Beast. During the process, she stroked its smooth, black fur.

The Shadow-Walking Beast's head resembled a wolf's, but was noticeably larger. When it fought, the mane around its neck would flare out, its pitch-black hairs drifting like fine threads, disturbing the surrounding light and interfering with the enemy's perception, making it difficult to lock on.

The Shadow-Walking Beast in front of her was probably sub-adult. Standing on all fours, it was slightly shorter than Sylutia. According to the old man, a fully adult Shadow-Walking Beast would stand nearly two meters tall at the shoulder, easily tear through steel, and transform into a flowing black shadow that darted about swiftly, making it nearly impossible to catch.

Through their time together, this Shadow-Walking Beast had gradually grown familiar with her, meeting the conditions for taming. All that remained was to establish a sensory connection through a ritual to fully tame it.

Unfortunately, she wasn't a Beast Trainer by progression path. The old man said that Beast Trainers could use core secret arts to form a symbiotic contract with beasts, allowing both sides to share thoughts and fight in resonance, leveraging each other's power. Whichever side advanced first, the other would gain benefits and advantages.

Upon reaching mid-tier, Beast Trainers could borrow the power of their War Beasts, while the War Beasts could receive various blessings from their trainers—similar to how the "Castle" Aspect's commanders granted blessings to their soldiers.

Although Beast Trainer was a decent progression path, Sylutia felt her energy was limited. Raising one Shadow-Walking Beast was probably enough.

After feeding, Sylutia took out two vials of potion, had the Shadow-Walking Beast open its mouth, and poured one in to see the effect.

With confusion, the Shadow-Walking Beast licked the potion from its tongue and swallowed.

A moment later, it felt a slight coolness in its body, as if invisible cool threads were coursing through its blood. Its mind also felt a bit clearer.

It seemed to like the sensation. It raised its tail, wagged it, lay down, stretched lazily, then paced around the room a few times.

Sylutia took out her notebook and observed carefully, occasionally calling it over, touching its head with her fingers to sense its condition.

It seemed the effect was decent. With two more vials, before advancing to Fourth Tier, it wouldn't need to worry about "Blood Rage" at all, and its agility and swiftness could increase by about thirty percent.

After recording everything, Sylutia nodded slightly. The Purple Mustard Blood-Cleansing Potion would be ready after one more refinement. Next, she should try brewing the "Mist Breath" potion—a Spiritual Medicine that could enhance the "Mist Shadow" Aspect. Many Transcendents used it when advancing from Second Tier to Third Tier.

The first team Sylutia joined in the Hidden Grove Alliance had gone with Bad Apple and the others to find the "Stone-Mist Spring Water" for making the potion. She remembered it took quite a bit of effort, and the team almost capsized.

Time really flies, Sylutia thought.

After finishing, Sylutia had lunch at the tavern, then returned to her lodgings to transcribe knowledge about herb gathering. She also added a detailed appendix describing the characteristics of common herbs near the Gloomy Forest.

Once she finished transcribing, Sylutia stood up, organized and bound the notes, then headed to the tavern.

It was three in the afternoon, the time they had agreed upon yesterday.

When she arrived at the tavern, she found Noah was already there. He waved at her.

"Good afternoon, Miss Hedra."

"Good afternoon, Mr. Noah." Sylutia walked to the table and handed him the neatly compiled notes.

"Here's what I've put together. Take a look."

"Thank you." He took them and quickly flipped through. Although he hadn't studied the "Secret Word," he had received a complete education. Noah quickly grasped the knowledge and techniques, recalling his past experiences and gaining many insights.

"This is a huge help, Hedra." Noah put down the notes, his emotions stirred.

"It's nothing." Sylutia shook her head slightly. The two sat in the tavern chatting for a while, then Noah eagerly left with the notes to study.

He'd probably spend this time reading nonstop, Sylutia thought.

Over the next month, Sylutia began experimenting with various secret arts and potions to train the Shadow-Walking Beast and improve her own strength.

Gradually, the Shadow-Walking Beast learned to understand many complex commands. With Sylutia's delicious food and excellent potion care, its strength steadily increased.

A month later, when she appeared at the Mage Guild with the fully tamed Shadow-Walking Beast, the receptionist was startled.

"Hedra, is this thing really fully tamed?" The Shadow-Walking Beast following beside Sylutia had grown significantly. Standing on all fours, it was now about as tall as Sylutia. Its pitch-black fur drifted like flowing black clouds.

As a creature of the "Mist Shadow" Aspect, it specialized in ambush and stealth. It moved silently, and its Aspect level aura was hidden. If you weren't paying attention, you might not notice it until it was right in front of you.

"Yeah, it's been trained." Sylutia nodded, and a translucent, illusory card appeared before her eyes.

[Pulse Sync (Shadow-Walking Beast)] (Bloodline): Establishes a synergistic connection with other life forms through the pulse of the heart and blood. One of the most common synergy abilities.

This ability allows for the transmission of simple information and commands when not too far apart. By leveraging one's own "Bloodline" Aspect, it slightly enhances each other's strength.

This Ability Card came from the book *Taming Beasts and Riding Them* that she had seen earlier. She had completed the Pulse Sync ritual according to the instructions in the book.

Since ancient times, cultivating combat partners to enhance combat power had been common. Many secret methods had been born from this, such as the [Pulse Sync] of "Bloodline," the [Sonic Bee Arrays] of "Insect Moth," the [Schooling Swim] of "Snail Fish," and the [Anchor Contract] of "Alien Star"—all with similar effects.

Taming a beast wasn't particularly hard for Sylutia. The reason she chose a Shadow-Walking Beast was mainly because its abilities were convenient.

After stroking the mane of the tall Shadow-Walking Beast beside her, Sylutia sent a mental command. The beast's form instantly transformed into a flowing black shadow, merging into the young woman's shadow behind her, vanishing from sight.

This was another application of the Shadow-Walking Beast's "Shadow Walk" ability.

Watching the tall Shadow-Walking Beast suddenly disappear into Sylutia's shadow, the receptionist's eyes widened in surprise. It took her a moment to understand what had happened.

"No wonder the purchase price for Shadow-Walking Beasts is so high. Doesn't that mean you have a hidden bodyguard with you at all times?"

A bodyguard? Not exactly. It wasn't as strong as she was. But for simple tasks, she could probably let it handle them from now on, Sylutia thought. She summoned the Shadow-Walking Beast again and stroked the fur on the back of its neck.

Ever since it had grown a size bigger, Sylutia could no longer easily reach its head. Now, she had to settle for petting its back fur.

Race: Special Magic Creature (Wolf-Leopard Variant)

Status: Healthy (Pulse Sync)

Talent: Pitch-Black Fur [Superior Level]; Fur absorbs light and muffles sounds from movement, making it hard to detect.

Fate Card: [Shadow-Walking Beast] [Third Tier · Mist Shadow]

A beast that follows like a shadow, able to trail within its target's shadow, ready to strike at any time.

- Effect: [Shadow Step Lv.6], innate talent within the bloodline, allows movement as silent as flowing dark clouds, concealing Aspect level aura to avoid detection.

- Effect: [Shadow Walk Lv.6], able to transform into a flowing black shadow for rapid movement or hide within shadows to wait for the opportune moment, making the Shadow-Walking Beast a powerful hunter.

Core Card: [Phantom Beast] [Mist Shadow]

You roam the lightless forest, slaying and devouring many enemies, leaving no trace of your form behind. Few creatures know of your existence, like a phantom legend of the woods.

- Effect: [Phantom Body], allows transformation into an intangible phantom form, enhancing all "Mist Shadow"-related abilities. Phantom transformation abilities can last for extended periods.

Ability Card:

[Fangs Lv.6] (Beast Fang): Possesses fangs and teeth far beyond ordinary beasts, capable of tearing metal, and self-sharpening and repairing. (Most beast-type creatures gain fang/horn/claw abilities, rooted in the "Beast Fang" Aspect instinct flowing through their blood.)

[Hazy Fur Lv.7] (Mist Shadow): The fur drifts and dances during movement, disturbing light and interfering with perception, making it impossible to lock on, causing visual fatigue and mental strain.

[Blood Devouring Method Lv.5] (Bloodline): Digests devoured flesh and blood, slightly and comprehensively enhancing one's own strength. (Increases size, strength, and Aspect power.)

Through Sylutia's month of training, the Shadow-Walking Beast's abilities had all improved. It should now be on par with wild adult Shadow-Walking Beasts. However, with human guidance and training, its potential was no longer limited to the present. There was room for further growth.

If she trained it well and taught it some specialized abilities, advancing in the future shouldn't be hard, Sylutia thought.

Now, her home shouldn't be short of a guard dog. Maybe she could even have it deliver letters or serve as a mount. Though it would probably only be used for casual walks. If real combat broke out, it might not be as agile or fast as she was.