Regalo the Thunderbolt Willow

Da Morte's body evolved.

The electrocuting energy modified the instructions of every cell in his body. The qi energy was used to create fresh cells needed for the new body and exterminate old cells from the old body.

A minute later, the evolution process was over.

"Evolution completed! Your body has evolved to the Stone-Qi-body tier! Absorb more qi to progress to the next level."

As the electric energy that engulfed him faded away, his vision returned. The first thing he saw was the Shepherd Willow staring at him.

"What the f**K!" He was instantly nervous, and he took a few steps backwards.

"Shepherd Willow thanks you for helping her destroy threats!"

"What? Threats?"

"While you were evolving, you received a notification! Open the notification now, yes or no?"

"Yes, open it."

"You earned a Grade 7 hippogriff air spirit!"

"You earned a Grade 7 hippogriff air spirit!"

"You earned a Grade 7 hippogriff air spirit!"

The notification was three announcements.

He wondered how he earned those demon pets' souls. He had an idea, and then he walked to the edge of the hill on his right side. He looked down, and he saw hippogriffs' corpses lying on the ground, metres away from the hill. The qi he dissipated must have killed the hippogriffs who correctly guessed.

The dead hippogriffs were a herd that had threatened to snatch away that hill territory from the Shepherd Willow and her herd.

The hill shook for a moment, and it frightened Da Morte. The Shepherd Willow and her herd weren't worried. Three Mouse Willows burst out from the ground they stood on. The three Mouse Willows looked unique. Their skin flames weren't the generic yellow-coloured flames but indigo-coloured flames. The Mouse Willows were two feet shorter than the Shepherd Willow, but they looked intimidating as well.

Da Morte instinctively took a step back, and he almost fell from the hill. He was quick to correct his position.

"Shepherd Willow wishes to show you appreciation!"

He said in his mind, "This is getting weird. First, it could communicate with me and grant me permission to stay. Now it wants to show me appreciation. What the hell! How sure am I that this creature isn't a human being that has transformed? Is she playing me to hold me in debt?"

"Shepherd Willow wants you to pick one of her three children for a partner!"

His eyes almost bled out after hearing the announcement. He thought, "Does she want me to reproduce with her kid? Even though it is possible to reproduce with demon pets, I'm not into bestiality. What is wrong with this animal?"

"Shepherd Willow is getting impatient! Make your choice!"

"What! Now she is rushing me. I just hope that this isn't sexually related," he thought.

He wondered why the three indigo-colored Mouse Willows had that coloration.

His system gave him an answer, "These Mouse Willows have unique coloration because they are direct descendants of a highly powerful Shepherd Willow."

He awed in his mind, "Wow! Does it mean that she is really their mother? Blow my mind."

The flames on the Shepherd Willow burned angrier.

"Shepherd Willow is getting impatient! Make your choice!"

With a nervous adrenaline rush, he spoke to his system with his thought, "Do you have any idea what grade her children are?"

"Her children's least grade must be Grade 6!"

The Shepherd Willow and her children snarled at him.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," he said in panic.

He quickly sized up the three indigo Mouse Willows. Then, he pointed at one of them. The Mouse Willow of his choice came forward to him. He took nervous steps backwards as it approached.

"Shepherd Willow surrenders guardianship of Thunderbolt Willow to you!"

The Shepherd Willow and her other two children turned away and left through the hole on the ground where the children came from.

The Thunderbolt Willow gently growled at him.

"Establish a partner bond with the Thunderbolt Willow in order to keep it for the rest of your life! Do you want to form a partnership bond right now?

He was familiar with the partner bond. It was done to make demon pets an asset. Once the partner bond was completed, the bonded demon pet could be summoned into the demon pet inventory in the bonder's dantian.

Only spell-binders could use demon pets.

He authorised the establishment of a partner bond with the Thunderbolt Willow. He checked out the demon pets' souls in his inventory. He had 3 air spirit demon pets' souls. He was glad that he had it even though he was yet to learn air element casting.

So far, the elements he had learnt to cast were fire and soil. The prowess of the soil element casting was higher than the fire element casting prowess.

There were three levels involved in gaining absolute mastery of an element for an element-casting spell-binder. The first level, the beginner level, was called the "regular" level. At the Regular level, there were four tiers. If one broke through the fourth tier of the Regular level, they would advance to the next level.

The next level was called the "storm" level. The Storm level had three tiers. The difference in versatility and power between the Storm and regular levels was enormous. A smart enough element-casting spell-binder on the Storm level would easily stomp twenty five regular-levelled element-casting spell-binders that came against him or her.

The level after the Storm level and the highest level, was called the "master" level. If one evolved to the Master level, this level would automatically evolve the person's body to the Stone-qi-body tier. The Master level had two tiers. When one reaches the second tier of the Master level, the person gains absolute control of the element being practiced.

Except for sorcerers, any element-casting spell-binder that reached the second tier of the master level was able to learn one other element. They would, however, begin at the beginner level to learn the new element.

Sorcerers were unique in that they could learn any element of their choice at any time without having to fulfil the mandatory condition of being at the master level.

Da Morte's soil casting prowess was on the brink of breaking through to the first tier of the Storm level.

"Warning! Give this Thunderbolt Willow a name to complete the partner bond!"

Da Morte had forgotten that he had to give the Thunderbolt Willow a name to complete the partner bond.

"I name you Regalo."

"Partner bond establishment is complete!"

As the announcement happened in his head, the Thunderbolt Willow, Regalo, howled to the sky while running around his new guardian excitedly.

Da Morte wondered, "He must be really happy that I'm now his guardian and partner."

Then, an idea came to him. He telepathically communicated to his system, "Is Regalo male or female?"

"Male!"

"Hey, boy! Quiet down. I want to cultivate."

Regalo became quiet. He rested beside his guardian. Da Morte sat in a butterfly pose with his eyes closed.