Shadow Flame Lion

In the lush green forest, Darsh was running towards the golden light coming from the treasure.

Darsh could sense the aura emitted by the cultivators at the Nascent Spirit Realm and Darsh could vaguely sense a presence which was above the Nascent Spirit Realm. Darsh now knew that he had no chance at acquiring the treasure but he continued to run.

Why was he still running? 

This question was very obvious but the answer is quite simple. It was because of the experience he could gain from seeing a Nascent Spirit Realm cultivator's strength from his own eyes. 

Reid Library did not give him the muscle memory, the fighting experience, or the life experience he needed to achieve a breakthrough. 

For Darsh, it was a golden opportunity.

Suddenly, a black shadow attacked Darsh. Darsh could not react in time because the attacker's cultivation was above his. 

Darsh quickly used acupuncture to stop the blood gushing out of his waist. The one who attacked him was not a human but a Beast, a Shadow Flame Lion.

The Shadow Flame Lion was in the middle stage of the Nascent Spirit Realm. Although Darsh's strength was comparable to that of a Nascent Spirit Realm peak-stage cultivator, but because of his inexperience he would struggle to fight the Beast and on top of that a Beast's body is inherently much stronger than a human's.

The Shadow Flame Lion roared and charged at Darsh once again. Darsh took out his sword and took an attacking stance. Darsh took out his sword in one smooth motion and shifted into an attacking stance. His grip tightened, eyes locked ahead as he angled the blade, ready to strike. The air around him grew tense, waiting for the clash of battle.

But the Shadow Flame Lion suddenly disappeared. Darsh didn't flinch in the slightest seeing such a scene. He knew that this Beast had a unique skill called 'Shadow Steps'. It allows its user to merge in their own shadow to move a short distance much faster and during this time period the user loses their ability to attack but because their movement gets so much faster it becomes nigh impossible for the opponent to attack if their opponent's cultivation is not higher than their own.

arsh backed away quickly, his mind racing. In just a split second, he thought of a plan and bolted towards the pond where he'd been staying. The Shadow Flame Lion chased after him, its fiery mane blazing with dark energy. While running, Darsh threw his weapons behind him, forcing the Lion to dodge and slow down.

He reached the pond, turned, and took his stance. The Lion lunged at him with a deafening roar, but Darsh parried its attack with his sword. The force sent the Lion stumbling into the water.

The moment it hit the pond, the Lion's fire dimmed, and its shadow powers fizzled out. Water was its weakness, making it helpless now. Seeing his chance, Darsh struck. The beast, once terrifying, became an easy target.

Before delivering the final blow, Darsh used 'Soul Search' on it. He found out that it had ambushed him because he had accidentally entered its territory and on top of that it had just given birth to a child a few weeks ago. Thinking that Darsh had malicious intent the Shadow Flame Lion attacked him. 

Just when Darsh finished killing the Shadow Flame Lion, the golden light in the sky disappeared. It meant that someone had obtained the treasure. But Darsh did not feel disappointed in the slightest. It was because he was a very realistic man and knew his limits.

His next destination was Shadow Flame Lion's lair. There he found many precious herbs but ignored all of them and went straight to look for the cub. The reason for his hastiness was nothing but pure curiosity. He had never seen a cub of a Beast.

His father had told him once that if one is lucky enough to obtain a Beast's cub, he can nurture that cub and when it grows up it can become that person's loyal companion.

As soon as he he entered the lair, his eyes got fixated on that little cub which looked like a black kitten. The only difference was that it had furry black hair which emitted black fire. Seeing such a cute cub Darsh could not help but chuckle.

He saw a large piece of Drakalyte just near that cub. From the Shadow Flame Lion's memories, he had gained information about that mineral. 

Drakalyte could be described as a shimmering, iridescent crystal. It was consumed by Beasts to enhance their physical capabilities and cultivation base.

Darsh quietly sneaked near the cub and used 'Soul sealing' technique. He used it to ensure the cub's loyalty till it grew up and this technique also had its own advantages.

Soul Sealing technique lets its user establish a soul link which can be used to talk telepathically from very afar and also if it is used on a Beast, it acts like a contract seen in TV shows from Darsh's past world.