Zhang Sanfeng glanced over at his mother, who was sleeping soundly, and quietly rose from his bed. He carefully donned his clothes, slipped out of the tent, and stealthily bypassed the guards. After running for a distance, he felt certain they couldn't see him anymore. He summoned the Golden Lotus, which was as large as a wash basin, and used it to fly toward the direction of the battle.

With his current spiritual power, Zhang Sanfeng could only maintain such a small Golden Lotus for short periods, and he knew he couldn’t keep it up for long. But the Golden Lotus, a rare Buddhist treasure, had unique properties. After a few minutes of exhausting his energy, he managed to find a dry patch of ground, roughly two miles from the battlefield. From a distance, he could already see the two combatants, and the sight was truly astonishing. One was a monstrous creature with nine heads, each like a snake, attached to a round body that stood over twenty meters tall. Its necks were about ten meters long, and it was incredibly agile. The beast unleashed magical projectiles of various elements—earth, wind, water, fire, lightning, darkness, light, poison, and ice—from its mouths, like a rapid-fire machine gun, relentlessly showering its opponent. Occasionally, it would bite at the other combatant.

The other opponent was a massive bear, its body also over twenty meters long with four paws planted firmly on the ground. It was clad in a suit of earth-element armor, shimmering with a metallic glow. The bear was a towering figure of strength and resilience. Zhang Sanfeng gasped in awe—it was a battle between two rare and powerful beasts.

The Hydra, a Level 9 Mid-Tier Magical Beast, could unleash nine types of magical attacks, each corresponding to one of its heads. It was the true king of the swamp.

The Earth Bear, a Level 9 High-Tier Magical Beast, had the ability to form its magical armor using the earth element, making it nearly invulnerable to both magical and physical attacks. As long as it was on solid ground, it could replenish its armor’s earth elements quickly, making it nearly immortal. In its fully matured form, it could even use its “Beast King Roar” for long-range attacks, making it the ultimate land-based warrior.

Zhang Sanfeng recalled what he knew about these beasts from his studies. It seemed the two had already been fighting for some time, with destruction spreading across the battlefield. The Hydra was retreating while continuing to unleash its powerful ranged attacks. The Earth Bear was pushing forward relentlessly, slashing and biting with its claws and teeth, though it had yet to get close enough for a decisive blow. Despite its relentless attacks, the Earth Bear was at a disadvantage—its armor was beginning to show cracks, and it could no longer replenish its earth elements as quickly in the swamp, making it more vulnerable.

Zhang Sanfeng observed the situation and felt the Earth Bear was clearly the less mature of the two. If it were fully grown, it would have used its powerful Beast King Roar by now. But even so, the Earth Bear’s thick skin, which remained mostly unscathed by the Hydra’s magic, seemed impervious to most of the magic. However, the Hydra’s fangs were tearing into the Earth Bear’s skin, leaving deep gashes and causing blood to flow freely. It seemed likely that without some intervention, the Earth Bear would be defeated.

At first, Zhang Sanfeng thought of waiting for them to weaken each other, but as he considered the situation, he realized that he could likely defeat a few hundred of the Hydra’s minions if it won. The idea of helping crossed his mind. But with his current strength, he knew it was an impossible task. However, a sudden thought occurred to him—he might be able to assist in a different way.

Sitting cross-legged, he cast the Soul Whispering spell, sending a message to the Earth Bear: "Hey, Bear, do you want me to help?"

The Earth Bear hesitated for a moment, then turned its head to look at him. After letting out a deafening roar, it continued its battle, but Zhang Sanfeng heard a voice in his mind: "What can a little brat like you do to help me?"

Rather than feeling discouraged, Zhang Sanfeng was excited. So, they really do have high intelligence, just like humans!

"How about a bet? If I help you win, you’ll become my pet," Zhang Sanfeng taunted.

"Roar! I’d rather die than become your pet!" the Earth Bear growled.

"You’re too scared to bet, aren’t you? You coward!" Zhang Sanfeng goaded.

"Roar! I’m not scared. Let’s bet! I’ll definitely win!" the Earth Bear bellowed.

"Then swear it! If you lie, I won’t be able to help you!" Zhang Sanfeng insisted.

"Roar! I, Gai Ce Pier of the Earth Bears, swear by the Earth Goddess that if this ‘little brat’ helps me defeat the Hydra, I will become his pet and follow him forever!" the Earth Bear vowed, shaking the ground with its roar.

"Good! Get ready to call me Master!" Zhang Sanfeng said triumphantly.

With a smile, he pulled a vial from his pouch, containing a special Earth Spirit Pill, a potent medicine used by immortals to boost the strength of earth-based magical beasts. He had received it from his older brothers when he left the sect, though he had never used it before. He figured it would be enough to help the Earth Bear—if it could boost the power of immortal beasts, it should be more than sufficient for the battle ahead.

Approaching the Earth Bear from behind, Zhang Sanfeng flicked the pill from the vial and sent it flying towards the bear's wound. Upon contact with the blood, the pill transformed into a yellow light, which was absorbed into the Earth Bear’s body. The bear’s wounds healed quickly, and it seemed to grow more energetic. The Earth Bear roared with newfound strength, though it was still struggling to overcome the Hydra.

"Roar! What is this amazing thing? Give me more!" the Earth Bear sent a message back, clearly invigorated.

"Do you think this is candy?" Zhang Sanfeng muttered in frustration. Nonetheless, he flicked two more pills, healing the bear’s other major injuries.

The Earth Bear let out a triumphant roar as it suddenly reared up on its hind legs. A brilliant golden light enveloped its body, its wounds healed, and its magical armor was restored to full strength. It also seemed to have grown larger.

The Hydra, seeing the Earth Bear’s transformation, recoiled in fear. It quickly attempted to retreat, glaring at Zhang Sanfeng with a venomous look, as though realizing that he had interfered with its victory.

"Don’t let it escape!" Zhang Sanfeng urged the Earth Bear.

"Roar! It’s not going anywhere!" the Earth Bear replied confidently, ready to finish the fight.

The Earth Bear, now only recently reaching adulthood, sent its first "Beast King Roar" directly at the Hydra. Standing upright, the massive bear unleashed a blinding beam of light from its mouth, as brilliant as the sun. With a deafening roar, a silver-white sphere, over a meter in diameter, shot toward the Hydra with comet-like speed, leaving a shimmering trail behind it. The Hydra, realizing it couldn't evade the attack, immediately stopped and formed nine magical shields of different elemental attributes in front of itself.

However, the force of the Earth Bear's "Beast King Roar" was simply too much. It shattered all nine shields, and the resulting explosion hit the Hydra square in the chest. The explosion obliterated the first three heads, and the remaining ones were badly damaged. The Earth Bear quickly charged forward, tearing off the remaining heads with its powerful jaws and crushing the Hydra's heart beneath its massive paws.

Zhang Sanfeng winced. Was that really necessary? The creature was already dead—no need to desecrate its body further!

After venting its fury, the Earth Bear padded over to Zhang Sanfeng, shrinking down to the size of a large dog and lying down in a submissive posture to indicate its surrender.

Zhang Sanfeng didn’t hesitate. He bit his finger, drawing a magical rune on the bear’s head with his blood, and began chanting the words of a spell, forming a mental contract with the creature.

This contract, known as a Soul Bond, allowed them to communicate easily with each other, but it did not impose the same kind of mandatory obedience as a Pet Contract. There was no compulsion behind it, only a mutual understanding.

The Earth Bear grumbled, clearly displeased. "Roar! You’re signing a contract without any force behind it? Aren’t you worried I won’t obey you?"

Zhang Sanfeng remained calm and unbothered. "Didn’t you swear an oath? Do you intend to break it?"

"Of course not! Our Earth Bears' oaths are unbreakable. I just find it strange—how could a human, known for being so sly and cunning, suddenly become so... generous?" the Earth Bear responded with a mix of disbelief and curiosity.

Zhang Sanfeng puffed up proudly. "Your master is a being of mercy, kindness, fairness, and humility! Of course, I would never force you to do anything!"

The Earth Bear scoffed. "Maybe your strength is too weak to make a Pet Contract, that’s why it’s like this."

"Is that what you think?" Zhang Sanfeng smiled knowingly. "You’re just trying to embarrass me, aren’t you? Well, from now on, I’ll call you ‘Dog Bear’!"

"Don't! I have a name! I’m Gai Ce Pier!" the Earth Bear protested with embarrassment.

"I’m the master, I get to decide what to call you," Zhang Sanfeng teased. "Do you want to go back on your oath?"

"Fine, but calling me that is too humiliating for a proud Level 9 High-Tier Magical Beast like me!" the Earth Bear growled in frustration.

Zhang Sanfeng grinned. "Well, you can always beg me for a different name!"

Reluctantly, the Earth Bear grumbled, "Please, Master!"

"From now on, you will obey my commands without question! Understood?" Zhang Sanfeng instructed.

"Alright, I understand," the Earth Bear said with an air of defeat.

As Zhang Sanfeng glanced up at the sky, he noticed dawn was approaching. Worrying that his mother might be anxious, he quickly climbed onto the Earth Bear's back and pointed toward their path. "Take us back at full speed!"

The Earth Bear transformed back into its larger form and began to run at incredible speed. The earth elements enveloped its paws, allowing it to glide effortlessly across the swampy ground without sinking. It ran fast and stable, and Zhang Sanfeng realized he now had a reliable means of transportation.

Curious, he asked, "How did you end up fighting the Hydra?"

"I was just passing through," the Earth Bear replied, its voice full of indignation. "But that Hydra ambushed me out of nowhere! If it weren’t for you, it would’ve eaten my magic core. Too bad its earth-element head was the first to be destroyed. If I had gotten my paws on its magic core, my strength would’ve improved!"

Zhang Sanfeng raised an eyebrow. "What would have happened if it had eaten yours?"

"Obviously, it would have gained a huge boost in power! But its earth element would have been greatly enhanced! After all, I’m the King of Earth-type beasts!" the Earth Bear boasted proudly.

Zhang Sanfeng couldn’t help but scoff. "Stop bragging! You got beaten so badly, you might as well have been turned into a turtle!"

"Hey! If we were on solid ground, I’d have torn it apart!" the Earth Bear retorted, still defensive.

"Yeah, right," Zhang Sanfeng mocked. "Have you ever seen a Hydra foolishly running onto solid ground? Only a fool like you would charge straight into a disadvantageous position!"

"Shut up! Once I’m fully grown, I could wipe out that Hydra even in the swamp!" the Earth Bear growled, not willing to back down.

Zhang Sanfeng chuckled, amused by the creature’s stubbornness. "Well, that’s the price of youth!"

"Why do you keep calling me young, you little brat?" the Earth Bear huffed.

"Because I’m wiser and smarter than you!" Zhang Sanfeng teased. "Now, enough with the bickering. We’re almost there. Shrink down again, and remember—don’t reveal your true form. Disguise yourself as an ordinary brown bear, and hide your magical fluctuations. If anyone finds out, you’ll be stuck as ‘Dog Bear’ for the rest of your life!"

The Earth Bear, understanding the gravity of the situation, shrank obediently to the size of a large brown bear. Its magical aura was now perfectly masked, and Zhang Sanfeng was satisfied with how well the disguise worked. He was confident that no one would suspect that such a powerful magical beast could be hiding beneath the bear's simple appearance.