Chapter Eight: The Birth of the Monstrous Beast

Xi Gu carried the dying, ashen-gray dog back home.

On the way, he gently massaged its body, almost imperceptibly yet with precise and rhythmic movements, using his arms to stimulate its blood flow and vital energy. Though this delicate massage could not revive the dog to full vigor, it was enough to preserve its final breath of life.

Xi Gu had never formally studied massage techniques. Yet, with his current mastery over strength and his acute perception of the world, he had understood the dog's entire physical condition the instant he picked it up. Then, by applying force accurate to one ten-thousandth of a newton, he activated the last remnants of its vitality throughout its body, halting the worsening of its wounds—a technique so miraculous it bordered on the divine.

Without needing to look down, Xi Gu already knew that the dog had slipped into a peaceful sleep. He walked at an unhurried pace and soon arrived home.

His current residence was in Qingxia City—the city where he had attended university, now living out in its rural outskirts. Though Qingxia was a secondary metropolis, a second-tier city of the nation, this remote suburb had been chosen by Xi Gu with great care: sparsely populated, nearly devoid of surveillance cameras, and most importantly, without any network signal.

There was no fear of being filmed and exposed online. Besides, even if the city were blanketed with surveillance, Xi Gu's current agility, perception, and speed would allow him to erase every trace of himself from any recording.

Once he brought the gray dog home and set it on the table, it was time for the final experiment.

In truth, there was only one step left: to infuse the dog with a portion of his own blood, blood that, after countless adjustments, contained none of his core abilities but retained some of his physical aptitude.

As for the method of infusion, there were many possibilities—he could do as he pleased.

Without hesitation, Xi Gu let a bead of crimson blood appear in his palm and dropped it into the dog's wound. He watched as the blood slowly seeped in, spreading and transforming.

At the same time, he engaged his full vision, peering down to the nanoscale, observing every change at the cellular level.

In Xi Gu's eyes, the clusters of cells in the dog—previously on the brink of collapse—suddenly sprang to life like withered weeds blessed with sweet rain. The diseased parts of its body were being expelled and devoured by the healthy ones; blood flowed vigorously; its vitality soared; fractured limbs began to knit themselves anew; every tissue in its body seemed to exult in rebirth...

All these changes unfolded naturally. Logically, even if the dog's entire supply of ATP—adenosine triphosphate, the molecular energy currency of the cell—were exhausted, such miracles would be impossible. Yet, against all reason, the dog grew ever healthier, its ATP not depleted but multiplying!

"Just a single drop of blood..."

Xi Gu could not help but marvel.

He knew precisely that this drop contained no extraordinary energy. Under any instrument, it would show up as ordinary human blood. Yet, through his relentless daily training, enhancing and strengthening the link between his abilities and his physique, this drop of blood had somehow come to carry his "physical aptitude," that nebulous concept, and now could transmit it to another living being!

"This utterly defies the law of conservation of mass and energy!"

Xi Gu grumbled to himself.

But as for the law of conservation, he had long since grown accustomed to breaking it—again and again.

What mattered more now was the result before him—

Xi Gu stared at the gray dog. Its injuries had completely healed, and its overall strength continued to climb. Its entire being was renewed: its fur gleamed, its muscles stood taut, and it awoke from the sleep of death, staring in confusion at Xi Gu.

He smiled faintly, about to speak—when, in the next instant, a strange sensation emerged in his mind.

He froze in surprise.

"Thank you... for saving me..."

"Master..."

A peculiar voice echoed in his mind.

Master?

Xi Gu blinked, incredulous.

He knew where the voice came from—yet for that very reason, his astonishment only grew.

"Could it be… my blood has created a beast capable of communicating with me?"

He and the gray dog stared speechlessly at each other, man and beast alike.

"Master… did I… do something wrong?"

The tone was naive and strained, reminiscent of a child not yet ten years old.

But the mere presence of this voice in his mind was already enough to leave Xi Gu astounded, to say nothing of the distinctly human intelligence it contained.

However—

Xi Gu suddenly sensed something amiss.

He realized that the voice in his mind was not speaking a human language… Yet, bizarrely, he could understand it perfectly!

"Is this… heart-voice?"

Xi Gu pondered, then directly asked the dog in his mind:

"Why do you call me master?"

"Because… I sense… your presence… the source of my life… master…"

The dog gazed up at him with eyes more devoted than any child, then suddenly drew close and reached out its tongue, as if wanting to lick Xi Gu's right hand.

But it paused, lifting its head to fix its large, black eyes on Xi Gu, wearing a pitiful, pleading look. It seemed to yearn for his permission.

From the wave of emotion in his mind, Xi Gu understood its intent.

"It's alright, you may approach me," he said.

The dog's eyes and expression brightened at once. It lowered its head happily and licked Xi Gu's hand, expressing reverence and adoration.

Gazing at the dog's sturdy back, Xi Gu grew thoughtful.

Without employing his superhuman perception, he found that he could still sense every flow of blood, every tensed muscle within the dog, its emotions, even its memories stored in its mind.

Though they had been together only a few brief minutes, the experience was deeply striking.

"My 'blood of evolution'—not only does it strengthen the body, but it actually forges some kind of spiritual connection between us?"

"Yet this bond is one-way… I can hear its thoughts, feel its emotions, browse its memories… but it knows nothing of me, only feels drawn by my aura."

"So… what if I try to sever this bond?"

No sooner thought than done, Xi Gu immediately cut the faint spiritual link—

Almost simultaneously, the dog tensed, snapping out of its adoring state. In a flash, it leapt backwards, covering over ten meters in a single bound, retreating to the far end of the room.

It bared its teeth, gazing at Xi Gu with ferocity, though its expression was tinged with doubt and unease.

It could not comprehend why, in just an instant, the "master" before it now seemed utterly unfamiliar. Though the appearance and scent were unchanged, still—

"Master… master… master…"

It called out desperately in its mind, like a child lost from its mother.

And as if in response to its plea, a familiar presence returned to Xi Gu's spirit.

"…Yes, I'm here."

Immediately, the gray dog dashed to Xi Gu's side, wagging its tail with wild joy, its emotions surging with both happiness and grievance.

"Master… you… disappeared…"

"It's nothing, just an accident."

The dog's gaze made Xi Gu a little embarrassed. He smiled and changed the subject.

"Now that you've evolved, it's time to test your abilities.

"Come—let me see how strong you've become."