Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the adult-sized large tiger in front of him. Despite reeking of medication and having soaked fur, the tiger had strong limbs, thick padded paws, and sharp claws.

Compared to before, Bai Kan in his current state was significantly larger than when his fur had a brownish tint. When the golden tiger had countered the attack while lying down just now, his fangs were sharper and more prominent. If not for the Big Black Egg’s suppression and the attacks from the other young ones and the Thunder Snake, this large tiger would have easily taken them all out in one bite.

The explosion of energy when he hatched was like a bomb exploding, leaving the surroundings in a mess. Fortunately, even the young ones had S-rank physiques; otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to withstand it. As for Bai Xiaoyu, who had the weakest physique, Bai Kan deliberately stayed farthest from him, and with the Big Black Egg in front, there were no issues at all.

This energy surge was the complete release of power from a fully evolved bloodline, which was expected. However, his showy shaking of fur finally angered everyone.

The young ones were also soaked from the skirmish just now. In terms of current combat power, the ranking was: Tiny, Young Prince, Little Bai, and then Golden Tiger.

There were no issues with the top and bottom of this ranking. In reality, Little Bai was much stronger than Young Prince, but he lacked the ruthlessness of Young Prince. Though Little Bai was hostile towards Bai Kan, who had awakened the White Tiger bloodline, his attacks were never lethal due to his half-human heritage.

However, Young Prince was different. His attacks aimed at Bai Kan’s vital points were much more vicious than anyone else's.

He genuinely wanted to drag this tiger, now awakened with the White Tiger bloodline, away.

Among the chaos, Bai Xiaoyu had the clearest view of the scene. Even now, he continued to pay attention to Young Prince.

Even though they had stopped fighting for the moment, Young Prince’s pupil-like eyes had not returned to normal, and he looked like he was ready to charge again at any moment.

Bai Xiaoyu withdrew his gaze and looked at the aggrieved large tiger with his ears drooping, not wanting to clean up. "When I return, I expect to see the living room restored to its original state."

The large tiger gently scratched Bai Xiaoyu's pants with a paw bigger than his face and let out a low growl.

Bai Xiaoyu said, "Acting cute won't work."

However, he stopped in his tracks, took out a golden and silver colored longevity lock, and hung it on Bai Kan's slightly trembling ear. His hand couldn't help but give the large tiger's head a pat. "This longevity lock is for you. I hope you continue to thrive in the future."

The golden and silver tiger was extremely excited and extended his tail to wrap around Bai Xiaoyu's wrist.

Little Bai was the best.

Bai Xiaoyu paused, his wrist lightly brushed by the fur. He moved his fingers slightly and said, "If you can't manage the cleaning, you can always ask the robots for help."

At that moment, as Bai Kan's vision darkened, the shameless Big Black Egg bounced over and shamelessly pushed him aside, squeezing itself between him and Little Bai. Even Bai Kan's tail was pushed aside by the egg.

The golden and silver tiger lowered his body and let out a low growl at the domineering egg in front of him. However, he was helpless against the Big Black Egg. The medication that had awakened his bloodline originated from this egg. The more he growled, the stronger the feeling of being an unfilial son grew inside him.

This made the unstoppable golden and silver tiger very troubled. Even though the egg in front of him was still, well, an egg, his awakened bloodline told him that this egg was his dad. This feeling was... complicated.

After all, he already had a cheap dad.

The golden and silver tiger’s momentum was overshadowed by the Big Black Egg. Watching the egg shamelessly push him aside and rub against Little Bai, he could only hold his nose and endure it for the time being.

Bai Xiaoyu patted the Big Black Egg and retrieved a detection device.

The Thunder Snake, knowing the purpose of this device, approached and even transformed back into human form, watching curiously.

Lou Hao already knew Bai Kan’s situation. He thought this time they would only cure his legs, but looking at Bai Kan’s current state, not only were his legs healed, but he had also undergone a return to ancestral form. Moreover, it was a partial White Tiger bloodline return to ancestral form.

White Tigers were extremely powerful from birth, and Lou Hao was now very curious about Bai Kan’s innate potential and his current physique and mental strength levels. He remembered that Bai Kan’s innate potential included an S+ physique and 3S mental strength. Before coming here, his physique had already reached S with no room for further improvement, and his mental strength had reached 2S.

The other young ones also gathered around, wanting to see this ‘little brother’s’ innate potential. Although they couldn’t understand why he was so large just after hatching, he had hatched late, after all.

Bai Kan’s tiger face looked eager to try. He had never felt so powerful since birth. For a moment, he felt an invincible sense of loneliness.

Before he could float away, he turned his head and saw the big black egg, instantly losing his enthusiasm.

Bai Xiaoyu took out the detection device and began testing. All eyes were fixed intently on him.

Soon, the results came out—Bai Kan's aptitude, physical constitution, and mental strength were all rated 3S+.

His physical constitution grade had jumped from S to 2S+, and his mental strength had risen from 2S to 3S!

Bai Xiaoyu, who was well aware of Bai Kan's situation, wasn't surprised, as the test results matched his expectations.

Lou Hao, standing nearby, was so shocked his jaw nearly dropped. The most famous person in the entire star system with double 3S+ ratings was General Liu Lingxi!

Lou Hao had never seen a beastkin progress so drastically in just three months. The higher the grade, the harder it was to advance. Jumping from DF to S and from S to 2S+ were on entirely different levels of difficulty. That Bai Kan had returned to an ancestral form was rare, but progressing this quickly was unprecedented. It had to be due to the White Tiger bloodline.

Looking at Bai Kan's golden and silver-white fur, a stark contrast to his previous brownish coat, Lou Hao couldn't help but feel envious. Not only had Bai Kan's aura changed, but his appearance had also improved dramatically.

Even though Bai Kan's fur was still wet, it couldn't hide the handsome presence of the golden-white tiger ready to pounce.

Didn't you see how the boss couldn't resist petting him several times during the inspection? The big black egg beside them was practically steaming with jealousy.

With only half of the White Tiger bloodline, Bai Kan was already this powerful. Lou Hao couldn't help but wonder if he had any White Tiger genes himself and whether he could undergo an ancestral return.

Besides Lou Hao, the other four cubs were also watching closely. Only the little golden tiger was upset that his stats were surpassed, while the other three were focused on Bai Kan's current physicality and mental strength. No wonder they lost—the level gap was too big.

The little golden tiger jumped onto Bai Xiaoyu's shoulder and pointed at the golden-white tiger with his claws, yowling, "Why am I more golden than him, yet his stats are better?"

Bai Xiaoyu said, "Shouldn't you know best? Bai Kan's golden fur was enhanced by the silver-white bloodline, triggering the ancestral return. Otherwise, the regular brown bloodline wouldn't have been strong enough to fuse with another bloodline."

The little golden tiger yowled, "Can golden fur really not surpass silver-white fur?"

Bai Xiaoyu glanced at the little golden tiger. "Shouldn't you know best?"

The little golden tiger was taken aback. "How would I know?"

Before he could finish, a little white tiger pounced up, swiftly and accurately biting the little golden tiger's throat and dragging him down.

Bai Xiaoyu watched the little golden tiger, his little crown now skewed and fur all puffed up, and thought, 'Shouldn't you be convinced by now?'

Lou Hao, observing the golden and white tiger cubs sparring, could see that the little white tiger had already been holding back significantly. Even with less than a third of his strength, the little white tiger still overpowered the little golden tiger.

The strength of the White Tiger clan was indeed formidable. Given such a disparity in strength, it was no wonder the royal family was so wary of the Bai family.

However, the Bai family had always been relatively sparse in numbers. Across the entire star system, there weren't many White Tigers. Apart from the older, high-ranking White Tigers in the royal family, there were very few mixed-blood White Tigers. Before this, there hadn't been any royal White Tigers of Bai Kan's generation. Now, two had appeared at once—one mixed-blood and one pure-blood. This was strange.

Both Bai Xiaoyu and Bai Kan, who had finally snapped out of his state, turned to look at the big black egg.

They both knew that Bai Kan's bloodline essence had been used as a catalyst. Therefore, Bai Kan's stats were heavily influenced by the big black egg's bloodline. Bai Kan's stats couldn't surpass those of the big black egg. With only half of the bloodline, his stats should have been lower than the big black egg's.

Yet, despite these limitations, Bai Kan had still reached double 3S+ ratings. What were the big black egg's stats?

Bai Xiaoyu wasn't very familiar with the star system's dynamics, but Bai Kan, staring at the big black egg, had his beast pupils wide with disbelief.

The only person in the entire star system whose stats were rumored to exceed 3S+ but had never been measured was Marshal Bai, born a hundred years ago!

He looked at the big black egg, which was now clinging tightly to Bai Xiaoyu, occasionally trying to squeeze into his arms and rubbing against him.

Bai Kan was overthinking. How could he possibly associate this black egg with Marshal Bai? That would be the most unfair comparison ever made of Marshal Bai.

Apart from the royal family, hardly anyone in the star system would dare to disparage Marshal Bai.

Bai Kan now felt that even having these thoughts was a form of disrespect.

However, since the Big Black Egg was related to the White Tiger, it must have some connection to Marshal Bai. Could it be that the Big Black Egg was Marshal Bai's son? Otherwise, how could its incredible aptitude be explained?

Or was it created using genes from Marshal Bai's parents? After all, Marshal Bai had been missing for too long, and with only the old marshal left in the Bai family, they might have had to resort to such methods to cultivate the next heir for the Bai family.

Since it was either Marshal Bai's child or younger brother, it wasn't strange. After all, Marshal Bai was born with memories, and the Big Black Egg had been incubating for nearly a year.

Bai Xiaoyu was unaware of Bai Kan's thoughts as he stroked the Big Black Egg, thinking about the bone tiger within. The Big Black Egg's aptitude seemed extremely high, but the exact level could only be determined after it hatched.

At this moment, Bai Kan wanted to shift back to human form, but the inner clothes in his spatial pouch no longer fit him. He couldn't perfectly transform into human form and simultaneously wear them. Thus, he had to remain in his beast form, using his claws to tap on the optical brain, ordering new battle suits for his humanoid form.

By the time Bai Kan’s new suits arrived, Bai Xiaoyu had already gone to another side to refine medicine.

After preparing several batches of potions, the District Chief soon informed him that the area's eggs were about to be delivered and sent him the data for the new batch of eggs.

Bai Xiaoyu reviewed the data. There were sixty-two eggs in total. Adding to the previous thirty-five, he added ten more slots, leaving thirteen spots. He reserved one spot for the Big Black Egg and evenly distributed the remaining spots between the two legions.

After completing the batch of potion refinement, Bai Xiaoyu went to receive this batch of eggs. Ren Zitao and Zhou Miaomiao had been following him, beginning to learn the various duties of a true cultivator.

Bai Xiaoyu also took them to handle the handover with the people who delivered the eggs from the area. He then began inspecting the batch of eggs.

As usual, the area's eggs had no major issues. After placing them in the breeding facility compartments, he received responses from the two legions. Their eggs were to arrive in two days.

Bai Xiaoyu observed the twenty-three pale blue eggs; their color was gradually returning, and they would likely match the color of regular eggs in two or three days. By the time the legion’s eggs arrived, they could hatch them together.

After finishing his work, Bai Xiaoyu returned, as it was feeding time for the cubs.

As soon as he returned, the four cubs immediately began running around upon seeing the tray in his hands.

However, they couldn't escape. The Little Prince and Little Bai ate the nurturing liquid, while the Little Golden Tiger ate the eggshells.

The Little Prince and Little Bai had returned from hunting. After finishing the nurturing liquid, they naturally sat side by side, staring eagerly at Bai Xiaoyu.

Bai Xiaoyu knew what they wanted and retrieved the remaining Insect Crystal. The Little Prince and Little Bai immediately pounced on the Insect Crystal, holding it with their small chubby hands and taking bites alternately.

Watching the visibly diminishing Insect Crystal, Bai Xiaoyu thought that this Insect Crystal probably wouldn't last much longer.

Feeling it was enough, he gave the two cubs a pat and said, "That's enough for now. Let's save some for next time."

Little Bai blinked his large eyes, still showing some desire, but soon let go. However, the Little Prince was not as obedient. He held the Insect Crystal tightly and said, "There's not much left. Let me keep it."

Bai Xiaoyu raised an eyebrow and said, "No."

If he let this little guy take the last bit of Insect Crystal, he might run off with Little Bai when Bai Xiaoyu wasn't looking.

Although Little Bai seemed very well-behaved and unwilling to leave now, the temptation of the Insect Crystal might lead him astray.

The Little Prince, though young, was far more mature than Little Bai. He was close to the mentality of a prince, but there were still many issues. He definitely couldn't be allowed to run off.

The Little Prince immediately looked at him with pleading eyes, tilting his little head and imitating the tone of a small child, "Hehe, give it to me."

Next to him, Little Bai also looked at Bai Xiaoyu with the same expression, still nibbling on his small hand, seemingly unsatisfied.

Bai Xiaoyu bent down and picked up the two cubs, one in each arm, and said, "Until we find another Insect Crystal, I need to make you two conserve. If we finish it, there won't be any left. Understand, babies?"

At that moment, the little golden tiger, who had just finished the nutrient solution and was rolling on the ground, saw this and immediately climbed up Bai Xiaoyu's body, jumping onto his shoulder. He reached out his claws to provoke the little Prince in Bai Xiaoyu's arms, shouting, "Who are you calling brother? He's my brother; you can't call him that!"

Bai Xiaoyu felt a weight on his shoulder and saw the little golden tiger provoking the little Prince. He was left feeling both amused and exasperated, thinking, "This guy always provokes the little Prince even though he never wins. Isn’t he afraid of getting beaten again?"

Just as he was about to say something, he felt the same weight on his other shoulder. Turning his head, he saw the little white tiger had also jumped up. For the first time, the two tiger brothers were united, and the little white tiger shouted aggressively at the little Prince, "Don’t randomly call me ‘brother’!"

The little Prince’s eyes instantly narrowed into black dots as he growled lowly at the little white tiger, who bared his teeth in response. The little golden tiger was quite pleased with himself, while little Bai moved slowly, still sucking on his paw with his large, cartoonish eyes making him look adorably innocent.

Despite little Bai’s current cute and innocent appearance, Bai Xiaoyu wouldn’t intervene in a one-on-one fight between the little Prince and the tiger cubs. However, if the cubs ganged up on the little Prince, little Bai would definitely join in to help.

Previously, the little Prince and the little golden tiger had fought many times. Once, when the little white tiger was fighting the little Prince, the moment the little golden tiger joined in, little Bai, who had been watching, also jumped into the fray.

Their fights were fairly even, with the little white tiger being skilled, the little Prince fighting fiercely, little Bai moving slowly, and the little golden tiger always stirring up trouble and holding back.

Amidst the battle of the four young ones, Bai Xiaoyu sighed. It was indeed quite a headache when the cubs weren’t getting along.

At that moment, a tall and handsome young man strode in. "Little Hundred, is my potion ready? It’s mealtime!"

Bai Xiaoyu looked at Bai Kan, whose facial features had become more chiseled, and who had grown taller with a more upright posture. He now exuded a much stronger presence, and his whole demeanor had completely changed.

With four young ones on him, Bai Xiaoyu replied helplessly, "Now that you've hatched, you should go to the dining hall for meals, not ask me for food."

The next second, Bai Kan transformed back into a huge golden-silver tiger, walked in front of Bai Xiaoyu, and nudged him with his furry head while shouting, "Little Hundred, you didn’t prepare a meal for your brother?"

Surrounded by the young ones, Bai Xiaoyu was left speechless.

Bai Xiaoyu finally realized, "Where’s Big Black? He was with me just a moment ago. Usually, these guys wouldn’t even get close to me because Big Black would stop them. How come he’s not here today?"

Looking up, he saw a large black egg standing in the corner, completely still. Bai Xiaoyu was stunned. "Has the adult version of Big Black’s consciousness taken over inside the egg?"

At that moment, Lou Hao entered and brought some good news.

"Boss, I've got news about the Insect Crystal you asked me to find. There's an auction happening tomorrow on the F105 planet in the neighboring star system. They say Insect Crystals will be up for auction there."

Bai Xiaoyu shifted his gaze back from Big Black. "Is the news reliable?"

Lou Hao replied, "It's fifty-fifty. I'm not entirely sure. But even if there are no Insect Crystals, the herbs in that area are excellent. The auction will definitely feature many high-quality herbs, including some of high vintage."

At the same time, Bai Qi and the others also received the news. Since they were searching for the little Prince, they were all in this star region and had decided to set off immediately.

Bai Xiaoyu was still deep in thought when Lou Hao continued, "F105 is a small planet. While we're there, we might as well make a stop at the F91 planet. There's a medical college on that planet, and it's about time for the students to graduate and start their internships and jobs. Our medical team could use some new recruits."

At this point, Bai Kan transformed back into human form and asked, "Little Hundred, do you want to go? I can accompany you."

Bai Xiaoyu nodded. "If I go, you’ll have to stay behind."

Bai Kan's strength was now sufficient to keep the little Prince in check, and the breeding facility needed someone to stay behind and maintain order. In case something happened, someone had to be there to take charge.

Bai Kan said, "Then what about you? Will you take the warriors from the Herb Base with you?"

Bai Xiaoyu reflexively answered, "I'll take Big Black with me."

The Big Black egg in the corner seemed to bounce excitedly for a moment before turning away again, seemingly sulking.

Bai Xiaoyu was left speechless.

"What's wrong with Big Black today?"

Bai Kan followed Bai Xiaoyu's gaze and saw a large black egg barreling toward them, brimming with anger.

Bai Kan was flustered; if not for Bai Xiaoyu stepping in to calm Big Black, he wouldn’t have been able to dodge in time.

Bai Kan said, "Xiao Bai, I’ve been meaning to tell you, Big Black's talents surpass mine. He could be Marshal Bai’s son or younger brother."

At the mention of Marshal Bai, Bai Xiaoyu felt a strange pang in his heart. "Is that so?"

But then he thought of Big Black's injuries and how Marshal Bai had gone missing in battle, his beast form also that of a White Tiger. Inside Big Black, there was a kind of dark matter that was like a royal-grade substance in comparison to ordinary eggs. A thought suddenly struck him.

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the bouncing black egg and inquired, "How old is Marshal Bai?"

Bai Kan was startled and blurted out, "One hundred. Why do you ask, Xiao Bai?"

He paused, then continued, "This black egg might be his son. Even if it's not, although Marshal Bai is the guardian deity of the star system, he's like an emotionless humanoid weapon. I'm afraid he doesn’t care about personal relationships. He’s not right for you."

Bai Kan added, "Also, when he returned to the imperial capital, many men and women with ulterior motives tried every possible means to get within three meters of him, only to faint or be dragged away by the guards. The only living creature I’ve ever seen get within one meter of him was..."

Bai Kan suddenly remembered the egg that had been by Marshal Bai's side twenty-three years ago. Wasn't that Xiao Bai?

Bai Xiaoyu interrupted, "An egg? What do you mean?"

Bai Kan was at a loss for words and finally stammered, "In any case, he's too old for you. More importantly, you're still young; you shouldn't be thinking about romance."

Bai Xiaoyu said, "I'm an adult. What are you getting at?"

Marshal Bai was one hundred years old, which corresponded to Big Black's age.

Bai Xiaoyu recalled Su Ran's expression when he saw Big Black. As Marshal Bai's deputy, Su Ran had been searching for his superior.

Then there was the Sixteenth Legion helping to find herbs, and later using the potions he provided for trade. But before trust was established, their attitude toward him had been somewhat unusual. That trust seemed unconditional, and now that he thought about it, they had probably been trusting not him, but Big Black.

Bai Xiaoyu looked at the bouncing black egg beside him, still feeling a bit confused. Thinking of Marshal Bai’s personality and methods as described by Bai Kan, Big Black didn’t seem like the legendary marshal at all.

With the young ones clinging to him, Bai Xiaoyu couldn’t even spare a hand to pet the black egg. The black egg grew angrier, turning its body away and bouncing forcefully, making the floor shake and tremble, as if it was afraid Bai Xiaoyu couldn't hear.

This temperament didn’t match the legendary marshal at all.

Unable to free his hands, Bai Xiaoyu extended his mental energy to pat the dark egg.

The black egg wriggled again, and just as Bai Xiaoyu was about to tap it a second time, a tiger claw made of mental energy shot out, grabbing Bai Xiaoyu's mental threads.

As soon as Bai Xiaoyu's mental threads were inside, they were surrounded by the tiger claw mental energy, and countless thoughts were transmitted over.

"Bai Bai, you’ve never hugged me like you hug them."

"Bai Bai, I want to sit on your shoulder too."

"Bai Bai, when I get out, can I make a nest on your head?"

"Bai Bai, I'm angry, and you’re not comforting me."

As Bai Xiaoyu struggled to process the flood of information, he saw a bone tiger rear up, its two front paws—larger and sharper than his head—making a gesture as if asking for a hug.

"Bai Bai, I want a hug too, the kind where you hold me in one arm."

Bai Xiaoyu hesitated.