205: Are You Ready Moon?

Are You Ready Moon?

(Zrudread University)

(Forest Lord Kingdom Park)

The bond between a cultivator and their combat pet was not something that should be taken lightly.

Establishing a soul connection with a beast was beneficial to both parties as the speed of cultivation would increase.

But this power did not come without a price….

The death of a combat pet would cause enormous harm to the soul of the cultivator and in some cases could even reduce their aptitude for cultivation.

This is why training was necessary so that these pets would be able to survive life or death situations.

Sophie nodded at a couple of familiar faces she saw from her class while feeding the still unhappy Moon some sugary treats.

Well at least she knew the way back into her baby's heart ….

It was to bribe him with snacks.

There was an empty section just up ahead, so Sophie walked a bit faster to grab it before anyone else.

The training field was divided into multiple sections with each having a translucent forcefield separating them.

This was to ensure that no injuries occurred from animals accidently crashing into a different section while exercising.

There was a small gap in the forcefield to allow entrance and once a participant was inside then the bubble would seal automatically.

Squeak! Squeak!

Sophie rubbed Moon's head gently as the duo strolled inside the bubble with great excitement.

The entrance slowly closed behind them with a faint hissing noise.

Sophie knew that she really should have done this training well before the midterm exam but there simply was just not enough time.

The bounty hunting mission to planet Calypso had taken up basically the entire first month and Sophie had only returned two days before the general exam.

There was a small black terminal at the upper right corner of the clearing with a screen displaying a variety of options and settings.

Sophie peered a bit closer at the words flashing across the screen and saw a few lines of text.

Input Combat Beast Species: [_______________]

Choose Your Difficulty: [Easy] [Normal] [Challenging] [Hell]

Set Obstacles: [Random] [Suggested] [Choose]

"Okay so I just type in 'Frostwing Bat' in this field," Sophie muttered as she pressed a few buttons while musing about which settings to pick.

It was the first midterm exam for the semester so it was pretty unlikely that Professor Ward would make the test too difficult.

At least that's what Sophie was hoping.

She took one glance at Moon who was happily munching down on another treat and could not help but worry in her heart.

Speaking of Moon…. he had quite a few strange physical features.

He was much larger than the expected size of a Frostwing bat his age and the light blue coloured fur on his back seemed especially bright under the sunlight.

Also, his eyes did not have the typical cloudy white colour as small flecks of gold could be seen if one stared deeply at them.

Sophie was unsure if these were some natural mutations or was it a side effect of feeding Moon her qi before he hatched.

He did take a really long time to get out of his egg….

Sophie shook her head slightly and then got back to the task at hand. 

As long as Moon was healthy then it didn't matter what he looked like.

After a few minutes of deliberation, Sophie selected the easy difficulty and set the obstacles option to 'suggested'.

A rumbling noise could be heard and then several metalloid structures erupted from the ground to form a makeshift obstacle course.

There was also a white line that also rose up from beneath the soil to form a circuit with the newly appeared obstacles inside.

The course was divided into three parts with the first being an open stretch that contained round silvery disks flying randomly through the air.

The second part of the course had hovering rings floating high above the ground with different colours corresponding to the potential points that could be earned.

Pets were supposed to fly though these openings to score points. 

The final stretch of the course had two robotic guardians menacingly guarding the finish line with laser rifles.

These were not real rifles and the beams of light emitted would just cause a mild stinging sensation.

Moon would either need to defeat them in order to get through to the finish line or weave between their attacks to sneak by.

Squeak! Squeak!

[Mommy I want to go home!]

Moon took one look at the obstacle course and immediately lost all motivation. 

"Okay," Sophie smiled sweetly at her lazy little glutton. 

Some students in the other sections could not help but stop their training and stare at the gorgeous view.

It was truly a picturesque scene.

A beautiful hybrid girl with a lovely smile holding a cute furry frostwing bat while the gentle light of dawn illuminated their figures.

Only poor Moon was aware that an enormous wave of bloodlust and death was hidden behind that peaceful grin.

Sophie had not uttered a single word after saying 'okay' but Moon's instincts warned him that he could not take his mommy up on her offer!

Squeak! Squeak!

[Mommy I was just kidding…. I'll go now!]

Moon shivered slightly and immediately hopped off Sophie's shoulders while feeling the world around him turning bleak and miserable.

Where had his kind mommy gone?

Sophie stifled a laugh as she saw the reluctant frostwing bat grudgingly make his way to the starting line of the obstacle course.

In an ideal world, she would just raise Moon at home with all the snacks and toys that he could ever want but that would cause nothing but harm.

Ever since finding out that she was apparently bound to an ancient goddess having to serve in the role of a huntress…

Sophie knew that she would certainly be facing perilous situations in the future. 1

Moon needed to be able to know how to take care of himself in a fight.

As for her change in attitude…. 

Moon was a naughty child who needed a firm hand of discipline or he would never learn.

Sophie's eyes narrowed sharply as Moon reached the starting line.

She took a few deep breaths to relax her muscles and improve her concentration.

It was time to practice using the blood bond.

Sophie quieted her mind and focused on the mental space inside her body where she could feel a thin red line connecting her to Moon.

The blood bond had been established but it was still fragile and delicate.

Only with enough training could it gradually strengthen until it became unbreakable.

Sophie closed her eyes and sent out a message,

[Are you ready Moon?] 

Squeak! Squeak!

[Yes Mommy!]

Sophie reopened her eyes and pressed the start button on the terminal monitor screen. A hologram projection appeared in the middle of the field and a countdown begun.

Three….

Two….

One….

Go! 

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