Chen Mo's shadow fox body changed after the breakthrough. His fur used to be a very dark gray but it was now ink black, like pure darkness. He used to be around one meter from snout to tail but it grew to almost two meters. He was now slightly bigger than Jasmine's fox form, which made him incredibly happy. He no longer had to stand being treated as a toy and could fight back if he wanted!
His human form had also improved. With the breakthrough, he had become a true origin beast. Instead of being gray and smokey, he now looked like a real human. He was an exact copy of the real Chen Wentian, albeit with noticeably darker skin. It wasn't black like his beast form, more like a caramel brown color that gave him an exotic appearance.
"Pervert, ugh!" Jasmine cried when she saw his new naked form floating in midair.
"What? I'm just a beast, I don't wear clothes." Chen Mo said, grinning.
On the ground, Chen Wentian burst out laughing while his other disciples had mixed reactions. All of them except Jasmine had seen his little dragon many times and they couldn't help but compare. Chen Mo's junk was limp but it looked the same… at least it had all the same parts.
Chen Mo flew down and turned back into his beast form. He pranced around the girls and enjoyed being petted all over. They fawned over him and giggled as he ran around their legs and licked their hands. Jasmine looked on enviously from the air and Chen Wentian could tell she wanted to join them. It was probably a struggle for her to hold herself back and not envelop her favorite fox in a tight hug.
Chen Mo followed up by showcasing his new shadow ability, a domain of darkness. He leaped into the air and dissolved into a pitch-black fog that completely surrounded the girls on the ground. From the outside, it was hard to sense the spiritual energy within and figure out what was going on. From the inside, it was complete darkness and disorienting. Sight, sound, spiritual sense, they were all cut off.
If an enemy was trapped within, it could instantly turn the tables and provide an opportunity to land a killing blow. It could also be used defensively as the cloud made precise attacks difficult to land. It was an impressive ability, a much need one that improved the shadow fox's direct combat ability.
The domain was gone after a few seconds and Chen Mo flew back into Chen Wentian's body. His disciples ran up and gathered around him.
"Wow, I couldn't see anything!"
"What a cool ability!"
"Master, does it have a name?" Li Yuechan asked.
"Hmm, it doesn't but perhaps I will call it 'Shadow Realm', how about that?" He said.
"I like it!" The twins said together.
"Alright, alright. That's enough excitement for today, I think. Let's call it a day and make camp early."
"Yes, master!"
Camp was made, dinner was eaten, and the disciples all went to rest, eager to fight monsters again the next day. The only ones still up were Chen Wentian and Jasmine who was sitting atop a large rock, absorbing the moonlight.
He flew up and sat next to her. She ignored him and he playfully gave her a shove to break her concentration.
"What do you want?" She sounded a little miffed.
"Working hard on your cultivation? I reached the 3rd Stage of Spiritual Strengthening today." He said with a grin.
"I know that…"
"So?"
"So what?" She shot back defiantly.
Chen Wentian laughed. She looked so cute with her puffed cheeks, he couldn't help but wrap an arm around her waist and gave her a hug.
"So… once again, I am definitively stronger than you. Your Legacy of Moonlight is quite powerful. I am shocked and pleased by your recent progress. But I think I proved that I am still the master after all."
"You… what kind of master are you, exposing yourself to your disciples? I've never seen anything so vile."
"Jasmine, are you embarrassed? Are you shy? My dearest disciple, I thought a divine beast like you knew all about differences between a man and a woman…"
"…" Jasmine felt trapped within his embrace and tried to squirm out of it. "Pervert… don't speak to me so intimately."
"Am I not your most intimate person in the whole world? Or do you like Chen Mo more than me?" He asked.
"Chen Mo is ten times better than you…"
As soon as she said that, Chen Wentian let her go and a dark cloud surrounded them both. His body disappeared into the darkness and Chen Mo appeared in his stead.
As the shadow fox, he pounced on Jasmine and laid on top of her, wrapping his limbs around her body. He licked her neck and her face, eliciting a soft giggle and a contented sigh. She rubbed his soft black fur and hugged him close, burying her face in his neck.
He felt happy and irritated at the same time. This was the complete opposite of her reaction to his human self!
She really was a beast after all…
Chen Wentian didn't let this opportunity slip by. He had been looking for an opportunity to get closer to Jasmine ever since she joined him. She was a tough nut to crack because of her cultivation, age, and also her intelligence as a divine beast. She was the last one out of his disciples that still resisted his advances.
"Hey… I have a question." He asked.
"What's wrong?" She mumbled.
"Have you ever thought about… finding a mate?"
It was an awkward question, but Chen Wentian felt it was best to be direct. Jasmine liked direct… at least, he hoped.
"Momo! How can you ask a question like that? Of course, I haven't."
"But you are already so old. You haven't thought about it even once? Does everything still work down there?"
Jasmine was now extremely displeased and pinched his neck hard, "There is absolutely nothing wrong with my body!"
Chen Wentian yelped and pulled his head away.
"I was just teasing… I'm sorry." He said.
Their eyes connected, shiny black orbs with her turquoise gems, and the mysterious connection between them surfaced once again. It was this connection that made her trust him in that cave deep beneath Beast God Sanctum. It was this same connection that made her anger melt away.
"If you had to think about it, what traits would you look for in a perfect mate?" He asked softly.
"I don't know…"
He let her consider it, and after a while she finally answered.
"He should probably be strong… He should be brave… needs to be loyal… be honest, be funny, and be smart…"
She paused and gave him a devious smirk, "He… also cannot be a pervert or a human!"