Dumdum stared at the gigantic tree in front of him and reminisced. 'How long has it been since I saw your kind? It seems I am not the only one who survived.' As he stared at the tree the small panther started feeling emotions that he suppressed for so long.
When Dumdum opened his eyes after the teleportation and saw the huge crystal-like tree, he started remembering something. This kind of tree was on the verge of extinction, the connection with it and him was impeccable. After all, Dumdum himself was one of the last of his kind.
An opportunity to slip away arose to Dumdum when he saw others ignoring him. Going away for a few hours wouldn't do any harm,' was what he thought.
What Dumdum didn't count for was Xuan Li and Flav worrying about him. While he relaxed talking to a tree that no one but him knew could speak, Flav and Xuan Li roamed the Academy trying to find traces of him.
"Where can we find him?" Flav murmured frustrated. It's been half an hour since they started searching but no trace of the baby panther was found.
"Dumdum isn't dumb, he will probably come soon," Xuan Li unusually defended.
Spending all this time with Dumdum and him being the first 'person' he met when he came to this world built a special connection between the two.
"I know, but that's not the problem!" Flav said while looking around. "I am worried about what would happen to others that try to kidnap him. Even in the Ascension Academy, a beast at Dumdum's level is rare and if someone touched him the wrong way… I don't wanna think of it," Flav finished with a shiver.
"Oh true, Dumdum would rip them to shreds no doubt," Li nodded his head before stopping midway. "Ah shit, we need to find him."
And like that, the two continued their journey in search of the baby panther not knowing that they forgot someone. As the two searched for Dumdum, Iris was back in her room getting used to her accommodations.
Half an hour before Li and Flav left the dorms, Iris and her new roommate met. Her roommate was unexpectedly a girl and one of the stronger ones that passed in the labyrinth trial. When she met Iris she gave an awkward chuckle and extended her hand.
"My name is Fiona, I hope to have a harmonious relationship with ya," Fiona tried smiling but it was too forceful.
Iris stared at the outstretched hand and the nervous girl and sighed. She conceded and shook it, "Iris Knight." Her voice was cold like a splash of cold water making Fiona shiver. "I also hope for us to not be enemies."
Iris' word phrasing was weird but Fiona didn't think much of it. 'Why would we be enemies though?' She shook her head at the unnecessary thoughts and smiled. "I will take the right side then? Also, you can make the room rules."
Fiona seemed to have submitted to Iris after seeing how Carter and Sapphire treated her and Li's group. 'Maybe we could be friends or at least have a good relationship at least.'
Iris started listing rules while Fiona listened concentrating on her every word. While doing this, Iris missed the chance of going with Li and Flav to search for Dumdum.
It was three hours after their search started, Xuan Li and Flav found the missing baby panther. It sat down with its back reclining on the crystal tree and seemed relaxed, but Li and Flav had other thoughts looking at it.
"Were you here all this time?" Flav asked slightly angry.
"What? Oh it's you two. Why did you come?" Dumdum replied, annoyed at its free time getting stolen.
"See, I told you. Dumdum would be safe."
Hearing Li's shameless words Flav rolled his eyes and approached Dumdum's position with heavy footsteps. His fists were clenched and he shot angry looks at the relaxed and lazy panther.
"Do you know how long we have been searching for you?"
Hearing Flav's rage filled words, Dumdum gave him a side eyes glance before looking back to the tree. "How would I know that?"
"Are you trying to break what little friendship we made?" Flav retorted raising his fist that had bulging veins all over it.
Dumdum didn't want to fight near the tree for fear of injuring it so he conceded with a sigh. "Fine, I am sorry!"
"You should be sorry! Why didn't you tell me that you were gonna look around!"
Xuan Li reprimanded in an authoritative tone that made flairs of anger erupt from the calm Dumdum. How dare this human treat it like it's property! He was a stage 4 beast and that's just because he was injured. 'I will make him learn his place.'
"Since when am I linked to you? Do you think I have to report what I do to you? Who do you think you are HUMAN?!!"
In a fit of anger, Dumdum turned to his huge form and slapped Li with his claw sending him away. A breaking sound of bones and muscles rupturing came out of the flying Li. While dying he was only thinking, 'why is he so angry? Wait! This is a chance. Please let me die!'
Xuan Li flew for 500 meters before falling. The Academy was too big and the place the three were in didn't have anyone which made what happened not be seen by anyone.
When his body finally landed, Li groaned for a while before coughing out blood and losing consciousness. This time Dumdum didn't wake him up and let him die for a while or so he planned but the extra golden light that shined from Li's body destroyed his plans.
The light beam covered Li's body but this sight wasn't new to Flav nor Dumdum. What was new however was how intense it was, Flav felt enormous amounts of Qi flooding Li's body. It was different to the way he usually revived.
SWOOSH
Without knowing when, an old man with black hair and a small scar on his right cheek stood next to Flav and Dumdum looking at the weird phenomenon.
'Why does this feel similar to how Cultivators breakthrough… wait! Could it be that he's breaking through into a rank 1 cultivator?'
"So the shitty human is breaking through? How?"
Dumdum returned to his small form seemingly more relaxed and less angry. It seemed that killing Li made him let his anger out and become calmer.
"He is indeed breaking through to the strong bodies realm."
"How is that even possible? Wait, who are you?!" Flav said getting into a defensive stance eyeing the mysterious old man and watching Li's breakthrough with the corner of his eye.
A minute had already passed but Li wasn't done breaking through. The Qi intensity rose in volume and quantity as it entered Li's body. It was like a bottomless abyss that sucked everything.
Flav had already stopped caring seeing the old man not react as he watched Xuan Li with fascination. Dumdum also felt that the old looking man wasn't simple and decided to stay away from him.
Li kept breaking through ama for two hours, but he appeared unconscious or dead while going through it. After he finished, Li's body lay on the ground as the old man, Flav, and Dumdum cautiously approached it.
Aghh!
After some groans Li woke up and stared at Flav and Dumdum and the mysterious old man who were looking back at him with curious and weird gazes.
"What?"