Not long, Wei Long took a deep breath—or at least as deep as his tiny dinosaur lungs allowed. Hunting had been brutal. Not because he lacked skill. Oh no, he was practically a reptilian assassin.
The problem was that the sanctuary was a ticking time bomb.
Tomorrow, a bunch of disciples were coming.
And what did they want?
Food? No.
Water? Nope.
Enlightenment? Ha!
They wanted tameable beasts—and Wei Long, at his adorable but fierce baby dinosaur stage, fit the description of prime, taming material.
Oh no, no, no! Absolutely not! Wei Long fumed internally. I am a proud, independent prehistoric predator with ambitions of world domination—or, well, at least survival!
So he needed to level up but at the same time not get too tired for tomorrow!
And to make sure he survived or not get caught tomorrow, despite having Peak-level abilities, despite how easily he could probably chomp through a Level 7 or 8 beast if he tried, Wei Long did the logical thing.
He avoided them like a scared lizard running from a particularly mean cat.
Wei Long's new strategy was simple.
First of all, conserve Energy. No excessive fighting. No flashy moves. If anyone asked, he was just a humble little reptile trying to make ends meet.
Second, he needed to stay Under the Radar. The disciples were coming to tame beasts, not kill them. The last thing he needed was to show off too much and end up in some sweaty human's beast pouch.
Third was smart hunting. Only Level 4 prey—just enough to keep his Hunger and Thirst at that golden 65% and 70% sweet spot so he won't get hurt.
And that was hunting smart.
Wei Long slinked through the undergrowth, his Mortal Camouflage flickering perfectly in the moonlight. He stalked prey carefully, ensuring minimal energy waste. No grand chases. No unnecessary showmanship. Just a quick bite, a clean kill, and another meal down the hatch.
By the time he meticulously hunted his way to 90% Satisfaction and 98% Hydration, he was feeling glorious.
A full belly. A hydrated body. Life was good.
Then, a thought struck Wei Long's reptilian head—a truly diabolical one.
What if I captured beasts today… and let them get captured by humans tomorrow if these humans are near him, you know—use them as a distraction?
That way, when a disciple snatched a beast, he could stalk the disciple. Study the human race of the cultivation world up close. Learn their ways, their strengths, their weaknesses.
Pure. Genius.
So, Wei Long immediately put his T-Rex-sized brain to work.
Step one, containers.
With his six-fingered dinosaur hands, digging was easy. His claws were like built-in shovels. He picked a prime location—inside his own cave.
Why not just use normal pits in the forest, you ask?
Oh, because some nosy sanctuary enforcer might notice. If he kept the captured beasts inside his home, it was his business. No one would check inside a random, small cave.
Using pure, reptilian grit and determination, Wei Long dug ten pits. Ten glorious, beast-sized pits—too deep for prey to escape.
With that done, all that was left was the fun part: catching the unlucky volunteers.
Wei Long spent the next hour chasing down critters like a prehistoric businessman collecting tax debt. He targeted only creatures that weren't too aggressive or dangerous.
Beasts that would make perfect pets—things like Scuttle Tail Raccoons, Soft-Horned Toads, and Breeze Feather Hawks.
By the time it was the middle of the night, his traps were full.
With the hard work done, Wei Long stretched his tiny arms, shook the dirt from his scales, and finally—finally—took a moment to admire his pure, predatory genius mind.
He had a full stomach. He had a hydration level that could make a camel jealous. He had a strategy that would let him study humans.
Everything was perfect.
And then, disaster struck.
Ding!
You have leveled up to Level 6 Mortal Beast!
Wei Long beamed. Yes! The plan was flawless!
Then, another notification hit him like a punch to the face.
Satisfaction: 90% → 60%
Hydration: 98% → 68%
Wei Long: "…Excuse me?"
He stared at the notification. Stared hard.
You're telling me… that leveling up just ate my meal!?
All that effort—the calculated hunting, the delicate balancing act, the efficient conservation of energy—GONE?
Wei Long wanted to cry. If dinosaurs could cry.
His stomach rumbled.
For a long moment, he just stood there, dead inside.
And then, realization hit.
I HAVE TO HUNT AGAIN!?!
And so, his hunting cycle resumed.
With a deep, suffering sigh, Wei Long dragged his tiny yet mighty dinosaur body back into the night.
The cycle of food, water, and survival continued—endless, cruel, and painfully unfair.
All he wanted was to be a calculated super-predator.
Instead, he was a bottomless pit of hunger.
A very intelligent, very grumpy bottomless pit.
Not long, Wei Long had already hunted his way to 66.6% Satisfaction and 72.1% Hydration. Not bad, not bad at all!
Then, a notification popped up.
Ding!
The host must keep Satisfaction above 65% and Hydration above 70% for four hours to reach Level 7 Mortal Beast.
Wei Long froze.
Wait… wait, wait, wait.
You're telling me…
All I have to do is keep myself fed for four hours…
AND I LEVEL UP!?
He blinked.
Was it seriously that easy?
No lengthy quests? No spirit beast battles? No mysterious elder handing him an ancient artifact that would "unlock his hidden potential" after a dramatic backstory montage? Just… eat and hydrate?
He could barely contain his excitement.
Oh-ho! Then what's stopping me from going all the way to Level 8? Or higher?!
He still had over 12 hours before the disciples arrived. If leveling up was just about not starving, he could probably evolve twice before sunrise!
Feeling like a reptilian mastermind, he continued hunting. But something was off.
At first, devouring smaller Level 4 Mortal Beasts had been enough. But then, his progress started… slowing down.
Instead of rapid notifications, it felt like the system was dragging its feet.
Wei Long narrowed his little dinosaur eyes.
Wait a minute… am I getting diminishing returns?
His suspicion was confirmed when he stopped seeing level-up alerts as fast.
Ah. So it's one of THOSE systems.
If he kept hunting weaklings, his level-ups would take longer and longer. Which meant…
I need to hunt something BIGGER.
That was when he spotted it.
A Level 8 Mortal Beast.
A boar.
A big boar.
It wasn't just some scrawny forest pig either—this thing looked like it had been hitting the gym daily and drinking three protein shakes before breakfast.
The moment Wei Long laid eyes on it, he felt his inner survival instincts scream at him:
"AVOID. BAD IDEA. DON'T DO IT. TURN AROUND AND HUNT A NICE LITTLE RABBIT INSTEAD."
But then…
If eating a Level 4 creature had slowed him down…
Would eating a Level 8 creature accelerate him forward?
Was that the trick to fast leveling?
Wei Long's brain kicked into serious overdrive. Soon, he would feel like something was inside his head.
Like the PROS devouring a Buff Pig.
First it was a Big Meal. Let's be real, this was premium meat. The nutritional value? Off the charts. It could push his Satisfaction and Hydration sky-high.
Second was Faster Leveling. Level 8 was double his current prey level. If this boar had that much energy, would eating it cut down the four-hour waiting period? Maybe let him level up immediately?
Potential New Ability. This wasn't just some average pig—it was a beast. There was no way a Level 8 Mortal Beast didn't have some cool trait to steal. Maybe I get reinforced bones? Super strength? Lightning-fast charge abilities? The possibilities were endless.
Preparation for Tomorrow. The stronger he was before the disciples arrived, the less he had to worry about being snatched up as some rookie cultivator's pet. A Level 6 beast? Tameable. A Level 8 or 9? Much less likely.
Respect. The sanctuary animals around him didn't respect him yet. But if they saw him take down THIS thing? His rep would skyrocket. He would feel like a top predator in this area.
He could already picture it:
Other beasts whispered in awe as he walked past.
"That's the baby dino that took down The Hulk Boar."
"No way. You're lying."
"Bro, I saw it with my own eyes. He just CRUNCHED its throat."
…Yeah. That was a future worth fighting for. Although it sounds ridiculous, the being inside him—the Bioengineered Dinosaur instinct—felt like it was telling him to stand at the top because if he didn't, he would be completely be overtaken again by this instinct!
But then—
There were Cons of Fighting This Beefy Tank of a Beast too:
Energy Drain. Let's say he went all in, fought, and won. The victory would cost him a lot of stamina. Afterward, if something stronger attacked, he'd be weaker than a wet noodle.
Injury Risk. One bad hit, and he'd be limping into tomorrow. Do injured, weak creatures get captured easily? Yes. Do captured creatures get force-fed disgusting spiritual contracts? Absolutely.
Loud Fight = Attention. This thing was BIG. Big creatures made noise when they died. If he wasn't careful, he could attract other predators… or worse, a disciple might patrol this area early!
What if it has an ability I can't counter? This wasn't just any Level 8 boar. It was here, surviving in the sanctuary. It had to be special. What if it had armor-like skin? Or a skill that paralyzed prey?
Wei Long squinted hard at the boar, analyzing its massive frame.
It had dense muscles, thick skin, and tusks the size of his arms. But it looked agile too, meaning he probably couldn't just dodge-and-run forever.
This battle… it wasn't just about winning. It was about winning efficiently.
Soon, he felt like he was going crazy. Not long, Wei Long exhaled. He felt his little dinosaur brain buzzing with calculations.
Normally, he wasn't reckless. He had avoided high-level enemies all night for a reason. But something about this fight felt right.
This wasn't arrogance. This wasn't desperation. This was an opportunity.
If he wanted to survive this world, if he wanted to stand at the top of the food chain, then—
He had to take risks.
With that thought, Wei Long locked eyes on the boar.
The plan began forming in his head.
He wasn't going to charge recklessly.
No—he was going to hunt this beast properly.
Silent.
Deadly.
Efficient.
With a flick of his tail, he sank into the darkness of the forest. His Mortal Camouflage activated, blending him seamlessly with the environment.
His predatory reptilian instincts fully engaged.
The boar had no idea.
Tomorrow, it would have been hunted by disciples.
Tonight?
It would become his prey instead.
Wei Long smirked.
Let the hunt begin.