The wolf pup in Xu Mang's arms was barely the size of a small cat, with fur so white it looked carved from frost. Lingling, who had slipped down from the spectator stand, stood directly in front of him and stared without blinking.
"Whoa… this wolf's lineage isn't recorded in any human book," Lingling said, eyes shining with curiosity.
Old Bao moved closer and swept his spiritual intent across the creature. He checked the bones, the blood circulation, the mana flow, the frost radiating from the crystal crown embedded in the pup's forehead.
He found no abnormalities.
What he did find made him raise his head sharply.
"Your Frost Star Wolf's crystal crown… it can absorb Ice Elemental Soul Seeds directly and refine its own element far beyond normal growth."
Xu Mang nodded lightly. He already sensed something unusual from the moment the wolf was reborn.
Old Bao continued, voice lowering with caution.
"If you feed it properly, this creature will grow into one of the strongest wolves alive. Even if you don't feed it, the Ice in its body is already far above anything on land. Be it spirits, monsters, or mages… nothing here compares to the Ice from the Extreme South."
He paused.
"But the Ice in this wolf… it's even purer than that. It feels like the frost of the eternal night itself. The Extreme Dust."
A faint tremor passed beneath his feet.
Old Bao, a Forbidden Mage in every element, shivered.
The breath of the newborn wolf—barely a servant-class creature—was cold enough to pierce his defenses.
A servant beast pressuring a Forbidden Mage.
Unheard of.
Impossible.
Yet it was happening.
Xu Mang remained calm.
"Extreme Dust," he said quietly. "The frost from the mesosphere. Minus two hundred degrees. The kind that freezes even Ruler-level beasts."
Old Bao stared. "Where did you hear—"
Xu Mang didn't answer.
Instead, he lifted the pup slightly, and the crystal crown glimmered with cold starlight. Inside it, pure white ice dust swirled—Mesosphere frost, gathered naturally from the pup's bloodline.
Lingling, who had been staring with stars in her eyes, suddenly hugged the wolf to her face.
"Haaah—so soft!"
The wolf allowed it. In fact, it relaxed, tail flicking.
Xu Mang raised a brow.
"You've made a friend quickly," he said.
Lingling ignored him, burying her face into the soft fur. The wolf gave a small rumble of approval, comfortably pressed against her.
Xu Mang instinctively reached for his phone and took a photo.
Old Bao snatched the wolf back immediately.
"Send me that," Leng Zhan said from behind Xu Mang's shoulder.
Xu Mang passed him the file.
Old Bao, meanwhile, continued examining the crown. His brows formed deep creases.
"This frost shouldn't exist naturally. This is… Too pure. Too ancient."
Xu Mang removed something from inside his jacket and tossed it to Old Bao.
A fruit.
Veined with violet electricity.
Still warm.
Old Bao almost lost his breath.
"A Lightning Calamity Fruit?! Where did you—"
"It doesn't matter," Xu Mang said calmly. "What matters is that I need something capable of hatching it. A Heavenly Lightning Soul Seed… or an energy source equivalent to it."
Old Bao felt his chest tighten. "This fruit… Do you know what it is worth?"
"Do you sell Lingling if I offer five hundred billion yuan?" Xu Mang asked expressionlessly.
Old Bao froze.
Lingling blinked. "Grandpa?"
Xu Mang lifted the fruit from Old Bao's loose grip and tucked it back into his coat.
"Same answer," Xu Mang said. "This fruit contains my contracted spirit. I'm not selling it."
Old Bao sighed. "You're right… I shouldn't have asked like that. My apologies."
Leng Zhan rubbed his chin. "A Heavenly Lightning? I know two places it could be found. Tyrant Mountain Range in Italy… or Lake Maracaibo in Venezuela. The lake is more likely."
Xu Mang nodded. As expected of a Hunter King—he knew exactly where to look for rare items.
"But even if I know the locations, I'm not going anywhere near them in my current state," Xu Mang admitted.
"It would be suicide," Leng Zhan agreed.
For now, Xu Mang's gains were already enough.
His wolf had evolved.
His pendant was still digesting the Ruler Soul.
His bank account still held billions.
And the Lightning Calamity Fruit waited patiently in his possession.
Xu Mang exhaled slowly.
There was much to prepare.
Bo City's disaster.
His friends' growth.
His own strength.
The coming calamities.
Leng Zhan stretched. "Let's go. It's lunchtime."
After lunch, as they walked back toward Clear Sky Agency, Xu Mang tugged lightly on Old Bao's sleeve.
"Old Bao. I need to tell you something."
"Oh? What's wrong?"
Xu Mang waited until Leng Zhan was just out of earshot.
"The Enforcement Union mission he will receive later… is a trap. A Crimson Demon laid it. Its target is his soul. If he goes, he dies."
Old Bao froze.
"How do you know this?"
Xu Mang lowered his voice.
"Because I've seen it happen."
Old Bao searched his expression for any hint of deceit.
Xu Mang raised his hand. "I swear it on my magic. And on my soul."
"Form a soul contract," Old Bao said.
Xu Mang nodded immediately.
Old Bao formed a truth-circle and placed it near Xu Mang's forehead. The circle would glow red if he lied, green if he spoke truth.
"Are you telling the truth about Leng Zhan's death?"
"Yes."
Green.
"Is the mission a trap?"
"Yes."
Green.
"Are you connected to the Crimson Demon?"
"No."
Green.
Old Bao dispelled the circle and sighed heavily.
"…I'll stop him," he said.
"Thank you," Xu Mang replied.
Lingling peeked over Old Bao's shoulder. "What are you two whispering about?"
"Nothing," Old Bao and Xu Mang said at the same time.
Xu Mang took the Frost Star Wolf from her arms. The wolf perched naturally on his shoulder, tail flicking with icy dust in the wind.
"I'm heading back to Bo City," Xu Mang said. "Still a high school student, after all."
Old Bao stared at him. A monster like Xu Mang… attending high school?
He could only sigh.
"Stay alive, Hunter King," Xu Mang said quietly to Leng Zhan.
Leng Zhan laughed. "Who can kill me? Don't die before we meet again either."
"Overconfidence is what kills you," Xu Mang muttered under his breath.
He waved to Lingling.
"It's goodbye for now."
Lingling stuck out her tongue. "Hmph. Don't come back until you're less weird."
Xu Mang smiled faintly and turned away, the Frost Star Wolf perched proudly on his shoulder.
He hoped—truly hoped—that he had changed the fate of the Hunter King.
But some deaths in this world were fixed points.
He could only pray
that this one wasn't.