Su Ping's interest was thoroughly piqued.
Xiao Qing was still far too young, yet the talent it had already displayed was enough to pleasantly shock even him.
Originally, Su Ping had thought he would need to wait until Xiao Qing grew a little older and its level rose further, then purchase some poison-attribute resources for it to consume before it could truly master its mutated poison abilities.
But now, it seemed he had vastly underestimated Xiao Qing's talent.
"Well done!"
He rubbed Xiao Qing's proudly raised head, then shifted his gaze toward the other Forest Wolves. Very quickly, his eyes locked onto the smallest one among them.
This Forest Wolf was the frailest of the ordinary wolves present, and its level was only barely higher than Xiao Qing's—
Ordinary Rank, Stage 3.
Previously, Su Ping truly had not believed Xiao Qing possessed any real combat ability at this stage.
But now that Xiao Qing had comprehended a skill, he wanted to test just how effective and powerful this Poison Vine Strangle actually was.
So he turned to Old Sha.
"Old Sha, let that little one spar with Xiao Qing."
Only through combat could skills truly be honed and applied smoothly.
And Su Ping also wanted to see the actual performance of the skill Xiao Qing had just learned.
"Awuu!"
The small Forest Wolf singled out by Old Sha stepped forward, cautiously eyeing Su Ping and the little wolf standing proudly by his pant leg.
Clearly, this wolf had also been born not long ago. Its aptitude was relatively average—despite being a stage higher than Xiao Qing, it had yet to awaken Vine Bind.
Facing its opponent, Xiao Qing showed none of the affection it displayed toward Su Ping.
Instead, it let out a still-juvenile but distinctly disdainful howl.
A flash of ferocity appeared in the small Forest Wolf's eyes as it lunged forward.
However, before it could even reach Xiao Qing—
Vines that had appeared from nowhere wrapped tightly around its body.
The purplish-green, delicate-looking vines seemed harmless at first glance, but once a creature entered a ranked stage, its strength far surpassed that of ordinary animals.
"Whine…"
The little Forest Wolf let out a cry, struggling desperately, but Su Ping keenly noticed that its strength was rapidly weakening compared to normal.
At the same time, its wounds were beginning to swell.
This poison… is strong.
Through the soul connection, Su Ping had Xiao Qing stop.
The battered Forest Wolf was finally released from the poisonous vines, but it looked as if all its strength had been drained—it could not even stand.
Xiao Qing's Poison Vine Strangle mainly carried a blood-paralyzing toxin.
If this had been a real life-or-death battle, the opponent likely would not even feel pain—only lose all resistance before dying outright.
Happy for Xiao Qing, Su Ping nonetheless hurriedly picked up the powerless little Forest Wolf and, together with Old Sha, rushed to the medical room.
After administering an antidote and seeing its condition gradually improve, Su Ping finally let out a sigh of relief.
The little Forest Wolf opened its eyes and looked at Xiao Qing, who stood atop Su Ping's shoulder in triumph.
A trace of dejection appeared in its gaze.
Su Ping paused. After a moment of thought, he slowly squatted down, gently rubbed the head of the Forest Wolf—only about thirty centimeters tall—and smiled.
"It's okay. You'll grow stronger too. As long as you're here at Woodheart, I won't give up on a single one of you. Keep working hard."
"Awuu!"
Before the little Forest Wolf could respond, Xiao Qing—standing on Su Ping's shoulder—let out a jealous cry.
It leapt down, tugged at Su Ping's pant leg with its newly emerging fangs, then glared fiercely at its defeated opponent.
This guy actually tried using such a method to steal my master's affection—how shameless!
But just as it bared its teeth, Su Ping lightly smacked it on the head.
When dealing with wolves—or any Pet Beast—affection alone was not enough. They also needed to understand who the true master was.
Xiao Qing looked aggrieved.
"Woodheart is a big family. From now on, you're not allowed to bully your companions, and you must help each other. Understood?"
Xiao Qing held its head with its tiny paws and let out a soft "awuu," clearly acknowledging the command.
As for the weakened Forest Wolf, it stared at Su Ping in surprise, then glanced at the strange little wolf that differed from itself.
Determination flickered in its eyes.
With trembling legs, it forced itself to stand and let out an equally immature howl.
"Awuu!"
As if proving that it wasn't actually that weak.
"Good! That's the spirit!"
Su Ping smiled with satisfaction, helped it lie back down, and applied some topical medicine to soothe the already rapidly healing wounds.
Standing outside the medical room, Old Sha watched Su Ping crouching on the ground in the morning sunlight.
Beside that figure were two small silhouettes—
One weak yet resolute.
One proud and indignant.
Yet neither showed the slightest resistance toward Su Ping.
Seeing this, a faint smile flickered in Old Sha's eyes.
It did not understand why the potion its little master had made allowed it to awaken Heart of Wood.
Nor did it understand how Su Ping could dare to say such words with such confidence.
But at this moment, as Su Ping stood bathed in the morning light, Old Sha found itself believing—
That this newly awakened Beast Tamer might truly change this small breeding base.
Perhaps, one day, he might even become an even greater Beast Tamer than his grandfather had been.
And just then, Su Ping suddenly froze.
In the log of the Forest Wolf Codex, another message appeared:
[Discovered and interacted with an ordinary Forest Wolf. Intimacy requirement met. Codex experience +10!]
[This Forest Wolf possesses a common bloodline. For each subsequent day of interaction, Codex experience +1.]
The experience gained was not much—neither the one-time intimacy bonus nor the daily gain.
Yet it was enough to make Su Ping delighted.
Indeed, dealing with Pet Beasts was far simpler than dealing with people.
Their instincts were far keener. They could sense genuine intent.
So when it came to Pet Beasts, only two words truly mattered:
Sincerity.
With that thought, Su Ping stood up and waved his hand boldly.
"Don't worry, little one. From today onward, Woodheart is launching the Rapid Growth Plan! Every Forest Wolf will awaken the Heart of Wood skill! We'll start with you and Xiao Qing!"
"Awuu—"
"Awuu—"
Two tender howls rang out together, as if cheering for their master's grand ambition.
Only Old Sha, standing outside the door with a smile moments ago, stiffened.
Judging by those words…
Did that mean his little master was about to start making that stuff again?
Even though he had personally experienced its benefits, that smell…
It truly left a deep psychological scar.
What a terrifyingly resolute determination.