The little cat could now only flee for its life under the Blowing Snow Sword, a far cry from when it used to hunt down Brian Carter. Now, it was being relentlessly pursued by Brian Carter's swordsmanship. However, the little cat couldn’t leave Brian Carter now. First, because under Brian Carter’s stimulation, it had evolved from a level 7 magical beast to level 8, and its clever mind knew that staying by Brian Carter’s side could lead to further evolution. Second, and most importantly, Brian Carter could cook fish—and it smelled delicious. Ever since it tasted it once, the little cat demanded it three times a day, two fish each time. This situation gave Brian Carter the illusion that this cat was just an ordinary housecat.

Brian Carter knew this world was one where the strong preyed on the weak, so he wasn’t in a hurry to leave. Instead, he continued to train with the little cat in the magical beast forest, planning to leave only when he felt ready.

From then on, for a period of time, every day on the clearing by the waterfall, the figures of a man and a cat could be seen sparring.

Chapter 7: Preparing to Leave

Sunlight shone upon the land, illuminating the magical beast forest.

In a corner of the magical beast forest, on a clearing before a waterfall, a little cat was dodging water dragons shooting out from the river beneath the falls. The water dragons were fast, but the little cat was even faster. However, there were simply too many water dragons, and in the end, the little cat was struck.

When the clearing returned to calm, a water sphere one meter in diameter floated in the air, trapping the little cat in its center. At this moment, the little cat simply stayed quietly in the water, as it had to go through this almost every day.

Ever since Brian Carter learned to control water elements as he did fire elements, scenes like this had become a daily occurrence. The difference was that at first, Brian Carter couldn’t catch the little cat, but later on, he almost always managed to trap it in water. He called it the little cat’s training, helping it overcome its fear of water.

Now, the little cat was no longer afraid of water, nor did it feel as uncomfortable as before. It could now fully control its fire element, preventing it from leaking out, so there was no longer any conflict between elements in the water—though it still couldn’t use its full strength. The little cat had made rapid progress during this time; it could now contend with level 9 magical beasts, as long as they didn’t use water magic. It wouldn’t be long before it could evolve to level 9, at which point its flame transformation could be fully unleashed even in water, evaporating all the water around it.

At this moment, a figure slowly appeared in the now-calm river. That figure was Brian Carter, who could unleash the full power of the water element while in the water.

Brian Carter could use his own methods to control the shape and flow of water. He preferred to attack in the form of dragons, though he could mimic any shape—albeit always in the color of water. If he could mimic colors, Brian Carter could use it as a clone technique. Although the water element in the air wasn’t as abundant as in the river, it was still enough to create a dozen clones. Even so, he was quite satisfied—contentment brings happiness.

Walking up to the water sphere, Brian Carter smiled and said, “Kitty, how about it? Isn’t my water magic impressive?”

Inside the water sphere, the little cat quickly nodded, knowing that if it didn’t, this human wouldn’t let it out and would surely make it suffer a bit. After a year of interaction, it understood Brian Carter very well.

Brian Carter absorbed the water sphere into his body, then took out some prepared fish from his spatial pouch and gave it to the little cat sitting on his shoulder.

Brian Carter was silent for a while. He patted the little cat, which had finished eating, looked up at the sky, and said, “Kitty, today I’ll make you a full fish feast. Tomorrow, I’ll be leaving this forest. From now on, you’ll have to take care of yourself. I promise I’ll come back to see you.” The little cat looked up at Brian Carter in confusion. It didn’t understand what Brian Carter meant, but it could sense his sadness.

Brian Carter took a deep breath, composed himself, and said, “Kitty, let’s go hunting.”

The little cat replied with a “meow.” And with that “meow,” they began their hunt, bringing more trouble to the magical beasts of the forest. During this period, Brian Carter had been seeking out high-level magical beasts to fight alongside the little cat, and his strength was now completely different from when he started. By the continent’s standards, he was now a mid-level Sword Saint, but in terms of martial skills, he could already contend with high-level Sword Saints.

Now, Brian Carter’s Proud Dragon Art had reached the fifth level, and he realized his previous estimates had been off. After entering the fifth level, breaking through was no longer about the amount of battle energy, but about his understanding of the Proud Dragon Art. At that point, the art would undergo a qualitative change. He no longer practiced energy cultivation at every moment, as that would only slow his progress. Now, he meditated and focused on the Proud Dragon Art only at night.

Of course, Brian Carter’s achievements over the past year weren’t limited to this. His mastery of the fire element was now sufficient to refine anything in this world and to forge any weapon. On this basis, the Blowing Snow Sword had gained a superalloy scabbard.

When sheathed, the Blowing Snow Sword looked like a blunt blade, giving no hint of the indestructible sword within. In battle, Brian Carter skillfully used the sword for offense and the scabbard for defense—a martial art derived from Earth’s techniques, completely different from the styles of this world.

Brian Carter had also forged throwing knives. Xiao Li Flying Dagger??