Furthermore, Egg Pancake wasn’t fighting back. It acted like a doting older brother playing with his little sister, allowing Fei Lin to attack it at will.

’Egg Pancake, test Fei Lin’s defensive capabilities,’ Han Ning mentally transmitted to Egg Pancake.

"Chirp~"

Upon hearing the command, an earthy-yellow halo flashed within Egg Pancake’s Dragon Eyes.

In an instant, the gravity in the space several dozen meters around it abruptly changed.

Fei Lin’s constantly flickering form suddenly faltered.

Seeing this, the dragon horn on Egg Pancake’s forehead began to glow with a faint, fiery light.

A crimson ray of flame shot out toward Fei Lin.

Fei Lin tried to escape, but she felt like a fly trapped in glue, her movements becoming exceptionally slow.

Her dark purple pupils flashed violently, and her figure flickered, growing indistinct.

Before she could escape, the beam, rich with terrifying Fire Type Spiritual Energy, slammed into her.

BOOM!

A brilliant flash of fire lit up the mid-air.

The moment the ray of flame engulfed Fei Lin, the armor on her body began to emit thick black smoke, rapidly forming the phantom of a ferocious Demon that roared in fury at Egg Pancake.

Furthermore, nearly a third of the flame ray seemed to be reflected by a mirror, changing direction and shooting back toward Egg Pancake at an even greater speed.

But the power of the flame ray was too much for Fei Lin. Even with her armor’s protection, she plummeted toward the ground like a flaming meteor.

Just as she was about to hit the ground, her figure flickered and vanished into thin air.

"Alright, that’s enough."

Han Ning gazed at the empty space before him and sent a mental command.

WHOOSH~

In that instant, the sound of shattering glass echoed beside him.

A dark figure, giving off a burnt, acrid smell, quickly materialized.

Han Ning turned his head and noticed something was off about the emotions radiating from Fei Lin; she seemed defiant. He smiled and praised her, "Brother Egg Pancake is several Levels stronger than you. The fact that you could take a hit from him and survive is already pretty good."

"Eee..."

Fei Lin let out a soft cry but continued to stare intently at Egg Pancake with an icy gaze.

"Chirp?"

Egg Pancake scratched its head, looking completely bewildered.

’Little Sister Fei Lin’s gaze... it’s so unfamiliar.’

’This Biological Armor seems to be affecting Fei Lin’s personality...’

Han Ning, keenly aware that something was wrong with Fei Lin’s emotional state, quickly commanded, "Take off the Armor."

After speaking, he flicked out a tentacle to replenish her Blood Qi and suppress the Biological Armor’s side effects.

Although Fei Lin’s personality had changed drastically, she hadn’t reached the point of disobeying her Beast Master.

The jet-black Armor began to ripple, melting into ugly, dark veins that receded from her head and feet, retracting swiftly toward the backs of her hands.

As the black Armor vanished, her once-icy purple eyes gradually regained a spark of their usual personality.

"Eee ee?"

Copying Egg Pancake, Fei Lin scratched her head in confusion. She hadn’t lost her memories of wearing the black Armor. A little embarrassed, she ran to Egg Pancake’s side and began stroking his Body, babbling something to him.

"Chirp chirp~"

Egg Pancake was very forgiving. He extended his smallest claw and gently nuzzled Fei Lin’s head, as if to say it was all okay.

’She’s only at the Awakened Level, but she can easily break through an Extraordinary III Level’s defense and even block one of their attacks. And considering Egg Pancake and Fei Lin are Soul Beasts with the same Talent, this Biological Armor is incredibly useful for her.’

Based on his earlier observations, Han Ning realized that Egg Pancake’s abilities actually countered Fei Lin’s to a certain degree.

Egg Pancake’s Gravity Field was a nightmare for many speed-type Soul Beasts.

Despite its massive body and astonishing weight, its ability to freely manipulate gravity allowed it to drag opponents down to its level, neutralizing their advantages and defeating them with its vast experience.

Both were Soul Beasts with C+ Talent, so naturally, Egg Pancake wouldn’t be weaker than Fei Lin.

But that was only against Egg Pancake. Although Brother Bing was bullied by the elder Yin Yi at home every day, out in the world, he was a powerful Soul Beast who dominated his own territory.

Against other Soul Beasts, however, Fei Lin’s abilities were a nightmare.

Complete immunity to physical attacks, and with the Biological Armor, she could resist fatal blows from Soul Beasts several Levels higher. Her speed was on par with Extraordinary Level Soul Beasts, and her attacks were 100% Armor-Piercing. As long as he raised Fei Lin to the Extraordinary Level, she would undoubtedly be the most terrifying Assassin of her rank.

’That was her Dark Stabbing Form. Fei Lin also has a Dark Rider Form. I wonder what special abilities that will unlock...’

The thought that her Dark Rider Form required a mount put Han Ning in a difficult spot.

In his mind, a knight’s mount was usually a horse—or perhaps a Unicorn for a Holy Knight, or an Undead Horse for a Dark Knight.

He’d been in this world for so long... yet he’d never seen a single horse-shaped Soul Beast.

’Then again... a Dragon Knight is still a knight. What would happen if I had Fei Lin ride Egg Pancake?’

Han Ning watched Fei Lin happily playing with Yin Yi and Egg Pancake when a thought suddenly struck him, and his expression turned peculiar.

’Riding a horse is so lame. A truly badass knight should ride a dragon.’

However, Egg Pancake was his Soul Beast; he wouldn’t let Fei Lin ride him. Besides, their Attributes didn’t even match. What he was thinking was...

’All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm, do your best to mimic Egg Pancake’s form.’

"Coo coo~"

Receiving Han Ning’s command, the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm began to quickly generate a shrunken "small Egg Pancake" beside him.

A Soul Beast simulated by the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm would naturally possess the Dark Attribute, which fit the requirements of Fei Lin’s Knight Contract.

The only question was whether Fei Lin could actually form a contract with a non-sentient Puppet.

A large amount of Qi and Blood Power was consumed, and an unusual "Egg Pancake"—about ten meters long and shimmering with a purplish-red luster—appeared on the grass.

"SKREEE!!"

The All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm, copying Egg Pancake, manipulated the Puppet Dragon into letting out a great roar.

"Alright, Fei Lin, give it a try. See if you can form a contract with this Puppet Dragon and make it your mount."

Han Ning had two main concerns about Fei Lin forming a contract with a mount.

First, he didn’t know if this contract was as solemn an affair as a Soul Beast Contract, where the death of the contracted creature would impact the master.

Puppet Dragons didn’t have long lifespans like normal Soul Beasts; at most, they could survive for less than a month, making them consumables.

Second, there was the question of whether Fei Lin could even contract with a Puppet Dragon at all.

Hearing Han Ning’s instructions, Fei Lin first planted a firm kiss on Egg Pancake’s head before quickly running over to the Puppet Dragon. She reached out a delicate hand and placed it on the Puppet Dragon’s forehead.

She closed her eyes and mumbled a few strange syllables.

The next second, thick black smoke seeped from her fingertips and into the Puppet Dragon’s forehead.

Gradually, a peculiar black mark materialized on the Puppet Dragon’s forehead.

But... just as Han Ning felt the contract was on the verge of success...

The mark on the Puppet Dragon’s head suddenly began to distort violently before dissolving into wisps of black smoke that rose up and vanished completely.

"Eee..."

Fei Lin opened her eyes, a look of disappointment on her face.

’It failed... I guess you can’t abuse a bug...’

Han Ning shook his head, not particularly surprised.

The Puppet Dragon wasn’t truly a living being, let alone a Soul Beast. Strictly speaking, it was a clone of the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm. Trying to form a contract with it was probably like trying to contract with the silkworm itself. Failure was the expected outcome.

He had just wanted to give it a try. If it had worked, great; if not, he would just have to find a real mount for Fei Lin.

’Darkness or Undead... I’ll have to go to the Mist Deep Valley or some Abyss-like area. Only places like that would have those kinds of Soul Beasts.’

At this thought, an image appeared in his mind: Fei Lin, standing heroically atop the head of a giant Undead Dragon she was riding. That scene would be incredibly cool.

’Ahem... I’m getting ahead of myself. I should focus on finding a little Dark-Attribute pony for Fei Lin.’