Lin Mu placed his hand on Little Shrubby’s side, his palm sinking slightly into the beast’s fur.

Sparks crackled faintly, lightning threads still coiled along the creature’s legs. His Immortal sense flowed into the beast’s body, probing with careful precision. The first thing he noticed was the dense whirlpool of qi rotating in the beast’s Dantian.

There was attribute less neutral qi composing of about forty percent of the total volume, fire elemental qi taking about twenty five percent, wood elemental qi taking another twenty five percent and finally, the new lightning elemental qi taking the smallest ten percent of the volume.

Not only was the amount of qi was higher, it was also far stronger than before, compared to the level of an Immortal Beast at the third stage.

A smile touched Lin Mu’s lips. "Third stage already. That is good."

Little Shrubby rumbled softly, the sound vibrating through his chest.

"I’ll try to be at least half as strong as you." Little Shrubby spoke.

His golden eyes gleamed with pride, but there was also a restless fire in them, as if the beast longed to test himself further.

Lin Mu nodded, stroking his head once before stepping back.

He recalled clearly how terrifying Little Shrubby’s strength had been even before this advancement. At the second stage, the beast’s combination of raw power and blistering speed had been enough to overwhelm opponents as strong as the fifth tribulation stage of the Immortal Realm. Those who underestimated him had paid dearly for it.

Of course, there had been limits.

A direct clash with experts far beyond his realm would not end well. Yet what saved Little Shrubby time and again was his speed. Even cultivators who stood at the seventh tribulation stage would struggle to catch him without resorting to top tier movement arts or spatial teleportation.

Lin Mu himself had once tried to match his companion purely through teleportation, but he was not confident he could outpace him in a straight race.Now, as he looked at the lightning arcs swirling lazily around the beast’s body, he could only wonder.

Just how fast had Little Shrubby become?

He stepped back further and met the beast’s eager eyes. "Show me," Lin Mu said. His voice was calm, yet there was a faint anticipation in it.

Little Shrubby’s ears perked up. His claws dug into the soil, muscles tensing as energy surged within him. He licked his lips as if savoring the challenge.

Lin Mu gave only a single word. "Run."

The effect was immediate.

RUMBLE

A flash burst across the valley, blindingly bright for an instant. To the average person, it would have looked as if a bolt of lightning had leapt across the ground and vanished in the distance. But Lin Mu’s eyes were keener than most, and what he saw made him draw in a sharp breath.

What seemed like lightning was merely the afterimage. The real form was a streak of red and blue light, weaving seamlessly across the land. In a mere five seconds, Little Shrubby had crossed beyond the horizon, his presence flickering out of range.

Lin Mu closed his eyes briefly, calculating the distance traveled against the time elapsed.

When his eyes opened again, they shone with astonishment. "Over a thousand kilometers per hour," he whispered.

Before, Little Shrubby’s normal running speed hovered around three to four hundred kilometers per hour. When he strained himself for short bursts, he could hit six hundred. But now he had nearly doubled that limit, and it did not look as though he was even exhausting himself.

The thought led to more questions.

How long could the beast maintain such a speed before fatigue forced him to slow?

What distances could he now cover if he chose to run at full force without pause?

And what of the Seven Beasts Burst, his innate bloodline skill?

Lin Mu frowned slightly.

That ability had always been a trump card, multiplying Little Shrubby’s power by several times. Yet its cost was severe. Using it forced the beast into a dormant state afterward, leaving him vulnerable until recovery, which could take years at a time.

Because of that, Little Shrubby had not used it in many years. Still, Lin Mu could not help but wonder what would happen if he unleashed it now, with his new strength and lightning inheritance.

His musings were interrupted as a streak of red and blue light reappeared in the distance. Within moments, Little Shrubby skidded to a halt before him, sparks dancing around his paws as the energy settled back into calm. His eyes glowed brightly, filled with exhilaration.

The beast lowered his head and gave a proud growl, chest swelling as though to ask, "How was that?"

Lin Mu laughed quietly. "You did well. I am proud of you."

The twins slithered forward, their eyes wide.

Xiao Yang flicked his tongue, excitement written on his white scales. "Big brother is incredible! You were gone and back before I could even blink."

Xiao Yin, more composed, inclined her black head. "You are truly stronger now. Your bloodline has grown."

The twins were beasts with great bloodline. Great enough that it could suppress other beasts with mere bloodline pressure. As such, they were highly sensitive to Little Shrubby’s power now.

The praise made Little Shrubby puff up even more, tail swishing as arcs of lightning snapped around him.

"Of course, I have to be the big brother. I can’t lag behind you two." He said proudly.

Then the twins looked at each other and grinned as well as serpents could.

In unison, they cried, "Let us ride!"

Little Shrubby gave a rumble of agreement and lowered his massive body, inviting them.

"Hop on!"

Lin Mu raised an eyebrow but did not object. He climbed onto the beast’s broad back, settling comfortably between the twin snakes as they coiled on either side, gripping the harness.

"Very well," Lin Mu said. "Show us."

Little Shrubby’s muscles coiled, then he launched forward.

RUMBLE WHOOSH

The world blurred instantly.