Their species had an extremely peculiar way of reproducing. Whether they could have offspring or not depended entirely on Luck.
This meant that no matter how hard they tried, they never even knew which direction to strive toward.
Over time, their entire race was on the verge of extinction in this world.
But now...
He—
The glorious and mighty hero of the Lava Clan—
He had actually sired a child!
If the elders ever heard about this, they might just explode with excitement.
Of course, it was precisely because he had conceived this child that he hadn't gained any strength in all this time. Every ounce of energy he had accumulated over the past thousand years had been poured into this egg.
His child, as a super spirit beast, would be born directly at the Divine Transformation stage. After absorbing the latent energy within the egg, the child would reach the Unity stage in short order.
That was the difference between a super spirit beast and a normal one.
"So this egg really is yours?" Tian Po Sword and An Tong both leaned in curiously.
The massive dragon lifted his chin proudly.
None of his kin had ever accomplished this. He truly was a one-of-a-kind Lava Dragon.
"From now on, I'll carry my little darling with me at all times, nourishing him slowly with my spiritual energy. When he hatches, I'll keep him by my side and teach him everything I know. The two of us—father and son—will be inseparable. I swear, I'll be the best father in the world." The Lava Dragon rambled on, voice full of resolve.
Just as he was talking—
Suddenly.
The egg in his palm gave a little bounce.
The Lava Dragon froze, then broke into a wide smile. "Look at that! So full of life already."
And then...
It bounced again.
The Lava Dragon's grin grew even brighter.
The egg kept hopping around, testing different angles, until finally—
With a sudden burst of strength, it sprang high into the air as if a spring had been coiled beneath it.
The dragon panicked. "Baby!"
He lunged to catch it.
But in the blink of an eye—
The egg landed squarely in Yun Jin's arms.
It seemed quite pleased with its new surroundings. It even shifted slightly, snuggling in deeper, curling up as if it had found its home.
The Lava Dragon looked a little sheepish. "Young Master, look..."
Yun Jin had no intention of stealing someone's child. She immediately held the egg out to return it.
The dragon reached to take it—
And suddenly—
The egg flared up in flames.
The Lava Dragon recoiled, scorched slightly.
Granted, the flames weren't strong enough to cause real damage, but the dragon was emotionally devastated.
This was his child.
A child he had fought tooth and claw to bring into the world.
And now...
It was burning him?
Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
He reached out again.
Fwoosh.
The flames burst out once more.
He pulled back instinctively, and the flames vanished.
After repeating the process a few more times, he was forced to accept the truth—
This egg was deliberately targeting him.
The realization struck him like a thunderbolt. His entire being sagged under the weight of it. He looked like he was on the verge of tears.
The egg turned again and nestled even more comfortably into Yun Jin's arms.
An Tong and Tian Po Sword couldn't help but snicker.
"Looks like your kid doesn't like you very much."
"Seems Young Master is simply too charming."
The Lava Dragon gritted his teeth. "This is just a fluke! A complete accident!"
He refused to believe his own child didn't like him.
Once more, he reached for the egg. This time, he powered through the flames and yanked it back.
But the moment the egg left Yun Jin's arms, it began squirming and bouncing restlessly.
It was just an egg—yet somehow everyone could see the reluctant expression on its nonexistent face.
The Lava Dragon's composure crumbled. His voice trembled. "Baby, I'm your father!"
The egg ignored him entirely, straining toward Yun Jin with great effort.
The dragon hesitated, loosened his grip, and the egg immediately launched itself back into Yun Jin's embrace. It wriggled until it found a comfortable position and settled in contentedly.
Yun Jin looked a little awkward. She cleared her throat. "Senior, this…"
The Lava Dragon stared at the egg for a long moment before his face collapsed into grief.
"Young Master, my child seems to really like you. If it's not too much trouble... would you mind looking after it for a while? It won't get in your way. It's already absorbed my thousand years of spiritual energy—it can protect itself just fine."
He said this, but his heart was breaking.
He had poured his entire soul into this egg, only to be tossed aside like garbage.
This… this was a true tragedy in the mortal world.
As he spoke, the egg happily rolled around in Yun Jin's arms.
Yun Jin couldn't help finding the egg rather amusing.
She reached out and stroked it gently. "If you're truly willing, Senior, I'd be more than happy to take care of it."
"Willing, more than willing." The Lava Dragon looked like he was about to cry.
He shared a mental link with the egg.
Earlier, this little brat had even threatened him—if it couldn't follow Yun Jin, it would rather die on the spot.
What else could he do?
"Your kid really seems to like Young Master. Once it hatches, it'll make a great third contracted beast," Tian Po Sword said with a cheerful glint in his voice.
A Lava Dragon—this was a super spirit beast.
Young Master just happened to be lacking one. Not bad at all.
But the Lava Dragon's eyes went wide. "No! Absolutely not! That won't do. Our race has never acknowledged a human as master."
He might have addressed Tian Po Sword and the others as "Master," but there had never been an official contract between him and the Wushuang Sect's Sage. That was why, even after the Sage fell, he felt nothing.
No sooner had he spoken—
The rebellious egg suddenly sprang up again.
It bounced, making some strange, indecipherable noises.
No one else understood.
But the Lava Dragon's face turned darker with each sound.
He clenched his jaw. "You! You wouldn't dare!"
The egg bounced a few more times. Then, two tiny claws popped out of its shell.
One claw carefully pricked Yun Jin's finger.
A drop of blood fell and was immediately absorbed into the egg.
Then a strange, ancient hum began to echo from within, as if some primordial ritual were taking place.
Yun Jin blinked and looked innocently at the Lava Dragon. "Senior? What's happening? I didn't do anything."
The Lava Dragon's lips quivered.
He wished he didn't know either.
This unfilial child. Utterly rebellious.
Soon, the humming faded.
Yun Jin could feel it—there was now a faint, mystical connection between her and the egg.
It had claimed the third beastmaster space she'd just opened. Once it hatched, it would live there.
She looked over at the Lava Dragon, genuinely apologetic.
This situation had really spiraled out of control.
She was looking for a new spirit beast, yes—but she hadn't meant to steal someone's kid.
Still, what was done was done.
Yun Jin cleared her throat again and said gently, "Senior, don't worry. I'll take good care of it."
The Lava Dragon still wore a mourning expression.
"Lao Huo, what's with the face?" Tian Po Sword grinned. "Our Young Master is destined for greatness. Your son is lucky to be following her. Who knows what kind of fortune awaits him?"
The Lava Dragon glared at him.
If this had been Tian Po Sword's child, he wouldn't be so calm either.
Then again... a sword couldn't have a child.
"It's not a big problem. Think about it—at least he's with Young Master, not some stranger. Besides, you're the Wushuang Sect's spirit beast. It's your duty to protect the disciples of the sect. If you protect her well, your child will grow up strong too," An Tong added.
The Lava Dragon was sure of one thing—
These two were absolutely enjoying his misery.
But what could he do?