Changing Star released the corpse and immediately pivoted toward the second wolf that had been flanking Kael, her movements fluid and purposeful. No hesitation, no uncertainty - pure predatory confidence.

"Impressive," Kojiro observed quietly from beside me. "Her combat instincts are exceptionally refined for something so young."

I nodded with satisfaction, watching as Changing Star coordinated with Kael to take down the remaining two wolves with efficient teamwork. Her draconic heritage was expressing itself beautifully - she was born for this, born to hunt and dominate through personal strength.

Within minutes, all three Wolves lay dead, and both Kael and Changing Star stood victorious without any injury.

"Good work," I called out. "That's just the warm-up. Ready for something more challenging?"

RAWR!

Changing Star's enthusiastic response made it clear she was just getting started.

After about an hour of systematically hunting Elite-rank prey - allowing both Kael and Changing Star to warm up properly and gain some soul power - we ventured deeper into the forest where more dangerous creatures resided.

Kojiro raised his hand in a silent halt signal, his experienced senses detecting something ahead.

"Transcendent presence," he reported quietly. "Single target, approximately two hundred meters northeast. Based on the aura signature, likely a Blaze Tiger."

I nodded, already sensing it myself through enhanced perception. Transcendent-rank beasts represented a significant step up in danger from Elite specimens - faster, stronger, more intelligent, and often possessing specialized abilities that made them genuinely threatening.

"Changing Star, Kael," I called both of them over. "There's a Transcendent beast ahead. This will be your primary target."

Kael's eyes widened with concern. "I'm only low-Elite rank. Transcendents are... that's beyond my current capabilities."

"Which is exactly why you need the experience," I said. "You're not fighting it alone. Changing Star is Transcendent rank herself, so she'll take point. Your role is support - use ice manipulation to create tactical advantages, restrict movement, exploit openings she creates. This battle will help you gain soul power and learn how to operate against stronger opponents."

He nodded slowly, understanding the training logic even if the prospect was intimidating.

I looked at Changing Star, who was already focused in the direction of the detected threat, her body language radiating readiness. "You'll lead this fight. Kael supports. Kojiro and I only intervene if you're in genuine danger of death. Understood?"

RAWR!

Her confident response suggested she had no doubt about her ability to handle this.

We approached carefully until the Blaze Tiger came into view - a magnificent creature roughly the size of a horse, with fur that seemed to flicker with internal flame and eyes that glowed like molten copper. Its Transcendent-rank aura pressed against the surroundings, creating that distinctive pressure that marked genuinely powerful beasts.

The moment it detected our presence, it roared a challenge that shook the forest around us.

ROOOAR!

Changing Star responded immediately by launching forward without hesitation, her smaller size somehow not diminishing the predatory menace she projected.

CLASH! ENGAGE! COMBAT!

What followed exceeded my expectations dramatically.

I'd anticipated that Changing Star, despite being Transcendent rank, would struggle due to her age and inexperience. She was barely over a week old, had never fought anything truly dangerous, and lacked the combat refinement that came from years of survival.

Instead, she fought like she'd been doing this for decades.

Her movements were instinctive perfection - dodging the Blaze Tiger's flame-enhanced strikes with minimal wasted motion, countering with claw swipes and frost breath that exploited every opening, positioning herself strategically to prevent the larger creature from using its size advantage effectively.

FREEZE! STRIKE! DOMINATE!

When the Blaze Tiger attempted to overwhelm her with a massive fire blast, Changing Star responded by releasing her own frost breath at full power. The collision of opposing elemental forces created an explosion of steam and ice shards that momentarily obscured the battlefield.

She emerged from the cloud already moving, launching herself at the momentarily disoriented tiger with claws extended.

SLASH! TEAR! PENETRATE!

Her talons raked across the tiger's flank, tearing through Transcendent-rank hide that should have been far more resistant. Dragon claws were apparently effective even at her young age.

Kael had positioned himself to support with ice manipulation, creating frozen patches on the ground to disrupt the tiger's footing and launching ice projectiles during openings. But honestly, his contribution was minimal - Changing Star was handling the fight almost entirely on her own.

The battle lasted approximately five minutes, which was remarkable given the rank parity. Changing Star's combination of draconic physical advantages, instinctive combat brilliance, and elemental frost abilities proved overwhelming against a creature that should have been her equal.

The finishing sequence came when she feinted a frontal assault, baited the Blaze Tiger into a fire-enhanced charge, then used her superior agility to dodge at the last instant and strike the exposed throat with both claws and frost breath simultaneously.

The Transcendent beast collapsed, its life essence fading as frost spread from the lethal throat wound.

Changing Star stood over her kill, breathing heavily but clearly triumphant. Her scales gleamed in the moonlight, and her eyes held predatory satisfaction that was purely draconic.

I stood there somewhat shocked. She was supposed to struggle, supposed to need support, supposed to show her inexperience. Instead, she'd demonstrated combat capability that rivalled experienced Transcendent-rank awakeners with years of training.

Kael looked equally stunned, staring at the young dragon with obvious disbelief.

"She's... super strong," he finally managed, his voice carrying genuine awe.

I nodded slowly, reassessing my understanding of Changing Star's current capabilities. "Yeah. She really is."

Her draconic heritage wasn't just providing physical advantages - it came with instinctive combat knowledge that bypassed the need for traditional learning. She understood how to fight at a fundamental level that humans spent years developing through practice and experience.

Mythical-rank bloodline advantage, I thought, watching as Changing Star began devouring parts of her kill with obvious satisfaction. Even as an infant, her baseline capabilities exceed what normal creatures achieve at similar ranks as adolescence.

Kojiro approached the scene, examining the defeated Blaze Tiger with professional assessment. "Her technique was remarkably refined. The feint-and-counter finishing sequence showed tactical thinking beyond what age would suggest possible."

Changing Star looked up from her meal, frost still coating her muzzle, and made a pleased chirping sound.

Chirp! Proud!

She knew she'd done well and wanted acknowledgment.

"Excellent work," I said genuinely, approaching to stroke her head. "You fought better than I expected. Much better."

Purr purr...

The adorable purring started immediately, her tail swishing with happiness despite being covered in blood and frost from the recent battle.

Kael recovered from his shock enough to speak again. "If she's this strong already... what's she going to be like when she's fully grown?"

That was an excellent question. If Changing Star was casually defeating Transcendent beasts at barely a week old, her potential once she reached maturity was almost frightening to contemplate.

And watching her devour a Transcendent beast like it was nothing more than a satisfying meal, I believed it completely.

After dealing with the Blaze Tiger and allowing Changing Star to consume her fill of the valuable Transcendent-rank meat, we continued deeper into the hunting grounds in search of additional prey.

I wanted to maximize soul power gains for both Changing Star and Kael while the night was still young, and Transcendent beasts - while dangerous - represented the most efficient advancement opportunities available in these forests.

Kojiro moved ahead as scout, his spectral nature allowing him to detect threats without revealing our position. After about twenty minutes of searching, he returned with an unusual report.

"Master, I've located another Transcendent presence. But... it's strange."

"Strange how?" I asked, immediately alert.

"It's a sloth. Transcendent-rank sloth."

I blinked in genuine surprise. "A sloth? Are you certain about the rank assessment?"

"Absolutely certain. The aura signature is unmistakably Transcendent level."

That was genuinely shocking. Sloths were typically Noble-rank beasts at best - slow-moving herbivores that relied on camouflage and minimal activity to avoid predators rather than combat capability. They possessed some defensive adaptations, but nothing that would normally allow advancement to Transcendent rank.

For one to reach that level represented a serious anomaly. Either it had consumed extraordinary resources, possessed unusual bloodline mutation, or had survived long enough through pure luck to accumulate sufficient soul power for rank advancement.

Regardless of how it happened, a Transcendent-rank sloth was genuinely powerful and potentially very dangerous despite its species' typically docile nature.

"I'll handle this one myself," I decided, wanting to assess its capabilities.

We approached carefully until the creature came into view - hanging from a massive tree branch about fifteen meters above the forest floor. It looked deceptively harmless, its fur mossy and overgrown with plant matter that provided natural camouflage. But the Transcendent aura was unmistakable, pressing against my senses with that distinctive pressure.

The moment we stepped into its awareness range, the sloth moved.

Not with the legendary slowness its species was known for, but with shocking speed that belied every stereotype about these creatures.

Massive claws that could tear through stone extended as it launched from the tree directly toward me, moving faster than many Elite-rank predators could manage.

But I was ready.

SLASH!

My sword left its sheath in one fluid motion, blood enhancement flooding my muscles with power as I met the charging beast head-on. I didn't bother with complex tactics or elaborate techniques - just pure swordsmanship refined through countless hours of practice and enhanced by supernatural physique.

The sloth's claws met my blade and were deflected aside with superior technique. I used its own momentum against it, redirecting the force while simultaneously positioning for the killing strike.

One clean strike severed the sloth's head from its body before it could recover from the deflected attack. The Transcendent beast fell dead before it even realized the fight was over, its body collapsing to the forest floor with a heavy thud.

Total combat duration took less than one minute.

[Transcendent-rank soul power absorbed]

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