"Uh, are you saying you want to become my contract beast?"

Zhang Yiyi finally showed a hint of interest as she examined the furball from head to toe.

But soon after, she shook her head and said, "No, your temper is too bad. I think my first contract beast should be a divine beast. Fierce beasts like you are too troublesome."

Her words and expression showed clear disdain, without any attempt to hide it. Zhang Yiyi's statement was half-joking.

Naturally, she wasn't entirely serious about not contracting with the furball, but she thought that since she had a congenital divine body and was naturally favored by divine beasts, it wouldn't be a bad idea to find a divine beast as a spirit pet in the future.

"What did you just say? When did I ever say I wanted to be your contract beast?"

The furball, enraged, pointed at Zhang Yiyi with its paw and shouted, "And you even dare to look down on me, comparing us fierce beasts to divine beasts!"

"Huh? So you're not interested? My mistake then. No worries, I'll be on my way."

Zhang Yiyi's indifferent demeanor seemed to say, "Yeah, I'm looking down on you, so what? If you have the guts, go ahead and hit me."

Tsk, tsk. Can't hit me, and can't beat me either. Just getting angry—what's the point?

Seeing that Zhang Yiyi really was about to leave in disgust, the furball's heart sank.

Fine, let's do the contract. At the critical moment, the furball lowered its bottom line to the lowest level.

After all, its ancestors had already been contracted beasts for the ancient gods, so having one more in its lineage wouldn't be too shameful.

Besides, it was doing this to find a way back home, for the continuation and revival of the spatial thunder beast race. It was enduring this humiliation for the greater good and had no other choice...

"I agree to be your contract beast!"

After giving itself countless justifications, the furball finally set aside the last bit of its pride as the king of fierce beasts in the face of its overwhelming desire.

It had to admit, its remaining pride was worth less than nothing in front of this infuriating female cultivator.

"Uh... actually, never mind. I can see you're doing this unwillingly. It's like I'm forcing you into it."

Zhang Yiyi still didn't agree, but her tone softened a bit as if she was in a tough spot. "Though I am starting to feel a little sorry for you... if my master finds out that I've taken on another burden, he'll surely scold me to no end."

"I'm not unwilling! I'm sincerely hoping to become your contract beast and follow you! Please fulfill my wish and let me become your contract beast!"

The furball was nearly driven mad. It had never imagined that one day, as the descendant of a king beast, it would be begging someone to take it as their contract beast.

It felt miserable, like crying, but it absolutely couldn't show any hint of displeasure or reluctance.

What a terrible day. The furball silently cursed every word it knew, but in the end, it still had to shamelessly beg the female cultivator to show a little more sympathy and agree to take it in.

"Oh, really..."

After a long while of internal conflict, Zhang Yiyi finally relented. "Since you've said as much, I can't be too heartless. I'll take a risk and contract with you. But let's get one thing straight first: if you act up or cause trouble after the contract, I'll break it anytime and leave you behind, got it?"

"Okay, okay, I'll listen to everything you say!"

Finally getting the answer it wanted, the furball breathed a sigh of relief, almost moved to tears.

Fine, fine. It had completely given up trying to argue with this female cultivator.

A deal made out of desperation truly holds no power. Now that she had finally changed her mind and was willing to contract it, the furball could only accept it without further complaints.

Seeing that the moment was right and everything was in place, Zhang Yiyi no longer teased the furball.

She searched her inherited memory from the ancient gods for an ancient contract ritual, then casually deactivated the defensive barrier around her.

"Furball, you fierce beasts live for so long that I don't want to be unfair to you, so we'll skip the life-and-death contract."

Zhang Yiyi looked at the young fierce beast before her and earnestly suggested, "Actually, given our situation, an equal contract would be the best choice, as it's the easiest to dissolve at any time. But the problem is that an equal contract wouldn't restrict you enough. If you lose your temper and start killing randomly, I won't be able to control you, and that would cause a lot of trouble.

"So, let's make a master-servant contract instead. It'll provide just the right amount of restraint. But don't worry. Once you become my contract beast, you'll be my closest companion, not a servant or a pet!"

Zhang Yiyi's last sentence was completely sincere.

After all, any sentient being was no different from a human. She, too, wanted to be treated with respect and equality. Who would willingly become a servant or a pet?

The furball was genuinely moved by her heartfelt and reasonable words.

It had already braced itself for the worst, thinking it would be forced into a life-and-death contract with this female cultivator. But it hadn't expected her to be so considerate, even proposing a master-servant contract instead.

Moreover, if it weren't for the concern that its fierce nature might lead to uncontrollable chaos, she would have preferred an equal contract!

The furball felt a wave of relief wash over it. Despite its small size, it had the bloodline of a king beast, and its innate pride would not tolerate being trampled upon.

Yet this female cultivator sincerely saw it as a partner, not a servant, nor a mere pet. That alone made it willing to truly accept this future companion.

"A master-servant contract it is, then. I've already said, I'll listen to you!"

The furball raised its little head proudly and nodded in agreement, its fierce beast pride showing in its stubborn expression. But the tips of its ears, hidden under its thick fur, turned slightly red.

The furball thought it had hidden this well, but Zhang Yiyi had already noticed.

With the furball's resistance to her completely gone, Zhang Yiyi began the process of sealing the contract.

An ancient chant flowed softly from her lips, solemn and sacred. As the chant resonated, a drop of blood from each of them floated into the air, merging together before splitting and returning to their respective bodies.

Once the contract was complete, Zhang Yiyi immediately felt a special connection within her, corresponding to the furball, now her contract beast.

Similarly, the furball also felt an inexplicable sense of closeness and submission toward Zhang Yiyi.

Knowing this was the result of the contract, the furball didn't mind. After all, it no longer resented Zhang Yiyi before the contract was even sealed.