Liu Yi's meditation continued late into the night.
Jinyao rolled off the sofa several times, and each time Ziyue scooped it back up with its tail.
After its training, Chiying flew back from the balcony, landed on the back of the sofa, glanced at Liu Yi, then closed its eyes, feigning sleep.
Ziyue lay on the armrest of the sofa, its two tails hanging down and gently swaying above Jinyao's head.
Jinyao, dizzy from the swaying tails, reached out a paw and grabbed one.
Ziyue's tail was caught and it didn't pull it back.
Jinyao hugged the tail, buried its face in it, and let out a muffled chirp. "Yanyan..."
Ziyue looked down at it, its purple eyes filled with helplessness.
But it didn't pull its tail away, letting Jinyao hold it.
Time passed, minute by minute.
Bored from waiting, Jinyao began counting the hairs on Ziyue's tail.
One, two, three... By the twenty-seventh hair, its eyelids began to droop.
Its paws slid off Ziyue's tail, and its head slowly dipped downwards.
Ziyue gently cradled its chin with its tail.
Jinyao groggily opened its eyes, Ziyue's furry face reflected in its gaze.
"Yanyan..."
It chirped, its voice soft and indistinct.
Ziyue didn't respond, only settling its tail more securely as a pillow.
Jinyao's eyelids closed again.
Chiying opened its eyes from the back of the sofa, glanced at the curled-up golden little lion on the sofa, then at Liu Yi.
Liu Yi still maintained her cross-legged posture, her breathing steady and deep.
Her brows were slightly furrowed, fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead, and she appeared to be under some kind of pressure.
Chiying's tail swayed gently.
It flew up from the back of the sofa, hovering beside Liu Yi, its gaze fixed on her profile.
It didn't chirp or touch her, simply hovered there quietly, like a silent shadow.
Ziyue also noticed Liu Yi's change.
It raised its head, a hint of worry flashing in its purple eyes.
But it didn't move, as Jinyao was still resting on its tail, and it feared waking the little lion that had finally fallen asleep.
The room was so quiet that only ambient sounds and Jinyao's occasional muffled whimpers in its sleep could be heard.
Time slowly flowed in the stillness.
Who knew how much time had passed.
Liu Yi's consciousness roamed along the boundaries of her Beast Taming Space.
Under her sustained focus, those white boundaries had become much softer than before.
No longer like rigid walls, they now resembled a translucent membrane, subtly indenting and expanding outwards with each touch of her consciousness.
She could feel something beyond the boundaries, like a compressed spring, gathering power to burst open.
Liu Yi did not retreat.
She concentrated all her consciousness into a single point and slammed it against the weakest part of that boundary.
The Beast Taming Space trembled violently.
White light burst forth from the cracks in the boundary, illuminating the entire space as if it were daytime.
The surface of the stone platform pool churned violently, and colorful light intertwined with the white light.
In the pet room, Ziyue's and Chiying's auras resonated strongly with her consciousness at that moment.
That resonance wasn't intentional, but a natural energy resonance as the Beast Taming Space expanded.
It was light.
The entire Beast Taming Space glowed, with white light pouring from the cracks in the boundaries.
The light flowed, intertwined, and merged within the space, transforming the originally pure white space into a brilliant sea of light.
Liu Yi's consciousness was swallowed by that sea of light.
She felt herself sinking.
Like sinking into the deep sea, like sinking into the starry sky.
Light flowed around her, like a warm ocean current, enveloping her consciousness and carrying her deeper.
Who knew how much time had passed.
The light gradually receded.
Liu Yi's consciousness resurfaced.
She opened her eyes.
The Beast Taming Space had changed.
The boundaries had expanded significantly, and the space, which originally only had two pet rooms, now had an additional empty room.
Liu Yi stood in the center of the space, looking around.
The stone platform pool was still in its old spot, its water shimmering with colorful light.
The portable incubator lay quietly in the corner, its shell still retaining the warmth from the white light's earlier flash.
30%, a new contract slot.
She did it.
Liu Yi withdrew her consciousness from the Beast Taming Space.
The moment she opened her eyes, she saw Chiying.
Chiying was hovering before her, its crimson eyes close by. It didn't chirp or move, simply watched her quietly.
Liu Yi met its crimson gaze for a second, then reached out and gently stroked Chiying's dragon manes.
"I broke through," she said, her voice a little hoarse.
Chiying's tail gently dipped.
Liu Yi turned to her right.
Jinyao was still holding Ziyue's tail, its face buried in the fluffy fur, sleeping soundly.
Ziyue lay on the armrest of the sofa, its two tails hanging down—one held by Jinyao, the other gently swaying in the air.
Liu Yi let out a soft breath.
She reached out and rubbed Jinyao's head.
Jinyao was startled awake by her touch, groggily lifted its head, its golden eyes still heavy with sleep.
"Yanyan?"
Liu Yi looked down at it, the corner of her mouth curving upwards slightly.
"I broke through."
Jinyao blinked, still not fully comprehending.
"Beast Taming Space development progress, 30%," Liu Yi said. "A new contract slot is available."
Jinyao's eyes snapped open.
"Yanyan?!"
It sprang from the sofa, its entire body taut, golden eyes wide with disbelief.
Really?!
"Really," Liu Yi nodded.
"Yanyan! Yanyan!"
Jinyao's voice grew increasingly excited, its tail wagging frantically behind it.
Now! Contract now!
Liu Yi chuckled softly, seeing its impatient eagerness.
"Now."
She stood up from the sofa and walked to the open space in the center of the room. Jinyao immediately jumped off the sofa, its four short legs scurrying so fast that it almost slipped when it reached Liu Yi's feet.
It looked up, Liu Yi's face reflected in its golden eyes, its tail wagging like a small fan behind it.
"Yanyan!"
I'm ready!
Liu Yi crouched down, meeting Jinyao's gaze.
"Jinyao," she began, her voice gentle yet solemn, "will you contract with me?"
Jinyao didn't hesitate.
It took a step forward and pressed its forehead against Liu Yi's.
"Yanyan."
Yes.
The light of the contract ignited beneath Liu Yi's feet.
The light spread from beneath her, forming a complex magic circle on the carpet in the center of the room.
Golden-red patterns, like burning flames, flowed and intertwined within the magic circle, bathing the entire room in a warm sea of light.
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