My name is Nuobai. I transmigrated into a cat — a cat that can grow stronger by betraying its master.
Unfortunately, I don’t know that yet. Right now, I’m just distressed because I can’t seem to enter the Juvenile Phase.
……
In the Beast Continent, within Dragon Sleep City.
The usually quiet Beast Center was currently a cacophony of noise.
A crowd of teenage boys and girls surrounded the Growth Platform, their faces flushed with anticipation.
They muttered prayers under their breaths, their eyes fixed intently on the scene before them.
Today was the weekly growth ceremony. After this ritual, their contracted partners would step into the Juvenile Phase, marking the true beginning of their careers as Beast Tamers.
The light faded, and amidst the successful blue glows, a sudden flash of red appeared.
A growth failure?
The onlookers were stunned. It was almost unheard of to fail the transition into the Juvenile Phase.
Among the Growth Five Stages — the Cub, Juvenile, Youth, Adult, and Prime phases — no one had ever heard of a failure occurring at the Juvenile stage.
“Whose beast is that?”
“That’s ridiculous. Was it born with a disability?”
On the Growth Platform, a palm-sized Snow Joy Cat with pure white fur and heterochromatic eyes sat with its ears drooping.
‘Another failure…’
Nuobai didn’t understand. Every indicator clearly met the standards for entering the Juvenile Phase. Why did she keep failing? Where exactly was the problem?
In fact, this wasn’t her first failure. For the past six months, she had successfully absorbed energy every single time, yet there wasn’t a single sign of growth.
Her dark red and bright gold vertical pupils were filled with bitterness as she pondered her situation.
‘I can only reach Level 1 after entering the Juvenile Phase. I can’t advance if I’m stuck in the Cub Phase. Do I really have to wait for natural growth?’
‘No, that takes far too long. I can’t wait that long. I’ve had enough of this kitten’s body!’
‘I must become a Level 6 Beast King and regain my human form!’
According to the information Nuobai had gathered, the natural growth period for beasts on this continent was very long.
However, once they signed a contract with a human, they could use the power of the contract to grow rapidly, reaching unprecedented heights.
Every time a beast leveled up, it would also provide feedback to the Beast Tamer. It was a mutually beneficial relationship.
Under these rules, humans and beasts had established very friendly bonds.
Modern beast duels were incredibly popular across the continent.
Everyone dreamed of becoming a star fighter, battling across the land to earn fame, fortune, and prizes, which could then be used to help their partners grow even faster.
The first step to participating in matches was entering the Juvenile Phase to gain Level 1 eligibility.
Thinking of this, Nuobai’s tail, curled around her paws, tightened slightly.
As the surrounding light completely dissipated, people began to point and whisper.
“This is the first time I’ve seen a beast that can’t even reach the Juvenile Phase. Isn’t that supposed to be the easy part?”
“You’re telling me. It looks pretty, but who knew it was a waste?”
“I think that’s a Snow Joy Cat. She comes here every week!”
“Ha! So she’s a professional loser?”
“This is just too useless. Green Insect, you better not learn from her!”
Doubt and mockery surrounded Nuobai. Her snow-white fur looked almost gray in the reflection of the lights as she sat there alone.
A circle of empty space formed around her; the other beasts avoided her, staring at the anomaly with curiosity.
Qin Nian walked over and took in the scene. She removed her glasses, her tone laced with heavy dissatisfaction.
“Nuobai, where is Long Qianwu? She didn’t come again!”
‘Aunt Qin.’
Nuobai didn’t answer. Seeing the Snowflake Piece in the woman’s hand, saliva began to secrete in her mouth.
A Snow Joy Cat couldn’t resist a Snowflake Piece. For a moment, all her troubles were pushed to the back of her mind.
It wasn’t like this was the first or second time she had failed, anyway.
She couldn’t let Aunt Qin see her looking depressed, or the woman would definitely drag her back home.
Nuobai bit into a piece, feeling the icy-cool sensation in her mouth. Her eyes squinted, and she instantly looked more lively.
Qin Nian picked her up. Seeing the cat’s gluttonous expression, her heart ached with pity, and she cradled the cat in her arms as they left.
Qin Nian had watched Nuobai since she was born. The kitten had been extremely energetic, climbing and jumping everywhere.
That jerk Long Qianwu had tricked Nuobai into fighting in survival matches and now had the nerve to ignore her. She was a total scumbag.
This little one was a fool too. A perfectly good endangered Ornamental Species, yet she insisted on all the fighting and killing.
Annoyed, Qin Nian leaned down and took a deep breath of the cat’s head. It was so fluffy. In the middle of summer, a huff of a kitten’s head felt amazing!
Suddenly attacked, the Snowflake Piece dropped from Nuobai’s mouth. Her limbs kicked weakly at the air as her eyes rolled back, looking as if her soul had been sucked out.
After a long while, Qin Nian’s frustration cooled, and she released the cat. Nuobai looked like she had lost all hope in life.
Nuobai felt a bit guilty toward Qin Nian. She could have dodged just now, but she had chosen to stay still.
In a sense, Qin Nian was the first person she had seen upon transmigrating to this world; she was like a mother to her.
The only problem was that Aunt Qin was good in every way except for her refusal to let Nuobai fight.
Qin Nian wiped some suspicious fluid from the corner of her mouth and regained her serious composure.
“Nuobai, think about it. Come back to the breeding center.”
Nuobai shook her head, tossing away the saliva clinging to her fur. Her face was full of resistance. “I don’t want to!”
Go back and be a decorative pet? She would rather die out there. She had been a man before transmigrating — how could she live a life relying on acting cute and acting spoiled?
If she didn’t have resources from competitions to grow, then given the natural growth cycle of a Snow Joy Cat, the rest of her life would be visibly dark.
She would be a cat forever, and that was something she absolutely could not accept.
“Long Qianwu stopped caring about you a long time ago. Surely you aren’t still holding out hope for her?”
Qin Nian suspected the cat had been brainwashed. She reached out to pet the cat’s belly, but Nuobai flinched and flipped away.
“Aunt Qin, it’s just a business relationship between her and me.”
“I win championships for her, and she provides the environment for me to advance.”
Qin Nian tapped the table. Nuobai hesitated for a moment before obediently lying down in her palm, letting the woman rub her small head with a finger.
“Yes, yes, you’re amazing, Miracle Cat.”
“Winning last year’s survival competition as an Ornamental Species cub — that was a first in the history of beast taming.”
“But Nuobai, the Snow Joy Cat is an Ornamental Species after all. Your ceiling is Level 3 at the Adult Phase.”
Upon hearing this, Nuobai’s eyes dimmed. She looked up at a trophy on the wall, carved in the shape of a cat with one red eye and one gold eye. It was exactly like her.
The scene of her becoming the champion and showing off to Aunt Qin felt as if it had happened only yesterday.
Ornamental Species referred to beasts that were gentle and lacked combat power but had beautiful appearances or flashy skills.
The Snow Joy Cat was a creature that fed on ice and snow, named after its unique racial talent, Snow Joy.
It had three initial skills. Constant Temperature Physique: it was immune to heat and cold, staying warm in winter and cool in summer.
Snow Eater: a recovery skill that healed wounds and restored physical strength by eating snow.
Snow Joy: a skill that provided buffs and protection in snowy environments.
It was the only skill remotely related to combat, yet a Snow Joy Cat couldn’t even create its own snow.
No matter how one looked at it, this creature was simply not meant for fighting.
However, Nuobai had taught herself the skills Sharp Claw and Silent Step, training them to the perfection level.
In last year’s City Survival Competition, she had endured until the very end to take the championship. For a time, her fame was unmatched.
She had thought she could use that momentum to become a Beast King and break the Three-Stage Curse.
She never expected to get stuck in the Cub Phase, unable to even reach the Juvenile stage.
The first time she failed, everyone comforted her. But then she failed again… and again.
Voices of doubt slowly began to surround her, and her master, Long Qianwu, never accompanied her again.
After a brief moment of gloom, Nuobai jumped onto the table, standing tall with a firm gaze.
Her crisp voice rang out, “Aunt Qin, being behind for a moment doesn’t mean anything.”
“Maybe I’m just a late bloomer?”
‘A late bloomer? You’re a dummy who isn’t even Level 1 yet. Where is this “late bloom” coming from?’
Seeing Nuobai so full of confidence, Qin Nian didn’t have the heart to discourage her further.
“Just give my suggestion some thought. Long Qianwu only cares about profit. She isn’t a good person.”
Nuobai licked her paw. “Aunt Qin, if I really can’t make it out there, I’ll definitely come back to find you.”
“You little rascal.”
Qin Nian teased her by poking her head before picking up another Snowflake Piece.
Once she was full, Nuobai bid farewell to Qin Nian and began her walk home.
The sky was gloomy, hiding the sun and making the air feel heavy. It looked like it was about to rain.
Nuobai extended her claws, silently gripping the wall. With an agile leap, she disappeared over the top of the fence.
👀👀👀