Chapter 4: Snow

After three days of effort, Connor finally stood firm under the waterfall. By the ninth day, he reached the center of the waterfall, enduring the powerful torrents crashing against him. The waterfall endlessly cascaded down. It pounded heavily on Connor, causing his body to sway. The relentless pounding turned his back red, a testament to the strain. Connor gritted his teeth, determined to hold on. Thinking of his comatose father, he was more perseverant. His nearly faltering willpower reignited. He clenched his fists and tensed every muscle, determined to withstand the relentless force. Three more minutes passed. Connor felt his legs grow sore, his back ache unbearably, and his head swell slightly. A sound reached his ears. Connor turned to see a white spirit beast giving him a disdainful look. The white spirit beast was a low-ranking magical creature without actual combat or magical abilities. It relied only on its claws for feeble attacks. Yet, the creature was the very one that spurred Connor on. It first appeared five days ago when Connor had just steadied himself on the slippery rocks, barely able to withstand the waterfall's force. It looked like a small lion or a white tiger, unafraid of him and mimicking a human's gesture of encouragement. It made Connor laugh so hard that he fell off. Over time, the white spirit beast's human-like expressions grew more vivid and varied. Especially when Connor was on the brink of giving up, the beast's "contemptuous" look filled him with frustration and amusement. He was annoyed to be scorned by such a small creature, yet he laughed at how this supposedly dim-witted, timid white spirit beast could have such expressive and lively emotions. It was truly adorable. "Snow, I'll... hang in there," Connor muttered, enduring the aching and fatigue, resisting the terrifying force. Snow was the name Connor gave to the white spirit beast. Snow pouted, casting a sidelong glance with an expression that doubted Connor's words. A flash of determination crossed Connor's eyes. He persevered with all his might. Though only fifteen, he had matured beyond his years due to being mocked as a freak and his father's three-year-long coma. However, his unyielding spirit only grew stronger over time. Despite his inability to cultivate battle energy for nearly ten years, his spirit enabled him to persist. Even an adult would find it hard to keep going for a decade without progress. This was Connor's nature—never to admit defeat. "Keep going! Keep pushing! Never give up!" Connor fiercely urged himself. Gradually, he felt the soreness, swelling, and pain rapidly dissipate. A very faint energy arose from the depths of his core nexus. The energy was subtle, yet it flowed persistently, starting from the core nexus and circulating through the body's meridians. Snow's eyes widened suddenly, staring at Connor. It quickly covered its mouth with its little paws, as if afraid Connor would notice, before resuming its previous demeanor. "I have battle energy!" Connor shouted in wild excitement. He had cultivated battle energy. In his ecstasy, the waterfall's torrent knocked Connor back into the water, sweeping him over a hundred meters downstream before he resurfaced. "Haha, I've got battle energy now!" Connor laughed heartily. He crawled out of the river, jumping and dancing for five minutes before collapsing on the ground, gasping for air, his face still lit with a joyful grin. To Connor, battle energy had once seemed so distant, yet now it was a tangible reality. Who could understand the depression and pain of nearly ten years of mockery and ridicule? Tears welled up in Connor's eyes. "Father, I promise I'll succeed!" Connor vowed resolutely, sitting up. As he calmed down, another question crossed his mind. How was he able to cultivate battle energy? Connor couldn't believe it if it was due to the Divine Thunder physique technique. Although this technique was known for its rapid enhancement of battle energy, it was primarily a physique training method. Even if it could resolve his inability to cultivate battle energy, it wouldn't be through something as simple as waterfall impact training. There was only one reason—the tri-colored sphere. The mysterious sphere he had obtained by chance had first transformed his strength. It later allowed him to activate the Divine Thunder physique technique scroll, absorbing lightning. Now, it had enabled him to cultivate battle energy. What on earth was this tri-colored sphere? Connor pondered for a while but couldn't come up with an answer. He and Quentin had scoured countless books to solve the problem of his inability to cultivate battle energy. Regarding knowledge, Connor dared to compete with the most erudite literary masters. However, he had never come across anything about the tri-colored sphere. "Is it an alchemist's concocted elixir?" Connor shook his head. Though alchemists were extremely rare across the continent, Lanshire City had a unique presence— Whitney Spencer, a renowned beauty and alchemist. Whitney had been treating Quentin. As a result, Connor had some understanding of alchemy. He had never heard of an elixir that could dissolve upon touching the lips and flow into the body like a gas, with some part spreading throughout the body and another gathering at the chest. The sphere was vastly different from typical elixirs. No matter how much he thought about it, Connor couldn't find an answer. Snow tugged at Connor's clothes, patting its little belly with a look of hunger. Connor rolled his eyes, saying, "I knew you came for food again." He handed over some snacks to Snow. "Eat up." Seemingly angered by Connor's words, Snow tossed the snacks into the river. The rushing water quickly swept the snacks out of sight. Snow put its little paws on its hips, complaining loudly. Connor was speechless. Snow had quite the attitude, more like a mighty tiger king than a timid spirit beast. "Fine, I'm in a good mood today. I won't argue with you. I'll catch some fire rabbits for us to eat." Connor pinched Snow's adorable ears and headed into the nearby forest. Only after Connor left did Snow appear satisfied. Before long, Connor returned with two fire rabbits. He set up a stand, gathered some dry wood, and took out a fire starter. Although battle energy was popular on the Aetheris, only magical beasts could use magic. Humans couldn't cultivate it. Snow pushed Connor aside and let out a call. Whoosh! A flame tongue shot from its mouth, igniting the dry wood. Connor plopped down in shock, unable to believe what he had just witnessed. Snow could conjure fire magic. He was more astonished than when he had cultivated battle energy. White spirit beasts were known not to possess magic, relying only on their claws and teeth, which were quite ordinary. Some even suggested removing white spirit beasts from the magical beast category and treating them as wild animals. Yet Snow could breathe fire. Connor rubbed his eyes hard. Today seemed like a miraculous day for him. Not only had he cultivated battle energy, but Snow could also perform magic. Snow gazed at Connor with a smug expression, then did something that left Connor gaping. It pointed its little paw at the fire. Whoosh! A gentle breeze fanned the flames, making them blaze more fiercely. "Wind magic!" Connor was flabbergasted. Snow pouted, held its head high, and struck a pose with its little paw clenched in a fist, while the other paw patted its muscles, showing its strength. Seeing Snow's antics, Connor burst into laughter. How could a white spirit beast be this clever? It was known that a magical beast's intelligence correlated with its level, but Snow defied the rule. Snow was a one-of-a-kind, mutated marvel.