Sunlight filtered through the canopy as Su Yun stirred awake, his iron-clad hide glinting. Despite devouring an entire wolf pack, his belly remained flat—**Inner Cosmos** had compressed the feast into pure energy. He pulled up his status panel with a mental flick:
**Species**: Iron Bull (1/40)
**Realm**: Early-stage Warbeast (9/40)
**Achievements**: 0 (All spent upgrading **Razor Fangs** and **Gale Control**)
*Good enough to bully anything below Spirit Beast tier,* he mused, strutting sideways through the meadow like a crab. *Let's see who dares mock the Bull King now!*
"Su Yun!" A familiar voice chirped. Bai Xiaoyue materialized from the ferns, nose twitching at his odd gait. "Why… walk like a drunk beetle?"
"Advanced combat stance!" he lied, pivoting hastily. "What brings you here, Cottonball?"
"I play here every morning!" She hopped onto his back, tiny paws gripping his horns. "Giddyup!"
They raced across the meadow, Xiaoyue's laughter tinkling like wind chimes. "Faster! Faster!"
"Careful—!" Su Yun skidded to avoid a boulder, his mind drifting. *Mom's probably called the cops by now. 'Missing Person: College Student Last Seen Mooing in Pasture.'* A tear slid down his muzzle. *Damn system trapped me here.*
Xiaoyue dabbed his cheek with a velvety paw. "Sad?"
"Just… miss home."
"Home gone?" Her ruby eyes widened. "Stay with me! I'll share my burrow! Mommy says family isn't blood—it's who feeds you!"
Su Yun snorted. *Bunny logic.* Still, warmth bloomed in his chest.
——
**"How do you get stronger so fast?"** Xiaoyue blurted later, nibbling a moonbell flower. "Do you… *eat rocks*?"
"Eat. Sleep. Repeat." He flicked his tail. "What's your secret? Munching dandelions?"
"Mommy brings me sparkle-fruits and golden roots!" She puffed proudly. "When I'm a **Spirit Beast**, I'll suck sky-qi like a tornado!"
"Your mom's stuck at **Peak Warbeast** for *500 years*?" Su Yun raised a brow. *Mediocre talent, but hey—persistence counts.*
"Five hundred winters!" Xiaoyue nodded. "She knows every herb and secret path in the forest!"
"Su Yun…" She hesitated. "How old *are* you?"
"Twenty-three. Human years."
"WOW! I'm thirty!" She bounced, ears flopping.
Su Yun choked. *Thirty?!*
"Thirty winters *young*!" She giggled. "Mommy says I'm just a baby!"
*Ah.* In a realm where beasts took centuries to awaken sentience, Xiaoyue was indeed a toddler in bunny fur.
——
**Sunset painted the meadow gold** as they raced toward the horizon—a hulking iron bull and his tiny jockey, shadows stretching like promises.
*Maybe this world isn't so bad,* Su Yun thought, **Gale Control** humming beneath his hooves. *At least here, I'm more than just… human.*