This horse was the very same one Ao Tian had used for his journey from Wuhun City to Notting City a year ago.
It was completely snow-white, with a tall and robust build. Ao Tian had specifically chosen this thoroughbred within Wuhun City.
After Ao Tian infused a wisp of Dragon Qi, containing Dragon Blood, into the horse's body, it began to change rapidly.
Xiao Wu exclaimed, "Ao Tian, look quickly! It's like something is about to burst out from the horse's back."
Ao Tian gently waved his hand, setting up an invisible Barrier around them, concealing their location.
Not only did the horse's back undergo a transformation, but its snow-white fur was also falling off, quickly replaced by a layer of dense scales.
Pfft! The skin on the horse's back split open, and two snow-white wings burst forth, stretching out to a full two meters.
Ao Tian untied the carriage ropes from the horse. The horse neighed excitedly, and its voice changed slightly, sounding somewhat like a dragon's roar.
Xiao Wu stared in a daze as the horse spread its wings and took flight. It wobbled at first, but quickly found its balance, soaring in circles above them.
"Ao Tian, pinch me," Xiao Wu murmured.
"Why would I do that?"
"To see if I'm dreaming."
Ao Tian reached out and pinched Xiao Wu's cheek firmly.
"Ouch, why are you being so rough?" Xiao Wu yelped in pain, the spot Ao Tian pinched turning red.
She snapped back to reality, shocked. "How did this horse suddenly become like this?"
She was absolutely certain that this horse had been nothing more than an ordinary horse before, perhaps a bit stronger than usual.
But now, it was emitting the aura of a soul beast.
She had actually witnessed an ordinary horse evolve into a soul beast with her own eyes, a situation she had never encountered before.
Generally, soul beasts were born as soul beasts; it was extremely rare for ordinary animals to evolve into soul beasts.
Ao Tian didn't answer Xiao Wu's question. He looked up at the soaring horse, nodding in satisfaction, as if admiring a work of art he had created.
The horse landed, slowly walking in front of Ao Tian and bending its four legs to kneel.
Ao Tian stroked its head, saying, "From now on, you shall be called Dragon Horse."
Dragon Horse let out a few obedient snorts, clearly pleased that its master had given it a name.
"Can you revert to your original form?" Ao Tian asked.
The Dragon Horse stood up, its tall body shrinking slightly. The dragon scales disappeared from its body, and its wings retracted, leaving no trace.
"Good," Ao Tian nodded in satisfaction. He flicked his fingers a few times, and golden characters flew from his fingertips, merging into the Dragon Horse's body, sealing its soul beast aura.
Even a Title Douluo using their spiritual power wouldn't be able to detect that this horse was a soul beast.
Xiao Wu stared blankly at the scene. If Ao Tian hadn't just pinched her, her face would still be burning. She would have thought it was an illusion.
Also, what were those golden characters that flew from Ao Tian's fingertips? Why had the soul beast aura on this horse suddenly disappeared?
Xiao Wu was very sensitive to the aura of soul beasts, but now, no matter how she sensed it, she couldn't detect any soul beast aura on the Dragon Horse.
She looked at Ao Tian with a bewildered expression, waiting for his answer.
Ao Tian smiled at her and said, "I'm the one who made it evolve into a soul beast, and I'm also the one who concealed its soul beast aura."
"How is that even possible? How did you do it?" Xiao Wu's eyes widened, her face adorably confused.
A seven-year-old kid, with only Soul Master cultivation, could actually evolve ordinary animals into Soul Beasts and even conceal their aura.
It sounded like a complete fantasy, something nobody would believe.
"I'm not telling you."
Xiao Wu pouted, saying, "You don't see me as a friend."
"You'll know when you're supposed to know, and you'll never know when you're not," Ao Tian said.
With a thought, he stored the Dragon Horse and carriage into his space.
"Where's the Dragon Horse?" Xiao Wu exclaimed.
"I put it in my space," Ao Tian said with a smile, then removed the Barrier, and walked toward the small town ahead.
"How is that possible? Aren't Storage Soul Tools only for storing inanimate objects?" Xiao Wu caught up.
Ao Tian glanced at Xiao Wu. "Who told you that Storage Soul Tools can only store inanimate objects?"
He thought of Dugu Bo's Ruyi Treasure Pouch; that Soul Tool could hold living things.
Even humans could create such Soul Tools. For him, it was even less of a challenge.
His space was almost indistinguishable from a world, except it lacked any living creatures. Ao Tian was certain that when his cultivation broke through to a higher realm, that space might evolve into a real world.
Xiao Wu pouted, following behind Ao Tian without speaking, clearly unhappy.
Only now did she realize how mysterious Ao Tian was, understanding that her knowledge of him was just the tip of the iceberg.
As they approached the city gate, Xiao Wu pulled Ao Tian back and whispered, "Can you help me conceal my soul beast aura?"
She looked at Ao Tian expectantly. If her soul beast aura could be hidden, she wouldn't have to worry about being discovered by human powerhouses.
"Alright," Ao Tian said, stopping. He helped Xiao Wu seal her soul beast aura.
This trip into the Star Dou Great Forest might bring them face to face with human powerhouses. If they recognized Xiao Wu's identity, it would undoubtedly lead to bloodshed.
Although Ao Tian wasn't afraid of trouble, he hated it.
"Is it done?" Xiao Wu asked in surprise.
The golden characters entered her body, feeling like a warm current flowing through her, eventually gathering in her head and disappearing.
Ao Tian nodded, smiling. "From now on, even a Title Douluo won't be able to see your identity. However, the effect will only last for a little over a month."
"That's wonderful!" Xiao Wu cheered, suddenly leaning in to give Ao Tian a kiss, but he dodged away.
"What's with you?"
"I just wanted to express my gratitude."
"…"
The two entered the town. Although it was already dark, the streets were unusually lively.
Soul Masters came and went. Ao Tian discovered that there were actually many Soul Saints and Soul Douluos here.
He had been here before, but there weren't so many strong individuals the last time he came.
Xiao Wu's soul beast aura was sealed, and she seemed to have put down a heavy burden, becoming light and joyful.
"Ao Tian, there's a Soul Tool Shop over there!" Xiao Wu exclaimed excitedly, running inside.
She had wanted to own a soul tool of her own for a long time, but unfortunately, a small place like Notting City didn't have any.
Although this was just a small city, it was a place where many Soul Masters were active, so it wasn't surprising to find a Soul Tool Shop here.
Ao Tian shook his head and smiled, then followed her inside.
Inside, a girl with a sweet face, who looked to be in her twenties, was enthusiastically introducing the shop's goods to Xiao Wu.
Xiao Wu was leaning on the glass display case, which was taller than her, her eyes shining as she looked at the exquisitely crafted soul tools for women.
Rings, necklaces, bracelets, belts…