CHAPTER 33: CHAPTER 33: WARRIOR

"There are many reasons, for instance, the expansion of human settlements naturally occupying their habitats, or perhaps it’s because fox spirit beasts are quite adorable, or maybe I personally believe in the concept of ’一期一会’, a once-in-a-lifetime meeting."

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"To put it simply, I think it’s a kind of destiny. Zhen Sheng City has a population of twenty million, yet this little one chose me."

Lin Guang shrugged, "I once took in a stray cat... oh, I should say fed a stray cat, wandering around our neighborhood. I would intentionally cook extra meals just to take leftovers downstairs and feed it, chatting as I petted it. I always thought I couldn’t really take care of it all by myself, so I let it roam free. Later, I just didn’t see it anymore. I can only pray it was adopted by someone and not hit by a car or a spirit beast."

As he spoke, Lin Guang’s expression remained unchanged, as if he were talking about someone else’s story. He took out the key and pushed the door open.

Once inside, he stood at the door for a moment, nodding, "Let’s clean up the living room later; it looks quite messy."

"Hmm?" Vishdair turned to look at him, a bit puzzled, "Really? I think it’s okay."

Lin Guang nodded, "After all, I’m not living alone anymore; let’s make it a bit more formal."

Vishdair glanced around—the parts she seldom visited indeed had accumulated a noticeable layer of dust.

"Join me in tidying up a bit, okay?"

"...if you’re not afraid of me breaking something."

"Then you’d better sit on the sofa and study the Daxia Language."

"..."

After quickly handling the eggs, Lin Guang spent nearly an hour roughly cleaning the house.

To Lin Guang’s surprise, Vishdair obediently sat on the sofa, listening to childish videos on the tablet that were dull and tedious for adults. Yesterday, she couldn’t sit still for even a little while.

While cleaning the coffee table, he paused for a moment and decided to remove the dust cover.

Weekends could be relaxing times, watching silent films with Vishdair that she could understand, placing some cola and chips on the coffee table, and of course, her favorite sweets.

Upon finishing up the cleaning, Vishdair’s exposed brain finally reached its limit, her CPU overloaded—even so, this proved she had been earnestly watching the videos. Meanwhile, the egg tarts Lin Guang had placed in the oven earlier were just perfectly done, with crispy crusts and delicious egg fillings. She devoured nine of the large egg tarts, and if there had been more than ten, Lin Guang guessed she could have continued eating.

[You have fed Vishdair, the Star Shard progress bar has increased.]

[Star Shard progress bar 100%, you have received a Star Shard.]

It’s hard to say whether this kind of reward system can establish a conditioned reflex in Vishdair’s mind, reducing her resistance to studying... Lin Guang thought, deciding to trust that famous psychologist’s approach.

After showering, Lin Guang went back to his room to organize the morning’s class notes for a while. Once done, he took out the Spirit Pattern Crystal awarded by Instructor Yu, then put it back down after some thought.

[Barrier] is what they call an Artificial Spirit Pattern, where everything learned through the crystal is an identical standardized Spirit Rune Secret Technique.

The so-called difference between artificial and natural spirit patterns does not lie in grade or effect—there can be immensely powerful things in artificial spirit patterns, and conversely, incomprehensible strange effects in natural ones. The distinction merely lies in their origin and whether they can be mass-produced.

However, Lin Guang had no intention of directly starting to imprint spirit patterns; he simply calculated silently.

He already possessed seven Star Shards. Slowly, he could unlock the initial talent of "Warrior" called [Power of Whole Heart and Soul] the day after tomorrow, or quickly, by tomorrow.

The initial talent of the "Cultivator" is [Eye of Omniscience and Omnipotence], whose function has become evident over recent days. The fact that the "Warrior" talent can be ranked alongside it speaks volumes about its strength.

He planned to use this crystal after unlocking the talent, maximizing its benefits.

...

In Zhen Sheng City, Honey Lake District, at Shuixiang Garden.

He Shenghuang sat on a leather sofa made from Flaming Bull’s hide, posture rigid, feet together, staring tensely at the ultra-large LCD TV in front of him.

Sizzling... click.

The television screen lit up, displaying a man in a black suit with a white napkin, wielding a knife and fork to cut a steak set on gold-rimmed plates.

Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, He Shenghuang slowly recounted the events of this afternoon.

When he finished, he added, "I was careless this time; next time in battle, I won’t be fooled by such tactics. As long as I let the Thunderbolt learn speed-enhancing skills, even if the opponent uses Fearful Face, the level difference would leave the opponent unable to dodge."

During He Shenghuang’s narrative, the man’s only movements were those of his knife and fork, his face cold and devoid of expression. After finishing the steak, he picked up the napkin to wipe his mouth.

"Tomorrow, report to Eighth Middle School."

"..."

He Shenghuang’s face stiffened, slightly tightening his fists, biting his upper lip.

"Father, I can do it, believe—"

"Why would I believe you? You didn’t inherit my talent; you’re merely at the Green Level. Your connections granted you the chance to contract with a Blue Elite Level Spirit Beast, yet due to your insufficient proficiency in the Enslavement Contract Technique and lack of affinity, the contract failed."

The man shook his head, "Most importantly, you’re not ruthless enough. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have lost today. If you continue like this, you’ll never progress on the path of a Combat Spirit Master. The reduction of the training load for Thunderbolt without my approval was the last indulgence for your capriciousness."

"Eighth Middle School has no Blue Talent holders this year. Stay on top there, and I’ll work my connections again; you’ll receive full support for your training. Drain every drop of potential value from that spirit beast during your high school years, elevate your Spirit Master Level, and when the spirit beast is utterly depleted, I’ll help you find a Miracle Master capable of dissolving the contract with minimal negative impact. This will serve as a stepping stone for you to contract with a more formidable spirit beast—that is the best choice for you."

"But, father, Thunderbolt has been working very ha..."

He Shenghuang anxiously attempted to explain something, but in vain.

Click.

The television screen returned to darkness.

He Shenghuang slightly clenched his fists, bit his upper lip, and looked down at the horn-shaped mark on the back of his hand.

In the end, it all turned into a long sigh.