Seal?

Abu nodded his little head in satisfaction, light shimmering in his two differently colored eyes.

"So, how was it? Pretty good, right? This was only the most basic enhancement. As you complete more missions, your abilities will keep getting stronger."

"Now open the system panel and take a look at your physical stats. You just need to say it silently in your head."

Wuling did as he was told and said softly in his mind, Open the system panel.

The next second, the pale blue screen before him suddenly unfolded and took shape, becoming a neat, clear personal information interface suspended in the center of his vision.

[Host: Wuling]

[Clearance: Level 1]

[Strength: 6 (average for an ordinary adult: 1.0)]

[Constitution: 7 (average for an ordinary adult: 1.0)]

[Spirit: 5 (average for an ordinary adult: 1.0)]

[Perception: 5.8 (after basic enhancement, far beyond an ordinary person)]

[Stamina: 6]

[Current status: Healthy]

[Skills: Daily Crisis Prediction (passive), Basic Perception Enhancement (passive)]

[System points: 100]

[Items held: None]

[Missions: None]

The lines of data appeared clearly before his eyes.

Wuling scanned them one by one, immediately gaining a clear sense of what they meant.

An ordinary person's average stats were only 1.0, but after the enhancement from the beginner's gift pack, all of his basic attributes had surpassed normal limits. His constitution in particular was more than seven times that of an ordinary person.

No wonder his vision and hearing had become so clear just now. It hadn't been an illusion; his body had truly transformed.

"See?"

Abu lay on his shoulder and patted it smugly with a little paw, his soft voice carrying a hint of pride.

"Just one beginner's benefit, and you've already surpassed ordinary people in every way. From now on, every time you complete a mission and unlock clearance, your stats will rise steadily. The gap between you and ordinary people will only get bigger."

Wuling stared at the numbers on the panel, his fingertips curling slightly.

"Spirit can be enhanced too?" Wuling asked softly.

"Of course."

Abu shook his drooping ears, light shimmering in his two-colored eyes.

"Spiritual power is the foundation of all perception and insight, and even of the special abilities you'll unlock in the future. It's much more important than your physique alone. Your uniqueness shows itself first on the spiritual level, but it was sealed and suppressed all this time, so no one noticed."

"Then how do I trigger these system missions?"

"That? You'll find out when the time comes. What I can tell you now is that system missions all appear passively. They might appear automatically only when you experience certain things; they won't appear at any other time."

"As for system points, I'm sure you're familiar with those. You use them to exchange for all kinds of things in the system shop. You can open it and look at the details yourself."

Wuling's heart stirred at that, and he immediately said silently, Open the system shop.

The moment he finished, the pale blue screen before him switched and refreshed. It was neatly divided into three main sections: skills, items, and potions, with a dazzling array of goods displayed in orderly rows.

But the vast majority of the goods were shrouded in a thick gray mist and marked [Insufficient clearance, not yet unlocked]. Only a handful of basic items glowed white, available for exchange.

Wuling looked closely.

[Basic stamina potion: 50 points]

[Short-term perception enhancer: 60 points]

[Minor injury repair spray: 80 points]

[Basic focus buff (one hour): 30 points]

Everything available was a basic white item, with simple, straightforward effects that were just right for his current state.

Beneath those gray, locked categories, he could vaguely make out names like Advanced Physique Tempering, Mental Barrier Construction, and Anomaly Source Tracing. Even the fragments describing their effects were enough to make his heart tremble.

"Don't even think about the advanced stuff right now."

Abu lay on his shoulder, his little paws pawing at the virtual screen as he spoke unhurriedly.

"Your level, clearance, and points are all too low. Focus on doing missions to save up points and raise your clearance. Once you unlock the basic clearance pool, there'll naturally be more good things you can exchange for."

Wuling nodded slightly, already having a clear idea of the situation.

A hundred initial points seemed like a lot, but just two useful items could use them all up. The path to growth required far more accumulation than he had imagined.

He reached out and lightly touched the floating screen. A cool stream of data brushed past his fingertips, and his thoughts gradually settled.

"So, what did you mean by the seal you mentioned earlier?"

Abu shook his drooping ears. A fleeting, complicated glint passed through his two differently colored eyes, and the childishness he had shown moments ago faded, replaced by a distant gravity.

"About that, I can't tell you now. But when your clearance reaches a certain level, you'll naturally learn everything."

As the words fell, the air seemed to grow slightly still.

The doubts in Wuling's heart deepened. He was about to press further when a sudden, sharp tingle struck between his brows.

His intuition told him he shouldn't keep asking.

Wuling rubbed the spot between his brows and decided to set the question aside for now.

"Forget it. Since things have come to this, I'll wash up first."

Wuling pushed down the layers of doubt in his heart and raised a hand to put away the blue screen floating before him.

The stream of data slowly dispersed, and his vision returned to normal. But the lightness deep within his body, the unparalleled clarity in his mind, and the faint, sharp perception lingering between his brows constantly reminded him that everything that had just happened was no dream.

He stepped into the private washroom and splashed the slightly cool morning tap water onto his face. The cold spread across his skin, instantly sweeping away his lingering daze and calming him completely.

He looked up at the mirror.

The young man in the mirror had handsome features and clear skin, no different from yesterday, but a closer look revealed subtle changes.

The ordinary calm in his eyes had gained a bright clarity, and his face had become much more resolute. His posture was upright and relaxed, his shoulders and back no longer slightly tense from long hours hunched over a desk. His muscles were solid, and his whole demeanor was much fresher and sharper.

Wuling looked at himself in the mirror and froze for a moment. Then, somewhat hesitantly, he lifted his shirt.

A set of solid abdominal muscles came into view. He counted them quickly: there were a full eight.

His figure had been decent before—not skinny, but not particularly strong either. Now, though, he had this muscular physique.

"Tsk, tsk, even your looks improved."

Abu floated lightly by the edge of the sink, his short little legs dangling as he stared without blinking at Wuling in the mirror, speaking with a serious air.

"Abundant spiritual power, improved posture, and a good foundation to begin with. The enhancement brought all those advantages out. Keep leveling up from now on, and there'll be plenty of good things for you."

Wuling pressed his lips together slightly and said nothing, but he had already accepted this sudden, dramatic change in his life.

Back in the dorm room, Calcharo and Lingyang were already up. From the sounds of it, they were getting dressed.

After washing up, the three of them straightened their school uniforms and prepared to head to the cafeteria for breakfast before going to the teaching building for their eight o'clock class.

By now, daylight had fully arrived, and the morning sun shone through the dormitory windows onto the corridor floor.

After breakfast, Wuling parted ways with the other two and headed to the teaching building alone.

Abu floated beside him, looking around like a curious child.

"Why are you so curious? It's like you've never seen any of this before."

"Oh, come on, try to understand. This is my first time out in all these years, and I haven't had a proper look at this world yet. Of course I want to look around."

Wuling chuckled helplessly and let the curious little fellow follow beside him as he strolled along the academy's tree-lined path.

"By the way, aren't you afraid someone will see you floating around like that?"

"Don't worry. I'm bound to you, so you're the only person in the whole world who can see me right now. To everyone else, I'm just air."

"I see. That's good, then."

Wuling nodded gently and was about to continue walking when a soft voice suddenly called out from behind him.

"Good morning, Wuling."