Thousand Changes Silkworm

# Chapter 5: Thousand Changes Silkworm

Ye Bai suppressed the hunger gnawing at him and quickly waved at the staff member. "I've already signed a contract with this Chameleon Silkworm. According to school rules, I'm entitled to one month's worth of rations for my initial pet beast."

The lead staff member nodded. "Of course, that rule does exist."

"Wait a moment, I'll have someone bring the rations to you."

The lead staff member clapped his hands, and immediately another person stepped forward, pulling out bags of pet beast rations weighing one kilogram each from a spatial backpack.

These rations were specially formulated according to scientific proportions, focusing on absolute nutrition, but the taste wasn't anything to write home about.

Ye Bai tore open a bag and tossed the rations to the Thousand Changes Silkworm.

This peculiar Thousand Changes Silkworm was anything but slow. It shot out like a cannonball, catching the rations midair and devouring them in large mouthfuls.

One bag of rations could cover three meals a day for a juvenile pet beast.

Yet the Thousand Changes Silkworm wolfed down five whole bags—it was clearly starving.

Full and satisfied, the Thousand Changes Silkworm wore a look of contentment on its face. It sprawled out on the ground like a lazybones, and drowsiness immediately set in.

Everyone nearby could clearly hear its thunderous snoring.

It was naturally a big eater, consuming more than other Chameleon Silkworms, so it was always roaming between various groups in the Secret Realm, snatching food.

Because its digestion was extremely fast, the Thousand Changes Silkworm had never eaten a full meal in its life. It constantly felt the burning, searing pain in its stomach.

So it ate with everything it had, even if it meant incurring the resentment of certain groups.

Sometimes it would even get beaten black and blue by some pet beast, which pushed its endurance to the limit. Ordinary physical attacks felt like mosquito bites to the Thousand Changes Silkworm.

Only after contracting with Ye Bai did it finally eat its first full meal since birth.

Seeing Ye Bai calmly pick a Chameleon Silkworm without any panic, Li Weiyang's expression was rather strange.

Although Chameleon Silkworms had unstable genes and might possess multiple Evolution Paths, this type of pet beast initially had no offensive power—only its defense was particularly strong.

But that defense, once it encountered a Fire Element Pet Beast, was as flimsy as paper, easily broken through.

Students who picked Chameleon Silkworms were usually from wealthy families who already had high-quality pet beasts prepared at home.

Coming to the school's Secret Realm was just going through the motions. Plus, the Chameleon Silkworms at Sacred Mountain Middle School were of good quality. If they could discover a new Evolution Path for the Chameleon Silkworm, they would make their name in history.

But these students didn't include herself or Ye Bai.

Li Weiyang and Ye Bai both came from ordinary families. Everything depended on their own struggle.

So why did Ye Bai choose an unremarkable, attack-less Chameleon Silkworm instead of the rare Little Snowball?

This left Li Weiyang utterly puzzled.

If someone said Ye Bai felt compassion for the Chameleon Silkworm, Li Weiyang wouldn't believe it for a second.

After all, he was the same type of person as herself—a self-interested individual who wouldn't do anything disadvantageous to himself.

Driven by curiosity, Li Weiyang made an exception and used the Eye of Insight. She wanted to know why.

Her eyes turned Blood Red.

Ye Bai felt a piercing gaze land on him. He turned around and saw Li Weiyang's eyes had turned Blood Red.

So Li Weiyang was activating the Eye of Insight's ability. She must be trying to figure out his intentions—why he contracted this 'unremarkable' Chameleon Silkworm.

[Pet Beast Name: Thousand Changes Silkworm]
[Level: lv2 (First Order, Level 2)]
[Skills: Ram, Silk Spit, Harden]
[Evolution Path: Myriad Changes Silkworm, Evolution Required Materials: ???]

Strange. This pet beast was called the Thousand Changes Silkworm, only having one extra skill—Ram—compared to the Chameleon Silkworm. What exactly made it worthy of Ye Bai's favor?

In appearance, it was basically no different from an ordinary Chameleon Silkworm.

Something was off. There was definitely something off. After seeing the Thousand Changes Silkworm's data, Li Weiyang felt even more confused.

She felt something was wrong somewhere, and under the Eye of Insight, this thing could evolve into a Myriad Changes Silkworm. But based on the Chameleon Silkworm's inference, the Myriad Changes Silkworm didn't have much offensive power either. What was Ye Bai after?

But Li Weiyang didn't dwell on it for now, because she had more important things to do.

The skinnier Little Snowball, seeing Ye Bai contract a pet beast, flew over with a somewhat dejected look.

It landed on Li Weiyang's fingertip, appearing rather listless.

Li Weiyang had always treated others as backups for so long, but this time she was being treated as a backup by Little Snowball.

Although she felt a bit displeased, Little Snowball was the rarest among this batch of pet beasts. Even some important figures had been waiting in line for a long time, bitterly waiting for a chance at Little Snowball.

If she didn't want to contract it, plenty of others would.

Besides, this Little Snowball could evolve into the even rarer Ice Spirit and had already comprehended the advanced skill Snow Spray.

This type of pet beast was born as a child of ice and snow.

A flash of ice-blue light passed through Little Snowball's forehead. Li Weiyang bit her fingertip and let her blood drip onto the ice-blue glow.

At this moment, she finally formed a contract with Little Snowball. Little Snowball yawned, looking slightly weary—the contract had drained a fair bit of its energy.

Without even a greeting, Little Snowball turned into a streak of light and shot straight into the Pet Beast Space that had opened up when Li Weiyang awakened.

After the contract was signed, He Qingyuan's Boxing Rabbit climbed out of the pool, dripping wet.

Its fur clung tightly to its body, making it look unusually scrawny.

Seeing his Boxing Rabbit in that soaked, dripping state, He Qingyuan's anger surged wildly.

"Ye Bai, I challenge you."

As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhang Lingxue emerged from a side path.

A meaningful smile curled on her vermilion lips.

She had been hiding nearby the whole time, watching Ye Bai and Li Weiyang contract their pet beasts.

Familiar with the Chameleon Silkworm, Zhang Lingxue sensed that Ye Bai's Chameleon Silkworm seemed a little different.

"You want to challenge Ye Bai? No problem at all."

"Once we leave the Secret Realm, we can head to the Battle Arena for the match."

"But it's getting late now—we have to leave the Secret Realm."

He Qingyuan's fury, however, showed no sign of abating.

He was like a volcano on the verge of eruption.

By the time they returned to school, He Qingyuan issued a public challenge to Ye Bai.

"But I think a match without a stake would hardly do justice to Young Master He's prestige."

"I recall you got a Second Order Insect Stone last week—let's use that as the stake."

He Qingyuan hesitated. This Second Order Insect Stone was a genuine treasure.

He had only stumbled upon it at a street stall, picking it up as a bargain.

"Fine, I'll bet. But the stakes need to be of equal value. Ye Bai, what's your stake?"

He Qingyuan knew Ye Bai wasn't well-off—his parents were missing, and he ran a small pet beast shop on his own.

The pet beasts sold there were all low-tier.

"My stake is simple. If I lose the match, I'll voluntarily keep my distance from Li Weiyang and give up my seat next to her, letting you have your wish."

Hearing the stakes, the students began to murmur among themselves.

"That Second Order Insect Stone in He Qingyuan's hand is his prized possession."

"I've seen He Qingyuan show off that Insect Stone he treasures more than once."

"I feel like Ye Bai's stake doesn't match the value of He Qingyuan's."

"Are you stupid? Times have changed. What talent did the Class Monitor awaken? An A-Rank Talent, Eye of Insight."

"First come, first served. If you get on good terms with the Class Monitor, she can use her Eye of Insight to pick you a gifted pet beast—you'd make back any number of Insect Stones."

"This isn't just a seat next to her—it's practically a golden path."

To outsiders, Ye Bai's condition seemed like getting something for nothing.

But to a 'far-sighted' veteran simp like He Qingyuan, this condition truly made his heart race.

"I accept."

He Qingyuan agreed without a second thought.