Thick Newbie Gift Pack

[Current Top Poop Scooper: Bibi Dong.]

[Recommendation: Approach immediately.]

Looking at the two lines on the System Panel, the Little White Cat in the middle of Stone Valley fell silent for a moment.

A moment later, he honestly shrank his little head back.

"Approach immediately?"

"That's easy for you to say. She's the Pope..."

"If I charge over there now, how is that any different from volunteering to become a Soul Ring candidate? QAQ"

Lin Yan's tail stiffened.

It wasn't that he wasn't tempted.

The main problem was that this powerful backer was so powerful it was a little scary.

Who was Bibi Dong?

The current Pope of Spirit Hall, a Twin Martial Souls owner, and one of the handful of people standing at the very top of the Douluo Continent's power pyramid.

Forget that he was currently only a ten-year Soul Beast that had just hatched. Even if he really became a hundred- or thousand-year Soul Beast, in front of her, he'd probably still be no more than a finger's flick away from death.

With someone of that caliber, even a reckless approach required a little finesse.

Thinking this, Lin Yan forced himself to calm down.

"Don't panic."

"True experts never go into battle without equipment."

"I'll use up my newbie benefits first."

With that in mind, Lin Yan immediately turned his attention to the system gift packs.

All those System Panel entries he'd seen earlier were, when it came down to it, just the talents and abilities he'd already possessed.

The real cheat was in the gift packs.

With a thought, he opened the [New Cat Gift Pack] first.

A gentle white light spread before his eyes.

The next moment, three lines of information appeared.

[New Cat Gift Pack: Talent—Purring Dream; Ability—Moon Mark Time Slow; Companion Soul Tool Upgrade Card ×1.]

Lin Yan's cat face, which had been reasonably composed until then, instantly brightened.

Well, damn.

Three items in one go?

And judging by their names alone, they didn't sound cheap.

Lin Yan hurriedly looked at the first talent.

[Purring Dream: A unique soothing talent of the Moon Spirit Cat. When the host purrs, he can calm the mental fluctuations of nearby living beings and lower their hostility and vigilance. If a target is asleep, it becomes easier for them to sink into a peaceful dream. Long-term exposure can gently regulate the sea of spirit, ease nightmares and anxiety, and soothe hidden wounds of the soul.]

After reading the description, Lin Yan's eyes lit up.

"This is great!"

"And almost too great, isn't it?"

He'd just been wondering how he could win over... no, get close to Bibi Dong.

Then the system had gone and given him a talent like this.

Insomnia, anxiety, mental strain.

Wasn't this practically tailor-made for Her Holiness the Pope?

Lin Yan couldn't help swaying his little head, and a wildly absurd thought suddenly popped into his mind.

"Could the system really have sent me here to cure the Pope's insomnia?"

"The mighty Pope of the Douluo Continent needing a cat to purr her to sleep... Isn't that a little too weird?"

But then again.

Weird as it was, it was genuinely useful.

And this wasn't just effective against Bibi Dong.

In the future, whether he was dealing with Hu Liena, Qian Renxue, or those Titled Douluo in Spirit Hall, it would probably come in handy.

The more Lin Yan thought about it, the more pleased he became. Even the tip of his tail lifted slightly.

Next, he looked at the second ability.

[Moon Mark Time Slow: One of the Moon Spirit Cat's mental control abilities. When activated, the host can perceive movement trajectories more clearly and briefly interfere with Soul Power circulation and nerve responses within a certain range, causing a single target or a very small area to slow down for an instant. The host's cultivation is currently too low for the effect to last long, and it has limited effect on targets of a much higher cultivation level.]

After reading it, Lin Yan fell silent for a moment.

Then his eyes lit up even more.

"A low-tier version of Time Stop?"

"No, to be precise, slow motion."

"But slow motion works too!"

One had to know that battles on the Douluo Continent were always incredibly fast.

When Soul Masters and Soul Beasts clashed, a single lapse could mean the difference between life and death.

At a critical moment, even making an opponent slow down by half a beat could decide a great many things.

And besides, he was a cat.

What were cats best at?

Agility, pouncing, and running away.

Slow the other side down, then use his own speed and footwork to put some distance between them. It was a perfect match.

Thinking this, Lin Yan had already started planning how to use the move to save his life in the future.

The last item was the [Companion Soul Tool Upgrade Card].

[Companion Soul Tool Upgrade Card: Can be used to upgrade the host's sole companion Soul Tool once, with no conditions.]

That one needed no further explanation.

Lin Yan lowered his head and glanced at the little silver bell around his neck. His mood lifted even more.

The Calming Bell was already pretty good.

Now he could get an upgrade for free.

This was a straight-up takeoff. His future as a cat was looking bright OvO.

But Lin Yan didn't rush to use it. Instead, he turned his attention to the second gift pack.

[Century Cultivation Gift Pack.]

Just from its name, he could tell this was probably a reward related to cultivation years.

With a thought, another ball of light spread out.

[Century Cultivation Gift Pack: Century Cultivation Card ×1; Mimic Breath ×1.]

Lin Yan's eyes lit up.

Two more!

He checked the first item.

[Century Cultivation Card: Upon use, the host's cultivation will be stably raised to the hundred-year level, with no hidden foundation problems.]

"This one's easy to understand."

"It'll take me straight from ten years to a hundred. I'll still be weak, but at least I won't be the kind of newborn anyone can trample on."

Lin Yan knew his limits.

A hundred-year Soul Beast still wasn't anything special on the Douluo Continent.

But the problem was, he hadn't even fully gotten used to running around normally yet.

Going straight from ten years to a hundred was already a fantastic deal.

At the very least, he'd go from "a newborn liable to die at any moment" to "a little cub who can sort of protect himself."

And the second item, [Mimic Breath], didn't disappoint him either.

[Mimic Breath: Can conceal the host's Soul Beast aura and slightly adjust some of his outward features, making him look more like an ordinary house cat. Those whose cultivation is far higher than the host's, or those who carefully examine him with spirit power at close range, may still notice something amiss.]

After reading that, Lin Yan nearly couldn't stop himself from meowing out loud.

This thing was incredible.

Human Soul Masters on the Douluo Continent were no joke when it came to sensing Soul Beasts.

Especially powerful experts. A distant glance was enough for them to roughly judge a Soul Beast's age and special qualities.

As a rare mental-type Soul Beast who had only recently come into being, his aura was already anything but ordinary.

If he went wandering around in the open like this, he might not even be safe around ordinary Soul Masters.

But with Mimic Breath, everything was different.

The treatment an ordinary house cat received and the treatment a rare Soul Beast received were worlds apart.

The former got, "Aw, what a cute little cat."

The latter got, "This cat looks good. Let's kill it and see if it drops a Soul Bone."

They weren't even in the same ballpark.

"Good stuff. Really good stuff."

"System, you actually showed a little conscience this time."

Lin Yan gave it a very sincere compliment.

The system didn't respond.

Lin Yan didn't mind. He took advantage of the moment and asked the question he cared about more.

"System, how do I get more gift packs after this?"

"Surely this isn't the only newbie benefit, right?"

A stream of information immediately poured into his mind.

Lin Yan closed his eyes and quietly absorbed it.

A moment later, when he opened his eyes again, he understood the system's general operating principles.

In simple terms, the Meow Pet System had three main sources of rewards.

First, binding a Poop Scooper.

When he first bound a high-quality Poop Scooper, he would receive a binding reward based on their destiny, strength, and importance to fate.

Second, daily interaction and changing fate.

As long as he accompanied, comforted, or healed a target—or even changed the tragic course of their fate—he could earn [Meow Wish Value].

Third, breaking through cultivation milestones.

Whenever the host crossed one of the key milestones of a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred thousand years, the system would issue the corresponding cultivation gift pack.

And he wasn't the only one whose breakthroughs earned gift packs.

After he bound a Poop Scooper, if they reached an important milestone in their growth, the system might also issue a joint reward.

Seeing this, Lin Yan's eyes narrowed.

Got it.

He completely got it.

The system wanted him to cling to powerful people as he grew, while helping them make up for their regrets along the way.

"This system..."

"Why does it feel like it's teaching me to live off someone else while still acting like I earned it?"

Of course, even if he planned to live off someone else, he still had to carry his own rice bowl.

Thinking about his future Poop Scoopers, Lin Yan gave the matter serious thought.

Since the stronger the person he bound, the richer the reward, his first choices had to be the strongest people on the Douluo Continent.

Bibi Dong was unquestionably number one.

Her strength, status, destiny, and regrets were all maxed out.

The danger level was just as high.

There were other candidates, too.

For example, Chrysanthemum Douluo Yue Guan.

He'd heard that Titled Douluo loved flowers and had quite particular tastes.

Someone as fluffy, clean, and even slightly glowing as him probably wouldn't be too objectionable to Yue Guan.

Then there was Hu Liena.

She'd be one of the Spirit Hall Golden Generation in the future. Her status and potential were both impressive, and women were generally more tolerant of cute creatures.

The only issue was that she might still be young and her cultivation was nowhere near as solid as Bibi Dong's.

As for Qian Renxue...

Just thinking about her made Lin Yan quietly put her name farther down the list.

It wasn't that she was a bad choice.

She was just too much trouble.

Her identity was too unusual, and she was connected to the Worship Hall and Qian Daoliu. If he really went over to cling to her, who knew what kind of trouble he might stir up?

"Forget it. I'll put Bibi Dong first."

"If that doesn't work, I'll consider Chrysanthemum Douluo."

"Either way, there's nothing wrong with grabbing the strongest leg. If I can't hold on, I'll switch to another one. No big deal... probably?"

By the end, even Lin Yan wasn't sure.

But it was too early to worry about all that. For now, improving himself was the most important thing.

With that, he stopped hesitating and used the [Companion Soul Tool Upgrade Card] first.

The Calming Bell around his neck trembled slightly, and a gentle silver light began to flow across it.

A few faint moon patterns appeared on the bell's surface. Its original petite, delicate shape didn't change much, but its aura became noticeably deeper and more solid.

The System Panel refreshed at the same time.

[The Calming Bell had been successfully upgraded.]

[Current Quality: Century Companion Soul Tool]

[New Effects: Moon Storage, Bell Space]

Lin Yan immediately examined the descriptions.

[Moon Storage: Can store some moonlight energy for use in everyday cultivation or as a temporary refill during battle.]

[Bell Space: A small storage space exists within the bell. At present, it can hold only nonliving objects and pure energy.]

After reading those two descriptions, Lin Yan almost let out a cheer.

A storage function!

It wasn't an offensive boost or anything, but its practical value was off the charts.

For starters, carrying things, hiding things, and stockpiling resources would all be much easier from now on.

Besides, a companion soul tool with its own internal space clearly wasn't an ordinary item.

Lin Yan reached into the bell with his mind and immediately "saw" a hazy space that wasn't all that large.

Gray-white mist swirled through it. It was about the size of a small room, and at the moment, it was completely empty.

Even so, he was more than satisfied.

"Not bad, not bad."

"If I get the chance, I can stockpile some herbs, Gold Soul Coins, or even dried fish in there... Ahem, scratch that last one."

As a cat, he really did want to eat fish.

But as a Moon Spirit Cat with ambitions, he had to show some restraint.

Next, Lin Yan used the [Century Cultivation Card].

A warm current surged through him at once.

It was like a stream of exceptionally pure Soul Power, flowing through his limbs and body.

His bones, flesh, meridians, and sea of consciousness were all gently cleansed in that moment.

The process wasn't painful at all.

In fact, it was almost too comfortable, like curling up on a soft cushion that had just been warmed in the sun on a winter's day. His whole body felt like it was melting.

When the warmth faded, Lin Yan could clearly feel that he had grown much stronger.

His body was a size larger than when he'd first been born.

He still looked like a kitten, but he'd gone from being palm-sized to small enough to cradle in both hands.

His limbs were stronger.

His claws were sharper.

The Soul Power and mental power within him had also grown much steadier.

At least now, if he had to take a few steps, he wouldn't topple over on flat ground and make the same pathetic spectacle of himself as before.

[Cultivation: Hundred-Year Soul Beast]

Looking at the updated information on the System Panel, Lin Yan nodded in satisfaction.

"Finally, I feel a little safer."

"I'm still weak, but I'm much stronger than when I first hatched."

Lin Yan quickly learned the last remaining ability, [Mimic Breath].

It wasn't complicated. It was more like a small trick for concealing his presence.

As he activated the ability, the distinctive moonlight energy around him gradually faded. The silver gleam at the tips of his ears dimmed to almost nothing, and the Calming Bell around his neck was mostly hidden by his fluffy white fur.

At a glance, he really did look like an ordinary, adorable Little White Cat.

"Great skill."

"If I slip into a crowd, who'd ever guess I'm a Soul Beast?"

"As long as I don't run into some freakishly powerful mental powerhouse, I should be fine."

At that thought, Lin Yan suddenly paused.

Then he silently lifted his head and looked toward Spirit City.

"...So Bibi Dong probably counts as one of those freakishly powerful mental powerhouses."

"Tsk. Tricking her is going to be a little difficult."

But difficult or not, there was no harm in trying out his new abilities first.

The first one Lin Yan tried was [Purring Dream].

The Little White Cat sat down where he was and did his best to relax. A soft, quiet purr soon came from his throat.

"Purr... purr..."

The sound was faint.

Not noisy at all.

It even had a strangely soothing quality.

As the purring began, the mixed, chilly energy lingering in Stone Valley actually seemed to ease a little.

Even the faint, broken mental fluctuations nearby seemed to be soothed, growing calmer.

Lin Yan's eyes lit up as he sensed the change.

It worked!

And the effect was even more direct than he'd expected.

There were no living creatures in Stone Valley for him to test it on, but the fact that it worked on those scattered mental fluctuations alone showed that this ability was no gimmick.

"Not bad."

"If someone can't sleep, I can curl up beside their bed and give them some good, old-fashioned physical sleep therapy."

"Especially a certain His Holiness the Pope..."

At that thought, Lin Yan couldn't help narrowing his eyes.

This skill practically seemed made for Bibi Dong.

Next, he tried [Moon Mark Time Slow].

The Little White Cat fixed his gaze on a small stone rolling slowly down a slope in the distance.

At the thought, his Soul Power and mental power stirred together.

In an instant, the world before Lin Yan's eyes changed.

In the otherwise ordinary valley, faint silver trails appeared one after another.

The wind, tumbling stones, drifting dust, and flowing air all seemed to leave clearer traces behind.

The small stone rolling down the slope looked especially distinct, as if a silver thread were pulling it along.

The next moment, the ability activated.

The stone jolted to a halt.

It was as if someone had pressed a slow-motion button.

It was still rolling, but far more slowly, as though it had sunk into a layer of invisible, viscous water.

The effect lasted only an instant.

At most, a single breath.

Then the stone returned to its normal speed and clattered down to the bottom of the valley.

At the same moment, Lin Yan felt slightly dizzy, and nearly half the Soul Power in his body vanished.

"Yikes..."

"That's a powerful effect, but it takes a lot out of me."

Lin Yan shook his little head, his expression going blank.

The move really was powerful.

But at his current level, it could only serve as a trump card.

If he used it carelessly, he'd probably run out of energy before his enemy even made a move.

"But that's fine."

"As long as it can save my life when it matters."

"A low-budget version of Time Stop is still Time Stop =="

Having tested his two new abilities, Lin Yan didn't forget his old specialty.

[Soul Devour Moon].

This was the core of his cultivation in the truest sense.

Moon Mark Time Slow had just used up a lot of his Soul Power, making this the perfect time to test how well he could recover.

As he activated the ability, a suction force emerged from the Little White Cat's body.

The sparse moonlight and scattered Soul Power in the area were drawn toward him once more.

This time, though, the pull was much gentler and steadier than it had been when he was first born.

Pale gray-white motes of light entered his body, and Lin Yan could clearly feel his depleted Soul Power gradually recovering.

But as he continued to draw it in, he noticed something was wrong.

The energy left in Stone Valley... was pitifully scarce.

It was even thinner than he'd first sensed.

The valley was completely bare, without even a blade of grass. He'd assumed the Death Canyon's harsh environment simply couldn't support plants or small animals.

But now, it seemed things weren't that simple.

Lin Yan stopped cultivating and looked around thoughtfully.

Black stone.

Gray earth.

Not a blade of grass.

Even the traces of moonlight left on the ground had nearly faded away.

And then he remembered the scene from when he was born: that Soul Embryo had continuously devoured the world's Soul Power, deathly energy, and broken mental fluctuations...

Lin Yan fell silent for two seconds.

Then the look on his catlike face slowly turned guilty.

"Wait..."

"Was this valley not always this barren?"

"Did I swallow everything I could before and after I was born?"

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Actually, it didn't just seem likely.

It was probably exactly what had happened.

He'd been gestating and coming into being here, so he'd probably been draining this valley dry for years.

Moonlight, Soul Power, remnant souls, fragments of consciousness...

He hadn't spared a thing.

No wonder the place was so barren.

It wasn't that the environment was bad.

He'd gnawed it bare!

"..."

Lin Yan's mouth fell open, and he sat there completely stunned.

Only after a moment did he draw a very quiet breath.

"Well, I'll be."

"I thought the system had given me a ridiculously powerful cheat."

"Turns out I'm the biggest natural disaster around here."

And almost as soon as he guiltily stopped using Soul Devour Moon,

in the darkness beyond Stone Valley,

a purple-black figure came to a slow halt.

The night wind was silent.

The valley was still.

Only a pair of dark purple eyes gazed quietly in this direction.