Learning to Walk

A Low-level Growth Potion sells for thirty thousand in the market.

At the Beast Tamer Academy, you can exchange them for Academic Credits. One Academic Credit gets you three bottles of Low-level Growth Potion, but no student is foolish enough to exchange their Academic Credits for such potions. It's better to save up five Academic Credits for a chance to explore the safe zone of a Secret Realm.

Zhou Lu currently only has fifteen Academic Credits, all earned from his first-year cultural courses.

There's still a month until the first official combat exam. It's definitely too late to evolve Huohuo, but since he plans to perform well in the exam to earn more Academic Credits, he needs to make the most of the Academic Credits he has.

Of course, he also needs to make the most of the system he possesses.

Under the effect of the potion, Huohuo was growing happily, and in a short while, it had grown taller by a segment.

Although that bottle of Low-level Growth Potion didn't allow Huohuo to grow to the flowering stage, Zhou Lu was very satisfied with the visible results.

It's a shame that Teacher Xiao Xi isn't someone he can see every day. Otherwise, he could have Huohuo continuously "drop" potions from her.

The thought of one day contemplating "farming" a teacher's gold coins made Zhou Lu feel a guilty excitement.

He summoned Huohuo's Beast Taming Card. Apart from two new skills, there were no significant changes.

This was normal. Beast Taming Cards were actually born with the enhancement of modern technology to allow Beast Tamers to better observe the state of their Spirit Beasts, enabling them to know their Spirit Beasts' conditions more clearly.

Furthermore, in addition to the original name, attributes, Rank, and skills, the Beast Taming Card also added a Level.

The so-called Level is a quantitative indicator used to calculate the evolutionary progress of Spirit Beasts. It is data calculated through big data and the natural computing power of the Seeking Dao Wood. Therefore, it does not change in real-time. You need to go to the nearest Growth Calculation Device to calculate and record it.

Of course, this is a paid service, costing 1.5 million each time.

You can also forgo this service and estimate whether your Spirit Beast has reached the evolutionary standard based on your own experience and intuition, then prepare the materials to facilitate its evolution.

If your estimation is wrong and your Spirit Beast has not yet reached the evolutionary stage, then the evolution will fail, and your materials will be wasted.

Compared to wasted materials, this fee is actually not that much. Moreover, at the Beast Tamer Academy, you can exchange Academic Credits for growth calculations. It costs ten Academic Credits per session, and there is also one free growth calculation per academic year – including the first-year academic year when most students do not have Spirit Beasts.

Zhou Lu had one free growth calculation, but he wasn't in a hurry to use it. It wouldn't be too late to use it when Huohuo showed signs of flowering.

Speaking of which, Academic Credits can also be used as currency for transactions on the academy's forum, used to purchase materials obtained by other students from Secret Realms.

Zhou Lu quickly remembered the system's task.

The ancient book containing the special evolutionary path for Dream Rain Flower was obtained from the forum.

Thinking of this, Zhou Lu opened his phone and browsed the forum. Most of the posts were about buying and selling materials, and there were also requests for Spirit Beast evolutionary paths.

After searching around, he found no information related to the ancient book, and Zhou Lu closed the forum with some disappointment. He decided to check the forum three times a day from now on – morning, noon, and night – to make sure he got his hands on that ancient book.

This year is New Calendar Year 996. If nothing unexpected happens, he should be able to find it by the end of the year. At that time, not only will Huohuo's special evolution have a direction, but the five selectable evolutionary materials rewarded by the system task are also very tempting.

Crack!

Just as Zhou Lu was planning for the future, the familiar sound came again.

Huohuo lay on the floor, the flowerpot having completely shattered on the ground. Fortunately, Huohuo firmly grasped all the soil with its roots; otherwise, it would have been a mess again.

While Zhou Lu was thinking, Huohuo was also impatiently practicing the two new skills it had just learned and attempting to walk.

Unfortunately, it was not yet proficient in chaining its skills, and in a short while, it fell to the ground.

The wronged little sprout hugged its new bud with its two leaves, afraid of Zhou Lu's reprimand. Its white roots wriggled restlessly, as if awaiting a scolding.

Zhou Lu chuckled helplessly, having already prepared himself for this. The potion had been absorbed by Huohuo, so even if the flowerpot broke, it wasn't a significant loss.

He walked to Huohuo's side, placed another flowerpot next to Huohuo, raised his hand, and tapped Huohuo's new bud, saying, "It's okay. You just learned the skills today, so falling is normal. Get up again, and let's continue practicing."

Saying that, Zhou Lu pointed to the pot beside them and said, "Get in yourself. You should know how, right?"

Zhou Lu's gentle voice soothed Huohuo. It followed Zhou Lu's instructions, carefully using Vine Step to sprout vines.

Under the effect of the Carry skill, it effortlessly lifted its entire body and then used Mad Growth to extend its vines.

Although it didn't aim correctly at first, after some effort, Huohuo managed to get into the pot by itself.

Back in the flowerpot, Huohuo, having regained a sense of security, clearly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, let's continue," Zhou Lu said, gently patting Huohuo.

Huohuo was a little fidgety and seemed to have developed a fear of walking.

Zhou Lu squatted down, looked at Huohuo, and gently comforted it, "Don't be afraid. When I was learning to walk as a child, I fell much more than you. Try walking again, and let me see where the problem lies."

With Zhou Lu's encouragement, Huohuo finally mustered up the courage to sprout vines again.

As Zhou Lu had seen before, Huohuo used its vines to lift itself and the flowerpot together, then allowed the fixed offshoot on the ground to sprout more vines to complete the walking motion.

Huohuo didn't walk far before stumbling and nearly falling, just like before.

This time, Zhou Lu was quick, catching Huohuo in his arms.

Huohuo retracted all its vines, shaking its leaves in disappointment.

It was already much smarter than ordinary plant-type Spirit Beasts, but it was precisely this intelligence that made it feel a sense of frustration.

I can't even learn to walk...

"I found the problem!"

Just as Huohuo was feeling dejected, Zhou Lu's gentle voice came again.

Huohuo straightened up, listening to its master's advice.

Zhou Lu crouched down and placed Huohuo back on the floor. "You don't need to lift yourself to my height. It'll make your center of gravity too concentrated at the top."

Huohuo rustled its leaves. But I want to walk with Master!

Sensing Huohuo's emotions, Zhou Lu smiled. "First, learn to walk, to move faster and more steadily. Then you can help me better, can't you? Come on, do as I say. Lower your center of gravity. You don't need the Vine Step to be too long. As long as the frequency is high enough, you can also walk quickly."

Huohuo was initially reluctant, but perked up immediately upon hearing Zhou Lu say it needed its help.

Following Zhou Lu's instructions, it sprouted vines again. This time, however, it didn't lift itself high up, only raising the flowerpot just enough to clear the ground.

"Don't make the Vine Step too long. It's best if it doesn't extend beyond the edge of the flowerpot," Zhou Lu instructed from where he sat.

Huohuo followed Zhou Lu's commands, slowly moving its body forward a short distance.

"Yes! Just like that!" Zhou Lu applauded. "Increase your frequency, alternate moving forward."

Rustle, rustle...

In this manner, Huohuo walked from the living room all the way to the doorway.

It was very steady the entire way.

Carrying the flowerpot while walking close to the ground, it looked like a strangely shaped snail.

But this was enough to surpass all plant-type Spirit Beasts of the same Rank.