Three weeks later, Shu Family Island.
The Earth Altar. The coming-of-age ceremony.
"Choose an egg." The Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master had graying hair at his temples and a slight stoop. With his hands behind his back, he watched the three youths before him in silence. Though old, he still carried himself with authority, radiating a faint pressure.
Now.
Three Demon Beast eggs lay before Chu Yun and the others.
The one on the left was as large as a washbasin, its shell a pale blue throughout. It looked almost like stone, and if you listened closely, you could hear the faint sound of tides coming from within.
The one in the middle was about the size of a large bowl, its shell dark green. It shimmered, giving off a slick, oily feel. Tiny black spots speckled its surface. If you sniffed closely, you could even catch the fresh scent of green grass.
The one on the right was also about the size of a large bowl. Its shell was pure white as snow, with evenly spaced, bright red flame markings about the size of fingernails. At first glance, they seemed like flowers in full bloom, and a wave of warmth rose from it.
Chu Yun's dark, bright eyes were calm as a deep pool, though his heart surged. His gaze swept over the first two Demon Beast eggs, then lingered—almost imperceptibly—on the one to the right. His expression remained perfectly composed.
When the Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master looked at Chu Yun, even he, a man weathered by years of experience, couldn't help but marvel. Chu Yun carried himself with a maturity and composure far beyond his thirteen years. By comparison, the other two youths beside him showed all the restlessness and hesitation one would expect at their age.
As was customary on the other islands, every year Shu Family Island held a unique coming-of-age ceremony for thirteen-year-olds with the talent to become Spirit Beast Masters.
The island selected some of the finest Demon Beast eggs obtained that year and offered them to the youths to choose from.
In the next stages, they would not only have to hatch the Demon Beasts inside their eggs, but also learn how to raise them, command them in battle, and tame them.
In this world, Demon Beasts represented power. The coming-of-age ceremony marked the youths' departure from a carefree childhood of play and their first steps onto the road of responsibility. Their performance at the ceremony would affect their futures.
The coming-of-age ceremony mattered greatly. It was a turning point in life. Countless powerful figures had begun here, gradually distinguishing themselves until they became people who ruled the world.
Though thirteen-year-olds were mature in mind, they had yet to face true hardships. When confronted with such an important moment, it was inevitable that they would grow restless and hesitant. Yet Chu Yun remained remarkably calm. Even the Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master, with his wealth of life experience, couldn't help but look at him with admiration, secretly praising him. "No wonder the island lord took him in as his adopted son!"
"Damn it! Mother already found out what kind of eggs these are for us. She told us to choose the Sea Burst Crocodile and the Green Fang Snake eggs. But how are we supposed to know which one is the Sea Burst Crocodile and which one is the Green Fang Snake?"
"Exactly. There's also a Fire Fox egg besides those two. If I end up choosing that one, my life is over. It'd be so frustrating if that little brat Chu Yun got it for free!"
The two youths beside Chu Yun whispered to each other.
"Damn it, we can't ask that old man, either. Finding out what kinds of eggs these are is already against the rules. This coming-of-age ceremony is so unreasonable. They should just label the Demon Beasts and let us choose!"
"It's your fault for never studying properly. Now you can't even tell the eggs apart."
"You're blaming me? You're no better. Go on, pick first if you've got the guts!"
Before they had even chosen their eggs, the two youths started arguing, their voices growing louder and louder.
"Shh, keep your voices down! What are you arguing about? Don't you think the others might hear us?!"
"You're the one with the big mouth, and you're criticizing me?!"
The two squared off against each other, neither willing to back down.
The Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master heard them and shook his head slightly, sighing inwardly. "With your little tricks, I could hear you whispering even from outside the Earth Altar. Sigh, the island lord is such a wise and mighty man. How could he have two blockheads like these for sons? No wonder people wonder if they're really his..."
This year's coming-of-age ceremony on Shu Family Island was a little unusual.
Not only were there just three eligible youths on the entire island, all three were sons of the island lord. Chu Yun was his adopted son, while Shu Da and Shu Er were his legitimate, biological sons.
Though they looked alike, Shu Da was fat as a pig and hot-tempered. Shu Er, in contrast, was thin as a stick, with a gloomy air about him.
As the two argued, Shu Er happened to glance at Chu Yun. A gleam flashed in his eyes, and he whispered to Shu Da, "Stop arguing! I've got an idea!"
Shu Da knew his younger brother was usually full of schemes. He wouldn't say something like that without a reason, so Shu Da perked up and pressed him. "What idea?"
Shu Er didn't answer. Instead, he turned to Chu Yun and called out, "Hey, Chu Yun! I hear you're good at your studies and everyone says you're clever. Let's test you today. If you can tell these eggs apart, I'll give you this pouch of Earth-Fiend Stone Coins."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shu Da chimed in. "If you get them wrong and make me choose the wrong egg, you'll have to trade eggs with me, no questions asked!"
After saying this, the brothers exchanged smug looks, taking everyone else for fools.
The Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master heard them and couldn't help shaking his head. A proverb suddenly came to mind: fools were fools because they thought everyone else was one, too.
People differed, and so did eggs. The Demon Beast eggs laid out here varied in quality and potential.
The Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master knew that the egg on the left could hatch into a Sea Burst Crocodile and was highly valuable. The one in the middle belonged to a Green Fang Snake and was only a little less valuable than the Sea Burst Crocodile egg. As for the Fire Fox egg, its quality wasn't bad, but it was far inferior to the other two.
The quality of the egg would directly affect a youth's performance at the coming-of-age ceremony and shape their future. So how could Chu Yun possibly agree to identify the eggs and then give his own prospects away?
"Fine, I accept. But first, hand over the Earth-Fiend Stone Coins you're holding." Chu Yun glanced at Shu Da and Shu Er, a trace of amusement flickering in his eyes, then nodded.
"Uh..." The Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master was taken aback.
"What an idiot!"
"What a short-sighted fool! Hahaha!"
Shu Da and Shu Er exchanged a glance, laughing to themselves.
"Here. You win. You've got what you wanted." Shu Er tried to look resentfully aggrieved, as if Chu Yun had gotten the better of him. But the scheming smile at the corner of his mouth gave him away.
"Chu Yun, remember the deal! If you identify them wrong, you have to trade eggs!" Shu Da glared at Chu Yun and added gruffly.
Chu Yun smiled and accepted the pouch of Earth-Fiend Stone Coins. He weighed it in his hand and, drawing on the memories and experience of his past life, immediately estimated that it held about thirty coins.
"Hey, you took the money. Hurry up and tell us which eggs are which!" Shu Da urged him.
In an instant, Shu Da, Shu Er, and the Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master all turned their attention to Chu Yun.
Dressed in a plain white robe, Chu Yun remained calm. He blinked his dark, lacquer-black eyes, pointed a slender finger at the eggs before him, and said with a leisurely smile, "The one on the left is as large as a basin, which means the Demon Beast will be huge. Its color is like the sea, pale and uniform, showing that this is a single-yolk egg, not a twin. The faint sound of tides is a sign of a highly gifted Water-element Demon Beast. This is a Sea Burst Crocodile egg."
Shu Da and Shu Er's eyes lit up. They urged him eagerly, "Keep going! Go on!"
Chu Yun smiled and continued, "The one in the middle is as large as a bowl and pale green like grass. That means it's a single-yolk Wood-element egg, and a Wood-element Demon Beast is growing inside. The egg's sheen is slick, a trait of soft-bodied, segmented Demon Beasts. The black spots on the shell mean it's poisonous. The faint fragrance of grass around the egg shows that the Wood-element Demon Beast has a deep natural talent. This is a Green Fang Snake egg."
"As for the last one..."
"Don't say any more! That's enough. Heh, I'll take the one on the left!" Shu Er abruptly cut Chu Yun off. Now that he knew what the first two were, the last one had to be the Fire Fox egg. Shu Er had no interest in it, so he immediately spoke up, determined to claim the better one before anyone else.
"Go to hell! That Sea Burst Crocodile egg is mine! Since when do you get to snatch my things, you little brat?" Shu Da glared furiously and shouted. He shoved Shu Er so hard that he fell to the ground with a thud.
"Old man, I'll take this egg." Shu Da strode forward, nearly throwing himself at the egg on the left.
Shu Er glared venomously at Shu Da and scoffed inwardly. He scrambled to his feet and ran to the egg in the middle, speaking in a sarcastic tone. "The Grass Fang Snake and the Sea Burst Crocodile are equal-tier Demon Beasts. It all depends on how they're raised later. Heh heh heh... We'll see about that. Old man, I'll take this one!"
As he spoke, he reached out and patted the Demon Beast egg in the middle.
"Hiss..." A dense green glow suddenly burst from the egg, accompanied by what seemed to be the sound of a snake hissing.
Shu Er's face went white with fright, and he snatched his right hand back as fast as lightning. But then he grew excited. "Hahaha, I remember now! This is an embryo's spirit glow! Mother was right. This Green Fang Snake has exceptional talent and deep potential. Having it follow me is a stroke of fortune for you!"
Caught up in his excitement, he let the secret slip, though he didn't realize it. Shu Da was just as lost in his joy, stroking the shell of the egg on the left. He was nearly crushing it beneath his own bulk.
"Lady Shu certainly gave birth to two fine sons... Heh!" The Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master didn't expose them. He gave the brothers a disdainful glance, then turned his attention back to Chu Yun. He couldn't understand why Chu Yun had willingly given up those two excellent Demon Beast eggs.
"Could there be something special about the remaining Fire Fox egg?" Thinking this, the Earth Altar's Spirit Beast Master looked once more at the egg on the left.
The Demon Beast egg was bright and lustrous, its red and white colors sharply defined. It was a decent egg, but the moment you compared it to the other two, the difference was obvious.
.