This Contract Spirit Was Way Too Handsome

The business with the Abyss Dungeon had come to an end.

Inside the villa.

Mo Shiyu hauled out all the Spirit Stones stored in her Contract Spirit Space and counted them with a delighted grin.

Ever since she had snagged Xia Yuan and contracted him, her supply of Spirit Stones had started growing explosively.

So far, she had earned almost twenty thousand Spirit Stones!

Adding the twenty thousand Spirit Stones House Mo gave its family members as their starting card-pulling funds, she now had forty thousand Spirit Stones in total!

"Forty thousand Spirit Stones! If I spend them all on pulls, at 1,680 per ten-pull, I can pull 242 times!"

"A guaranteed Contract Spirit takes 180 pulls. Maybe I could get two Contract Spirits!"

Mo Shiyu excitedly did the math, giggling like an idiot.

There were also the special materials dropped by the Abyss Boss!

Mo Shiyu had chosen "dragon heart" and "black dragon horn." Both materials contained a considerable amount of Contract Spirit breakthrough force!

She planned to save them for Xia Yuan's breakthrough.

Upon hearing her words, Xia Yuan said in a forlorn tone:

"Chubby Yu, your spiritual power isn't even enough for me right now, and you're already thinking about pulling someone new?"

"Taking the Spirit Stones I earned for you and spending them on a new sweetheart... heh."

He sniffled, looking utterly heartbroken, then rose as though to leave. "Ah, figures. Women really do love the new and tire of the old. I should just leave..."

Mo Shiyu panicked immediately. She hurried to her feet, pushed him back onto the sofa, and eagerly began massaging his shoulders with her soft, supple hands.

"Hey... Xia Yuan... handsome Yuan!"

"I was only talking! I definitely won't spend these Spirit Stones on the card pool."

"I'm saving them all to build you up. SSR breakthroughs and Inscription sets cost tons of Spirit Stones!"

She raised one hand and swore:

"Even if I, Mo Shiyu, have to bankrupt myself and go out selling... selling performances and begging, I'll still give you the best!"

Xia Yuan crossed his legs and finally nodded in satisfaction. "Harder. Haven't you eaten?"

The corner of Mo Shiyu's eye twitched, and her little fists involuntarily clenched.

Give this guy an inch, and he would take the whole kingdom!

She had been House Mo's pampered young lady her entire life. When had she ever waited on anyone like this?

A mere Contract Spirit, yet he really thought he was the lord of the house!

Xia Yuan said, "Why did you stop? Keep going."

Mo Shiyu said, "Sure thing! Is this pressure okay?"

Xia Yuan hummed comfortably. "Mm, not bad."

Remembering Xia Yuan's practically invincible combat prowess, Mo Shiyu lost all her anger and submitted completely.

Xiao Hei jumped from Mo Shiyu's shoulder into Xia Yuan's lap, affectionately rubbing against his hand and meowing.

Xia Yuan smiled as he stroked the white-winged black cat. "Hmm... Xiao Hei is already level 50. Isn't it time for a breakthrough?"

Looking at Xiao Hei's ingratiating expression, Mo Shiyu could hardly imagine she had once been a proud spirit. Now she, too, had succumbed to Xia Yuan's tyranny. "That's right, but her breakthrough requires at least three thousand Spirit Stones, plus some breakthrough materials..."

Xia Yuan said generously, "Give them to her."

As though she understood him, Xiao Hei's gemlike eyes sparkled, and she obediently stuck out her tongue to lick his palm.

Mo Shiyu nodded and muttered, "I know. That was already my plan."

Rubbing the cat's head, Xia Yuan smiled. "Chubby Yu, Xiao Hei is so useful. Don't skimp on investing resources in her. Tell me what you're missing, and I'll go farm it."

The Black Cat Spirit's hidden trait was incredibly useful. Her spiritual power support was exactly what Xia Yuan needed most right now.

Mo Shiyu rubbed her sore hands. "Mm, I understand. Let's take her to the Breakthrough Platform now."

Xia Yuan frowned slightly. "Why did you stop? Did I tell you to stop? Massage me a little longer before we go!"

So angry she nearly used all her strength, Mo Shiyu viciously squeezed his shoulders, letting out a grumble through gritted teeth. "Ngh...!"

Unfortunately...

Her protest only earned a remark from Xia Yuan. "Now that's some decent pressure."

Contract Spirit Breakthrough Platforms were always located near the Origin Card Pool.

Chuanbei Academy had three of them.

However, Contract Spirits were difficult to level, and breakthrough materials were quite expensive.

Normally, not many Contract Spirit Masters brought their Contract Spirits in for breakthroughs.

Most who did were upper-year students at the academy.

First-year students were almost unheard of.

That made Mo Shiyu and Xia Yuan's arrival especially conspicuous, attracting plenty of other students hoping to change their fortunes with card pulls.

"No way. Is Abyss God about to break through?"

"How is that possible? An SSR couldn't level up that fast!"

"Are you blind? Can't you see Abyss God is only level 38? They're obviously here for that level 50 C Rank black kitten!"

"True. She's a support Contract Spirit who's been tagging along with an SSR like Abyss God for experience. Of course her level would skyrocket!"

"They've apparently been soloing three-star dungeons these past few days. An SSR clears dungeons so efficiently that one week for them is worth several months for us..."

"Abyss God really is strong, handsome, and stylish. I'm so jealous of our junior Mo Shiyu. She gets that eye candy every day!"

Whenever Xia Yuan appeared, the academy's young female Contract Spirit Masters couldn't help swooning, screaming, staring, and sneaking photos.

By now, he had long since taken first place on the North Sichuan Spirit Contract Master Academy's list of most handsome Contract Spirits.

Some candid photos posted online had even brought him considerable fame and plenty of fans.

He had attracted quite a few female students from other academies, too.

They were young girls, after all. Even if Xia Yuan was already taken, that didn't stop them from secretly liking him.

"Oh my gosh, he's seriously so stylish!"

"Abyss God, look over here!"

"Could you take off your sunglasses?"

Xia Yuan didn't mind in the least. In fact, he enjoyed it.

He took off his sunglasses, revealing his azure eyes and setting off a wave of screams from the girls!

When people took photos, he even struck a few cool poses. He wasn't remotely shy.

Mo Shiyu watched resentfully from the side, muttering under her breath:

"Aren't powerful Contract Spirits usually cold and aloof? How can one love showing off this much...?"

She placed Xiao Hei on the Breakthrough Platform, and the requirements for her breakthrough appeared:

[Contract Spirit: C Rank Black Cat Spirit (level 50 requirement met), first breakthrough]

[Please provide 3,000 Spirit Stones]

[Please provide breakthrough materials worth 10,000 breakthrough force]

Upon seeing the requirement of ten thousand breakthrough force, the upper-year students watching immediately exclaimed:

"Holy crap, a C Rank support Contract Spirit needs ten thousand breakthrough force?!"

"That much? I remember my B Rank main damage dealer only needed eight thousand!"

"Contract Spirit breakthroughs require different amounts of breakthrough force depending on their rank and strength. That means this white-winged black kitten is no ordinary spirit. Her abilities must be incredibly powerful!"

"Does anyone need to question our campus beauty Mo's eye for Contract Spirits? She contracted Abyss God when he was still just an R Card. Who knew he could become an SSR?"

"..."

Mo Shiyu took three thousand Spirit Stones out of her Contract Spirit Space and placed them on the platform, then added the breakthrough materials dropped by the Red-Name Bosses one by one.

After adding two [red name crystals] and a [dark core], she finally met the requirements. The breakthrough could begin!

The strange inscriptions at the base of the Breakthrough Platform began to rotate.

Then Xiao Hei started glowing, as though she were evolving!

The winged black cat's appearance actually began to change!

Her body contracted and shrank.

Finally, she transformed into an even smaller cat-eared girl spirit.

She slowly opened her large, dewy eyes. Two furry black cat ears sat atop her head, while the wings on her back had become the nimble wings unique to spirits. She was exceptionally adorable!

"Boohoo...!"

"I finally made it into a true spirit form. That wasn't easy!"

The little cat-eared spirit teared up with emotion and immediately flew toward Mo Shiyu and Xia Yuan.

She hugged Xia Yuan's thigh, overflowing with gratitude.

"Lord Xia Yuan!"

"Boohoo... thank you so much! Without you, it probably would've taken me ages to get a humanoid form!"

"From now on, I'll be your exclusive support. I'll definitely repay you!"

Xia Yuan pulled her off his leg and held her up for a closer look with Mo Shiyu. Both looked rather astonished.

"Contract Spirits can change form when they break through? I have to say, this little cutie looks pretty unique!"

"There is indeed a chance of changing form during a breakthrough, but I never expected my Xiao Hei to become a little cat-eared spirit!"

The onlookers grew envious again!

Both catgirl Contract Spirits and spirit-type Contract Spirits were extremely rare.

Strength aside, their looks were genuinely appealing!

The little cat-eared spirit planted her hands on her hips and said haughtily:

"Master, I originally planned to stop following you once I had a humanoid form."

"But you're really lucky. You also contracted Lord Xia Yuan, so I suppose I can keep hanging around with you."

Feeling insulted, Mo Shiyu immediately pinched the little spirit's cheeks with both hands and stared at her with a dangerously sweet expression. "Xiao Hei, what... did... you... say? Say that again if you dare!"

The little cat-eared spirit immediately lost her nerve. Her big eyes filled with tears as she apologized in a muffled voice:

"Sowwy..."

"Master, I won't do it again. I was only talking..."

Mo Shiyu gave a cold snort and finally released her, satisfied.

As the master, her standing before Xia Yuan was already far too low.

Was she supposed to let a little nobody like this walk all over her, too?

Remembering the Inscriptions Miss Ice Cream had mentioned, Xia Yuan asked:

"Chubby Yu, now that Xiao Hei has broken through at level 50, can she equip Inscriptions?"

Mo Shiyu nodded. "Yep. Buying Inscriptions from the official website is too expensive. Even a single one-star Inscription costs thousands of Spirit Stones. So today's goal is to go to a Monster Secret Realm and farm a usable Inscription set for Xiao Hei!"

Monster Secret Realms were different from Monster Dungeons.

Successfully clearing one rewarded some experience, along with Inscriptions that enhanced a Contract Spirit's various abilities.

Their characteristics were different, too.

Monster Secret Realms were generally extremely stable and wouldn't spontaneously erupt in human society.

Most existed in remote locations rarely visited by people and respawned in fixed places.

Monster Dungeons, however, came in both stable and unstable, rampaging varieties.

For example, the dungeon area behind the North Sichuan Spiritmaster Academy consisted of safe dungeons that remained stable year-round. Monsters wouldn't emerge from their portals on their own.

After being cleared, they would automatically respawn at random after a certain period.

Unstable, rampaging Monster Dungeons were like the Abyss Dungeon that had suddenly appeared in Chuanbei's South China District last time.

They descended suddenly as one-off events!

Monsters poured out of their portals and actively attacked humans, making them the most dangerous kind!

They were among the most frequent disasters humanity currently faced, as well as those with the highest death tolls.

Countries around the world hated them and found them a constant headache, establishing the Spirit Tamer Alliance specifically to respond to such sudden disasters.

Hearing about Inscriptions made Xia Yuan ache at the thought of grinding.

He had spent no shortage of time grinding for these things in the gacha progression games he played in his previous life!

Still, if Inscriptions could improve Xiao Hei's ability to reduce mana costs, they were a must-farm.

Xia Yuan thought it over. If he pulled templates for other top-tier characters in the future, he could switch between their top-tier combat abilities to handle different situations.

Especially those ridiculously overpowered ultimate skills some characters possessed!

It was easy to imagine how much spiritual power they would consume!

Even draining Mo Shiyu into a dried-up corpse probably wouldn't be enough...

So spiritual power was his top priority right now!