Aptitude

Growth was the bonus attribute gained with every level. The higher the growth, the higher the bonus attributes.

A player's ordinary class had a growth of one point, a hidden race added 0.5, and a hidden class added 1.5. In other words, even the most exceptional players had growth around 3. Pets and summoned creatures were the same, with the highest possible growth reaching 3.

Yet the two Light Spirit Swordsmen only had growth between 0.5 and 0.6. They were absolutely the worst summoned creatures Avilan had ever seen.

After testing the Light Spirit Swordsmen, Avilan held no hope for the Wellington siblings either.

"Put your hand on the crystal ball," Avilan said listlessly.

Wellington quickly placed his hand on it, and a burst of red light erupted. That represented the fire attribute.

Wellington: Level 3. Physical Aptitude 14, Magic Aptitude 8, Constitution Aptitude 12, Speed Aptitude 12, Growth 0.88

"Hmm!" Avilan blinked instinctively. For a first-tier creature, these aptitudes were considered quite good, and each advancement would add a little growth.

But a decent little pet like this was something Avilan would not have even glanced at in the game.

After all, he had been the leader of a guild and one of the most famous big spenders in the Chinese region. If he used pets, he used only the best.

The moment Wellington finished the test, he pulled Anxi's hand over and placed it on the crystal ball, staring nervously at Avilan.

The crystal ball burst with transparent white light. Anxi was actually of the light attribute.

Anxi: Level 1. Physical Aptitude 9, Magic Aptitude 14, Constitution Aptitude 10, Speed Aptitude 10, Growth 0.98

A first-tier creature whose growth was nearly one could also be considered a top-tier pet in the game.

"Interesting. Raising a loli," Avilan muttered before gently lifting Anxi into his arms.

Seeing Avilan pick Anxi up, Wellington clenched both fists tightly.

"Do you want to learn magic and become a powerful mage like me?" Avilan asked after lightly tidying Anxi's messy hair.

Anxi tilted her head and looked at her brother, then rested her chin on her hand as she stared at Avilan with a blankly adorable expression.

"What about my brother?"

"As for whether he wants to follow me, that is up to him."

"Yay! Brother, Lord Aslan said he wants to take us in as followers." At that moment, Anxi no longer looked dazed and adorable. Instead, a sly glint flashed in her eyes.

"Haha." Avilan threw back his head and laughed heartily while holding the little girl in his arms.

"In my name, I bestow names upon you two: Light Wolf! Light Tiger!"

After setting the little girl down, Aslan directly named the two Light Spirit Swordsmen. Terrifying magic essence immediately surged into them, and Aslan clearly felt his MP dropping. The two Light Spirit Swordsmen had consumed more than 2,500 of Avilan's MP.

They then broke through to the fourth tier one after another, gaining ten levels in one go. However, their growth only increased by around 0.1 each, making Avilan shake his head repeatedly.

"From now on, you two will be the followers of these two little ones. You will be responsible for protecting them in the village."

"Yes, my lord!" After Light Wolf and Light Tiger respectfully bowed, they walked toward their two young masters.

Wellington's face flushed red with excitement, while Anxi looked puzzled. She could not quite guess why Avilan had done this.

"Teacher, are you leaving?" Anxi quickly thought of something and asked nervously.

Compared with followers, she cared more about whether she could possess power. Only her own strength was real; so-called followers were merely external help.

What a clever little girl. Avilan muttered inwardly, then smiled and nodded. "I need to go back for a while and prepare suitable paths of cultivation for you."

"Can't you take us with you? We'll be good. We definitely won't cause you any trouble, Teacher." Anxi widened her eyes and looked at Avilan hopefully.

"Haha, of course you can. It's just that you're still too weak right now. My place is too dangerous. Once you grow stronger, I'll take you back with me." After saying this calmly, Avilan gave the two Light Spirit Swordsmen a meaningful look.

Light Wolf immediately understood and invited the two young masters back to the village.

Anxi reluctantly followed behind Light Wolf as she left, while Wellington grinned foolishly all the way.

This angered her so much that she kicked Wellington in the knee, nearly knocking him to the ground and leaving Light Wolf and Light Tiger dumbfounded.

"Brother, do you even have a brain? Teacher is leaving, so why are you so happy?" After saying that, Anxi pounced on Wellington and began hitting him wildly, specifically smacking his head.

"All you know is eating. You don't even use your brain. Teacher is leaving, so who will teach us how to cultivate?"

"Didn't Teacher say he was only going back for a while?" Wellington shouted unwillingly while covering his head.

"Ow, you still dare talk back?" Anxi immediately flew into a rage. Her little claws started scratching everywhere, making Wellington cry out in misery.

"The next time you see Teacher, be more respectful and smarter. When you see Teacher leaving, you need to act reluctant to part with him. Don't look so carefree. You have to act like a good student. If I see you acting so heartless again, I'll scratch you to death!" Anxi shouted angrily, then tossed her head. The two little braids atop her head immediately fluttered in the wind.

"Brother Light Wolf, Brother Light Tiger, I didn't do anything improper just now, did I?" As if suddenly remembering something, Anxi turned her gaze toward the Light Spirit Swordsmen. She put on her earlier blankly adorable expression and blinked her large eyes as she asked.

Light Wolf and Light Tiger exchanged a glance, then said in unison, "We didn't see anything."

Their growth was not high, but that did not mean they lacked intelligence.

Avilan's sudden return was not truly to prepare cultivation methods for the two little ones. Arthur had sent him a voice transmission: enemies had appeared north of Despair Fortress, and the several large tribes Mize had left behind had all been slaughtered overnight.

At the time, Zhou Yu decisively led a thousand soldiers to search the area. Just as she had expected, a group of unwelcome visitors had arrived from Messiah Forest, and they were extremely powerful. The two sides fought fiercely, and Mi Yue ultimately ambushed them from behind and wiped them out in one stroke. However, the invaders' strength could not be underestimated, which was why Avilan had made a special trip back.

When Avilan returned to Despair Fortress, Zhou Yu had not yet come back. He sat on the throne in the main hall alongside the restless Miuo and the others, waiting for Zhou Yu's return.

This operation had taken almost all the Horned Demons away, leaving the other races behind to guard Despair Fortress.

When facing powerful enemies, the Horned Demons' overall combat strength was still somewhat greater than that of these other races. Moreover, with Zhou Yu's attribute bonuses, the Horned Demons could also slightly increase their overall strength.

Not long afterward, Zhou Yu and Mi Yue strode into the main hall. Their expressions remained unchanged, with nothing out of the ordinary, making Miuo and the others beside them breathe a long sigh of relief and relax somewhat.

What they feared most was an unforeseen development that would bring Blood Church's bloody retaliation upon them in the future.

Although they came from the Munk Kingdom deep within Messiah Forest, they were also very familiar with the notorious religious force known as Blood Church.