A twenty-percent boost, a day of happiness

Purple light suffused the panel as Lin Yuan focused on the changes that had appeared.

[Purple Spirit Treasure Orchid]

[Attribute]: Wood

[Quality]: Upper-grade Transcendent

[Sex]: Female

[Level]: Transcendent level 2

[Beast equipment]: [Life-Soul Pendant] (Wood attribute): Growth speed +20%, trait effects +20%

[Traits]: [Spirit Dew LV1], [Treasure Mist LV1], [Pagoda LV1]

[Spirit Dew LV1]: Current daily production: 24–25 drops.

[Personality]: Home-loving, devoted, sensitive

[Status]: She does not remember her young master's childhood wish, but she believes everything he says. She is also grateful that, from childhood to adulthood, he has always kept a place for her in his heart. This warmth of home makes her feel an even greater need to give of herself, and fills her with strength. Her level has risen from Transcendent level 1 to Transcendent level 2.

[Evolution path]: [Gift of All Spirits] consumes the [power of all spirits] gathered within this pet beast. The complete evolution path will only appear once enough has accumulated. Increases in the pet beast's level and growth in its traits can both accelerate the integration of [power of all spirits] within it.

Thanks to her level increase and the effects of the [Life-Soul Pendant], she could now produce twenty-four to twenty-five drops of [spirit dew] each day!

After all, barely two days had passed since her evolution, and she had already broken through to a new level. Lin Yuan was delighted.

Reading her [Status], Lin Yuan felt another rush of warmth.

Then the information under [Evolution path] caught his attention.

Ever since Zilan had evolved and he had claimed the [Bonded Enlightenment Art] from [Gift of All Spirits], the information there had been jumbled. Characters seemed to be taking shape, only to be hidden beneath layers of mist.

Only now did he understand: after each individual pet beast evolved, it had to gather its own [power of all spirits] before the complete information would become available.

Lin Yuan found that perfectly reasonable.

A beast tamer's [Talent], like a pet beast's [Traits], could level up gradually through use and training.

He had only just awakened the [Eye of All Spirits], after all, and it was already an incredibly powerful ability.

Besides, there was a firm prerequisite for Zilan's next evolution—she had to reach Transcendent level 10. That was the minimum requirement for a pet beast's second evolution in this world.

"Zilan, congratulations on leveling up! Take some time to adjust and strengthen your resonance with this [beast equipment]."

"We have another month to use it, so let's squeeze every bit of value out of it!" Lin Yuan said softly, stroking Zilan's petals.

Hearing about the time limit did not discourage Zilan at all. Instead, she brimmed with fighting spirit.

She had never had many resources before, so she would rather squeeze her own potential dry than fail to contribute more of her strength.

Now that her young master had awakened his talent and their days were getting better, she would certainly squeeze every resource dry of its potential too. That was how she would make their lives even better.

Baishi had watched everything from the side, from the moment Lin Yuan took out the [beast equipment], through his reminiscing with Zilan, to finally putting it on her.

It had actually been working very hard these past two days.

The floral dew its new master fed it every day had also made it feel much stronger than before.

But ever since it felt the pressure emanating from that powerful feline pet beast that morning, it had been plagued by restlessness.

Sometimes, hard work really did seem unable to measure up to talent.

Especially for an underdeveloped little kitten with no talent like itself.

Then it had heard what Lin Yuan said just now: "See? Sometimes, childhood wishes really do come true, don't they?"

Only then did it feel that perhaps it had been too impatient.

Patient restraint was not in its nature. It was wild. It was brave.

But perhaps restraint was a defense mechanism for it, one that had spared it punishment time and again during its six months of being tossed from place to place.

I still need to keep a steadier head.

It stopped dwelling on the powerful presence of its fellow feline that morning.

It worked hard at swiping its claws.

Without meaning to, it also recalled the wish it had held during its first two months as a kitten.

Its mother had borne four kittens in one litter. Its older brother was a lion, basking in glory and showered with affection.

Its two older sisters had no congenital defects either. They were elegant, proper [Still Spirit Cats], beautiful and serene.

Only Baishi had been unwanted, met with nothing but cold eyes.

Back then, hadn't it had only one wish?

To become an existence like its older brother.

It wanted to become a lion because it, too, wanted its parents' love and everyone's affection.

It remembered what Lin Yuan had said to it two days earlier. "Want to become a lion? I'll help you."

It did. It wanted that so badly.

But over these past two days, it had realized that it seemed to have already received a little of something it wanted even more.

Right here in this new home, in this warm plant room, in its new master's sincere gaze and words.

Four in the afternoon.

The [lionbright fruit] Lin Yuan had purchased the day before arrived, along with the ordinary-quality ingredients meant to be used with it.

The delivery was made by the same [Courier Bird] whose first day on the job was today.

Compared with its excitement at seven that morning, however, it looked rather wilted.

Getting a "beating" from work on its very first day did not seem like a promising start.

Still, the water Lin Yuan gave it restored a little of its motivation.

Lin Yuan had noticed that [Courier Birds] were among the pet beasts with the lowest threshold for happiness.

If someone showed them even the slightest kindness, they could put forth three hundred percent of their strength.

And this was not something hidden in their innate bloodline. It was an acquired behavioral response, shaped by their working conditions and the way everyone treated them as mere delivery tools.

After all, no beast tamer in this world would choose to contract a Courier Bird, however poor their talent.

It seemed they rarely felt any genuine warmth from humans...

Carrying the ingredients, Lin Yuan went upstairs.

He carefully unpacked the ingredients intended to treat Baishi's condition.

The upper-grade Transcendent [lionbright fruit] was only about the size of a fist, but it was golden all over, shaped like a little lion baring its fangs and brandishing its claws.

The other ingredients—[Red spirit powder], [White star egg], [Mountain spring water], and so on—were all lower-grade ordinary materials, as commonplace as could be and inexpensive too.

He took the ingredients into the kitchen.

Yes, the panel's recommended method for preparing this "medicine" was "baking."

Unlike the medicinal liquid he had applied to Linghuan, this was meant to be taken internally.

And because it needed to gently harmonize the bloodlines, it had to be prepared with great care.

Lin Yuan had not come from a wealthy background in his previous life. He had been a child from deep in the mountains. Poor children learned to shoulder a household early, so he had learned to cook from a young age.

In this life, by contrast, his parents had treated him very well despite their illnesses, tending to his daily meals and needs.

Thus, even after his parents passed away and he awakened the memories of his previous life, he was hardly someone whose fingers had never touched dishwater, despite Qin Bailing's care and Linghuan's housekeeping.

For a beast tamer, preparing meals and balancing diets for different pet beasts were also crucial skills.

So he had honed his cooking over these past two years. Making cakes, supplementary foods, and the like was now a breeze.

About an hour later.

He finished a four-inch cake. It was quite plain, nothing more than a cake base, but the bright golden color of the [lionbright fruit] made it look rather exquisite.

He carried the cake into the plant room.

Baishi, still training, immediately had its attention captured.

This is...

A cake, just like the ones I remember!

It had lived with so many families and seen cakes so many times, yet not a single bite had ever found its way into its mouth.

The cake in Lin Yuan's hands was not the prettiest it had seen, but for some reason, it was extraordinarily enticing. It could feel the blood in its body racing, and all four limbs tingled.

But...

This cake must be to celebrate Zilan leveling up, right?

Oh, wait. Can plant pet beasts eat cake?

Baishi stopped swiping its claws and began seriously pondering the question. It didn't think it had ever seen that happen.

But Zilan is so amazing. She probably can, right?

Sensing its current mood and condition, Lin Yuan could not help laughing.

In the end, it was still a six-month-old pet beast. No matter how mature hardship had made its mind, its adorable side would still peek through when it least expected it.

According to the panel, Baishi's treatment did not need to be divided into courses.

Once it ate all the baked ingredients in one sitting, that energy would accumulate within its body, constantly working to harmonize its bloodlines. As long as it kept exercising every day, its body would gradually grow, returning to the normal size of a [Still Spirit Cat].

Exactly how long that recovery took depended on how hard the pet beast itself worked.

"Baishi, I promised I'd help you become a lion." Lin Yuan gently set the cake on the floor. "The first step is to eat this cake."

Baishi tilted its head, not quite understanding.

Eating cake can turn me into a lion?

But the plain-looking cake before it was already far too tempting. Unable to think at all, it stretched its head toward it.

At first, it only took a few tentative little bites. Then...

It picked up speed, eating until cake crumbs covered its mouth.

Whenever crumbs fell to the floor, it licked them up before continuing to eat.

What was more, it felt a strength in its body unlike anything it had ever known.

This cake is delicious!

No wonder none of my old masters let me eat any. It really is something wonderful!

It tastes a little sour going down, but my heart and body feel so warm!

Ten minutes later.

"Meow... hic..."

Baishi no longer cared about the strange sound it had made, though it felt it must be the least elegant [Still Spirit Cat] in history.

But at that moment, it was bursting with contentment and happiness.

This was the happiest, most joyful day of its life!