Contract and a breakthrough
Sensing Baishi's current state, Lin Yuan's lips curved upward slightly.
Over the past two days, [Living Creature Affinity] had made it easier for him to sense other creatures' emotions. Sometimes, even without checking their panels, he could sense the thoughts and conditions of the pet beasts at home.
With a strong bond between him and a pet beast, this talent's perception worked very well even without a contract.
He could feel that, in just two or three short days, this little cat who hid his emotions and loved to run away had already developed considerable trust in and dependence on him.
It was easy to imagine that, wherever he had lived before, he might not have received even the most basic kindness.
In truth, respecting the pet beast's wishes was also why Lin Yuan had not contracted him over the past few days.
He was a One-Star Beast Tamer. Using [Contract Art] to contract an ordinary-grade pet beast was not difficult.
But [Contract Art] also meant something else—inviting a pet beast into his life, into his Spiritual World.
To Lin Yuan, a pet beast's potential was important.
But the emotional connection formed when contracting a pet beast was even more important.
A good beginning also opened up more possibilities for a bond brought together by fate.
"Baishi, become my first contracted pet beast!" Lin Yuan said, stroking the fur puffed out beside Baishi's cheeks.
Baishi had just "burped" again and had not finished releasing the air. Hearing Lin Yuan's "invitation," he froze.
Even his chest felt a little tight.
A contract?
Was it the same kind of... contract his eldest brother had received, when so many people in the Lineage had scrambled to contract him the moment he was born?
He had passed through many hands, and every owner had wanted to study him and discover something.
Even the household where he had been born had been the same.
If a needle had come to draw a vial of his blood right then, he would not have been surprised.
But that word coming from Lin Yuan's mouth genuinely stunned him.
He had truly believed that, after arriving in this new home, his new owner only wanted to study him and discover something too. A contract had never crossed his mind.
Lin Yuan said nothing more. He simply looked at Baishi with a resolute gaze.
And when Baishi saw Lin Yuan's sincere eyes again, he felt the fire in his heart, buried beneath thick layers of coldness and estrangement, flare up once more.
His heart blazed with fervor, and fierce fighting spirit seemed to burn in his eyes.
"Meow!"
Yes!
Even that meow seemed to carry a hint of wildness.
Lin Yuan began channeling [Contract Art], locking onto the contract space in his Spiritual World. He slowly drew it out, then settled it between Baishi's brows.
There was almost no resistance.
Lin Yuan could feel Baishi's inner world more deeply. Those struggles, that unwillingness to yield, that sealed-away pain, those fleeting moments of happiness—all of them became a kind of power.
This was the ability of his [Heart Frenzy], and it was the first time Lin Yuan had seen Baishi use it.
The bond between man and beast gradually grew solid.
The contract was complete!
Lin Yuan felt a certain part of his Spiritual World suddenly fill in, and his mental power rose slightly as well.
But what Lin Yuan had not expected was that Baishi would seize upon the momentum of [Heart Frenzy], along with the nourishment from Lin Yuan's mental power after their newly formed contract.
He rapidly digested some of the energy from the [Lionbright Fruit] cake he had just eaten.
His body seemed to begin growing into itself. His limbs became slender and long, and his fur grew finer.
Although he was not as large as the other [Tranquil Heart Cats] they had seen at the breeding base a few days earlier, at least he no longer looked like a newborn kitten.
It was not over yet. Before Lin Yuan's very eyes, a lionlike phantom seemed to flash behind him, vanishing in an instant.
Such a rapid change clearly was not evolution.
He had broken through in quality and finally returned to the transcendent grade where he belonged!
Although it was not the average transcendent mid-grade, he had at least reached low-grade.
Lin Yuan looked at his panel and confirmed the information.
[Still Spirit Cat] [Attribute]: Spirit [Quality]: Transcendent low-grade [Level]: Ordinary Level 4 [Sex]: Male [Traits]: [Heart Frenzy LV1], [Lion Spirit LV1] [Heart Frenzy LV1]: In a pure state of mind, after finding the source of the wildness within, can enter the [Frenzy] state, enhancing all physical and mental capabilities by 20% for ten minutes. [Lion Spirit LV1]: Awakens the Lion Soul within the bloodline and summons a Lion Spirit. Any means of attack can incorporate [Dominating Presence], suppressing the presence of any other feline pet beast. [Personality]: Forbearing, wild, brave [Status]: The momentum of [Heart Frenzy], the infusion of mental power during the contract, and the strength accumulated through his long endurance allowed him to rapidly consume part of the [Lionbright Fruit]'s energy and successfully break through in quality. Continued training and digestion of the energy can restore his quality to transcendent high-grade. He is currently experiencing extreme joy and excitement, while also being astonished at his body swelling as though it were a ball being inflated. [Evolution Path] Evolution Path one: Quiet Spirit Hidden Cat, compatibility: 2% Evolution Path two: Quiet Wealth Mystic Cat, compatibility: 11% Evolution Path three: Nether Spirit Silk Cat, compatibility: 35% Hidden Evolution Path: Spiritblast Mad Lion, compatibility: 98% (Can evolve once quality returns to transcendent high-grade and level reaches Ordinary Level 10.)
Lin Yuan smiled when he saw this.
Truly, a willow planted without intent had grown into a canopy of shade.
He had never expected Baishi to successfully return to the transcendent quality that should have been his the moment they formed their contract.
He had also smoothly awakened his second trait, [Lion Spirit].
Although he still looked like a [Still Spirit Cat], a different sort of bearing and commanding air were already visible.
An ordinary [Still Spirit Cat] was elegant, but an indelible aura of dominance rippled around Baishi.
"Meow... roar!"
After successfully forming the contract, he and Lin Yuan were connected in heart and mind, closer than ever.
Before, becoming a lion had only been his dream.
Now, he could truly feel that commanding presence of a lion flowing through his blood!
And after growing so much all at once, he was finally no longer that underdeveloped little kitten despised by people and rejected by his siblings. In an instant, he felt he could lift his head high and breathe freely.
When Lin Yuan had asked him, "Do you want to become a lion?" it had never been a casual remark.
His Beast Tamer was someone who kept his word!
And that cake really did seem to be his first step toward becoming a lion!
He roared again, letting himself release everything freely.
Then he realized that the effects of [Heart Frenzy], which he had once struggled so much to unleash, were still continuing.
He could not waste this precious time.
So he continued swinging his paws and leaping back and forth.
Training!
He could feel that, as long as he trained more, he would grow faster.
Feeling the closer affection between himself and Baishi, Lin Yuan was delighted too.
Contracting his first pet beast had been something he needed to do during this week-long holiday anyway.
Huang Zixuan had only contracted his [Wonderstar Grass] yesterday morning.
He had not fallen behind at all!
After experiencing the marvel of contracting a pet beast, he also discovered that his mental power had increased considerably.
Especially after Baishi's breakthrough in quality.
In this world, there was only one way for Beast Tamers to raise their rank—increase their mental power.
Mental power formed the framework of the Spiritual World, and the Pet Beast Space was nurtured into existence within it.
He was currently a One-Star Beast Tamer, with only one Pet Beast Space.
Once he reached two stars, he would be able to contract a second pet beast.
There were also generally three ways to increase mental power:
First, when a contracted pet beast grew stronger, it could feed back a large amount of mental power. This was the fastest way for a Beast Tamer to rank up.
Second, use high-quality products capable of increasing mental power. When a bottleneck needed to be broken through, this method produced results the fastest.
Third was the method Lin Yuan had used all along before successfully opening his first Pet Beast Space—[Nourishment Art].
[Beast-Taming Arts] were the various wondrous arts Beast Tamers used on their pet beasts. As its name suggested, [Nourishment Art] was a cultivation method Beast Tamers used to nourish themselves.
[Nourishment Arts] also came in all kinds of varieties, and increasing mental power depended on them.
Advancement in certain special secondary professions likewise could not do without [Nourishment Arts].
But those things were still too far away for Lin Yuan.
For now, he had only mastered one mental-training [Nourishment Art] made freely available to the public by the Chenlong Kingdom—[Night Nether Art].
Lin Yuan looked at his own panel.
[Lin Yuan] Profession: One-Star, third-stage Beast Tamer Mental power: 21/100 Secondary profession: None Contracted pet beast: [Still Spirit Cat] (Baishi) Beast-Taming Arts: Contract Art, Bonded Enlightenment Art Nourishment Art: Night Nether Art Talents: [Living Creature Affinity LV1 (A)], [Eye of All Spirits LV1 (S+)]
From the day of his awakening until now, his mental power...
Had increased by nine points!