A contract and a quality breakthrough

Sensing Baishi's current state, Lin Yuan's lips curved into a slight smile.

Over the past two days, [Living Creature Affinity] had made it easier for him to sense creatures' emotions. Sometimes, he could understand the thoughts and states of the pet beasts at home without even checking their panels.

With a strong enough bond, this talent worked 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 running 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 fact, the reason Lin Yuan had not contracted him these past few days was that he wanted to respect his wishes.

As a one-star Beast Tamer, he would have little difficulty using [Contract Art] to contract an ordinary-quality pet beast.

But [Contract Art] also meant something else—inviting a pet beast into his life, into his mental world.

To Lin Yuan, a pet beast's potential mattered.

But what mattered more was the emotional connection forged when forming a contract.

A good beginning opened up more possibilities for a bond brought together by fate.

"Baishi, become my first contracted pet beast!" Lin Yuan said, stroking the fur bristling around Baishi's cheeks.

Baishi had just let out another "burp" and had not finished releasing the gas. At Lin Yuan's "invitation," he froze.

Even his chest felt a little tight.

A contract?

The kind of... contract everyone in the lineage had scrambled to form with my eldest brother the moment he was born?

He had passed from owner to owner, and every one of them had wanted to study him and discover something.

Even the household where he was born had been the same.

If a needle had appeared to draw a vial of his blood right now, he would not have been surprised.

Yet that word from Lin Yuan's mouth had genuinely left him stunned.

He had truly believed that, upon arriving in this new home, his new owner only wanted to study him for something as well. A contract had never even crossed his mind.

Lin Yuan said nothing more. He simply watched Baishi with an unwavering gaze.

When Baishi met those 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 a fierce fighting spirit seemed to burn in his eyes.

"Meow!"

Yes!

Even that meow seemed to carry a hint of wildness.

Lin Yuan began circulating [Contract Art], locking onto the contract space in his mental world. He slowly drew it out and guided it into the center of Baishi's brow.

There was almost no resistance.

Lin Yuan could feel Baishi's inner world more deeply now. Those struggles, that refusal to accept his lot, that sealed-away pain, those fleeting moments of happiness—all of it became a kind of power.

This was Baishi's [Heart Frenzy] ability, and it was the first time Lin Yuan had seen him use it.

The bond between human and beast gradually solidified.

The contract was complete!

Lin Yuan felt a certain part of his mental world suddenly fill, and his mental power rose a little as well.

What he had not expected, however, was that Baishi would seize upon the surge of [Heart Frenzy], along with the nourishment of Lin Yuan's mental power following their newly formed contract.

He rapidly digested part of the energy from the [Lionbright Fruit] cake he had just eaten.

His body seemed to fill out, his limbs growing longer and more slender, his fur becoming finer.

Though he was not as large as the other [Tranquil Heart Cats] Lin Yuan had seen at the breeding facility a few days ago, 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, finally returning to the Transcendent tier where he belonged!

Although he had not reached the average mid-grade Transcendent quality, he had at least reached the low grade.

Lin Yuan looked at his panel and confirmed it.

[Still Spirit Cat]

[Attribute]: Spirit

[Quality]: Low-grade Transcendent

[Level]: Ordinary level 4

[Sex]: Male

[Traits]: [Heart Frenzy LV1], [Lion Spirit LV1]

[Heart Frenzy LV1]: While in a pure state of mind, finding the source of the wildness within allows entry into 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 method of attack can carry [Dominating Presence], suppressing the presence of any other feline pet beast.

[Personality]: Forbearing, wild, brave

[Status]: The surge 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 exercise and digestion of the energy can restore him to high-grade Transcendent quality.

He is currently experiencing extreme joy and excitement, while also astonished by his body swelling like an inflating balloon.

[Evolution paths]

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% (Evolution becomes possible upon returning to high-grade Transcendent quality and reaching ordinary level 10.)

Lin Yuan smiled at the sight.

A willow cutting planted without thought had truly grown into a sheltering tree.

He had never expected Baishi to regain the Transcendent quality that should have been his at the very moment they formed their contract.

He had also smoothly awakened a second trait, [Lion Spirit].

Although he still looked like a [Still Spirit Cat], a different kind of flair and imposing air were already beginning to show.

An ordinary [Still Spirit Cat] was elegant, but an indelible aura of dominance rippled around Baishi.

"Meow... roar!"

Now that their contract was complete, his heart connected with Lin Yuan's, bringing them closer still.

Before, becoming a lion had only been a dream.

Now, he could truly feel a lion's imposing might flowing through his blood!

And having grown so much all at once, he was finally no longer that stunted little kitten despised by humans and his own siblings. In that instant, he felt he could hold his head high at last.

When Lin Yuan had asked him, "Do you want to become a lion?" it had never been a passing remark.

His Beast Tamer was a man who kept his word!

And that cake really did seem to be his first step toward becoming a lion!

He let loose another roar, giving himself free rein.

Then he realized that the effects of [Heart Frenzy], which had once been so difficult to unleash, were still active.

He could not waste this precious time.

He resumed swinging his paws and leaping back and forth.

Exercise!

He could feel that the more he exercised, the faster he would grow.

Feeling the deeper closeness between himself and Baishi, Lin Yuan was delighted as well.

Contracting his first pet beast had been one of the things he needed to do during this weeklong break.

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 risen considerably.

Especially after Baishi's quality breakthrough.

In this world, there was only one way for Beast Tamers to rise in rank—by increasing their mental power.

Mental power formed the framework of the mental world, within which pet beast spaces were nurtured into existence.

He was currently a one-star Beast Tamer and had only one pet beast space.

Once he reached two stars, he could contract a second pet beast.

There were generally three ways to increase mental power:

First, when contracted pet beasts grew stronger, they could feed back large amounts of mental power. This was the fastest way for Beast Tamers to advance.

Second, using high-quality products capable of increasing mental power. When a bottleneck needed breaking, this method produced results fastest.

Third was what Lin Yuan had used all along before successfully opening his first pet beast space—[Nourishment Art].

[Beast-Taming Art] encompassed the various wondrous techniques Beast Tamers used on their pet beasts. As its name suggested, [Nourishment Art] consisted of cultivation methods that Beast Tamers used to nourish themselves.

[Nourishment Arts] came in all shapes and sizes, and increasing mental power depended on them.

Advancing in certain specialized secondary professions also required [Nourishment Art].

But all that was still far beyond Lin Yuan.

For now, he had mastered only one mental-training [Nourishment Art] made freely available 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+)]

His mental power, from the day of his awakening until now...

Had increased by nine points!