Joy and a balance of work and rest
Nine points of mental power did not amount to much for an ordinary Beast Tamer.
But for a second-year high school student, that was no small amount.
A Beast Tamer's mental power grew gradually. According to the data he had gathered over the past year, the second-year students at his high school could reach an average of roughly 40 mental power by the end of the first semester.
By the end of the second semester, the more talented students could break past 100 and begin contracting their second pet beast.
Then, in most cases, those two contracted pet beasts would see them through the rest of high school—after all, even Liu Xing, who had placed second in the school on the College Entrance Exam and entered a top-ten university, was only now approaching the threshold of a three-star Beast Tamer.
School had not even started, and Lin Yuan was already halfway to his goal.
He looked at his panel again.
Perhaps...
It was not just because he had successfully contracted Baishi, and Baishi had immediately broken through in quality afterward.
He possessed two talents, which gave him a uniquely favorable advantage in raising his mental power.
He also felt it might have something to do with the [Bonded Enlightenment Art] he had learned the other day.
The panel showed that this [art] could not be used yet.
But ever since he had enlightened Zilan's [pagoda] and nearly exhausted himself in the process...
He had kept feeling that this [art] was slowly nourishing his Spiritual World during its cooldown.
It seemed that, at its core, this was a process of emptying out and filling up again.
It was just that the art's cooldown had not ended yet.
Lin Yuan already had a plan. The next time he could use it, he would first enlighten Baishi's Bond Trait.
That would give him a greater advantage once school started.
Lin Yuan looked away from the panel.
The Plant Room, too, brimmed with life.
Zilan was immersed in the nourishment provided by the [Life-Soul Pendant], doing her utmost to adjust to her new rhythm of growth.
Leveling up, breaking through, condensing more [Spirit Dew], and protecting this home—those were the convictions she held now.
Today, her young master had brought her a gift. She would turn that joy into strength and devote it to her family.
Baishi's training was no longer limited to swiping its claws, either. As its body grew, the instincts flowing through its blood were unleashed to a greater degree.
Fluid leaps and powerful swipes came with occasional cries.
After holding itself back for so long, it could finally be wild. It could finally be brave.
It had met a good Beast Tamer, and it was so happy.
The [Purple Star Vine] in the Plant Room seemed to sway to the rhythm of Baishi's leaps as well.
For once, Lin Yuan sensed a trace of joy from these ungraded plants.
That surprised him a little.
When he pushed open the Plant Room door, Linghuan had already put all the plants in the living room in perfect order.
In a rare sight, Lin Yuan seemed to catch it resting. It was drinking water, its tail gently sweeping back and forth as the red light on it glimmered faintly.
Seeing Lin Yuan come out, it called out a distant "Ying" in congratulations.
There had been quite a commotion in the Plant Room just now. Curious, it had stolen a few glances between tasks, so naturally it knew what had happened.
Drinking water before finishing work, letting its attention wander—these were things it had not allowed itself to do for the past three years. Or rather, things its brain had kept it from doing.
But today, after its young master applied the ointment, it could not only arrange its work schedule however it wished, but had also discovered that balancing work and rest made it far more efficient.
Today, it realized that diligence, care, and orderliness could also have joy mixed into them.
It felt so good to set my own pace!
It felt so good to be getting better!
Sensing Linghuan's emotions, Lin Yuan's mood lifted a little more.
At the same time, he looked forward to discovering what Linghuan's hidden Evolution Paths would be.
So far, it was the only being Lin Yuan had seen with two hidden Evolution Paths.
That suggested that few people in the Chenlong Kingdom researched and raised pet beasts like Housekeeping Beasts.
He returned to his bedroom.
The smile still would not leave Lin Yuan's face, and he even began humming a little tune.
Today, four blessings had come knocking at once. All three pet beasts at home had gained something, and he had contracted his first pet beast.
Even Linghuan had learned to balance work and rest. Naturally, he could not shortchange himself.
Lin Yuan lay down on his bed, picked up his phone, and opened the fiction app he had not touched in two months.
The presence of pet beasts made everyday life in this world richer and more interesting.
Beast Tamers might be fiercely competitive, seizing almost every minute and second to refine their mental power, raise their pet beasts, and acquire new knowledge.
But ordinary people who had not awakened a talent had more room for creativity.
Reading fiction was one of this world's popular pastimes.
Lin Yuan enjoyed it too. It had been a hobby in his previous life, one he had fully inherited after awakening his memories.
Those heartwarming tales of pet beasts and ordinary people supporting each other, or the wildly melodramatic feuds between pet beasts...
All those little details never failed to stir Lin Yuan's emotions.
A few months ago, however, a Beast Tamer had evolved a new [Mechanical]-type pet beast, an [Intelligent Domain Spirit], which could help ordinary people write novels.
The Beast Tamer had earned plenty of money, but countless novels had lost their flavor, and Lin Yuan no longer enjoyed reading them.
Fortunately, two weeks ago, after receiving a flood of reports from ordinary citizens, the Pet Beast Alliance had officially stepped in to regulate the matter. The new books appearing afterward seemed to have regained their old flavor.
Lin Yuan opened a new book called "Grandma and the Courier Bird," which had fewer than eighty thousand characters.
The more he read, the more engrossed he became.
In less than half an hour, he had finished it.
"That's it? The Courier Bird went to find medicine for Grandma because she was sick, and then what?"
Lin Yuan tapped the request update button five times in a row before noticing a new message from Liu Xing.
Liu Xing: I specifically picked out a top-notch business consultant for you. He knows the core businesses and networks of all the shops in Lin'an City inside out, and he's also exceptionally knowledgeable about most of the leading shops in our Chenlong Kingdom.
Liu Xing: He's free all afternoon tomorrow. Let's use the banquet hall at my place so you can talk privately. I've already visited your home, so it's your turn to come over to mine. I'll take leave tomorrow and give you a proper welcome.
Liu Xing: You can also see how well I've been raising Zizi and Jinjin. You share a bond of fate with them too, and when fate brings you together, you should see each other more often!
Lin Yuan smiled and quickly replied:
"Sure. Three tomorrow afternoon. Send me your address."
After replying to Liu Xing, he opened his chat with Huang Zixuan:
"I've more or less sorted things out on my end. Let's meet in person at three the day after tomorrow."
Lin Yuan got up.
Now he had proper business to attend to.
Since he was going to work with the [Yellow Crane Tower Shop], he naturally needed to learn enough about it.
Even if he could get an expert's advice tomorrow, he could still prepare his questions in advance.
Besides, from his perspective, he might find some other angles to approach it from.
He opened the Pet Beast Alliance's official forum and navigated to the Linhua District section.
Rather than looking up its core business or the products it specialized in selling, he entered a few keywords:
"Yellow Crane Tower Shop owner's pet beasts."
Plenty of posts soon appeared.
One immediately caught Lin Yuan's attention:
[Huang Tao and his Fortune Dog].