Hidden Evolution Path, Kindling Class Reward
The spirits of all living things spread before him like ink scattered across a painted scroll, vivid and graceful.
Behind an ordinary butterfly, Lin Yuan saw more than a dozen different, dazzling forms.
Behind a carp, he saw a soaring dragon.
Behind a frail blade of grass stood a towering tree.
The images seemed distant and blurred, yet whenever he focused on one, it became astonishingly clear.
All those shifting lights and shadows passed in an instant.
Then a panel he had never seen before appeared before his eyes.
[Lin Yuan] Occupation: One-Star, Second-Rank Beast Tamer Mental Power: 12/100 Secondary Occupation: None Contracted Pet Beasts: None Talents: [Living Creature Affinity (A)], [Eye of All Spirits (S+)] Living Creature Affinity (LV1): Draw close to all pet beasts possessing a "spirit," sense their emotions, and hear their innermost voices and wishes. Eye of All Spirits (LV1): View the panels of all living things and explore the mysteries underlying their lives. Reveals compatibility with different Evolution Paths, as well as hidden Evolution Paths yet to be discovered.
At a thought, the panel vanished.
He also felt the energy guided and awakened by the awakening array slowly dissipating within his body.
Although he had seen so much, less than thirty seconds had passed in reality.
And the array's test results showed only his [Living Creature Affinity] talent.
Lin Yuan could roughly guess why [Eye of All Spirits] had not appeared: a talent never seen before naturally had no recorded entry to display.
Lin Yuan stepped out of the awakening array with a smile already on his face.
[Living Creature Affinity] ranked among the best A-rank talents. Even without the teachers' promise, it was enough to get him into the Kindling Class and secure the starting resources reserved for promising students.
So there was no need to make a grand announcement that he had an even stronger talent that had not shown up.
He had a vague feeling that this talent might be connected to the memories of his previous life that had awakened. At this point, its failure to register was a good thing for him.
What excited him more was that the hidden paths visible to [Eye of All Spirits] might solve the problem that had troubled him for two years—the [Evolution Path] entry that had always been grayed out on the panel.
Once everything was over, he could go home and find the answer...
By evening, all the first-year students across twenty classes had finished their tests.
Forty students had gathered in one corner of the auditorium.
"Congratulations. You forty will be the students of next year's second-year Class One—the Kindling Class. School starts in a week."
"The cards in your hands are precious Kindling Seed identity cards, officially certified by Chenlong Kingdom. They'll grant you certain purchasing privileges in the Chenlong Kingdom Pet Beast Alliance's official store."
Chen Xuanbai stood before them. "I'm Chen Xuanbai. For the next two years, I'll be your homeroom teacher and your general studies teacher."
"This year, we have six promising students who awakened S-rank talents. The talents of the other thirty-four students, who awakened A-rank talents, also rank well on the overall talent list."
"Liu Mintian, Huang Zixuan, Chen Qing, Xue Yanyan, Li Boran, Chu Xuan, Lin Yuan—you seven, stay behind. I'll see everyone else in seven days. I have only one assignment for you: have your first pet beast under contract by the first class."
"Yes, sir!"
Getting into the Kindling Class meant they were all but assured a place at one of Chenlong Kingdom's top ten universities. The young students were in high spirits.
They also knew that the seven seeds being kept behind would be among the standouts in the Kindling Class over the next two years—
Six students with S-rank talents;
And Lin Yuan, whose top-tier A-rank talent came on top of the reputation he had built at school over the past year.
"You seven are this year's top seven Kindling Class seeds, ranked by talent."
"Under school rules, students who awaken S-rank talents, or students with A-rank talents whose overall abilities reach S-rank standards, receive a special reward before the second year begins."
"First, a 'Puchuan Inheritor' nameplate recognized by the Pet Beast Alliance's official store."
"That title, together with your Kindling Seed identity card, lets you buy more pet beast resources and products that would normally be out of reach."
"You'll also receive starting funds: you can choose any one product costing up to one hundred thousand Alliance Coins, free of charge."
"It could be an introductory material suited to your talent, or your first pet beast. If your family has already chosen a pet beast for you, you can buy materials to support its growth instead."
"You seven are the best students in this year's class. Deciding how to use this 'wealth' is a lesson you'll have to teach yourselves."
"I'll hand out your Puchuan Inheritor nameplates now. See you in seven days."
As Chen Xuanbai handed Lin Yuan his nameplate, he gave him a few extra looks, his eyes full of approval.
In previous years, only students with S-rank talents had received this nameplate. For students who had only just completed their first year, it was too difficult to determine whether their overall abilities met S-rank standards.
But almost as soon as Lin Yuan's test results came out, the Kindling Class teachers unanimously decided he qualified.
Chen Xuanbai knew Lin Yuan's parents were gone. He also knew that, while Lin Yuan's family was not poor, he could not afford to contract an overly expensive pet beast.
The Kindling Class's starting funds might take a considerable weight off his shoulders.
As Lin Yuan accepted the nameplate, he felt the care in Chen Xuanbai's gaze.
The two identity cards in his hand would make his path as a Beast Tamer easier, but they seemed to carry something more as well: affection and hope...
At Yuanming Pet Food Shop, Grandpa Qin looked a little nervous. He had clearly been waiting all day for Lin Yuan's awakening test results. "Little Yuan, you're back! How did it go?"
"Grandpa Qin, it went well. I awakened an A-rank talent and got into the Kindling Class," Lin Yuan replied with a smile.
Grandpa Qin immediately broke into a broad grin. "A-rank is great! The Kindling Class is even better! That's Little Yuan for you!"
"If your parents were here, they'd be happy too. Seeing you healthy, doing well in school, and blessed with a good talent, they'd be so happy..."
Realizing this might not have been the time to bring them up, he hurriedly changed the subject. "I hear awakening ceremonies are exhausting. Go eat something and get some rest. Don't worry about the shop."
Lin Yuan looked around. "Thanks, Grandpa Qin. By the way, where's Linghuan?"
"In the basement, sorting stock. Today's order arrived, and you know how Linghuan is. Until every item is in its proper place, there's no peace of mind."
"It'll probably be a while yet. Tell Linghuan the good news when the work's done!"
"Mm!"
Lin Yuan went upstairs to the plant room.
Zilan was clearly in a much better mood today.
To Lin Yuan's surprise, his awakened [Living Creature Affinity] seemed to let him hear the emotions of pet beasts.
For the first time, he heard the voice and feelings of Zilan, a plant.
"From the mountains comes the orchid grass, blooming early..."
Her voice was soft and gentle, with an airy, dreamlike quality somewhere between a human voice and the wind.
The words sounded a little indistinct, but each fell precisely on the melody. It was the song Zilan loved most.
Her panel appeared before Lin Yuan again.
This time, it seemed more detailed than it had been yesterday.
[Purple Ghost Orchid] [Attribute]: Wood [Quality]: Ordinary, Upper Grade [Sex]: Female [Level]: Ordinary Level 10 [Trait]: [Purple Dew] [Personality]: Protective of home, devoted, sensitive [Status]: Spirits slightly low. Has not fully recovered from yesterday's sadness and is singing her favorite song to lift her spirits. [Evolution Paths]: Evolution Path One: Purple Grudge Orchid. Compatibility: 20% Evolution Path Two: Purple Dew Orchid. Compatibility: 78% Hidden Evolution Path: Purple Spirit Treasure Orchid. Compatibility: 99%
The [Evolution Paths] section had finally lit up!
It was what Lin Yuan had expected.
Even so, the mystery that had troubled him for two years had finally been solved, and delight leaped in his chest.
[Purple Grudge Orchid] and [Purple Dew Orchid] were both Evolution Paths for [Purple Ghost Orchid].
Of the two, [Purple Dew Orchid] was far more valuable. In Chenlong Kingdom, only some of the larger Lineages and organizations knew how to achieve that evolution.
As for [Purple Spirit Treasure Orchid], Lin Yuan had never even heard of it.
He immediately opened the details of all three Evolution Paths.