Hidden Evolution Route, Kindling Class Rewards

The spirits of all living things spread out like brushstrokes scattered across a 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 blurry, yet whenever he focused on one, it became astonishingly clear.

All that shifting light and shadow passed in just a short moment.

Soon, he discovered a panel before his eyes unlike anything he had ever seen.

[Lin Yuan]

Profession: One-Star, Second-Tier Beastmaster

Mental Power: 12/100

Secondary Profession: None

Contracted Pet Beasts: None

Talents: [Living Creature Affinity (A)], [Eye of All Spirits (S+)]

Living Creature Affinity (LV1): Draws close to all pet beasts that possess a "spirit"; can sense their emotions and hear their innermost voices and wishes.

Eye of All Spirits (LV1): Reveals the panels of all living things and explores the mysteries at the foundation of their lives. Can see how well different evolution routes suit them, as well as hidden evolution routes that have never been discovered.

With a thought, he dismissed the panel.

He also felt the energy guided and stirred by the awakening array slowly dissipating from his body.

Though he had seen so much, less than thirty seconds had passed in the real world.

And the array's test results showed only his [Living Creature Affinity] talent.

As for why [Eye of All Spirits] had not appeared, Lin Yuan could make a good guess—there was no record to display for a talent that had never appeared before.

Lin Yuan stepped out of the awakening array with a smile already on his face.

[Living Creature Affinity] ranked near the top among 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 to everyone that he had an even more powerful talent that had not shown up.

He had a vague feeling that this talent might be connected to the memories of his previous life awakening. At this point, the fact that it had gone undetected was a good thing for him.

What excited him more was that the hidden routes visible to [Eye of All Spirits] might finally solve the problem that had troubled him for two years—the [Evolution Route] section of the panel that had always been gray.

Once everything was over, he could go home and find the answer...

By evening,

all the students in the twenty first-year classes had finished their tests.

Now, forty students had been gathered in a corner of the auditorium.

"Congratulations. You forty will be the students of the second-year Class One—the Kindling Class. School starts in a week."

"What you're holding are precious Kindling Seed identity badges, officially certified by the Chenlong Kingdom. They'll give 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 other thirty-four, 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, and Lin Yuan, you seven stay behind. I'll see the rest of you in seven days. You have just one assignment: contract your first pet beast before our 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 asked to stay would be among the most outstanding students in the Kindling Class over the next two years—

six students with S-rank talents,

plus Lin Yuan, whose A-rank talent stood at the very top. He had already become the subject of plenty of admiring stories at school over the past year.

"You seven are the top seven seeds of this year's Kindling Class, ranked by talent."

"Under our school's 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 their second year begins."

"First, a 'Puchuan Inheritor' badge recognized by the Pet Beast Alliance's official store."

"Together with your Kindling Seed identity badge, this title will let you purchase more pet beast resources and products that would normally be out of reach."

"You'll also receive starting funds, allowing you to choose any one product worth up to one hundred thousand Alliance Coins free of charge."

"It could be an initiation 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 suited to its growth instead."

"You seven are the finest students of your year. How you choose to use this 'wealth' is a lesson you must teach yourselves."

"I'll hand out your Puchuan Inheritor badges now. See you in seven days."

When Chen Xuanbai handed Lin Yuan his badge, he looked at him a few moments longer, his eyes full of approval.

In previous years, only students with S-rank talents had received this badge. The main reason was that "overall abilities reaching S-rank standards" was too difficult to define for students who had only just finished their first year.

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 was not poor, he could not afford to contract an overly expensive pet beast.

The Kindling Class's starting funds might take a great deal of pressure off him.

As Lin Yuan accepted the badge, he naturally felt the concern in Chen Xuanbai's eyes.

The two identity badges in his hand would do more than make his coming years as a Beast Tamer easier. They seemed to carry hopes and feelings far deeper than that...

Yuanming Pet Food Shop.

"Xiao Yuan, you're back! How did it go?" Qin Bailing looked a little nervous. Clearly, he had been waiting all day for the results of Lin Yuan's awakening ceremony.

"It went well, Grandpa Qin. I awakened an A-rank talent and got into the Kindling Class," Lin Yuan answered with a smile.

Qin Bailing immediately broke into a broad grin. "A-rank is wonderful! And the Kindling Class is even better! That's our Xiao Yuan!"

"If your parents were here, they'd be so happy. Seeing you healthy, doing well in school, and blessed with a good talent—they'd be so happy..."

Realizing that bringing them up might have been ill-timed, he hurriedly changed the subject. "I hear the awakening ceremony is exhausting. Go eat something and get some rest. Don't worry about the shop."

Lin Yuan looked around. "Thank you, Grandpa Qin. By the way, where's Linghuan?"

"Down in the basement organizing the stock. Today's order arrived. You know Linghuan—until every last item is sorted out, there's no peace of mind."

"It'll probably be a while. Once Linghuan's done, you can share the good news!"

"Mm!"

Lin Yuan went up to the second floor and entered the plant room.

Purple Ghost Orchid was clearly in a much better mood today.

What Lin Yuan found remarkable was that his awakened [Living Creature Affinity] seemed to let him hear a pet beast's emotions.

For the first time, he heard the voice and feelings of this Purple Ghost Orchid.

"From the mountains comes the orchid grass, its flowers bloom early..."

The voice was soft and gentle, with an airy, dreamlike quality somewhere between a human voice and the wind.

The slightly indistinct words fell perfectly into the melody. It was the song Purple Ghost Orchid loved most.

Its panel appeared before Lin Yuan again.

This time, the panel seemed more detailed than it had yesterday.

[Purple Ghost Orchid]

[Attribute]: Wood

[Quality]: Common, High Grade

[Sex]: Female

[Level]: Common Level 10

[Trait]: [Purple Dew]

[Personality]: Home-loving, devoted, sensitive

[Status]: Spirits remain somewhat low. Has not fully recovered from yesterday's sadness and is singing a favorite song to cheer herself up.

[Evolution Routes]:

Evolution Route One: Purple Grudge Orchid. Compatibility: 20%

Evolution Route Two: Purple Dew Orchid. Compatibility: 78%

Hidden Evolution Route: Purple Spirit Treasure Orchid. Compatibility: 99%

The [Evolution Routes] 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. The surprise still sent his spirits soaring.

[Purple Grudge Orchid] and [Purple Dew Orchid] were both evolution routes for [Purple Ghost Orchid].

Of the two, [Purple Dew Orchid] was far more precious. Within the Chenlong Kingdom, only some of the larger Lineages and organizations knew its evolution method.

But Lin Yuan had never even heard of [Purple Spirit Treasure Orchid].

He immediately opened the detailed information for all three evolution routes.