Not Yet, but Soon: An Inherited Evolution

Hearing that, Lin Yuan found himself thinking, Could it be that Zizi ignores you because your personalities just don't mesh?

Still twenty or thirty meters from Zizi's little breeding enclosure, Lin Yuan could already smell nectar mingling with the fragrance of flowers.

Heaven knew how many treats Liu Xing had fed Zizi these past few days.

"Mm. Let's take a look."

"Oh, right, where are the glasses I gave you? Zizi's level has risen a little fast these past few days. Put them on, or you'll get dizzy after watching it for a while. That'll affect your meeting later."

Lin Yuan gave a light cough. "It's fine. I've contracted a pet beast, so my mental strength has improved. I'm not worried."

He couldn't wear those glasses in front of this butterfly. Liu Xing's heart might shatter, and Lin Yuan might lose a friend he'd only known for a few days.

Successfully distracted, Liu Xing immediately brightened. "You contracted one! Haha, you really are the founder of the school of fate! If you share a bond with one, you should treat it well—even contract it!"

Liu Xing lowered his voice conspiratorially. "I'll tell you something. My family has already arranged a third pet beast for me, one with an initial quality of Commander rank, but I don't feel any connection with it."

"Actually... I think I'd still rather choose between Zizi and Jinjin."

Lin Yuan wasn't too surprised by what Liu Xing said. It suited his personality.

Back at the Breeding Center, Liu Xing had shared his views as a beast tamer and breeder. After Lin Yuan had "introduced" him to the "school of fate," he'd acted practically brainwashed.

He couldn't get through three sentences without mentioning fate.

"Lin Yuan, if I contract Zizi, do you think it'll stop being so cold to me?"

"Maybe... it should... probably?" Lin Yuan felt a little guilty as he answered.

A beast-taming contract did let beast and tamer understand each other's hearts, but changing a pet beast's personality was another matter.

Lin Yuan actually wanted to suggest Jinjin. After all, pet beasts with mutated attributes generally had greater potential.

But he had a strange feeling that Liu Xing would choose Zizi first.

He had no idea what was going through Liu Xing's head. Perhaps he'd grown up wealthy, gotten everything too easily, and had everything go his way, only to find his first real "challenge" in a butterfly?

Was this what rich kids worried about?

Soon, Lin Yuan arrived at Zizi's new home.

He had to admit it was much more luxurious than the enclosure he'd seen at the Breeding Center a few days earlier.

All kinds of purple flowers grew inside, including some he couldn't even name.

Zizi was fast asleep among the blossoms.

From Zizi's condition, Lin Yuan could tell that Liu Xing really had fed it far too many good things.

Unlike Jinjin, though, Zizi seemed to be developing in a strange direction from eating them.

[Personality]: Lazy, appreciates good looks, obsessed with glasses

[Status]: Its unattractive new owner treats it very well. He gives it delicious food, fun things, and a pretty place to live. It ought to be a little nicer to him.

But every time it sees him, its eyes feel uncomfortable. Besides, all this delicious food has left it dizzy. Better sleep. If it sleeps a little longer, its dreams will be full of good-looking humans wearing glasses.

Having absorbed the energy in those nourishing treats, it is growing rapidly.

[Evolution Paths]

Evolution Path One: Illusion Spirit War Butterfly

Evolution Path Two: Phantom Evil Devourer Butterfly

Hidden Evolution Path: None yet

Lin Yuan's gaze sharpened. "None yet"—those words had appeared again!

The first time had been on that old Courier Bird, the one that had only started work yesterday. Its [Evolution Paths] had been entirely blank.

The second time was on this [Illusion Dream Butterfly].

And this time, the words appeared after "Hidden Evolution Path."

"None yet" meant there would be one.

Had Liu Xing's lavish feeding these past two days actually had a positive effect?

Still, after reading the detailed status description, Lin Yuan couldn't quite keep his expression natural.

Was there no hidden evolution path yet because Zizi needed to sleep more?

Or did it need to develop those conflicting feelings?

Lin Yuan wasn't sure, but he was genuinely curious.

"Liu Xing, I don't see anything wrong with Zizi right now. I think the way you're raising your new pet suits its growth."

Liu Xing was tiptoeing into the flowers. He placed the flower crown Lin Yuan had given Zizi earlier in a spot he thought suitable, then slipped back out, careful not to disturb Zizi's sleep.

Then he whispered, "Hehe, a pretty butterfly really does deserve to be spoiled!"

Lin Yuan didn't answer. He merely nodded.

You're rich and devoted enough to do anything for it, so whatever you say goes.

"All right, come see my first and second pets! When I'm not going out, I usually let them stay at home. It's roomier and more fun than the Beast-Taming Space." Liu Xing smiled and pointed to the other two pet beasts on his T-shirt.

Lin Yuan followed him.

Liu Xing's "little pet beast breeding" facility didn't look little at all.

Lin Yuan had thought the homes he'd prepared for the two pet beasts he'd brought back a few days ago were already quite good. But after seeing where Liu Xing's two main pets lived, he finally understood what Liu Xing had meant yesterday when he said he'd "hastily" prepared new homes for Jinjin and Zizi.

The enclosure on the left covered roughly forty or fifty square meters.

Inside was a spacious playground, complete with a slide, a rocking horse, and other play equipment.

A dog about a meter and a half tall, wreathed in flames, was having the time of his life gnawing on an iron ball. Pale blue fire burned atop his head and at the tip of his tail, while the rest of his fur gleamed bright red.

"This is my first pet beast, Huohuo. He evolved from a [Fierce Hound] into a [Fierce Guardian Hound]. He's Commander quality now, and once he reaches Commander level ten, he can undergo his second evolution."

Lin Yuan looked over.

A panel appeared.

[Fierce Guardian Hound]

[Attribute]: Fire

[Quality]: Mid-grade Commander

[Sex]: Male

[Level]: Commander Level 8

[Traits]: [Fierce Bite], [Blue Flame], [Loyal Guard]

[Personality]: Playful, protective of his owner, lively

[Status]: When he's playing, nothing else in the world exists. He has eyes only for his toy.

[Evolution Paths]

Evolution Path One: Blue-Flame Spirit Hound

Evolution Path Two: Flame-Song Loyal Hound

There was no hidden path.

Lin Yuan looked away from Huohuo's panel.

"Huohuo gets really focused when he plays. Come see my Jingjing." Liu Xing took a few steps forward and pushed open a side door.

What appeared before Lin Yuan looked like a small aquarium.

It covered about a hundred square meters.

The aquarium was elegantly decorated, with artificial hills and rocks of all sizes scattered throughout. Little fish of different colors swam freely among them.

Most eye-catching of all was the blue whale inside.

She was about two meters long and didn't look fully grown yet.

Her blue back and white belly met in clean lines, and her whole body was sleek. Glimmers like musical notes flickered across her, making her look delicate and adorable.

All kinds of instruments surrounded her. At that moment, she was blowing into a saxophone clearly made especially for her.

A lovely melody drifted out.

Clearly, this was more than mere play to her.

When it came to music, she knew what she was doing.

Lin Yuan couldn't help looking at her panel:

[Spirit-Music Blue Whale]

[Attribute]: Water

[Quality]: High-grade Commander

[Sex]: Female

[Level]: Commander Level 2

[Traits]: [Soundtrack], [Sound Wave], [Sonic Boom]

[Personality]: Loves music

[Status]: Two more pieces to learn today. Come on, you can do it!

[Evolution Paths]

Evolution Path One: Soul-Cleansing Whale

"This is the pet beast everyone in our Lineage has to contract, because it represents our Lineage's honor and legacy."

"The reason the Liu Family stands apart in the field of breeding is that we have an evolution path unique to our Lineage."

"The [Water Spirit Whale] is a mid-grade Transcendent pet beast. It currently has three evolution paths, and the most precious of them leads to the [Spirit-Music Blue Whale], which belongs to our Lineage."

"What's more, the [Spirit-Music Blue Whale] can evolve twice more after that, reaching Overlord quality at most. That's a quality above Monarch."

"But apart from the one in our family that evolved first, no second whale has managed to reach that form."

"All the family knows is that she loved music down to her bones. So they require every young whale to study music."

"They also require every member of the family to contract one, so our Lineage's legacy won't be broken."

"That's why this evolution is something we pass down."

He looked at his [Spirit-Music Blue Whale] with a trace of heartache. "Sometimes I don't know whether Jingjing truly loves music, or whether it's just a habit she picked up. Every whale at home practices music, after all, and they have assignments every week and every month."

"Sometimes being special comes at a price."

Lin Yuan heard this and fell into thought.

He knew all too well about the price of being special. Every pet beast he'd seen with a hidden evolution path had lived through something unique.

Only then did Lin Yuan realize something.

Even evolution paths exclusive to a Lineage were laid bare before him on his panels.

Secrets this precious were things he could discover with a single glance.

He had to take this secret to his grave.