The power of Hidden Transformation, a breakthrough to mid grade (please keep reading)

"Baishi, come take a break." Lin Yuan waved, and Baishi, who had been darting around the living room, landed squarely on the table. The cat raised its head to look at him, a trace of puzzlement still in its eyes.

"Meow...?"

What is it, Beast Tamer? I'm not tired yet! I could do another hundred sets of those moves!

Lin Yuan stroked the fluff around its face. "I know you're full of energy right now. Remember that glowing Pagoda that appeared behind Zilan a few days ago?"

Baishi nodded. It had been right there at the time.

Not only that, it also remembered how Lin Yuan's face had gone pale and his legs had gone weak, as though he had nearly fainted.

Then it remembered Lin Yuan telling Zilan, "Wherever you are is home," which had delivered the first emotional shock of its feline life.

But now, this wonderful human was its Beast Tamer!

At that thought, Baishi felt it could finally hold its head high. It wondered what sort of Beast Tamers its three siblings had.

But they definitely couldn't compare to its own!

The more it thought, the wilder its heart grew, nearly triggering its [Heart Frenzy] trait again.

Lin Yuan watched the changes under [Status] on its panel: memories surging, six months east of the river, six months west—never look down on a poor little kitten! The me of today is terrifyingly strong, and my Beast Tamer is the strongest under heaven, unrivaled and invincible!

Lin Yuan: ?

Where had Baishi learned all that?

He had only mentioned Zilan's Pagoda. How had it suddenly gotten this carried away?

It was even making Lin Yuan feel rather embarrassed.

Lin Yuan gently patted its head, pulling Baishi out of its smug excitement.

"Ahem, what I mean is, I'm going to enlighten you too, just like when I made that Pagoda appear behind Zilan the other day," Lin Yuan said with a smile.

The Bonded Enlightenment Art demanded a very strong bond with the pet beast.

Although Lin Yuan had only known Baishi for a few days, the heart-to-heart connection formed after their contract was enough to make up for that short acquaintance. This was also an advantage Beast Tamers shared with their contracted pet beasts.

"Meow? Roar!" Baishi had only just calmed down when the fire in its heart flared up again.

This kitty can actually get even stronger?

But barely two seconds later, it slowly retreated two steps and even shook its head, a hint of worry creeping into its emotions.

It had remembered how pale Lin Yuan had looked that day.

Since arriving in this home, it hadn't really contributed anything. It had drunk [Spirit Dew] and eaten cake, and now it was going to drain its Beast Tamer dry... wasn't that a bit wrong?

Sensing this, Lin Yuan immediately smiled. "It's fine. My mental power increased after I contracted you, and you aren't as powerful as Zilan, so it won't consume too much. No harm done."

Only then did Baishi relax. It stepped forward twice again and puffed out its chest, the fur around its face bristling even more boldly.

Lin Yuan began using the [Bonded Enlightenment Art].

With his mental power increased, using it again no longer felt so strained. Following the prescribed circulation path, he gathered energy in his index finger, then touched Baishi's forehead.

Almost in that same instant, Baishi began to change.

Its [Heart Frenzy], already on the verge of triggering, ignited instantly, accompanied by its [Lion Spirit] trait.

The luminous silhouette of a lion behind it grew more solid, then actually merged directly into Baishi's body.

Baishi immediately grew larger and much heavier, making the table creak beneath its weight.

The fluff around its face lengthened, and light flashed in its eyes. It looked magnificent.

But that form lasted less than two seconds before it reverted to its current appearance.

More interestingly, another two seconds later, it actually transformed into the way it had looked back when its quality was still ordinary—a little kitten with scruffy fur.

That change sent Baishi into a panic.

Could everything that happened these past few days have been nothing but a dream?

It immediately shook its body, letting out tiny kitten mews. Only after more than ten seconds did it finally return to its current appearance.

It let out a long breath of relief.

Then it felt its body run dry. Dizzy, it collapsed on the table and fell asleep within seconds.

Its last thought before losing consciousness was that it had been afraid of draining its Beast Tamer dry, so how had this strange ability ended up draining it first...?

The changes left Lin Yuan staring in bewilderment.

He immediately checked its panel. A new ability had appeared under [Traits]—[Hidden Transformation].

[Hidden Transformation LV1]: Based on the bloodline flowing within the body, the power of a bloodline that has not fully awakened can be applied to the body ahead of time for a limited duration, transforming the body and granting an all-around enhancement.

At the same time, after further growth, past bloodlines can also be traced, allowing transformation into previously possessed forms for a limited duration.

So that was how it worked.

This trait also seemed to incorporate aspects of Baishi's personality—restraint, wildness, and courage.

Which transformation occurred depended on Baishi's circumstances and mental state at the time.

Of course, maintaining this [Trait] was still far too difficult for it.

Presumably, only once it reached the Transcendent stage, like Zilan and Linghuan, would it be able to wield the ability with ease.

Lin Yuan entered the plant room and looked at Zilan, who was still concentrating on using the [Life-Spirit Pendant]. Without disturbing her, he gently drew a drop of [Spirit Dew] from the basin with a dropper, then returned to Baishi and dripped it into its mouth.

Although Baishi was exhausted, its overall condition was still quite good.

Lin Yuan could sense that those few transformations had rapidly consumed and dispersed the [Lionbright Fruit] energy it had accumulated. There might even be a pleasant surprise waiting when it woke up.

At half past nine that evening, Lin Yuan sat at his computer looking up information.

Suddenly, he felt his slightly tired mind brighten and sharpen. He immediately realized something.

Turning around, he saw that Baishi, whom he had carried to the bed to rest earlier, had woken up.

It was looking around, still a little dazed from sleep.

Compared with its condition during that day's training, Baishi seemed to have grown a little larger again. Its limbs, in particular, were sturdier, and the fur around its face was thicker.

Lin Yuan immediately checked its panel.

[Quality]: Transcendent mid grade

[Level]: Ordinary level 5

Its quality had risen from low grade to mid grade!

Its level had also risen from 4 to 5!

No wonder he had felt so refreshed just now. Thanks to Baishi's breakthrough, his own mental power had risen from 21 points to 26.

The increase was a few points less than when he had first contracted Baishi, but it was already extremely efficient.

Baishi quickly bounded over to Lin Yuan and meowed several times, declaring that it was brimming with energy again and ready for more training!

"Baishi, it's pretty late, and I still have some information to go through. If you really have that much energy, just practice swiping your claws tonight. Don't jump around the house, or you'll disturb Zilan and Linghuan."

"Remember what I taught you during the day. Find the voice within your heart and practice the timing for using your traits."

"Tomorrow is the first day of school. You should get to meet your thirty-nine other 'classmates,' so get yourself ready!"

"Meow!" Baishi raised both front paws to show it understood.

Then Lin Yuan returned to the information on his computer.

At Puquan Beast-Taming Experimental High School, the first day of the second year always came with a few little "surprises."

To be precise, they were assessments of various sizes.

When Chen Xuanbai had assigned homework to the forty students earlier, he had only emphasized contracting their first pet beast.

But Lin Yuan knew things definitely wouldn't be that simple.

He had been a teacher in his previous life. Of course he knew how to start with a single point and branch out into all sorts of questions.

So what he was doing now was organizing information about his classmates.

He remembered the talents of all forty students in Class 1: six S-rank and thirty-four A-rank.

He didn't understand every talent completely.

So today, he was using those talents as a starting point and considering, based on his own understanding, which suitable first pet beast he would choose if he possessed each one.

Once his research began branching outward, his excitement rose too.

His mental power had just increased at exactly the right time. He felt he could work through a few more possibilities.

The next day.

Lin Yuan woke on time to his alarm and discovered that Baishi had curled up asleep by his feet at some point.

The morning glow unfurled romantically across the sky. Sunlight spilled over Baishi, gilding its body and lending it a distinctly noble air.

Lin Yuan stretched.

His first day as a student in the Kindling Class, Senior Year 2, Class 1, was about to begin.