Three Spirit-Type Beasts and the Courier Bird's Treasure Pouch

In this world of beast taming, all things possessed a spirit.

The moment a beast awakened its [Trait], its attribute was often determined as well.

This was much like what happened when Beast Tamers awakened their talents.

For instance, Huang Zixuan's awakened [Flourishing Herbs] was tied to the [Wood] attribute.

Naturally, he was better suited to forming contracts with beasts of that attribute.

Meanwhile, Lin Yuan's [Affinity with Living Beings] was officially classified under the [Spirit] attribute.

Unlike the clearly defined five elements and natural attributes, this attribute manifested more in powers of the mind and soul.

Most beasts with the [Spirit] attribute had greater aptitude for housekeeping and assisting with business operations.

For example, the Linghuan in Lin Yuan's home possessed greater intelligence thanks to its [Spirit] attribute, allowing it to handle everyday tasks that ordinary beasts could not.

If Lin Yuan had to classify his [Eye of All Spirits] talent, he felt it leaned toward the [Spirit] attribute as well.

But perhaps it was more closely connected to [Spirit]'s higher-order attribute—[Fate].

After all, being able to see a beast's hidden evolution paths and reveal another unexplored road in its destiny carried a hint of fate-shaping power in itself.

The three beasts Chen Xuanbai recommended were all related to [Spirit].

Moreover, they leaned toward combat or support roles.

That made them even rarer.

Lin Yuan carefully examined the information on these three beasts, all of which he had studied and learned about before.

The first was the low-grade Extraordinary [Illusion Spirit Butterfly]. It did not have much practical combat power early on, but once its [Illusion Spirit] trait reached LV2, it would undergo a qualitative transformation, becoming a powerful source of crowd control in beast battles.

This beast was an excellent match for [Affinity with Living Beings]. The reason [Illusion Spirit] was weak at LV1 was that the [Illusion Spirit Butterfly] lacked the mental maturity and experience to wield this powerful trait proficiently.

But with a Beast Tamer's deeper mental involvement, the trait could reveal its brilliance and glory ahead of time.

It had a publicly known evolution path: [Illusion Spirit Butterfly]—[Illusion Spirit War Butterfly]—[Illusion Spirit Divine Butterfly].

This was a transformation in quality from Extraordinary to Commander, then to Monarch.

Lin Yuan continued reading.

The second was the low-grade Extraordinary [Mist Spirit Spider], which possessed not only the [Spirit] attribute but also the [Poison] attribute.

It was a beast that combined crowd control with combat power.

It was strong right from the start. Choosing it meant that even without much early training, it could help its Beast Tamer overcome quite a few challenges.

Its only drawback was that its potential was not as great as the first beast's.

It had one publicly known evolution path: [Mist Spirit Spider]—[Mist Spirit Stealth Spider].

In other words, as far as current knowledge went, this beast's upper limit was the Commander rank.

Both of these beasts were worth around a hundred thousand Alliance Coins.

The third was the mid-grade Extraordinary [Still Spirit Cat].

This species had very balanced abilities, and its starting quality was a grade higher than the other two.

The drawback was that these beasts were not particularly strong in combat during the early or even middle stages.

They were more suited to support roles in battle, with traits that could dispel various negative conditions and provide healing.

Paired with [Affinity with Living Beings], those effects would be even more outstanding.

But this effectively meant giving up on independent combat power in advance, making it less than ideal as a Beast Tamer's first beast.

Its publicly known path was:

[Still Spirit Cat]—[Quiet Spirit Hidden Cat]—[Nether Spirit Veil Cat]

Upon reaching [Nether Spirit Veil Cat], it would undergo a qualitative transformation, gaining not only powerful support abilities but also strong solo combat capabilities.

However, evolving into that form was extremely difficult.

Even so, its overall price was the highest, at a hundred and fifty thousand Alliance Coins.

Lin Yuan was still reviewing the information on these three beasts, comparing and evaluating them against the knowledge he had already gathered and studied.

Another message arrived from Chen Xuanbai.

"Lin Yuan, I recommend choosing the Still Spirit Cat. It's the best match for your talent, and I believe you have the ability to raise a truly one-of-a-kind beast."

"When you go to the Breeding Center tomorrow, focus on looking at this species. Individual beasts differ from one another, too. Remember to use your talent and choose the one you share the strongest connection with."

"If money is tight and you're a little short of what you need to buy this beast, don't worry. I can cover the difference for you first."

"Of course, if you prefer the Illusion Spirit Butterfly or the Mist Spirit Spider, I have no objection at all. As I said, use your talent to sense which beast is closest to you."

Reading those words, Lin Yuan felt an unexpected warmth in his heart.

Teacher Chen really did treat him well.

But...

After paying for Zilan's evolution materials, even with the ten-percent discount, he would still be more than eighty thousand short of buying an average-priced [Still Spirit Cat].

The money in Chen Xuanbai's family had not simply blown in on the wind, either.

Lin Yuan certainly would not ask to borrow it.

Still, he decided to visit the Breeding Center tomorrow. After all, Chen Xuanbai had already made a reservation for him.

He could pick out a suitable beast beforehand, then purchase it once Zilan evolved and his cash flow recovered.

"Thank you, sir. I'll study them carefully and take the time to sense our connection at the Breeding Center tomorrow," Lin Yuan replied.

Afterward, he immersed himself once more in studying beast cultivation and evolution.

This field was still fairly new to him, but the joy of learning something new left him brimming with energy. Combined with his anticipation of Zilan's impending evolution, he felt even more motivated.

Two hours later.

The doorbell rang.

Having checked the delivery time, Lin Yuan had been waiting in advance.

When he opened the door, he saw a bird with an enormous beak that resembled a large pouch.

Inside her beak was a [Treasure Pouch] space, clean and dry, which could hold up to roughly five cubic meters of goods.

This beast, which looked much like a seagull, was a [Courier Bird].

She was also one of the beasts Lin Yuan was most familiar with—after all, whenever an online order came in, a [Courier Bird] would arrive at the shop to collect it.

Lin Yuan glanced at her panel.

[Courier Bird]

[Attribute]: Flying

[Quality]: Mid-grade Ordinary

[Sex]: Female

[Level]: Ordinary, level 7

[Trait]: [Treasure Pouch]

[Personality]: Hardworking and resilient, tireless and uncomplaining

[Status]: Has flown 321 deliveries today and is a little thirsty. No one has praised her, either. It would be nice if someone praised her and patted her head.

[Evolution path]: None yet

Lin Yuan had already prepared some water.

He also patted her head and said, "You've been flying all day. Thanks for your hard work. You did a wonderful job, Courier Bird."

The Courier Bird opened her beak, her [Treasure Pouch] opened automatically, and Lin Yuan's package was safely delivered.

She drank the water, gave a "caw, caw," then flapped her wings and left.

Before she departed, Lin Yuan could faintly hear her feelings: This human is good-looking and kindhearted, too. But I'd better hurry along to my next delivery.

Lin Yuan smiled.

The panel, combined with the inner voices he could hear through [Affinity with Living Beings], gave him an inexplicable sense of accomplishment.

Lin Yuan had seen plenty of [Courier Birds], and most had this tireless, uncomplaining disposition.

However, the "none yet" displayed under her evolution path also set him thinking.

Beasts like [Courier Birds] had no publicly known evolution paths.

They spent their whole lives flying and making deliveries, and seemed to enjoy that free yet busy existence.

"None yet" and "none" were two different things.

"None yet" meant "there will be one."

Was his talent not yet refined enough, or was this [Courier Bird]'s level too low to meet the evolution requirements, causing that label to appear?

Lin Yuan felt that the abilities of his [Eye of All Spirits] talent still held plenty of room for exploration.

For now, though, the most important thing was to use these materials on Zilan!

Zilan's evolution was almost here!