A Small Gift, but a Deep Feeling-A Better Person

When Lin Yuan woke up, he had recovered considerably.

As agreed with Sun Xingtian, Lin Yuan first took Baishi to school so that Sun Xingtian could take it for extra training over the weekend.

Then, he followed the road and arrived at Liu Xing's house.

Because Lin Yuan had informed Liu Xing in advance, Liu Xing was already standing at the door when Lin Yuan arrived.

Looking at him from a distance, Lin Yuan noticed that Liu Xing seemed to be a little different somewhere.

Previously, he was too thin and looked rather roguish.

His face now seems a bit fuller and rosier, and the gold-rimmed glasses look better on him.

Upon closer inspection, Lin Yuan realized that it wasn't an illusion.

Liu Xing looked exhausted, with dark circles under his eyes, indicating that he hadn't slept well at all.

"Liu Xing, you've been studying really hard lately," Lin Yuan said with a smile. "But your overall complexion is much better. Did you take some kind of tonic?"

Lin Yuan had already guessed the reason, but he still intended to tease Liu Xing a little.

"Why are you all saying such strange things to me lately?"

"Some people said I was wearing makeup, some said I had undergone minor cosmetic procedures, and others said I had fillers in my face."

Liu Xing looked helpless. "It's like you're making it sound like I used to be really ugly."

"I've been looking in the mirror several times a day for the past few days, only to find that I haven't changed much..."

"Let's not talk about this anymore, let's go inside."

After the two entered the house, Liu Xing looked around mysteriously before saying, "I told you the day before yesterday that I wanted to give you a small gift since you came."

Looking at his somewhat unserious demeanor, Lin Yuan suddenly had a bad feeling.

Then, Liu Xing took out a long strip of paper covered with dense writing.

"When you came last time, you gave me a handmade flower wreath, and I felt I had to give you something in return. My mom said that it's the thought that counts, and sometimes things bought with money can't compare to something made by hand."

"I've been studying really hard these past few days, so I read a novel a bit to take a break."

"These are my recent recommendations for novels. They're categorized in many ways, including some I've been enjoying lately, some that are currently ranked highly, and some I think you'd like to read..."

"Take it, take it. Don't be shy. It's a small gift, but it comes from the heart. This is what I should do as a friend and your senior."

Lin Yuan took it and glanced at it.

His top priority remains "The Illusion Dream Butterfly: Metamorphosis and Rebirth Begins with the Discovery of Beauty".

Lin Yuan:...

Didn't I already tell him this novel wasn't handwritten?

It seems that sometimes, taste is truly impossible to judge.

However, Liu Xing did take it to heart; at least the book "Grandma and the Courier Bird" was on his handwritten book list, with the note. "Suitable for you."

However, Lin Yuan suddenly felt a different emotion towards the phrase "a small gift carries great meaning".

After all, Liu Xing gave him a pair of expensive glasses when they first met, and the second time he left a Monarch- quality [Beast Gear] at his house.

This made Lin Yuan feel a little bit of anticipation when Liu Xing said he would give him a small gift the day before yesterday.

As a result, this gift...

Oh well, after all, it was he who got Liu Xing "hooked" on novels.

He cannot have any complaints.

"This is about 50% of the extra [Spirit Dew] that Zilan produced this week using the [Life-Soul Pendant], roughly sixteen drops," Lin Yuan said, handing him the glass bottle.

"So many?" Liu Xing's eyes lit up. "I thought it would be good if it produced one or two more drops each day."

"Wow, that's a fortune! Over sixty thousand drops this month, that's over six hundred thousand Alliance Coin! It's not a small amount, but isn't this what it feels like to make money?!"

"Perhaps I even have a talent for investing!"

Seeing Liu Xing suddenly become excited, Lin Yuan was afraid that his small suggestion would make him get carried away again, so he quickly said, "I think you are still most suitable for research. How is the communication with Teacher Chen going?"

"Have you started working on the '[Illusion Dream Butterfly]' topic yet?" Lin Yuan changed the subject.

"I got it! I've been researching a lot lately and discovered that the [Illusion Dream Butterfly] pet has immense potential."

"The main issue is that the [Illusion Dream] Trait has such broad potential for development. The current mainstream evolutionary path involves training the [Illusion Dream Butterfly] to use self-armored dreams in order to evolve into the [Illusion Dream War Butterfly]."

"But I have an idea: what if I train different [Illusion Dream Butterfly] to have different dreams?"

"Or should I acquire the different and unique [Illusion Dream Butterfly] on the market and start targeted research?"

"I think there are many entry points. What if I evolve a new form for [Illusion Dream Butterfly] in the future? Our Liu Family will be able to hold our heads high again."

"So when I told my parents about this approach, they thought it would be very difficult."

"Even though the guiding effects of different [Illusion Dream] types are different, allowing the [Illusion Dream Butterfly] to have a new evolutionary form, finding suitable materials still requires countless trials and errors and explorations."

"This means that the sample size needs to be very, very large in order to allow for trial and error, since the more times a pet fails to evolve, the harder it becomes to evolve."

"However, they saw my determination, saying it was the first time they had ever felt such a burning fighting spirit in me, and they agreed to approve a small amount of start-up research funding for me."

"These past few days, I've simply purchased a hundred [Illusion Dream Butterfly], and I also plan to expand my little research base so I can give Zizi some more companions."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan wondered if this was what "money power" meant.

One hundred [Illusion Dream Butterfly] are worth over ten million Alliance Coin on the market, and expanding the base is no small expense either.

Fortunately, Lin Yuan is no longer a penniless young man. He believes that in the future, he will definitely have enough financial resources to research more pet beasts.

The two walked and talked.

Soon they arrived at Jinjin's little house.

The floor that was scratched a week ago has been replaced. Jinjin, who was overly enthusiastic before, is now weaving a web. When she saw Liu Xing coming over, she wanted to come over and be affectionate, but when she saw Lin Yuan, she thought about it and decided to weave her web silently.

Although it was the second time it had met Lin Yuan, it was still a little shy.

[Status]: Jinjin, you can do it! The next time you see this handsome human, it means he is your master's good friend and not a stranger, so you can approach him.

Lin Yuan smiled and said, "Jinjin looks much better this week. Her metallic nature is no longer showing, and her overall features look more natural."

"Hehe, it's all thanks to your suggestion. I specially hired a nutrition expert to plan its daily diet. After eating smaller, more frequent meals, it's absorbing these products faster and faster." Liu Xing said with a proud look.

"Once it fully recovers to its normal [Mist-Hiding Spider] size, I will proceed with the next stage of its development."

Lin Yuan nodded. Liu Xing's talent, combined with the Beast Breeder's blood flowing in his veins, gave him a strong sense of rhythm and his own understanding of the overall process of breeding pets.

Upon arriving at Zizi's living area, one can see that the decorations are more elaborate, and the flowers that were originally planted here are even more vibrant.

Especially the [Purple Star Vine] that Lin Yuan was familiar with; those here were taken from his house by Liu Xing.

It looks much more Water Nourishment and glossy now than the rest of his house.

Zizi has gained quite a bit of weight in the week I haven't seen her.

I'm still sleeping.

Lin Yuan had a very strange feeling when he got close to it.

He felt his face instantly refreshed, as if the cells beneath his skin were cheering and jumping for joy.

He looked curiously at Zizi's panel.

[Status]: In my dream, everything was beautiful—the owner was beautiful, the house was beautiful, the flowers were beautiful.

Due to its unique personality and experiences, [Illusion Dream]' Trait have developed in a magical direction, enabling it to beautify everything and everyone around it.

It won't fundamentally change anything, but it will affect one's temperament and complexion, and the effect will disappear after a certain period of time.

Once [Illusion Dream] reaches LV2, its exclusive hidden evolution path can be unlocked.

Upon seeing this, Lin Yuan's eyes lit up.

Everything went much as he predicted.

He's just curious now: what if Liu Xing could cultivate [Illusion Dream Butterfly] with different [Illusion Dream] directions using a large number of [Illusion Dream Butterfly] samples?

Once their [Illusion Dream] reaches LV2, will they be able to unlock a unique hidden evolution path?

If that's the case, then the value of the [Illusion Dream Butterfly] pet is definitely beyond everyone's imagination.

"Liu Xing, you've been taking good care of Zizi lately," Lin Yuan said to him. "I believe that one day, you'll become a better person by its side, and it will become a better butterfly pet because of you."

"That's right!" Liu Xing proudly, hands on his hips, then asked in confusion, "What better person?"

"It's nothing," Lin Yuan waved his hand. "By the way, besides bringing you the Spirit Dew, I actually have another important matter to ask you about today, and I have two questions I'd like to ask for your opinion on."

"Say it! I'll help with anything I can." Liu Xing was still basking in Lin Yuan's words that "Zizi can become a better butterfly pet by his side," and was now feeling a little smug.

"I've recently started researching a project about [Courier Bird]. I want one of them to fly to you every day before you start school, but not to deliver goods to you; it's to deliver goods to your pet."

"Oh?" Liu Xing became interested.