The Purple Star Vines' "Pilgrimage" and Linghuan's "Illness"

The [Purple Star Vines] began growing and twining, almost packing the Plant Room so tightly that not even water could pass through.

Yet not a single [Purple Star Vine] grew within half a meter of Zilan.

[Purple Star Vines] were not ranked pet beasts. They were merely ordinary plants, but they made excellent food for many herbivorous pet beasts.

Since they were not pet beasts and had very little intelligence, Lin Yuan could not see their panels. Still, through [living creature affinity], he sensed their emotions—

Celebration and joy.

The relationship between [Purple Ghost Orchids] and [Purple Star Vines] was rather like that between a saint and pilgrims.

The former bestowed energy for growth upon the latter, allowing them to flourish.

To a certain extent, the latter's growth also reflected the former's strength, quality, and condition.

Lin Yuan had read in a document that there had once been cases of [Purple Star Vines] mutating into [Purple Ghost Orchids] and becoming pet beasts.

This evolution was also a type of exceptional evolution, known as leader effect evolution.

But there were very few cases, and no one knew exactly what conditions had to be met.

Judging by the growth of the [Purple Star Vines], Zilan had already taken her first successful step along the road to evolution.

At that moment, a faint purple glow surrounded Zilan's body.

Her two flower buds trembled slightly, as though forming some strange resonance with the materials and energy inside them.

A very faint mist drifted out of the flower buds.

Before long, it enveloped the area around Zilan, covering roughly half a meter in every direction with her at its center.

According to the records, the time required for a pet beast to evolve varied.

Generally, evolving from ordinary quality to transcendent quality took a pet beast about one to three days.

Many factors affected this, including the quality of the evolution materials, the pet beast's condition during evolution, and the space in which the evolution took place.

There were also [beast-taming arts] that some Beast Tamers could master which shortened the process and increased the likelihood of successful evolution.

Yes, not every evolution was guaranteed to succeed.

So Lin Yuan still felt somewhat uneasy.

However, the information on the panel before him eased his concerns a little.

[Purple Ghost Orchid]

[Evolution path]: Evolving into [Purple Spirit Treasure Orchid], progress 1%

He would let Zilan digest the energy slowly. All Lin Yuan could do now was believe in her.

He took out the scissors he had prepared beforehand and began cutting down the [Purple Star Vines] that were "blocking the way."

Their appearance and quality were the best Lin Yuan had seen in all these years.

That was good news for Yuanming Pet Food Shop, too.

Twenty minutes later.

Lin Yuan walked out of the Plant Room.

Quite a few [Purple Star Vines] were also planted in the second-floor hall, and they had clearly been affected by the energy Zilan had just released.

Linghuan was already tending to these fully grown [Purple Star Vines] in the hall.

Linghuan also had her own quarters, right next to the Plant Room.

Keeping the house neat and orderly had been her unwavering "creed" ever since she came to this home.

At that moment, she sensed Lin Yuan approaching.

She merely turned her head, smiled with narrowed eyes, and then continued her work.

Lin Yuan placed the basket crammed with [Purple Star Vine] leaves and stems beside her. "Linghuan, I've already taken care of the ones in the Plant Room."

"At today's awakening ceremony, I awakened a talent that can help pet beasts evolve. Just now, I helped Zilan take her first step."

"From today onward, our [Purple Star Vines] might grow much faster than before. You'll have more work to do, so thank you for all your effort."

Upon hearing this, Linghuan showed a rare burst of joy. The red light on her tail flickered more brightly, and the [Purple Star Vine] stems beside her became even fresher and more tender.

Lin Yuan could sense Linghuan's emotions.

This housekeeping beast had a very typical housekeeping beast's personality: she looked after the home and cared for others.

However, Linghuan seemed to have an "obsessive-compulsive" fixation on this.

In many situations, she suppressed all her emotions, only allowing herself to think and express her feelings after she had finished everything that needed doing.

So even now, she only briefly expressed her joy at hearing that her young master had successfully awakened before throwing herself back into her work.

Lin Yuan was used to it.

His parents had purchased this housekeeping beast for their home six years ago.

Their health had been steadily worsening, leaving them unable to do much physical labor.

Three years ago, when they realized their bodies might not hold out much longer, they had also hired a Beast Breeder to help her evolve.

Unlike Zilan, Linghuan had successfully evolved on her first attempt.

She had evolved from a [Spirit Raccoon] into a [Spirit-Tailed Raccoon].

This was also the most conventional evolution path for this type of pet beast.

But in Lin Yuan's memories, before her evolution, she had not placed as much importance on housework as she did now.

Lin Yuan did not know whether this was good or bad.

He only felt that the distance between them seemed to have grown a little.

Despite living under the same roof, Lin Yuan hardly saw her throughout the day.

Perhaps this was the "sense of distance" pet beasts gradually developed as they grew.

He looked at Linghuan's panel again.

[Spirit-Tailed Raccoon]

[Attribute]: Spirit

[Quality]: Low-grade transcendent

[Sex]: Female

[Level]: Transcendent level 3

[Traits]: [Crafty heart], [Spirit tail]

[Personality]: Hardworking, concerned, orderly

[Status]: Happy, but an incomplete [spirit tail] from her previous evolution causes her emotional expression to be suppressed by bodily instinct. Whenever her emotions fluctuate significantly, her body experiences a degree of pain.

This also makes it difficult for her level to increase and suppresses her overall growth.

Can be cured completely with transcendent-quality [red spirit tail]. Grind it into powder and add it to transcendent-quality [spirit red bright liquid], then drink it over fifteen days.

[Evolution paths]:

[Evolution path one: Red Spirit Raccoon, quality: Low-grade commander, compatibility: 2%]

[Hidden evolution path one: Unlocks after physical and mental condition is restored.]

[Hidden evolution path two: Unlocks after physical and mental condition is restored.]

Lin Yuan read this.

His eyes immediately went wide.

Before he awakened the [eye of all spirits], the status field he saw had basically contained nothing more than simple descriptions of emotions.

After awakening, he had checked Zilan's and the [Courier Bird's] statuses today, and they had been the same.

He had originally thought the panel's only change was that the evolution paths had finally lit up.

Now, it seemed that was not entirely true.

Under certain circumstances, the [Status] field could also provide more information!

Linghuan's emotional expression had just been suppressed because her previous evolution was incomplete, and the reason was written there in plain sight.

Not only that, even the solution was clearly laid out.

Transcendent-quality [red spirit tail] was a material required for her first evolution in the first place.

Lin Yuan did not know why Linghuan had failed to evolve completely during her first evolution.

But he finally knew the root cause of the "strangeness" he had sensed in Linghuan over the years since she evolved.

He also knew why her tail would uncontrollably glow red whenever her emotions fluctuated.

And at this moment.

The [Evolution paths] no longer seemed so important.

First, cure Linghuan's "illness"!

Lin Yuan did not rush to give Linghuan hope or promises. Her situation was different from Zilan's. Zilan had been wearing herself down internally, lacking confidence because of her past, so she needed a shot of "hot blood" to fire her up.

For Linghuan, however, what mattered now was avoiding emotional fluctuations.

Back in his room.

Lin Yuan immediately looked up the cost of the materials needed for treatment.

Transcendent-quality [red spirit tail] was not expensive, with prices ranging from fifteen thousand to twenty thousand alliance coins.

But transcendent-quality [spirit red bright liquid] was not nearly so cheap. It cost between eighty thousand and one hundred thousand, which he could not currently afford.

At this point, he could not help grumbling. If only the Beast Breeder who had helped Linghuan evolve back then had been a little more professional and had not left her with this lingering ailment.

Then he thought of the two Beast Breeders who had given Zilan "incorrect" evolutions.

Lin Yuan felt a great deal of emotion.

Being a Beast Breeder was not just about helping pet beasts evolve.

They also needed to understand the pets' personalities and emotions, and discern their physical and mental health.

Even a completed evolution did not mean the job was "over." Follow-up checks were necessary to see whether anything had gone wrong during the process.

But he felt that those three previous Beast Breeders probably represented the majority of Beast Breeders in this world.

And he possessed [living creature affinity] and the [eye of all spirits].

He could absolutely walk a path that bore more of his own distinctive stamp as "Lin Yuan"!

He turned off the computer.

He lay down on his bed, exhausted.

He had to admit that preparing evolution materials was hard work.

Especially when his nerves had been stretched taut the entire time.

Now, he was utterly exhausted.

Rest first.

Tomorrow, go to the Breeding Center and take a look at the three pet beasts Teacher Chen recommended.

The night deepened.

Lin Yuan drifted off to sleep amid his thoughts.

The fresh air and faint floral fragrance wafting from the Plant Room next door slowly eased his mental exhaustion and physical fatigue.

Tomorrow would be another new day...