A Qilin from Signing In

Spring gave way to autumn.

Yan Zu was nearly four years old.

Eleven full months had passed since the system activated. Throughout those eleven months, he had signed in, cultivated, and maintained his disguise every day without fail, gradually integrating the essence of the Nine Yin Manual into his young body.

Now, judging by appearance alone, he was already quite unlike an ordinary child.

He was nearly as tall as a six-year-old, with a slender, well-proportioned build and skin so fair it was almost translucent, yet flushed with a healthy rosiness. Most striking of all were his eyes, a pure, bottomless black, as though they could see into people's hearts.

The villagers often said the Yan family's boy looked more like a little immortal child with each passing day, too handsome to be of the mortal world.

Over those eleven months, his daily sign-in rewards had come in all sorts:

Sometimes there were three body-tempering pills, which he crushed and mixed into food;

Sometimes there was a Soul Power crystal, which he ground into powder and sprinkled into the well;

Sometimes there was a packet of spicy strips or a can of cola, which he carefully sealed away for later;

Sometimes there was a book such as the "Basic Medicinal Herb Guide" or the "Record of Low-Level Soul Beast Habits." After "inadvertently" discovering one, he would show it to his parents, greatly improving their hunting and herb-gathering efficiency.

Thanks to those sign-in rewards, Yan Hu's Soul Power had risen to level twenty-nine, while Su Qing had stabilized at level twenty-five. With her meridians nourished by the Nine Yin Manual, her breakthrough to level twenty-six was just around the corner.

More importantly, both of them were in far better physical condition than before. Most of the hidden injuries Yan Hu had sustained over years of hunting Soul Beasts had healed, and Su Qing hadn't suffered a headache in a long time.

The villagers all said the Yan family had struck it lucky and must have hunted down some heavenly treasure.

On this day, the sun was shining just right, and Yan Zu was sitting on the threshold "spacing out" as usual.

Of course, this was no ordinary bout of spacing out. He was actually cultivating the Listening to the Wind Art from the Nine Yin Manual, a method for sharpening perception. To anyone else, though, the sight was rather silly: a tiny three- or four-year-old propping up his cheek, staring blankly into space with a glistening thread of drool at the corner of his mouth, looking for all the world as if his acupoints had been sealed.

Auntie Wang from next door passed by, took one look, and shook her head. "The Yan family's boy... could he be possessed?"

Su Qing, who was drying medicinal herbs in the courtyard, heard her and looked up at her son. Without changing expression, she replied, "No, no. He's just taken to spacing out lately. I reckon his brain is growing."

Yan Zu: "..." Mom, you'd have been better off not explaining.

After cultivating, Yan Zu returned to his room, closed the door, and silently called on the system.

[Consecutive sign-ins: 364 days.]

Yan Zu frowned slightly.

From what he'd observed over the past eleven months, the system's rewards seemed to follow a pattern. Daily sign-ins gave basic rewards, and there were monthly rewards each month. Tomorrow would be the 365th day, a full year.

Would that trigger something?

He didn't know what the specific reward would be, but he had a vague premonition that tomorrow would be a pivotal day.

"I have to make the most of every day."

He sat down cross-legged and entered a state of cultivation once more.

This time, he was no longer content to follow the usual breathing and circulation exercises step by step. Instead, he began trying to incorporate the Soul-Transferring Great Art, a technique for using mental power from the Nine Yin Manual, into his cultivation.

The Soul-Transferring Great Art was originally a profound method in the Nine Yin Manual that could influence another person's mind. But Yan Zu discovered that by doing the opposite and keeping his mental power focused inward, he could greatly increase its rate of growth!

He closed his eyes and sank his entire consciousness into his dantian.

In an instant, everything around him became clear.

He could "see" the path of the wind outside the window, "hear" the insects and ants crawling underground, and "smell" every wisp of medicinal fragrance rising from the herbs Su Qing was simmering in the kitchen.

In this state of heightened perception, the Soul Power of heaven and earth gathered toward him at well over twice its usual speed!

Two hours later.

He stood and gave a gentle leap. His body floated up like a feather and landed soundlessly on the windowsill.

He had mastered the basics of the lightness skill chapter.

"What will it be tomorrow?"

He murmured softly, a flicker of anticipation in his eyes.

The night passed without incident.

Early the next morning, Yan Zu woke before the sky had fully brightened.

The first thing he did upon opening his eyes was call on the system in his heart.

[Ding! Today's sign-in successful!]

[Consecutive sign-ins: 365 days.]

[Annual critical reward ready. Claim it?]

Yan Zu's heart skipped a beat.

There really is one!

He took a deep breath and suppressed his excitement. "Claim it!"

[Ding! One full year of consecutive sign-ins reached. Annual critical reward triggered!]

[Congratulations, host! First Martial Soul unlocked: Auspicious Beast Qilin (unawakened, adapted for Innate Full Soul Power)!]

[Martial Soul traits: auspicious origin, vitality nourishment, presence concealment, fortune totem.]

[Note: As the host has yet to undergo Martial Soul Awakening, the Qilin Martial Soul is temporarily in phantom form and cannot materialize. However, it has bonded with the host's soul and can be communicated with in advance.]

As the system's notification ended, Yan Zu felt a tremendous boom in his mind, and a vast yet gentle power surged into the depths of his soul.

In his mental world was a... puppy?

No, it wasn't a dog.

It was a tiny beast, its entire body crystalline and clear as jade, with deer antlers, an ox's tail, fish scales, and tiger claws. It was the very image of the Qilin of legend, except for its size-it was about as big as a village puppy just a month old.

It opened a pair of large, watery eyes and curiously surveyed Yan Zu's mental world. Then it opened its mouth and let out a tender little cry:

"Eeya-"

Yan Zu: "..."

His first thought wasn't I have a Martial Soul, but It's so cute.

His second thought was: This thing isn't really going to grow into a big dog, is it?

The little beast seemed to sense his thoughts and gave a plaintive snort.

Yan Zu chuckled and tried calling to it in his heart. Qilin?

The phantom responded at once and nuzzled him, every bit as affectionate as a puppy begging to be petted.

"Well, would you look at that..." Yan Zu suppressed his excitement and finally began to carefully sense this newborn Martial Soul.

Though it was only a phantom, he could clearly feel that peaceful, ancient presence truly existing deep within his soul. It was the auspicious origin, the embodiment of fortune, and one of the foundations on which he would truly establish himself on this continent in the future.

"I'll call you Little Jade from now on," he murmured.

Having a Martial Soul phantom ahead of time meant he could establish a connection with it before his actual awakening and even borrow some of its abilities early. For a four-year-old child, this was a heaven-sent opportunity.

Yan Zu tried asking it to rein in its presence. The little one obediently drew in every trace of its fluctuations. Even the light and shadows in his mental world dimmed as it curled into a ball, like a quiet little jade dog.

"Good." Yan Zu rubbed its head in satisfaction. Though the contact was only between their consciousnesses, the little Qilin narrowed its eyes in comfort and gave a contented purr.

He continued communicating with the little Qilin in his mental world, trying to get it to release a little vitality.

The little Qilin opened its mouth and breathed out a wisp of pale green vapor.

The vapor passed through Yan Zu's body and spread outward, filling the entire room in an instant.

Then-

The window frame, which had been somewhat rotten, regained the fresh scent of wood at a speed visible to the naked eye. The leaves of the dying plant in the corner grew plump, and several new shoots appeared. Even the cricket under the bed, which had gone into hibernation early because the winter was too cold, crawled out in a daze, chirped twice, and then retreated again.

Yan Zu's eyes widened.

And this is just an unawakened phantom!

What will it be like when it's fully awakened? Couldn't I open a "Withered Trees Meet Spring" sanatorium someday?

The little Qilin seemed to sense its master's shock. It proudly raised its little head, its expression saying, "Praise me, praise me!"

Yan Zu chuckled and reminded it to rein in its presence again.

The little one had learned this time. It obediently stopped and even put out its own light.

"Very good." Yan Zu nodded in satisfaction, then suddenly heard hushed voices outside the door.

It was his father and mother.

"Qing'er, have you noticed that A-Zu is becoming less and less like a child?" There was a hint of puzzlement in Yan Hu's voice.

"I know what you're thinking." Su Qing's voice was gentle and calm. "But whatever secrets A-Zu has, he's our son. As long as he doesn't hurt himself or anyone else, we should support him."

Yan Hu fell silent for a while, then sighed. "You're right. I'm just... worried that one day he'll grow farther and farther away from us."

"He won't." Su Qing's voice grew firm. "I know our child. He has us in his heart."

Inside the room, Yan Zu felt a faint warmth in his eyes as he listened.

He turned over to face the wall and said silently, Dad, Mom, don't worry. I'll never leave you.

The little Qilin in his mental world seemed to sense his emotions. It gently nuzzled his consciousness, sending him a wave of warm, gentle comfort.

He spent a little longer interacting with the little Qilin in his mental world before reluctantly withdrawing.