Zhen Sheng City, Zhen Sheng Experimental School, First Grade Class One.
The noisy chatter in the classroom strangely halted for a moment when a young man's figure appeared at the doorway.
His dark, short hair was slightly disheveled, yet it exuded youthful vitality and a carefree spirit. He had a high nose bridge, distinct facial lines, and eyes behind black-rimmed glasses that held a hint of weariness and sleepiness that was hard to conceal, making him look like a melancholic literary youth heartbroken in an idol drama.
After a brief pause, the classroom became lively again, but the topics of discussion shifted from Spirit Master-related questions like “What Spirit Beast did you contract?” and “How does your Spirit Beast baby look?” to casual chats like “What should we eat for lunch?” and “Where should we go this weekend?”
“Hmm?”
A boy sitting on a desk turned his head. His name was Wang Dawei, and he was wearing a blue and white school uniform with his pant legs rolled up high, allowing anyone to immediately see his sneakers signed by Bryant, the legendary Spirit Master of the Federation. He looked at Lin Guang’s empty right hand and asked in surprise:
“Lin Guang, you haven't contracted a Spirit Beast yet?”
There was a regulation in Daxia that students in public schools must display the Spirit Mark formed after contracting on the back of their right hand.
The classroom instantly fell silent.
For a moment, almost everyone in the class looked at this guy who seemed to be bringing up an awkward topic.
Wang Dawei had used his father's connections to contract a Spirit Beast at a breeding base in another state during the past three months (including the winter vacation), but Wang Dawei and Lin Guang were good friends, and no one expected him to be unaware of this situation.
Wang Dawei hadn't even reacted yet, and he spoke to Lin Guang with an elder-like demeanor: “The school has already organized trips to the base three times, right? Still haven't found one you like? Although your Blue Elite Grade talent combined with your transcendent Contract Meditation Method means you're the only one in our grade, you have to take things one step at a time. Don't expect your initial Spirit Beast to be Blue Grade or above; just settle for something decent.”
Before Lin Guang could say anything, a chubby boy pulled Wang Dawei back and whispered something quickly. Wang Dawei’s face visibly flashed with surprise, disbelief, and embarrassment.
“…I’m sorry.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not that fragile,” Lin Guang said with a shrug and a smile.
If it were someone else, he might suspect they were being sarcastic, but “Lin Guang” and Wang Dawei had been good friends since middle school, and he knew the other party was simply a bit simple-minded.
Contracting a Spirit Beast requires a corresponding compatibility. If even the Spirit Beast breeding base couldn't find a Spirit Beast that Lin Guang could contract, there was only one possibility: in addition to its intended boosts, his talent also reduced other compatibilities, limiting the types of Spirit Beasts Lin Guang could contract.
Although Zhen Sheng City's Spirit Beast breeding base was large, it couldn't satisfy everyone's needs. For example, dragon-type Spirit Beasts and high-potential psychic Spirit Beasts of that caliber were already reserved. While Blue Grade talent was rare, with the large population base, tens of thousands of people in Zhen Sheng City alone possessed it. Lin Guang, without any background, found it difficult to even get a chance to attempt a contract.
“Are you really okay?”
It was rare to see a hint of guilt on the usually carefree Wang Dawei’s face. Lin Guang smiled and shook his head: “Of course not.”
Wang Dawei, who was usually clueless, somehow still felt something was off at this moment.
The other classmates in the class had only known Lin Guang for a little over a semester and might not understand him, but as Wang Dawei's junior high classmate, Lin Guang had always been a relatively quiet and reserved figure in his impression.
Although he was very talented, he never seemed to speak in such a cheerful tone.
Lin Guang also realized something and suddenly reined in his smile, lowering his head slightly to reveal his familiar, introverted, and calm expression: “Nothing, just figured some things out.”
Wang Dawei finally relaxed, only sighing: “Speaking of which, has your talent still not fully awakened? It’s been half a year.”
“Alas, it is indeed very strange.”
“So your dark circles are also…”
“Yes, it would be self-deceiving to say I could sleep well in this situation, so I stayed up late looking at materials to de-stress,” he replied, feigning distress.
Wang Dawei showed a mysterious smile: “Ah, I understand, I understand. Looking at materials late at night, eh?”
Lin Guang shook his head—he had finally managed to get by.
The truth was, of course, not like that.
His dark circles were caused by him staying up late to record the strategies and various Spirit Beast evolution data he still remembered from his previous life shortly after his memories awakened, using paper and pen.
He didn't even dare to use digital files, fearing that a slip of the hand might leak them.
Thinking of this, Lin Guang couldn't help but sigh.
That’s right, he was indeed Lin Guang, the genuine article, only a few days ago, under extreme emotional suppression and outburst, he suddenly recalled his life before coming to this world.
As for this world, it was very similar to the worldview of “royal spirit war chronicles,” the game he played last before transmigrating. He could almost certainly conclude that he had transmigrated into the “game.”
This was a world where everyone tamed Spirit Beasts.
Students in public schools uniformly participated in an awakening ceremony upon entering high school. While they could know their talent level on the spot, the specific effects of their talent would only be known after the talent fully awakened. The specific time varied from person to person; the higher the talent, the longer it took to fully awaken, and it also related to personal qualities.
And Lin Guang, who hadn't awakened the mystery of his past life before, was precisely because his talent had been slow to fully awaken for half a year, and his attempts to contract Spirit Beasts were unsuccessful. His emotions fell into extreme suppression and frustration. He learned a method from the internet and used meditation instead of sleep for several days, which stimulated his past life memories.
Although his parents died young in this life, perhaps because of his transmigration and a second development, his mind was exceptionally good at test-taking education. He had always been called “the child of someone else's family,” a true academic overachiever, far surpassing many of his classmates.
These achievements put too much pressure on him. After half a year of high-intensity self-consumption, it was not surprising that he ended up like this.
Lin Guang, who recalled everything, was also a bit confused.
According to game settings, Blue Elite Grade was only a one-in-a-thousand talent. Without using the save/load trick, it was a decent starting point, but the awakening time was generally about a month. Why did he have to endure this kind of Nazha-like treatment?
Even stranger, his talent had extremely strong exclusivity.
Although Lin Guang was confident that even without the talent's bonus, he could become a Pokémon… oh no, a Spirit Master, relying on the setting data in his mind.
But the inability to contract a Spirit Beast was not so optimistic.
Zhen Sheng City had a fairly complete variety of Spirit Beasts. Lin Guang even managed to find a dragon-type Spirit Beast that was considered useless and unable to evolve by the world, but he still failed to contract it.
This situation could only mean that his talent was a niche existence, for example, it not only limited the race but also the attribute, such as requiring a 【Dragon-type】 + 【Earth-type】 Spirit Beast to contract, or requiring divinity, etc.
But the problem is… Blue Elite Grade talent can indeed be called one in a thousand, but in a world where everyone tames Spirit Beasts, you might encounter one soon after walking down the street. It shouldn't be so strong as to impose such high restrictions, right?
Even in Hunter x Hunter, there's a saying that the greater the restriction, the stronger the ability!
Perhaps there's some hidden power too…
“Cough cough…”
Just then, accompanied by a violent cough, Class Teacher Ouyang Wei also walked into the classroom. He was tall and slender, slightly thin, wearing a faded gray shirt that looked like it had been washed many times, and a pair of old-fashioned black-rimmed glasses on his nose. But his eyes clearly revealed a sharp, fierce glint capable of suppressing all mischievous students under the Five Elements Mountain.
Wang Dawei's expression changed slightly. He wasn't afraid of other teachers, but Ouyang Wei was not only a Three-Star Spirit Master, but it was also rumored that he had served in the military and had withdrawn from the front lines after being injured in the disaster ten years ago.
Under Ouyang Wei's deterrent power, the students instantly stopped talking and returned to their seats, taking out their textbooks and paper and pens.
Ouyang Wei was a first-level teacher. He didn't just read from the textbook but also incorporated his personal experiences in secret realms and the wilderness, explaining complex topics in simple terms, trying his best to engage the students' attention. However, for Lin Guang, a gaming domain expert who had completed “royal spirit war chronicles” countless times, this knowledge was a bit too superficial. He didn't need to listen with full attention, so he was a little distracted, thinking about other things.
Ding—
Suddenly, a faint blue phantom popped up before his eyes.
【Strongest Spirit Master Cultivation System (Pending Activation)】.
【Activation Condition: Contract Spirit Beast (0/1)】.