Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Five lights represented 50 years of soul cultivation.
The golden lumination expanded and was exceptionally blinding, especially for Wang Che.
The theory behind this soul power testing device was to sense the soul power fluctuations within the soul pet.
There was no hiding the truth with this machine.
Of course, Wang Che had not intended to hide it in the first place.
Soul power cultivation was only the foundation of soul pets. It couldn’t represent their full strength.
However, even if it was only the basics, with 50 years of soul power cultivation at this stage, it was enough to stun all the students!
Especially since it was just a mere green caterpillar.
Gazes from all directions shot at him.
Previously, Lin Xi’s Cloud Cap Snake had already been shocking enough, with a cultivation of 40 years.
No one expected to see a 50 year soul pet.
To be able to cultivate a soul pet’s cultivation to this stage before even entering the academy…
At this moment, it was a scenario different from Lin Xi’s, where cries erupted from the field.
Instead, it was unusually quiet.
They were so flabbergasted that they could not say a word.
Wang Che glanced at the green caterpillar, and it stepped off the device.
It was still young, so naturally it could not understand the current atmosphere.
“Ssss!” His soul pet suddenly hissed.
Wang Che scanned his surroundings and realized that there were also a few of the same species of green caterpillars around, looking at the little one.
‘I’m not the only student who chose a free soul pet egg and hatched a green caterpillar. They’re all as unlucky as me…’
The little one was not used to the stares of its kind.
It had not experienced such a thing before.
The gazes of not only similar soul pets, but many other species as well, were focused on the green caterpillar.
It was like the most magnificent soul pet among all of them.
However, the little one was puzzled by the stares.
Thus, it called out to its Contract Soul Master, asking the question lingering in its mind.
“Your kind thinks you’re average, so keep up the good work,” Wang Che explained. “The rest are staring at you aggravatingly.”
The green caterpillar had a look of confusion on its face.
It seemed perturbed, as if it knew the situation was not what Wang Che had described.
“You don’t believe me?” Wang Che said as he led the green caterpillar down. “If you don’t believe me, look over. They won’t meet your eyes because they don’t see you as a threat.”
The insect believed him and immediately glanced at the soul pets.
Indeed, once it turned over to look at the others, all the other soul pets shifted their gazes.
The pressure of 50 years of soul power cultivation truly made these soul pets unable to look straight at it.
Especially for this little one, since it already had a slight aura because of its disciplined training and Wang Che’s careful nurturing.
Of course, it could not detect this.
Upon seeing this scene, the green caterpillar’s heart stirred.
“Ssss!”
It felt that it needed to work harder.
After all, the green caterpillar in Wang Che’s story was already so mighty.
It could not afford to be slow.
“Good, that’s the way!” Wang Che exclaimed as he nodded. “Keep up the momentum. They won’t be a match for you in a few days at the Enlightenment Cup.”
However, in his heart, he was relieved. If this little one had only been slightly older, with the intelligence of a 12 or 13 year old, it would not have been this easy to fool it.
When it grows older, its personality would form. It would be more sensible, which would make it harder for it to fall for simple tricks like this.
Wang Che walked back toward his group of classmates.
The test continued.
“50 years of cultivation. Wang Che, you’re too…”
“I thought we were good enough… but you are way better…”
“It’s alright. It hasn’t evolved… I knew something was odd from the way you spoke in the group.”
“Brother Che, to be able to cultivate a green caterpillar 50 years in just two weeks… Be honest, did you cheat?”
“As expected of Brother Che…”
Many students teased.
Their words were full of admiration and envy, but there was no other motive.
This was because they were all aware that training soul pets was only the beginning; there was still a long way for them to go.
In fact, they were more concerned about improving their training regimen for their soul pets in the next seven days to obtain a better ranking in the Enlightenment Cup.
Then, they would cultivate better and successfully awaken the martial soul…
Among the overwhelmed students, there was only one person who watched silently.
Today’s five bars of golden light would go on to become a hot topic for many of them.
Wang Che even became the role model that many teachers, parents, and students spoke of.
“Look at Wang Che. Even with a green caterpillar, he was able to raise it so quickly! Look at yourself!”
After the test, the teachers brought their students to their respective teaching areas.
This field was vast. Even when they had carried out the examination earlier with so many students present, they had only occupied less than a tenth of the area.
At that time, they had all been gathered in the center of the land.
Across the field, there were special training areas for each class, classified according to the different plants sowed.
Of course, they still had to carry out regular studies in the education block.
When that happened, the soul pets would be placed in the school’s Soul Pet Recovery Center, and there would be special staff assigned to watch over them, allowing them to rest.
Basically, Soul Pet Recovery Centers would be present starting from high school.
“Before I commence the training, let me briefly explain the rules of the Enlightenment Cup.”
Teacher Zheng said as he brought over 40 students to the teaching area. With a wave of his hand, everyone stopped.
“The Enlightenment Cup is mainly entry level soul pet battles held by the three powerhouse high schools of Skyheart City.”
He coughed a few times and he continued, “The three great high schools, which are First High, Xingyue, and Nanhu, have a combined total of over a 1000 third-year students. They have chosen to register on their own. They don’t insist on participation, because they only want to let you, who have entered, experience the simple fighting atmosphere of soul pet battles.
“Of course, I know. On the internet, you’ve seen many continents and even war zones hosting large-scale soul pet battles.
“But what you see online and what you actually feel when you watch up close, and even when you personally participate, are completely separate things.
“The Enlightenment Cup is a beginner level soul pet competition. To you, it is the competition closest to your capabilities and also the one you can best perform in currently.”
Teacher Zheng’s expression turned serious.
“Firstly, it has to be made clear that soul pet battles are competitions with a certain entertainment nature. Even the highest level soul pet battles are like this. The most fundamental goal is to allow the Contract Soul Masters to understand their soul pets better.
“The Enlightenment Cup has an autonomous registration method. The competition will be held with clear single round elimination. The losers will be directly eliminated.
“Because there’s a chance of getting a free pass, in theory, you might be able to win without fighting, if you’re lucky enough.”
He coughed a few times, took a sip from a cup, and concluded.
“Those are the standard rules. As for the rewards, the prizes awarded to the top ten achievers won’t be too far apart from the champion in terms of quality. There are consolation prizes for the top 100, but of course, the process is what’s most important.
“I suggest that after seven days of training, all of you can try.
“Even if it’s just a match, you can gain experience.
“Of course, the most important thing is to deepen your understanding of your soul pets.”
Teacher Zheng explained the general rules very clearly.
Wang Che counted. Given that there were 1000 people, if everyone participated, they would need to fight 11 or 12 rounds.
To put it simply, if he wanted to emerge as the champion, he had to win more than ten rounds in a row.
It was very challenging indeed.
However, in a fight between soul pets in their initial stages, battles didn’t last very long. Soul pets often only fought for a few minutes.
Without considering the venue, the competition would end within three to four days.
Not to mention, if he wanted to enter the top ten ranks, he would need to win at least seven rounds.
It was arduous, but not impossible.
This was because the soul pets of the third year students were mostly normal and rare soul pets, so their soul power cultivation levels were similar.
It was not possible for a soul pet’s physique to be revamped in just seven days through training.
With such a small difference, it was naturally hard to predict who would win.
If one could comprehend a soul skill and unleash power several times greater than its own, its chances of victory would easily be higher.
‘A beginner match with certain benefits.’
Wang Che understood.
Its purpose was mainly to motivate them; the rewards were simply not bad either.
“Alright, the rules will end here for now. Next, I will explain the key points of each soul pet’s training!
“In these seven days, those who have yet to awaken their soul pets will aim for enlightenment.
“To those who have already awakened and have reached a certain cultivation age, you will aim to increase your soul power cultivation.
“Lastly, students with high soul power cultivation will aim to awaken their soul skills!”
Next, he began to instruct each student according to their specific soul pets.
“The Dazed Rain Frog specializes in speed and strength. It can choose between a conventional ten-year soul skill that is focused on both speed and attack, like the Aerial Leap, or it can also adopt an attributed soul skill like the Water Bullet. However, it’s harder to comprehend attributed soul skills. The requirement for soul power is higher, but the power output is greater.
“Cottony is a conventional type of soul pet. Its strength, speed, and vigor are rather weak in all aspects. However, the first ten-year soul skill that it develops is extremely beneficial to this competition – Fog Transformation! It can give the body a 50% resistance to energy attacks. If it can be comprehended, entering the top 100 ranks in the Enlightenment Cup will not be a problem.
“Hundred Flowers Beast is a grass type soul pet. Its greatest characteristic in its infancy is its outstanding defense. Among its ten-year soul skill choices, there is one that enhances its defense – Gather. This skill enables it to huddle and shrink its body. Not only can it increase protection, but it can also dodge the enemy’s attacks at critical moments. As for a control type soul skill, it can pick up Soft Powder. It allows the pet to spit out pollen that temporarily renders the enemy powerless. The difficulty of comprehending this is rather high.”
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