Lin Guang's promise seemed to really take effect. The little fox crawled out from the cat carrier, curiously observing everything around it, its eyes full of spirituality.

"So cute," Lv Rui couldn't help but exclaim, "What's its name? Are you planning to make a contract with it? Isn't it too early?"

Even for Combat Spirit Masters, the vast majority would choose to contract their second Spirit Beast only after the battle readiness of their first spirit matured, usually by at least the second year of high school, when there's enough time to choose.

"I haven't named it yet, I'm not sure whether this little one is suitable for battle, I mainly brought it out to nurture a bond."

"Oh right, I almost forgot you're practicing the Equal Contract Technique."

Lv Rui stuck out her tongue in slight embarrassment. The Equal Contract Technique doesn't burden the spirit, so indeed, one can contract a Spirit Beast whenever they wish.

And as Lv Jiangxue pondered for a moment, she asked, "This fox... Why don't I have any memory of it?"

As the team captain, Lv Jiangxue naturally had excellent grades, so Lin Guang wasn't surprised she found it strange: "It should be a Desert Broad-eared Fox, it just mutated after eating some unknown rare spiritual material."

"Broad-eared Fox?" The boy raised his eyebrows, "Isn't that a gray... ahem, isn't that a pet-level Spirit Beast?"

Lin Guang shook his head with a smile: "I value the bond more in contracting Spirit Beasts. If it has the battle intention, I will choose to contract."

Indeed, last night Lin Guang was torn about whether to contract, not because he feared catching the Ore Disease—since he already contracted with Vishdair, when it rains, it pours.

Not everyone is fit to be Combat Spirit Masters, and this applies to Spirit Beasts as well. Given the choice, Lin Guang hoped to first confirm whether the little fox has battle intentions, whether it can accept the battlefield, fighting enemies.

Upon hearing this, all three widened their eyes, and the boy clicked his tongue in amazement, giving a thumbs-up: "Are you trying to emulate the path of the 'Scarlet Celestial King' from a hundred years ago?"

Rumor has it the main Spirit Beast of the 'Scarlet Celestial King' was his original partner, initially just a plain, ordinary-level white Electric Cheek Mouse, but eventually they reached the pinnacle together.

This story had stirred the hot blood of countless ordinary youths a century ago, inspiring many to aspire to reach the summit with their initial partners. Though few succeeded, those handful who did all mentioned similar words: color is not everything, trust and persistence are.

Now a century has passed, and perhaps few young people believe in this old-fashioned motivational story. Yet, as the Scarlet Celestial King remains in his prime, no one dares to mock these "dream chasers."

"I'm not just deliberately paying tribute to this or that; if a Spirit Beast with Purple Potential threw itself at me, of course I'd contract," Lin Guang said with a smile, "But I also wouldn't abandon it just because it's weak."

"After all, getting along is most important."

—As for combat power, he's not worried.

If he did contract, he had the System as the foundation, being there as a buff receiver at the very least, it wouldn't turn out too weak in the later stages. Although Lin Guang always appeared rational, if truth be told, he also leaned towards the romantic side.

He doesn't blindly believe the initial "color" is everything, but rather believes in the power of bonds, fortune (and cheats) to change innate deficiencies.

During subsequent conversations, Lin Guang learned the boy's name was Wu Zhiwen, considered part of one of the families in Fenghai Province's Danhai City, a less noticeable branch of the Wu Family. Though his branch was quite down on luck, rooted in a foreign land, they still maintained some relationship with the main family.

He had known Lv Jiangxue since childhood, their relationship was pretty good, only learning before the match that Principal Liang Xing of Zhen Sheng City conspired with other schools in this plan, informing Lv Jiangxue after the match.

Wu Zhiwen also contracted a Fire Attribute Spirit Beast, having left some latent damage from improper early training, which recently erupted, prompting him to consider healing here, akin to the purpose of Lv Rui and Lv Jiangxue.

Among the gathering of four, two tickets were auction tickets (Lin Guang, Lv Rui), one was an official ticket (Lv Jiangxue), and one a family-related ticket (Wu Zhiwen), this combination somewhat surprised Lin Guang.

Lin Guang instinctively shifted his gaze to another side.

In the group, there were also small groups.

In the middle of the room, there were three genuine leather single sofas that looked comfortable and soft. Beside the sofa, a small tea table inlaid with gold ornaments held a delicate silver platter, each random fruit or snack within was a Tier One spiritual material, which outside would equate to a month's household income for an ordinary family.

Two men and a woman sat on the sofa, their attire simple, colors dull, no markings; only those with understanding might glimpse luxury from their exquisite wristwatches.

The three had a relaxed demeanor, elegant actions, nothing feeling deliberate, but upon careful reflection, one might sense a cultivated sense of etiquette from childhood, not just ordinary wealthy children.

The other three sat on wooden chairs not far from the sofa, also accompanied by some fruit snacks, yet ordinary fare, not in the same league.

Noticing Lin Guang's confusion, through Lv Jiangxue's introduction, Lin Guang gained a preliminary understanding of these six people.

The three on the sofa hailed from the three major families of Zhen Sheng City.

Names of these families needn't much mention, even a three-year-old in Zhen Sheng City knows the names of the "Jiang, Huai, Wang" three major families.

The composition of the other three is more complicated, each person got their ticket through different channels, but they all share the same eager intention to make connections and build relationships with the descendants of established families.

They occasionally throw out topics, trying to catch the attention of the trio on the sofa, and sometimes shower them with exaggerated compliments. Both groups were chatting and laughing, creating a seemingly harmonious atmosphere.

However, in reality, the trio on the sofa didn't have particularly significant connections; they're just high school freshmen and sophomores from Zhen Sheng City, just like the three sitting on wooden chairs beside them.

After all, the three major families are flourishing with numerous members, and they can't be considered very special—at most, they're somewhat influential branches, wealthier compared to ordinary people, with greater access to resources, such as easily purchasing Meditation Potions that ordinary people can hardly approach.

Wu Zhiwen commented, "If I return to Danhai City, I could probably enjoy such treatment too."

Lv Jiangxue showed no leniency and rolled her eyes lightly, "Come on, if you had a Purple Talent like them, even if it was the lowest rank, the last in the Purple Talent Sequence, the Wu Family would've called you back long ago. Even in noble families, Purple Talents are extremely rare and wouldn't let you go wandering easily."

"...Let's not say what everyone can see."

In the trio on the sofa, the crew-cut boy and the girl are second-year students from Private Tianqi Middle School, while the boy with slanted bangs is a first-year student at Private Lingyu Middle School.

This point didn't surprise Lin Guang.

The descendants of three major families would only choose these two schools because they are the bases established by the families themselves.

The two schools have maintained the top two positions in the "Points Competition" of Zhen Sheng City for over thirty years and often appear in the finals of the "Fenghai Province High School Spirit Master League", especially Private Tianqi Middle School, which has won the championship nine times in history.

The ability is there, but yet they're so rustic and petty... Lin Guang couldn't help thinking this way.

However, speaking of Talent Sequence...

Lin Guang recalled his gaming experiences from the previous life.

To be precise, Purple at this level, whether in Spirit Beast Potential or Spirit Master Talent, is an extremely broad stratum.

Because Golden Talents and Golden Potential in this world represent [Rules].

Yes, the [Rules] that all kinds of Holy Beasts and Divine Beasts grasp, akin to principles that differentiate clearly from ordinary life forms.

In other words, as long as one hasn't reached the stage of forming their own rules, no matter how strong, they're counted in the Purple range.

Adding the inherent need to distinguish strength above Purple Talents, using sequences for ranking naturally follows.

Currently, there are known to be about a thousand types of Purple Talents, the smaller the number, the stronger, and those ranked within 50 are documented Golden Talents and even higher Red Talents since the development of Spirit Master civilization.

In comparison, his Heart of Terra was only Blue...

Lin Guang thought for a moment and shook his head.

Though he knew some adventures could enhance talent levels, at the moment, he had yet to leave the beginner's village, there's no need to think too far ahead.

Perhaps because Lin Guang's gaze halted due to thinking, the slanted bangs sitting on the sofa suddenly looked over, slightly frowning, with eyes of displeasure.

Before Lin Guang could ponder where this gaze's displeasure came from, a high school boy in a deep black jacket with slightly angled eyes on the wooden chair enthusiastically turned his head and, upon seeing Lin Guang, paused slightly, then curved his slightly harsh thin lips with some malicious intent.

"Tsk tsk, isn't this our 'Brother Buddha'?"

He suddenly stood up and stepped forward—and as he sensed a stranger approaching, the little fox dashed back into the cat bag—glancing at Lin Guang and the seated Vishdair next to him, he pursed his lips and said with some sarcastic tone, "Just how much traffic did you and your principal buy? The TV stations and internet praise you to the hilt, those unaware would think you had Golden Talent and Golden Spirit Beast, about to seize the league championship."

"..."

Lin Guang was a bit taken aback.

After awakening memories of the previous life, he did indeed consider things like standing out in the forest and inevitably facing the wind that would batter it.

But Lin Guang's thoughts at the time were actually more along the lines of performing exceptionally and then being plotted against or stifled in a manner of conspiracies, like pressure from the higher-ups, bloodless killings, etc.

He really hadn't thought the first provocation he'd encounter due to fame would come from such a brainless source.

Thinking about it brings a bit of sadness... Well, not so much sadness, just a bit of helplessness.

Lin Guang didn't even have the intention to respond and returned a tolerant look to the fool.

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