C1 – Divine Pet-Evolution System
In Deepfell City’s Cirencester High, within the bustling Year 3, Class 9, the sweltering June heat was making the students noticeably edgy, punctuated by sporadic outbursts of noise.
“Hey, class president, with the middle school exams around the corner, are you gearing up for the Knowledge Exam or the Martial Exam?”
“That’s a silly question. With the class president’s stellar record and his family’s investment in all sorts of herbal medicines since he was little, he’s definitely going for the Martial Exam!”
“Exactly. A young prodigy like our class president, both brilliant and affluent, wouldn’t even consider the Knowledge Exam.”
In the front rows, students clustered around a well-built young man, buzzing with speculation about the impending exams.
That young man, the class president lauded by all, was Ji Buyu. He offered a modest smile and a dismissive wave, though his face betrayed not an ounce of humility.
Ji Buyu, unfazed by the adulation, shifted his attention to a slender boy sitting behind him and asked with an air of superiority, “Hey! Have you made up your mind about which exam to take?”
Qin Hongyu, the lean youth in question, had been lost in thought, gazing at a distant chimney. Ji Buyyu’s abrupt query snapped him back to reality. A sneer came from the crowd, “It all depends on whether he’s got the Battle Spirit Bloodline, doesn’t it? You talk as if choosing between the exams is a luxury everyone has.”
Qin Hongyu, marking his fifteenth birthday that day, possessed a gravitas uncommon among his peers, a young man seemingly weathered by life’s trials.
He understood that Ji Buyyu’s direct question was merely a ploy to draw the attention of others, and his response was accordingly cool.
“Why bother talking to him, class president? He’s an orphan, struggling daily just to get by. The Martial Exam is the last thing on his mind.”
“Indeed, look at him, all skin and bones. Forget the Martial Exam; he’d probably fail the physical for the Knowledge Exam.”
“And even if he is the top academic student, what of it? In this world, the most esteemed profession is that of a Battle Spirit Fighter. You’re simply not in the same league!”
The students clustered around the class monitor were initially taken aback by Qin Hongyu’s words, only to quickly respond with scowls and retorts.
Ji Buyu’s face hardened as he spoke with a hostile edge, “You’ve got a point. He’s nothing but an orphan. Chances are, after junior high, he’ll be thrust into the real world. With no formal education, I suppose he’ll end up waiting tables. I was out of line to even ask him such a question…”
“Ji Buyu, what are you trying to say? Are you implying that I’m destined to be a waitress after junior high too?”
Before Qin Hongyu could utter a word, the girl next to him banged the table, her voice thick with indignation.
The girl by Qin Hongyu’s side was Bo Miaojiao, the undisputed beauty of Cirencester High, and sadly, also an orphan.
Her close bond with Qin Hongyu, having been raised together in the same orphanage, meant she was often seen by his side. This very attachment had led Qin Hongyu to inadvertently make enemies of many who admired Bo Miaojiao, including Ji Buyu.
“Miaojiao, you know that’s not what I meant. You’re obviously different…” Ji Buyu stammered, waving his hands frantically.
“Hmph, if you dare speak ill of Hongyu again, don’t expect me to acknowledge you ever again!” Bo Miaojiao folded her arms and fixed a furious gaze on the flustered Ji Buyu.
“Alright, alright…” Ji Buyu hastily conceded.
Yet inside, jealousy raged like wildfire: “Curse it! Qin Hongyu is just a pauper. What gives him the right to charm the school’s belle? I’ll show him!”
“Don’t lose your cool, class monitor. The aptitude test is coming up, and soon Bo Miaojiao will see that he’s nothing but a worthless man who leans on women. She’ll naturally gravitate towards someone superior like you,” a boy seated next to the class monitor murmured into his ear.
“That’s the spirit. I’ll make sure Bo Miaojiao realizes the gulf between that nobody and me!” Ji Buyu clenched his fists so hard his knuckles popped, too caught up in his anger to notice.
Just then, the silhouette of a young man whisked by the window of Class Nine. The classroom’s buzz dwindled to a hush, fading until silence reigned.
The young man at the front of the room was the class’s homeroom teacher. He strode deliberately to the center of the stage, cradling a transparent pearl engraved with peculiar runes in his hands. With a grave expression, he surveyed the students before him.
All eyes in the classroom were riveted on the pearl he held, for it was no ordinary object—it was a Spirit Summoning Pearl, an artifact with the power to alter the course of one’s life.
The moment Qin Hongyu laid eyes on the rune-carved Spirit Summoning Pearl, it was as though his head had been struck by a massive hammer, sending him into a disorienting daze.
“The system has detected spiritual energy fluctuations in the vicinity. The Divine Pet Evolution System is now activated, and the Battle Spirit Bloodline has been automatically initiated for you.”
As the intense dizziness subsided, a cascade of electronic tones suddenly filled Qin Hongyu’s mind.
It was as though chains had been released from his body. The weakness that once plagued him vanished, replaced by a surge of vitality that made him feel as though he possessed boundless strength…