Lunch was braised pork knuckle over rice, eaten in the cafeteria—Wang Dawei treated.
After resting on his desk for a while, Lin Guang was awakened by his internal clock. By now, the lunch break was almost over, and the teachers should have returned to their offices. After leaving a simple note on his desk, he walked out of the classroom, arrived at the teachers' office door, and knocked lightly.
Knock knock knock.
"Come in."
Pushing the door open, Lin Guang saw his homeroom teacher, Ouyang Wei, sitting in a rattan chair. Seeing him, Ouyang Wei raised his brows slightly, a hint of surprise in his expression.
"Oh? I was just about to have someone call you over."
"What a coincidence. I also had something I wanted to ask you."
"Mm, sit."
Lin Guang took the seat across from him.
"Ahem… I forgot to remind you earlier."
After a light cough, Ouyang Wei's expression turned serious, his tone carrying a hint of heaviness.
"You should remember the school's rule—you must submit the information of your contracted spirit beast by next Monday."
He sighed.
"Otherwise, you'll either be transferred to a regular class… or to Class Thirteen."
Contracting a spirit beast occupied a portion of one's soul capacity, and spiritual power was the very foundation of a Spirit Tamer.
Most Spirit Tamers chose to contract their beast only after their talent had fully awakened, to avoid mismatches where their talent couldn't enhance the beast. But that depended on the situation.
In Lin Guang's case, his talent hadn't fully awakened for unknown reasons. This wasn't unheard of—generally, the stimulation from contracting a spirit beast could help trigger the awakening. That was why he had already begun trying five months ago when he realized he was stuck.
But to this day, he hasn't succeeded.
Class One of the Spirit Taming track was an "experimental class," subsidized by the state and given the best resources. To prevent people from gaming the system—either by pretending to wait for their talent to awaken or by aiming too high and chasing rare, high-potential beasts beyond their means—this rule had been put in place.
The other eleven classes were regular classes, while Class Thirteen was the "academic track," or theory-focused class. Students there didn't aim for combat but for research in spirit beast theory.
But no matter what Lin Guang chose, in a world where 70% of the population could contract spirit beasts, if he remained unable to do so, the gap between him and his peers would only grow larger. Their shared topics would dwindle as well—after all, even theoretical research required close observation of spirit beasts.
Being able to contract one was simply better than not.
That was why the gazes of his classmates were filled with concern—and regret.
Forgot to remind me…
Lin Guang felt a trace of warmth. He nodded to show he understood, then raised his head. Behind his black-framed glasses, his eyes shone with clarity as he spoke seriously:
"Teacher Ouyang, I'd like to take the afternoon off."
Ouyang Wei raised his eyebrows slightly. The boy in front of him seemed… different.
In the past, Lin Guang never dared meet his gaze directly. He would often hide behind his bangs, his tone subdued and low. But now—who was this steady-eyed young man?
After a brief pause, a hint of relief flashed in Ouyang Wei's eyes, the tension at the corners of his face easing slightly.
From his position, it had always been difficult for him to offer comfort.
He knew Lin Guang's family situation.
Orphaned at a young age, yet still maintaining the top academic rank—already no small feat. And then to face something as devastating as being unable to contract a spirit beast…
Even for Ouyang Wei, a retired Spirit Tamer who had witnessed life and death on the battlefield during the invasion from the Demon Realm, he didn't know how to console such an unfortunate but good-hearted student.
Whatever Lin Guang had gone through—or however he had come to terms with it—it was undoubtedly a good thing.
After all, with a mind as brilliant as his, as long as he figured things out, his future wouldn't be bleak.
"What's the matter?" Ouyang Wei asked.
"I want to visit the spirit beast market beneath Hualong."
Ouyang Wei froze for a moment. His brows furrowed as if he had just heard something unbelievable. The relief in his eyes vanished, replaced by stern seriousness.
"Lin Guang, I never thought you'd be the kind of student who disregards all boundaries."
"Where did you even hear about that place?"
"Teacher, I know my limits," Lin Guang replied calmly, his tone unfamiliar in its composure. "If it were truly that dangerous, why haven't the authorities and major families shut it down? Why is it allowed to exist openly in a bustling district? And why do so many retired military Spirit Tamers possess entry passes to it?"
"The interests involved are complicated—far beyond what a student like you can understand. What you should do is stay away from it."
Though his words sounded like a warning, it was really advice.
"Do you even realize what you're saying? In a gray zone where rules are blurred, can you guarantee your own safety one hundred percent?"
"Besides, the variety of spirit beasts there can't compare to breeding bases, and their quality is inferior to official markets."
Lin Guang chuckled lightly. "It's not just about spirit beasts…"
Then he straightened his expression.
"In any case, I'd like you to point me in the right direction."
"If you refuse, I'll have to find another way."
"…."
Ouyang Wei stared at him deeply. He knew Lin Guang wasn't joking.
Even if he refused here, with that kind of mind, the boy would find another path.
Where there was light, there was shadow. Especially in a world where individual power reigned supreme, the existence of gray zones was only natural.
After a pause, Ouyang Wei spoke slowly:
"I don't know where you heard about it, but the underground black market mainly deals with spirit beasts of questionable origin. It's unlikely to have anything rarer than what breeding bases already offer."
"It really isn't just about the spirit beasts…" Lin Guang said again.
In truth, his reasons for going were simple.
First, after regaining his memories, he couldn't suppress his excitement—he wanted to get close to spirit beasts again. He didn't truly expect to find anything rare.
Second, he wanted to confirm whether commonly traded beasts and materials in this world matched what he knew from the game—preparing for his future as a "Miracle Crafter."
In this world, certain spirit beasts—and certain Spirit Tamers—possessed special [Traits], [Skills], or [Talents]. They might not have strong combat ability, but in specific fields, they could accomplish things unimaginable to ordinary Spirit Tamers.
For example:
Helping spirit beasts evolve;
Shortening their growth cycles;
Or even accelerating the full awakening of talents.
Lin Guang's idea was straightforward—if his talent refused to awaken naturally, then he'd force it through external means. At the very least, he needed to understand its activation conditions.
No one knew whether "Miracle Crafters" capable of influencing top-tier, single-digit-sequence Red Legendary talents even existed.
But for a Blue-tier talent, things shouldn't be that hopeless.
The real challenge was that such individuals were usually honored guests of powerful factions, known as "Miracle Crafters." For ordinary people, reaching them was nearly impossible.
But if he approached them as a fellow Miracle Crafter—or an equivalent researcher—then it became feasible.
That was why he was already prepared to take a year off.
Once he understood the exact requirements of his talent, he could then seek out spirit beasts that matched those conditions.
As long as it didn't require something as extreme as complete divinity, even a Purple Legendary-tier (quasi-divine) spirit beast could be obtained through his "foreknowledge."
It would just take a bit of time—and careful planning.