Chu Chen tried to open the atlas with his mind, and to his surprise, it succeeded on the first attempt.
As the Slaughter Atlas opened, Chu Chen was momentarily stunned, as it unexpectedly displayed his own attribute panel.
Name: Chu Chen
Age: Eighteen
Realm: Third Rank of Soul Pupil Realm
Talent: Heaven Rewards Diligence, Grade F
Cultivation Talent: Yellow Rank Upper Grade
Guardian Beast: None
After looking over his panel, he noticed three tiny words in the upper-right corner of the atlas, "Slaughter Value," followed strikingly by a zero.
Seeing this, Chu Chen couldn't help but frown. What exactly was this Slaughter Value? How could it be obtained? What was its purpose? A series of questions plunged him into deep thought.
After pondering for a moment, Chu Chen let out a helpless sigh; the only thing he could be sure of now was how the Slaughter Value could be obtained. As for the target of the slaughter and the use of the value, he had no idea.
Shaking his head to dispel the chaotic thoughts from his mind, he decided it was pointless to overthink and better to focus on practical matters.
After awakening his Soul Power, the next step was to contract a Guardian Beast. His original plan was to choose a Guardian Beast based on his awakened talent, but since he awakened a cultivation talent, he wasn't restricted by talent in his choice of Guardian Beast.
However, what kind of Guardian Beast he could choose was beyond his decision.
There are three ways to obtain the first Guardian Beast: the first is the beasts prepared by the school for students, which generally are of lower quality but available in large quantities.
The second way is to capture one in the wild, which relies heavily on luck and is extremely dangerous, as there are too many uncertainties in the wild, and encountering a High-Rank Star Beast is not impossible.
The third way is to purchase one from the Beastmaster Association or the Beast Taming Shop. However, there is a difference: purchasing from the Beastmaster Association requires a certain amount of Contribution Points, which can only be obtained by completing tasks assigned by the association. Another way to get them is by being an employee within the Alliance, who receive Contribution Points in addition to their salary every month.
Of course, Contribution Points are not only used to buy Guardian Beasts, as they are necessary for purchasing any items sold by the association.
Buying from the Beast Taming Shop is much more convenient, requiring only money.
After some time, the principal's voice rang out again, "I now declare the Awakening Ceremony successfully concluded."
The students responded with enthusiastic applause.
Seeing this, the old principal gestured for silence and said, "I have an announcement to make: in a month's time, our school will conduct a trial, and the top thirty will enter the Elite Class."
On hearing this, the crowd immediately burst into an uproar, as everyone understood the significance of the Elite Class, which the school annually sets up after the Awakening Ceremony.
The Elite Class has an annual university admission rate of over eighty percent, which means entering it is almost equivalent to having one foot in the door of Beast Taming University.
The reason the Elite Class has such a high admission rate is not only due to the students' own talents but also because of the resources the school provides.
Seeing this, the old principal gestured for the crowd to quiet down and said, "Alright, everyone, settle down. Today and tomorrow, the school will be on break. Use this time to select a Guardian Beast that you like. Those who want to contract a school-provided beast should register with your respective homeroom teachers." With that, he stepped down from the podium.
At this moment, Hu Man hurried to the front of the line and clapped her hands to get everyone's attention, "Those who need to register, come to me. Everyone else may leave. Classes will resume the day after tomorrow."
As soon as the old teacher finished speaking, Wang Lu dashed out of the line, not because he was eager to contract a Guardian Beast, but because he was afraid Hu Man would want to have a heart-to-heart talk with him.
Seeing this, Chu Chen laughed and followed him.
The two of them only stopped when they reached the school gate.
"Chu Chen, you really got me into trouble. Good thing I ran fast," Wang Lu glared at Chu Chen, saying with a hint of blame.
Chu Chen laughed at this and replied, "Thanks for today. I'll treat you to a meal later."
Wang Lu shook his head at this and said, "Another day. My dad just called me to meet him at the Beast Taming Mall."
Chu Chen teased, "Then you better hurry. Having a wealthy dad is really nice, huh."
Wang Lu waved his hand at this and said, "You know my situation well enough. Let's talk tonight. I'm heading out now." With that, he caught a Swift Eagle and left.
Chu Chen was well aware of Wang Lu's situation. The two had known each other since childhood, being in the same class from kindergarten to high school, and their families lived not far apart. It wasn't until two years ago that Wang Lu's father, Wang Chunan, made a fortune in business and moved away, but Wang Lu hadn't left his old circle and had even pulled some strings to end up in the same class as Chu Chen.
Watching his friend leave, Chu Chen had no choice but to head home alone. He had already discussed with his parents that his first Guardian Beast would be bought from the association, but with his parents busy at work, he didn't want to disturb them during work hours.
A moment later, Chu Chen's phone rang. He quickly took it out of his pocket and answered.
"Son, how was the Awakening Ceremony today?" came his father's eager inquiry as soon as Chu Chen picked up the call.
"Not bad, Yellow Rank Upper Grade."
"Good, that's my boy! Your cultivation talent is much better than mine. I'll take some time off, and your mom and I will head to the Beastmaster Association with you." Father Chu said with a smile.
Chu Chen replied with a smile, "Dad, there's no rush. The school gave us two days off. We can go as early as tomorrow."
"No, we must go today. The sooner you contract a Guardian Beast, the better. If we're late, the high-quality Guardian Beasts will be picked by others." With that, Father Chu hung up.
Chu Chen, hearing this, could only comply with his father's wishes and head to the association.
A moment later, when Chu Chen arrived at the Beastmaster Association, he found Father Chu and Mrs. Chu already waiting at the entrance.
Chu Chen's father was named Chu Xiong, of average height, with bronze skin, a neat crew cut, and always wearing a smile on his face.
Father Chu was a Beast Master at the Ninth Rank Soul Warrior, just one step away from being a Soul Master, currently serving in the City Defense Army.
Chu Chen's mother was named Kong Lingxue, tall and fair-skinned, with slight traces of time at the corners of her eyes, her long hair cascading down her back, revealing none of her true age.
Mrs. Chu was a Fifth Rank Soul Warrior Beast Master, currently employed at the Biological Research Institute, not as a researcher, but as a Plant Cultivator.
The Chu family was just an average family in Celestial Star City. Father Chu, as an Alliance employee, earned a salary of seven to eight thousand Alliance Coins. Although the salary wasn't high, having Contribution Points made it a decent job.
Mrs. Chu, as a Plant Cultivator, held a technical position in a private company, earning no Contribution Points, but her salary was slightly higher than Father Chu's, reaching about ten thousand Alliance Coins a month.
While their jobs seemed stable, they weren't without issues. Father Chu, being in the City Defense Army, had irregular work hours, needing to head to the battlefield immediately in case of emergencies, with high risks involved.
Mrs. Chu's job wasn't particularly tough but was far from easy; she worked over ten hours a day, regularly needing to put in overtime when important research topics demanded it.