Zhen Sheng City, Zhen Sheng Experimental School, Class 1, Grade One.
The noisy chatter inside the classroom came to an abrupt and almost eerie halt the moment a boy appeared at the doorway.
His short black hair was slightly messy, yet carried a youthful, carefree energy. His nose bridge was high, his facial features sharp and well-defined. Behind a pair of black-framed glasses, his eyes revealed an unmistakable trace of exhaustion and drowsiness, making him look like the kind of melancholy, artistic boy who'd just suffered heartbreak in a drama series.
After that brief pause, the classroom quickly became lively again. However, the topic of discussion had shifted—from "What spirit beast did you contract?" and "What does your baby spirit beast look like?"—to casual chatter like "What should we eat for lunch?" and "Where should we hang out this weekend?"
"Hm?"
A boy sitting on top of a desk turned his head. His name was Wang Dawei. Wearing a blue-and-white school uniform with his pant legs rolled high, his sneakers—signed by Bryant, the legendary Spirit Tamer of the Federation—were impossible to miss. When he noticed Lin Guang's completely bare right hand, he exclaimed in surprise:
"Lin Guang, you still haven't contracted a spirit beast?"
In Great Xia, there was a rule: students in public schools would display the spirit mark formed after contracting a beast on the back of their right hand.
The classroom fell silent in an instant.
Almost everyone looked toward Wang Dawei, who had just blurted out exactly what shouldn't be said.
Over the past three months (including winter break), Wang Dawei had relied on his father's connections to travel to breeding bases in other states to contract a spirit beast. Yet he and Lin Guang were close friends, so no one expected him to be unaware of this situation.
Still oblivious, Wang Dawei continued in a tone like an elder offering advice:
"The school's already organized three trips to the base, right? Still didn't find one you like? Sure, a Blue Elite-tier talent plus a Mastery-level Contract Meditation Technique—there's only one person like that in our grade—but you've gotta take things step by step. Don't expect your starter spirit beast to match Blue-tier or higher. Just settle for something decent."
Before Lin Guang could respond, a chubby boy quickly pulled Wang Dawei back and whispered something into his ear. Wang Dawei's expression visibly cycled through shock, disbelief, and awkwardness.
"…Sorry."
"Relax, I'm not that fragile." Lin Guang smiled and shrugged.
If it were anyone else, he might've suspected sarcasm, but Wang Dawei had been his friend since middle school. Lin Guang knew the guy was simply… not the sharpest tool in the shed.
Contracting a spirit beast required compatibility. If even the breeding base couldn't find a suitable match for Lin Guang, there was only one explanation: aside from its intended boost, his talent also reduced compatibility in other aspects, restricting the types of spirit beasts he could contract.
Zhen Sheng City's breeding base was large, but it couldn't meet everyone's needs. For example, dragon-type spirit beasts or high-potential psychic types were usually reserved long in advance. While Blue-tier talent was rare, in a massive population, there were still tens of thousands in Zhen Sheng City alone. Without connections, someone like Lin Guang would hardly even get a chance to try contracting those high-end beasts.
"You're really okay?" Wang Dawei asked.
It was rare to see guilt on his usually carefree face. Lin Guang smiled and shook his head. "I'm fine, really."
Yet for some reason, Wang Dawei still felt something was off.
The other classmates had only known Lin Guang for a semester, so they might not notice anything unusual. But as his middle school classmate, Wang Dawei remembered him as someone quiet and reserved.
A genius, yes—but never someone who spoke in such an easygoing tone.
Lin Guang seemed to realize this too. The smile on his face faded slightly as he lowered his head, returning to his usual calm and restrained expression.
"It's nothing. Just… figured some things out."
Only then did Wang Dawei relax, letting out a sigh. "By the way, your talent still hasn't fully awakened? It's been half a year."
"Yeah… it's pretty strange."
"So those dark circles are because…?"
"Yeah. With things like this, it'd be lying to say I've been sleeping well. So I stayed up reading some materials to relieve stress," Lin Guang replied, feigning annoyance.
Wang Dawei gave him a knowing smile. "Ah, I get it, I get it—'reading materials' late at night."
Lin Guang shook his head. Finally got through that.
Of course, that wasn't the real reason.
The dark circles were from staying up late shortly after regaining memories of his previous life, frantically writing down strategies and spirit beast evolution data from memory using pen and paper.
He didn't even dare use digital records, afraid he might accidentally leak something.
Thinking of this, Lin Guang couldn't help but sigh.
That's right—he was Lin Guang, without a doubt. It was just that a few days ago, under extreme emotional pressure and release, he had suddenly recalled his life before coming to this world.
As for this world, it was strikingly similar to the setting of the last game he had played before transmigrating—Spirit Taming Chronicle. It was almost certain that he had entered the "game" itself.
This was a world where everyone could tame spirit beasts.
Public school students all participated in an Awakening Ceremony upon entering their first year of high school. While the talent's rank could be determined on the spot, its exact effects would only become clear once it fully awakened. The time required varied—higher-tier talents took longer, and individual aptitude also played a role.
Before regaining his past-life memories, Lin Guang had spent half a year unable to fully awaken his talent, and had repeatedly failed to contract a spirit beast. The frustration and pressure had pushed him to the brink. Following a method he found online, he replaced sleep with meditation for several days straight—ultimately triggering the return of his past memories.
In this life, although his parents had passed away early, perhaps due to transmigration and a second round of development, his brain was exceptionally suited for exam-oriented education. He had always been seen as the "model student," a true academic prodigy far ahead of his classmates.
But that excellence brought immense pressure. Half a year of intense internal stress—it wasn't surprising things turned out this way.
Now that he had regained everything, Lin Guang found himself puzzled.
According to the game's mechanics, a Blue Elite-tier talent was only about one in a thousand. Without save-scumming, it was a perfectly acceptable start. Normally, it would fully awaken in about a month—so why was he getting this Nezha-level delay?
Even stranger, his talent had an extreme exclusivity.
With the knowledge in his mind, Lin Guang was confident that even without talent bonuses, he could still become a Pokémon—ahem, a Spirit Taming Master.
But being unable to contract a spirit beast was a much bigger problem.
Zhen Sheng City had a wide variety of spirit beasts. Lin Guang had even managed to find a dragon-type that was considered useless and incapable of evolution—yet he still failed to contract it.
This could only mean his talent was highly specialized. For example, it might restrict not only species but also attributes—like requiring a [Dragon-type] + [Earth-type] spirit beast—or even something involving divinity.
But the issue was… Blue Elite-tier talents, while rare, weren't that rare in a world where everyone tamed beasts. You could bump into one on the street without much effort. It shouldn't come with such extreme restrictions.
Even Hunter × Hunter says that the greater the restriction, the greater the power!
Maybe there's some hidden force at play…
"Ahem…"
At that moment, accompanied by a sharp cough, their homeroom teacher Ouyang Wei walked into the classroom. Tall and slender, slightly frail-looking, he wore a faded gray shirt and a pair of old-fashioned black-framed glasses. Yet his eyes held a fierce sharpness, as if capable of pinning even the most unruly students beneath Five Elements Mountain.
Wang Dawei's expression shifted. He might not fear other teachers, but Ouyang Wei was a three-star Spirit Tamer. Rumor had it he once served in the military and only left the front lines after being injured in a disaster ten years ago.
Under his imposing presence, the students instantly quieted down, returning to their seats and taking out their books and notes.
As a Level One teacher, Ouyang Wei didn't just read from textbooks. Drawing from his experiences in secret realms and the wilderness, he explained concepts in a vivid and accessible way, capturing his students' attention.
But for Lin Guang—an expert in gaming who had cleared Spirit Taming Chronicle countless times—this knowledge was far too basic. He didn't need to focus fully, and his mind began to wander.
Ding—
Suddenly, a faint blue interface popped up before his eyes.