On the projection screen, a golden lion over twenty meters tall roared toward the sky. In that instant, the sky turned pitch black. Golden-red cracks tore through the heavens, as if a divine being had opened its eyes. Meteors streaked across the dark sky, and amidst the lion's roar, they rained down and completely destroyed a ruined city covered in black vines.
The scene shifted. The flame-covered lion leaped several times through the air before landing beside a person wrapped in golden flames.
The video ended. The classroom fell into silence. Zhu Tao, clearly satisfied with the effect, struck his ruler on the desk with a sharp crack, snapping the students back to attention.
"You probably haven't seen this footage. I received it from the Military just this morning," he said."Now then, analyze the content of the video."
Wang Mu's thoughts were still lingering on the falling meteor shower. It reminded him of his previous life, when a sudden meteor impact destroyed the Earth's surface. He had died in that disaster, though he had been fortunate enough to be hit directly, turning into ash without pain.
He had never expected to be reborn. His luck seemed to persist in this new life. He had transmigrated to a world where humans used Spirit Beasts in battle. Though his family background was modest, he had shown intelligence far beyond his peers from a young age, so his family had done everything they could to support his studies.
Between the choices of becoming a Beast Tamer or a Breeder, Wang Mu had chosen the latter. This was closely related to his unique talent: Sharing.
From what he understood, this talent allowed him to share abilities between himself and another party, but only after establishing a specific connection. He could give an ability to a Spirit Beast or take one from it, depending on the bond. Importantly, he had to be the one to initiate the Sharing.
He had studied this thoroughly. After purchasing a Spirit Beast, a Beast Tamer would often maintain long-term cooperation with a Breeder. Wang Mu could transfer an ability to a Spirit Beast, let the Beast Tamer nurture and improve it, and then share the ability back to himself. It was an ideal strategy.
However, the true reason Wang Mu had chosen to become a Breeder was the cost. Powerful Spirit Beasts were too expensive. Knowing he would be unable to keep up financially, he chose an alternate path to surpass others.
Wang Mu quickly pulled himself out of his thoughts and reviewed the video in his mind. He already had a rough draft in place.
Three minutes passed. Zhu Tao called out, "Time's up. You have one minute to write your answer."
The classroom came alive with the sound of students tapping on their desktop screens. Wang Mu did the same, finishing his response in less than thirty seconds.
Zhu Tao looked through the answers on his screen. His expression grew increasingly flat until he reached Wang Mu's answer. Then he finally relaxed.
Crack.
The ruler hit the podium again. Zhu Tao frowned and sighed."How many times have I told you not to rush? The most important trait for us Breeders is careful observation. It's fine if you're a little slow."
"This time, Wang Mu receives three points. Lin Jinghai gets one. Du Lin loses one. The rest of you remain unchanged."
Zhu Tao's in-class quizzes typically used unreleased video clips. After watching, students had three minutes to think, one minute to write an answer, and then immediate grading.
Wang Mu's answer appeared on the projector screen:
"The golden lion's original form is the Scarlet Flame Lion. It evolved by absorbing a special type of flame, likely an ability Shared by the Beast Tamer through their contract.
The unknown vine creature has both Dark and Wood attributes. It appears to possess cloning traits and is vulnerable to fire."
Zhu Tao smiled."Most of you got the lion's original form right, but only Wang Mu mentioned the evolution method. That's correct. This is the latest breeding theory proposed by Master Xu Chen."
"As you all know, Spirit Beasts can share one of their innate abilities with the Beast Tamer. For every two levels a Beast Tamer gains, they can contract one additional Spirit Beast. But what if we reverse that idea?"
"Sometimes, when a Spirit Beast hits a bottleneck and can no longer grow through normal means, an ability shared from the Beast Tamer can help it break through its limits and integrate new abilities. If the compatibility is right, this can lead to evolution."
"The Scarlet Flame Lion's fire has spreading and adhesion properties. And for those of you who couldn't figure out the Nightmare Vine's characteristics… Never mind. You're all graduating soon anyway."
"Class dismissed. Wang Mu, come with me."
Zhu Tao led Wang Mu directly to the Breeding Building. It was a hemispherical structure with a transparent exterior, spanning nearly ten square kilometers. It was not only a vital asset of the Shanhai Breeder Academy, but also a symbol of pride for Shanhai City.
Inside, the building used spatial technology to merge Secret Realms with reality. Its actual interior space was twice the size of Shanhai City itself. It housed a vast number of Spirit Beasts. Each year, qualified Beast Tamers came here to receive their first contracted Spirit Beast.
Zhu Tao spoke directly."You know how busy Breeders are. We rarely take on disciples unless they are family. Still, when we meet someone with real talent, we invest in them."
"You're only sixteen, at least four years younger than your classmates, yet you have the best grades. You will have no problem passing the Intermediate Breeder exam. I'll be returning to my private breeding facility after this semester, so I want to give you a gift now."
"You may choose any Spirit Beast from this area."
This was a Breeder tradition. After passing the Elementary Breeder exam, one had to teach for a year. During that time, promising students were to be supported. Wang Mu would do the same in the future, so he accepted the offer without hesitation.
"Thank you, Teacher Zhu."
Wang Mu began to observe. The Shanhai World was not a wild zone but a man-made ecological system with distinct areas. This section was home to plant-type and insect-type Spirit Beasts, which were easy to raise, had short growth cycles, and were suitable for families like Wang Mu's.
Many rare species were present here, including the Lord-level Green Wood Sprite, Flower Madam, and Fragrant Rose.
Flower Madam was a fairy-type Spirit Beast, about half the height of a human. She had a humanoid form with delicate features and wore a floral dress. She was proficient in at least two types of Intermediate-level Wood magic.
Fragrant Rose was another fairy-type Spirit Beast. She had a rose blooming on her head, was only twenty centimeters tall, resembled a doll, and specialized in supportive magic.
Both were highly popular and nearly priceless on the market. However, they both evolved from the same base form: the Grass Fairy.
Wang Mu was tempted to choose them, but he knew the Green Wood Sprite was the better choice. It was a tree-type Spirit Beast that stood two to three meters tall. It could absorb Earth and Wood spiritual energy and produce Qingling Liquid, which contained Wood energy and could be used for healing or evolution materials.
It could also help raise plant-type Spirit Beasts, grow spiritual herbs, and improve environmental conditions. Having one would allow Wang Mu to build a stable living environment for other plant-type Spirit Beasts.
Certain insect-type Spirit Beasts were also particularly fond of Green Wood Sprites.
Among them was the Greenleaf Butterfly. Although it was a low-tier Spirit Beast, it had a fast growth rate, strong reproductive ability, and impressive genetic potential. Starting from its larval form, the Azureleaf Worm, it could produce many high-quality offspring if bred properly.
The Greenleaf Butterfly had the Adaptability talent, allowing it to evolve into over one hundred different forms. Some were low-tier, but others had reached King level.
Currently, across the entire Divine Province, only three King-level Greenleaf Butterflies had been recorded. There were seven in total, owned by four King-level Beast Tamers.
Wang Mu's father owned an Elite-level Phoenix-Eye Butterfly with the Phoenix Eyes talent, which could exert pressure and release Spirit suppression. It also knew advanced spells like Spirit Storm, all of which Wang Mu had Shared.
If he could breed a Phoenix-Eye Butterfly himself, it would be worth millions, even if it only lived for twenty years.
Wang Mu had worked hard for this moment and had long since decided what Spirit Beast he needed. The Green Wood Sprite was one of them.
However, even Spirit Beasts of the same species could differ significantly in their talents and spells. This made selection difficult. Because Wang Mu's Sharing ability required a bond before he could inspect abilities, he relied on his knowledge and instinct.
He walked toward a grassy area where four banyan trees grew. One of them had expanded into a small forest. It was the ancestor of the Green Wood Sprites here, rooted in place and unavailable for selection.
Another was also tall, but not rooted. Its canopy spread over thirty meters, shading two smaller trees beneath it. A soft green mist surrounded the area and was being absorbed by both saplings.
These were the actual options. They appeared similar. Wang Mu approached, and neither tree moved. They stood motionless like ordinary trees.
He inspected the leaves. One tree had lush, dark green foliage and a deep brown trunk, which could probably withstand a standard fireball spell.
The other had average leaves and a tea-colored trunk with silver specks along the bark. Wang Mu's powerful Spirit Sense detected a steady, peaceful energy flowing inside it.
He made his decision almost immediately."Teacher, I choose this energy-type Green Wood Sprite."
Green Wood Sprites had two evolutionary paths. One focused on absorbing energy to enhance physical durability and regeneration. The other focused on forming a Wood Spirit Core to develop magical capabilities.
These evolved into either the Green Wood Puppet or the Green Wood Sprite Spirit. For Wang Mu, who could Share abilities, the energy path was ideal. It allowed him to inherit spells and active traits instead of just defense.
As a Lord-level Spirit Beast, the Green Wood Sprite had some consciousness. Upon hearing Wang Mu mention it, it gently rustled its leaves in acknowledgment.
Zhu Tao paused, then nodded. He had planned to recommend the sturdier one, as it produced more Qingling Liquid and was better for facilities. But since the Sprite had responded, it meant their compatibility was high.
Whether one was a Breeder or Beast Tamer, compatibility always mattered most. Talent and bloodline were important, but compatibility was the true foundation.
With high enough compatibility, Spirit Beasts could evolve naturally, without needing any special materials at all.