[DING! Congratulations to the player for reaching the age of eighteen, the Evolution Compendium is officially activated!]
Accompanied by a celestial voice, Chu Yi trembled all over. In that moment, tears streamed down his face involuntarily.
Damn! This Golden Finger requires coming of age at eighteen to awaken, but fortunately, it didn't come too late!
BUZZ. BUZZ...
Chaotic shadows, like lush branches hanging down, danced wildly in madness. The dark currents resembled a living, unknown creature; as its tentacles swept, they revealed a bizarre book.
SWISH.
On the book's cover, a massive scarlet eyeball suddenly appeared, connected by bloodshot veins, darting its gaze left and right. A vertical pupil flashed with a strange light.
"Is this... the Evolution Compendium?"
A familiar interface, a familiar book, a familiar big eyeball.
Chu Yi was dazed. This seems like a game from a small workshop, collecting evolution points for infinite evolution. But the direction of evolution leans towards a bizarre, Cthulhu style. Just the newbie rewards include Scarecrow, Slit-mouthed Woman, Zombie, Corpse Moth, Undead, Tentacle Monster, Treasure Chest Monster, Human Head Balloon... Higher-tier ones include the Hundred-Armed Giant, Bloodflesh Pope, Death Sand Worm, Demon Eye Tyrant, Immortal Spider Emperor, Drought Demon... The eeriness among them is even more terrifying and eye-opening, seriously making one question the author's mental state. Can a carbon-based lifeform even think of this stuff? No wonder it requires one to reach eighteen; otherwise, it would bring a huge shock to his young mind.
But then he had another thought. The more bizarre they look, the stronger they are, with beings on par with gods and demons eventually emerging. So... as long as I keep hunting and gathering evolution points, I can reach the level of gods and demons.
Having been exposed to this concept, Chu Yi quickly accepted this setting. He breathed a sigh of relief, a smile appearing on his face. The gloom hanging over his heart was swept away.
Sorry, folks. From today onwards, I, Chu Yi, am going to be a cheater!
"YIP?"
Bika raised its little head, wondering why its master seemed different. But if the master was happy, it was happy too.
"Let's go, Bika."
Chu Yi got up, packed up his stall, and called out. This is the Pet Beast Breeding Base inside the academy, and with so many people around, evolving here would easily draw unwanted attention.
"YIP!" Bika responded with a childish sound.
Using a branch to launch itself, it jumped onto Chu Yi's shoulder, its fluffy fox tail wagging to show affection.
「 」
"The president of the Aba Aba Group parachuted into the Desert of the Grim Reaper and successfully tamed a King-level Scorpion Emperor!"
"The boss of the Goose Factory Group traveled thousands of miles to the Arctic Forbidden Zone and captured an Emperor Penguin. It's said to be a top-tier ice-type Pet Beast."
"Gold Medal Beast Tamer Ma Baoguo was attacked by two evil cultists in the Bloody Wilderness yesterday. He countered with the Lightning Five-Chain Whip, resulting in one death and one injury."
"Afterward, Teacher Ma stated, 'These young men have no martial ethics, trying to trick and ambush a senior comrade like me at sixty-nine. Is this okay? No, it's not! I urge all Beast Tamers to protect themselves when out and about.'"
"Congratulations! Felicitations to our academy's 'Rose Demoness,' Lias, for advancing to Silver-grade Beast Tamer, becoming the youngest in our academy's history..."
The Federation Star Bracelet continued to broadcast recent news.
A handsome young man in a Profound Robe walked out of the breeding base, a small young fox perched on his shoulder. The sun poured down, accompanied by a hint of elegant floral fragrance. The interplay of light and shadow made the youth appear like a noble prince who had stepped out of a painting.
This scene attracted the attention of many students. Some girls began asking around who this handsome senior was.
Chu Yi's presence was deliberately low-key. Coupled with being a third-year and setting up his stall in a rather remote area, very few people even knew of his existence. But Chu Yi paid no attention. With the Evolution Compendium, he felt an urgent need to go home and secretly improve himself.
Just then, a pitch-black luxury car stopped at the corner, and an elderly man with white hair respectfully bowed to Chu Yi. "Young Master, the Young Lady has been waiting for you for a long time."
Chu Yi paused. He glanced at the luxury car, hesitated for a moment, and said, "Butler, I'm no longer a Young Master. People might misunderstand."
He was just about to turn and run when the butler calmly said, "The Young Lady has instructed that if the Young Master does not come, she will destroy all your documentation."
The butler added, "Young Master, you wouldn't want to end up on the streets tonight, would you?"
Damn! Chu Yi froze for a moment, then forced a gentle smile. "Fine, I'll get in."
He put Bika into his pocket helplessly and got into the car.
Inside the car, a girl leaned against the window. Her shiny golden hair cascaded down, and just her side profile made Chu Yi nervous. She wore a Gothic Lolita dress in a retro style that hugged her elegant curves. The black dress contrasted sharply with her milk-like skin, enhancing her exquisite beauty. Below the knee-length hemline, a pair of white socks encased her slender calves, which were straight, narrow, and pressed together like a pile of pure snow on a branch.
"Commoner, you've finally come to see me," the girl said, slightly turning her head.
Her divinely sculpted face carried a hint of indifference, her pink lips curling into a smirk. Her sapphire eyes, like the deep sea, reflected the handsome young man, seemingly swallowing him whole.
On her skirt, a cluster of pink roses seemed to gradually blossom, their complex vine branches interweaving like intricate patterns.
The pressure from the high-level Pet Beast made Chu Yi break out in a cold sweat.
A Wood-type Pet Beast, Bloodthirsty Rose. War General-grade! To command a War General-grade Pet Beast, she has to be at least a Silver-grade Beast Tamer.
Beast Tamer levels are classified into Black Iron, Red Copper, Silver, Gold, Dawn Star, Radiant Moon, and Radiant Sun. This corresponds to the Pet Beast's grade.
"Lias, long time no see," Chu Yi greeted her.
At this moment, the butler pulled down a curtain between the front and back seats, deliberately giving the two of them privacy, and started driving.
Chu Yi: "..."
Lias seemed pleased to see him embarrassed. She placed a foot, encased in a white sock, on his leg and said coldly, "Massage my feet."
Chu Yi: "..."
Lias reminded him, "You can take off the socks to massage."
Under the Young Lady's pressure, Chu Yi had no choice but to obey, starting to knead her foot. A subtle fragrance floated, and he thoroughly enjoyed the silky smoothness. He had to admit, Lias's slender legs had absolutely no friction; they were very smooth.
As for her, she was the eldest daughter of the Janet family—the Count's daughter. An inherited noble title was enough to speak of this family's ancient lineage.
His unlucky parents had once formed a life-and-death bond with the Count while on a mission. Therefore, after his parents were killed, he was adopted by the Count and became an adopted brother to Lias, who was the same age. But their relationship in childhood was not good; in fact, it was quite bad. It wasn't until he joined the Starfire Sequence that he became independent.
The days of living under someone else's roof were not easy.
"YIP?"
Bika poked its head out of his pocket, looked around suspiciously for a moment, then jumped out.
Chu Yi hurriedly tried to hold it back but was too late. As soon as Bika landed on the white sock, it slipped and fell.
"Is this... your Pet Beast?" Lias blinked. A vine shot out and hung Bika upside down in mid-air.
"EEP!" Bika, terrified out of its wits, flailed helplessly, casting a desperate, pleading gaze at Chu Yi.
Don't look at me; I don't dare provoke this girl either, Chu Yi thought, continuing to massage her feet. He decided to follow his heart and turn his attention to the Evolution Compendium in his mind.