Dragging his suitcase, Su Hao walked out of the high-speed rail station. As he walked, he suddenly felt something was off. "Seems like I'm missing something?" He looked around. Suitcase and backpack were both with him. On his head perched a Dream Moth, and a Flame Crow flew ahead. "Doesn't seem like anything's missing... Wait, where's the Water Spirit Horse?" "Gu nuo, gu nuo gu nuo~ (Don't ask, ask and I don't know)" Su Hao rubbed his temples. Following the contract's guidance, he finally found that frolicking Water Spirit Horse, which had run off and quickly lost its way back. It was deep in a crowd, shifting from excitement to confusion, then to the helplessness of not finding its spirit master... Su Hao tapped its head. "Spirit dealers love to kidnap little horses like you. Be careful you don't get sold to a slave master and spend your life as a cart-pulling workhorse." "Xilu ⊙▃⊙?" "Xilu~ xilu!" The Water Spirit Horse clamped its mouth onto his sleeve, refusing to let go. The Dream Moth on his head snorted. Lousy spirit master~! ...
Spring, and all things revive. The temperature was warming up. People walking on the streets had already shed their thick coats and sweaters. Su Hao... was still riding a creaky shared bike from home to school. The Water Spirit Horse chased behind. As a spirit adept at running, even when he pedaled the bike until it seemed ready to fall apart, the Water Spirit Horse kept close—it dared not run off again. Today, Su Hao arrived early. The first class hadn't started yet. Sitting in the second-to-last row by the window, he gazed at the trees outside and the red flowers blooming on them, a fragrance wafting in. Su Hao felt like he was back in high school. Wait... It seemed he was already a high school student. He recalled. Fighting spirit hunters in the Valley of Sighs. Defeating one spirit master after another at the battle club to make a name. Coming and going in the New World. Dealing with elite spirit masters in the Primordial Zone. "So I'm still a high school student after all~" Today, Su Hao, quite unusually, listened attentively in class. Even if he held the textbook, his mind wandered, thinking of nothing in particular—commonly known as daydreaming. Still, for the first time in a while, he felt a sense of relaxation. The first class was Spirit History. The teacher wasn't a spirit master; he was an elder with a very noticeable bald spot, and thus very learned. "As everyone knows, the Spirit Master Alliance was jointly founded by our Dragon Kingdom, the White Bear Kingdom, the Golden Eagle Federation, and two other nations. Now, member countries cover most of the world, but the founding five, including our Dragon Kingdom, still hold the greatest say... "Moreover, our Dragon Kingdom has the second most seats in the Spirit Master Alliance, second only to the Golden Eagle Federation. "How are seats determined? By comprehensively calculating each country's national power—first, technological level, and second, the strength of spirits." The history teacher paused, seeing the rare look of curiosity and anticipation on the students' faces, before continuing: "Where is the limit of spirits? I don't know, but monarch-level spirits possess unimaginable power. Some small nations don't even have a single celestial-level spirit master. Even in our Dragon Kingdom, every additional one gives us one more seat in the alliance, one more voice. "I'm not a spirit master, but I have a dream: that among you, someone will become a celestial-level spirit master in the future. Then, when I walk outside, I can shout that I taught a celestial-level..." "I hear Old Yang says this every year..." Liu Ren at the next table muttered, "Has An City ever produced a celestial-level spirit master? Could I be the first... cough, the second?" He glanced at Su Hao. "Hey, Old Su, do you think I can become celestial-level? I think dreams are necessary. Setting my sights on master-level before was way too low." "Sure, go for it, you can do it." "You say that too, so I must have the makings of a celestial." Liu Ren stroked his double chin, pondering, then his gaze flicked to the hyperactive Water Spirit Horse beside Su Hao. He also glanced at his own desk, where a Green Water Frog sat like a statue. Suddenly, an idea struck him. "Old Su, look, both our new spirits are water-type. How about... hehehe, how about a battle?" Liu Ren had thought it through. He might be a future celestial, but there was still a bit of a gap between him and Su Hao. The Butterfly God was unbeatable. The Flame Crow was also incredibly strong, having trounced Li Songting's Ascetic Dog. The Water Spirit Horse Su Hao had specifically contracted in the Primordial Zone would likely become a powerhouse in a few months. But for now... His Water Spirit Horse had only been contracted recently. His Green Water Frog, though also a rookie, had at least been trained for a while. Right, now was his only chance to possibly beat Su Hao! Liu Ren's eyes burned with fighting spirit. It all depended on whether Su Hao agreed. Su Hao glanced at Liu Ren's Green Water Frog. He had written a training plan for it before leaving, and with Liu Dafu's money power, the Green Water Frog had made significant progress in just over ten days. But... The Water Spirit Horse wasn't a pure rookie spirit. It had a solid foundation. After just a few days of Su Hao's jade powder regimen, its spiritual power had visibly grown. Its moves hadn't been trained yet. But it had inherited four moves from the Horse King: Charge, Trample, Water Bullet, and Water Dragon Roar. Except for Water Dragon Roar, which was too advanced for the Water Spirit Horse to use, the other three moves Su Hao had verified were quite practiced. 'The Horse King clearly held back in its fight with the Dream Moth, not using advanced moves like Water Dragon Roar...' It seemed the Horse King, though reluctant to admit it, actually wanted to entrust its foal to a reliable spirit master. Yeah, that was him. Su Hao agreed to Liu Ren's challenge. A rookie spirit battle didn't need much fuss. During the break, the two headed to the water-type spirit training ground near the teaching building—a man-made lake—to start the fight. A dull Green Water Frog. A Water Spirit Horse pawing the ground. Twenty meters apart, they stared at each other from a distance. Liu Ren's eyes fixed on the Water Spirit Horse, his mind racing with tactics. 'The Green Water Frog has already mastered one move. In a rookie spirit battle, that's a killer move.' 'If I just seize the opportunity...' "What the hell?!?!" He saw the Water Spirit Horse charge forward, pale blue light gathering like armor around it, its speed increasing. It was the move Charge. As the distance closed, Liu Ren quickly ordered, "Use Water Arrow!" The Green Water Frog puffed its cheeks, water gradually forming into an arrow, but before it could shoot, he heard... "Water Bullet." A water bullet shot from the Water Spirit Horse's mouth, smacking into the Green Water Frog's face. The damage wasn't huge, but it stunned the Green Water Frog, and the barely-formed Water Arrow was swallowed back. Then, Liu Ren watched the Water Spirit Horse ram into it. The Green Water Frog flew back, hit the ground, and rolled a few times. Its legs kicked once, then it lay still. Liu Ren stood frozen, face blank. He stiffly turned his head, looking at the Water Spirit Horse that had mastered two moves. Then at Su Hao, who looked unsurprised. He slapped himself. "I'm such a fool, really."