The illustrated guide published by the Spirit Union lists hundreds of spirit species.
But for ordinary people, spirits are still a rarity. Su Hao had never seen a real spirit with his own eyes—though that was partly because he spent most of his time at home.
Spirits of rare types like Thunder, Light, and Shadow were no fewer in variety than Wood, Earth, or Water types; they were simply fewer in number. The environments needed to nurture them were harsh. Even true Spirit Masters, let alone regular folks, might never encounter an ultra-rare spirit.
Time: Sunday, clear skies.
Good day to go out.
Su Hao's parents were preparing to accompany him to the Spirit Free-Range Center in Yunhua City.
Su Hao could barely contain his excitement. He was finally going to see real spirits.
He'd thought about going ahead on his own, but there was no way his parents would let a "soon-to-be senior in high school" handle something this important alone.
Su Hao's dad drove, navigating as he took Su Hao and his mom to the Spirit Free-Range Center.
The destination was on the outskirts of Yunhua City, about a two-hour drive.
It was peak season for soon-to-be seniors to contract spirits. On the main road near the center, the rightmost lane was already packed with cars, lined up all the way to the intersection, taking up a good chunk of the road—no doubt the parking lot in front of the center was full.
They parked at another lot over a kilometer away and walked the rest of the way.
Trees lined both sides of the road, lush and green. Occasionally, cars crawled past from the opposite direction.
More people, like them, were walking in pairs or groups. Some were already heading back, parents carrying students who held spirits in their arms.
Su Hao's eyes widened.
The spirits in people's arms looked smaller than what he'd seen online. Even the not-so-light Little Stone Elephant was only the size of a backpack, cradled by a petite girl.
But just looking at it, Su Hao felt the weight.
Yeah, Little Stone Elephant definitely wasn't for him—and not just because he couldn't afford it.
He also spotted round, fluffy furballs; a mini pig no bigger than a palm—its evolved form, Rumble Pig, was said to be a massive muscle pig; a Gurgle Turtle blowing bubbles from its mouth; an X Penguin with an 'X' mark on its snow-white belly; a Pea Sprout with a big head, small body, and puffed cheeks...
Oh, and there was the Fire-type spirit "Charcoal Tortoise," one of the Union's recognized beginner Five-Element spirits, with high potential. The Yunhua City Free-Range Center actually had it for sale!
Su Hao's head spun with the variety, and his anticipation grew.
The Spirit Free-Range Center was a massive domed building, sprawling in size. Inside, there were aquatic environments, forest environments, rugged hills, and neatly trimmed flat grasslands—like a miniature ecosystem.
...
"Hello, please register here."
As soon as they entered the center, a staff member approached. There was none of the usual salesperson's relentless chatter, but first, they had to verify identities.
Su Hao pulled out his spiritual power test certificate, signed his name at the front desk, and then followed the young man deeper inside.
Through a large door, a lush green lawn spread out before him.
And countless spirits running and leaping about.
As they walked, the young man explained.
"Mr. Su, have you looked into the types of spirits we sell here? Any preferences?"
"Let the kid choose for himself."
"Right, right."
Su Hao's parents, who rarely had the chance to see spirits themselves, were already captivated.
Of course, they couldn't name many spirits and didn't make hasty decisions. Their job was just to swipe the card at the end.
"I'll take a look around," Su Hao said.
The staff member smiled. "After all, it's your first spirit. You should choose carefully."
But Su Hao's attention was entirely on the game screen that had appeared before him.
It started when he saw so many spirits, and suddenly a notification chimed: "Intelligence Points +1." He couldn't help but open the panel. Instead of the empty streets near his character, there were now spirits scattered in small groups.
Spirits everywhere!
Of course,
He didn't find any option to capture them.
A bit disappointing.
But when he focused his mind on one particular spirit, a info box popped up.
[Spirit: Big-Ear Rabbit] [Basic Info: Earth type, Juvenile stage] [Description: Big-Ear Rabbit wraps itself in its ears for warmth when sad, dances with them when happy, and likes to use its ears as weapons.] [Detailed Info: (Unlock with 1 Intelligence Point)] [Training Plan: (Unlock conditions not met)] [Evolution (click): Big-Ear Rabbit → 'A dark silhouette' (Unlock with 3 Intelligence Points) → 'A dark silhouette' (Unlock conditions not met)]
This was it!
He'd finally found how to use Intelligence Points!
From what he knew, Su Hao was aware of Big-Ear Rabbit's evolutions: first stage "Whirlwind Rabbit," second stage "Tuzki." He'd seen pictures too, and they matched the dark silhouettes in the info box, but what good did that do him?
Suppressing the urge to spend Intelligence Points, Su Hao kept walking, pretending to look around while actually opening info boxes for each spirit.
"That's a Wood Mantis, right?"
"Yes, Wood Mantis is a good spirit. Even though it only has one evolution, both its base form and the evolved 'Assassin Mantis' are quite powerful. Few spirits can match Assassin Mantis in short-range bursts... The price for Wood Mantis is 300,000."
Su Hao already knew that.
Wood Mantis was one of the popular beginner spirits.
Its first evolution, "Assassin Mantis," had growth potential rivaling many spirits' second evolutions. The key was its early strength.
That gave it a better shot at getting into a Spirit University later.
Which was why, despite being common, Wood Mantis was pricey.
The Su family would struggle to afford one.
But that wasn't what surprised Su Hao.
In his eyes, Wood Mantis had two evolution paths.
One path showed a winged silhouette with long, curved blades—likely Assassin Mantis. The other path had a second evolution, with a silhouette he couldn't recognize.
'This could be an undiscovered evolution path!!'
Unlocking the first stage of Wood Mantis's second path cost more than Big-Ear Rabbit's. After a moment's hesitation, Su Hao spent 5 Intelligence Points to unlock the first evolution, leaving him with 21 points.
An image appeared: a mantis raising its forelimbs as if in prayer.
—Praying Mantis (renameable).
Along with it came basic info for Praying Mantis.
And the method for evolving Wood Mantis into Praying Mantis!!
[Nurture with Light-type essence for over three months (click to view alternatives), then raise Wood Mantis to maturity, have it learn at least one Light-type ultimate move, and meet certain standards in mental strength and spiritual power (click to view)...]
Evolving Wood Mantis into Assassin Mantis was simple: just raise it to maturity with a bit of Wood-type essence, and it would evolve successfully. In comparison, evolving into Praying Mantis was much harder.
No wonder it hadn't been discovered.
But the evolution method unlocked with 5 Intelligence Points was very detailed. Su Hao was confident he could raise a spirit no one had ever seen before, following those steps.
Except for the money.
Not only that, but the tougher evolution conditions meant the evolved spirit had greater potential—maybe even rivaling those rare spirits money couldn't buy!
Su Hao could only express his feelings with a silent "Holy crap."
The second evolution cost 20 Intelligence Points, which he wasn't willing to spend.
The 300,000 price tag for Wood Mantis was still steep. He hoped to pick a spirit that wouldn't burden his family too much. If there was no other choice, he'd consider Wood Mantis.