"What...?!"
Master Chen Ping was so shocked that the materials slipped from his hands and fell to the ground. With an agility that defied his age, he rushed over to the disheveled young man and grabbed his hand. "What you said—the third evolutionary form of the silkworm? Is that true?"
"Uh... yes."
Startled, the disheveled young man quickly added, "It's a butterfly-like spirit. I heard its development leans toward mental power and illusion-type abilities... It belongs to a high school student."
Master Chen Ping lowered his head in thought, analyzing furiously in his mind, his expression growing more and more excited. After a long moment, he lifted his head. "Which master... wait! You said it's a high school student?!"
The disheveled young man nodded frantically with a pained face. "Yes, yes, a senior from Ancheng No. 1 High School. I heard he even got his Spirit Cultivator certification here. His name is... Su Hao!"
Chen Ping thought back.
Surprisingly... he did have a faint impression.
One of his newly accepted elementary school students had lost to that candidate named Su Hao in the Spirit Cultivator certification retake exam.
Master Chen Ping grew increasingly intrigued by Su Hao, whom he had never met.
"Go to Ancheng and help me contact that student named Su Hao..."
He paused, reconsidering. "Wait, I'll go myself."
"Teacher, don't you still have two research projects to finish?"
Before the disheveled young man could finish, Master Chen Ping shot him a glare, silencing him mid-sentence.
"Are research projects more important than meeting a talented junior?"
...
The Dream Butterfly perched on his head, while the Little Fire Crow fluttered around him.
This combination ensured that wherever Su Hao went, he drew the attention of passing young women.
Charm points +1 +1 +1...
"Good heavens, if someone gets into a car accident because of this, would I be held responsible?"
The Dream Butterfly, as the eye-catching element, didn't attract too much special attention.
After all, the main focus was on him... ahem. Although the Dream Butterfly was a brand-new form never seen before, for most ordinary people, encountering an unfamiliar spirit was perfectly normal.
Not to mention them.
Even Su Hao's classmates in the Spirit Studies department, or Old Chen and Instructor Xiong, if they hadn't witnessed the silkworm evolving into a new form firsthand, their first reaction upon seeing the Dream Butterfly would only be to assume it was some extremely rare spirit.
After the evolution was complete, Su Hao didn't linger long and went straight home.
The emergence of a new form was certainly no small matter, but it was far from causing a nationwide sensation.
—Even though sixty years had passed since spirits first appeared, new spirits or evolutionary paths were still discovered every year.
Su Hao could still live as an ordinary high school senior.
Probably...
"First, I'll write an article as Instructor Xiong suggested."
Su Hao looked into it.
Papers on evolutionary plans could also earn money—mainly from rewards by the Spirit Cultivator Association—and compared to money, the other hidden benefits were even more important.
Even so,
the first article he planned to write was filled with uncertain terms like "probably," "maybe," and "possibly."
"But this is firsthand data, and I have the Dream Butterfly as a concrete example."
"Later, as long as I publish a few more 'detailed' articles and consolidate them into a well-argued paper, I can reap most of the benefits."
Su Hao turned on his computer.
But he didn't start writing the paper first.
Instead, he pulled up the panel and looked at the Dream Butterfly's data.
[Spirit: Dream Butterfly] [Basic Info: Wood-type, Growth Stage 36%.] [Contract Partner: Su Hao.] [Description: Zhuangzi dreamed of a butterfly, the butterfly dreams of Zhuangzi.] [Detailed Info: Omitted.] [Evolution Path: ① Omitted; ② Omitted; ③ Silkworm → Dream Butterfly → Unknown (Unlock with 30 Intel Points)] [Training Plans: ① Basic Training (Unlocked, upgrade for 2 Intel Points); ② Speed Enhancement Training (Unlocked, upgrade for 4 Intel Points); ... ⑤ Spiritual Power Enhancement Training (Unlocked, upgrade for 8 Intel Points); ⑥ Mental Power Enhancement Training (Unlock for 50[60] Intel Points);] [Move Training: Omitted.]
Su Hao read through it carefully, feeling only two things.
Stingy.
Expensive.
"After evolution, the training plans have to be updated too."
He thought it made sense, though.
But it cost Intel Points.
Upgrading all training plans plus unlocking Mental Power Enhancement Training would total 77 Intel Points.
"And there's the cost of unlocking the silkworm's final evolutionary form."
That came with no discounts at all.
Su Hao glanced at the top right of the panel.
Intel Points: 233.
Most of his income came from the books in the Yunhua City Spirit Cultivator Association, but expenses were high.
The silkworm's strength training, physique training, and the Little Fire Crow's full training regimen.
Even by winter break, he couldn't save up many Intel Points.
But skimping was out of the question.
With a thought, Su Hao deducted 107 Intel Points.
Instantly,
the icon of the final evolutionary form, which had been just a dark silhouette, revealed a figure.
It had large, clear eyes like water, three pairs of wings with beautiful emerald-green patterns on its back, and a more slender body, as if draped in layers of pale yellow patterned butterfly robes and skirts.
Lively, elegant.
—Fairy Butterfly (Wood-Illusion).
The final form of the silkworm's third evolutionary path.
A spirit specializing in illusion-type moves!
Information flooded into Su Hao's mind.
"As expected from a form unlocked with 30 Intel Points—the evolution difficulty is high enough."
Mental power, multiple illusion-type moves, experiencing dreamscapes, sufficient culture, insight...
"It seems that after evolving into a Dream Butterfly, the little one needs to become a cultured spirit."
This didn't conflict with his envisioned training direction for the Dream Butterfly.
Difficult as it was, there was still time.
"Besides, the second-stage evolution requires the Dream Butterfly to be near adulthood. That's still far off, so no point in rushing."
Su Hao logged into his Imperial Spirit Alliance account.
He found the interface for uploading papers.
It was similar to when he uploaded improved moves, just a bit more complicated.
He selected the category.
Su Hao started typing away.
"On the Third Evolutionary Path of the Silkworm..."
He wrote three thousand words first.
Not much.
Most of it was filler, with a little bit of solid content unlocked from the panel, forming a "valuable" paper.
The main goal was to stake his claim.
Of course, since the first Dream Butterfly was on his... uh, head, unless he really couldn't reverse-engineer the evolution plan, his status as the primary contributor was secure.
The Alliance took this very seriously.
After finishing, Su Hao waited until eleven at night to upload the paper.
He also had to pay an eight-hundred-yuan review fee.
That was even with his LV2 privilege discount.
...
The next day,
Su Hao planned to go to the Spirit Master Guild to pick up his freshly issued credentials.
Just as he reached the downstairs, he saw an old man dressed somewhat "carelessly."
The old man zipped over, peering left and right at the Dream Butterfly, scaring the little thing into hiding behind Su Hao's back.
The old man gave an awkward smile, then looked at Su Hao.
"Young friend, I see you're brimming with talent. How about joining me in research?"