The journey back was uneventful.
The spirit hunter he was either worried about or anticipating never showed up.
Maybe it was because time was too tight.
Maybe it was because having Huang Tianhu, a powerhouse among elite-level fighters, as a bodyguard was enough.
More likely... the value of the Dream Butterfly wasn't that great.
"About a month ago, not long after I came out of the Valley of Sighs, Master Chen Ping bred a second Dream Butterfly. By now, although this kind of spirit is still rare, I'm no longer the only one who has it."
...
"The train has arrived. Ahead is An City Station. Passengers getting off, please take your belongings and disembark in an orderly manner..."
After more than a month, Su Hao finally returned to An City.
"Gu nuo~!"
"Ya ya!"
The Dream Butterfly perched on top of his head, while the imposing Fire Velvet Crow, having grown larger, had lost its spot on his shoulder and was flying around, occasionally landing on the train roof or other high places.
These two clearly extraordinary spirits drew the attention of many passengers at the station.
"No wonder they say spirit masters on the run are hard to hide—taking spirits anywhere you go makes you stand out... Well, mainly in a small city like An City."
In the Magic Capital, it wasn't uncommon to see spirit masters riding tiger- or lion-shaped spirits down the streets.
Even ordinary people who didn't intend to pursue a career as spirit masters often contracted spirits as pets—after all, tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands wasn't considered expensive in many people's eyes.
"But it's only in recent years that spirits have become more abundant. Before, a single spirit cost at least tens of thousands and was hard to buy."
Su Hao had heard.
Big cities like the Magic Capital had started classifying spirits.
Those keeping spirits as pets could have restrictions relaxed somewhat, but they could only contract a few, weaker spirits.
For example, silkworms, mini pigs, cotton owls, small conches, salted fish kings, and so on.
Without much training, those spirits were truly just pets.
Unlike Fire Pattern Dogs, Flame Lizards, Prairie Wolves, and the like, whose claws and teeth were naturally lethal.
"Additionally, spirits whose size or weight exceeds the limit are banned from the streets."
For instance, Lava Dragon Turtles, Tidal Frog Kings, Giant Armored Crabs, and other spirits with massive bodies were too imposing.
Once on the streets, they could easily cause chaos.
Even in big cities, final-form spirits were still rare.
"Once you reach the elite level, spirit masters often buy suburban villas or estates to house their spirits. A powerful spirit master is never alone—just the team responsible for breeding, feeding, and managing the spirits is sizable."
"Some spirit masters leave their main spirits training in the New World... but they must keep at least one main spirit on Blue Star."
On the day the school bus was attacked, Instructor Xiong and President Luo each summoned an elite-level spirit.
Later, Su Hao learned that Luo Jinghong's position as vice president of An City wasn't just secured by a single Mountain Ape; he had another, slightly weaker elite-level spirit.
But that spirit was in the New World.
Separated from Blue Star by an incalculable spatial distance, an elite-level spirit master's soul power alone wasn't enough to summon their spirit from the New World to Blue Star.
Su Hao glanced upward.
Small size had its advantages. Even after evolving into a Fairy Butterfly, the Dream Butterfly wouldn't get much bigger.
At most, it would reach his waist height.
Being a phantom-type spirit with strong perception, if he could teach it a protective move, it would be the ideal spirit for close protection.
Quite the expense.
...
Back in An City, Su Hao first returned to the old house, then went to the new apartment gifted by the guild and the real estate developer.
His parents had already moved in.
Su Hao observed that the community's security team consisted of veterans and spirit masters.
The captain was a senior spirit master—in a small place like An City, that was already decent combat power.
The community was also close to the Spirit Master Guild. If anything happened, an elite-level spirit master could arrive within three to five minutes.
Of course,
In cities within the Dragon Kingdom, he hadn't heard of any terrorist attacks.
Not to mention spirit masters, even with special firearms firing relentlessly, an elite-level spirit might not withstand it.
"It's already past three?"
Su Hao glanced at his phone and immediately dismissed the idea of returning to school.
After all, the new semester had already started, and he'd skipped more than just a few days. One more day wouldn't make a difference.
...
The next day, Thursday.
Su Hao, who had slept in a bit, dawdled through washing up before finally heading to An City No. 1 High School.
He was still riding a shared bike he'd picked up from the roadside.
It didn't quite match his identity as a genius spirit master.
"Should I buy a car? A car worth a hundred or two hundred thousand would be decent enough."
He glanced at his balance.
Not long ago, he'd transferred five hundred thousand to his parents, and hiring Huang Tianhu plus buying evolution materials for the Little Fire Crow had cost over a million in total.
What remained was only about two to three hundred thousand.
Maybe because money came too easily, Su Hao had been spending a bit lavishly.
The few improved techniques he'd uploaded still brought in over a hundred thousand each month combined.
After thinking for half a minute, he decided against it.
"Learning to drive is too much trouble."
"And driving isn't as fun as riding a mount. As a spirit master, I should keep up with the new era and contract a spirit that can be ridden and can take a hit."
Su Hao was now full of energy, pedaling like a whirlwind.
What would normally take twenty to thirty minutes, he managed in just ten.
When he arrived at the school gate and put down the bike, Su Hao thought he heard a creaking sound from the shared bike, as if it couldn't handle the strain.
"Bikes these days just aren't built well."
...
At the entrance to Class 2's classroom, Su Hao found he'd arrived just in time.
The first class had just started.
Homeroom teacher Old Chen had written a few big characters on the blackboard: College Entrance Exam Rules.
Su Hao knocked softly on the door, and with Old Chen's nod, returned to his long-unseen seat.
His return was quite sudden.
Classmates like Liu Ren and Li Songting were all very surprised.
"The missing person is back!"
"Su the Great has finally emerged from seclusion!"
"It's time for the Silkworm God... ah no, the Butterfly God to dominate the school again!"
Even though it was class time, and no one dared to speak up under Old Chen's watch, they all found ways.
Either hiding a phone behind a book to open the group chat, or typing blindly under the desk.
In no time, the class group chat had dozens of new messages.
Uh... class group chat?
Homeroom teacher Chen Fangjie: "@everyone Who was playing on their phone during class just now? Double today's training!"
Liu Ren: "..."
Li Songting: "..."
Su Hao, who hadn't even sent his message yet, silently cleared the text he'd typed, put away his phone, sat up straight, and put on a serious expression.
Old Chen's gaze swept across the room. "Now, let me talk about this year's college entrance exam rules. Everyone, listen carefully."