The Dream Butterfly and the Marionette never reached a conclusion. —The protective panels of the battle platform were nearly at their limit. This arena was originally designed for student sparring. When the school was first established, no one imagined that students could produce super-standard spirits. Two or three years ago, if a cohort produced two or three entry-level spirits, that was considered a good year. Going back further, it was normal for an entire senior class to have zero entry-level spirits. Old Chen was genuinely astonished. She had been teaching at Ancheng No.1 High for three years now. Last year, before the college entrance exams, the entire school only had three official Spirit Masters. But this year, setting aside Su Hao, students like Liu Ren, Li Songting, and Gu Lingyao were also outstanding. By the start of the second semester, their spirits had already broken through to entry-level. With over three months left until the exams, with some effort, their chances at top-tier schools were promising. After her inspection, she was very satisfied with Su Hao. Not only had he shown no signs of slack, but his spirit’s improvement had far exceeded her expectations. “That move just now was an eye-type illusion, right?” “Yes.” Old Chen didn’t press further. After all, she had little left to offer in terms of nurturing guidance—only some experiential advice. In her eyes, the Dream Butterfly was already a strong contender for the college entrance exams. She looked forward to seeing its performance three months from now. But as a teacher, she couldn’t say this aloud, lest Su Hao grow complacent. “Your Little Fire Crow has also evolved. With two entry-level spirits, you still can’t let your guard down.” She continued, “Your opponents aren’t just top students from spirit families or sect lineages. There are also other examinees you shouldn’t underestimate.” At Su Hao’s slightly surprised expression, she uttered three words. “Repeat students.” “In academic subjects, repeating a year doesn’t guarantee better scores, but spirit studies are different. “Spirit studies focus on nurturing spirits. If you contracted your spirit before senior year, you’ve only trained it for one year. Repeat students have trained theirs for two. Even if their efficiency isn’t as high as yours, their spirits are by no means weak. “Besides repeat students, some people contract spirits early. Families with money and connections don’t need to wait until the legal age of sixteen. As long as their soul power meets the standard, they can contract spirits at fourteen or even fifteen.” Su Hao was genuinely taken aback. His slight swell of pride deflated completely. A surge of urgency rose within him. Indeed, in the world of Spirit Masters, the duration of spirit training and the amount of resources invested largely determined a spirit’s strength. If he hadn’t sunk millions into this, he couldn’t have unlocked the value of his panel plans. Perhaps the top students’ training regimens weren’t as good as his. But with family backing, they had more resources—possibly even high-level spirits personally guiding them in mastering techniques and ultimate moves. And they had been training their spirits longer than him! No way, the college entrance exams were too tough! He needed to speed up the formation of his battle team! Seeing Su Hao’s expression, Old Chen knew he had taken her words to heart. She was very pleased. Excellent, yet not arrogant. He was exactly the kind of student teachers loved. But Old Chen knew, The threat of repeat students wasn’t actually that severe. Most repeaters were those who failed to get into spirit universities—Dragon Kingdom law only allows one repeat year for spirit studies. A few, aiming for elite spirit schools, repeated to make a final push. These people threatened examinees at Liu Ren and Gu Lingyao’s level. Truly outstanding students who could get into top spirit schools—who would waste a whole year repeating? As for the early-contracting descendants of spirit families, they were indeed the most competitive group. But most families didn’t bother with this. Senior year was just a foundation; university was where rapid progress happened. Contracting early just to beat a bunch of mediocrities? Pointless. There were early-contracting spirit prodigies. But those geniuses also took the college entrance exams early and entered university. ... On his way back to class, Su Hao remembered—hadn’t Liu Ren wanted a match earlier? “How about it, want to spar after class?” Liu Ren shook his head like a rattle. “Your Butterfly God just had a fierce battle—it’s not fit for another round.” “I could use the Fire Velvet Crow instead. Both fire-types, so we can go all out.” Liu Ren glanced at the Fire Velvet Crow. Its feathers were glossy, the red blazing like flames, the black cold as steel. Perched on a branch, staring ahead, utterly still. Yet it exuded an aura of invincibility. Unbeatable. Liu Ren decisively declined. That afternoon, Li Songting challenged Su Hao, further proving Liu Ren’s foresight. Li Songting sent out his main spirit—the Ascetic Dog, evolved from his Kung Fu Dog—a canine spirit as tall as an adult’s chest, standing upright. Su Hao fielded the Fire Velvet Crow. Liu Ren was familiar with Li Songting’s Ascetic Dog. Swift movements, bone-crushing punches, water-splitting chops... But the Fire Velvet Crow was faster. The monk who trained relentlessly was no match for a blade as swift as a phantom. It got thrashed badly. Yet Li Songting and his Ascetic Dog remained spirited, already planning to challenge the Dream Butterfly once they recovered. “Can’t do it, I just can’t,” Liu Ren sighed, gazing at the sky. ... After a quick trip around the school, Su Hao still skipped the training sessions. He just checked in, soaking in the long-missed campus atmosphere. “I’m just a high schooler—why do I have to bear the loneliness of an age I shouldn’t have to?” he muttered, pulling out a tablet and logging into the Spirit Alliance forum. “Butterfly, what kind of new partner would you like?” “Gunuò (?°?°?)?” “Gunuò (￣﹌￣)!” “Gunuò gunuò ┐(￣ヘ￣)┌...” It glanced at him, then flew off. Toward the Fire Velvet Crow in the tree. “Caw, caw caw?” It tilted its head, then resumed staring into space. Su Hao scrolled through the tablet. Now that he had the means, he naturally wanted to contract a spirit with better potential. Even though there was no such thing as a “low-potential” spirit—with enough resources and training, the future was limitless. But wouldn’t it be nice to contract a spirit that started higher and was easier to train? The Fire Velvet Crow was a chance discovery. The Dream Butterfly was pure luck. Su Hao had noticed something special about the little one. For instance: its learning ability was incredible. It could recognize most characters within a month, and within two, it could skillfully operate a computer. In battle, it could extrapolate from examples, completing all the training tasks he assigned on time. He had assumed all spirits were this sharp. Only later did he realize—wait, why were other spirits so dull? It must be because he had raised it from the start, turning it into a cultured spirit. And he had picked it out from a sea of silkworms, contracted it. Truly, he was amazing! Su Hao believed contracting was about fate. As he scrolled through the forum, he hoped to find a spirit that “shared his destiny.”