A few minutes later, homeroom teacher Ouyang Wei walked into the classroom with a stack of textbooks under his arm. His expression didn't look too good, which surprised some of the more observant students. Although Ouyang Wei was strict, he wasn't cold or unfeeling. He usually paid extra attention to high-performing students—so logically, after Lin Guang had finally become a Spirit Master, he should have shown at least a hint of satisfaction.
"Turn to page 63," Ouyang Wei said. "Today we'll cover Zhen Sheng City's one-star secret realm—the Prairie Secret Realm. It's a partially uncleared realm. Its size is comparable to Zhen Sheng City itself. Unlike 'tourist realms,' it contains a large number of wild spirit beasts. In terms of difficulty, however, it's one of the most beginner-friendly realms—often called a 'garden-tier realm,' or, in your terms, a 'baby realm.'"
"In the Prairie Secret Realm, herbivorous spirit beasts make up the majority. They're not very aggressive and rarely attack proactively—but you still need to watch for individual variations. The real danger comes from a few highly aggressive species at the top of the food chain."
"One of them is the Windfang Wolf."
Lin Guang lowered his gaze to the illustration in the textbook. It showed a crouching gray wolf with saber-like fangs, jaws wide open. Though not very large, it exuded a strong sense of menace.
"What kind of spirit beast is the Windfang Wolf? Deng Yifeng, answer."
With a scraping sound as his chair slid back, the chubby boy to Lin Guang's right stood up nervously. His slightly plump face squeezed his eyes into narrow slits.
"Uh… Windfang Wolf… gray, inferior potential… can be solitary or pack-based… average level in the Prairie Secret Realm is…"
He wiped imaginary sweat from his forehead and sneaked a glance at Lin Guang, who subtly made two gestures. Suddenly confident, Deng Yifeng said, "Level three to six!"
"Passable."
Their little exchange didn't escape Ouyang Wei's sharp eyes, but he only wanted to nudge inattentive students—not make a big deal out of it.
"Then—why is the Windfang Wolf called 'the must-meet spirit beast for Zhensheng rookies'? And how should a beginner Spirit Master respond when encountering one in the Prairie Secret Realm?"
His gaze swept the classroom, naturally skipping over Lin Guang—this level of question was far too easy for him.
"Lv Rui."
A long-haired girl stood up.
"The Windfang Wolf's trait [Intimidate] can weaken the fighting spirit of most spirit beasts at or below its rank, resulting in an overall drop in combat ability. This effect also applies to Spirit Masters. Additionally, it can condense a wind-element skill, [Wind Blade], capable of cutting through a 20-centimeter-thick tree trunk."
"If you can't overcome this level of challenge, you might as well give up on becoming a combat Spirit Master."
"As for how to deal with it…"
She raised her right hand. A cyan mark on the back of her hand lit up with a blue glow, and a small red-and-white bird—less than ten centimeters long—appeared in her palm.
"A Fire Spirit Bird," Lin Guang murmured instinctively.
Spirit Masters had sharp hearing—nearly everyone caught it.
Lv Rui glanced at him in surprise.
The Fire Spirit Bird was one of the three starter beasts from Yumen Prefecture, nearly an entire region away from Zhen Sheng City. It was extremely rare locally—especially in its juvenile form. Since contracting it last week, this was the first time anyone had recognized it at a glance.
She cleared her throat and continued, "Although they have [Intimidate], most Windfang Wolves are actually cowardly—they bully the weak and fear the strong. In a one-on-one situation, as long as you can deal with their Wind Blade and injure them, they'll hesitate and retreat."
"The best approach is to use agile or defensive spirit beasts. Even under Intimidate, as long as your energy level isn't at a disadvantage, you won't be too passive. Once they perceive you as troublesome, they'll panic and lose."
"Using fragile, artillery-type beasts to trade blows head-on is not a good choice."
"Chirp chirp!"
The little bird lifted its head proudly, basking in the attention.
"As for packs… it's best not to provoke them."
For a moment, most students looked at Lv Rui with envy—quietly thinking how nice it must be to have a real-estate tycoon for a father.
Ouyang Wei nodded slightly, signaling her to sit, then called on another student to answer the same question. That student's spirit beast was a thick-skinned Stone Armor Elephant, a green, high-quality beast capable of withstanding Windfang Wolf's Wind Blade.
Two classes passed quickly. Lin Guang returned the black market pass to Ouyang Wei. For some reason, before leaving, the teacher cast him another glance—one tinged with concern—which left Lin Guang slightly puzzled.
The next class was meditation. Everyone left the teaching building, boarded the campus shuttle, circled the vast sports field, and arrived at Meditation Hall No.1.
The meditation room wasn't large—around two to three hundred square meters. It was shaped like a dome, like an upside-down bowl. The interior was dark, covered in intricate patterns resembling the branches and leaves of a great tree, spreading across every surface.
This was a specially inscribed formation designed to gather mental-type aether and harmonize spiritual fluctuations. It helped students enter meditation faster and achieve better results. Activating it consumed considerable resources—one of the benefits provided by the state and school.
Everyone sat on their assigned cushions. In the dim room, vine-like patterns on the walls began to glow, filling the space with a faint golden light.
It felt as though dust had been swept from their minds—refreshing, yet calm rather than stimulating.
Most students closed their eyes and began meditating according to their contract methods.
Although Lin Guang's Equal Contract Method had already reached the level of mastery, it was still far from perfection. He remained diligent, completing his meditation seriously.
An hour passed quickly. A soft bell rang, and the golden "branches" dimmed, returning the room to darkness—signaling both the depletion of spirit materials and the end of class.
Lin Guang opened his eyes, somewhat reluctant, but full of energy. Looking around, he saw that most of his classmates had already woken up, their faces showing fatigue.
He couldn't help but shake his head inwardly.
This was the advantage of choosing an Equal Contract.