Zhang Wenting furrowed her brow and thought for a moment before understanding the meaning. She felt a little disappointed. She had worked very hard and was always among the top three at school, but she had not skipped grades and attended a regular compulsory education school, not an advanced Association academy.
Therefore, now that she was sixteen, she had to buy her spirit beast herself instead of receiving one as a reward from an academy.
However, she was content. This was all a result of her own hard work and her parents' efforts. Her brother's first spirit beast had been Excellent grade, but she could start directly with Elite grade, which was already very good.
Her mindset was very calm. Carrying this tranquility, an hour later, she entered the place to choose a spirit beast under Zhang Tiancheng's guidance. She noticed some spots were empty, meaning spirit beasts had already been chosen and placed in separate rooms.
The hall was divided into two parts. The current area consisted of two corridors, with special containers about one square meter in size on both sides, each holding the pupa of a spirit butterfly.
On the screens of the containers was the information entered by Wang Mu.
"Elite grade Green Jade Butterfly, Mid-level Lower grade Wood spirit affinity? Wow, and it has three skills!" Zhang Wenting exclaimed softly. "Dad, is this top-quality spirit beast really only 2.7 million?"
Although Zhang Tiancheng was also surprised, he said, "Let's go, let's look over there first."
That was the second part of the hall, the private rooms.
[Silver Butterfly: Elite grade, Mental power amplification, Low-level Upper grade, possesses Mid-level spell Mental Scan, Low-level spells Mental Pierce, Mental Blade, Mental Enhancement, Telekinesis, Telekinetic Burst.]
[Green Jade Butterfly: Elite grade, Wood spirit affinity, Mid-level Lower grade, possesses Mid-level spell Leaf Storm, Low-level spells Leaf Blade, Lash.]
[Green Jade Butterfly: Elite grade, possesses Mid-level spells Leaf Storm, Energy Beam, Low-level spells...]
Zhang Wenting's theoretical knowledge was good. She knew very well that if an Elite grade spirit beast mastered a Mid-level skill, there would be much less hindrance to advancing to the Fourth Tier. A Mid-level skill of its own element could not only greatly increase combat power but also save the need for a breakthrough treasure.
Furthermore, there was one Green Jade Butterfly that possessed two Mid-level spells, especially Energy Beam. This type of beam spell was always known for its speed; once fired, it was almost guaranteed to hit.
At the same time, Leaf Storm was an area-of-effect spell, providing a huge bonus when used in a forest environment.
Even though Zhang Wenting initially favored the Silver Butterfly with Mental Scan, she was now undecided and could only look at her father for help. She was very nervous because she was not sure if they would buy it. These spirit beasts did not just cost 15 million; they also required any one material from a list.
Clear Wind Feather: the feather of a Third Tier demon beast, the Clear Wind Great Owl. Generally, only the three feathers on its head were most valuable. Needless to say, what was needed here was definitely not ordinary feathers.
Three-Colored Brocade Pheasant Tail Feather: the feather of a Third Tier demon beast, the Three-Colored Brocade Pheasant. It possessed a phoenix bloodline, albeit negligible.
This item had a chance to evolve the Green Leaf Butterfly into a Phoenix-Eyed Butterfly.
Many of the materials listed were produced by Third and Fourth Tier demon beasts, and there were also some ores that needed to be found in areas where demon beasts gathered in the wild.
Zhang Tiancheng naturally understood what his daughter was thinking. She had been sensible since she was a child; if she wanted something but their family's condition did not allow it, she would not say anything. This sensibility made his heart ache.
At this moment, it was a decision that would affect his child's entire life. He gently stroked the top of his daughter's head, smoothing down a few stray hairs, and softly said, "Choose one."
Zhang Wenting blinked her eyes, feeling a warmth in them, and suddenly lowered her head.
Zhang Tiancheng had already withdrawn his hand; his daughter was grown now, and patting her head was not quite appropriate. Knowing what was going on with her, he changed the subject. "Although I did not get compulsory education and do not know as much as you, I still understand these spirit beasts in front of us."
"They can all advance to Commander grade, and there are simply no Commander grade spirit beasts available for purchase on the market. Unless you have paid the second tier of the Beastmaster fund since childhood, your first spirit beast cannot possibly be Commander grade."
"What's more, even if a Commander grade spirit beast were in front of you, you could not contract it if your mental power was not sufficient. So these spirit beasts are the best choice."
"It is also written on the screen: first come, first served. Your dad has some savings, let's go home first."
There was no need to look at the other spirit beasts. Although they were also Elite grade, the difference was too significant. The Qing Mu Training Center could cultivate them in batches, and if they missed out, there would be a next time. But these were different.
Zhang Tiancheng guessed that the cultivation center had just opened, so they were offering some premium items to build their reputation. There would be more in the future, but once their popularity increased, there would be too many people competing, and getting a spot might not be guaranteed.
He could not be sure about the others, but the Silver Butterfly with Mental Scan would tempt even Beastmasters above the Fifth Tier. He himself was very tempted.
After quickly returning home, Zhang Tiancheng frantically started pulling strings to procure the materials. His wife had wanted to suggest that with their relationship with Wang Lingfeng, perhaps they did not need to rush, but in the end, she did not say anything. No one would truly fail to see the situation clearly.
The situation of this family was happening simultaneously to others who entered the Qing Mu Training Center today. It was barely six o'clock, and Wang Mu had just gotten up when he discovered that a Silver Butterfly with the Mental Scan spell had been purchased.
The buyer was a registered Fifth Tier Beastmaster from the Beastmaster Association. In this world, powerful spirit beasts were equivalent to weapons, so their trade was naturally regulated. Without legal status, these spirit beasts simply could not be purchased.
Since the buyer was Fifth Tier, Wang Mu even had some anticipation. After all, the resources to cultivate a Silver Butterfly at that level were a trifle. It would not be long before all the Silver Butterfly's spells would be enhanced, and then he could "harvest" a wave.
In a pleasant mood, Wang Mu got up and washed his face. Green Sprite also pulled its roots out of the flowerpot and ran to the garden outside to take root.
Although this little fellow liked peace and quiet, it also liked Wang Mu, so it would sleep with him at night. It would even sneak in during the middle of the night, thinking Wang Mu did not know, but in reality, after Wang Mu used Mental Scan, everything within a thirty-meter radius was crystal clear.
Wang Mu found it very interesting. The mental spells had significantly enhanced Green Sprite's spirituality and intelligence. It might even develop sentience earlier than expected. It was said that spirit beasts at this stage were like human children. Wang Mu only hoped it would not be a troublesome kid.
After eating some breakfast, Wang Mu intended to go out. As soon as the thought arose, his shoes flew out of the cabinet, and his clothes automatically put themselves on. This was telekinesis.
Currently, Wang Mu's physical strength was standard First Tier, and his soul strength was Second Tier. Green Sprite was originally on the energy-type path, but Wang Mu shared mental spells with it, which was a good match. After he advanced a few times, Wang Mu would naturally also advance to the Second Tier.
At that time, his strength would be sufficient to contract higher-quality spirit beasts.
Wang Mu first went to the storage room. The item traded by the Fifth Tier Beastmaster was placed there. It was a bottle of green liquid. No one was shaking it, but the liquid was flowing on its own. This was the essence of a Fourth Tier demon beast, the "Mist Ancient Tree."
Demon beasts and spirit beasts were not just different names. In principle, all creatures capable of developing intelligence were considered spirit beasts. They could also learn various spells and evolve through acquired learning.
Demon beasts, on the other hand, did not evolve. Their bloodline level was fixed from birth, and their growth limit was also locked by their bloodline. Their growth was about unlocking the abilities contained within their bloodline.
Demon beasts did not possess intelligence even at the Ninth Tier; they only had instincts and could not be contracted. However, they could be enslaved through sheer strength.
Wang Mu had also learned from Teacher Zhu Tao that besides these two, there were also fierce beasts. They were extremely dangerous, with a minimum strength of Fifth Tier, and would slaughter all life they encountered.
Demon beasts had instincts for reproduction and feeding, while fierce beasts only had the instinct for killing.
As for divine beasts, history recorded that in ancient times, the Divine Continent was not yet called Divine Continent, but a star fell, shattering the world into pieces, giving birth to the later Nine Provinces.
The fragment of the continent where Wang Mu was located was then named Divine Continent and was situated in the lower right corner of the Nine Provinces.
Originally, the star would have reshaped the world at that time, and all life would have evolved again. But an unknown creature shrouded in five-colored light intercepted the star, placed it in a different dimension above the continent, and then sorted the earth veins, giving birth to the New Nine Provinces.
Although the continent was shattered, it did not cause significant casualties.
This was not a myth but history. Furthermore, because it involved a certain powerful existence, no one dared to tamper with history. But now, too much time had passed since that era, and modern people had almost forgotten such beings, as they were too distant.
Wang Mu remembered this because memorizing the geography of the Divine Continent back then had made his head spin. This Divine Continent was larger than his previous life's Earth when unfolded, and yet he was told it was only one-ninth of the ancient continent. Was that not too outrageous?
Shaking his head, Wang Mu picked up the bottle of the ancient tree's essence. This was for the Water Mist Butterfly. It was only Excellent grade, and this was the key to its evolution.
Wang Mu had previously seen a big shot on a forum say that the Illusion Butterfly had both Water and Light attributes. He had both, so he could give it a try.
It was said that true big shots would list numerous plans, then practice them in their own secret realms. After tens of millions of attempts, once a stable plan was found, they would use it.
However, that was exclusive to Breeding Masters; Cultivators did not have the capital. Wang Mu could use the Green Leaf Butterfly to try a beggar's version of the big shots' methods. As long as he succeeded once, he could replicate it.
Green Leaf Butterflies did not inherit, did they? Alright, he would artificially create inheritance.
There were only one hundred and fifty Green Leaf Butterfly eggs in the first batch Wang Mu hatched. He was afraid he would not have the experience to handle them, but with the assistance of intelligent robots, it was actually very simple. What he truly needed to control was sharing the spells at the right time.
Therefore, based on his sharing speed, Wang Mu set the robots to have a one-minute interval. After one finished, they could wait a few more seconds before the next, allowing for some error tolerance.
For this second batch, Wang Mu hatched a full five hundred insect eggs. To be honest, even if all of them flowed into the market, they would not make much of a splash. It was not just newly adult children who needed spirit beasts; more importantly, it was Beastmasters who were already on the right track.
The wilderness was extremely dangerous, and most secret realms were even less safe. The attrition rate for spirit beasts was not low. Wang Lingfeng's Forest Lizard, his first main pet, had died in the wild.
Generally, when a contracted spirit beast died, the Beastmaster themselves would suffer a backlash, losing almost all the abilities the spirit beast provided. They would need to recuperate for one or two years before they could start contracting again. Furthermore, the resources previously invested would be equivalent to throwing money away, and they would have to cultivate again.
Therefore, the Silver Butterfly would be very popular among Mid-tier Beastmasters. It could be used after only a few months of cultivation after purchase, making it very profitable.