The bell marking the end of the Tactical Training Class had just rung, and Lin Xing was already being pushed out the door by Lumiya’s fluffy tail as she nestled in his arms.
The little one squatted in the crook of his elbow, her golden vertical pupils still glancing disdainfully at Yate behind them, letting out a soft snort through her nose, full of contempt.
Lady Lumiya certainly enjoyed bullying the weak and savoring the thrill of “fishing for noobs,” but prey so tiny it couldn’t even fill the gap between her teeth? Hardly worth her interest—
If she had the time to spar, she’d rather take a couple of satisfying bites of spicy Beef Jerky~
Lumiya tapped Lin Xing’s chest with her little paw, secretly grumbling in her heart: If not for the rules of the classroom and this brat’s commands,
She would’ve already roasted that arrogant Yate to ashes with a single Fireball Split.
What a waste of time!
Lin Xing was amused by her tsundere expression and reached out to rub her soft little head.
“Our Lumiya was incredible today. That Fireball Split was absolutely amazing.”
As soon as he finished speaking, Little White came rushing over hugging Snowball, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
“Lin Xing! Lumiya! You guys were awesome just now!”
She waved her notebook, filled with scribbled notes, her eyes sparkling. “I wrote down all your tactics. Next time, we’ll try the Fireball Split attack in training too!”
Snowball also rubbed Lumiya’s paw in admiration, little stars of worship shining in her icy blue eyes.
Lumiya flicked her tail with graceful reserve—she’d already noticed this little white dragon wanted to learn the move, so she symbolically patted its head with her paw.
Fine, for the sake of your adorable master, I guess I can give a reluctant pointer or two.
The four humans and one beast chatted and laughed on their way to the cafeteria, while Zhao Kai was still loudly reviewing the battle just now.
“I say, Lin Xing, you’re no fun! Why didn’t you call me in? Dundun and I could’ve been your mobile shield!”
As he spoke, he patted his bulging pocket, and a disgruntled “squeak, squeak” immediately sounded from within, as if Dundun was echoing his master’s complaint.
“Yeah, right,” Lin Xing laughed, giving him a playful shove, teasing,
“Who was it that ditched me yesterday to team up with his girlfriend for a dungeon run?” Zhao Kai’s face instantly turned red as he scratched his head and grinned sheepishly, unable to come up with a retort for a long while.
The cafeteria was bustling with people.
As soon as mealtime started, a long line had already formed, the aroma of various delicacies mingling with the waves of magic energy wafting through the air.
Little White’s sharp eyes suddenly caught something, and she pointed excitedly at a nearby window, exclaiming, “Look! There’s still one last basket at the Magic Power Bun window!” She grabbed Lin Xing and dashed over.
“Hurry! If we’re late, they’ll be all gone!”
Lumiya instantly perked up, straightening in Lin Xing’s arms, her golden vertical pupils locked intently on the steaming basket of buns, her tail wagging like a little motor.
Lin Xing quickly squeezed his way to the window and bought four buns, handing one to Lumiya.
The little creature immediately took a big bite, fresh juicy meat splashing at the corner of her mouth, making Little White burst out laughing, her hands covering her mouth.
“Slow down, no one’s going to steal it from you.”
Lin Xing smiled as he took out a napkin and carefully wiped Lumiya’s mouth. Lumiya muffled an “Mm,”
But her eyes remained glued to the bun in his hand, her tail gently sweeping across his leg like a food-begging kitten.
After their meal, they agreed to head to the Training Ground for some combat drills.
Zhao Kai volunteered as the “live target,” and Lin Xing couldn’t help but tease,
“Don’t you have to accompany your girlfriend today?”
“She still has class.”
Zhao Kai scratched his head with a silly grin. “She’s in Magic Crystal Energy Science. I really can’t understand a word. She thinks I’m a distraction and kicked me out.”
“Don’t worry! Today, I’ll be the best sparring partner for my brothers!”
With that, he picked up a long stick and assumed the charging posture of a spiked boar.
“Come on! I’m ready!”
But as soon as he rushed forward two steps, Snowball blasted his pant legs with a freezing mist, making him slip and fall flat on his back, setting off a round of laughter from everyone.
“Zhao Kai, you’re hopeless!”
Lin Xing laughed as he helped him up, while Lumiya sat on the side, tapping the ground with her paw, looking as if she were mocking his clumsiness.
Zhao Kai blushed furiously, brushing off the grass from his clothes in protest. “Again! I definitely won’t lose this time!”
During the subsequent training, Zhao Kai finally put away his goofy grin.
Since no one had any large-area high-output skills at Stage 0,
His groundhog Dundun, relying on agile Earth Burrow Technique and thick fur, combined with Zhao Kai’s S Rank strength honed from years of martial arts,
Formed a formidable offense and defense pair that was especially tough to beat one-on-one.
Lin Xing could even imagine, once Zhao Kai reached Stage 2 and unlocked the Beastmaster Fusion ability, he might outshine most pure Beastmasters!
The training continued until the setting sun cast orange light across the Training Ground, and everyone collapsed onto the grass, exhausted.
Little White pulled a water bottle from her backpack, poured some Magic Water for Snowball, and handed another bottle to Lin Xing.
“We’re all set for today. The Bounty Hunt the day after tomorrow will be a breeze!”
Lin Xing nodded, glancing down at Lumiya dozing in his arms, his heart full of anticipation.
After these days working together, he’d roughly gauged Lumiya’s magic power to be at Stage 0, Star 8, the same as himself!
The speed of her progress truly shocked him—
Although rising in stars at Stage 0 was fairly easy, and most people could get their contracted beast to 5 Stars within a week,
Lumiya had shot up to 8 Stars in just two days. Wasn’t this a bit too fast?
Could it be that his Transmigrator’s Cheat also boosted Lumiya?
That’s right, Lin Xing did have the standard Transmigrator’s Cheat.
It just arrived late—only awakening a week before he enrolled—
And its functions were nowhere near as heaven-defying as those of his predecessors.
No Pangu Bloodline, no Barbaric Overlord Physique, no Xuantian Technique, and definitely no sign-in-and-get-an-Artifact perks.
His Cheat had only two basic buffs: eidetic memory and doubled cultivation speed.
So far, he’d found no way to unlock additional functions.
But a “Cheat” was a Cheat. Of the freshmen who enrolled with him, their own magic power at best reached Stage 0, Star 5.
The reason he dared to “bet on raw potential” was precisely because of his speed advantage in cultivation.
Most people relied on high-quality beasts for a small boost in speed,
Even an S Rank beast could only raise it by a quarter—hence why S Rank Beastmasters always stayed ahead.
After all, magic power was shared between Beastmaster and beast, and the higher the rank, the more important personal strength became.
At high ranks, everyone had top beasts; the real competition was personal level.
If I’m a higher level than you, my attack hits harder! My defensive magic is thicker than yours!
So Lin Xing wasn’t bothered by the limited boost from top-tier beasts.
As a transmigrator, his soul was already much stronger than ordinary people, and his cultivation was fast to begin with.
With the Cheat’s double-speed buff, he had every confidence:
No one in this world could cultivate faster than him!
Back in the dormitory,
Lin Xing prepared Lumiya’s bedtime snack—dried flame Beef Jerky.
He watched as she munched it happily, then sat cross-legged at his desk to begin cultivating.
After today’s actual combat training, everyone had their own realizations, so there was no need to write up notes to share.
Lumiya lay on the bed, golden vertical pupils quietly watching Lin Xing’s focused profile as he cultivated, the faint aura of magic swirling around him.
She suddenly thought to herself that these days weren’t bad at all.
Endless snacks, a real otherworldly life, and a human who, even though he secretly wanted to make her his “wife,” was actually pretty good to her.
As night deepened, Lin Xing felt the magic power inside him reach saturation.
He opened his eyes and saw Lumiya sleeping soundly on the bed, unable to suppress a smile as he gently covered her with a small blanket.
Lumiya turned over in her sleep, a faint golden light flickering across her body so quickly it might have been an illusion.
Lin Xing didn’t notice anything strange. He just gently patted her head and softly said, “Good night, Lumiya.”
With that, he lay down beside her and drifted into a deep sleep.
The cold moonlight spilled through the window lattice, casting a scattered silver pattern across the sheets.
No one knew how much time had passed when the scene on the bed changed quietly—
The little beast curled up there had vanished, replaced by a golden-haired girl.
Her waterfall-like hair spread across the pillow, golden eyes gently closed as she unconsciously leaned closer to the black-haired boy beside her.
Tonight, as always, the two nestled close together, their breathing even and peaceful, moonlight tracing a tender silhouette around them.