Chapter 15: Enlightenment Cup, Soul Pet Battle
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The changes that had taken place over the course of the past week were quite evident.
Most importantly, the green caterpillar’s soul power cultivation base had increased because of their training.
With a soul power cultivation of nearly 50 years now, Wang Che could tell that the caterpillar had gained considerable combat strength.
A more obvious difference was how its size had increased from a measly 10 centimeters all the way up to 60 centimeters.!!
For reference, a typical newborn human baby measured about 50 to 60 centimeters tall.
Furthermore, when compared to how it had looked two weeks ago when it had just hatched, the caterpillar’s skin was now much thicker and had turned into a darker shade of green.
Its body was even more elastic to the touch now, and a light yellow flesh bud in the shape of a ‘V’ had begun to form on its head.
Its eyes were glowing as well.
Crawling beside Wang Che, the once tiny green caterpillar looked more like a small green snake.
However, since its segmented body was thicker than that of a snake’s, it was easily distinguishable.
Like the little one’s growing physique suggested, its strength now far exceeded its past self from a week ago, mainly thanks to the daily cultivation of the Beast Origin Skill.
Initially, when Wang Che had made it practice the four forms of the Beast Origin Skill, the green caterpillar could only last for an hour each time before needing to rest immediately after.
Then, as its soul power gradually increased, the caterpillar’s body also began to grow stronger. Eventually, it managed to last for three hours in each training session.
It would practice in the morning, afternoon, and evening. As it got used to the regiment, the training became more efficient in showing results.
This little one was also quite determined to train hard, primarily because Wang Che had kept cheering it on. At some point, he had even told the caterpillar a story to stimulate its inner desire to become stronger.
Otherwise, the speed of its soul power cultivation would not have been able to increase so dramatically.
With every increment, the soul power cultivation base would also require more and more soul power.
As such, if the speed of the soul power uptake did not change, the increase in soul power cultivation would only grow slower.
Nevertheless, for the entire week, the green caterpillar’s soul power cultivation rose steadily at a rate of about three years daily.
It was by all means not an easy feat to achieve.
“Typically, after a hundred years, the speed of cultivation growth would decrease drastically. At that time, the Beast Origin Skill won’t be of much help.”
“After all, in the greater scheme of things, ten years, a hundred years, or a thousand years are all just obstacles. It’s equivalent to the major realms in the cultivation world. After breaking through a stage, the increase in cultivation will naturally grow slower…”
Wang Che looked out the window and stared at the rain.
School was about to begin in the middle of the rainy season.
However, there was no amount of rainfall that could stop the enthusiasm of the students.
The upcoming second semester of the third year was what all students looked forward to the most, especially for the third-year students themselves.
Ever since the start of winter break, countless third-year students had been looking forward to the school reopening.
From the moment they were born, to slowly growing up and learning about the world, countless children yearned to have their own soul pets.
Only when one turned 18 years old and entered this phase would they receive their first soul pet.
Regardless of whether it was weak, ordinary, or rare, every young man and woman of this age were still eager to get their very own soul pet.
The first time it hatched, the first time it chirped, the first time it ate, the first time it acted intimately, the first time it started training, the first time its soul power cultivation base increased, the first time it learned a soul skill and much more.
Every event and milestone made them look forward to meeting their soul pets even more.
On top of that, they would get to watch some of the most popular battles in the world when school started. Battles where soul pets would fight each other with all their strength until the very end.
“Soul pet battles…”
Wang Che glanced at the green caterpillar eating the leaf biscuits beside him.
As if detecting his gaze, the green caterpillar instinctively dropped the leaf biscuit in its mouth and stood up.
It was trying to show that it was ready to train!
When he saw this, Wang Che didn’t know how to react. He said to the soul pet, “It’s a holiday today, so there’s no need to train. Let’s eat!”
The past two weeks of continuous intense training had probably conditioned the little one to react like that.
Although it had been difficult persevering, the green caterpillar had done its best and pressed on after hearing Wang Che’s story. In addition, it had good food to look forward to as well!
In the story, the green caterpillar had become an awe-inspiring thousand-year old soul beast that could defeat countless soul beasts, even those that were stronger than itself.
Immersed in its imagination, the little one started to eat the leaf biscuit even more enthusiastically.
It simply could not understand how it was possible for a leaf to be so delicious.
“I wonder how you’ll fare in combat when you face other soul beasts…”
While the caterpillar had been busy training, Wang Che did not stay idle.
Despite the fact that he couldn’t cultivate, he didn’t see it as an excuse to slow down his basic training.
Wang Che could feel that he was now physically stronger, especially after the two weeks of strengthening his soul contract with the green caterpillar.
He could feel every aspect of his body growing more powerful.
Even his senses, like vision, hearing, and smell, were all greatly enhanced.
On top of that, he felt that his life force was much more abundant now.
He seemed to have endless energy.
At times, he could also feel a strange sensation deep within his soul.
Wang Che guessed that it was the result of him tapping the power of the martial soul hidden in his body.
“Even without cultivating, the state of my body has improved significantly.”
From Wang Che’s experience, he knew that the stronger the physical body, the better one’s innate aptitude would become.
It was truly a remarkable feeling, as if his meridians had been unlocked.
In the cultivation world, meridians were closely related to the spiritual root.
With strong and tough meridians, one could cultivate much faster. The body would also be able to withstand more spiritual energy.
“This life contract can really change the talent of humans in this world…”
Wang Che sighed while thinking to himself, “It’s no wonder that the humans in this world have considerable strength… The top experts in this world are probably very powerful as well.”
Besides learning about his own body, Wang Che also gained a better understanding of soul beasts with each passing day.
After all, his main goal was still to oversee the training of the green caterpillar.
He had to prepare for the future battles that awaited him.
Although the soul beasts in this world were quite different to things he had seen in the cultivation world, Wang Che decided to broaden his horizons. He vowed to meet the many soul beasts of this world.
At that moment, Wang Che’s phone suddenly lit up. A message appeared in the class group chat of the communication application.
Teacher Zheng: “Students, school will be starting tomorrow. How are your soul pets doing? How many have trained their soul pets? Are there any here who have already raised their cultivation to ten years?”
Normally, winter break would only last for less than a month.
In the first half of the month, students had to undergo a physical body examination before reporting to the soul pet management center in their war zone.
This was to prove that their body and mind were fit and able to sign a life soul pact with a soul pet.
Then, they would either choose a free soul pet egg from the administration center, or get ready to purchase some at the research base.
After the one or two days it took to hatch, students were expected to enlighten and train their soul pets for the remainder of the break, which would only be about two weeks.
Teacher Zheng was the one in charge of Wang Che’s Year Three class.
Though teachers at every education level were not necessarily professional Contract Soul Masters themselves, they were still outstanding people who had systematically learned a great deal about soul pets.
“This Teacher Zheng is a professional Contract Soul Master…”
When Wang Che saw the message, he did not reply immediately. Instead, he tried to recall information regarding this teacher from his memory.
Not long after, many students started to send their replies.
Bu Yan: “Teacher Zheng! It’s so hard to enlighten a soul pet. My Dazed Rain Frog has been born for more than a week now but all it does is stare blankly…”
Tong Liang: “My Cottony is fine and looks very cute. The entire family loves it. It’s just that it’s too clingy and doesn’t like to train. It hasn’t increased its cultivation level yet…”
Gong Leying: “Enlightenment is so hard, I agree! Teacher Zheng, soul pets are really hard to enlighten. It’s not that its stupid, its just disobedient and unwilling to learn. My Sharp Fang Rat can understand me, but it doesn’t want to train…”
Xu Haifeng: “All of you shouldn’t bother! You’re all trash! Teacher Zheng, after just ten days of training, my Hundred Flowers Beast has already achieved a soul power cultivation of 15 years! (Arrogant Emoji).”
…
Xu Haifeng’s haughty words agitated the other students.
An argument was sparked almost immediately.
Meanwhile, Wang Che started to smile.
Xu Haifeng had told him about this a few days ago.
With the help of Professor Yan, he selected the Hundred Flowers Beast during their visit to the soul pet base.
Xu Haifeng had chosen this particular soul pet because it was the final evolved form of the Flower Fairy, which means it had a beautiful appearance.
Besides him, there were also a few other girls in the class who had selected ordinary soul pets that looked stunning, like the Hundred Flowers Beast.
After all, strength and aesthetics were both important for different types of people.
“Judging from the situation, it seems that the growth of most students’ soul pets here don’t seem to be going smoothly.”
Wang Che shook his head slightly when he read this.
Most of his classmates had not completed the initial steps necessary for enlightenment, which made it difficult to train their soul pets.
Though a small portion of them had already begun absorbing soul power for training, very few had managed to surpass ten years of cultivation.
Regardless, Teacher Zheng answered their questions patiently.
Then, the teacher explained that details of a more comprehensive training regiment would only be provided once school started.
After all, in the second semester of the third year, students would be focused on their main goals. These involved training their soul pets, preparing for the awakening of their martial souls, and fighting simple soul pet battles.
“All of their soul pets are basically below the 30 years mark of cultivation…”
Wang Che stared at his phone for a while.
“Where’s Goddess Lin? Why didn’t she say anything?”
“Don’t ask about Goddess Lin. If you do, she’ll just tell you about the Cloud Cap Snake, an extremely rare soul pet. As long as it takes the initiative to absorb soul power and cultivate, her soul pet should at least have 30 years of cultivation by now, right?”
“It’s the same as asking to be slapped in the face. None of you have even completed your soul pet enlightenment.”
Not long after, a message was sent to the group chat.
Lin Xi: “I’m sorry, Teacher Zheng. I was busy training just now and missed your message… the Cloud Cap Snake is very smart. I’ve already completed the enlightenment of my soul pet a week ago. Due to its hard work, it has already cultivated to a 40-year cultivation base.”
“Damn!”
“???”
“40 years?”
“She’s on a completely different level…”
“This is an extremely rare soul pet?”
“Even a rare soul pet can’t grow this fast. It must have had a perfect enlightenment, as well as proper training and food.”
The class group burst into an uproar.
Wang Che thought to himself, “This Lin Xi’s family background is rather mysterious, but they are undoubtedly powerful.”
He sighed. Extremely precious soul pets were indeed much more powerful.
When it came to this green caterpillar, Wang Che had to make up stories, modify the cultivation technique, refine food, and even train beside it everyday.
After such struggles, he had only managed to reach 50 years of soul power cultivation base in two weeks.
As for the Cloud Cap Snake, it had achieved a soul power cultivation of 40 years after a single week of training.
The difference in potential was as clear as day.
Teacher Zheng: “40 years of soul power cultivation is not bad. It seems that you have raised the Cloud Cap Snake very well. Oh right… Wang Che, what about you? How’s the cultivation of the green caterpillar going? Has it evolved into the Green Nether Butterfly yet?”
The group immediately fell silent when they saw this message.
After giving it some thought, Wang Che replied, “It’s doing fine. It hasn’t evolved.”
Teacher Zheng: “(Angry Emoji)”
Teacher Zheng: “Don’t play dumb. It’s not a bad idea to raise the green caterpillar into a Green Nether Butterfly. When school starts tomorrow, bring the soul pet with you. I’ll take a look at it.”
Teacher Zheng: “In this coming second semester, there will be a simple test for the soul pets. In seven days, a ceremony will be held to commemorate its opening. It’s an entrance competition, known as the Enlightenment Cup. If you want to, you can sign up to take part in it.”
“The competition will just be part of a test. It’ll be a good opportunity for you guys to experience the charm of soul pet battles. However, the rewards are very generous too.
“The top ten will all win substantial rewards. The person in first place will get 100,000 dollars, high-quality food that can boost a soul pet’s training speed, medicine that can increase the soul pet’s physical strength, and a soul device that will also help with the soul pet’s strength. He or she will also get the chance to train and explore outside the war zone.
“In any case, there are many benefits waiting for you. If you want to participate, I suggest that you join the Battle Club to try fighting with other soul pets or watch competitions, in addition to your regular training in school of course.
“From my experience, if your soul pet manages to learn a ten year soul skill before the competition, you can nab a place among the top ten.
“Lin Xi, you have the greatest potential. The Cloud Cap Snake will most likely learn a soul skill after about 60 years of cultivation. If it trains hard, it should be able to use a soul skill by then.”
After Teacher Zheng finished explaining, many students started to wail.
Most of them had not even completed their enlightenment after all. Their soul pets did not have much fighting spirit, let alone the ability to cultivate and learn soul skills.
However, other students were extremely excited by the news.
They saw the Enlightenment Cup as a chance at a level playing field.
Since their soul pets had only just hatched, their fighting strength was still quite weak.
Be it an ordinary or rare soul pet, the difference in strength would not be too great.
There was hope for every participant.
‘This Enlightenment Cup… The rewards sound appealing… It’s time for this child to gain some experience and shine in combat.’
Wang Che patted the green caterpillar on the head.
As he thought about this, Wang Che was just about to close the communication software when he received another message.
Yuan Xiaole: “Brother Che, school starts tomorrow. Why don’t you come to my club today to have a look around?”
Wang Che contemplated it. After coming to a decision, he replied, “Alright.”
He still remembered his promise to be a sparring partner.
After seeing his reply, Yuan Xiaole immediately sent over a location.
Then, Wang Che packed his bags and set off with the green caterpillar.
Yuan Xiaole’s club was not small at all.
Wang Che had learned about it over the past few days.
It was a rather famous battle club in Skyheart City, the Tianyue Battle Club.
Their membership even boasted several professional Contract Soul Masters who often used their club’s facilities.
However, they primarily specialized in training students who had just hatched their soul pets.
In a way, the services that this club provided was very similar to extracurricular tutoring classes that younger students would take.
When Wang Che arrived at the club, he noticed Yuan Xiaole waiting for him by the entrance.
“Finally. I thought you would stand me up.”
Yuan Xiaole’s frown turned into a grin immediately. “What do you think? We’re already here. Do you want to have a soul pet battle first?”
“Soul pet battle?” Wang Che turned to look at him. “With who?”
“With me, of course!” Yuan Xiaole laughed and continued, “It’s not like I really want you to be my sparring partner… The other members here are all very strong. They’re mostly university students who work part-time, but there are also a few professional Contract Soul Masters.
“Of course you’re going to fight me. Come and play. My Kuka Beast has 27 years of soul power cultivation. It should be only a few years higher than your green caterpillar.”
Yuan Xiaole did not seem to notice the caterpillar crawling behind Wang Che.
He remembered that just eleven days ago, Wang Che’s soul pet had been taking a test after reaching a ten year cultivation base.
At the time, Yuan Xiaole had felt that the green caterpillar’s soul power cultivation was a little higher than usual. However, he was comforted by the fact that Wang Che had opted to get a free soul pet early. Since the caterpillar would have hatched a few days before other soul pets, it was not surprising for it to have reached that cultivation level a few days earlier.
At that time, his Kuka Beast had not even reached ten years of cultivation, and they had only been there at the center to train.
“Sure,” Wang Che replied casually after taking a glance at Yuan Xiaole.
“This club of mine has started organizing soul pet battles a few days ago. Of course, they have to let me win.” Yuan Xiaole waved his hand, probably from disappointment.
“It’s all very boring. I have to fight with someone like you who’s not as strong as me. Only then will the battles get interesting.”
This guy really was straightforward.
Wang Che smiled.
“Don’t worry, I won’t go all out,” Yuan Xiaole said patronisingly while tapping Wang Che’s shoulder. “Your green caterpillar should have already evolved into a Green Nether Butterfly, right? Although it’s still weaker than my Kuka Beast, it’s been more than ten days since I last saw the two of you. It should have more than 20 years of soul power cultivation by now.”
“How come I don’t see it?”
Yuan Xiaole looked left and right.
“It’s behind me,” Wang Che pointed to his back.
After taking a look, Yuan Xiaole was immediately stunned.
“Oh my god, why is it so big?!”