As soon as the school bell rang, Chen Xing hurriedly left the school with his backpack. Qinglong No. 8 Middle School was the top-ranked public school in Jincheng's new district, located in the bustling central area of the new district.
The wide road was filled with a steady flow of traffic. However, what was even more eye-catching were the sidewalks on both sides of the road, which were even wider than the road itself.
Looking around, beasts of various shapes and races walked alongside people, weaving a unique landscape in this concrete jungle.
He remembered that there were even larger beasts, but those that were too massive were not allowed to be summoned in public areas. They could only be summoned in specific zones.
After walking for about thirty minutes, Chen Xing finally arrived home.
As he pushed open the door, a strong smell of traditional Chinese medicine hit him.
On the sofa, his father, Chen Guohai, was coughing. His health had been deteriorating since he was diagnosed with Black Marrow Disease six years ago. Despite the family having spent all their savings and even selling their large house in the city, the high cost of treatment remained an insurmountable mountain.
Chen Xing knew that to cure his father's illness, they would need the help of a Transcendent-level healing beast. However, the cost would be at least 100 million, an astronomical figure for their family. Although Evolution-level healing beasts could alleviate his father's symptoms, the cost of each treatment was still significant. Over the years, his mother had been working two jobs every day to raise medical funds, tirelessly supporting the family.
One hundred million - Chen Xing remembered this number clearly as he stood behind his mother.
Chen Xing walked over to his father, picked up an orange, peeled it, and handed half to him.
Chen Guohai took the orange, smiled, and slowly chewed it. He softly told Chen Xing that his mother was almost done cooking and that they would eat soon.
Chen Xing nodded, but his gaze couldn't help but linger on his father.
He recalled the dream he had that afternoon, and an indescribable emotion welled up in his heart.
"Yeah," Chen Xing nodded. The dream he had that afternoon felt so real that he couldn't help but take another look at his father, who sat on the sofa, gentle and serene.
He turned and walked toward the second bedroom, which belonged to his sister, Chen Lingya.
Chen Lingya had always been a top student, consistently ranking at the top of her class and being seen as a standout among her peers.
Chen Xing gently knocked on the door and after receiving his sister's permission, entered.
"Come in" his sister's voice came from inside.
After turning the doorknob, Chen Xing walked into the room. The desk was piled high with books, and Chen Lingya was sitting at the desk, writing furiously. From the side, her nose was tall and straight, her eyelids lowered, and her lips slightly pursed. Chen Xing glanced at the exercises on the desk, which seemed to be from the senior year curriculum.
Chen Xing's gaze inadvertently fell on the large snow-white cat lying beside the desk—his sister's beast, Chiyu.
He noticed that a patch of fur on Chiyu's neck had been shaved off, revealing a thin gauze covering a wound. Chiyu opened its eyes, glanced at him, and then closed them again, continuing to lie still.
Chen Xing gently stroked Chiyu's mane, feeling a pang of pity.
"Chiyu got hurt again," Chen Xing said softly. Although Chiyu was his sister's beast, he had watched it grow up. Ever since his sister started attending a private high school, Chiyu would occasionally come home with injuries. He remembered one time when he was bathing Chiyu, he lifted its soft, fluffy fur and found a dense array of scars on its skin, like a painting.
Chen Lingya paused for a moment, then hummed in acknowledgement, and the sound of her pen scratching against paper continued.
A cool breeze blew in through the slightly open window, lifting the strands of hair by Chen Lingya's ears. A fresh wound, several centimetres long, was particularly visible on her delicate cheek.
Chen Xing, who had just stood up, noticed this and stared intently at the wound on his sister's face. A flame of anger ignited in his heart. "Are they bullying you at school again?"
Chen Lingya tightened her grip on the pen, stood up, and closed the window. She turned to look at Chen Xing, her eyes curving into crescents. "It's fine, I can handle it."
"You always say that."
"Don't worry, this time I can really handle it. No one will bother me anymore," Chen Lingya said lightly.
Chen Xing looked into his sister's eyes, and the anger in his heart gradually subsided. He knew his sister was strong and independent, and she didn't want him to worry.
"If only I were older than you."
Chen Xing's voice was low. He knew his sister didn't want to say more, so he didn't press further. Instead, he crouched down and reached out to Chiyu's cheeks, the soft, fluffy fur spilling through his fingers as he rubbed its large head.
He casually took out a piece of dried meat, as hard as wood, from a nearby drawer and handed it to Chiyu. Chiyu, who had no appetite, opened its mouth, bit the meat, and with a flick of its tongue, swallowed the rest of it.
Hearing Chen Xing's words, a ripple of emotion flashed in Chen Lingya's eyes. She watched her brother's back as she took out a black box from the drawer. "Take this."
Chen Xing turned around, puzzled by the box in his sister's hand. "What is this?"
"Universal nutrient solution. It's good for your beast."
Chen Xing refused outright. "You keep it. It was given to you by your school."
He knew the family's financial situation well. His sister couldn't possibly afford this; it must have been saved from her scholarship.
But for his sister to continue receiving scholarships at school, she must need to maintain her grades. Although he had never been to a private high school, he had heard that most students there came from wealthy families. Their beasts weren't the free ones provided by the state, and they certainly didn't lack nutrient solutions. His sister was already under a lot of pressure there.
Chen Lingya wanted to say more, but Chen Xing waved his hand and left the room.
If he couldn't help his sister when she was being bullied, the least he could do was not be a burden.
After leaving his sister's room, Chen Xing returned to his own small room.
He had felt that the stone slab had changed earlier, as if something had triggered a reaction.
He drew the curtains and lay on the bed. The stone slab, visible only to him, appeared.
Under his gaze, a line of text appeared on the cover page of the slab: "Fed a beast. Intimacy level above 80. Obtained Skill Point Fragment *1."
In the upper right corner of the page, a gem-like symbol appeared, next to which was a broken gem. Behind the gem was a "0," and behind the broken gem was a "1."
He didn't know how many Skill Point Fragments were needed to synthesize a complete Skill Point. Behind the gem symbol representing the Skill Point, there was a grey "+" sign. It was grey now, presumably because there weren't enough Skill Point Fragments to form a complete Skill Point.