Nighttime.

In Lin Guang's home in Haiyue District.

"Today was a lot of fun."

Miaomiao stood at the door on one leg, one hand on the wall, slipping on her black leather shoes over her white-socked foot, and looked at Lin Guang and the two others inside, smiling:

"Well then, I'm heading back first. Tomorrow, I have to take the kid to see Professor Song early, and in the afternoon, I have to return to school for another project."

Lin Guang nodded: "Yeah, we're also preparing to resume training tomorrow."

"It would really be a shame not to use such a great facility at the school."

Looking at the three of them, Miaomiao's eyes curved into crescent moons: "Alright, see you tomorrow~"

Lisa also appeared to be in a joyful mood: "Goodbye, Sister Miaomiao!"

Even Vishdair waved at her.

Miaomiao put on her shoes, grabbed the door handle with her right hand, walked out of the profane gate, but stopped after just two steps, suddenly turning back. Her golden eyes stared steadily at Lin Guang.

A genuine expression of gratitude appeared on her face, which still held a smile, as she spoke softly yet earnestly:

"Thank you for saving that child for me."

"I really thought before… she would just die alone like that."

"But, you gave her hope."

Lin Guang was slightly stunned: "..."

Click.

Before Lin Guang could respond, the door gently closed.

Vishdair's amber eyes slightly squinted, she tilted her head, looked at Lin Guang, and her slender black tail coiled around his right calf: "Does she have a thing for you?"

"Uh… I'm not sure."

"Still playing dumb! Do you think I'd believe that?"

"Oh, right."

Lin Guang suddenly thought of something, his eyes suddenly focusing in the empty space: "If we talk about future evolutionary possibilities, which direction would you want to head?"

This topic shift was clumsy, but Vishdair was clearly brought under control, she was stunned for a moment, then said in surprise: "Evolve?! Me?"

"Like that bird? You found a way?"

"Uh, probably… yes."

At this moment, Lin Guang was looking at Vishdair's system panel.

[Affinity: 75]

[Evolution Conditions: Unlocked]

[Path One: Bursting Demon]

[Evolution Conditions:...(Omitted)]

[Path Two: Violent Authority Angel]

[Evolution Conditions:...(Omitted)]

[Path Three: Violence Awakened]

[Evolution Conditions:...(Omitted)]

Lin Guang wasn't fooling Vishdair; once the affinity is in place, if the contract target has further evolutionary paths, they will appear directly on the system panel.

Bursting Demon is relatively straightforward; looking at the conditions and spiritual materials marked below, it should mean continuing to deepen and strengthen along her existing Sakaz species path, tapping potential.

Violent Authority Angel starts to get a bit thought-provoking, not only is the need for spiritual materials vastly different from the Bursting Demon, but it even includes requirements like [finding faith and law within one's own heart], something inexplicably vague.

Could this be evolution into the "Sakota" (Angel), which shares roots with the "Sakaz" (Demon) species in Future Ark!

And Violence Awakened is a truly heaven-defying option.

Not only does it require a large amount of spiritual element materials, but the most baffling part is [letting go of obsessions and freeing oneself from restraints].

What is this, put down the butcher's knife and become a Buddha on the spot?

While Lin Guang was quietly pondering the implications of these options, Vishdair spoke up: "Then I definitely want the most powerful one… Wait a second."

She suddenly stopped, seemingly realizing something, frowning slightly: "If I evolve, will I, like that bird, change drastically? Will I turn into something four meters tall, like those ugly demon monsters in movies, and lose my sense of taste, needing to eat sulfur stones or something…"

"If that's the case, then forget it."

Lin Guang was a bit taken aback, then smiled: "How could that be? Evolution is a miracle of life, and the appearance after evolution will shift more or less according to the desires within your heart; if you don't want it, you won't change that way."

"Oh?"

She visibly perked up, her two red tendrils standing proudly: "Then I still want the most powerful one!"

Seeing this reaction, Lin Guang understood that she wasn't planning on changing her appearance or species for the time being.

"Well, don't rush, evolution doesn't happen overnight, this is just some leads for now."

"Alright, everyone should get some rest early today; starting tomorrow, life goes back to normal."

Lisa obediently put down the book in her hands, stood up from the sofa, looking a bit sleepy as well, shaking her nine furry big tails: "Okay."

Vishdair also let go of Lin Guang's leg, stretching lazily, the curves under her casual t-shirt spreading comfortably before him.

"Got it, got it, I've been resting so much my bones are itchy."

Lin Guang looked at the two beautiful maidens in his home, one big and one small.

For some reason.

Just watching Vishdair and Lisa moving back and forth in the house gave him a sudden sense of inner peace.

It's like... having some support.

He smiled and walked toward the bathroom, preparing to freshen up and then meditate on the bed.

However, just as Lin Guang stepped into the bathroom.

A sudden, inexplicable dizziness exploded in his mind, causing Lin Guang to feel as if the world were spinning.

He widened his eyes abruptly, stepping heavily on the bathroom's tiled floor to forcibly steady himself.

The Spirit Beast's senses are much sharper than a human's. Vishdair heard the sound, raised an eyebrow slightly, and asked while walking over, "What happened?"

Lin Guang maintained a casual tone and said, "Nothing, just slipped."

Before Vishdair saw him, he closed the door and then locked it with a "click" sound.

Lin Guang placed both hands on the edge of the sink, taking deep breaths to calm the dizziness coming from the deepest part of his soul.

This feeling came and went quickly, disappearing within a few seconds, as if it were an illusion.

He immediately closed his eyes, beginning to look inward for the source of the anomaly—his Sea of Spirit.

The next moment, in his concentrated inner gaze, he suddenly discovered...

At the top of his spherical Sea of Spirit, around that broken heart-like Heart of Terra, a bit of previously nonexistent dark golden debris began to hover.

Lin Guang opened his eyes and accessed his status panel, his pupils shrinking dramatically.

On the panel, two statuses appeared clearly, ones he had never seen before.

[Status: Ore Disease (Very Mild)]

[Talent: Heart of Terra (Blue) (Evolving)]

...

Sunlight filtered through the gaps in the curtains, casting on the silver-haired maiden's face.

Vishdair's eyelids trembled slightly.

It had been a long time since she trained with such intensity all day yesterday; her body's instinct had no desire to awaken. She subconsciously turned over to avoid the sunlight, but a small tuft of hair swept into her nostrils.

"Achoo!"

The maiden let out a big sneeze, finally waking up.

She opened her eyes, only to find she had accidentally buried her face into the tip of the little fox's tail, which was sleeping next to the pillow.

The little creature murmured, seemingly startled by the noise, and snugged itself into its nine tails, forming a fluffy golden cocoon.

Lisa was also very tired yesterday, having secretly meditated on the bed for a while and had no intention of waking up until now.

Vishdair glanced at the clock on the wall.

It was already eight o'clock, which could be considered sleeping in.

Yawning, she jumped out of bed, stretched, and then slipped her hand under her shirt, scratching her stomach with her crimson nails.

After a simple wash-up, the maiden left the space for Lisa, stepped out of the door.

"Hmm?"

No enticing aroma filled the air, and neither was the familiar figure in the kitchen.

It's rare to see him sleep in.

But she wasn't surprised, given that yesterday's training was quite over the top; even she still felt somewhat weary in mind.

As if thinking of something, a small smirk began to play on Vishdair's lips, and the dark red tail behind her started swaying side to side.

Feeling playful, she employed the stealth techniques learned while infiltrating enemy lairs. Her pale and balanced feet padded silently on the floor, noiselessly opening the door, and approached the bed.

The boy lying on the bed was wearing pajamas, breathing steadily, seemingly in a deep sleep from yesterday's exhaustion.

For some reason, although having grown accustomed to the boy's face, these few days he seemed slightly different.

The facial details hadn't changed, yet inexplicably, Lin Guang seemed... a bit more attractive.

Vishdair watched his sleeping form for a moment in a daze, her eyes suddenly twinkling with mischief as she turned and walked out of the room, heading for the kitchen's refrigerator. She pulled open the freezer section, knocking out five ice cubes from the ice tray and clutching them in her palms.

She didn't channel the Fire Attribute Ether within her, so the chill rapidly spread through her hands, eventually turning into a puddle of cold water. She then tiptoed back into the boy's room.

"Face the music!"

Excitement flashed in her eyes as Vishdair swiftly pressed her icy right hand on the back of the boy's neck with lightning-fast speed.

"Hiss—!!!"

The sleeping boy was abruptly awakened, his eyes flying open as he gasped sharply from the cold.

Yet, Vishdair's triumphant smile barely surfaced for a second before it wavered; her right hand subconsciously squeezed as though confirming something.

She furrowed her brows, revealing a puzzled expression.

The next moment, she stiffened, her eyes' pupils contracting into a star-like shape to the extreme.

"You—!"

Ignoring the boy's somewhat bewildered struggle, Vishdair abruptly pressed him down, flipping him over to brush aside the hair obscuring her view.

A breeze swept through right on cue, pushing the curtains open.

The morning sun poured in warmly, hitting Vishdair, but she only felt a chill spreading throughout her body.

As Vishdair remained dazed, Lin Guang finally managed to turn over and sit up from the bed, his expression somewhat lost, as if still lingering in the dream he'd been pulled from.

It took quite a while for Lin Guang to come to, wincing slightly at the damp coldness at the back of his neck. Just as he was about to speak, he suddenly noticed something was off about Vishdair, prompting him to reach for his neck immediately.

In an instant, he registered a flicker of surprise, understanding, and... helplessness.

In the large floor mirror behind him, it was clear that at the back of Lin Guang's neck, a diamond-shaped jet-black stone the size of a pinky fingernail was shining a dark golden hue in the sunlight.

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