Right now, it was Chu Qingyu’s turn to be tested. When she placed her hand on the Spirit-Sensing Beast, its body immediately turned white, the shade only a touch paler than it had been for Chu Qingyao.
The Aptitude Examiner was surprised once again. Although this girl’s aptitude did not quite match the previous one’s, it was still very good.
Seeing that she too could become a Spirit Lord, Chu Qingyu could not help biting her lip. She really could become a Spirit Lord!
Following the Aptitude Examiner’s guidance, Chu Qingyu smoothly completed the summoning. A yellow Formation slowly rose beneath her feet, sending another stir through the crowd.
It was actually a young Tier Two Spirit Beast. Although it could not compare to Chu Qingyao’s Tier Three Rainbow-Robed Luan, it was already rare enough in Qingwu Town.
A small green snake slithered out of the Summoning Array. Chu Qingyu had originally been quite afraid of snakes, but since a Natal Spirit Companion and its master were connected heart and mind, she now found the snake rather cute instead.
Chu Qingyu crouched down and placed her hand in front of the little green snake. Of its own accord, it slithered onto her hand and coiled twice around her snow-white wrist, looking just like an emerald jade bracelet.
The Aptitude Examiner looked up the details on the little green snake—it was a Jade Bamboo Viper. Tier Two at birth and capable of reaching Tier Five in adulthood, it was a very fine mid-tier Spirit Beast.
Two geniuses capable of growing into at least Mid-Tier Spirit Masters in the future had appeared one after another. Whispers rippled through the crowd, punctuated every now and then by exclamations of amazement.
The mayor immediately invited Chu Qingyu over as well. At this point, Chu Shaoye was the only one from Chu Family Village who had yet to be tested.
The Aptitude Examiner led Chu Shaoye to the testing platform, hoping for another miracle and wondering whether tiny Chu Family Village could produce yet another Mid-Tier Spirit Master.
Chu Shaoye’s expression remained calm. Both Qingyao’s and Qingyu’s aptitudes had been unexpectedly high, yet that did not unsettle him. Whatever the outcome, he would accept it.
Before his palm even touched the Spirit-Sensing Beast, it took the initiative to nuzzle affectionately against him. The instant it made contact with Chu Shaoye, its transparent body began turning white, gradually deepening into a rich white that far surpassed what it had shown for Chu Qingyao and Chu Qingyu.
The Aptitude Examiner’s eyes widened in shock. “How is this possible? The Spirit-Sensing Beast actually turned pure white! Could his newborn Natal Spirit Beast be a high-tier Spirit Beast?!”
The Aptitude Examiner’s voice was urgent. All the other Aptitude Examiners present gathered around, and even the mayor, seated outside the plaza, rose from his chair.
Was their Qingwu Town truly about to produce a High-Tier Spirit Master?
Chu Shaoye had watched closely when Chu Qingyao and Chu Qingyu performed their summonings, and he already knew the Summoning Array by heart. Without waiting for the Aptitude Examiner’s instruction, he pricked his finger on his own and drew the Formation with his blood.
Vast, intricate array patterns slowly emerged, enveloping the entire plaza. Yet the light radiating from the patterns was the soft white glow that represented a Tier One Spirit Beast.
Every Aptitude Examiner present wore a look of disbelief. “How is this possible? With array patterns so vast and magnificent, how could it only be a Tier One Spirit Beast? It should be at least a Tier Six Spirit Beast!”
Neither joy nor anger showed on Chu Shaoye’s face as he stared at the center of the Formation. A profoundly mysterious sensation linked him to the white ball of fur amid the array patterns, giving rise to an inexplicable closeness and fondness in his heart.
A fluffy little bundle emerged from the middle of the array patterns. Its body was curled up, its ears folded flat, and its large, fluffy tail covered it tightly, rounding it into a plump little ball.
Chu Shaoye stepped forward and scooped the furry bundle into his arms. Only then did the little ball of fur uncurl its body, covering its mouth with its tail as it yawned before arching its back in a lazy stretch.
It turned out to be a little fox. Its long, snow-white fur had not a single stray color, and even its long eyelashes were white; only its eyes were a dazzling silver-red.
The Aptitude Examiner, who had already grown disappointed, let out a soft sound of surprise. Could this little fox be an Immaculate Fox?
He had never heard of an Immaculate Fox becoming someone’s Natal Spirit Companion. Could the Summoning Array of an Immaculate Fox simply be this unusual?
Not only was there no precedent for an Immaculate Fox becoming a person’s Natal Spirit Companion, wild Immaculate Foxes were also exceedingly rare. The Aptitude Examiner had never seen one in person either, and only after consulting the Spirit Beast Compendium was he finally able to be certain.
The Aptitude Examiner sighed and looked at Chu Shaoye with eyes full of pity. “Your Natal Spirit Beast is called an Immaculate Fox. It is Tier One at birth, and if raised well, it can reach Tier Three in adulthood.”
Strictly speaking, the Immaculate Fox was not an independent species of Spirit Beast. Any fox Spirit Beast had a one-in-ten-thousand chance of giving birth to an Immaculate Fox.
Some believed that given the Immaculate Fox’s special manner of birth, it ought to be classed as a Phantasmal Beast. However, because Immaculate Foxes could be contracted by humans, they were ultimately classed as ordinary Spirit Beasts.
Although the Immaculate Fox was of a low tier and could only reach Tier Three even when raised well, its beautiful appearance and extreme rarity made it dearly loved and sought after by Spirit Lords. This story is hosted at NovelPing.
Some powerful Spirit Lords liked to keep Immaculate Foxes as pets to display their strength.
The Aptitude Examiner told Chu Shaoye all of these details about the Immaculate Fox, much to his regret. He had thought an even greater genius was about to appear; who could have imagined it would turn out to be an Immaculate Fox, pretty to look at yet of little real use?
Even so, while the boy’s talent could not compare to that of the two girls before him, it was already quite good in Qingwu Town. Even the mayor of Qingwu Town was only Tier Three.
The Aptitude Examiner patted Chu Shaoye on the shoulder. “An Immaculate Fox is quite good too. Raise it well.”
Holding the little fox in his arms, Chu Shaoye bowed to the Aptitude Examiner. “Thank you, Honored Spirit Lord.”
The Aptitude Examiner nodded to him. In both appearance and bearing, this youth stood out the most among all the boys and girls undergoing the test, neither arrogant nor impetuous.
What a pity that his Natal Spirit Beast was an Immaculate Fox. Otherwise, his future achievements would surely have been boundless.
Carrying the Immaculate Fox, Chu Shaoye walked over to Chu Wangshan and the others. Chu Wangshan patted his shoulder, his face beaming with joy. “That’s my son!”
A Tier Three Spirit Beast! Wasn’t the mayor only Tier Three himself? His son was already plenty impressive.
After Chu Shaoye finished his test, there were not many people left. By the time all the testing was completed, another two or three children had been found to possess aptitude.
Among them was that young master of the Wang family named Wang Zekai. He too was found to have aptitude, and his Natal Spirit Beast was a Windchaser Hound, just like his father’s.
Like the Immaculate Fox, the Windchaser Hound was Tier One at birth and could grow to Tier Three in adulthood, making it a fairly decent low-tier Spirit Beast.
However, with Chu Qingyao and Chu Qingyu having already shone so brightly before him, Wang Zekai flushed crimson with shame at the mere thought of how he had boasted of his own greatness to the two girls before the test.
They were the true favored daughters of heaven, and he had thoroughly embarrassed himself this time. As soon as his test was over, Wang Zekai hurriedly took his servants and slunk away in disgrace.