Chapter 125: The Miserable First Pet

Hu Qingqing had come to male dormitory 2012 to visit Xin Lang, but her true intention was to probe his background and uncover how he had managed to cultivate the "Art of Qi Transformation" to such an impressive level.

After leaving the dormitory, Xin Lang wandered aimlessly through the Martial Arts Academy, reflecting on the time he had spent with Hong Xiu to clear his mind of distracting thoughts. Soon, he felt a sense of calm.

"The night is long; I might as well find a place to cultivate."

He strolled until he reached the 19th Combat Hall for bronze-ranked students. For some reason, the doors were unlocked. "Perfect," Xin Lang thought to himself. "I'll cultivate here tonight."

The combat hall at night felt vast, and even the softest footsteps echoed. Xin Lang hopped onto the combat platform, sat in a corner, and prepared to enter his cultivation state. However, before starting, he accessed the interface of his "Upgrader" system. He needed to confirm his 3,000 experience points once more to put his mind at ease.

His consciousness dove into the system. Checking his balance, he saw a total of 3,013 points. He decided against leveling up his cultivation for now, as that would increase his daily task requirements—specifically, the number of internal energy cycles would rise to forty. At his current speed, he knew he wouldn't be able to complete that.

After checking his points, he opened the "Pet Beast" section. Pets could be captured in the wild or purchased using experience points.

"What should I get as a pet? I’ve heard there are spirit beasts in the Lost Forest of the Nine Provinces. That would be nice," he mused. But the Lost Forest was too far from the Great Xia Dynasty, so he shelved that idea for the future. He then reviewed the rules for pet evolution: they could evolve by following their master, by self-evolution as they matured, or through passive upgrades using his experience points.

As a first-rank master, Xin Lang had plenty of room to grow. He noticed several feeding slots in the pet interface, but only one was currently available. Just then, an ant crawled past him. He picked it up, inspected it, then shook his head and let it go. "Something this small is useless as a pet."

He opened the list of pets available for purchase:
"Primordial Ancestral Dragon: 10,000,000,000 experience points!"
"Undying Fire Phoenix: 10,000,000,000 experience points!"
"Eight-Tribes Heavenly Dragon: 9,000,000,000 experience points!"

The sheer number of zeros scared him off. "Ten billion points? Looks like I'll never be able to afford a Primordial Ancestral Dragon in this lifetime. Let me find something cheaper."

He scrolled to the very end of the list. There were cheaper options, mostly insects and birds. Any tiger, leopard, snake, or wolf worth having cost at least a thousand points. Xin Lang didn't have many points to spare, and spending a thousand on a pet seemed less efficient than just hiring mercenaries to capture one for gold.

Just as he was about to give up, he spotted the cheapest option: a "Lucky Egg" for only one experience point. It was a lottery-style purchase; with luck, one could theoretically pull a Primordial Ancestral Dragon, but the odds were one in ten billion. If unlucky, one might get nothing at all, or perhaps just a tiny bug.

He looked at his 3,013 points. He had 13 points to spare. "Why not try my luck? Maybe I'll pull a dragon."

He spent one point. A new screen appeared: a golden egg sat on a pedestal with a hammer beside it. He used his consciousness to swing the hammer at the egg.

*Crack!* The shell shattered, but it was empty.
*Bang!* He tried again. Nothing.
*Bang!* Again. Nothing.

He broke a dozen eggs, spending twelve points, and got nothing. "Damn, the odds really are pathetic! One last try. Even if it's not a dragon, a cat or a dog would be fine!"

*Bang!* The hammer fell, the shell shattered, and golden sparks flew everywhere!

"Ha! I hit it! With sparks like that, if it’s not a dragon, it must be a five-clawed golden dragon!"

As the golden glow faded, the creature revealed itself. "Ugh... damn it... talk about a self-fulfilling prophecy! If I’d known, I should have just asked for the dragon!"

The system popped up a notification: "Congratulations, you have luckily hatched a pet cat!"

A small, adorable calico kitten appeared in his feeding slot. It was tiny, like a newborn. When Xin Lang reached out, the kitten was incredibly affectionate, rubbing its small head against his palm.

"Fine," Xin Lang said, slightly disappointed but charmed. "You're cute enough, I'll keep you."

The kitten seemed to understand, licking his finger. "What should I name you?" He stroked its soft fur. "How about Rou Rou? Hmm, that sounds like a girl's name." He checked, and indeed, it was a female kitten. "Did my subconscious want a female cat?"

He placed her on the platform and tickled her. "Rou Rou, you’re so cute. If Hong Xiu saw you, she’d definitely love you."

After playing for a while, Xin Lang began his cultivation. He remained alert, keeping his senses sharp. Only a few minutes later, he sensed someone entering the hall.

"What a cute little kitten!" said a voice he recognized.

Xin Lang stopped his cultivation and opened his eyes. Standing there in white robes, looking as fair as jade, was Shangguan Ningyu, who was already holding the kitten and teasing it with her fingers.