Chapter 16 – Roll Call

The girl who owned the Phantom Butterfly was named Ji Sisi. Hearing Director Zhao’s praise, she subconsciously twirled a strand of her long hair behind her ear and laughed softly, “Director Zhao is too kind. We’re all ordinary students who merely possess some hidden techniques; there’s still much we need to learn.”

Director Zhao said, “To know how to hide and have a way to conceal the traces of spirit beasts already makes you standouts among the interns.”

He didn’t inquire about what spirit beasts the five interns had contracted with. Instead, he picked up the list and began roll call.

“Ji Sisi, Youying Spiritbond Academy,” said Director Zhao.

Ji Sisi stepped forward and responded, “Here!”

Just as she spoke, a tiger’s roar echoed in her ears. A massive white tiger phantom appeared behind the elderly Director Zhao, who was seated in his wheelchair, baring its bloody maw at her. The sound was deafening, causing her knees to buckle uncontrollably, as if she were about to kneel before the white tiger.

Ji Sisi couldn’t help but cover her ears. Her hairpin couldn’t withstand this pressure and took flight.

It was a beautiful, dark blue butterfly that circled around Ji Sisi, shedding countless powders that glowed with a blue fluorescence from its wings and enveloped Ji Sisi in the powder.

Protected by the Phantom Butterfly, Ji Sisi’s complexion improved significantly, and her bent knee straightened.

But the tiger’s roar continued to ring in her ears. Ji Sisi’s contract with the Phantom Butterfly wasn’t stable enough, and it wouldn’t last much longer.

Fortunately, Zhao Yu stopped his probing and smiled, saying, “Sit.”

A chair flew to Ji Sisi’s backside, and she quickly sat down. The moment she sat on the chair, Ji Sisi felt lighter, and all pressure vanished. The white tiger phantom behind Zhao Yu also disappeared.

The Phantom Butterfly transformed back into a hairpin and returned to Ji Sisi’s hair.

Zhao Yu said, “Your compatibility with the Phantom Butterfly is very high, and your rapport isn’t bad either. For the Phantom Butterfly to actively protect a Spiritbond Master in such a short time, there must be something about you that it likes? Using items to curry favor with spirit beasts is indeed a good method to strengthen the relationship, but it’s also a quick-fix approach that can lead to spirit beasts relying more on the item than they do on you. Once you’re unable to provide more items, your contract becomes precarious.

“When interacting with spirit beasts, what matters most is the soul. You must empathize and resonate emotionally with the spirit beast. Your soul must resonate with the spirit beast’s, and you must assist the spirit beast in adapting to the Heavenly Laws. Only then can you truly bond with the spirit beast and become a powerful Spiritbond Master.

“Don’t stray onto the wrong path.”

Ji Sisi did indeed use something to attract the Phantom Butterfly. She knew that Zhao Yu was teaching her, and this was their first practical lesson since arriving at the Records Department. But in her heart, she was somewhat unconvinced, only nodding in apparent compliance.

Zhao Yu saw through her reluctance and didn’t press further, continuing with roll call.

“Lian Gu, Dahuang Spiritbond Academy.”

“Here!” shouted the boy carrying a backpack.

As soon as he spoke, Lian Gu heard the tiger’s roar just like Ji Sisi did, saw the white tiger phantom, and felt an overwhelming pressure, instilling in him a desire to submit and kneel.

But unlike Ji Sisi, he didn’t resist. Instead, he removed his backpack and hugged it to his chest, curling his legs up and half-crouching on the ground.

Lian Gu seemed to be kneeling, but in reality, he was defending himself in a fetal position, the same posture a baby would adopt in the womb.

Yun Xiguang and the others could see a layer of transparent black turtle shell appear around him.

This layer of turtle shell gave off a heavy, indestructible feeling, staunchly resisting Zhao Yu’s assault.

After roughly a minute, Zhao Yu retracted his move, looking at Lian Gu with an approving gaze. “Black Tortoise, firm as a rock, solid as Mount Tai. Your soul is very compatible with the Black Tortoise, which will make your future path easier.”

Facing Zhao Yu’s praise, Lian Gu remained expressionless. He slowly got up, put his backpack on his back, and said nothing.

Zhao Yu thought for a moment and said, “Sometimes, having a soul attribute that’s too compatible with a spirit beast isn’t necessarily a good thing. Spirit beasts are ultimately not humans, and the rules they follow aren’t suitable for the current Heavenly Laws. Increasing compatibility between a Spiritbond Master and a spirit beast doesn’t mean you have to pander to the spirit beast. Besides borrowing strength from the spirit beast, we also serve as guides.

“Conveying our understanding of this world to the spirit beast is also one of a Spiritbond Master’s tasks.

“Remember, don’t let the spirit beast influence your personality.”

After saying this, Zhao Yu waved his hand, and a chair appeared behind Lian Gu.

Lian Gu thought for a moment, nodded, and slowly said, “…Th…an…ks…”

The two words took ten seconds to say, making Zhao Yu a little weary listening.

Without waiting for Lian Gu to slowly sit down, Zhao Yu called out the next name, “Xue Lan, Dongshan Spiritbond Academy.”

The girl with scales behind her ears stood up and said, “Here!”

The tiger’s roar sounded again, but layers upon layers of pale blue water ripples appeared around Xue Lan. The tiger’s roar collided with the water ripples, creating wave after wave of shadowy ripples.

After the performances of the first two interns, who didn’t know that Zhao Yu’s so-called roll call was actually a test and critique of the interns? Xue Lan was prepared and immediately blocked Zhao Yu’s attack.

The other two had passively resisted, expending not much energy. Xue Lan, however, actively confronted Zhao Yu, facing his full attack head-on.

In less than ten seconds, Xue Lan turned pale, her stamina failing. The pale blue water ripples around her turned into a tsunami and surged back toward her.

A towering wave crashed down on Xue Lan.

Xue Lan made a decisive move, bit her right index finger and smeared the blood on the scales behind her ear.

A golden fish tail slapped against the wave, shattering it.

But Xue Lan didn’t have the strength to fight anymore. Pale-faced, she fell backward.

Just as she was about to hit the ground, a chair appeared behind her, catching Xue Lan and allowing her to sit steadily on the chair.

The moment she sat on the chair, the tiger’s roar vanished, and the waves disappeared. Xue Lan felt lighter, collapsing in the chair.

Zhao Yu said, “Anticipating the enemy and striking preemptively, good; although your understanding of the spirit beast isn’t enough, you can use the blood pact to compensate for this deficiency, good; having the courage to confront the enemy head-on and knowing when to retreat when things go awry, strategic and not reckless, good.”

Zhao Yu repeated “good” three times, clearly very satisfied with Xue Lan’s performance.

Zhao Yu thought for a moment and said, “Your spirit beast should be a Dragonfish, similar to a dragon, similar to a fish, originally a creature of the pond, but once it leaps over the dragon gate, it transforms into a dragon. Dragon Fishes are spirit beasts with growth attributes. If given the right opportunity, there’s potential for them to evolve into spirit beasts. Treat it well and grow together with it.”

“Thank you, Teacher Zhao,” said Xue Lan, who had recovered.

From this battle with Zhao Yu, Xue Lan gained a lot and addressed Zhao Yu directly as her teacher.

Zhao Yu nodded in satisfaction and then looked at another student from the Youying Spiritbond Academy, the boy whose spirit beast Yun Xiguang couldn’t discern.

Zhao Yu sized up the boy for several minutes and slightly furrowed his brow. He, too, couldn’t seem to gauge this student’s depth.

After a brief moment of puzzlement, Zhao Yu picked up the list and cautiously called out, “Ruan Shu, Youying Spiritbond Academy.”

Ruan Shu was a scholarly-looking boy. He wore glasses and had a gentle demeanor. Hearing Zhao Yu’s call, he bowed like an ancient gentleman and said, “Your humble servant is here.”

Zhao Yu summoned the white tiger phantom and unleashed the tiger’s roar, but for some reason, both the white tiger and he felt an invisible pressure. The white tiger opened its mouth but made no sound.

It was as if an invisible force had blocked the white tiger’s voice.

Simultaneously, Ruan Shu gestured, and a chair appeared behind him. He said, “Thank you, Director Zhao,” and then sat calmly on the chair.

No one knew how he managed to block the white tiger’s attack.

Zhao Yu pondered for a long time but couldn’t figure out what Ruan Shu’s spirit beast was. He simply felt that this student was a bit sinister, making him feel somewhat uncomfortable.

Just as he was about to have the white tiger try again, a childish voice suddenly rang out in the office: “Pew?”

The voice was too cute and adorable, completely out of place in the current environment. Everyone involuntarily looked toward the source.

They saw the last student who hadn’t been called yet. A fluffy little head popped out of his pocket, curiously gazing around with black-bean eyes.

The bird seemed to have just woken up, its eyes a bit hazy, as if confused or searching for something.

Yun Xiguang was originally contemplating how to counter Zhao Yu’s move. This move was invisible to everyone except the student who answered “here.”

Those outside the situation only knew that Zhao Yu was testing the interns’ capabilities, but they didn’t know what methods he was using, making it impossible to prepare adequately.

Yun Xiguang’s knowledge of spirit beasts was extensive. After several rounds of confrontation, he guessed Zhao Yu’s move.

Zhao Yu’s spirit beast was likely a descendant of the White Tiger, not a divine beast but still possessed divine beast lineage, ranking above other spirit beasts.

One of the White Tiger descendant’s abilities was the Tiger Roars Mountains Shake, an innate authority bestowed upon it as the king of the forest.

Zhao Yu’s roll call was a form of locking. Responding to his call meant that the student was ready to receive the baptism of the king of beasts. Whether they submitted under the throne of the king or received the king’s hospitality depended entirely on the student’s performance.

Of course, Zhao Yu’s purpose was to test the students’ capabilities, not to genuinely attack them. He didn’t use his full strength, nor did he require actual submission. He just needed to know the interns’ strengths.

When he called out Xue Lan’s name, Yun Xiguang guessed Zhao Yu’s spirit beast and the ability he used, pondering how to counteract it.

Yun Xiguang was outwardly regarded as a useless Spiritbond Master without a spirit root. Resisting the “Tiger Roars Mountains Shake” would be a miracle. To hide his strength, Yun Xiguang’s best option was to kneel down, prompting a sigh from Zhao Yu. This would save time and effort while avoiding suffering.

He didn’t mind showing weakness, but if he didn’t resist, Little Spirit Bird might be injured by the tiger’s roar.

Zhao Yu’s attack was just a test, not a killing blow. A normal spirit beast could easily withstand it. But Little Spirit Bird was just an infant spirit beast, its wings so tender they seemed to break at a touch. How could it possibly withstand the “Tiger Roars Mountains Shake,” which was both a sonic and mental attack?

Yun Xiguang worried that Little Spirit Bird would suffer serious injury from this single attack. He needed to think of a way to block this wave of attacks.

Ruan Shu’s actions gave Yun Xiguang inspiration. He believed he could plug the White Tiger’s throat first.

To protect Little Spirit Bird, he had to prevent the White Tiger from making any noise.

The White Tiger’s compatibility with Zhao Yu was extremely high, clearly reaching the level of Beast Avatar. If Zhao Yu couldn’t make a sound, the White Tiger wouldn’t be able to roar either.

Spirit beasts hidden in the shadows were hard to attack, but Zhao Yu was the perfect target.

On Zhao Yu’s desk lay a box of cigarettes. His index and middle fingers were yellowed, indicating that he was a heavy smoker. This was Yun Xiguang’s chance.

He would ignite the box of cigarettes and manipulate the smoke to block Zhao Yu’s throat, preventing him from making any sounds for a minute, thereby blocking the White Tiger’s roar.

Yun Xiguang, who possessed Heavenly Fire, had no difficulty lighting the box of cigarettes. The challenge lay in controlling fire from a distance and using fire to control wind.

During his stay at Wu Ailang’s house these days, Yun Xiguang secretly familiarized himself with the use of Heavenly Fire. With no outsiders in the villa and Wu Ailang being naive, burning some things was attributed to him cooking for Snow Wolf, making it ideal for Yun Xiguang’s training.

Yun Xiguang could now proficiently rub Heavenly Fire between his fingers and use Heavenly Fire to control ordinary fire, igniting the gas stove remotely.

Fire also had levels. Currently, the highest level of fire in the world came from the sun beyond the heavens, the True Sun Fire, which nurtured all life on Earth. Next was Heavenly Fire, representing the Heavenly Laws, capable of burning everything in the world. Following that were various types of flames that different fire-type spirit beasts could use. These fires had various names and powers, more or less equal. The lowest level was the mundane fire used by people for cooking.

Higher-grade fire could control lower-grade fire. Yun Xiguang, who possessed Heavenly Fire, could theoretically control other fire-type spirit beasts as long as he had sufficient energy. However, in practice, it also depended on Yun Xiguang’s mental power and his body’s ability to withstand Heavenly Fire.

Although he couldn’t manipulate fire-type spirit beasts at present, mundane fire was at the bottom of the hierarchy of all fires. Any fire could control mundane fire.

Yun Xiguang could now skillfully light the cigarettes on Director Zhao’s desk.

In nature, wind was brought about by changes in temperature, meaning fire could summon wind. Yun Xiguang could manipulate wind to a certain extent, but he wasn’t proficient.

He needed to ignite the cigarette within one second of Director Zhao calling out his name and use wind to send the smoke into Zhao Yu’s mouth, blocking his throat.

This required tremendous control, posing a challenge to Yun Xiguang.

Yun Xiguang had long prepared, waiting until after Zhao Yu finished evaluating Ruan Shu and looked at the roll call list to make his move.

Unexpectedly, before Ruan Shu’s evaluation ended, Little Spirit Bird woke up for some reason and popped its head out.

Was it hungry? Yun Xiguang was distracted, recalling Little Spirit Bird’s breakfast.

In this moment of distraction, he missed the optimal opportunity.

Zhao Yu initially wanted to test Ruan Shu again, to determine what his intern’s spirit beast was and why it could silently neutralize the tiger’s roar’s power.

But the “pew” sound of Little Spirit Bird awakened his rationality. Each student received a tiger’s roar attack. Ruan Shu had already passed this stage, and attacking him again would be unfair.

They would be interning at the Records Department for a year, and there would be plenty of time to observe Ruan Shu later.

Zhao Yu reined in his thoughts. In the gap where Yun Xiguang was distracted, he called out to the roll call list, “Yun Xiguang, Zhuzhao Spiritbond Academy.”

Hearing the call, Yun Xiguang inwardly cursed, realizing he missed the best opportunity.

But it didn’t matter. Yun Xiguang knew that Zhao Yu’s attack was one-on-one. To avoid affecting other students, he wouldn’t attack unless someone responded. Yun Xiguang could delay saying “here” and wait until Zhao Yu grew impatient and repeated the roll call before making his move.

Just as Yun Xiguang made up his mind, the Little Spirit Bird in his pocket chirped again for some unknown reason.

Yun Xiguang tensed up inside.

Ruan Shu’s response was “Your humble servant is here,” which also triggered a one-on-one attack. This proved that regardless of whether they responded with “here” or something else, as long as they made a sound, they established a one-on-one channel.

Although he hadn’t responded, according to the contract, he and Little Spirit Bird were one. Since Little Spirit Bird chirped, it counted as his response.

The tiger’s roar attack was imminent.

But it didn’t matter. As long as the wind brought by ordinary fire was strong enough, it could disperse the tiger’s roar.

Yun Xiguang raised his hand, intending to create a wind wall in front of him to block Zhao Yu’s attack.

He could do it. Yun Xiguang secretly thought, straightening his chest.

What happened next caught both Yun Xiguang and Zhao Yu off guard.

There was no tiger’s roar, only a sound even more childish, cuter, and coquettish than “pew”: “Meow~~~.”

Yun Xiguang: “…”

Zhao Yu: “…”

Zhao Yu, the Spiritbond Master of the White Tiger, was even more surprised than Yun Xiguang. Unbelievably, he called out the name again, “Yun Xiguang, Zhuzhao Spiritbond Academy.”

“Here.” Yun Xiguang also responded in disbelief.

“Pew!” Little Spirit Bird chirped simultaneously with Yun Xiguang.

“Meow~~~”

This time, everyone in the office heard the cat’s meow.

They saw a white tiger, measuring three meters in length and 1.8 meters in shoulder height, with a “king” character tiger pattern on its forehead, emerge from behind Zhao Yu. It gracefully swayed its 1.5-meter-long tail and lay on the ground on its back, rolling around.

The room fell into a deathly silence, broken only by the White Tiger’s occasional cutesy cat calls.

Yun Xiguang glanced at Zhao Yu.

Zhao Yu’s expression was split, as if questioning his entire existence.

What had happened to the White Tiger? Why was it suddenly so fawning towards Yun Xiguang?

Yun Xiguang raised both hands and shook his head. “It’s not my fault. I didn’t do anything.”

At that moment, a silver-white giant wolf leaped through the office window, pushing the White Tiger aside with its rear end. Mimicking the White Tiger, it lay on the ground on its back, wriggling at Yun Xiguang.

A person sat on the windowsill, addressing Zhao Yu, “Director Zhao, I’m Wu Ailang from the Zhuzhao Spiritbond Academy. I’ve come to report to the Records Department!”

Zhao Yu stiffly looked at Wu Ailang. “You’re not assigned to our department.”

“I know!” Wu Ailang nodded. “But it doesn’t matter. Although I’m part of the field team, my heart is with the Records Department. Starting today, I’ll report to the Records Department every day. Our field team has relatively free movements anyway, ha-ha-ha-ha!”