Good news: He had transmigrated into a game world centered around Beast Taming.
Bad news: He wasn't a lore enthusiast.
Li Cunxu was filled with regret!
If only he had taken the time to patiently go through the game's storyline instead of skipping it.
Thinking about the hidden opportunities in the plot that had slipped away, his remorse deepened.
The regret on Li Cunxu's face stood out starkly against the lively and excited atmosphere of the classroom, catching the attention of his deskmate.
Chen Lu poked Li Cunxu's arm with her finger and asked with concern:
"What's wrong? Did something happen?"
"It's nothing."
Li Cunxu belatedly turned to look at his deskmate, Chen Lu.
She was the kind of beautiful girl you'd only see in anime.
Her eyes sparkled like the brightest stars in the night sky, radiating liveliness and energy. She was like a carefree fawn in the forest, full of vitality and vigor.
On the first day of school, was it normal for a beautiful girl like her to be so familiar with him?
Li Cunxu's suspicious nature kicked in.
Noticing his confusion, Chen Lu softly explained, "I know you. I've seen you in photos. My cousin, Chen Xi, told me we're in the same class and asked me to look out for you."
Chen Xi, his adoptive sister, had lived with his family when they were young. Later, she awakened a rare bloodline talent, skyrocketing her to fame as a prodigy. She was swiftly taken back by the Molan Chen family and made a core member.
He thought their connection had been severed, but it seemed Chen Xi still cared about him.
A warm feeling spread through Li Cunxu's heart, but it didn't last long before he began to frown again.
A question concerning his life and death.
How did the original body die?
The original body's death had been sudden and inexplicable.
His soul had merged seamlessly with the original body's soul, as if they were two parallel versions of himself, blending together without any resistance, as if they were always meant to be one.
He possessed all of the original body's memories.
Yet, in those memories, there was no clue about his death.
It had been an ordinary morning. He had suddenly felt drowsy, dozed off at his desk, and then abruptly died.
Chen Lu's small hand poked Li Cunxu's wrist again.
"Don't be upset. Today is the long-awaited Awakening Day. Be happy, and good luck will come your way."
Awakening Day was a unique festival in the Divine Beast Taming World. On this day, sixteen-year-old boys and girls would touch the Talent Awakening Stone to awaken their innate talents.
Only by awakening a talent could one decide whether to become a Beast Tamer or a Breeder.
From the desk behind him, Li Gou'er kept muttering, "Beast Tamer talent, Beast Tamer talent. I want to awaken a Beast Tamer talent, not a Breeder talent."
Awakened talents were generally divided into two types: Beast Tamer talents and Breeder talents.
Many people hoped to awaken a Beast Tamer talent rather than a Breeder talent.
Breeders made a lot of money, and an excellent Breeder never lacked wealth, but people still preferred to become Beast Tamers.
Breeders earned their money steadily, while Beast Tamers ventured out to explore and claim resources, essentially "grabbing" money.
Grabbing money was more appealing than earning it.
Due to the demands of war, society favored Beast Tamers, and many people idolized them.
Li Cunxu's expectations weren't high. Whether it was a Beast Tamer talent or a Breeder talent, as long as he awakened something, it would be fine. The worst outcome would be awakening nothing at all.
Talent Awakening, besides awakening the talents of a Beast Tamer or a Breeder, there is also the possibility that one's talent does not awaken at all.
Even without awakening a talent, one can still become a Beast Tamer. However, those who do not awaken a talent cannot enjoy the resource support policies of the alliance and will be looked down upon wherever they go.
The homeroom teacher, Cao Xianzhu, walked into the classroom holding a stone that emitted a rainbow-colored light.
Instantly, the classroom fell silent, and everyone's eyes were fixed on the Talent Awakening Stone.
Cao Xianzhu spoke up, "Now we will begin the Talent Awakening. Please remain quiet and proceed in an orderly manner."
"Report truthfully what type of talent you have awakened. As for the specific talent, you can choose whether to disclose it or not. My suggestion is to consider carefully, and it's best not to reveal it to avoid leaking information and being targeted by malicious individuals."
"Number one, Xiang Bai, come up to the stage."
A boy with an exceptionally robust build stood up.
Li Cunxu thought to himself, "The surname Xiang, he must be from the Double Pupils Xiang family."
Li Cunxu's city was Pupil City.
Pupil City, one of the ten holy cities of humanity, was also the capital of Pupil Technique bloodlines, boasting the highest number of individuals with Pupil Technique bloodlines.
The Double Pupils Xiang family was one of the ten great Pupil Technique families in Pupil City.
Li Cunxu also had Pupil Technique bloodlines; his mother was from the Molan Chen family, and his father was from the Sacred Lotus Li family.
Li Cunxu hoped to awaken the Sacred Lotus Eye bloodline talent of the Sacred Lotus Li family, but he didn't hold high expectations. The purer the bloodline, the greater the probability of awakening. According to Father Li, their family was a branch of a branch within the Sacred Lotus Li family, so the probability of awakening the Sacred Lotus Eye bloodline talent existed, but it was extremely slim, akin to winning the lottery.
Don't set your expectations too high.
The greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
The smaller the expectation, the smaller the disappointment.
Without expectation, there is no disappointment.
Xiang Bai stepped onto the stage and touched the Talent Awakening Stone. In an instant, the stone lit up with a blue light.
Cao Xianzhu's lips curled up, unable to suppress his smile.
A great start!
The first one to awaken a rare blue talent.
Talents were divided into five levels: White Common, Green Elite, Blue Rare, Purple Epic, and Golden Legendary.
For ordinary people, awakening an Elite-level talent was already quite good.
Cao Xianzhu eagerly asked, "Is it a Beast Tamer talent or a Breeder talent?"
Xiang Bai's arm veins bulged as he lifted the podium desk.
"It's the Beast Tamer talent [Monstrous Strength]."
[Monstrous Strength, Blue Rare, Beast Tamer talent, grants the Beast Tamer and their contracted beast monstrous strength.]
Cao Xianzhu's smile widened, almost splitting his face. Monstrous Strength, a power-type talent, was highly practical in battles.
Despite awakening the Monstrous Strength talent, Xiang Bai was not happy. He had not awakened his bloodline talent [Double Pupils].
Bloodline talents and normal talents did not conflict; they could coexist.
If Xiang Bai had also awakened his bloodline talent, he would have possessed both [Monstrous Strength] and [Double Pupils], making his path as a Beast Tamer smooth and unobstructed as long as he remained diligent.
There were three ways to awaken a bloodline talent.
First: Innate Awakening, where the bloodline talent awakens at birth. These individuals have extremely pure bloodlines.
Second: Self-Awakening, where the bloodline talent naturally awakens as one grows. The probability of self-awakening is highest before the age of sixteen. The bloodline purity of these individuals is not as high as the former, but it is still good.
Third: Stimulation by the Talent Awakening Stone. Touching the Talent Awakening Stone has a small probability of awakening a bloodline talent.
Xiang Bai failed to awaken a bloodline talent this time when he touched the Talent Awakening Stone, and it's highly unlikely he will awaken one in the future.
[Double Pupils] is a purple epic-level talent, one tier higher than Monstrous Strength. Failing to awaken it, Xiang Bai couldn't possibly be happy.
"Number two, Wu Wei, step onto the stage."
Here's a brief introduction to Li Cunxu's experiences before he transmigrated.
He was paralyzed for a year after being hit by a car. A year later, the virtual reality game "Divine Realm" was released, and he played it for forty years.
For the first twenty years, "Divine Realm" was incredibly glorious.
In the latter twenty years, as other
virtual reality games emerged, the player base of "Divine Realm" dwindled significantly. Since the old game pods were incompatible with other virtual reality games, Li Cunxu played "Divine Realm" alone for twenty years.
(End of Chapter)