The Ascension of Contracted Spirits

Chapter 17: Chapter 16: Guardian Ant's Crystal Bracelet _1

The Enforcement Team's Qian Biao spoke with a face void of expression, even more so than an average workhorse.

Finally, he shoved the ticket into Su Mei's hand, and the large white eagle flapped its wings, initiating the skill 'Hurricane'.

Within seconds, a wild wind swept through, clearing the debris of the collapsed wall, no longer obstructing the main path.

Qian Biao and Li Yan exchanged glances. One rode an eagle, and the other a bull; they both hastily came and went.

"Phew... That scared me. The Enforcement Team of the college is so icy. They seem even stricter than our instructors..."

Su Mei wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, her face already covered in dust, making her look like a clown.

Realizing her present state, she flushed, hurriedly wiping her face clean.

"My name is Su Mei. The 'Su' as in tassel, the 'Mei' as in plum blossom."

Su Mei's eyelashes were long; when she spoke carefully, it was hard to hide her worry:

"Are you really okay?"

"Should we go to the infirmary? I know a nurse there; I can handle the cost of any necessary examinations and treatments..."

"No, it's not necessary." Ye Hanjun shook his head.

"On the contrary, you, as a Knight, can't even control your own Fond Spirit. Isn't that the most pressing issue here?" Ye Hanjun hinted.

"Ah, how did you know I'm a 'Knight'..." Su Mei's face turned red again; she was so embarrassed that her head almost dropped to the ground:

"I don't know what's going on. Tuotuo is usually a bit naughty, but he's never been this disobedient."

"Today it nearly caused a huge catastrophe. If any classmate got severely injured because of me, I don't think I'll ever be able to sit still again..."

Ye Hanjun gently nodded, his gaze landed on the back of the pink ostrich:

"An ostrich is not an easy creature to ride."

"But look, it doesn't even have a custom saddle."

"And you are so young, I doubt you've been a Patron for more than a year."

"...Considering all factors, only if you are a 'Knight', with a passive ability of 'Riding Mastery', can you achieve this balance."

"You're all correct, you're amazing!"

Su Mei exclaimed, never expecting this thin and frail-looking man to have such sharp, ruthless, and precise judgment.

"As for losing control..."

Ye Hanjun pursed his lips, again comparing the data on the talent identification panel.

——

[Species Name]: Pink Ostrich

[Chaos Seal]: 'Savage'

[Main Study]: Dao of the body

[Rank]: Clay Body - Small Achievement

[Chaos Spirit Pattern]: 36 Patterns 'Rushing Around'

[Core Personality]: 'Vanity'

[Current State]: Excited

[Contractual Relationship]: Stable

"What did you feed it this morning, or last night?" Ye Hanjun asked suddenly.

"Let me think..." Su Mei recalled, counting on her fingers:

"Last night, I bought a lot of fruits and vegetables, including Big Head Pineapple, Black Snake Fruit, Golden Whisker Grass, White Apples, Sour Plums..."

"This morning, I prepared a bowl of meat soup for Tuotuo, but it didn't seem to have a good appetite and didn't finish it all..."

"I see." Ye Hanjun took a couple of steps forward, walking around the pink ostrich.

The ostrich stood tall and proud, its index legs stiffly upright, completely ignoring his presence.

But Ye Hanjun wanted to attempt using his ability related to the Instructor's role. He reached out to the ostrich's forehead while it lowered its head and spread its wings, rubbing it forcefully.

"Ah! Be careful!" Su Mei tried to stop him, but she was too late.

In her eyes, Tuotuo was a spirited child, never letting strangers touch it casually.

However, the result was unexpected.

When Ye Hanjun's somewhat pale and sickly hand touched Tuotuo's head, the ostrich merely blinked in surprise. It didn't react violently, but instead closed its wings and shut its eyes, showing a face of pure enjoyment.

"Are you a 'Breeder', or a 'Trainer'? You have such amazing affinity..."

Surprise after surprise came to Su Mei, she could barely hide her shock and blurt out the questions.

"Neither," Ye Hanjun did not respond directly.

Then he pondered upon the triggering condition of the passive ability he named "Soothing", while he articulated the conclusions based on the clues he's gathered so far:

"If I'm not wrong, your Pink Ostrich hasn't slept since yesterday."

"The cause of its abnormal excitement is likely related to the 'White Apple'."

"But a normal White Apple wouldn't have such extreme effects. I suspect the one the ostrich ate had started to rot slightly inside. If squeezed, it would release a milky sticky fluid..."

"I didn't notice that."

Su Mei furrowed her brows, uncertainly saying:

"But it seems true, after eating fruits and vegetables, Tuotuo's mouth was sticky, I even fetched a basin of hot water to wipe him clean..."

Ye Hanjun continued saying:

"Not only that, within one hour before and after eating white apple, Pink Ostrich must have consumed some other food with excessive energy."

"It might be spiritual medicine, or some kind of crystalline material from a Fond Spirit... Either way, these two things act as triggering conditions for each other, fermenting in the Pink Ostrich's body and producing an effect similar to an energy enhancement potion..."

"If you put it that way... That's right! Tuotuo has been eyeing my bracelet, could it have stolen and eaten the pearl beads on my bracelet?"

Su Mei suddenly woke up and quickly pulled up her sleeves.

Indeed, on the insect-fruited protective bracelet, there was a missing section, a rather obvious dent.

"That's it, Tuotuo, you really did eat it!"

Su Mei put her hands on her hips, her height of 1.65 meters just exceeded the knee bone of the Pink Ostrich.

But her momentum was greater, the larger Pink Ostrich seemed to realize that it was caught red-handed and just kept its head low, daring not to make a sound.

"This is an insect crystal of the Guardian Ant? When activated in danger, it will form a thin film-like shield."

"Even the Mud-cast fetus which is known for its attack power would need to put in some effort to easily destroy this magical tool..."

Ye Hanjun took a glance and spoke bluntly:

"It's not a big problem, the quantity it snuck and ate about matches the previous consumption."

"There's no need to do anything special when we go back, just drink plenty of water, clean the stomach and intestines, fast lightly for a day... It is indeed time to teach it a lesson. Sneaking food when the master is not paying attention, this is a serious problem that cannot be underestimated, it needs to be well educated..."

"Right! Yes! I get it! I will do as you taught me!"

Su Mei hurriedly opened the bag on her body, and surprisingly took out a palm-sized spirit cloth scroll, used her finger as a brush, and continuously guided the surge of soul power.

Ye Hanjun blinked in surprise.

"You are... taking notes?"

Su Mei blushed slightly and awkwardly explained:

"I am a bit slow and react slower than others, and don't have any special talents."

"My father always told me that hard work can make up for my lack of talent, so I developed the habit of carrying a notebook."

"Whether it's learning new knowledge or recording to-do items, this method works well. When I am free, I can review and remember to further consolidate the knowledge I have learned..."

As she introduced, Su Mei had a serious face, with bright, shining eyes.

Ye Hanjun found it more interesting the more he listened and looked at this girl for the first time in complete detail, showing more appreciation than expected.

"Good, with this kind of consciousness, your path of the knight can go far."

Ye Hanjun patted Su Mei on the shoulder, dusting some dust off for her, then left with one hand in his pocket, giving a wave with the other.

"My surname is Han, and my given name is Jun."

"I just came to the Canghai Pavilion not too long ago, unfamiliar with the area, and there is much to learn."

"Your Pink Ostrich doesn't seem to be far from the realm of the Mud-cast fetus. Keep up the good work. I have things to attend to. I am leaving first."

"Han Jun? What a special name..."

Su Mei was stunned for a moment, asking subconsciously:

"Classmate, what kind of courses do you usually take? Is there any overlap with 'Knight'?"

"You sure know a lot, can I ask for your advice on questions about breeding Pink Ostrich next time? If you don't mind, can I invite you for dinner to show my thanks?"

"I am not a student," Ye Hanjun said without looking back, growing distant.

"Not a student?" Su Mei blinked her brown eyes, her face was full of confusion, failing to understand the implication of Ye Hanjun's words.

"Could it be that he not a student of Canghai Pavilion, but a student from the neighboring Tianyafu Residence?"

After a while, Su Mei knocked on her head, feeling a bit troubled by her own timidness and fear.

Meeting an amazing person, and one who has helped her, she felt a sense of distance and did not dare to continue to interact at the first opportunity.

If she were to encounter a precious opportunity in the future, would she be hesitant and not dare to move forward?

Su Mei clenched her fists, pulled out the spirit cloth scroll again, and seriously wrote down two lines:

-- When encountering something unknown, be brave to ask! Only by taking the amazing people as examples for learning, will there be room for rapid progress!

-- Su, Su, don't be discouraged. Although you are a bit slower, you have been working hard. The sweetness comes after the bitterness, keep it up! Believe in yourself!

...

"She's not bad, quite special."

Ye Hanjun walked along the road with his hands behind his head, the blue sky and white clouds reflected in his eyes, mulling over the feeling he had just experienced.

To be honest, it wasn't a bad feeling.

Jia Pengpeng, Jiang Yongnian and the like, they have higher ranks than him. Speaking knowledge to them would not increase his position, which aligns with the laws of growth related to Patrons.

But Su Mei was different, she had awakened to the position of a Knight less than a year ago, the Pink Ostrich with which she contracted was reaching the Small Achievement of the Mud-cast fetus, she herself was a typical first-rank patron.

While explaining knowledge to her and analyzing the causes behind the abnormal state of the Pink Ostrich, it was very obvious that the related position of the Instructor was rapidly moving.

That meant that his main direction was completely correct.

Only by integrating into the role related to the mentor, and maintaining the teaching position for a long time, he can promote to the second rank at a faster speed, thereby achieving growth of his core strength.