Beast Taming: The Beginning of Hatching an Ancient Dragon

Chapter 2: Contract and Talent Awakening!

Why not try contracting this Ancient Dragon?

Li Chang’an searched through young Chang’an’s memories. It seemed there was no precedent for contracting an Ancient Dragon. Similarly, there was no mention of humans being unable to contract Ancient Dragons. At least, none of the numerous books in his father’s study said it was impossible.

Why not give it a try?

There are two major challenges in contracting a beast: compatibility and spiritual power.

In Eastern Glory Country, the standard unit for measuring spiritual power is called a “Fu,” named after the divine measuring talisman used to gauge spiritual energy. An average adult without specialized training has a spiritual power of 1 Fu. To construct a soul contract, one needs at least 5 Fu.

Young Chang’an attended Red Rock First High School, where students underwent a physical examination every semester. According to the latest report, young Chang’an’s spiritual power was 9.5 Fu.

Li Chang’an and young Chang’an shared the same soul, though their personalities differed. The personality from his past life had taken over the fragmented personality of this life, so constructing a soul contract was entirely possible.

The second challenge was compatibility. If the compatibility between a human and a beast exceeded 10%, the success rate of the contract was 20%. For every 10% increase in compatibility, the success rate also rose by 10%. Higher compatibility not only increased the success rate but also enhanced the benefits of nurturing the beast in the future.

For some reason, Li Chang’an felt that his compatibility with the little creature before him was not low—in fact, it might be very high. Was it because he had hatched it? Or something else?

Watching the kitten affectionately nuzzle against him, Li Chang’an gritted his teeth and picked up the clingy little creature. He looked into its large eyes and said, “I’m going to construct a soul contract. Don’t resist.”

The kitten seemed to understand his words. Its less-than-20-centimeter body obediently squatted in his hands. It let out an intelligent meow, “Meow~! (Okay!)”

Li Chang’an inexplicably sensed the kitten’s meaning, further confirming that his compatibility with this little creature was indeed high.

He then dug through his fragmented memories and retrieved the part where young Chang’an had practiced constructing soul contracts. After familiarizing himself with the process, Li Chang’an and the kitten sat facing each other on the room’s cartoon cat carpet.

Following his body’s instincts, Li Chang’an channeled his spiritual power and began constructing a complex contract formation in his mind space—the Star Engraving Formation.

This formation, derived from the exploration of ancient ruins, was the first choice for most beast tamers on Blue Star.

When the Star Engraving Formation in his mind space was fully formed, Li Chang’an suddenly opened his eyes and extended his index finger toward the kitten. The little creature cooperatively stretched out its soft paw and touched his finger.

The power of the Star Engraving Formation flowed through his finger into the kitten’s body.

The kitten tilted its head, as if it had just realized something. (￣?￣)

Li Chang’an waited for a while but received no feedback from the contract formation. A sense of unease crept into his heart. His spiritual power wouldn’t last much longer.

The kitten’s claws pressed slightly harder, piercing Li Chang’an’s index finger. A drop of blood, red as jade, flowed from the cat’s claw into its body.

Li Chang’an felt the strange sensation in his finger and his first thought was that he had been tricked by this adorable creature.

Almost immediately, his spiritual power began to dissipate. The Star Engraving Formation in his mind space flickered, becoming highly unstable.

In an instant, a dark red shadow emerged from Li Chang’an’s heart and stepped onto the Star Engraving Formation. The flickering formation stabilized instantly.

At the center of the formation, a star mark extended into a sharp starburst, solidifying completely.

The dark red shadow roared toward the sky, and Li Chang’an’s mind space was filled with a apocalyptic scene. Volcanoes erupted, the earth split, and countless flames from hell shot into the sky, burning the heavens. The scene ended with a planet turning to ash.

Thump~ Thump~ Thump!

Li Chang’an’s heart pounded like an ancient war drum. A sense of innate killing intent and indifference surged from within.

“What the hell is this emotion? Am I really this irritable?”

The culture ingrained in him from his past life in the Heavenly Dynasty, the virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness accumulated over five thousand years, along with the basic morals instilled by nine years of good education, gradually suppressed this inexplicable emotion.

By the time he fully suppressed it, the drumming of his heart reached its climax. A trace of ancient and noble aura flowed through the soul contract, affecting the kitten.

In that moment, the kitten’s eyes gained a spark of intelligence. The hidden pride in its noble bloodline was forever marked by the name Li Chang’an.

Li Chang’an opened his eyes, then collapsed. The last thing he saw was the kitten’s panicked expression and a familiar feeling.

“Damn, it’s a plant!”

It was a talent awakening!

A second talent awakening!

The kitten circled Li Chang’an’s fallen body a few times, then lifted its head to sense the soul contract with him. Realizing Li Chang’an was unharmed, it let out a human-like sigh of relief.

It smoothed the fur on the carpet with its paw, found a comfortable spot near Li Chang’an’s head, yawned, revealing its pink tongue, curled up into a ball, and quietly fell asleep.

Li Chang’an dreamed he was in a desert, caught in a sandstorm. Without a mask, his nose felt unbearably itchy. Just as he was about to sneeze, he woke up.

What greeted him was a small red cat covered in red scales.

Li Chang’an sat up abruptly, his heart pounding. He touched his chest.

Was he okay?

What about the contract?

Li Chang’an calmed himself and focused. A magnificent Star Engraving Formation floated in his mind space. At its center was a simple one-star mark, but the edges were adorned with intricate patterns that made him dizzy.

Did the successful Star Engraving Formation in the textbooks look like this?

Whatever, surviving was what mattered.

A belated surge of excitement filled his nerves.

I successfully contracted my first beast!

And it’s an Ancient Dragon!

The sense of unfamiliarity with this world that Li Chang’an had felt since waking up dissipated significantly. The feeling of being connected through the soul was indescribable—like finding a companion and water in a barren desert, bringing forth joy and relief.

Oh, right, there was also the suddenly awakened talent.

Li Chang’an suddenly remembered that he had awakened a talent before passing out. He immediately used the soul contract to check his status.

Race: Human

Strength Level: 0

Talents: Dexterity, Heart of the Ancient Dragon.].

Dexterity was the talent young Chang’an had awakened, while his own awakened talent was the Heart of the Ancient Dragon.

Seeing the description of the Heart of the Ancient Dragon, Li Chang’an finally understood why he had survived. With 100% compatibility, failure was impossible! And the sky-high affinity explained why the little creature was so affectionate toward him.

As for the other talent, he couldn’t find anything remarkable about it yet. It didn’t seem particularly important.

Oh, and there was also the little creature’s status panel.

After successfully contracting a beast, the soul contract could perfectly reflect most of the beast’s information, functioning like an all-seeing eye. Of course, this only applied to one’s own contracted beasts.