C2 The Unknown Hidden Evolutionary Route.

"Data Panel."

Xie Yang eagerly scanned the information.

His Soul Strength was 0.8, consistent with the results from the school's standardized testing.

His physical attribute was 1.0, which was quite decent.

Considering he was a high school student who hadn't fully matured, having a physique on par with the average adult male was impressive.

His dedication to regular exercise had paid off.

Typically, he would need to form a contract with a pet. Only after passing the Beastmaster Association's evaluation and undergoing a baptism could he become an apprentice Beastmaster.

Currently, Xie Yang didn't even qualify as an apprentice.

"Soul Power is Soul Strength times 100, so mine is 80."

Xie Yang continued to peruse his data panel.

Upon reaching certain milestones, one could earn achievement points and rewards.

These points could be used to boost a pet's growth rate, unlock new skills, and enhance a Beastmaster's attributes.

"That's amazing!"

Xie Yang was thrilled.

Usually, if a Beastmaster wanted to improve their pet's strength, aside from feeding it rare and expensive materials, they had to follow a rigorous training regimen.

Feeding rare materials was cost-prohibitive, a luxury only the wealthiest could afford.

The majority of Beastmasters had no choice but to invest considerable time and effort into their pets' development.

If this Achievement System could expedite the pet's power increase, it would be a significant boon for him.

With this system, the dream of becoming a formidable Beastmaster was within reach.

With this thought, Xie Yang's excitement surged.

Once he regained his composure, he shifted his attention to Little Snowball beside him.

Little Snowball's attribute panel popped up.

Name: Little Snowball

Element: Ice

Rank: First Rank, First Layer

Growth Points: 23%

Skill: Frost Breathing

It could consume energy-rich items or engage in battle to advance its growth.

Once its Growth Points hit 100%, it would evolve, significantly boosting its strength.

Pets were categorized from the First Rank to the Ninth Rank based on their power.

Each Rank was further divided into layers, from the First Layer to the Ninth.

Undoubtedly, the First Layer was the lowest tier.

Just then, Xie Yang noticed two lines of text at the bottom of the panel.

The available evolutionary paths are as follows:

The first path is the Giant's Route. This evolution enhances close combat capabilities by bolstering the pet's physical constitution and strength while diminishing its control over ice elements. Little Snowball's next evolutionary form on this path is the Snow Monster, with the potential to reach as high as the fifth rank.

The second path is the Queen's Route. This evolution amplifies ice elemental powers and innate abilities, focusing on improving spellcasting while reducing close combat prowess. Little Snowball's subsequent form would be the Ice Crystal Soul, capable of ascending to the king level.

Xie Yang was astounded.

From what he knew, Little Snowball wasn't supposed to be capable of evolution. Otherwise, it wouldn't be categorized as a bottom-tier Level F pet.

"Could I have remembered it wrong?"

Xie Yang hastily pulled out his phone to check online.

Yet, all the information he found confirmed that Little Snowball was non-evolvable.

His memory was accurate.

"That means these are two uncharted Hidden Evolutionary Routes!"

Xie Yang couldn't help but inhale sharply.

The variety of pet beasts is vast.

To date, humans have identified less than 10% of all species.

The directions of pet evolution are even less understood.

It took humans hundreds of years to map out over a hundred thousand evolutionary paths, and still, countless routes remain undiscovered.

Each year, at least a thousand new evolutionary paths are unearthed.

Researching pet evolution is a lengthy and arduous journey.

Xie Yang had never imagined that the system would possess the capability to display a pet's evolutionary routes, seemingly all of them.

"This is incredibly powerful!"

After a moment's consideration, Xie Yang grasped the significance of this feature.

He could now select pets with immense evolutionary potential for contract signing.

He might just become an exceptional pet breeder.

"The system's features are astoundingly potent!"

Xie Yang was ecstatic.

Little Snowball, once thought to be merely an ornamental pet, actually harbored two hidden evolutionary routes.

Little Snowball had the potential to evolve to the king level!

By the standards of the Beastmaster Association, a pet with the capacity to reach king level is ranked as S!

The gap between Level F and Level S was like night and day.

Should this information get out, it would certainly take many by surprise.

Xie Yang was brimming with excitement. He wasted no time in examining the two evolutionary paths before him.

Giant's Route: The next evolutionary form is the Snow Monster. Requirements: 100% Growth Point, 10 lower-level Ice Element Essences, and 100 grams of Wild Horn Powder.

Queen's Route: The next evolutionary form is the Ice Crystal Soul. Requirements: 100% Growth Point, 20 lower-level Ice Element Essences, and one Soul Jade.

The criteria for the second route were clearly much more demanding than those of the first.

Without hesitation, Xie Yang opted for the Queen's Route.

This was, after all, the path that led to a king-level pet!

In Lakeshell, beastmasters with king-level pets were a rare breed.

"Now, I need to figure out how to evolve Little Snowball," he mused.

Relief washed over Xie Yang.

At last, he had found a solution to the problem that had long troubled him.

The dream of attending the Beastmaster Academy was no longer out of reach.

"The college entrance exam is on the 13th of next month. Before then, I need to secure my apprentice beastmaster qualification certificate."

The commonwealth's regulations stipulated that all students aspiring to join the Beastmaster Academy had to pass the Beastmaster Association's exam and become apprentice beastmasters.

This rule weeded out those students who didn't meet the criteria yet clung to a hope of getting lucky.

Following the prompts, Xie Yang located his achievement list.

His achievements were few.

Contracting his first pet would earn him 100 achievement points and a Soul Crystal.

Passing the apprentice beastmaster exam and completing the initial baptism would net him 200 achievement points, a Soul Crystal, and a Physique-improving Crystal.

Securing an acceptance letter from any Beastmaster Academy would reward him with 300 achievement points, a Soul Crystal, and a Physique-improving Crystal.

Xie Yang immediately claimed the reward for his first achievement.

He gained 100 achievement points and a Soul Crystal.

In a flash, Xie Yang's hand held a silver object, the size of a dragon's eye.

Soul Crystal: An extraordinary crystal imbued with soul power. Once fused with the user, it can enhance the user's Soul Strength. The extent of the enhancement varies with the user's existing Soul Strength.

Xie Yang wasted no time in utilizing the Soul Crystal.

In a mere moment, the Soul Crystal melded into his body, seeping through his pores.

A sense of clarity and invigoration washed over Xie Yang.

His Soul Strength had now reached 1.8.