C3 The Evolution Route of the Greyhound!

After slipping the Familiar Book back into his pocket, Lin Yi nonchalantly stashed his student card in his jeans. The card had served its purpose; it was a one-time ticket for each person to select a single Familiar Egg. But that was quite the perk considering it was complimentary. Even a Familiar Egg of common quality could fetch tens of thousands in the market.

With about half an hour to spare, Lin Yi set off on another leisurely stroll, his keen eyes sweeping over the area. A quick survey revealed that about 80% of the myriad Familiar Eggs were of common quality, with the remainder being elite. There were only about seven of the perfect quality, like the one Lin Yi had snagged, and none stronger.

"The strongest one is right here with me!" he thought, smirking to himself.

"Hey! Yi! Over here!" Nuo Juan's call snapped Lin Yi out of his reverie.

"Coming!" Lin Yi answered, sauntering over with ease.

"What do you think about this one?" Nuo Juan inquired, gesturing toward a dusky brown Familiar Egg.

"This is..."

Name: Rock Split Lizard

Species: Repenomamus

Attribute: Rock

Level: Early Bronze Period

Status: Awaiting Incubation!

Quality: Perfect

Potential: Four Stars

Skills: Rock Ball, Bite, Sharp Claw

Evolution Route: One (Not yet satisfied), Two (Not yet satisfied), Three (Not yet satisfied)

Introduction: An exceptionally formidable close-combat Familiar. Its mouth teems with bacteria, so it's best to avoid its bite, or else...

Lin Yi paused for a moment, impressed by the attributes. It seemed slightly superior to the Mutant Water Snake he had previously chosen. If not for his own hidden bloodline, he might have opted for this Rock Split Lizard.

"It appears to be a variant of the Jungle Lizard, likely an advanced rock type from the earth category," Lin Yi mused, touching his nose thoughtfully. "This seems to be a positive mutation. If it appeals to you, go ahead and pick this one."

Lin Yi fibbed once more, as he couldn't very well reveal it was a Rock Split Lizard.

This type of mutation is likely something you'd only learn about in university.

"Hehe, I knew Yi would like the one I picked out," the little girl said, bouncing with joy.

"Then that's the one I'll choose."

"Beep! Ma'am, please secure your Familiar Egg!" chimed the familiar synthesized female voice.

As before, Nuo Juan's Familiar Book flipped through its pages rapidly.

Words began to appear on the page.

Image (an earthy yellow Familiar Egg)

Name: Unnamed

Level: Bronze Three, early period

Status: Incubating...

"Bronze... Bronze stage!" Nuo Juan exclaimed with a look of delight upon seeing the inscription. "It has a level even before hatching!"

Usually, a familiar without hatching wouldn't have a level.

"Congratulations! Congratulations!" Lin Yi said with a beaming smile, offering his felicitations.

This girl's luck was truly extraordinary. The first one she picked seemed to be of perfect quality.

Lin Yi suddenly recalled this with amazement.

A one in seven-thousand chance, and you've snagged two?

Wow! You must be blessed by fortune!

From now on, we're counting on you for all our raffles!

...

Before long, Lin Yi and his companions were sent back.

Lin Yi took one last look and noticed that besides Nuo Juan's egg, another perfect quality Familiar Egg had been selected.

Who else could be so fortunate?

But one thing was for sure, it wasn't fatty and his friends.

They were just here for fun. As fatty put it: I've already got a high-quality familiar; the common ones here don't interest me.

Ah! Even if it's free, I don't want it! It's all about the fun!

"I'm home," Lin Yi announced wearily as he opened the door.

"Woof! Woof!" A grey-furred rural dog greeted him at his feet, wagging its short, stout tail enthusiastically.

Lin Yi glanced at the little dog and decided to give it a quick scan with the detecting system.

Name: Greyhound

Species: Quadruped

Attribute: Earth

Level: Bronze Two, early period

Status: Healthy, Excited

Quality: Elite

Potential: Three stars

Skills: Claw, Run

Evolution Route: 1. Normal Evolution: Hound... 2. Reversion Evolution: Grey Wolf... 3. Mutated Evolution: Fire Fang Hound... 4. Epic Evolution: Demon Dog...

Introduction: A common degenerate of the forest wolves, this creature exhibits extreme loyalty to humans. Its natural talent is average, but it boasts a chaotic bloodline with a multitude of potential evolutionary paths. It comes highly recommended for training.

"Hiss!"

Lin Yi was taken aback after reading the puppy's profile.

In contrast to the unhatched Familiar Eggs, the status bar now included an emotion indicator, and its evolution route was clearly outlined.

He gently tapped the "…" symbol.

One, common evolution: Running Dog

Materials: One earth spar, one wind spar, three drops of Wind Chasing Wolf lifeblood, and a section of a seventy-two-year-old climbing vine.

Introduction: The greyhound's most common evolutionary form, known for its abundant energy and exceptional running abilities.

Wow, that's incredibly detailed! Everyone is quite familiar with the greyhound's typical evolution, but even though the materials required are similar, they're not usually listed with such precision.

After pondering for a moment, Lin Yi squatted down and stroked the puppy's back, which enthusiastically rubbed against his hand. "Tiny, you're such a good boy!"

"Dinner's ready!" Lin's mother called out from the living room.

"Oh! Coming!"

...

"Hey, my dear son, how's it going?" Lin's mother inquired at the dinner table.

"Not bad," Lin Yi replied, shoveling rice into his mouth.

"Bro! Are you sure about this? Don't end up raising a dud," Lin Wushuang teased mercilessly.

Unlike Lin Yi, Lin Wushuang was only two grades below him but already ranked among the top students in her first year.

"There are no worthless Familiars, only worthless tamers."

"Keep dreaming," Lin Wushuang scoffed, rolling her eyes. She knew all too well the caliber of her brother.

Confronted by Lin Wushuang, who was just two years his junior, Lin Yi had no comeback. He simply focused on picking at his food and eating his rice. "Hey, where's Dad? Haven't seen him around."

As Lin Yi spoke, Lin's mother, who had been all smiles, suddenly trembled slightly with her chopstick-gripping hand.

"Dad? I think he went over to a comrade's place," Lin Wushuang responded.

"Yes!"

After finishing his meal, Lin Yi lay on his bed.

Bored, he kept flipping through the auxiliary system he had acquired earlier that day. Staring at the three grayed-out interfaces, he could do nothing but heave a sigh of resignation.

The fact that the detecting system was unusable made sense; after all, there weren't any wild Familiars in the vicinity of his home.

But why were the lottery and exchange interfaces also grayed out? Ah, this is just my luck...

I just can't seem to catch a break...

And the Familiar Egg wouldn't hatch for another two days.

"Forget it! I might as well get some rest..."

With nothing else to do, Lin Yi simply closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep...