5: Chapter 5 Mental Power Cultivation

"The Life and Death Contract has concluded, but the so-called feedback... isn't very obvious. Is it because Dahei is only level six and hasn't reached level eleven to complete the evolution and undergo a qualitative change?"

Having exercised every day, Qin Ding was very familiar with his own body, so he clenched his fist and swung it.

The feedback Dahei gave him... had probably increased his strength by ten percent?

Realizing this, Qin Ding couldn't help but gasp.

Inferior aptitude, truly terrifying.

He didn't notice Dahei, who was shaking its head to the side as if it were tipsy, but one couldn't blame Qin Ding; Dahei's condition only lasted a few seconds before it returned to normal.

It looked at the wound on its paw that had already stopped bleeding, a glimmer of humanity in its dog eyes as it looked at Qin Ding with a hint of grievance.

"Woof woof."

[Boss, can you stop being so scary every day? Wouldn't it be fine to just talk to me like you did just now?]

Qin Ding: ?

Qin Ding, who had understood the dog's language, was dazed for a moment before calming down, because this was also one of the advantages of the Life and Death Contract. A normal Beast Tamer would need their beast to reach level eleven and their own Mental Energy to reach Tier 2 Mental Power to understand what a beast was saying.

Dahei noticed that Qin Ding wasn't speaking and was staring straight at it, which inexplicably made it feel a bit uneasy. The slight grievance in its eyes turned into a hint of panic.

"Woof?"

[Boss, why are you looking at me like that? I'm scared.]

"Scared? What's there to be scared of? If I wanted to eat you, why would I have spent so much money raising you to this size?"

Qin Ding retorted subconsciously and gave Dahei a frustrated pat, "The Federation only gives me a two-thousand subsidy a month, and I still have to support you. I haven't saved a single cent."

Instantly, Dahei seemed to have discovered something incredible, its dog eyes filled with a hint of human-like shock as it took two steps back.

Big Brother... he understood what I said?

Big Brother finally understood what I said?!

Is it that my unwavering companionship over these past six years has finally made Big Brother realize the fact that he is also a dog?!

For some reason, looking at the watery glimmer of shock and emotion in Dahei's eyes, Qin Ding felt creeped out and uncomfortable.

But Qin Ding didn't dwell on this matter too much; he patted Dahei on the head, stood up, and walked toward his room.

"It's getting late, I'm going to cultivate. Do whatever you want, just remember not to howl."

Watching Qin Ding's figure return to the bedroom, Dahei lay in its dog bed, its eyes full of human-like emotion, giving off the strong impression of an old father who had raised his child.

In the bedroom.

Qin Ding opened the window, looked up at the moon in the sky, then sat cross-legged by the bed and began to cultivate his Mental Energy according to the method of the Day and Night Cultivation Technique.

The Day and Night Cultivation Technique was issued by the Federation's top brass one year after the Spirit Realm appeared, which was five years ago, replacing the most basic Mental Energy cultivation technique.

The purpose was to allow more Beast Tamers to appear among the Federation's people.

As for why they did this, it was undoubtedly to counter the Spirit Realm; this was the only possibility. The existence of the Spirit Realm even seriously threatened the Federation's status and human safety.

Otherwise, who would be willing to distribute such a top-tier cultivation technique?

Distracting thoughts began to clear, and Qin Ding's mind slowly entered a state of 'emptiness', with a faint white glow radiating from his body. Anyone at Tier 5 or above would be able to see that Qin Ding had entered a state known as Unity of Heaven and Man.

In this state, the speed of Mental Energy cultivation would increase significantly, which was also the main reason why Qin Ding was able to reach Tier 1 Mental Energy in a month and a half; being a twin was merely secondary.

Moreover, the improvement of Mental Energy was not just for contracting spirit beasts; different tiers of Mental Energy corresponded to different abilities. For example, with the Master-Servant Contract, Tier 1 Mental Energy could be used to make a contract, while Tier 2 Mental Power allowed for communication with the beast, issuing remote commands, and so on.

However, the power of the Life and Death Contract allowed Qin Ding, at Tier 1, to already possess the abilities of a normal Tier 2 Beast Tamer.

When Mental Energy reaches Tier 3, one can contract a second spirit beast; at Tier 5, a third; at Tier 7, a fourth; and at Tier 9, a fifth.

As for whether one can contract a sixth at Tier 10?

No one knows. Even the first Tier 10 First Emperor in history did not have it clearly recorded how many beasts he had.

The night passed in the blink of an eye.

The cool breeze of early morning blew through the window and woke Qin Ding.

"Is it past seven?"

Opening his eyes to check the time, Qin Ding, who had cultivated all night, didn't feel the slightest bit of fatigue; on the contrary, he felt refreshed. This was the benefit of cultivating Mental Energy—even cultivating for an entire night would not make one feel the least bit tired.

Normal people usually only cultivate for a few hours at night before sleeping, and spend more time cultivating during the day, but he was an outlier.

After washing up, Qin Ding grabbed some bread and headed out, taking a look at Dahei, who was still fast asleep in its dog bed, before leaving.

As for Bai Muxue?

She usually went to school to read as soon as it was light; she was probably already sitting in the classroom by now. They only returned together, not went together.

Ten-plus minutes later, at Changcheng No. 11 High School, Qin Ding returned to the classroom just as the eight o'clock class time was about to start. As soon as he walked in, he found Bai Muxue reading a book as thick as a human head.

Uh... such a thick book, as hardworking and ambitious as always.

A few minutes later, Wang Chunfa walked into the classroom. Unlike yesterday when he was empty-handed, today he was holding three textbooks: Mathematics, Chinese, and History.

Yes, that's right, Wang Chunfa was not only their homeroom teacher but also their teacher for these three subjects. Carrying three books into the classroom, it was clear that the lessons to be learned this morning were these three.

They were all his classes.

With his mind full of spirit beasts, becoming stronger, and finding his parents, Qin Ding was undoubtedly unable to muster any interest in these traditional courses.

In other words, a top-tier academic underachiever.

As for the courses for Beast Tamers, he would have to wait six days until Wang Chunfa submitted the list and re-sorted the classes. He just didn't know if Bai Muxue would choose the academic path or, like him, choose to focus on Beast Taming.

With this thought, Qin Ding couldn't help but look at Bai Muxue, who was listening attentively. As if sensing something, Bai Muxue in the front row turned her head slightly and also glanced at Qin Ding.

Wang Chunfa: ...

Sitting in the front row and turning around, do you think I'm blind...

Forget it. There are two top students in the class, one academic and one martial, and they are childhood sweethearts. As long as they don't affect the others, they can do whatever they want.

Facts proved that excellent people would receive different treatment wherever they were. For instance, right now, even though Wang Chunfa knew there was an issue, he had no intention of interfering.

More importantly, these two hadn't just been like this for a day or two, and he hadn't seen it affect their studies.

The morning passed quickly. Qin Ding stood up, glanced at Bai Muxue who was still reading, and headed toward the school cafeteria first.

Well, the school cafeteria was open to senior students for free, which to a certain extent reduced the expenses for the students' families.

"Qin Ding? The 'Martial Champion' of our No. 11 High School?"

A few people standing at the cafeteria entrance were looking at Qin Ding, who was getting food at the counter, and saying something.