Next was the Spirit Alchemy Division, veiled in swirling incense and the scent of crushed herbs. Its banner shimmered between silver and viridian, the emblem showing a serpent coiled around a flask. Students here carried pouches full of reagents, with some of them holding herbs or crystal vials glowing faintly. Their spirit beasts include frogs, butterflies, snakes, and small treants.

  The Enchantment Arts Division was nestled between the Spirit Engineering and Spirit Alchemy booths. Donning a purple banner lined with gold threads, bearing a stylized quill weaving a spell into a floating crystal, the people here wore robes etched with micro-runes and carried satchels full of blank papers. Spirit beasts ranged from gentle-eyed deer with glowing antlers to small floating golems etched with runic arrays.

  Beside the Scouting Arts Division booth stands the Trade and Commerce Division, with its orange and gold banner. Its emblem is a simple gold coin - the most direct emblem of them all. Lined are those who belong in trading families and conglomerates, with their spirit beasts - weasels, spirit frogs, and slimes.

  Lastly, near the edge, beside the Trade and Commerce booth, is the tent for the Support and Healing Division, beneath a calm sky-blue banner with an emblem of a hand outstretched beneath a blooming lotus. Few applicants lined up there, as support and healing spirit beasts are relatively rarer than combat beasts. Their beasts projected peace - feathered beasts, turtles, plants and fungi-type beasts.

  Each booth offered a glimpse into a different path.

  As Aston looked at these booths, his attention snapped to the ongoing line of Spirit Combat Division. A fiery, slicked-back hair and expensive clothes with a smirk plastered in his face. He found this kid familiar - this was his seatmate during the Spirit Awakening Ceremony, Tristan Graves.

  Aston’s eyes narrowed involuntarily as he took in Tristan’s demeanor. The boy was clearly more at ease than him, who felt the weight of the day’s events pressing down on him. Tristan’s posture screamed arrogance and confidence in the way he stood, as though he is expected to pass the trials effortlessly.

  Beside Tristan are two spirit beasts. One has a sleek, muscular cat with hairy tufts on its ears. Its black fur is spotted in a tinge of red. The other is a serpentine creature with bluish, iridescent scales being enveloped by a thick layer of water, as it floated quietly beside him.

  Instinctively, Aston sent an analysis request.

  —

  [Spirit Beast: Infernal Fang Cheetah]

  [Type: Bestial]

  [Attribute: Fire]

  [Genus: Acinonyx]

  [Rank: 2-star]

  [Potential: 8-star]

  [Description: A beast with ember-black fur and glowing crimson runes as its spots. Its paws ignite when it sprints and its breath leaves behind heat mirages.]

  [Skills:]

  [Flash Pounce: Rushes at a swift speed, burning and blinding its target.]

  [Next skill will be unlocked at 3-star]

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  [Passive Skills:]

  [Quick Speed: As a cheetah, the Infernal Fang Cheetah receives a boost in speed and agility as it grows in power.]

  [Innate Skills:]

  [Heat Veil: Distorts the air around it, making attacks harder to track. Also protects the beast from ice and cold attacks.]

  [Next skill will be unlocked at 5-star]

  —

  [Spirit Beast: Wave Crasher Serpent]

  [Type: Aquatic]

  [Attribute: Water]

  [Genus: Hydrophis]

  [Rank: 2-star]

  [Potential: Obsidian Core]

  [Description: A bluish-rainbow scaled serpent that lives underwater. It can adapt to life on land as quickly as its land counterparts. It can generate waves whenever it comes into contact with water.]

  [Skills:]

  [Spiral Torrent: Wraps enemies in a spinning column of pressurized water.]

  [Next skill will be unlocked at 3-star]

  [Passive Skills:]

  [Hydro Slithering: As a creature of water, the Wave Crasher Serpent receives its protection. Within water, it can slither fast like a released arrow in the air and mucus-like substance excreted from its skin makes it slippery, easily evading attacks.]

  [Innate Skills:]

  [Hydrokinesis: Can control water at will, oftentimes enveloping itself with water.]

  [Next skill will be unlocked at 5-star]

  —

  Aston could still remember Tristan’s words echoing as if its the first time hearing it during the Spirit Awakening Ceremony.

  “Hah! And here I thought you might amount to something. See? Guess some of us ARE really built differently.”

  He could almost feel Tristan’s smug gaze upon him. His derisive smirk as if Tristan is smirking at him. The memory clung to him like a shadow, dredging up feelings of inadequacy and doubt. For a brief moment, he found himself lost in it, like a weight pressing down on his chest.

  Did I really not amount to anything?

  But then he remembered. His change.

  He wasn’t the same person who had just undergone the Spirit Awakening Ceremony - someone who despaired in his clear potential. He was here. For himself.

  Aston blinked away. Tristan was undoubtedly a force to be reckoned with, but Aston reminded himself that he wasn’t there to compete with others, nor with Tristan, but to prove himself.

  With a clap to his cheeks, he focused himself and squared his shoulders. He turned away from Tristan and redirected his attention to the booth beside it: the Scouting Arts Division, with its dark green banner swaying gently in the breeze.

  This is where he belonged. Discounting Gray, his other beast, Mirage, was perfect for the job. As much as possible, he would not want to disclose Gray’s true potential and power. He’d likely tell anyone that it is just a pet cat spirit beast he contracted first. Gray was, first and foremost, a newborn spirit beast, and yet it already had an Emerald Core potential..

  I can do this.

  He made his way toward the Scouting Arts Division booth, weaving through the bustling crowd. The surrounding noise dimmed as he focused on the path ahead. Gray jumped onto his shoulder, numbly balancing as always, while Mirage is still hovering in the air above his head.

  As he joined at the back of the crowd, Mirage landed on his shoulders. One of the elders seated in the tent saw this and a tiny gleam in her eyes formed.

  As the line continued to move forward, Aston waited his turn in the line, occasionally scratching Gray’s ears and Mirage’s belly. It didn’t take long for his turn to come/ An attendant wearing a lightweight hooded cloak greeted him with a nod.

  “Registration for the Scouting Arts Division?” he asked, his sharp eyes scanning him up and down. Aston felt his gaze linger for just a moment before he offered him a quiet smile.

  Aston nodded.