The scent of fresh grass mixed with damp earth was the first thing his consciousness grasped as it surfaced from the chaos. A few clear bird calls, coming from some unknown corner, pierced the vast silence.
He struggled to lift his heavy eyelids. Blinding light immediately flooded in, forcing him to close them again. After a few seconds to adjust, he tried once more, gradually acclimating to the outside brightness.
His vision was a blur of blue. The sky must be vast, a pale, washed-out shade of blue, with a few white masses floating in it—probably clouds. The sunlight felt warm and pleasant on his skin. But the problem was, everything looked like it was seen through a thick, wavering mist; outlines were fuzzy, details completely lost. He was nearsighted, and quite severely so. This unfamiliar blurriness faintly suggested that he probably needed glasses.
Instinctively, he sat up and groped around beside him. His fingertips touched something cold, smooth, and hard. A pair of glasses? He picked them up somewhat bewilderedly, his movements hesitant. The frames were metal, cool to the touch. Fumbling a little clumsily, he put them on his nose.
The world snapped into sharp focus!
The blurred patches of color instantly resolved into clear images: the boundless azure sky, fluffy white clouds like cotton, tender green blades of grass shimmering in the sunlight and swaying gently in the breeze, even the outline of a small, hopping insect in the distant grass became distinctly visible.
At the very moment his vision cleared—
*Ding!*
A crisp, pleasant, and unmistakably cheerful female voice, as if a play button had been pressed, sounded with perfect clarity directly in his mind!
"Congratulations, Host (15 years old), on successful system binding! I am Xi Wanxing! Your name is Lan Yuanchen! From now on, we are partners, pleased to meet you!" The voice was lively, like skipping musical notes, brimming with the enthusiasm of a first meeting.
Host? System? Xi Wanxing? Lan Yuanchen?
A series of unfamiliar words assaulted his newly cleared vision and still-blank mind. Host? Did that mean him, the one wearing the glasses? Lan Yuanchen... that sounded like a name. Was it his name? And who was Xi Wanxing? This presence speaking in his head?
He instinctively tried to delve deeper, to grasp the meaning behind the name "Lan Yuanchen," to recall anything related to "himself."
*Hiss—!*
A sharp, brain-splitting pain exploded without warning! It felt like countless icy needles were brutally driven into his temples, churning madly inside his skull. He gasped sharply, his body curling up uncontrollably, fingers digging fiercely into the soil beneath him. Cold sweat instantly soaked his temples.
Pain. Excruciating, recollection-blocking pain!
The momentary clarity and slight strangeness brought by Xi Wanxing's lively introduction were instantly drowned out by this violent headache. He could only helplessly endure the agony, waiting for the tearing sensation to recede slightly before, drained and even more bewildered, he stared blankly through the glasses that had brought clarity to his world at the vast blue sky.
Who am I? Lan Yuanchen? Does this name belong to me? Where did I come from? Why am I here? Why does even thinking about it cause unbearable pain?
Questions lay heavy on his heart like stones, with no answers to buoy them. The only things clear at this moment were the glasses on his nose that brought sight, the lively voice in his head calling itself "Xi Wanxing," and... a hollow name, "Lan Yuanchen," guarded by pain and devoid of meaning.
*Ding!* "Detection of host cognitive module activation~" Xi Wanxing's voice chimed in cheerfully. "Our mother is Lady Yue Yinshuang! Right now, we're in an super—awesome beast-taming world!"
She recited a string of information as if singing: "Beast Tamers are divided into seven ranks: Novice, Primary, Intermediate, Advanced, then Master, Legendary, and finally, Mythical! Each rank requires cultivating mental strength and contract slots~"
"Contract Beasts are even more exciting!" Her pitch suddenly rose. "Infancy, Growth, and Maturity are the basics. After that, at the Elite rank, they can be local bosses! Further up are Commander-grade, Monarch-grade, Emperor-grade, and the most powerful are the Mythical-grade!"
"There's also a bloodline system~" she lowered her voice mysteriously. "Common bloodlines can reach up to Elite rank at most, Rare bloodlines can reach Commander-grade. If you encounter an Ancient bloodline or a Divine Beast bloodline... wow! Those can grow into world-ending existences!"
Suddenly, her tone shifted, carrying a hint of smugness. "But don't worry, Host, with me here, I'll definitely help you find the best Contract Beast! Although... you're still a little newbie who isn't even a Novice yet~"
*Ding!* Xi Wanxing's voice was brimming with barely contained excitement, like a child who'd found a candy jar. "Initial status confirmation complete! Ta-da~ The Newcomer's Gift Pack has arrived! Host, host, do you want to open it now? Guaranteed surprises!"
Lan Yuanchen was still digesting the unfamiliar concept of a "beast-taming world." The lingering effects of the headache made him feel dizzy. Hearing "Newcomer's Gift Pack," he subconsciously responded to Xi Wanxing's tempting tone. "...Open?" His voice was hoarse and uncertain.
"Roger that! Congratulations to Host Lan Yuanchen for obtaining the newcomer exclusive reward—[Eyes of Myriad Origins]! Ta-da~" Xi Wanxing's announcement practically came with its own flashy sound effects.
"Eyes of Myriad Origins?" Lan Yuanchen repeated softly. The name sounded extraordinary. He subconsciously adjusted the glasses on his nose, as if the reward was related to them.
The moment the thought crossed his mind—
*Hum!*
An indescribable cool sensation, like the purest stream, seeped through the lenses of his glasses without warning and instantly flowed into his eyes! It wasn't harsh but exceptionally comfortable, as if a parched desert was being moistened by a clear spring. Even more marvelous was that the intense headache from trying to recall, which had clung like a persistent parasite, rapidly receded like a tide under the冲刷 of this coolness, leaving behind an unprecedented clarity and... a sense of expansiveness.
He blinked, looking at the world through the lenses.
The world was different!
No longer just simple blue sky, white clouds, green grass. The colors became incredibly vivid and layered, as if he had been looking at a faded photograph before. The veins on the blades of grass were visible in minute detail, the granular structure of the soil was clear, and tiny dust particles shimmering with different faint lights seemed to float in the air. He could even see the dense patterns on the wings of that hopping insect in the distance!
But this was just the beginning.
His gaze instinctively swept over a dense clump of dark green grass with serrated edges not far away. The moment his focus landed on it, lines of shimmering, semi-transparent text information, like watermarks, appeared directly superimposed on the clump of grass, clearly imprino make low-grade cutting tools or whetstones for certain Contract Beasts. Root system is developed, can reinforce soil in a small area.**
**[Value]: Low (Common Herbal/Material)**
Lan Yuanchen's breath hitched slightly. He could "see" the grass's information? This... this was the [Eyes of Myriad Origins]?
He swiftly turned his head, his gaze falling on a small, furry creature, resembling a large squirrel, rooting around in the grass further away, looking for roots. The little thing had brownish-yellow fur and a fl
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