Yuan Wu was a bit bewildered by Lin Yue's explosive outburst.
Why are you screaming so loud?! he complained internally. This woman was clearly blind—did she really think he was just some common R-card?
The irony of being labeled "trash" when he was actually a Divine-tier card capable of infinite evolution made him let out a short, dry chuckle. "Heh."
That single, soft note of mockery was the final straw. Lin Yue's composure shattered completely.
"A piece of R-rank garbage like you dares to laugh at me?!"
Her spiritual energy surged, making her gold-trimmed uniform robes flutter violently. Her gaze turned as sharp as a blade.
With a swift flick of her hand, Lin Yue didn't hesitate—she severed the soul connection with Yuan Wu. This was the fundamental bond between a Spirit-Master and a summoned character, the very lifeline that allowed a Spirit to exist in this world.
"You think you're worthy of a contract with me?"
"A waste like you is a drain on the world's energy just by existing!"
"You aren't even fit to be my footstool!"
"Do you understand?! Trash!"
Normally, even if a Spirit-Master was dissatisfied with a pull, they wouldn't terminate the connection immediately. They would sell the Spirit to someone else or trade it in at an official institution to recoup some of their losses.
But Lin Yue was beyond reason. She went straight for the kill.
Inside, Yuan Wu was actually laughing.
Hah, is this woman really so intent on dumping all her rage on me?
Since she had chosen to burn the bridge, he saw no reason to leave any planks behind.
"Whoa! Which mental asylum forgot to lock the gate and let you out to bite people?"
Yuan Wu didn't hold back, firing right back at her. "You think I wanted to be pulled by you? If I'd known it was a short-sighted, crazy woman like you, I'd have rather rotted in the gacha pool forever!"
Lin Yue froze. She never expected an R-rank card to have the nerve to talk back.
"You... you trash card! You stole my pity-break guarantee, and now you have the audacity to insult me?!"
Yuan Wu clicked his tongue, staring at her as if she were an idiot. "Your luck is so bad you could be the ancestral totem for the 'Unlucky Association.' You're just throwing a tantrum because people mocked you, so you're scapegoating me. Are you stupid?"
The crowd below exploded.
The students were floored. Usually, Spirits summoned from the pool were either dignified or stoically silent. No one had ever seen an R-card hit the ground and immediately engage in a high-intensity roasting session with their Master. It was a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.
"You... you, you, you..."
Lin Yue's finger trembled like she had Parkinson's. Aside from "trash" and "garbage," she couldn't squeeze out a coherent sentence, her face turning a deep shade of purple.
Yuan Wu dug into his ear impatiently. "Alright, alright, we get it. You've been announcing who you are for ten minutes now—we know you're 'Trash and Garbage.' No need to act like a broken record."
The crowd erupted into uncontrollable laughter.
Lin Yue's expression darkened as she realized she was being played for a fool. Refusing to be humiliated any further, she stomped her foot in fury, snatched up the rest of her summoned resources, and stormed off the dais. "Fine! An R-card is an R-card; you don't have a shred of dignity a Spirit should have. Just stay there and wait to be annihilated!"
As she left, Yuan Wu felt the spiritual energy in his body growing weaker. His brow furrowed—without a contract, he would vanish, which was equivalent to death.
But with an R-rank tag over his head, finding a willing partner was going to be nearly impossible.
He scanned the crowd. The young Spirit-Masters all looked at him with nothing but contempt and mockery; to them, he was just a joke.
Taking a deep breath, Yuan Wu realized he had to sell himself. "I'm no ordinary R-card. I'm a Hidden Character from the pool! Whoever contracts me is guaranteed a massive win. I'll carry you to the top, guaranteed!"
However, a tide of laughter washed over him:
"Pffft, hahaha! This R-card is too funny! 'Hidden Character'? Really?"
"I get it now. He's a new type of Spirit: The Comedian!"
"He'd actually be great for morale in a team—at least he keeps the atmosphere lively!"
"A trash R-spirit claiming he can carry? What, are you gonna make the monsters die of laughter?"
"You're just an R-card. Just fade away quietly. Who'd be the sucker that signs a contract with a dud?"
The mockery continued to swell in waves.
At the foot of the stage, Lin Yue crossed her arms and sneered, her eyes brimming with disdain. "Still acting tough at death's door? I'm going to stay right here and watch you turn into ash with my own eyes!"
She watched the youth on the stage with a leisurely cruelty, as if observing a stray creature about to be tossed into a trash compactor.
As the taunts echoed throughout the hall, a heavy weight settled in Yuan Wu's chest.
It's over...
These locals had absolutely no concept of what a "growth-potential stock" looked like! He was trapped in the classic, suffocating "trash-tier start" of a web novel, yet he couldn't even find a single person to sign a contract with.
Do these people not read novels in their spare time?!
Time ticked away, minute by agonizing minute. Within the Magic Cube Spirit-Master Academy, not a single soul stepped forward to claim this "useless R-card."
Yuan Wu's form began to flicker, turning translucent as his very existence started to leak away.
He let out a helpless sigh. Don't tell me I'm going to 'spawn and die' immediately after transmigrating? This is beyond pathetic!
He knew that the moment a contract was signed, he could instantly transform into an SSR, gain god-tier combat power, and defy the heavens from the very start! But right now, he wasn't even being given the chance to survive...
His eyes grew dim as the cold, mechanical voice of the Ever-Changing Power System whispered in his mind:
[Warning: Host, please find a contract target immediately to activate 'Ever-Changing Mode.' Failure to do so will result in total annihilation!]
At that moment, a commotion broke out below the stage.
"It's Fang Yuqing!" someone cried out in awe.
The crowd parted instinctively, carving out a path. Every eye was drawn to her like a magnet as the students scrambled to make way for the freshman class's top-ranked beauty.
"She's gorgeous... no wonder she claimed the #1 spot on the Magic Cube Beauty Rankings the moment she enrolled!"
"I heard her spiritual power is also the highest among the freshmen!"
"The Fang family of Magic Cube? That's no ordinary clan—they're a powerhouse capable of cultivating SR Spirits!"
"God... with those looks and that figure, if you told me she was an SSR character pulled from the pool, I'd believe you!"
"Is she here at the Pool of All Realms to pull a card too?"
"Goddess Fang only has one A-rank support-type Spirit right now—that white cat with blood-red eyes on her shoulder. As a freshman, she definitely still needs a primary combat Spirit!"
"Heaven help me... her aura is so strong it's hard to breathe."
Yuan Wu looked up, and with a single glance, his eyes locked onto the girl.
She stood in the center of the crowd like a beam of light fallen from the heavens. Her skin was so pale it was translucent, as if carved from frozen jade. Her tall, slender silhouette was perfectly proportioned; even under the loose, white-and-gold embroidered Spirit-Master robes, her "S-curve" figure was undeniable. Every step she took revealed a glimpse of long, porcelain-straight legs, her movements flowing like a piece of fine art.
Her face was exquisitely beautiful, with a hint of soft "baby fat" that added a touch of adorable charm to her regal features. Her large, clear eyes were bright and pure, holding the innocent bewilderment of a young fawn in the forest, yet tinged with a natural sense of distance—at once cold and deeply endearing.
On her shoulder, a snow-white cat with wings and blood-red eyes lay lazily, its tail flicking as if it were her exclusive guardian.
The whispers around her were constant:
"The way she walks... she looks like she stepped right out of a high-end illustration."
"Just standing there, she takes the breath away from every other student."
"I wonder... does anyone actually have the guts to try and contract her? Whoever pulls her would be the luckiest person alive."
Yuan Wu was secretly stunned. The visuals on this one are insane... she truly lives up to the legend of the Fang family goddess!
This unique blend of a "big sister" persona with a touch of cuteness was certainly a rare find.
Yuan Wu couldn't help but steal a few extra glances. If I'm about to kick the bucket, at least I got to see the top-tier beauty of this world first. Not a bad way to go.
Fang Yuqing's gaze swept across the summoning dais, eventually coming to rest on the youth in the T-shirt. Her pupils contracted ever so slightly.
From an angle hidden to everyone else, a golden light screen suddenly flickered into existence before her eyes—revealing the status panel of that very R-rank Spirit:
[True Name: Yuan Wu]
[Rank: R]
[Level: 1]
[Race: Human]
[Combat Power: 1 (Barely qualifies as a person)]
[Skills: None]
[Growth Potential: UR + MAX!]
[Hidden Attribute: Ever-Changing UR!]
[Contract Recommendation: ★★★★★]
[Notice: Super-invincible, ultra-rare hidden banner character! Host is STRONGLY advised to form a contract! Miss this, and you will regret it for a lifetime!!!]
Fang Yuqing's brow twitched. She was internally reeling: This seemingly useless R-card actually hides the potential of an "Ever-Changing UR"...?
On the surface, Fang Yuqing remained cold and detached, but internally, she was reeling. The shock hit her like a tidal wave.
Ever since she was a child, she had possessed a closely guarded secret: the ability to perceive the stats and potential of masterless Spirits, allowing her to judge their true worth.
Ever-Changing UR?!
The growth potential was off the charts, and the recommendation index was maxed out...
The data flickering before her eyes for this seemingly "trash-tier" R-rank Spirit was unlike anything she had ever seen in her life. Fang Yuqing's gaze narrowed as her mind raced to a single conclusion:
If I let this R-card go, it will be the greatest regret of my existence.
On the dais, the youth was now semi-transparent, his very essence leaking away as he waited for fate to decide his end.
She took a deep breath, her eyes hardening with resolve. She began to walk.
Fang Yuqing had made her choice—she had to contract this R-card!
Each step was crisp and decisive, leaving no room for hesitation. It was a silent declaration: to miss this opportunity would be to regret it for a lifetime!