Chapter Two: The Twinborn Plant System
As the surge of energy burst out from Kuangchi’s body, a dark beam flashed, and before him appeared two vine-like plants, each about half a meter tall. The moment these two plants manifested, the startled cries of his parents rang out. Kuangchi himself had no idea why his parents were so shocked, but as he gazed at the strange pair before him, he found himself unable to smile. Though similar in height, the two plants were vastly different in appearance and color—one was entirely black, the other entirely green. Yet both bore at their tops a fist-sized red blossom; the green plant’s was a vivid crimson, while the black one’s was a deep blood-red.
The green plant extended three not particularly long tendrils, each about the thickness of a pinky finger, bristling with fine, sharp thorns. The black plant, on the other hand, was coated with a strange liquid, from which a faint, pungent odor emanated.
Then Kuangchi’s father, astonished, muttered to himself, “Good heavens, a twin-born Divine Martial Beast of the plant type! Darling, are we dreaming?”
His mother, snapping back to her senses, looked at the bizarre plants and said, “Though they’re twins, I wonder if these two have any special abilities. Plant-type Divine Martial Beasts always possess some unique powers, but their strengths can vary greatly.”
At this, Kuangchi’s father suddenly remarked, “Didn’t you say you didn’t want our son to have an overly powerful Divine Martial Beast? Why are you so concerned now?”
But before he could finish, a droplet of the liquid slowly oozed from the black plant and dripped onto the floor. With a faint hiss, wisps of smoke rose, and the three of them stood frozen, mouths agape.
Where the droplet fell, a pit nearly a meter wide and several inches deep appeared.
Only after a long moment did Kuangchi’s parents regain their composure. His father, seeing several more drops about to fall, cried out in alarm, “Son, quickly, put that black one away!”
Kuangchi snapped out of his daze and, with a wave of his hand, a flash of black light swept out. The black plant dissolved into energy and returned to his body, leaving only the green vine behind.
After some time, Kuangchi’s mother finally looked at his father and said, “Fatty, our son’s beast has impressive corrosive power.”
His father, eyes fixed on the green plant, replied, “Yes, quite formidable. If that wrapped around someone, there’d be no escape. I doubt even alloy could withstand it.”
He then squatted down, eyeing the green plant. “Our son truly stumbled into good fortune this time. But I wonder if this one has any special skills or if it’s just ordinary.”
No sooner had he finished speaking than he let out a startled yelp, staring in shock at his right foot. Only then did everyone notice that a vivid green vine had silently coiled itself tightly around his ankle.
Kuangchi hurriedly waved his hand and withdrew the green creature as well. Only then did he realize his parents were looking at him with a peculiar expression. Flustered, he said, “Dad, Mom, what’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? Did I grow taller?”
His father, exasperated, ruffled his hair. “Silly boy, you’ve really struck gold this time. That green one is no simple thing—the force was astonishing, and it managed to wrap me up without a sound. It may not be the strongest attacker yet, but for binding people, a few years from now, even if I’m prepared, I might not escape.”
But then both his parents’ expressions turned odd. After a moment, his mother said, “Little fatty, from now on, don’t let anyone know about that black one except the three of us. Don’t reveal that you have a twin-born Divine Martial Beast, understand?”
“Why?” Kuangchi asked in confusion. He knew that plant-type Divine Martial Beasts weren’t especially powerful, but having a twin-born beast was something to brag about—he was just about to show off to his classmates.
His father patted his head and explained, “Son, for ordinary people, having a twin-born Divine Martial Beast is a blessing. But for us, it’s different. If your grandfather hears of this, he’ll drag you off for special training. Do you want to go into the mountains like your cousins?”
At this, Kuangchi shook his head vigorously. “No! If I go, they’ll tease and bully me. I don’t want to go.”
Both parents sighed, and his mother stroked his hair. “Then listen to us and don’t let anyone know you have a twin-born Divine Martial Beast. All I wish for is your safety. You don’t need to compete with your cousins for anything. We don’t need to. Understand?”
Kuangchi never quite understood the meaning behind his parents’ words, but experience had taught him that no matter how he asked, they would never tell him the real reason.
Just then, his father smiled and said, “Alright, son, let’s go to the training room. I’ll teach you the third level of our Kuang family’s Frenzied Dragon Technique.”
In the blink of an eye, Kuangchi’s week-long vacation ended. He had memorized the incantation for the Frenzied Dragon Technique and, early in the morning, headed to the city-center school. His friends, as usual, crowded around and began asking after his Divine Martial Beast, leaving Kuangchi at a loss for how to answer. His parents had repeatedly warned him to only reveal the green one, never the black. Yet owning a mere plant-type Divine Martial Beast was considered disgraceful, and he truly didn’t know what to say.
Sure enough, after he revealed the green beast, everyone walked away laughing.
After school, Kuangchi returned home, his face full of dejection. Seeing his expression, his parents immediately understood what had happened. In this world, Divine Martial Beasts had become a kind of secondary identity card: if your beast was strong, you could rely on it to excel, even if your own talents were lacking. In terms of personal combat, Divine Martial Beasts were far stronger than humans themselves.