Teaching

Entering the house, he was greeted by the familiar sight of his two cats, Lil' Blackie and Xiao Bai, playing energetically.

Their playful antics brought a smile to his face, providing a comforting sense of normalcy.

"Hey there, little guys," he said, bending down to give them each a gentle pat. Xiao Bai responded with a cheerful meow, teleporting a few feet away and back again in excitement, while Lil' Blackie rubbed against his legs, purring softly.

Lin Xiao dropped off his backpack in his room and then headed to the kitchen where his mother was preparing dinner. She looked up and smiled at him. "Dinner will be ready soon!"

"Okay, Mom," he replied, offering to help set the table.

As he did, he couldn't help but think about the day's events, replaying the introductions, the classes, and the new friends he had met. It was all so different from what he was used to.

During dinner, Lin Xiao's thoughts wandered. He felt a mix of anxiety and hope about the new friendships he was forming.

His mother noticed his distracted look and asked, "How was your first day at the new school?"

"It was...different," Lin Xiao said, trying to summarize his day without revealing too much about his anxieties. "I met some new people, and they seem nice."

"That's good to hear," his mother said with a smile. "Just be yourself, and you'll make friends in no time."

After dinner, Lin Xiao spent some time playing with Lil' Blackie and Xiao Bai. Watching them with a mixture of amusement and curiosity, he wondered why they weren't speaking aloud.

The system had mentioned they were bound to him, and he could understand their thoughts, but hearing their actual voices would be even more fascinating.

"System," he asked aloud, "why aren't they speaking?"

[Ding... Because they don't know how to speak. What you are hearing in your mind are their translated thoughts. If the host actually wants them to speak, he will need to teach them.]

Lin Xiao considered this for a moment. Teaching his cats to speak sounded both challenging and intriguing.

It wasn't something he had ever imagined doing, but given everything else that had happened lately, it didn't seem entirely out of the realm of possibility.

"Alright," he said, looking at Lil' Blackie and Xiao Bai. "Looks like we're going to have some speaking lessons. Who wants to learn how to talk?"

Xiao Bai looked at him with wide, curious eyes, while Lil' Blackie tilted her head slightly, as if trying to understand what Lin Xiao was talking about.

They were intelligent and could already communicate their thoughts to him; teaching them to vocalize words might not be too far-fetched.

"We'll start with something simple," Lin Xiao decided. He pointed to himself and said, "Lin Xiao." Then he pointed to Xiao Bai and said, "Xiao Bai." Finally, he pointed to Lil' Blackie and said, "Lil' Blackie."

The cats watched him intently, and Lin Xiao repeated the process a few times. "Lin Xiao," he said again, tapping his chest. "Xiao Bai," pointing to the white cat. "Lil' Blackie," pointing to the black cat.

"Can you say 'Lin Xiao'?" Lin Xiao asked, focusing on Xiao Bai.

Xiao Bai looked at him, his thoughts translating to, "Xiao...Xiao."

Lin Xiao's eyes widened in surprise. It was a start. "Good job, Xiao Bai!" he exclaimed, feeling a surge of pride. "Now you, Lil' Blackie. Can you say 'Lin Xiao'?"

Lil' Blackie hesitated for a moment, her eyes reflecting a mix of concentration and curiosity. Then, her thoughts came through, "Xiao... Xiao."

Although they weren't saying his full name, it was still progress. Lin Xiao smiled broadly. "Although they aren't saying my full name, it's still good," he thought. This was a huge step forward. If they could say 'Xiao,' the rest of the words would follow with time and practice.

"Great job, both of you," Lin Xiao said, patting their heads. "We'll keep practicing."

The cats looked up at him with wide eyes, clearly pleased with themselves. Lin Xiao could feel their sense of accomplishment through their bond.

He decided to reinforce their learning by pointing at himself again. "Lin Xiao," he said slowly. Then he pointed to Xiao Bai. "Xiao Bai." And finally, he pointed to Lil' Blackie. "Lil' Blackie."

Both cats watched him intently, their ears twitching as they processed his words. Lin Xiao repeated the exercise a few more times, each repetition reinforcing the connection between the sounds and the meanings.

He spent the next hour practicing simple words and phrases with the cats.

By the end of the session, both Lil' Blackie and Xiao Bai had managed to produce sounds that were somewhat close to the words he was teaching them.

It was a slow process, but Lin Xiao was optimistic.

After teaching Lin Xiao decided to test their abilities again, curious about how much more they had developed.

"Lil' Blackie, can you try your time control on this toy?" he asked, holding out a small rubber ball.

Lin Xiao watched in amazement as Lil' Blackie's eyes glowed faintly. The small rubber ball he held out started to age rapidly, its surface cracking and deteriorating within seconds. "What the heck, how?" he exclaimed, shocked by the sudden transformation. Quickly, he turned his attention to the system.

"System, open Lil' Blackie's status window," he commanded.

[Status Window]

Name: Lil' Blackie

Race: Cat

Class: None

Skills: Fast Forward (Fast forward the time of a certain object by 10 years), Rewind (Rewind the time of a certain object by 10 years)

Powers: Time Control (Lv.2)

Lin Xiao's eyes widened in astonishment as he read the updated status window for Lil' Blackie. "Level 2 already?"

he muttered in disbelief. "But how? She was just level 1 this afternoon. Oh my, she also unlocked a new power and an update to the fastward ability. Making a certain object's time go backward is really powerful. Wow."

[Answer: Lil' Blackie's Time Control power leveled up due to continuous use and adaptation. She can now affect objects with more precision and intensity.]

Lin Xiao rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So using their powers helps them grow stronger,"

"Looks like you're leveling up fast, Lil' Blackie," Lin Xiao said, smiling at the black cat. "But let's make sure we use this power wisely, okay?"

"Xiao Bai, let's see what you can do," Lin Xiao said, turning to the other cat. "Can you teleport this ball to the other side of the room?"

Xiao Bai's eyes gleamed with excitement. He focused on the ball, and with a soft popping sound, it disappeared from Lin Xiao's hand and reappeared on the other side of the room.

"Good job, Xiao Bai," Lin Xiao praised, watching the cat puff up with pride. "You're getting better at this."

[Status Window]

Name: Xiao Bai

Race: Cat

Class: None

Skills: Teleportation, Flying

Powers: Space Control (Lv.2)

Lin Xiao was a little disappointed that Xiao Bai didn't level up but he still felt a surge of pride for his two extraordinary pets.

They were growing stronger, and so was he. The potential for their powers was immense, and he knew that with proper training and guidance, they could achieve amazing things together.

"Alright, you two," Lin Xiao said, sitting down on his bed. "Let's rest for now. I have to go to school tomorrow"

Lin Xiao also made sure to complete his daily missions, he is sure to reach level two by tomorrow. After doing the missions he also went to sleep.

With his daily missions completed and a sense of accomplishment in his heart, Lin Xiao prepared for bed. As he settled under the covers, he couldn't shake the feeling of excitement for what tomorrow might bring.

As sleep began to claim him, Lin Xiao's thoughts drifted to the possibilities that awaited him at level two. What new powers would he unlock?