Chapter 15: Grass Dog

In the curriculum of No. 15 Middle School, there are three plant-related subjects: Agriculture, Botany, and Plant Practicum.

Cael liked the third the most.

It had almost as many total hours as the first two combined—proof of the school's hands-on teaching philosophy.

Today's practicum topic: softsilk vine.

At that moment...

In a small on-campus botanical garden, rows of wooden frames had been set up. Lush green vines climbed across them, forming a dense vine forest.

A bald teacher spoke energetically: "I think everyone knows that softsilk vine is the most vital raw material in our textile industry.

"Peel the vine's bark, pull out the core, then pound it repeatedly with a wooden mallet, and you'll get the thin, supple 'softsilk'..."

The students stood in the vine forest, listening attentively.

Cael was especially focused.

In another world, cotton was the most common textile material. But here, vines were used to weave fabrics from softsilk—just as soft and breathable as cotton.

"Remember: if softsilk vines grow too little time, the silk yield is low, not cost-effective.

"If they grow too long, the resulting silk gets too tough, and the fabric becomes stiff and less comfortable.

"Experience shows five to six months is the ideal growth period..."

Suddenly, Cael felt a jolt in his mind. An illusion flashed before his eyes.

Moments later, it vanished.

A message followed: "Proficiency +2. Current proficiency: 70/1000. Spirit value: 6.4/13.8."

The Eye of All-Knowing had passively activated again.

Cael turned to a nearby classmate and called urgently, "Lien, give me the blade."

In this class, since students needed to practice processing softsilk vines, the teacher had handed out twelve long knives. Lien happened to get one.

Startled, Lien handed it over without hesitation.

Once, Cael had been a background figure in class—easily ignored. But now he was a class celebrity, his words instinctively obeyed.

The sudden action drew surprised looks from others.

Cael grabbed the blade almost like snatching it and strode toward a softsilk vine several meters away.

The bald teacher blinked. "Cael, what are you doing with that knife?"

Cael didn't respond. He simply raised the blade.

Many students gasped.

"What the—?!"

"What is Cael doing?!"

Ignoring them, Cael slashed down.

At the same time, he activated the True Flame Remnant Seal.

Extraordinary power surged in. The blade grew warm and emitted the faintest light—too brief and subtle for anyone to notice.

And then... the bizarre happened.

The vine came alive. Its body twisted violently like a serpent.

Forked stems and heaps of leaves whipped together, rustling fiercely. In moments, they had assembled into a strange creature.

It had a body.

It had limbs.

And it had a huge head—with gaping jaws and rows of sharp spikes.

One bite from it would not feel good.

Everyone, including the bald teacher, stood frozen in shock.

Cael didn't flinch. He struck the vine creature's stem hard.

"Crack!"

The stem was cleaved clean in two.

He sensed the True Flame Seal's power gnawing away at the monster's vitality.

Wounded, the vine creature's leaves and branches trembled, but it stubbornly lunged forward to bite.

Cael dodged with ease, flipped the blade, and stabbed.

"Bang!"

The creature's head burst.

A chain reaction followed. Its body fell apart—leaves and limbs scattered.

It was dead.

Cael stood, blade in hand, his heart pounding.

First combat. A little nervous, naturally.

The garden was silent.

The bald teacher swallowed hard and asked, "Student Cael, was that a 'grass dog'?"

Cael turned and nodded. "Yes, Mr. Zhang."

The students immediately buzzed with chatter.

"It was a grass dog!"

"Never seen one before!"

The teacher's voice trembled slightly. "Only in extremely rare cases do vines become aggressive grass dogs. I never imagined one would show up in our garden."

Then, more calmly: "Cael's response was absolutely correct. A newborn grass dog can't detach from the vine. Cut the stem early enough, and it dies."

Cael remained composed.

He knew the real reason for the quick kill was the power of the True Flame Seal. Without it, the creature would've lasted longer—and possibly hurt someone.

Now, classmates looked at him with awe.

To spot the threat and slay it—like a scene out of a legend. Who wouldn't admire that?

The teacher clapped his hands. "Class, I'm very sorry. Today's practicum is suspended. Please return to the classroom in an orderly fashion.

"There may be other grass dogs. I must report this and request a full safety inspection of the garden."

Students filed out.

Cael deliberately stayed behind, picked up a fallen leaf from the grass dog, then made his way out.

Mr. Zhang noticed, lips twitching—then said nothing.

Technically, the school should collect and destroy such materials.

But Cael had taken care of the threat singlehandedly. Mr. Zhang chose to look the other way.

Because of the delay, Cael arrived last to the classroom.

As he walked in, the rowdy room quieted for a beat—then returned to normal.

It almost felt like a boss had entered the stage.

Cael walked toward his seat calmly.

He had barely taken a few steps when a voice rang out: "Cael, how did you spot the grass dog in the garden just now?"

It was the short-haired girl, Marcella Wendt.

The room fell quiet again.

Everyone waited.

Cael blinked, then replied casually: "I'm just more sensitive."

Marcella nodded thoughtfully. "Then your perception of source energy is sharper than I expected. You may not be far from forming your Source Sense Seal."

Cael smiled. "Maybe."

He had a hunch: one month, three at most—he'd seal for sure.

Students looked at him with envy.

Many had doubted his selection by Mr. Varin for the Mountainheart Mystic Wall viewing, suspecting favoritism.

But this performance had silenced all doubt.

As Cael sat down, Rhea Quin stared at him, eyes gleaming oddly.

He raised an eyebrow. "Why're you looking at me like that?"

Rhea sighed. "I just realized—you're the most low-key powerhouse in the class."

Cael just smiled.