Chapter 109: Little Vest Dropped (Revised)

The clamor rose everywhere. Li Ao was still on the testing platform, feeling countless voices buzzing in his ears like a swarm. The testing device’s lights flashed relentlessly, stabbing into his eyes. His brain spun with dizziness, and his body swayed slightly.

Xun on the spectator stand noticed something off. His scarlet pupils contracted sharply, and his previously lazy lounging posture tensed instantly. He propped one hand on the railing, leaped sideways cleanly into the air, and soared straight to the center of the testing platform. But before he could reach Li Ao’s side, the boy had vanished from the spot.

The crowd fell silent like ducks suddenly grabbed by the throat, the uproar cutting off abruptly. They watched as the boy in the center of their view disappeared, leaving only a pile of clothes on the ground. Two seconds later, the edge of the clothes bulged, and a fluffy little cat poked his head out, shaking his ears with a bewildered expression.

Golden-white… fluffy… no legs… What is this…

“Eek—yah!!!” Someone screamed first, a piercing female soprano shattering the silence: “It’s Li Ao—aaaaah!”

Li Ao’s ears flattened in fright, and he backed into the clothes, peeking out with just his eyes darting around in panic.

“Is that Leo Regalis?” Xun’s fanboy froze, yanking his follower’s arm and repeating: “Is it Leo?! Leo Regalis?”

His follower had his collar yanked open, swallowing hard involuntarily: “Besides Little Highness Cat, is there a second primitive cat in the interstellar?”

“How could there be!” Xun’s fanboy’s eyes turned red—wait, no, they were sparkling with hearts: “It’s Li Ao! It’s Little Highness Cat! Little Highness Cat—I grew up eating the tomatoes you planted, aaaaaah—” He suddenly bolted downward too. Slim and nimble, he darted forward through the crowded masses like a clever little fish.

Security reacted quickly but couldn’t stop the screaming crowd surging forward, even warnings shots from guns did nothing. Xun scooped up the little cat and stood in the center. Just as the crowd reached the testing platform, an invisible spiritual power barrier unfurled, blocking everyone out.

This terrifying pressure—how could a bunch of middle schoolers who hadn’t entered society or set foot on battlefields resist it? They unconsciously backed away, clearing a wide pathway.

At the end of the pathway, a tall, upright figure approached slowly.

Long hair like golden light, features handsome as a god—no one would fail to recognize him. That was the Empire’s Monarch—Isiris Regalis.

Li Ao awkwardly buried his head in Xun’s arms, not yet sensing what was happening outside. This was so embarrassing for Fierce Cat! He’d seen Dong Xixi disguise itself to go out adventuring, so he thought he’d disguise himself to go to school too. He’d earnestly persuaded everyone back home for ages. And the result? On the second day in the Federation! He’d turned into a cat in front of everyone because he felt sick from chugging nutrient fluid indiscriminately! Talk about mortifying! Fierce Cat couldn’t take it—Fierce Cat wanted to escape reality, burrowing deeper into Xun’s arms.

“Leo.” The familiar voice rang out, and Li Ao thought he’d hallucinated from embarrassment. Until a pair of hands adjusted him, he dazedly looked up and saw it really was his father.

“Pa… how are you here…”

Behind Isiris were the principal and the dean of education. He soothed by rubbing the cat’s neck: “Discussing your schooling.” Isiris actually didn’t understand his child’s thinking. He was the Empire’s Highness—even if coming to Federation soil to study, he should be treated like a star in the spotlight. Why wear a mask and pretend to be an ordinary country boy? Moreover, with his spiritual power, even suppressed it read 100—so special, what was the point of disguising? But if the little one wanted to mess around, let him be happy. He’d come personally to communicate with the school, paving the way for the Yi Fuxiao identity, patiently socializing—and it was all for nothing.

Isiris wasn’t angry; instead, he was concerned about the little cat’s health: “Why are you feeling unwell?”

Before the little cat could respond, Xun pursed his lips: “I fed him some nutrient fluid yesterday. He hasn’t had much energy since.”

“It’s not Xun’s fault!” Li Ao hurriedly lifted his head, paws scrabbling at his father’s chest: “I insisted on drinking it myself, then I threw up.”

Isiris glanced sideways at Xun but didn’t reprimand him publicly for not taking care of the little cat. Instead, he turned to those behind him: “This is my child, Leo Regalis. He will study at this middle school.”

The dean of education was drenched in cold sweat, hand trembling as he wiped it away. The principal beside him bent at the waist, saying to the little cat: “Highness Li Ao, we meet again.”

The little cat’s eyes widened as he recognized her: “Auntie…” He didn’t know to call her grandma anyway—women were either big sis, lil sis, or auntie.

Qin Mian’s stern face couldn’t help but show a hint of smile: “We’re honored you chose Federation Dawn Middle School. No need to worry—live at your own pace. No one will interfere with your studies.” She straightened, nodding slightly to Isiris without servility or arrogance: “Please withdraw the pressure.”

The golden-haired Monarch didn’t respond, but the students all felt their breathing ease, coming back to life.

Isiris glanced at the soft, fluffy bundle in his arms. The little cat was clutching his chest lapel desperately with his paws, face buried in his curled-up tail, ears flat against his head, and his back screaming “Don’t look at me, don’t mention me, I don’t exist.”

Isiris rarely hooked the corner of his lips, scooping him up and hoisting him high, announcing flatly to the crowd below: “Greet my child.”

“Greetings, Highness Li Ao!” An excited cat fan shouted first, and in an instant, countless greetings echoed through the heavens.

Li Ao faced the sea of dense heads below, his cat pupils full of shock and shame—like an elementary kid dragged onstage to read a self-criticism. He awkwardly raised one paw, waving it slowly and reluctantly downward: “H-Hello, everyone…” His voice was soft and mosquito-like: “I’m Li Ao.”

It mortified Fierce Cat completely.

They were all half-grown kids, max seventeen or eighteen, not great at hiding their likes and joys. They used to be Xun’s fanboys—where was Xun now? Every one of them wanted to sprout eyes on the cat. Humans might be handsome, but how could they compare to a cat?

Even fearing the golden-haired Monarch, they couldn’t stop sneaking joyful peeks at the cat in his arms. A live little cat! Identical to the videos! Legs really just a tiny bit long! He was going to be their classmate! Classes together, cafeteria together! Just thinking about it made them want to scream.

Qin Mian had been transferred to Dawn Middle School as principal due to the previous influence figures poll. Others saw it as a brush-off—after all, though the poll was canceled under public pressure, Qin Mian had ranked third in votes and should’ve entered Federation high levels. But Qin Mian didn’t see it that way. She’d lost hope in the higher-ups and preferred investing in these youngsters.

“Highness, shall we continue the house sorting ceremony?”

With the topic shifted, Li Ao finally set aside his embarrassment and nodded: “Okay.”

“Divided by spiritual power level, you can choose any house. Shall I introduce the differences between houses?”

Li Ao had already heard the gist from Xun and had ideas in mind. He shook his head: “I’ll choose Mortalis.”

The crowd erupted in shock. Qin Mian pressed her hands downward to quiet the students, continuing: “With your abilities, you should go to Caelum House. The education environment and resources there are better.”

The little cat tilted his head: “Why? Aren’t they all students? If it’s by ability, I get key classes, but why the resource gap?” In Delphi, even as Highness, even with everyone adoring you, everyone studied together. Food, supplies, even teachers—drawn by lots, no special treatment.

The Federation’s merit system prioritized nurturing high spiritual power talents—was that wrong? Qin Mian was momentarily speechless, responding lowly: “Because their spiritual power is higher.”

Yes—high spiritual power meant bright futures, tilted resources, smooth careers. It made sense, right? When she first took office, she’d thought so too. But the deeper she delved, the more she understood how much human manipulation tainted this “test.” It was no longer a pure measure of ability but a brick for class order.

High officials had high spiritual power, went to Caelum, straight-preserved to top universities. How could their kids have low spiritual power? How wouldn’t they enter Caelum too?

While a civilian lucky enough to birth a high spiritual power child might excel but not rise high. And those in high seats—their spiritual power scores were inevitably flawless.

After all, the data was tailor-made for them.

Li Ao didn’t quite get the logic but stuck to his view: “I still want Mortalis. Their physical training suits me better.”

Qin Mian paused, looking up for the father’s opinion.

Isiris let the child decide: “Fine.”

The AI announced: [Yi Fuxiao, now renamed: Leo Regalis. House: Mortalis.]

Many were baffled—why would Delphi’s Highness pick the bottom-feeder house? But Mortalis’s class leader and upperclassmen were already cheering: “We have a cat! We have a cat! Hahaha, we have a cat!”

What’s the use of high Spiritual Power? What’s the use of good resources? What’s the use of a bright future? Do you have a cat?