Chapter 267 - 200: My Son’s Pet Beast Has the Same Name as Your Pen Name
’Su Zhi? Who’s that? Never heard of him.’
Wu Bao opened his chat with Er Shang—
[Er Shang]: I see you haven’t switched your contract yet. Are you having any trouble?
[Wu Bao]: Ah, no, no.
[Wu Bao]: It hasn’t been convenient these past two days. I’ll switch it over in a couple of days!
[Er Shang]: Okay, it’s best to get it switched over before Tuesday. That’ll make it easier to get you on the "trial run" promotions.
[Er Shang]: After you officially switch contracts, remember to maintain a stable daily update of 4,000 words. If you’re really busy, you can post one Chapter a day for a day or two, but whatever you do, don’t miss an update. If you miss updates for more than five days, you’ll lose all your benefits.
Wu Bao quickly typed out a reply.
[Wu Bao]: Roger that! I’ll definitely keep up the updates!
[Er Shang]: If you have the extra energy, you can start stockpiling Chapters now. Save them for a burst release after the book goes premium. More updates can often create miracles, making an average-quality book take off and a high-quality book explode in popularity.
[Er Shang]: Of course, quality is still the top priority. If you don’t have the energy, then a steady 4,000 words a day is fine too. If the quality is there, the numbers that are meant to rise will rise.
[Er Shang]: How much can you write per day right now?
[Wu Bao]: *shivering_in_fear.jpg*
[Wu Bao]: Only about 12,000 to 14,000 words a day?
To be honest, Wu Bao couldn’t quite understand why most authors only wrote 4,000 words a day.
It was true that writing was awkward before he had a keyboard, but with one, the problem was solved. It couldn’t be that their brains couldn’t keep up, could it? He, on the other hand, had so many ideas in his head that he wished he could write them all out...
[Er Shang]: *sobs*
[Er Shang]: If only my few slacker star authors were as hardworking as you.
[Er Shang]: Keep it up! I’m betting on you to soar to the heavens!
[Wu Bao]: Is it possible to get an average of 500 subscribers per Chapter? I heard that’s how you get something called a "Full Attendance Bonus."
[Er Shang]: 500 average? What are you dreaming about?
Wu Bao froze for a moment, the light in his eyes dimming.
’Sure enough... am I still that far off...?’
[Er Shang]: You’re on a new account with a new book, and you haven’t even switched your contract yet, but your follower count is already at 440. If you keep this up, hitting over 10,000 first-Chapter subscriptions is a sure thing.
[Wu Bao]: !!!
[Er Shang]: Keep writing well. When the time comes, I should be able to get you a "premium release badge" event.
[Er Shang]: You should join our group’s contracted author chat. The group number is 66172187. A few star authors and Platinum-tier writers pop in from time to time.
[Wu Bao]: I can join such an amazing group!?
[Er Shang]: Of course. Don’t sell yourself short. Aside from the tiny handful of people at the very top, you’re already wiping the floor with 99% of other authors.
[Er Shang]: And as for that small handful, not a single one of them can out-work you when it comes to updates.
[Er Shang]: Get in the group, quick! Go whip those slackers into shape!
[Wu Bao]: Okay!!!
"Er Shang" has invited "Wu Bao" to join "Qi Point Contracted Security Guard Group."
[Yu Mo, Yu Mo]: Welcome, star author!
[Three-Colored Large Ball]: Welcome, star author!
[Gou of Gou Mao]: Welcome, star author!
[Gou of Gou Mao]: What a coincidence, my son’s Pet Beast has the exact same name as your pen name! /smirk
[Three-Colored Large Ball]: Gou Maoju, did you update today?
[Yu Mo, Yu Mo]: Gou Maoju, did you update today?
[Gou of Gou Mao]: Gotta go, gotta go...
"Woo?" Wu Bao scratched his head.
’This pen name, it couldn’t be...??’
Wu Bao’s interest was piqued. He was about to type and ask for the details when he saw Yan Dingyi returning from a distance and quickly exited the chat.
"Little friend Wu Bao, let me introduce you. This is the ’Beast King,’ Peng Kai, a very famous legendary Beast Tamer from our Huai City. After hearing about your deeds, he’s become very interested in you!"
After speaking, Yan Dingyi chuckled and stepped aside.
Wu Bao stared blankly as the red-haired figure slowly approached, bent down, and smiled at him.
"Long time no see... Fellow Daoist Su’s un-betrothed second pet."
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"ACHOO."
Su Zhi sniffled, feeling a bit puzzled.
’It’s been a little weird lately. Why am I sneezing every day? Who on earth is thinking about me?’
Thinking of this, Su Zhi glanced at the white-haired girl beside him.
"What?" Shao Ya tilted her chin up.
Su Zhi put his hands in his pockets. "Yeah."
Shao Ya was a little puzzled. She had asked "What?" but he replied with "Yeah." What did that mean...? A few seconds later, she realized, and her pretty face flushed beet red, instantly turning into a small tomato.
The girl, embarrassed and angry, gave him a couple of light punches.
Su Zhi covered his head and crouched down defensively, secretly laughing.
’She’s flustered. I must have been right. So that’s what the sneezing has been about these past few days...’
"..." Wang Haokun and the other guy watched the opposite side of the arena with blank expressions.
Both of their fists were clenched.
’Damn it, how can we run into a public display of affection even during a competition? Then again, it seems our side started it... and it’s not like they’re hugging or anything super intimate. They’re actually much better behaved than the pair on our team.’
’But he still couldn’t get over it... At school, he had to watch his classmates’ PDA, and now during a competition, he had to watch PDA from people from another city.’
’I’m trembling with anger, it’s a cold world. When will us single dogs ever rise up!’
Of course, both sides were more focused on the match itself.
"Su Zhi and Wang Haokun are both on the field! They both just finished a singles match. Looks like they’re taking this doubles match very seriously!"
"Huai City First Middle School has won two rounds in a row. They’re probably aiming to steamroll them in one go, right?"
"Huai City First Middle School’s performance has been really impressive. There aren’t many in all of Shanyou Province who can go toe-to-toe with Shanda University Affiliated School like this."
"Shanda University Affiliated School is tough to beat. After all, they’re the top dog in Shanyou..."
After a regrettable loss in the first round, Huai City First Middle School came back to win two consecutive rounds, pushing the match to a set point.
In this doubles match, the pressure was actually greater on Shanda University Affiliated School.
If they lost this round too, when the news of being defeated in three straight rounds got back to school... they probably wouldn’t get disciplined or anything, but they’d definitely face the cold mockery of their classmates.
Wang Haokun and his partner were both on edge.
On the other side, Su Zhi and Shao Ya were naturally aware of this as well, and they didn’t let their guard down either.
The match light turned from red to blue—as per the rules, each person in a doubles match must summon at least one Pet Beast.
One pale blue Light Array and one tender green Light Array lit up simultaneously:
[Pet Beast: Shan Bao (Flash Gold Sparrow)
Attribute: Gold Element, Space Element
Race: Low Level Elite
Real-time Energy Value: 2000]
[Pet Beast: Xiaoyue (Shadow of Ancient Jing)
Attribute: Wood Element
Race: High Level Elite
Real-time Energy Value: 3909]
Sending out Yu Bao would have been a safer bet, but on Shao Ya’s advice, Su Zhi chose to have Shan Bao fight again.
Firstly, Yu Bao’s Fire Attribute would interfere with Xiaoyue to some extent. Secondly, Yu Bao had already fought in many matches. Although he was far from perfect, he could be considered a seasoned veteran.
In contrast, Shan Bao lacked experience in cooperative battles and was in dire need of real combat practice.
Since this was just a simulated training match, Shao Ya felt it was better to let Shan Bao gain more experience.
"CHIRP!" Shan Bao timidly stood at attention and bowed deeply to Xiaoyue.
’I-I’m a noob! But I’ll do my best!’
Xiaoyue nodded and patted her on the head.
"WOOF!" Outside the arena, Yu Bao cheered for his little sister, his tail wagging excitedly, not minding at all that he wasn’t participating.
If Shan Bao won, he, as the big brother, would naturally be very happy.
If Shan Bao lost... he’d be even happier, because then he’d have a chance to show off!
’And making a grand, showy entrance as the final act would definitely be more satisfying than the previous few matches!’
Yu Bao began to ponder how he would show off later...
In the arena, Su Zhi and Shao Ya turned their gazes to their opponents’ Pet Beasts—
[Pet Beast: Grey Gu (Iron-eating Owl)
Attribute: Wood Element, Wind Element
Race: Low Level Elite
Real-time Energy Value: 2190]
[Pet Beast: Fire Fist (Flame King Crab)
Attribute: Fire Element, Fighting Element
Race: High Level Elite
Real-time Energy Value: 3712]
Seeing Grey Gu with a bandage on its belly, Su Zhi asked curiously, "Didn’t your Pet Beast just finish a singles match? It has to fight in the doubles match too?"
Wang Haokun pushed up his glasses impassively. "Didn’t yours?"
"Chirp." Shan Bao chirped to indicate that she was fine and not tired.
’Are you kidding me? Shan Bao’s Constitution is a whopping 2.50, a full "Kun" multiple. Not just any Pet Beast can measure up...’ Su Zhi thought, putting his hands in his pockets again.
"Coo..." Grey Gu couldn’t voice its suffering.
’It really didn’t want to face that Shimmering Free-Range Chicken again. Damn it, its bites did nothing, and even spitting acid was useless. It was a total mind-breaker... However, it was the Beast Tamer’s command, so it had to fight whether it wanted to or not.’
The Iron-eating Owl wasn’t in good shape and probably wouldn’t be much of a threat. But Su Zhi’s attention was drawn to Wang Haokun’s partner’s Pet Beast—a giant crab nearly two meters wide and long, with a deep red shell.
The spikes on its shell were shaped like flames, and a faint orange-yellow light radiated from the gaps in its armor, making it look incredibly ferocious.
’A Fire and Fighting dual-element...’ Su Zhi glanced at his own lineup and frowned.
’This is going to be a tough fight!’
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