Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

Super Heavy Gold Fall, activate!

Immortal True Gold, activate!

"SPLASH—" "SPLASH—"

Wave after wave crashed in, then receded. Shan Bao remained unmoving amidst the onslaught, instead growing even more radiant and golden under the deluge.

[Assignable Attribute Points (Shan Bao)... 0.12]

After a while, Shan Bao even started to enjoy it, cockily raising its chin.

’I, Shan Bao, am super tough!’

Su Zhi watched the little fella outside with a wry smile, suddenly remembering that just a month ago, Shan Bao was still a fragile little weakling...

The storm stopped.

"Chirp?" Discovering it could no longer practice its Skills, Shan Bao shook the water from its feathers with a hint of regret.

The Yellow Earth Wall retracted, and all three of them looked toward the distant sea with expectant gazes.

In the span of a single breath, all the tempests converged and vanished. The Storm Strait was once again as calm as a mirror, as if no storm had ever occurred.

"I think it worked!"

Su Zhi smiled at Liu Yuhang. "Remember what Katie said? There’s only one reason a storm would disappear so suddenly: it was internalized and absorbed by the Hao Waterfowl. That’s the sign of its official evolution!"

"Yeah! Yeah..." Liu Yuhang was ecstatic, so overjoyed he’d forgotten how to speak.

’He suddenly felt that all the hardships he’d endured had been worth it.’

’Where should I take Xue Li for a celebratory meal? Xue Li loves dried fish, and Pearl Harbor has several great specialty shops for it. I’ve had my eye on them since I got here...’

As these thoughts raced through Liu Yuhang’s mind, he stared intently at the surface of the sea, but the light in his eyes gradually froze.

The figure swimming slowly toward them against the moonlight was still the same small one; it hadn’t grown any larger or more majestic.

Xue Li was still just a petite Hao Waterfowl.

"Quack..."

Seeing Liu Yuhang’s expression, Xue Li shook the water from its feathers, stepped onto the sand, and lowered its head.

’I conquered the storm. I didn’t back down, and I didn’t waver.’

’So why couldn’t I evolve?’

Unlike the other times it would have burst into tears, this time Xue Li felt a numb sense of disappointment.

It was like studying hard for years, acing the final exams, and meeting all the requirements for your dream school, only to never receive an acceptance letter.

It had done everything right, but reaped none of the rewards.

"...It’s okay! Let’s wait a little. Maybe it’s just delayed."

Liu Yuhang forced a smile and picked Xue Li up.

"Let’s go get some Pearl Harbor specialties tonight. I heard they’re running a special."

"...Quack!"

·

As night deepened, the sky over Pearl Harbor grew even more brilliant than it had been at dusk. Neon lights stained the air near the ground a vibrant magenta. Countless ships, large and small, patrolled the river’s surface. Viewed from above, they looked like golden motes of light flowing in the current...

In his hotel room, Su Zhi gazed down at the bustling city, his expression grave.

Liu Yuhang was a classmate he saw day in and day out; his friend’s misfortune made it hard for Su Zhi to feel happy. It was especially frustrating because it wasn’t Liu Yuhang’s fault. He’d completed the evolution ritual perfectly, yet still failed. That kind of thing could really crush a person’s spirit.

Liu Yuhang had faced countless failures on his journey, but he had never been truly knocked down.

No matter how beaten down he got, he would always get back up and keep going.

Su Zhi sincerely hoped fate would be kinder to Liu Yuhang.

His phone vibrated. Luo Sen had replied to his question—

[Luo Sen]: This is normal.

[Luo Sen]: A Hao Waterfowl’s evolution has a 10% to 15% failure rate. Not every one of them succeeds on the first try.

[Luo Sen]: But they always succeed on the second attempt. We’ve never recorded a Hao Waterfowl failing the evolution ritual twice in a row.

[Luo Sen]: Tell your classmate it’s not a bad thing. Failing the first time often means they have a higher potential ceiling. Have him try the Storm Strait again when he gets the chance.

[Su Zhi]: Okay, thanks.

[Luo Sen]: /LuoSenGrinning.jpg

’He even has his own chibi sticker pack? But that mouthful of red teeth is still way too creepy...’ Su Zhi pursed his lips, turned off his phone, and sat back down on the sofa.

Shao Ya nudged him with her shoulder. "What did Alliance Leader Luo say?"

Su Zhi said, "It means he’s about to take off."

Shao Ya grinned. "Ha! See? I told you the study rep would make it!"

Su Zhi said, "...Your hoof is poking me."

Shao Ya asked, "Should I move it, then?"

Su Zhi: "..."

Indeed, they were both sitting on the same sofa. Unlike the accommodations for the city league, the hotel for the team tournament consisted of suites where several bedrooms shared a common living room, making it easier for students in the same group to interact.

Su Zhi clicked his tongue, a flicker of regret in his eyes as he watched her foot, clad in a small white cotton sock, slowly pull away.

He wasn’t sure if it was some trick of nerve memory, but as soon as she pulled her foot away, the sensation of it pressing against him suddenly became incredibly vivid, making him feel as restless as if ants were crawling all over his skin.

’Wait, does this count as... living together?’

Shao Ya was currently glued to her phone, thumbs flying. He had no idea who she was chatting with, but their avatar was in a cutesy, cartoon-girl style.

Su Zhi leaned over to get a peek, but Shao Ya reached out, booped his nose, and pushed him back.

"It’s not nice to peek at a girl’s private chats, you know."

The girl hummed, a mischievous glint in her eyes. She wiggled the toes of her white-socked foot, extending it toward Su Zhi.

"Is Su Baby getting jealous? Be a good boy, and I can give this back to you~"

"Shoo, I don’t want it. By the way, where’s Cao Mingyu? I haven’t seen him."

"He went to visit relatives, I think. What, missing your dear Xiaoyu?"

"A ship can be rare, but it can’t be cursed..."

Su Zhi glanced at his watch and stood up, heading for his bedroom. "I’m going to go meditate."

Shao Ya craned her neck. "You’ve only been back for five minutes. Are you sure you don’t want to have dinner first?"

"Nah, I’ll eat after I’m done meditating."

"Then do your best, Su Baby~!"

"CLICK—"

The door clicked shut, and the girl’s voice vanished with it.

Su Zhi leaned back against the door and took a deep breath. The corner of his mouth twitched into a small smile before falling again.

’Today’s extra meditation training starts now!’

·

When he opened his eyes again, it was already eleven o’clock at night. Four hours had flown by unknowingly.

Su Zhi took a shallow breath, removed the Divine Concealment Core, and stood up.

At the same time, his Beast Taming Light Array lit up. It was still a tender green, but its edges were already showing signs of shifting to a light blue!

A hint of a smile couldn’t help but touch Su Zhi’s eyes.

Now he was certain he could break through to Tier Four within three days. He wondered how much more difficult it would be to reach Tier Five after that.

Su Zhi didn’t have the mental energy to dwell on that for now. The process of Meditation had consumed most of his Spiritual Power. Although his body was still at its peak, his mind was utterly exhausted.

"GROWL~"

Su Zhi: "..."

’Alright, my body desperately needs a recharge, too.’

’She’s going to chew me out again... Fortunately, the Pearl Harbor Hotel cafeteria is open 24 hours. The selection might be smaller this late at night, but at least I won’t have to go without dinner.’

"Chirp chirp!"

Shan Bao popped out of the Light Array, eagerly nuzzling Su Zhi’s fingers.

"Don’t worry, I didn’t forget about you!"

Su Zi smiled gently. Seeing it so motivated made him feel a little less tired.

[Pet Beast: Shan Bao (Flash Gold Sparrow)

Power: 1.00

Agility: 1.05

Intelligence: 1.02

Constitution: 2.30—2.42

Perception: 1.02]

[Real-time Energy Value: 2000]

Shan Bao currently lacked high-frequency, high-intensity combat. It would likely experience a growth spurt after the training camp started. For now, more than half of these Points were earned through Shan Bao’s own training; it was an incredibly hard worker.

"Chirp~" Seeing that its value was a nice, round two thousand, Shan Bao happily flapped its wings.

Big Brother Yu Bao had told it that round numbers were auspicious. It didn’t really understand why, but since Big Brother Yu Bao said so, it had to be true!

’It’s been completely molded by Yu Bao...’ Su Zhi thought, chuckling in spite of himself.

Speaking of Yu Bao, that guy was a real piece of work. He already had 0.34 Points saved up but refused to assign them, claiming he was "building suspense" so it would be more dramatic when he finally decided to "play the pig to eat the tiger."

Well, whatever. Su Zhi was actually a little curious to see what kind of performance Yu Bao would put on... On that front, Yu Bao had already won; the suspense was definitely real.

’I wonder if Shao Ya has eaten dinner yet? What kind of food did she get for me today?’

With that thought, Su Zhi pushed open his door, only to find the living room dark. A sliver of light escaped from under the girl’s door, and a sticky note was left on the coffee table.

[Meditating~ If Su Baby sees this, please go hunt for your own food!]

The corner of Su Zhi’s mouth lifted. He carefully pocketed the note and headed out.

...

00:12

"Phew... All done!" The girl pushed open her door, looking like she was about to find him for a chat, but her gaze was immediately drawn to something on the coffee table:

It was a boxed meal. The main dish was rice, with sides of fried hairtail fish and king oyster mushrooms—her absolute favorites.

The sticky note was back, stuck to the lid of the meal box with the other side facing up:

[My turn to remind you to eat dinner. Rest up after you finish. Good night.]

The girl’s face broke into a brilliant smile. She carefully folded the note and tucked it into her innermost pocket.

·

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