Chapter 345 - 239: Messing Around in Front of the Homeroom Teacher...
"Alright, alright, Fellow Daoist Peng Kai..." Su Zhi replied, torn between laughter and exasperation.
Calling each other "Fellow Daoist" in private was no big deal. In fact, many Professional Beast Tamers used the term to address one another. It was a holdover from the way Beast Tamers in the Classical Era spoke.
In more recent times, it had evolved into "comrade," but the underlying meaning was largely the same.
’Still, this is a school. Using terms like ’senior’ and ’junior’ would be more fitting for the occasion... And if I’m not mistaken, wasn’t Principal Yan his former homeroom teacher?’
’Messing around like this right in front of his former homeroom teacher...’
’It’s actually kind of thrilling!’
Yan Shouzheng stood to the side, hands in his pockets and face expressionless, looking for all the world like he’d come at a bad time.
"Speaking of which, Fellow Daoist Peng Kai, why the sudden visit to your alma mater?"
Su Zhi asked curiously, "Could it be..."
Peng Kai chuckled and nodded.
"Could it be that you’re back to repeat a year?"
"Repeat a year my ass."
Peng Kai gave him a playful punch.
He then gently swept aside the blood-red, Classical-style Beastmaster robe he was wearing.
Beneath the robe was a light-gray Alliance Member’s uniform and a dark-gold medal, exuding a completely different, grounded aura.
"First, acting in my capacity as Alliance Member Peng Kai, I am here to follow up with an outstanding Alliance Youth Team Member whom I recommended: Su Zhi."
Peng Kai’s gaze was filled with both nostalgic sentiment and gratification.
"In light of your outstanding performance since becoming an Alliance Youth Team Member, the Central Imperial Alliance has granted you a Preparatory Admission Order. Effective immediately, your status will change from Alliance Youth Team Member to Preparatory Alliance Member. Over the next four months, I, as your sponsor, will observe and record your growth.
"Once the four-month observation period is over, provided your abilities meet the minimum standards for admission, Alliance Headquarters will open the final admission assessment to you and your cohort of Preparatory Alliance Members. Pass the assessment, and your status will become official."
At this, Peng Kai’s voice softened with emotion. "Of course, for you, it’s just a formality. You’ve already met the two requirements of a Tier Four Beast Taming Space and a Two-star Pet Beast. Once the four-month observation period is up, you can go straight to the exam."
The young man before him was so much like his past self—young and full of vigor.
But Peng Kai knew this young man would go further than he had, chasing his own Dao.
Su Zhi looked completely bewildered.
"When did I get a Preparatory Admission Order? I dunno."
"..." Peng Kai was momentarily speechless. "It’s the one you’re holding."
Su Zhi froze for a moment, then opened the red booklet. Several columns of large, gilt characters, arranged vertically, came into view:
[Upon confirmation of his diligent training and outstanding performance, Alliance Youth Team Member Su Zhi is hereby officially promoted to Preparatory Alliance Member...]
"..." Su Zhi looked at Zhou Shengfa and Yan Shouzheng.
Yan Shouzheng, hands still in his pockets, said, "I did say I’d give you a certificate, but I never said I’d give it to you immediately."
Zhou Shengfa, who also had his hands in his pockets, added, "Besides, why would we only hand out two certificates for a team competition? If we were going to, everyone would get one."
Shao Ya tucked her hands in her pockets as well. "Long story short, you’re a dummy."
"Alright, alright, I’m a dummy."
Su Zhi nodded, torn between laughter and exasperation, but he mostly felt joy and a deep sense of emotion.
In the blink of an eye, he was only one final step away from becoming a full Alliance Member.
The honor that countless Beast Tamers yearned for was now within reach.
"Surprised? Unexpected, right?" Peng Kai teased.
"I was definitely surprised when I first opened it."
Su Zhi, however, shook his head. "But now that I’ve calmed down, it feels more like a responsibility. If I choose to accept this honor, I must also accept the weight it carries."
Peng Kai lifted his chin. "So, are you going to accept it or not?"
"I accept!"
Su Zhi didn’t hesitate for a second.
The two teachers present exchanged a smile.
The smile on Peng Kai’s lips widened and widened until it became a hearty laugh. He stepped forward and clapped his fellow Daoist and junior hard on the shoulder.
"Attaboy! I knew I wasn’t wrong about you!"
Su Zhi nodded, grinning from ear to ear.
’Actually, I kind of regret that. If I’d put on a determined expression just now, it would’ve looked way cooler... Huh? Wait, why am I thinking about trying to look cool? I’m not Yu Bao...’
’A Tier Four Beast Taming Space really makes a difference. A pat on the back from Peng Kai used to feel like it would take off half my life, but now it just feels a bit heavy.’
’No wonder the Common Defense Alliance makes a Tier Four Beast Taming Space a hard requirement for entry. It’s a real threshold. Leaving aside the boost it gives to Pet Beasts, the enhancement to the Beastmaster themself is a genuine qualitative leap, even if a small one. At the very least, it makes it so a Beastmaster isn’t so easy to kill.’
"Shao Ya got a Preparatory Admission Order too?"
Su Zhi glanced curiously at the red booklet in Shao Ya’s arms. "But I thought you weren’t an Alliance Youth Team Member yet?"
Peng Kai nodded. "Xiaoya is on the military family admission track. It’s a different path from yours. It allows her to skip the Alliance Youth Team Member stage and go straight to preparatory status. Her observation period is even shorter."
Su Zhi paused for a moment.
"Doing this... It’s for easier screening and cultivation, to build up combat effectiveness more quickly, isn’t it?"
"That’s right." Peng Kai’s lighthearted expression also faded.
"When the Common Defense Alliance was first established, wars were much more frequent than they are today, and the casualty rate for Alliance Member Beastmasters remained stubbornly high... The admission track for military families was created against that backdrop.
"Those with enough talent are fast-tracked into becoming Alliance Members, taking the place of their fallen parents on the battlefield.
"Those who lack the aptitude are pulled from the battlefield early to preserve the spark of the future.
"That was the original purpose of the admission track for military families. And that... is the Common Defense Alliance."
Listening to Peng Kai’s account, Su Zhi instinctively glanced at the young woman beside him.
Her bright white hair was as fine and soft as silk, and her azure eyes could always call to mind one’s most vivid and cherished memories.
"What is it?" Shao Ya tilted her head.
"It’s nothing," Su Zhi said, using a faint smile to mask the torrent of emotions inside him.
"It just occurred to me that we’re around the same age, but if this were the Classical Era... you might have already been on the battlefield."