Chapter 239 - 188: Respective Progress
"Whew."
Su Zhi breathed a sigh of relief as he felt the sunlight on his cheeks and opened his eyes.
His extra Meditation session for the day was complete.
The Divine Concealment Core he had been using since the City League had gone dim. As a small, pitiful, and helpless resource, it had given far too much for this Beast Tamer...
Su Zhi expressionlessly hitched up his pants, tossed the completely drained Divine Concealment Core into the trash, and took out a new one.
This one was from Luo Sen.
After absorbing the Energy from the Divine Concealment Core, breaking through to a Tier Four Beast Taming Space was just a matter of time for Su Zhi.
Reaching Tier Four before the college entrance exams basically meant being scouted by top universities in advance.
But Su Zhi’s ambitions didn’t stop at Tier Four.
Tier Five, Tier Six... the strongest!
"AWOOF, AWOOF." Yu Bao shook his head.
’Ever since Su Zhi had gotten back from summer camp, he’d become ridiculously intense for some reason. What’s gotten into him?’ Yu Bao wondered. He was the original king of grinders, and even he was being ground into dust.
Su Zhi chuckled. "Giving up already? Don’t tell me you’re a weakling, Yu Bao?"
"..." Yu Bao scrambled to his feet and leaped out the window.
’The Tamer might be able to stand it, but this dog cannot!’
’Just you watch! I’ll reach Two-star before you even hit Tier Four! I’ll out-grind you, out-grind you, out-grind you!’
"CHIRP!"
’Big bro, wait up! I’m coming too!’
Shan Bao popped out of the covers—Bling!—and followed Yu Bao outside.
Before long, the sounds of burning Flame and metal striking the ground came from outside the window.
This was the training method Shan Bao and Yu Bao had developed together—a true chicken fears no fire.
Yu Bao unleashed Giant Fire Pillar and Yellow Earth Wall, while Shan Bao activated Hardening and Super Heavy Gold Fall, plummeting from high above to smash into the Yellow Earth Wall again and again.
In the process, Shan Bao would withstand the dual trial of intense heat and impact, making the training exceptionally effective.
Meanwhile, Yu Bao’s Yellow Earth Wall would have its durability tested, allowing him to train his own Skills while helping Shan Bao.
This was the win-win training regimen that Shan Bao and Yu Bao had painstakingly developed!
Farther away, Wu Bao was also training tirelessly, practicing Pine Tree Swordsmanship against the very pine tree that had withstood Yu Bao’s Furious Sand Blade.
"HUP! HUP!"
’So you’re the pine tree that withstood Yu Bao’s attack and did not fall?’
’I have long heard of your great name! Please, grant me an honorable duel! I shall treat you with the highest knightly honors!’
The pine tree: "..."
Seeing his three little companions so full of life, Su Zhi’s eyes filled with amusement.
’Today’s the first day of school. Looks like everyone’s fired up!’
·
"Here!"
When he stepped outside, a girl was already waiting by the door, munching on shrimp crackers. Perhaps she had taken Su Zhi’s previous advice to heart, because this time she wasn’t climbing on anything or performing any other dangerous stunts.
Seeing Su Zhi, the girl plucked out a cracker and offered it to him.
"Thanks," Su Zhi said, leaning in to eat it directly from her fingers.
He opened his mouth wide to take it. Shao Ya quickly pulled her hand back and playfully punched him with a laugh. "I meant for you to take it with your hand! What are you, a dog?"
"Awoof!" Su Zhi barked back.
The girl covered her mouth and giggled.
Yu Bao tilted his head, puzzled. ’How is Su Zhi’s bark more on point than mine? Could he really be a dog?’
"How’s your progress?"
Shao Ya asked, tilting her head as they waited for the bus.
"I feel like I’ll be able to hit Tier Four soon." Su Zhi nodded and looked at her. "How about you?"
"I should be able to break through to Tier Three in the next day or two!" Shao Ya said with a slight blink.
"Let’s both give it our all! If we hit Tier Four in high school, we can apply for direct admission and skip the exams!"
"Mhm. By the way, do you have a target university in mind?"
"The university affiliated with the Flying Shadow Alliance. You?"
"Oh, I haven’t thought about it yet."
The bus arrived, bringing their idle chatter to an end.
’The university affiliated with the Flying Shadow Alliance.’
As her bright white hair swayed before his eyes, the young man silently committed the name of the university to memory.
·
Class 1710—
"Brother Shu! Long time no see!"
"...Are you Liu Yuhang?"
Su Zhi stared, stunned, at the muscular man before him. He had tanned skin, bulging muscles, and a sunny expression.
The impression of a frail, gentle scholar was completely gone.
’And yet, this incredibly reassuring physique was paired with a face that still looked a bit boyish. If I were a girl,’ Su Zhi thought, ’I probably wouldn’t be able to resist teasing him a little...’
[Pet Beast: Xue Li (Hao Waterfowl)
Attribute: Water Element
Race: Water Element High Level Extraordinary Race
Real-time Energy Value: 1976]
"Quack?"
The reaction among the Pet Beasts was the reverse. Xue Li stared up blankly at Yu Bao, her face a mask of shock.
’We haven’t seen each other all summer, how did this dumb little dog get so big? Did he eat a Stone Armor Rhinoceros or something?’
"Hah!" Yu Bao puffed out his chest and pushed Shan Bao forward, making the introductions.
’This is your Auntie Xue Li!’
"CHIRP!" Shan Bao bowed obediently.
’Hello, Auntie Xue Li!’
"Quack."
’Hello to you too, quack quack.’
Xue Li tucked her wings behind her back and sized up Shan Bao, her expression a little odd.
’Yu Bao’s moving a little fast, isn’t he? Not only did he get bigger, he’s even got a little partner now...’
’Wait a minute—what does he mean, "Auntie"?!’
’I’m not that old, quack! Yu Bao, I’ll kill you!’
The two rivals chased each other all over the room, and the class, barely a day into the new semester, immediately burst into life.
Having not seen each other for a whole vacation, the classmates were excited to reunite. Good buddies exchanged greetings, the girls posed for photos together, and best bros acted like they were long-lost brothers. Even more people, however, were crowding around to see Su Zhi’s newly contracted Shimmering Free-Range Chicken.
The boys were mostly focused on how goddamn awesome it was that Su Zhi had reached Tier Three in his Beast Taming Space, while the girls just thought Shan Bao was adorable and desperately wanted to cuddle him...
Unlike in college, a small high school class could really feel like a family, and Su Zhi found he quite liked the atmosphere.
Besides Su Zhi and Shao Ya, three other students in Class 10 had also awakened a Tier Two Beast Taming Space. Liu Yuhang was one of them.
Su Zhi watched Xue Li chase Yu Bao around the classroom. "Xue Li’s Energy Value is getting pretty high, isn’t it? Isn’t it about time to arrange for her evolution?"