------
The holiday was destined not to be enjoyableâŠ
Qiao Sang let out a sigh.
Logically speaking, the time between high school graduation and the start of university should be the most carefree period for a student.
But at the moment, she couldnât just enjoy it without worries.
Since she got into the Beast Taming Department, battles were inevitable. The issue of Gangbaoâs pain connection with her during combat had to be resolved.
There was also the matter of knowledge. She had skipped a grade to enter university, and at her current level, attending university lectures might be challenging. It was best to make up for it while she still could.
Qiao Sang handed a file over to Little Treasure and instructed:
âPut this properly inside the ring.â
âXun xun~â
Little Treasure took it, removed the ring, and carefully looked for the right place to put it before stuffing it inside.
After finishing all that, he noticed his beast tamer still staring at him and got an ominous feeling.
âXun xunâŠâ
He quietly floated to the side, thinking it was best to retreat first.
But just then, his beast tamerâs voice rang out: âLittle TreasureâŠâ
âXun xunâŠâ
Little Treasure stiffened and turned around obediently.
On the surface, he looked calm, but his inner thoughts were in turmoil.
He didnât do anything major, just played on the computer and typed a few words. Surely his beast tamer wouldnât make him go to school because of that?
Please no!
As he fretted, Qiao Sang spoke:
âIâve realized you're incredibly smart.â
âXun xun!â
Being praised like that only made Little Treasure more panicked. He quickly waved his hands to show that he really wasnât smart at all.
Qiao Sang looked at Little Treasure and emphasized:
âNo, you're very smart! You actually thought of using Shadow of Darkness to play on the computer. Thatâs a training method I never even considered!â
âIâve decided, I'll no longer restrict how long you play on the computer at night. But I have one condition: You must use Shadow Control the entire time, and every minute, you have to recast the skill.â
Skill proficiency increases based on the number of times it's cast. If you just maintain Shadow of Darkness the whole time, you only get one point. But if you interrupt and recast it frequently, you gain a point every minute.
Little Treasure was caught off guard by his beast tamerâs unpredictable logic. He looked both excited and confused.
âXun xun!â
After a few stunned seconds, he excitedly floated to Qiao Sang and affectionately nuzzled her cheek.
No need to go to school and still gets to play on the computer, what a dream come true!
After finishing Little Treasureâs arrangements, Qiao Sang opened her chat with Elma, briefly explained her condition, and sent the message.
Elma replied quickly:
[From what youâve described, it really does sound like the end of Phase One. But Iâll need to check in person to be sure.]
[Got it.] Qiao Sang sent the message and didnât ask more.
She opened her chat history and saw a few messages from Tang Yi:
[(Location)]
[Iâve arrived in 1st District!]
[I was planning to tour Zhizhou University, but the security guard said outsiders arenât allowed. What do they mean outsiders? Iâm going to be an exchange student here next semester!]
[(Link)]
[Lol, day one in 1st District and your ghost ring spirit is already in the news.]
Qiao Sang glanced at the title of the link, it was about the incident at the morgue.
She replied to Tang Yi:
[You could use Paraleo to enter a match and still make headlines.]
Tang Yi replied instantly:
[Boss, want to join me in a pet beast arena match in 1st District?]
Ever since it was confirmed that Qiao Sang was admitted through recommendation to the Imperial Beast University, Tang Yi had started calling her âBoss.â
Qiao Sang thought for a moment and replied:
[Maybe another time. My schedule is packed these days.]
She was indeed interested in the pet beast arena matches. They were great for real combat practice and making money. But unfortunately, she still had a lot to take care of right now.
Meanwhile, Tang Yi was sitting in the audience section of a D-level pet beast arena match, sipping a drink while looking at the chat screen.
When he read Qiao Sangâs latest message, he couldnât help feeling a little gloomy.
Back when Qiao Sang had Ice Xiluâs Healing Light, she didnât sleep for two months straight and still found time to enter pet beast matches. Now that she no longer had classes, how could she not have time?
Was this what it meant to be a top-tier beast tamer at the Imperial Beast University, too cool to hang out with him now?
Just then, another message came in from Qiao Sang:
[(Location)] This is where I live now. You can come here to find me. Havenât you always wanted a rematch? The place I live just so happens to have a battle arena.
Tang Yi: !!!
He shot up from his seat in excitement, then quickly sat down again under everyoneâs curious gazes.
Barely containing his joy, he replied quickly:
[Iâm definitely coming!!!]
---
8:50 PM
Liu Yao returned to the villa with the Sky Bat, carrying bags of supplies.
As soon as he walked in, Yabao, who was in the living room, wagged his tail and stared at him with twinkling eyes.
Food. Food. He wanted food.
Liu Yao, being an A-rank beast breeder, was always well-liked by pet beasts. He didnât mind and just smiled at Yabao as he carried the supplies back to his room.
âYapâŠâ
Yabaoâs face immediately fell.
He really wanted to go seek comfort from his beast tamer, but his size made it impossible to fit through the door.
âYapâŠâ
Yabao sighed.
Just then, Lubao happened to walk by.
Expressionless, she glanced at Yabao as she passed, then slowed down and began to sing softly, âLu~ Lu~ Lu Lu~âŠâ
Invisible sound waves rippled outward. (T/n: Lubao's such a tsundere.)
Yabaoâs mood slowly shifted from gloomy to calm.
âGang.â
Over in the open kitchen, Gangbao was feeding peppers to Chan Chan Stone while watching the scene and thinking calmly:
Actually, Lubao doesnât hate Big Bro Yabao as much as it seemsâŠ
---
Early Morning.
Living Room.
Little Treasure was playing on the computer excitedly in the dim light.
He used to be allowed to play, but always with a time limit. Not like now, he could play as much as he wanted.
He was casting Shadow of Darkness, clacking away while chatting with new online friends.
Then he suddenly thought of something and looked at the bottom right corner of the screen.
[2:01]
A minute had passed.
Little Treasure quickly canceled the skill and recast it.
His beast tamer had already allowed him unlimited computer time, so of course he had to meet the one requirement!
An hour later, Little Treasure started to feel tired, drained in a way he had never experienced from computer games before.
âXun xunâŠâ
He thought for a moment, took off his ring, pulled out a bottle of B-grade energy recovery solution, and drank it.
Soon, his energy slowly recovered.
âXun xun!â
Rejuvenated, Little Treasure resumed casting Shadow of Darkness to continue playing.