The next day.
It was the opening day at Yulianton University.
All kinds of pet beasts, some so large they could carry several or even dozens of people, appeared in the sky and on the ground.
Throughout, flying-type pet beasts kept swooping down and landing by the roadside.
"Yap!"
High in the sky, Yabao looked around excitedly, glancing left and right.
This one looks so strong!
That one over there looks like it would be great in a fight too!
Qiao Sang sat onYabao's back. Although she couldnât see his facial expression, she could tell from the way his head kept turning what he was thinking.
"There will be plenty of chances to battle strong opponents later. For now, stop looking around. Letâs hurry to the freshman reception. We donât want to be late." Qiao Sang patted Yabao and said.
"Yap!"
Yabao called out in understanding, then flapped his wings harder, speeding up.
About a week ago, Qiao Sang had already scouted the general layout of Yulianton University.
She didn't spend much time and quickly arrived at her destination.
The freshman reception was located in a massive visual arts building eight stories tall.
Inside the building, the floors were staggered, creating many outdoor terraces.
Yabao landed on the ground. After Qiao Sang dismounted, his body slowly shrank in size.
Qiao Sang entered the huge second-floor hall.
Inside, almost two-thirds of the seats were already filled with freshmen.
On the stage at the very front, nine armchairs were placed, with nine elderly individuals of various skin and hair colors seated there, clearly of advanced age.
Qiao Sang found the section assigned to the Beast Taming Department.
Hugging Yabao, she casually found a seat.
The surrounding students glanced at Yabao but quickly looked away.
Qiao Sang swept her gaze across the hall and noticed that although there werenât many students carrying pet beasts like her, it wasnât completely unheard of either.
Just then, a girl about eighteen years old, with shoulder-length blond hair and bright blue eyes, leaned over and greeted her:
"Hello, I'm Lylaly."
Qiao Sang glanced at her, responding, "Iâm Qiao Sang."
"Which planet are you from?" Lylaly asked.
Looks like everyone has already assumed that anyone carrying a pet beast isnât from Chaosu Star...
Qiao Sang thought to herself but smiled outwardly:
"Blue Star."
"Blue Star, huh..." Lylaly said wistfully.
"I've always wanted to visit the secret realms there, but never had the chance."
"You'll have the chance someday." Qiao Sang replied.
After some small talk, Lylaly suddenly thought of something and asked:
"Which dorm area are you living in?"
"Iâm not sure." Qiao Sang explained.
"I applied to live off-campus, and I havenât been to the dorms."
Lylaly looked surprised: "It got approved so quickly?"
Qiao Sang was about to explain that she was an exchange student when Lylaly continued:
"I heard thereâs an incredible freshman this year who was assigned to the Special Zone right from the start."
Qiao Sang asked curiously: "The Special Zone?"
Before Lylaly could answer, a brown-haired boy with a few freckles sitting nearby leaned over and explained:
"You probably donât know because youâre not living on campus. Yulianton University's dorms are divided into three areas: The Elementary Zone, the Advanced Zone, and the Special Zone."
"Freshmen like us usually stay in the Elementary Zone, while the Advanced Zone is for upperclassmen."
He paused slightly, looking at Qiao Sang.
"And the Special Zone?" Qiao Sang asked, playing along.
Before the boy could answer, Lylaly said calmly, "The Special Zone is for the top 100 students in each department. In our Beast Taming Department, the top 100 were all proven through real battles. Itâs unheard of for a freshman to be assigned there straight away."
"Thatâs not entirely true." The brown-haired boy raised his voice a little to refute her:
"There have been five cases where freshmen were assigned to the Special Zone right upon entry. They were all top-tier geniuses. You can still look up their names in the Beast Taming Alliance. You know Zakaton, right? He was one of them..."
Lylaly interrupted: "I mean itâs unprecedented in the Beast Taming Department."
The brown-haired boy immediately fell silent.
"Who is this freshman that got assigned to the Special Zone?" Qiao Sang asked, interested.
"No idea." Lylaly shook her head.
The brown-haired boy looked gossipy: "I heard that yesterday, a fifth-year senior who was originally ranked 100th went to the Special Zone dorms to challenge the newcomer, hoping to win back his room but the freshman wasnât even there."
"A challenge?" Qiao Sang immediately perked up.
"If you win, you can reclaim the dorm?"
"Of course." The brown-haired boy waved his hand.
"We're in the Beast Taming Department;
itâs all about strength. The top 100 are literally the best fighters. If you beat one of them, you can move into the Special Zone."
Hearing this, Qiao Sang thought for a moment and asked:
"Then wonât lots of people want to challenge that freshman?"
Lylalyâs face lit up with battle spirit: "Exactly! Theyâre our peer, after all. Why should they get special treatment? Weâre all the same age! I refuse to believe theyâre that much stronger than me. Iâll challenge them sooner or later!"
The brown-haired boy glanced at her and reminded: "You need to register first. Anyone wanting to challenge a top 100 must sign up. Only battles officiated by a teacher are valid."
Poor person, getting targeted by the whole Beast Taming Department right after entering collegeâŠ
Qiao Sang thought with a moment of sympathy, and asked:
"Where do you register? I want to go too."
She wasnât particularly interested in the Special Zone itself, but from what they said, this new freshman was probably the strongest among the first-years.
Strong enough that, even without defeating anyone yet, the school had placed them in the Special Zone.
She was very eager to have a match with such a person.
"Iâm not sure." The brown-haired boy said.
"But you can ask your advisor later."
---
Meanwhile.
Several teachers from the Beast Taming Department were discussing quietly while looking at Qiao Sangâs seat:
"Is that Qiao Sang?"
"Yes, looks just like in the records."
"I admit reaching this level at 16 is impressive, but putting her directly into the Special Zone seems excessive. Every student there earned it through battles."
At that moment, a serious-looking middle-aged man in his forties said flatly:
"It was the Imperial Beast Universityâs request."
The surroundings instantly quieted, followed by a disgruntled voice:
"So just because they requested it, we have to agree?"
The middle-aged man said sternly, "Donât forget, we also have exchange students over at the Imperial Beast University."
A round-faced female teacher, sensing the tension, hurriedly tried to smooth things over:
"Actually, being placed directly into the Special Zone might not be such a good thing. The entire Beast Taming Department will probably see her as a rival. This semester wonât be easy for her."
The middle-aged man said calmly, "That will be part of her training."
The previously disgruntled teacher chuckled coldly: "Using our entire Beast Taming Department to 'train' her, huh?"
The female teacher didn't try to smooth things over anymore.
She knew that Teacher Brennan, the serious-looking man, had once strongly favored a student, hoping to keep him for graduate studies. But that student had chosen to transfer to the Imperial Beast University, leaving behind the words, "I just chose the better option."
Since then, Brennan had been triggered, seeing the Imperial Beast University as his sworn rival.
Though the two top academies officially maintained cordial relations, only Brennan made no effort to hide the competition.