Chapter 840: Dean Theresa Dwight

The sky was a clear, pure blue, with perfect sunshine gilding the boundless sea in jagged, glimmering light

Flying-type beasts soared at the horizon, while water-type beasts occasionally leapt out of the waves.

So many people

… Hugging Yabao, Qiao Sang found a nearby operations platform and joined the line.

The brown-haired girl in front of her was admiring the scenery when a flash of brilliant red in her peripheral vision caught her attention.

She suddenly turned her head, eyes bright with curiosity, and let out a surprised “Eh?”

“Classmate, what kind of beast is that?” She asked.

“Fire Qilu.” Qiao Sang replied.

“Mind if I take a picture?” The brown-haired girl asked.

“I don’t mind.” Qiao Sang said.

The girl pulled out her phone, opened the camera, and aimed it at Yabao.

“Yap!”

Yabao was more than familiar with having his picture taken, he instinctively puffed out his chest and struck a dashing pose.

The girl couldn’t help but laugh.

“Your beast is pretty interesting.”

As she spoke, she caught sight of Gangbao appearing from behind Qiao Sang’s head, and her eyes lit up again.

“This one’s yours too?”

Qiao Sang glanced at Gangbao and gave a quiet “Mm.”

The girl snapped another photo and asked, “What’s it called?”

“Steel-Slash Giant Falcon.”

Giant?

The girl instinctively glanced at Gangbao’s claws, sure enough, there was a lightweight miniaturization bracelet.

She looked away, admired her photos, then suddenly thought of something.

“Classmate, what’s your major?

“Beast Taming Department.” Qiao Sang answered.

The girl perked up.

“What a coincidence, I’m Beast-Taming too.”

Her face was full of interest.

“What year are you? Which class?”

“First year, Imperial Class.” Qiao Sang said.

The girl froze for a moment, then pursed her lips, losing interest in the conversation.

Who didn’t know there was only one Imperial Class in the whole Beast Taming Department, the kind of class you might not get into even after clawing your way up to graduate school.

To drop that casually right after meeting someone? What did she take the Imperial Class for?

In the middle of these thoughts, it was already her turn.

She placed her student card on the platform.

Moments later, a water-type beast swam slowly to the shore.

She climbed onto its back by herself.

Just as she sat down, a massive water-type beast suddenly burst from the sea, the upper half of its body was blue, its underside white from jaw to tail tip, a bump on its head, and spiral structures on each side.

A Cryodrake

… almost everyone present froze in surprise.

A man in a teal suit and white shirt sat on the Cryodrake’s back, with no trace of water on him.

He scanned the crowd and called out in a loud voice: “Which one of you is Qiao Sang?"

Qiao Sang, retrieving her recently scanned student card, raised her hand.

“Here!”

The suited man looked at her and broke into a warm smile.

“Dean Theresa Dwight asked me to come get you.”

Dean Theresa Dwight?

The Dean of the Beast Taming Department?

The brown-haired girl’s eyes went wide. She stared blankly between the man and the black-haired girl she’d just been chatting with, utterly dumbfounded.

She’d already recognized the Cryodrake rider as one of the academy’s instructors.

The surrounding crowd was equally stunned.

The dean personally sending someone to pick her up

Who was this person?

Ignoring the stares, Qiao Sang walked to the shore and swung herself onto the Cryodrake’s back.

Having someone sent to pick her up was both expected and unexpected.

Not surprising , the teacher in charge of registration had told her that on the first day of classes, after scanning her card, she should wait where she was and someone would escort her to the Imperial Class.

Surprising, she hadn’t expected them to arrive this quickly.

The scan had literally just finished…

Under the crowd’s confused, awed, and curious gazes, the Cryodrake swam toward the academy.

“I’ve heard about your feats several times now.” The man said conversationally.

“At the age when most are still in regular high school, you’ve already raised four General-level beasts. And not only are they unusual in themselves, you even helped two of them awaken super-tier skills.”

“In the entire Beast Taming Department, there’s never been a genius like you.”

Qiao Sang smiled at the praise.

“Not really. I didn’t teach them, they awakened those skills on their own during evolution.”

The man gave her a look that clearly said Don’t be so modest.

“Without your training, how could they possibly awaken super-tier skills?”

So that’s why Dean Theresa Dwight sent him to pick me up…

Qiao Sang thought to herself.

“Almost forgot to introduce myself.” The man said.

“I’m Wolfgang Viking, currently teaching in the Beast Taming Department, third-year classes.”

Qiao Sang suddenly thought of something.

“Teacher, you just came up from underwater, how come you’re not wet?”

Viking smiled.

“My Cryodrake can use the Water-Repelling technique. The whole time we were underwater, it kept the water at least two meters away.”

Ah, that explained it.

Water-Repelling, a high-tier water skill.

Not particularly useful, except for being able to create a dry, air-filled space underwater, like a well-practiced water bubble. It was only considered high-tier because it was notoriously hard to learn.

While they chatted, they arrived at the academy’s shore.

“Cryo~”

The Cryodrake didn’t stop at the dock, it flicked its tail and dove straight underwater.

The scenery changed in an instant.

Crystal-blue depths, colorful rocks and coral reefs, and water-type beasts drifting lazily by.

Qiao Sang, having dived in the Guwu region before, let a brief flash of amazement show in her eyes before quickly returning to calm.

“Yap!”

Yabao was startled, fur bristling.

Even though he wasn’t as afraid of water as before, could they please give him some mental preparation next time before diving in?

Sensing his state, Qiao Sang stroked his fur.

“Yap…”

Yabao gradually relaxed, and soon, realizing there was no water touching him at all, became completely at ease, curiously taking in the surroundings.

“Xun!”

Little Treasure popped out, excited by the underwater sights.

When he spotted a nearby water-type beast with beautiful scales, he got a mischievous, eager look

Without missing a beat, Qiao Sang said, “If you want to know what drowning feels like, go ahead.”

“Xun…”

Little Treasure instantly dropped the idea.

“Lu Ai.”

Lubao, noticing the change in environment, leapt from the backpack and landed atop her tamer’s head.

“Gang Slice…”

Gangbao’s pupils contracted sharply, and she instinctively flapped her wings, moving closer to her own beast tamer.

Sensing Gangbao’s state, Qiao Sang asked in her mind:

Do you want to go into the Beast Codex?

“Gang Slice.”

Gangbao shook her head, watching her surroundings with a look that was both wary and a little curious, indicating she didn’t need to.

At that moment, Viking spoke.

“We’re here.”

Following his gaze, Qiao Sang saw a transparent elevator that led straight upward.

The two stepped into the elevator one after the other.

When the doors closed, Qiao Sang hesitated.

“This elevator goes to the surface?”

Viking gave a brief “Mm.”

Then, realizing what she was wondering, he smiled and explained: “This elevator isn’t just for show. The Imperial Beast University has certain areas protected by barriers, you can’t just walk in from above.”

He paused, then added, “For example, the Imperial Class. While you can apply to enter, if you try to walk there from above, you have to take all sorts of detours, very troublesome.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the scene before them changed once again.

A sky of pure blue, and a rear garden straight out of a fairy tale.

Two or three mechanical-type pet beasts, the kind you’d never see sold on the market, were wearing little hats and trimming oddly-shaped green plants.

“Yap…”

“Xun xun…”

“Lu Ai…”

“Gang Slice…”

Yabao and the others all showed wide-eyed, provincial expressions.

Damn, this place is gorgeous…

Qiao Sang thought to herself as she stepped out of the elevator.

The moment she did, the three mechanical pet beasts stopped their work and looked over at her in unison.

She saw their eyes change from black to green, then back to black, before they turned away and resumed trimming the greenery.

Viking explained: “These ones are responsible for security, checking people’s identities. If they detect someone not recorded in their database, they’ll immediately attack.”

Qiao Sang was silent for a moment.

“I thought they were gardeners.”

Viking chuckled and added: “When they’ve got nothing else to do, they do serve as gardeners.”

Mechanical-type pet beasts sure are versatile

… Qiao Sang thought.

The two chatted idly as they walked.

Before long, they reached a pavilion supported by several round columns

Inside sat two women.

One had sleek black hair, emerald-green eyes, and no makeup at all, she looked to be in her early thirties.

The other had half-white hair, fair skin, and noticeable wrinkles.

Qiao Sang instantly recognized the older woman as the one who had appeared in the admission notice video, Dean Theresa Dwight.

“Dean, she’s here.” Viking said respectfully.

As the head of the entire department, strength, experience, and achievements were all indispensable, among all instructors, she held absolute authority.

“You may go.” Dean Theresa said. Then, like a kindly elder, she turned to Qiao Sang with a warm smile.

“Come in and sit.”

Viking glanced at the thirty-something woman in the pavilion, then silently turned and left.

Hugging Yabao, Qiao Sang stepped inside and greeted politely: “Hello, Dean.”

At that moment, Lubao had already jumped back into the backpack.

Dean Theresa’s gaze first landed on Yabao and Gangbao, then shifted toward the spot where Little Treasure was hiding invisibly. She said seriously: “I’ve heard about everything that happened in Yulianton. I’m very glad you chose our Imperial Beast University.”

Without missing a beat, Qiao Sang replied: “It was the Imperial Beast University that chose me.”

Dean Theresa laughed at that, then introduced the woman beside her: “This is Mikayla, an honorary professor at the Imperial Beast University and an S-class beast tamer. She’ll be giving you one-on-one instruction for a long time to come.

S-class beast tamer, a real powerhouse

… Qiao Sang immediately looked at the thirty-something woman with a serious expression.

“Hello, Teacher!”

“Hello.” Mikayla said with a smile.

“I hope we can get along well.”

You’re my teacher and an S-class beast tamer, how could I possibly not get along with you?

Qiao Sang thought, but on the surface she responded without hesitation: “I’ll be in your care from now on!”

Mikayla gave a satisfied nod.

Compared to monstrously talented but rebellious students, she preferred geniuses who were also obedient.

Otherwise, she’d end up like that guy, stuck babysitting a troublemaker and cleaning up messes every day.

Dean Theresa said slowly: “I believe Teacher Pirite has already told you about the Imperial Class’s situation. But since he isn’t one of its actual instructors, there are some things he might not know.”

She looked at Qiao Sang.

“Every student who enters the Imperial Class receives 10,000 points directly.”

How much?

Come again?

Qiao Sang’s eyes went wide.

Dean Theresa continued: “After joining the Imperial Class, we also have certain standards.”

“What standards?” Qiao Sang asked quickly.

“Before the age of 50, you must become an A-rank professional beast tamer.” Dean Theresa said.

“If you fail to do so by then, you’ll be removed from the Imperial Class.”

Fifty years old… more than thirty years away… still plenty of- Wait.

After a moment of silence, Qiao Sang asked: “I’d like to ask, what’s the age of the oldest current student in the Imperial Class?”

Dean Theresa seemed surprised by the question. She thought for a moment, then said: “Eighty-seven.”

Oh my god…

Qiao Sang was stunned.

So she’d be in the same class as someone who was eighty-seven years old?

If they met in class, how was she supposed to greet them

Hello, Grandpa?

Hello, Grandma?

Dean Theresa seemed to read her confusion and patiently explained:

“The Imperial Class exists to cultivate talent capable of competing in the Interstellar Cup. Every participant in the Interstellar Cup is an S-rank beast tamer, so as long as a student can become an S-rank professional beast tamer before the age of 90, they can graduate smoothly.”

From a big-picture perspective, those who reach S-rank are all true heavyweights, the kind of people who easily live a century or more.

Ninety years old means achieving that ten years earlier than most- the difficulty…

Qiao Sang suddenly thought of something, paused, and asked hesitantly: “I remember the Beast Taming Department is a five-year program…”

Wait- I just realized something very important, if I’m in the Imperial Class, does that mean I’ll be a student for decades?!

This time, Mikayla answered: “Since you’ve entered the Imperial Class, you’re naturally different from the other students in the Beast Taming Department. During these decades, you’ll have access to all of the Imperial Beast University’s resources and information channels.”

“Of course, you’ll still need to compete for them yourself, nothing will just be placed in front of you.”

“But for other students, once they graduate, they lose any chance of accessing these things.”

“You also won’t be like those students who just carry a textbook around, or the ones who run to the training grounds every day.”

“We won’t limit your development, only accelerate your growth.”

Qiao Sang took a few seconds to digest this, then nodded.

“I understand.”