Su Ping opened his mouth,
Then what on earth are you here for?
he thought.
However, remembering that he was also wandering around the broadcast hall of the TV station out of curiosity, he naturally had no reason to judge others.
With that in mind, Su Ping nodded and said, "Alright, letâs head back first. I guess we still have a while to wait until they finish reading the sponsor ads and introducing the guests and judges!"
Su Ping wasnât in a rush. He estimated that the delegation from Jianghai Province wouldnât be on stage anytime soon. It wasnât because of the nonsense that the protagonist always appears last.
Itâs purely my guess that the organizers of the Breeder Competition will also arrange the order of appearance based on the importance of the cultivation types, right?
he mused.
Things like new Pet Beast breeding evolutions certainly count as the most valuable batch. Although there are said to be quite a few of these achievements this year, itâs unlikely that they would be first.
Just as he was leisurely thinking of returning, Su Ping noticed, not without surprise, that he wasnât the only one with this idea. At the edge of the recording hall, another figure was also strolling in. And, notably, he recognized this person.
Ye Zhou?
It was none other than the legendary senior from Magic Capital Academy, the Time Series Beast Tamer who had discussed research on Pet Beast devolution with him during Jiang Zhiyuanâs class yesterday.
Whatâs he doing here?
Su Ping wondered.
Ye Zhou, however, showed no surprise at Su Pingâs arrival. He even turned, smiled, and waved cheerfully, saying, "We meet again, junior Su Ping."
"You... are you also participating in this Breeder Competition?" Su Ping asked.
Ye Zhou nodded.
It was only then that Su Ping understood why the man had previously said he looked forward to meeting him on the competition stage.
So heâs here to participate too?
"Aside from the various provinces, the few elite Advanced Colleges across Dragon Nation also qualify to attend this Breeder Convention. I am one of the research members representing our Magic Capital Academy this time, and I came with Professor Wang and the others!" Ye Zhou explained with a smile.
I see,
Su Ping thought.
Within Dragon Nation, Modu Advanced Academy certainly isnât the only elite Advanced College. There must be others in the Imperial Capital and other major cities across Dragon Nation.
"Impressive!" Su Ping offered his praise generously.
Breeding is a distinct discipline, a completely different domain from what other Beast Tamer students in the academy focus on,
he thought.
To have established such a reputation at Magic Capital Academy and also be involved in research for the Breeding Competition, this Senior Ye before me is indeed no ordinary person.
But Su Ping had no intention of prying for information.
The competition is about to start, so thereâs no need. Besides, judging from his words yesterday, he clearly knew I was coming long before.
"Iâm just assisting, really. Iâm far behind you, Junior Su," Ye Zhou stated humbly, showing no intention to elaborate, as several people had already walked up behind him.
"Alright, Xiao Ye, we need to get ready. Itâs almost our turn to go on stage!" one of them said.
Huh?
Su Ping was taken aback.
Are Ye Zhou and his group the first to go on stage?
Ye Zhou gave Su Ping a slightly embarrassed smile, then joined Professor Wang and the other researchers from Magic Capital, moving to the side to prepare for their upcoming stage appearance.
Su Ping cast a curious glance at them before returning with Sun Chaoju to the dressing room where Old Liu and the others from Jianghai were.
Evidently, the television station in Magic Capital was quite large. Or perhaps, everyone at the TV station knew that no ordinary people attended the Breeder Convention; thus, the numerous provincial and regional representative teams all had separate rest and preparation rooms and dressing rooms.
After they entered the room, Old Liu, who was looking at a list in his hand, glanced up at them and asked, "Youâre back, huh?"
Su Ping nodded. "Whenâs our turn to go on stage? Around what time?"
Although the Breeder Competition was a grand event, it actually concluded within a single day. The process involved presenting results, answering questions, then demonstrating achievements according to the scoring criteria, followed by grading. There might be some variations, but each participant would likely only have about ten minutes or so on stage.
Old Liu took out a list. "We have a brand-new Pet Beast breeding evolution, so weâre in a relatively later position. The closing act this year is the Imperial Capitalâs breeding team, followed by Linjiang Provinceâs team, and then Huaiyang Provinceâs team. Weâre fourth from last!"
"Hmm?" Su Pingâs eyebrows furrowed slightly.
Old Liu quickly asked, "Whatâs wrong? Did you find out something?"
Su Ping voiced his thought, "Weâre not the last to go on stage?"
Old Liu paused, giving Su Ping a puzzled look.
"Indeed, fourth from last!" Old Liu confirmed. "It doesnât really matter what our order is. The Breeder judges and Master Zhu Hong who are here will definitely provide fair scores and rankings!"
Sun Chaoju, at his side, then explained, "Su Ping, the representative Breeder from the Imperial Capitalâs team is said to have found a new evolution pathway for the Ordinary Level Pet Beast, the Jumping Zombie. As a nationally popular, low-tier Undead-type Pet Beast, such a novel evolutionary body scores very highly! Itâs normal for them to be the closing act."
Su Ping obviously wasnât concerned about that. Instead, he was filled with doubt.
Iâm not the last to go on stage? Not the grand finale? According to convention, doesnât this mean these last four slotsâincluding oursâhave the potential to produce something unexpected, like a dark horse? Arenât protagonists usually the last to appear?
No one paid heed to Su Pingâs wild thoughts because, at that moment, every rest and dressing room had a TV screen broadcasting the event live.
Finally, the lengthy sponsor announcements concluded. After thanking numerous Breeders, introducing all the judges who had taken their seats, and explaining the rules of the Breeder Competition, the Breeder Competition officially began!
The host announced, "Letâs welcome our first Breeder team to the stage: the representative delegation from Magic Capital Advanced Beast Tamer Academy! Their project is a brand-new Magic Potion development named âTime Potionâ!"
Su Pingâs spirits immediately lifted, his gaze fixed on the screen.