Qingcheng Gardens.
Building C, Room 606.
When Qiao Sang returned home with her mother, she still felt a bit dazed. After all, she had endured nearly two hours of relentless criticism at school. If it weren't for the homeroom teacher's stomach growling, he probably would have continued his lecture indefinitely.
Qiao Sang went to the bathroom and splashed her face with water twice. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her features were delicate, just like in her previous life. But she looked much younger now, her cheeks chubby with a baby fat glow.
"Come out for dinner," her mother's voice called from the living room.
"Coming."
Qiao Sang replied and quietly washed her face again before heading to the living room. The sharp gaze of her mother, Ye Xiangting, met hers. "The food is getting cold. I just reheated it, hurry up and eat."
In truth, Qiao Sang's family shared many similarities with her previous life. Not only did her parents look alike, but they were both from single-parent households. The original Qiao Sang's father wasn't missing or deceased; he simply divorced her mother. They ended their marriage when Qiao Sang was three years old. That same year, her father, Qiao Wangyang, remarried and had another daughter who was now fourteen.
This situation was rather intriguing...
Perhaps feeling guilty towards her mother, he left both the child and the house with her during the divorce. Ye Xiangting never remarried. She worked hard to raise Qiao Sang alone while earning a living. Fortunately, her mother was an E-rank Beast Master, with a Faithful Weng and a Plump Dove under her care. She made a decent living by renting out her flying services to others for sky-high adventures, allowing them to live a comfortable life.
Life hadn't turned her into a weary old lady but transformed her into a strong woman, soft on the outside but tough within. Qiao Sang truly understood this. Her mother had endured the homeroom teacher’s lecture for two hours, and upon returning home, she managed not to hit her. What strength!
But this really wasn’t her fault; with the Beastmaster Codex stuck in her Brain Domain, and having never contracted an extraordinary beast, she couldn’t prove she had truly awakened on her own without going to the Beastmaster Center for an examination.
Qiao Sang ate quietly, afraid to speak. Although her mother was a strong woman, it was hard to tell how long she could maintain that strength.
“Take a day off tomorrow. I’ll take you to the Beastmaster Center,” her mother said, looking at Qiao Sang.
Qiao Sang was taken aback. “What for?”
“You said you’ve already awakened on your own, right? We need to get it checked to prove it, so we can go to the beast base and choose your contracted beast,” her mother explained.
Since she had awakened, the sooner she picked a beast, the better.
Qiao Sang was shocked, “You believe me?”
A spark of amusement flickered in her mother’s eyes. “You’re my daughter. Of course, I know you. Though you’re a bit slow, you wouldn’t lie about such an important matter at this juncture.”
Qiao Sang felt a mix of emotions, unable to articulate her feelings. In truth, she found that mothers in this world not only looked similar to her own but also shared similar personalities.
“Mom, since you believe me, why didn’t you say anything while I sat through two hours of criticism?”
Her mother smiled, a rather eerie smile at that. “Awakening is one thing; scoring zero on an exam is another. I haven’t asked you yet—why did you score zero?”
Qiao Sang: “……”
The next morning.
At the entrance of the Hanggang Beastmaster Center.
A plump extraordinary beast, about three meters long, descended from the sky, its body brown with crimson tail feathers.
Qiao Sang excitedly dismounted from the Plump Dove. This was her first time having such a close encounter with the sky, and it was beyond exhilarating. She decided then and there that she must contract a flying beast!
“Thanks, Plump Dove,” her mother ruffled its feathers.
“Dove, dove!”
The Plump Dove flapped its wings and nuzzled against her mother, showing affection. Her mother waved her hand, and a faint light illuminated the Plump Dove. In the next moment, it vanished from sight.
No matter how many times she saw it, Qiao Sang found it magical. Such things could hardly be explained by science in her previous life.
After entering the Hanggang Beastmaster Center, her mother led her straight to Service Counter 37.
Before the staff could speak, her mother took the lead: “Hello, we’re here for a Brain Domain test.” She gestured for Qiao Sang to take out her information card.
Qiao Sang obediently pulled out her card.
After scanning it, the staff said, “That’ll be 500 Alliance Coins.”
Thanks to the abilities of beastmasters, humans had ventured beyond Blue Star, developing and populating three other habitable planets. The common currency across these four planets was the Alliance Coin.
After paying, her mother received the card back from the staff member and said, “Follow the Chao Li Guo inside.”
A green Chao Li Guo, standing under one meter tall, appeared from behind the staff. It had a round head and a pair of green antennae with yellow tips, along with a badge hanging from its chest. Chao Li Guo, a plant-type beast, was gentle in nature and popular with everyone, especially girls.
“Chao Li.”
It approached Qiao Sang, gesturing politely with its three round-fingered hand, displaying an air of professionalism.
As the capital of Zhehai Province, the Hanggang Beastmaster Center was naturally the largest in the region. Qiao Sang followed the Chao Li Guo and walked for over ten minutes before arriving at the Brain Domain testing area.
Chao Li Guo scanned the door's identity recognition device with its badge.
“Chao Li.”
As the door opened, it called out to Qiao Sang. Her mother calmly encouraged her, “Go on in.”
Though her mother maintained a calm demeanor, there was a hint of expectation in her eyes. It was clear that while she believed in Qiao Sang, she was still nervous until the results came in.
Qiao Sang followed the Chao Li Guo inside.
What greeted her was a short-haired female researcher in a white lab coat and a floating Bubble Bell beside her. Qiao Sang had just read about Bubble Bell in a book the previous day and was surprised to see one in person so soon.
Bubble Bell had no gender distinction, belonged to the psychic type, and was a relatively rare beast.
In fact, extraordinary beasts like this psychic type were quite unusual. Not many were found at the beast bases, perhaps only five or six each year, often starting at a million Alliance Coins, which ordinary families couldn’t afford.
Qiao Sang tagged the short-haired female researcher before her as a wealthy lady.
The short-haired researcher sat at a computer, typing busily. She seemed unfazed when she saw Chao Li Guo and Qiao Sang enter, clearly having received advance notice of Qiao Sang’s appointment.
“Please sit over there,” she pointed to a nearby single sofa.
Qiao Sang sat down where she indicated. It was just an ordinary sofa, nothing special about it.
“Bubble Bell.” The short-haired researcher finally looked up and called her partner's name.
“Bell.”
Suddenly, blue light emanated from Bubble Bell. Before Qiao Sang could understand what was happening, a silver helmet connected by multiple wires floated from several meters away and landed on her head.
This scene dazzled Qiao Sang's eyes.
This ability was incredibly convenient, a true lazy person's dream!
“Don’t move.”
The short-haired researcher still hadn’t looked up, but Qiao Sang understood that the instruction was directed at her. The silver helmet didn't block her vision, allowing her to see as the researcher frowned slightly at the images and data transmitted from the device.
Qiao Sang immediately tensed up.
There wouldn’t be any issues, would there?
The short-haired researcher wore a severe expression; when she wasn’t showing emotion, she resembled the strict principal from school, especially now with her serious demeanor—this made Qiao Sang's heart race.
“Did you awaken on your own?” the short-haired researcher suddenly asked.
“Um, sister, is there something wrong?” Qiao Sang nervously inquired.
“No, please don’t be anxious.” The researcher noticed the girl’s unease, her stern face twisting into an awkward smile meant to comfort.
It was quite intimidating...
Qiao Sang felt even more anxious.
“This year, there are only six children in our city who have awakened on their own, so your scores must be quite high, right?” the short-haired researcher asked.
While top students might not necessarily be self-awakened, those who successfully awoke did tend to be excellent students.
Qiao Sang: “……”
You could call her smart or talented, but how did it lead to her grades?
She recognized the researcher was attempting to ease her nerves, but if one wasn’t good at conversation, it was better not to force it…
“I was basically third place.” Qiao Sang stated flatly.
“Third place in the whole school is pretty good, many students in first and second place haven’t even awakened,” the short-haired researcher responded, sounding a little stiff, yet her tone was gentle.
“I was first in the recent mock exam,” Qiao Sang said, feeling less nervous now.
“After awakening, the Brain Domain opens up by 2%. Those who awaken on their own usually hover around 5%. Sudden improvements are very normal,” the short-haired researcher explained regarding Qiao Sang’s first-place ranking.
Qiao Sang: “……”
Around two minutes later, the short-haired researcher lifted her head and called, “Bubble Bell.”
“Bell.”
Bubble Bell used its psychic power to return the device to its original place on the table.
“Congratulations, your self-awakening was very successful. There’s nothing wrong with your Brain Domain, just the fluctuations are a bit large. You need to rest well and eat more dried fruits in the coming days.”
The short-haired researcher took out a certificate, signed it, stamped it, and stood to hand it to Qiao Sang.
“Thank you.”
Qiao Sang accepted the certificate, feeling a weight lift off her heart.
“What was the outcome?” Before even stepping out of the hall, her mother quickly approached, worry etched on her face.
Qiao Sang sighed and handed her the result.
Her mother’s face instantly turned pale, and she hesitated to take it.
“Mom, take a look.” Qiao Sang nudged the certificate forward slightly.
Ye Xiangting felt a chill wash over her: a zero score without having awakened…
Even if her daughter hadn’t scored zero, her previous grades wouldn’t qualify her for any Beastmaster High School. To gain admission, one must pass the Magnetic Wave Awakening to access the Beastmaster Codex and meet a score threshold.
The High School Entrance Exam had a full score of 650, with last year's lowest passing score being 332.
If she had just studied hard and tried her best, it would be understandable not getting in. But for her daughter to score a zero and even lie…
Ye Xiangting momentarily questioned her own parenting.
Time for a good beating.
This child needed it badly.
Seeing her mother receive the certificate and look down at it, Qiao Sang involuntarily straightened her back.
“Slap.”
Qiao Sang was stunned.
(End of Chapter)