Cuddled in the arms of her Beast Master, the Fire Tooth Dog felt a sense of safety. Braving its courage, it turned its head to glance in the direction from before.
"Yah!"
As it looked, the fur of the Fire Tooth Dog bristled up.
It was gone!
Realizing what the Fire Tooth Dog was thinking, Qiao Sang found herself speechless. Who was scared of their own shadow clone?
But perhaps the Fire Tooth Dog didn't understand that it was its own shadow clone. Research has shown that many contract beasts can learn skills without realizing it. Some learn over time, while others, spurred by external stimuli, suddenly harness their inner energy to gain new abilities.
Just a few days ago, a competition in Lianbo District had caused a minor civil dispute because a beast suddenly learned a skill and unleashed it during the event. Mr. Wang from Yue City had brought his Reifei Seed to seat 16 in row 21 of area B to watch the match. The game was so thrilling that his Seed was stirred with excitement, triggering its inner energy and unintentionally learning the move "Sleep Powder." This caused several spectators in rows 20, 21, and 22 to fall asleep, missing the entire match.
Mr. Wang only agreed to refund their ticket prices afterward, but some had traveled from other regions and demanded compensation for their emotional distress, travel fares, and accommodation expenses. Naturally, Mr. Wang refused, leading to a standoff that made the news.
The Fire Tooth Dog belonged to this category of beasts that learned new skills under external influence without awareness, just like when it had learned the spark last time. Now, spooked, its energy had become unbalanced, causing the recently acquired Shadow Clone skill to vanish. However, the Fire Tooth Dog mistook it for a supernatural event, likely influenced by that horror film it had watched recently.
"Yah yah yah!"
"Yah yah, yah yah!"
"Yah yah!"
The Fire Tooth Dog pointed its paw in the direction where the shadow clone had just disappeared, frantically gesturing to Qiao Sang.
"That was your own shadow clone," Qiao Sang explained helplessly.
"Yah?"
The Fire Tooth Dog’s gestures abruptly halted, its dark eyes filled with confusion.
"Congratulations, you learned a new skill," Qiao Sang smiled and said.
The Fire Tooth Dog understood.
It paused for a moment and began to sense and adjust its internal energy. Suddenly, a Fire Tooth Dog that looked exactly like it appeared at its Beast Master's feet, even its messy fur from dodging the ball earlier looked identical.
"Yah!"
The Fire Tooth Dog was thrilled and immediately jumped from Qiao Sang's arms to circle its shadow clone, inspecting it excitedly. Having learned a new skill, it forgot all about continuing to practice dodging the ball, and naturally, Qiao Sang wouldn’t bring it up either.
Stepping out of the baseball training hall, Qiao Sang felt a little regretful as they passed by the beast therapy center. If it weren't for losing 5000 Alliance Coins just last night, she would have definitely taken the Fire Tooth Dog in for some relaxation today.
Back home, Qiao Sang opened her computer and searched for a popular streamer known for their massage techniques for contract beasts. Randomly picking one who was live, she called over the Fire Tooth Dog and began to massage it, imitating the techniques demonstrated by the streamer.
Even if she couldn't afford the therapy center, they could do it themselves!
"Is it comfortable?" Qiao Sang asked gently.
"Yah."
The Fire Tooth Dog replied reluctantly.
Lying on its side, its head directly facing the live stream, it watched as a tall man was massaging a rough-skinned wild boar on screen. The boar occasionally emitted satisfied grunts.
Watching the live stream while feeling Qiao Sang's massage, the Fire Tooth Dog felt that something was not quite right...
The next morning.
At 6:10 AM, Qiao Sang appeared in the living room with dark circles under her eyes. She glanced around and noticed her mother was still asleep. It was indeed early...
Last night was the date of another Interstellar Cup match she had bet on. Recalling how she couldn't sleep due to losing her previous bets, she had chosen not to watch last night's game to avoid the same situation from impacting her mood for today’s special entrance exam at Holy Water Middle School.
But the more she thought about it, the harder it became to sleep…
She found herself thinking about how the Interstellar Cup match had gone, then about the entrance exam, forcing herself to stay awake until she finally dozed off around 2 AM.
With all these thoughts keeping her up late, she woke up early, even before her alarm went off.
Feeling worn out, Qiao Sang prepared breakfast while the Fire Tooth Dog danced around, wagging its tail in anticipation of food. This little guy seemed quite energetic… Apparently, her hard work from the previous day’s massage paid off.
After breakfast, she left a portion for her mother in the pot and headed to the subway station.
Holy Water Middle School was located in the Beidian District of Hanggang City, quite far from where Qiao Sang lived. Taking the bus would require transferring four or five times, but the subway had a direct line that would take her without hassle.
...
At Holy Water Middle School.
Outside, beside an open area, four or five people sat scattered on the benches.
"Qin Wen, hasn’t Luo Qian arrived yet?" asked a middle-aged man with a prominent belly and slicked-back hair.
One could find the combination of a middle-aged man with a belly rather greasy. However, this man, with his slicked-back hair highlighting his facial features, emitted a calm demeanor that gave the impression that he might have been a handsome young man in his time.
"Not yet. I called to hurry him. He said he was stuck in traffic," replied a woman in professional attire sitting nearby.
"Bull! He was probably out partying at some bar until midnight last night. He even posted it on his social media. He has no professionalism as a teacher," Zheng Guoping scoffed.
"Isn’t this school you recommended him to?” the man holding a stack of papers questioned leisurely.
"Sun Boyi, don’t you start with me. You also voted in favor back then," Zheng Guoping retorted.
"That was because you begged me to vote for it with a Water Gel Pearl," Sun Boyi replied indifferently.
"You!" Zheng Guoping was left speechless with anger.
"Alright, alright, let’s focus. Are there any promising candidates for the special enrollment?" the slick-haired man interjected, trying to steer the conversation back on track.
"The truly good candidates were already given direct admission," Zheng Guoping replied, still fuming.
"Although... there actually is one," Sun Boyi’s eyes landed on a line of text on the paper, "You know Lu Liangye from Tai Dan Middle School? He made the news over half a year ago."
"Is he the kid who self-awakened right after entering the third year of junior high?" Qin Wen asked.
"Yep, that’s him," Sun Boyi confirmed.
Most kids who self-awaken are around fifteen years old, but Lu Liangye had awakened shortly after starting junior high at fourteen. Had it not been for the entrance exams already completed and the enrollment slots filled, he might have been able to skip grades into a beastmaster high school.
"Why wasn't he given direct admission?" Qin Wen further inquired.
"They say he didn’t attend much school after his self-awakening. His academic scores fell behind," Sun Boyi explained.
Qin Wen understood.
Probably due to bonding with a contract beast, he couldn't bear the drudgery of just studying. If that was the case, he truly was a promising candidate. Lu Liangye had been bonded with a contract beast for over half a year, and his strength would certainly surpass his peers.
...
Outside Holy Water Middle School.
Qiao Sang sat by a flower bed, lost in thought.
She had arrived too early.
The gates had yet to open…
(End of Chapter)