As the dusk settled, the warm orange light poured through the glass, spilling onto the floor and casting a soft glow on the girl and her Fire-tooth Dog. Everything felt so tranquil and beautiful...
“You really are careless! Now look, both of us are stuck standing here,” Qiao Sang sighed, raising her hands in a gesture of surrender as she leaned against the wall.
The Fire-tooth Dog stood next to her in a similar pose.
“Yah, yah,” it whimpered in response.
Its master, the Beast Master, was so unpredictable, saying it was fine as long as it was okay just moments ago.
“Everyone, quiet!” Her mother scolded them, then turned with a pained expression to clean up the broken pieces of the blue porcelain vase on the floor.
“Mom, let me help you,” Qiao Sang offered, trying to show her obedient side.
With a steely tone, her mother replied, “Stay still.”
Qiao Sang sighed inwardly. How could she explain the reasons for her absence from school? Today was definitely not the day to reveal the truth... She hoped her homeroom teacher wouldn’t decide to call at such a sensitive moment.
Her mother carefully picked up the remains of the vase, noticing that the signed piece had shattered into three parts. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.
Seeing her mother like this made Qiao Sang uncomfortable. “Mom, it’s just a signature. I’ll get you another one from Wang Dianao next time I see him,” she reassured.
She remembered her mother’s favorite Beast Master, Wang Dianao, who had recently been featured on TV alongside a female Beast Master named Luo Tang.
However, her mother didn’t seem affected; she still ate, drank, and even got excited when the show featured Wang Dianao and his precious beast, the Armored Sharp Bear.
Qiao Sang suspected her mother was more of a fan of his career than anything else.
Her mother shot her a look with reddened eyes and snapped, “What do you know of Wang Dianao! This is a signature from the Armored Sharp Bear! It’s a rare edition! There won’t be another one! It's already evolved into an Armored Sharp Bear now!”
Qiao Sang could only manage a silent expression of understanding.
She decided silence was the best option for now.
…
Despite the pain of losing the rare signature, Qiao Sang saw her mother as a strong woman. Even during dinner, she still called for her and the Fire-tooth Dog, showing care despite her grim expression...
That evening, while Qiao Sang worked on her exercises, her Fire-tooth Dog trained downstairs with the Little Plump Dove by its side.
This was the Fire-tooth Dog’s own request.
After days of practice, the Fire-tooth Dog felt its own progress and didn’t want to stop.
Qiao Sang was naturally happy to see the Fire-tooth Dog so eager, but studying outdoors at night isn’t suitable. So, she let the Little Plump Dove accompany it.
With the Little Plump Dove watching over her pet, she felt reassured.
Before heading out, she had the Fire-tooth Dog don a 15kg weighted ring; the 10kg one was no longer effective for training.
Days like this continued, and soon it was June 15.
Just two days before the High School Entrance Exam, it was the last day at Wencheng Middle School for them.
In Class 37, the students all seized the last moments to bond with one another.
After today, they wouldn’t see each other until the exam results were posted, and apart from those who got into the same high school, it would be hard to meet again.
“Qiao Sang, have you thought about which school you want to go to?” Fang Sisi asked.
“Holy Water Middle School,” Qiao Sang answered truthfully.
“Hahaha, you’re so funny,” laughed Fang Sisi, slapping the table.
Qiao Sang could only stare blankly.
“Why don’t we all aim for Haomu Beastmaster High School? It would be nice to look out for each other,” a girl in front of Fang Sisi suggested.
Haomu Beastmaster High School, being a private institution, didn’t care too much about exam scores as long as you could pay. “How much is the tuition for one semester?” Fang Sisi became curious.
If they could all attend the same high school, she would want in too. However, she only knew that it was expensive but didn’t know the exact figures.
“500,000,” the girl in front held out her hand to indicate the amount.
Fang Sisi glanced at her hand and quickly turned her head. “Qiao Sang, what were we just talking about?”
“You said I was funny,” Qiao Sang replied.
The girl in front fell silent.
Just as Fang Sisi was about to continue the conversation, a boy’s surprised voice rang out from the other side of the classroom. “What? Your dad actually shipped you a Laousi?”
All eyes turned to the boy in envy, including Qiao Sang's.
Laousi, a super ability companion beast, wasn’t the only reason everyone was envious.
Laousi was not a beast from Long Country.
Every region had its own exclusive companion beasts, such as the Fire-tooth Dog, Little Plump Dove, and Desert-Tailed Fox, which belonged to the Yuhua region where Qiao Sang lived.
While other regions had their own beasts, the variety was limited. Some Beast Masters would travel to different places to contract beasts after their awakenings, but most still operated within the boundaries of Huaguo.
To have a super ability beast shipped from another country was something Qiao Sang believed only one other student in Hanggang City could claim.
“My dad had to send it; I told him I didn't want it, but he went ahead anyway. What can I do?” the boy identified as Qin Shou explained.
He truly had some audacity to say such things.
Qiao Sang clenched her fists; she had to admit the benefits of wealth were undeniable. If you had money, you could contract rare and powerful beasts and have an endless supply of resources.
But if you didn’t have money, you could only settle for fitting beasts within your limited range, without enough resources for proper nurturing later on.
Thus, the powerful Beast Masters in today’s society mostly came from well-off backgrounds, while ordinary ones struggled to rise.
Fortunately, she had her own advantages!
“What if they don’t even awaken their Mind Domain? Wouldn’t that be humiliating?” a voice from the back, belonging to Guo Lin, scoffed.
“Do you really think that’s possible?” Fang Sisi shot back, her tone incredulous.
It was impossible.
If even the second-best student couldn’t awaken, the second to last in their class didn’t stand a chance either.
Guo Lin chose to remain silent.
The final class of the day was taught by their homeroom teacher.
Qiao Sang felt a twinge of reluctance as she glanced at her teacher.
He had been so thoughtful, never once calling her mother to inform her of her absence, making it hard to find a better homeroom teacher than him.
He passionately delivered his farewell speech: “Students, the day after tomorrow, June 17, marks our High School Entrance Exam, followed by our Mind Domain Awakening on June 20.”
“You will soon experience a significant turning point in life, moving on from three years of middle school to pursue higher education.”
“Three years of hard work, three years of diligent study, three years of honing yourselves—this has shaped the wonderful people you are today. I believe in every student’s hearts…”
“…there's a shared determination,” Qiao Sang whispered.
“There’s a shared determination.”
Fang Sisi turned to her in shock. “How did you know what the teacher was going to say next?”
After pausing for a moment, Qiao Sang replied, “I guessed.”
The teacher’s parting words were just the usual sentiments, something anyone could research online. Qiao Sang decided to give her teacher a bit of grace.
“I believe in a few days, everyone will use their brilliant scores to end their middle school life beautifully.”
“Lastly, I wish everyone to sail smoothly toward your ideal high schools and fulfill your dreams this June!”
Thunderous applause erupted from the class, and Qiao Sang clapped enthusiastically as well.
In this moment, the routines and techniques didn’t matter.
The atmosphere was real, and her excited heart was genuine.
(End of Chapter)