Beast Taming Patrol

"Mew!" (Yay!)

Lin Su pressed a Crystal Stone against Qiuqiu's forehead, his gaze turning toward the staircase leading to the sixth floor.

His expression was a mix of anticipation and nervousness.

The fifth level was already a counter-element combat trial; he wondered what the sixth level would be like.

Could there be anything more difficult than a counter-element battle?

... Two minutes later ...

Inside Mu Yuxing's office, after seeing Lin Su with a darkened face walking out of the Beast Tower, Qi Yunhan and Mu Yuxing exchanged a look and shook their heads with a smile.

Having seen Lin Su pass the fifth level and not come out from the Beast Tower for a good while, they both knew he must be too stubborn to give up without trying the sixth level.

Sure enough, as expected.

"Should we call him up here and talk to him about the preliminaries?" Mu Yuxing said with a smile, "After the Nirvana Secret Realm, his pet should be able to break through to the elite class."

"Let's wait a bit longer," Qi Yunhan hesitated for a moment, then shook his head, "Once his Beast Taming Space breaks through to the third tier, I can help him find a decent secondary pet. It'll make the competition more stable. With the Space Heart, it shouldn't be a problem for his Beast Taming Space to reach the third tier before the preliminaries."

"That makes sense," Mu Yuxing nodded in agreement. "With two strong elite-level pets, it shouldn't be too difficult to perform well in the preliminaries, especially since master-class Beast Tamers and elite-class Beast Tamers will compete separately."

"Right," Qi Yunhan watched Lin Su's fading figure and slowly withdrew his gaze, "Alright, I need to take care of some things, and you should try to slack off a little less."

"Fine."

...

Before stepping into the sixth level, Lin Su had thought there could be nothing more difficult than a counter-element battle.

And now he knew.

There was.

It was a counter-element battle, two against one!

"This is ridiculous," feeling Qiuqiu licking its wounds in healing slumber within the Beast Taming Space after drinking some Healing Energy Liquid, Lin Su couldn't help but mutter, "Two against one is just unsportsmanlike."

If the sixth level had only spawned two Fire Cloud Dogs like in the fifth level, then with the advantage of aerial combat, Qiuqiu might have been able to hold its own.

But the sixth level didn't feature two pets of the same type.

One was still a Fire Cloud Dog, while the other was a flying-type fire elemental pet, the Red-eyed Sparrow.

The two pets, one dominating the ground and the other the air, coordinated their fighting seamlessly, and Qiuqiu, after a few tough rounds, was reluctantly defeated and quite badly hurt. Even with the aid of the Healing Energy Liquid, it needed a few hours of rest to recover.

After leaving the Beast Tower, Lin Su returned to the Lin Family and picked up the Space Heart to enter meditation.

Since the Space Heart couldn't be taken to Planet Blue to use, and could only be used in the world of Shenwu, he had to utilize this resource to the fullest by meditating whenever possible.

In meditation, time flew by rapidly, and a day passed in no time.

With nightfall, Qiuqiu, within the Beast Taming Space, had completely absorbed the power of the Healing Energy Liquid, its injuries fully healed. It was time for them to return to Planet Blue.

Lying in bed and falling into a deep sleep, when Lin Su woke up on Planet Blue, it was the next day's morning.

After switching off the alarm on his communicator, Lin Su sat up and started packing his things.

He hadn't forgotten; today was the day the group from Mountain City University would leave District 1 and return to the research institute in District 11.

...

On the transport plane, Lin Su was chatting with Qin Nan sporadically, when his communicator suddenly rang.

Qin Nan instinctively picked up Qiuqiu from Lin Su's arms, "Go ahead and take the call."

"Mew!" (Don't come near me!)

"Hehehe~" Qin Nan's face lit up with a wicked grin, "You don't want Lin Su to get distracted while he's on the phone, right?"

"Mew... (≖ω≖)" (Fine...)

Ignoring Qin Nan's cat-crazed antics, Lin Su glanced at the communicator's display, his expression turning peculiar.

Mr. Zhao Qingsong?

This was his high school homeroom teacher for three years, and the thought that today was the day to complete the graduation procedures caused a lump in Lin Su's throat.

Could there be something wrong with my graduation procedures?

With this thought, he hurriedly answered the call. "Mr. Zhao, what's the matter? Is there an issue with the graduation procedures?"

Above the luminous screen, the face of Zhao Qingsong appeared. He first looked at Lin Su's familiar visage, then smiled. "No, there's no problem with the graduation procedures. In about an hour, you will receive the completion notice."

"That's a relief." Lin Su breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at Zhao Qingsong. "Did you call for another reason, sir?"

Zhao Qingsong sighed softly. "Yesterday, I watched the Higher Education Breeding Achievement Competition. In high school, your theoretical grades were already top-notch, but I never imagined that you would be so outstanding."

Yesterday, watching the livestream from home, Zhao Qingsong's face showed a shock that never faded after Lin Su made his appearance.

For Zhao Qingsong, the homeroom teacher who had taught a young man for three years, the sudden realization of his unimaginable achievements was a profound shock.

"So, it's about that. You flatter me, sir. I have to thank you for your guidance during those three years." Lin Su spoke with a smile. Mr. Zhao was a very responsible teacher who treated all students equally. Though he hadn't given Lin Su any special attention over the three years, Lin Su still felt gratitude and respect for him.

"You're now a researcher at Mountain City University. Will you be entering Beast Tamer University afterward?" Zhao Qingsong asked with concern.

"Yes, I will..." Lin Su nodded, briefly explaining his own situation.

After a few polite exchanges, Zhao Qingsong finally mentioned the reason for his call.

His face showed a bit of embarrassment. "Lin Su, the thing is... if you have time, could you return to our school and say a few words to your juniors and juniors?"

After stating his request, Zhao Qingsong looked somewhat ashamed.

He really didn't want to disturb his student like this. Lin Su was currently in Zone 11, and as a researcher, must be busy. He probably wouldn't have the time to spare.

But the principal had suddenly called him yesterday, asking if he could try to invite Lin Su to return to the school as a distinguished alumnus and give a speech or something to encourage the students of Qingying High School, and he found it hard to refuse.

"Say a few words to the juniors?" Lin Su blinked. "But I don't know what to talk about?"

"Just a few words of encouragement will do!" Noticing Lin Su's non-resistant attitude, Zhao Qingsong's eyes lit up slightly, then he gritted his teeth. "If it really doesn't work... an online video is also fine."

"There's no need for that. It's not like I really can't come. An online address would be too perfunctory," Lin Su shook his head. "Let me check my schedule first, and I'll contact you when I'm free."

"Alright, alright."

Although Zhao Qingsong was dealing with his student, once a student leaves the school, the relationship between teacher and pupil becomes one of equality. Zhao Qingsong couldn't demand Lin Su to do anything, so Lin Su's readily agreement was a weight off his chest.

Soon after hanging up, Lin Su rested his head in his hands and gazed out the window, lost in thought.

Qingying High School was his alma mater, which had nurtured him. Doing something for the school now that he had graduated didn't seem too much to ask.

Another reason he agreed was that it had been a while since he had been back to Zone 32.

They say you can't escape your roots. Lin Su lived in Zone 32 for eighteen years. Now, having been away for more than a month, he was starting to miss the children at the welfare institute.

This was a good opportunity to go back for a visit.

As for when to go...

Two days later, when Qiuqiu had finished evolving, he would apply for research on the evolutionary path of Xue Henqing as planned and start preparing for the entrance examination a month later.

After the entrance examination, starting university would undoubtedly bring new things waiting for him.

In that case, it seems he only has these two days free on Blue Star? The transport aircraft flying to Zone 11 hadn't landed yet, and after returning to the institute, he would need to pack and organize his luggage, so he couldn't make it today. Perhaps he should visit Zone 32 tomorrow, stay for one night, and return to Zone 11 the day after?

Yes... the plan is set.

Having made up his mind, Lin Su contacted Zhao Qingsong through email and soon received a reply.

Zhao Qingsong expressed his gratitude that Lin Su had decided to come so soon and promised to arrange everything in advance.

After setting a time with Zhao Qingsong, Lin Su turned off the communicator and looked helplessly at Qin Nan. "Nan, Qiuqiu is about to be suffocated by you, let it go, please."

"Meow! (*꒦ິω꒦ີ)" (Lin Su, save me!)