Chapter 103 - It Ex... ploded...

Level: Two Star (Level 11)…

Looking at the Fiery Scorpion’s new attribute, Zhang Che finally revealed a bright smile on his face.

It really advanced to two-star tier! Despite it being only level 11, and its strength wasn’t very different from the peak of one-star, this was a whole new beginning.

That was because, while hunting exotic beasts, subdued beasts could obtain a certain amount of soul force points alongside their beastmaster, and slowly increase their level within a star tier.

This meant that as long as the Fiery Scorpion was given time, it could successfully grow to level twenty, the peak of two-star.

When that time came, the Fiery Scorpion would be twice as strong as it was now!

However, it was unlikely for this fellow to break through to three-star tier by devouring the corpses or poison glands of other poisonous beasts.

After all, this method of advancement was the most arduous one. It should only be a one-time occurence.

Even so, Zhang Che was totally content with this.

According to the Fiery Scorpion’s potential, it could advance to dark gold-quality. As long as its skill was a little better than average, and it was fortunate enough to obtain a Halo, a two-star dark gold-quality beast was sufficient to steamroll over a five-star bronze-quality exotic beast.

Even some weaker-than-average five-star silver-quality beasts might not be a match for a two-star dark gold-quality beast.

This also meant that, no matter if Zhang Che was in his real identity or his disguise, he could employ the Fiery Scorpion in the long-term, until his other subdued beasts were stronger than that!

——

It was getting late by the time the Fiery Scorpion successfully advanced.

Zhang Che looked for a safe area, and had his subdued beasts stand guard in all four directions, before taking out dry rations and water from his backpack and started his lunch.

He could obviously not have another barbecue session in this place. Otherwise, he would truly be looking for death by attracting the powerful beasts from all directions.

“Ai, I’m still not strong enough! I could have a barbecue session anywhere I wanted, otherwise! It’s really getting hard to swallow these condensed biscuits…”

Chewing on the dry and tough condensed biscuits, Zhang Che’s face was as bitter as a gourd. After tasting the delicious barbecued exotic beast, eating these rations really felt like he was suffering hardship.

Even so, he needed absolute power to barbecue meat without any consideration for where he was in the beast world, and that was something not achievable within the near future. It was an important goal, to be achieved in the long term…

——

Meanwhile, Huang Tielan was also thinking that wanting to become a official beast card cultivator wasn’t something she could achieve any time soon. However, since she had to pass the Bei Du University’s enrollment test for the beast card cultivator major later this year, she had to make good use of every second available to her.

Although it was said that under the support of her family’s resources, all she needed was to persevere and it would be no problem for her to become a junior beast card cultivator, but…

Ten thousand years is too long; one should make the best use of their time!¹

Of course, there was no way Huang Tielan would know about this quote from her Chinese ancestors from Earth. Nonetheless, it didn’t stop her from understanding the principle.

Considering the enrolment method for the upcoming batch of students for Bei Du University’s beast card cultivator major, if you couldn’t pass the practical portion, it was useless no matter how well you memorized the knowledge on the subject.

Therefore, after reviewing for the past two days, Huang Tielan felt that she shouldn’t bury herself in books any longer, and should do some hands-on practical work instead.

Thus, she went to look for her father, Huang Juyun, this afternoon, the second-in-charge of Qian Wei City’s military, and came to the military’s operating base.

Since she was only practicing, Huang Tielan chose to work on an ordinary one-star black iron-quality card, the Sharp-Clawed Hound.

These were the same trash beasts used by Qian Wei City Number Two Secondary School to let their students undergo their beastmaster aptitude test.

This kind of exotic beast gathered in large groups in a certain area behind the spatial gateway in the suburbs of Qian Wei City. They were as abundant as fishes in the sea, and were one of the most common species of exotic beasts in Qian Wei City.

The local beastmasters had the deepest understanding of this exotic beast. In a nutshell, they had several recipes for concocting the cultivating fluid that were more well-developed, with a very high chance of allowing the Sharp Clawed Hound to increase a tier in level.

As for raising the Sharp Clawed Hound’s quality?

It was non-existent. Everyone knew that this exotic beast was trash. Being able to raise a tier in level was the limit; how was it possible to increase its quality?

——

It wasn’t Huang Tielan’s first time in Qian Wei City’s military zone. However, this was the first time she was entering the research base.

Although none of the personnel in the research base had seen Huang Tielan before, everyone knew that General Huang Juyun had a princess chubby. Moreover, someone already gave them a heads-up. Therefore, they were all showing friendly smiles on their faces when Huang Tielan showed up.

Although it was impossible to gain favor with General Huang by pleasing his little princess, as long as they weren’t sick in the head, no one would be dumb enough to greet this princess chubby with a stern face, would they?

General Huang Juyun might not give you any problem for that, but it was hard to guarantee that your fellow colleagues wouldn’t do anything to you in the dark!

Even so, Huang Tielan didn’t care if these people were being sincere or otherwise. She came to a lab in the research base under the guidance of a manager, and focused on concocting the cultivating fluid.

Despite using the cheapest recipe available, since these ingredients could only be gathered in the beast worlds, even the ingredients used to concoct the cultivating fluid for a trash beast like the Sharp Clawed Hound was not cheap, costing nearly five thousand dollars, more than the price of the beast itself.

Huang Tielan didn’t dare to be careless at all, strictly following every step of the instructions to concoct the fluid, with all her senses focused. She didn’t even dare blink her eyes.

However, about a quarter hour after she entered the lab, the people outside suddenly heard an explosion in the lab, followed by the sharp cries of Huang Tielan.

Everyone was shocked; why would there be a freaking explosion?

This was bad. If anything happened to this little princess, every one of them would be in for trouble!

Everyone ran into the lab one after another, and saw a desolate scene. The lab tools were blown to pieces, glass shards were everywhere. A strange-colored, unfinished cultivating fluid was splashed onto the lab’s walls, tables, and chairs.

“Oh crap, that little princess wouldn’t be disfigured from the explosion, would she?”

Everyone felt a chill, and their hearts tightened.

Although given the medical standards nowadays, any kind of disfigurement could be treated, no one would want to suffer such an accident. None of them would live in peace if General Huang investigated this matter and punished them!

Everyone started searching around, and to their surprises, saw Huang Tielan standing up from behind a sturdy lab table, her face a mask of confusion. She asked the few beast card cultivators within the group of people, “That, er, why didn’t anyone told me that explosions might occur during the concocting of cultivating fluid!?”

____________________

Translator’s Note:

1 – A quote from Chairman Mao Zedong, (一万年太久,只争朝夕). Ten thousand years emphasizes the spirit of perseverance, but one should also have a sense of urgency and make the best use of their time.