"Good grief, this place is huge!"
Su Ping couldn't help but marvel.
From the outside it was already impressive, but once inside, the first thing he saw was an enormous, seemingly endless breeding hall. Numerous service counters, all kinds of facilities—and there were even battle arenas set up inside.
The sheer scale of the place made it clear why this was one of Jianghai Province's signature institutions.
And although there were plenty of people, it wasn't crowded.
Some even had their pet beasts released, walking alongside them.
The one thing everyone shared, though, was their hurried pace. Everyone here clearly had a specific purpose.
Su Ping glanced around casually.
Vice Chairman Liu's class started at 9:30 a.m., and the classroom was on the second floor.
There was still nearly an hour to go, so he wasn't in a rush to head upstairs.
He wandered around for a bit, then his gaze landed on the massive training and battle area.
Aside from the various service counters, this was clearly the most crowded spot.
No matter where you went, pet beast battles were always the biggest attraction.
Su Ping walked over, and the very first battle arena he saw made him stop in his tracks.
Because the pet beast on the field—
Was also a Forest Wolf.
And its level wasn't high either, just Ordinary-tier.
Linzhou was one of the places of origin for Forest Wolves, so seeing more of them wasn't surprising.
Su Ping found a spot and watched the match, nodding from time to time.
He had to admit—the buzz-cut young man was quite skilled. Under his buffs and commands, he took down his opponent cleanly in just a few exchanges.
The battle ended, and both sides left the stage.
The buzz-cut youth glanced around, then sat down beside Su Ping, rubbing the Forest Wolf that had just performed so valiantly.
Only then did he notice that his Forest Wolf was staring intently at a Beast Tamer of about the same age sitting next to him.
The buzz-cut youth was clearly an outgoing, sunny type. Seeing that his pet seemed interested in the person beside him, he smiled at Su Ping and said,
"Hey man, I saw you watching pretty seriously just now. What—are you a Forest Wolf Beast Tamer too?"
Su Ping nodded, smiling as he reached out and gently stroked the Forest Wolf's mane.
The buzz-cut youth froze.
He knew his own pet's temperament well.
Forest Wolves were loyal and united, but also proud and aloof. Toward Beast Tamers other than their own master, they usually didn't show much regard.
Yet in front of this guy?
Not only was it letting him pet it, it wasn't resisting at all—and it even looked comfortable, eyes half-closed.
That piqued the buzz-cut youth's interest.
"Bro, what are you here at the Breeders' Association for? Name's Zheng Yong. If you've got something to take care of, just say the word—I know this place pretty well."
Su Ping smiled.
"I'm here for a class. There's a lecture today—"
Before he could finish, the young man's eyes widened.
"A Forest Wolf… a class? No way, what a coincidence! No wonder my Ba Tian likes you so much—turns out you're no ordinary guy either!"
"Huh?"
This time it was genuinely Su Ping's turn to be surprised. He looked at Zheng Yong in astonishment.
"Wait—are you saying you're also…?"
Zheng Yong laughed loudly.
"Don't tell me it's Vice Chairman Liu Fuhai's class?"
Once Zheng Yong said Vice Chairman Liu's name, Su Ping finally understood. He nodded, still a bit surprised.
Zheng Yong didn't look much older than him—maybe one or two years at most.
Being a Beast Tamer was one thing, but he was already a breeder as well?
At this age, being able to become a breeder was already extremely impressive.
Otherwise, why would Jin Sheng be so arrogant? He had the qualifications to be.
After all, Su Ping's intermediate Beast Tamer certificate had basically been obtained through a cheat.
Toward someone genuinely young and talented in breeding, Su Ping felt real admiration and respect.
Zheng Yong seemed equally pleased by this coincidence. His laughter drew a few glances from nearby people—almost as if he were deliberately showing off.
"Hahaha! No wonder. Being able to attend Vice Chairman Liu's class—that's a rare honor!"
Su Ping nodded as well.
His luck really had been good.
Meeting Qin Xiaoxue, then getting to know Vice Chairman Liu through her—it had saved him a lot of trouble.
And Vice Chairman Liu's ability was beyond question.
A high-level Beast Tamer, specializing in wolves—the only one in Jianghai Province. Even across the entire Dragon Nation, he was a well-known figure.
Being able to attend his public lecture was indeed rare.
"It really is rare," Su Ping said. "I haven't personally experienced Elder Liu's breeding skills yet, but I've heard about them for a long time. I'm hoping to learn more from him this time."
Zheng Yong waved his hand.
"Learning directly from him is tough. In the end, he's giving lectures to breeders.
What I'm really hoping for is that when those breeders do hands-on guidance with our pet beasts, they'll give us more pointers—help us find suitable cultivation methods so we can avoid a lot of detours.
I really hope I can break through to the Elite tier soon. Once I'm Elite and get a second pet beast, I'll have some confidence for next year's Beast Tamer Assessment.
Otherwise, I'll have to wait for the next round. And by then, I'll already be twenty-two—feels a bit late."
As he spoke, Zheng Yong's eyes filled with anticipation and excitement.
But Su Ping froze slightly, then frowned just a bit.
Something about those words felt… off.
However, Zheng Yong—clearly the straightforward, overly friendly type—didn't notice Su Ping's reaction at all. He continued cheerfully,
"Oh right, bro, want to summon your pet beast and go up there for a match? Let my Ba Tian see the strength of another Forest Wolf Beast Tamer who got picked by the Breeders' Association!"
Picked?
Forest Wolf Beast Tamer?
Su Ping clicked his tongue inwardly.
It seemed he might have misunderstood something.
What he and Zheng Yong were talking about… didn't seem to be the same thing at all.
He wasn't entirely sure, but hearing Zheng Yong's suggestion, he quickly shook his head.
"Let's forget it. Class is starting soon—wouldn't be good if Vice Chairman Liu noticed we were late."
At that, Zheng Yong nodded.
"Fair enough. Ba Tian, go rest up—I'll bring you out again later!"
With that, Zheng Yong recalled the Forest Wolf named Ba Tian back into his Beast Taming Space.
Then he looked at Su Ping again.
"By the way, bro—what's your name?"
"Su Ping."
"Huh? That name sounds kinda familiar. Feels like I've heard it somewhere before?"
Zheng Yong scratched his head.
"Really? Probably a common name," Su Ping replied, shooting him a speechless glance.
Zheng Yong didn't think much of it. After chatting a bit more, he checked the time and hurriedly said,
"It's 9:20 already. Class starts in ten minutes—let's head up to the second floor."
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