Beast Taming: the More the Better

Chapter 621: Chapter 287: How Did He Go from Competitor to Judge?_2

If he had known the kid had achieved such a feat, he definitely wouldn’t have made that suggestion. How embarrassing. With that thought, Master Yin cleared his throat and said, “Indeed, in terms of scouting, Paperman’s abilities are lacking. Since that’s the case, let’s see if any of the other Breeders have a cultivated Evolutionary Body suitable for this.”

After all three agreed, Leng Ye thought for a moment before saying, “Alright, then let’s announce for the next Breeder to come in! As for Su Ping… kid, come over and join us to see how the other Breeders’ Pet Beasts measure up! You can also offer some advice, and we’ll all leave together when it’s over.”

Su Ping blinked. Had he gone from a contestant to a judge? Seeing the perplexed expression on Su Ping’s face, Leng Ye raised an eyebrow, “What, do you have a problem with that?”

Su Ping shook his head, “No, there’s no problem with that, but could I make a request? I’ve been starving for several days. Could you get someone to bring me up something to eat from downstairs…”

“…”

「…」

Su Ping was gone for nearly an hour.

The commotion upstairs made the many people waiting downstairs both curious and worried. Besides, isn’t this taking a bit too long? Why has he been up there for so long with no news?

“What’s going on? What exactly is this selection about?”

“Yeah, he’s been up there so long and it’s not over yet. Is Su Ping ever coming down?”

“Could it be that the kid really succeeded?”

“That doesn’t make sense, though. Even if he succeeded, they should at least let us know, right?”

Murmurs of discussion arose, making it clear that an hour’s duration for the test was indeed a little long for the Breeders who had arrived.

However, just as they were deep in discussion, the Ghost Saint’s voice finally rang out again from the speakers, “Please let the second Breeder enter!”

The simple announcement caught everyone slightly off guard, but they quickly came to their senses.

“So it’s already over?”

“Where’s Su Ping then?”

“I get it now, haha! That kid was so arrogant just now, saying that after he went up, our trip would be in vain. Now, after the first round, he must have failed and was too embarrassed to come back down, so he just slipped away dejectedly, right?”

“Heh, that must be it. It’s just youthful arrogance! I’d heard that the Special Beast Taming Forces were looking to recruit Breeders and Pet Beasts of the Necromancy Series this time. The Wanmu Wolf indeed has potential, but it completely doesn’t meet the requirements!”

“I told you! This is the selection for the Special Beast Taming Forces’ Breeders, not merely about the cost-effectiveness of cultivated Evolutionary Bodies…”

Some who guessed the ’truth’ shook their heads with a resigned smile. Others who hadn’t dared to speak up before finally echoed the sentiment. Of course, there were also those who simply smiled and said nothing further. This was normal; after all, it wasn’t good to say too much about such matters, especially since they hadn’t gone up yet. Even if Su Ping had failed, he was still the youngest and most promising Genius Breeder in Dragon Nation.

Jian Yue was one such person, and she was the one who redirected the conversation under these circumstances, asking, “Folks, since we can go in again, who among us will go next?”

This question brought everyone back to reality and also made some people even more dissatisfied with Su Ping. “This Little Su, he wouldn’t have left secretly because he didn’t want to tell us the specific conditions of the trial selection, would he?”

“Ah, really! It’s not like we would say anything!”

“Yeah…”

These comments were just expressions of discontent, but the problem still had to be addressed. Regardless, they couldn’t just leave the judges waiting. At this point, there was undoubtedly no room for debate. So, someone stepped forward right away. It was none other than Jian Yue, who had just spoken, declaring, “Ladies and gentlemen, in that case, I shall step up!”

“Alright, then we wish Miss Jian a smooth journey!”

“…”

Jian Yue might not have had any particular opinion about Su Ping; in her view, his actions were quite understandable, and she likely held no resentment toward him. But putting other things aside, judging from what had just transpired, Su Ping’s early departure was undoubtedly quite prescient. However, Jian Yue didn’t mind. In fact, if Su Ping hadn’t gone first, she would have volunteered to be the first to go.

The reason was simple: she also had enough confidence in herself! She believed that her Pet Beast, if judged by the previous criteria, would undoubtedly hold a significant advantage in the Special Beast Taming Forces’ selection trials.

Thinking this, Jian Yue, standing in the elevator, pushed up her black-framed glasses and let out a long breath. The elevator ascended slowly. They quickly reached the next floor, and the elevator doors opened.

A mechanical hall slowly came into Jian Yue’s view. The hall was filled with metallic textures, upon which were dark stains and damp patches. Evidently, it had been used recently. Traces of a battle? Jian Yue’s heart tightened, and she felt a little tense.

If it involved combat, she would indeed be quite apprehensive. But soon, Jian Yue regained her composure and looked toward the end of the hall. Behind a transparent glass partition, several figures were seated. She didn’t recognize most of them.

At this moment, Su Anyong, who was usually responsible for speaking, said, “Hello, Breeder. I am Su Anyong, the chief instructor for this selection of the Special Beast Taming Forces. This is the Ghost Saint, and this is Undead Breeding Master Yin from the headquarters of the Breeder Association. After introducing yourself, you can prepare to begin this selection trial.”

“Yes! Greetings, Instructor Su, greetings, Ghost Saint, greetings, Master Yin! I am Jian Yue, a Breeder from Qilu Province, and I am very happy to participate in this Special Beast Taming Forces’ Breeder trial!”

Just then, Leng Ye paused and said, “There have been some changes to the trial conditions. The requirements for combat resistance in the simulated environment have been greatly decreased, while the requirements for a Pet Beast’s scouting abilities have increased. Therefore, the internal environment simulation has changed; it will now focus mainly on scouting!”

Jian Yue was slightly startled. Hmm? What did this mean? The trial conditions could change?

But clearly, the Ghost Saint had no intention of explaining. He shouted towards someone behind him, “Hurry up, kid, the second Breeder is already here!”

“Coming, coming!” A familiar voice replied, and a figure emerged from a door behind the glass. He was carrying a chair in one hand and a pastry box in the other as he walked over, grumbling, “The staff took forever. I asked for the osmanthus cake and the tree fruit and lotus root starch cake, but they brought the wrong ones. It caused a bit of a delay.”

Jian Yue blinked. She watched as the figure appeared from behind the glass partition, carried a chair over to sit beside the three judges, opened the pastry box, and popped a cake into his mouth. She was stunned speechless for a long moment.

“Eh? It’s Sister Yue! You can do it, Sister Yue!” Su Ping recognized the Breeder from Qilu Province, the one who had been the first to greet him earlier. He had a pretty good impression of her, so he smiled and waved.

You can do it? Weren’t you already gone, kid? How did you end up back there? And what are you doing sitting with them? Jian Yue was utterly bewildered.

Fortunately, Master Yin, who was nearby, soon provided the answer, explaining, “This is Su Ping, a Breeder from Jianghai Province. Su Ping’s evolved Pet Beast has passed the trial. After a unanimous decision by the three of us, we have confirmed Su Ping’s cultivated Evolutionary Body as one of the official Pet Beasts for the Special Beast Taming Forces! Su Ping has also become one of the Breeders for the Special Beast Taming Forces. Consequently, the requirement for combat capability has been lowered, meaning subsequent Breeders’ Pet Beasts will be assessed more on their scouting abilities…”

Master Yin’s words gave Jian Yue the answer, but she found herself struggling to process the rest. Right then, only one thing puzzled her: How on earth did this kid go from being a competing Breeder to a judge? Is this even reasonable?!