Chapter 478 - 237: The Insatiable Gale Spirit Leopard (Part 3)

Chapter 478: Chapter 237: The Insatiable Gale Spirit Leopard (Part 3)

Song Chunfang also spoke about research progress at the university and other academic news.

After lunch, the two moved to the living room to have some tea and continue their conversation.

They chatted until the wall clock pointed to one-thirty in the afternoon.

"Alright, it’s about time. You should head to the exam. Don’t be late," Song Chunfang urged, glancing at her watch.

"Alright. Xiaojiu, Bai Wan, you all stay here and keep Teacher Song company. I’ll take you out to play when I get back from my exam," Yang Qi instructed his Guardian Beasts.

"Meeeoow~"

*(Okay, Master.)*

Xiaojiu responded, hopping onto the sofa and finding a comfortable spot to lie down beside Song Chunfang.

"Woof~"

*(Go on, Master. Don’t worry.)*

"WOOF WOOF!"

*(Can I watch TV?)*

...

Bai Wan, Hu Zi, and Leopard each responded in their own way, settling down on the living room rug.

"They really can understand you, Xiaoqi."

Song Chunfang mused, stroking Xiaojiu’s head. She then said to Yang Qi, "Alright, you’d better get going."

"I’m off then, Professor."

Yang Qi left Song Chunfang’s home, exited the faculty housing complex, and walked to the nearby School of Life Sciences building.

Outside a large lecture hall on the third floor of the School of Life Sciences building, a crowd of graduate students had already gathered, waiting for the exam to start.

The atmosphere was tense, with many of them frantically reviewing their notes one last time.

Yang Qi’s arrival caused a minor stir.

He was dressed in a simple, slim-fit down jacket and jeans. With his tall, straight posture, handsome features, and calm demeanor, he stood out among the other students, most of whom looked rather bookish with their glasses.

"Hey, look... isn’t that Yang Qi?"

"Which Yang Qi? Oh, you mean Professor Song’s unofficial student? The one who published a paper after studying with her for only six months?"

"I think that’s him. I’ve seen videos of him. They call him the Druid, the Beast Tamer."

"Wow, he’s even more handsome in person than in his photos and videos..."

"Why is he here taking an exam? Doesn’t he work at the Zoo?"

"I heard Professor Song made an exception to take him on..."

"Tch, that’s impressive... to be noticed by Professor Song..."

Faint whispers circulated as many curious and probing gazes landed on Yang Qi.

Though Yang Qi was usually low-key, he had quite a reputation in their field. Coupled with his status as Song Chunfang’s disciple, he was something of a celebrity among the graduate students at Handong University’s School of Life Sciences.

With his exceptional hearing, Yang Qi naturally caught their discussions. However, he simply walked to a window in the corridor, his expression unchanged. He waited quietly, his gaze fixed on the bleak winter scenery outside, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.

After a moment, a tall young man with rimless glasses walked over. He seemed to have overheard the chatter and followed the others’ gazes to Yang Qi.

After studying him for a moment, the young man’s eyes lit up. He walked straight up to Yang Qi and extended his hand.

"Hello, you must be Yang Qi, right? I’m Gao Feipeng, a second-year graduate student under Professor Li. I read the paper you published in the *Journal of Animal Ethology*. Your approach was very novel, and the case analysis was solid. Very impressive."

"Thank you. You’re too kind, Brother Gao." Yang Qi shook his hand politely, his demeanor confident yet humble.

Gao Feipeng, however, was naturally outgoing—or perhaps just very interested in capable people. He continued, "I hear you’re studying with Professor Song?"

"That’s right." Yang Qi nodded.

"Professor Song is famously strict. Not many people manage to impress her."

There was a hint of envy in Gao Feipeng’s voice, but then he smiled. "Still, with your skills, I’m sure this exam will be no problem for you."

He said this just loud enough for the few students who had been watching them to hear.

Seeing Gao Feipeng, a well-known academic ace in the department, not only take the initiative to greet Yang Qi but also speak of him with such high regard, the others could no longer contain their curiosity and began to crowd around.

"Hi Yang Qi, I’m Wang Yue..."

"And I’m Zhang Wei..."

"I had the pleasure of reading your paper. The section on the early identification of stereotypical behaviors was really well-written."

"Yang Qi, you work at the zoo, right? Are all those cases from your paper real?"

In an instant, Yang Qi was surrounded by several people, all greeting him warmly and asking questions.

Yang Qi maintained a polite smile and responded to each of them. His attitude was modest, but he wasn’t very talkative.

A shy-looking young man with glasses couldn’t help but ask, "Yang Qi, are you really studying under Professor Song Chunfang? Then why are you here taking this exam with the rest of us?"

At this, Yang Qi gave a helpless smile and spread his hands. "What can I say? Teacher Song is strict. Every single procedure has to be followed. I’m still hoping to get some course credit out of this."

"Haha!"

Everyone laughed, and the atmosphere lightened considerably.

But once the laughter subsided, a wave of emotion washed over them.

’Who among them wouldn’t want to be held to the high standards of an academic authority like Song Chunfang?’

’But the competition to become one of Professor Song’s graduate students was just too fierce, the bar set too high. Most of them didn’t even have the courage to apply.’

’Yet here was someone who, as an unofficial student, had earned Professor Song’s personal guidance and had already written a high-quality paper. It was impossible not to feel a mix of admiration and envy.’

...

The brief chat ended with the proctor’s arrival, and the students filed into the spacious, bright lecture hall.

Since Yang Qi didn’t have an official student ID, he was taking the exam under a special "visiting scholar" status approved by the university. His seat was in the last row, by the window.

He didn’t mind at all. He sat down quietly, took out his pen, and regulated his breathing, waiting for the exam to begin.

When the exam papers were handed out, Yang Qi quickly scanned through them.

Just as he’d expected, most of the content was within the scope of his studies. There were even several case study questions where he felt he could provide answers far more profound and insightful than the standard ones, drawing from his personal experiences and his insights on handling Guardian Beasts.