Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

Evening.

The Student Council President’s Office.

Cao Mingyu was at his desk, approving the list of participants for the exchange tournament. As president, he’d been busy with this matter lately.

Across from the desk, Zhang Wei stood with his hands clasped.

Ah Qing stood to the side, head down and silent, a bandage on his forehead.

Saturday’s sparring match had given Ah Qing a little doggy-induced shock. He’d been depressed ever since.

Cao Mingyu didn’t look up. ”Can’t accept losing to a student from the regular class?”

”...No.”

Zhang Wei pressed his lips together, trying to look like he didn’t care.

”Let me ask you a question.”

Cao Mingyu stopped typing. ”If you were to spar again, are you confident you could defeat Su Zhi and his Yu Dian Dog?”

”O-Of course!”

Zhang Wei’s tongue started to trip over his words. ”That stupid little dog just got lucky—”

”Forget it. You can go.”

”...Oh.”

Zhang Wei left, closing the door behind him.

Cao Mingyu showed a look of undisguised contempt, not even bothering to watch him leave.

’Someone who can’t even acknowledge his opponent’s strength isn’t worthy of my respect.’

In truth, the Elite class was full of people like Zhang Wei.

Arrogant, impetuous, insecure, preying on the weak... In Cao Mingyu’s eyes, the Elite class had long since stopped deserving the name ”Elite.”

Su Zhi, on the other hand, had been a surprise.

Cao Mingyu had watched the video of the sparring match twice.

That seemingly unremarkable Little Yu Dian Dog had actually mastered Earth Force Field and Sandstorm, and had even comprehended Desert Concealment on the spot.

When he first saw the new media report, Cao Mingyu had thought Su Zhi was just some attention-seeking clown.

That was until he learned of Su Zhi’s skyrocketing rank and watched the match video.

A once-unremarkable student from the regular class had suddenly risen, publicly declaring he was setting his sights on the city league tournament.

For someone like Cao Mingyu, who was always at the top of the ranks, this was something worth paying attention to...

As he mulled this over, a flash of bouncing white crossed his vision.

Cao Mingyu’s expression hardened. ”Cotton! You’re not training properly again!”

”Whine...” The big white dog, a tennis ball in its mouth, lowered its head.

It was a Wave White, a Middle Elite Race of the Water and Light Elements. With a gentle and lively temperament, they were suitable for a variety of roles.

”Luminescence training. Two hours. If you stop, you start over.”

The big dog silently spat out the tennis ball, and its white fur quickly began to glow, turning it into a fluffy lamp.

”Move your left front paw back 5 centimeters. Move your right hind paw forward 10 centimeters. Don’t move your tail. Head up at a thirty-five-degree angle, and look straight ahead.”

”...” Cotton silently complied.

’His Beast Tamer loved to micromanage. He was used to it.’

Cao Mingyu, still frowning, manually adjusted Cotton’s posture until it was perfectly symmetrical, only then letting out a sigh of relief.

He opened his now-cold boxed dinner, quickly shoveled in two mouthfuls, and went back to his work.

’As for Su Zhi, it wasn’t a big deal.’

’If I had been as reckless as Zhang Wei, I might have been caught off guard. But now, I’ve figured out that Yu Dian Dog’s Skills.’

’The information advantage is gone. All I have to do is develop a targeted strategy!’

He had only taken two bites of his dinner, but Cao Mingyu had no appetite for more.

’My goal is the city league. Only an idiot would be thinking about food all day.’

·

”Food!”

Like an idiot, Su Zhi took the boxed dinner from Shao Ya.

He had been in the classroom modifying Skills during the long break and had completely forgotten it was time to eat.

Seeing the food in Shao Ya’s hands, Su Zhi finally remembered he was starving...

”Su Baby has been off his food lately. Is he turning into an idiot?” Shao Ya said, resting her chin in her hand with a worried look.

”!” Yu Bao, who had been dozing on the windowsill, was suddenly on high alert.

’Is Su Zhi turning into an idiot?’

’Who’s going to buy me dog food then?’

Su Zhi rolled his eyes. ”The term ’off its food’ is used for Pet Beasts...”

”Even Pet Beasts remember to eat. You don’t. You’re dumber than a Pet Beast.”

Shao Ya sat down next to him. ”Still researching your special Skill path for Yu Bao?”

”Yeah.”

Su Zhi shoveled in a mouthful of food, his eyes shining. ”I suddenly got some inspiration this afternoon, so I struck while the iron was hot and made some modifications.”

”What did Senior Brother Piao say?”

”Fixed more bugs, created fewer bugs!”

”Nice!”

The two high-fived to celebrate.

After the high-five, Shao Ya came to her senses and quickly pulled her hand back. ’What am I so excited about? It’s not like I was the one who got praised.’

Yu Bao looked at Shao Ya, then at Su Zhi, as if he understood something.

”Speaking of which...”

Su Zhi’s gaze fell on the empty seat in the front and center of the first row. ”Feels like Liu Yuhang’s presence has been a little low lately.”

”The class rep and his duck are off leveling up their ’king of the grind’ status.”

Shao Ya rested her chin in her hand and sighed. ”I heard his training partner is the biggest grinder from his year. He thought Liu Yuhang wasn’t grinding hard enough, so he created an enhanced ’king of the grind’ plan for him.”

”Terrifying.”

”So, are you planning on grinding too?”

”Nah.”

Su Zhi shook his head, watching Yu Bao run all Bling Bling toward Xiaoyue.

”I’ll just go at my own pace. What works for others might not work for me.”

”Mhm. Good luck at the exchange tournament next week!”

”From your lips to the Great Emperor’s ears.”

”Study hall is about to start, so eat up! Forgetting to eat... you really worry me to death.”

”I know, I know... Why are you just like my mom...”

...

Xiaoyue lay in the corner of the classroom, silently watching the two deskmates. Seeing Yu Bao approach, his expression instantly darkened.

He still remembered how the stupid little dog had played a prank on him that morning.

The more he tried to endure it, the angrier he got. The more he tried to let it go, the more he stewed over it.

However, he was the big brother. It wouldn’t be right to retaliate against his little brother; it would be unseemly.

’And now the stupid little dog dares to show its face again tonight!’

Xiaoyue was already charging up. As soon as Yu Bao got close, he would smack him with a Cat Cat Fist.

This time, however, Yu Bao didn’t use Desert Concealment as he’d expected. He just ran straight up to him.

”Woof, woof.” (Big brother, I was wrong. Please don’t be mad, okay?)

Seeing the stupid little dog’s sincere face, Xiaoyue couldn’t bring himself to unleash his Cat Cat Fist.

’Hmph. That doesn’t mean I’ll forgive you that easily.’

Xiaoyue tucked his paws in, turned his head away, and ignored him.

”CRUNCH... CRUNCH... CRUNCH...”

Hearing the noise, Xiaoyue knew the stupid little dog was using Earth Force Field again.

’What would it be this time?’

’A landscape? An epic scene? A portrait of me and my master?’

’I couldn’t care less.’

’Tricks like that only worked on kittens. They didn’t work on me anymore.’

’But why did the sound seem a little different this time?’

So, Xiaoyue couldn’t resist sneaking a peek...

Placed before him was a pebble. Its surface was covered in countless tiny scratches, etched into the spitting image of a Huajing Cat.

Xiaoyue recognized the pebble. You could only find stones like this on the paths in Wudu New Village.

’So... the stupid little dog had been thinking about how to apologize to me all morning.’

”Woof?” Yu Bao tilted his head, his gaze earnest, his tail wagging back and forth.

Xiaoyue quickly composed his shocked expression and went back to pretending he didn’t care. After a long moment, he reluctantly picked up the pebble in his mouth, then extended a paw and gently patted Yu Bao’s head.

”Meow.” (I forgive you.)

’I’m the big brother, after all. I wouldn’t hold a grudge against my little brother.’

·

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