Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

Suddenly, all movement on the stage ceased.

Then, the White Mist that had enveloped the entire arena began to show signs of instability before gradually receding.

Both Su Zhi and Liu Yuhang instinctively craned their necks.

...

As the mist dissipated, Xue Li was lying on her back on the ground.

She was still panting heavily, her eyes were still open, and she was still trying to push herself up with her wings.

Yu Bao stood before her, his body also swaying unsteadily, looking as if he could be knocked down at any moment.

He stared intently at Xue Li.

However, she could no longer get up.

With that final High-pressure Water Gun, Xue Li had exhausted the last of her Energy and physical strength.

Her assault had been swift and fierce, her attack decisive.

But she never would have guessed that the one tangling with her in the White Mist had been a Stand-In all along, one that Yu Bao had created using Sand Shadow Guard.

Using Furious Sand Blade to cover for Sand Shadow Concealment, Yu Bao had long since snuck his real body away under everyone’s noses to hide behind a Yellow Earth Wall.

This was the true purpose behind Yu Bao summoning the Yellow Earth Wall: to make Xue Li subconsciously treat all stationary objects as just another Yellow Earth Wall, thus ignoring the presence of his real body.

After that, under Su Zhi’s instruction, Yu Bao had patiently waited for an opportunity, biding his time until Xue Li mistakenly thought victory was at hand and launched her final attack...

”Quack...”

Xue Li let out a pained cry, finally collapsing to the ground, unable to rise again.

Liu Yuhang rushed to her side and scooped her into his arms.

”WOOF!”

Yu Bao raised his front paws and let out a triumphant sound.

’I won!’

Then, Yu Bao also lost his balance and, with a PLOP, flopped onto his back.

”Zzzzz... Zzzzz...”

Su Zhi, who had just run over: ”...”

’He just fell asleep? Seriously? That pair over there is having such a touching moment, and you pull this stunt on me? I don’t even know what to say...’

Though he was silently roasting his pet, Su Zhi still gently picked Yu Bao up.

The little guy’s legs were curled up against his belly, a tired but content smile on his face as he slept soundly.

Su Zhi then turned his gaze to Liu Yuhang’s Envoy’s Pet across from him.

Xue Li was still awake, her two bright eyes blurry and wet with tears. Although she was a Water Element Pet Beast, the difference between controlling water and crying was still quite obvious.

”Is Xue Li hurt?” Su Zhi hurried over to check.

He breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that Xue Li had only collapsed from exhaustion and was in a temporary state of shock.

”Quack...” Xue Li cried even harder.

”It’s okay. You did your best, and that’s what matters!” Liu Yuhang comforted her with a smile, but his own eyes were red-rimmed.

He turned his gaze to Su Zhi, who stood before him.

This was the person he had looked down on during their last spar, but whom he now couldn’t surpass.

”Thank you for the lesson, Brother Shu... We lost.”

Liu Yuhang said with his head lowered, ”You and Yu Bao’s performance was flawless. We have no excuses. A loss is a loss.”

”No. We did win, but you didn’t lose either.”

Su Zhi smiled and extended his right hand to Liu Yuhang. ”As is international custom, let’s shake on it. You’re formidable opponents. Yu Bao and I acknowledge you.”

”...Alright!”

Liu Yuhang laughed heartily and extended his own powerful right hand, grasping Su Zhi’s firmly.

With the atmosphere reaching a peak, the two of them put down their Pet Beasts and embraced as a sign of respect. The students in the audience were deeply moved; one even used a nearby classmate to blow their nose.

Then, Liu Yuhang started taking off his shirt...

The massive school training hall suddenly fell silent...

”...What are you doing?”

”Swapping jerseys, isn’t that what they do in international matches...”

”Let’s just skip that part!!”

·

「That evening, at Pingding Restaurant next to Huai City First Middle School.」

”Everyone did a great job!”

A flushed Zhou Shengfa stood up, glass in hand, his face beaming with a proud smile.

The round table before them was laden with steaming-hot dishes: fried pork, vermicelli with tofu threads, and garlic tofu—all authentic Huai City cuisine.

Two generations of the Hair Growth Group sat facing each other. Su Zhi was across from Liu Junpo, Shao Ya was across from Yang Jingyue, and Liu Yuhang was across from Du Gang.

Zhou Shengfa raised his glass high.

”A toast to the entire Hair Growth Group for making it through, with our sights set on the city league! Cheers!”

”Cheers!”

”CLINK CLINK CLINK—”

The crisp sound of clinking glasses echoed through the small restaurant for a moment.

Given that the three of them still had training and competitions, their glasses were filled with happy water.

Despite this, Su Zhi still drank it with the flair of someone downing a shot of strong liquor.

”You’re such a clown,” Zhou Shengfa said, laughing and scolding him at the same time.

”Ehehe,” Su Zhi said, tilting his head, trying to get by on cuteness.

Liu Junpo chimed in comically, ”The mood is just right. It’d be hard to move on if you don’t say a few words!”

”Senior Brother Piao, you’re backstabbing me, aren’t you?”

The dinner table was filled with a joyous atmosphere.

”Get up and say a few words! You’re the one I worry about the most. From dawn till dusk, if it’s not one thing, it’s another.”

Zhou Shengfa put down his glass, looking mentally exhausted. ”Good thing I managed to get you into the city league. I guess my hair didn’t fall out for nothing.”

”Teacher, you can’t say you’ve lost something you never had in the first place.”

”Shut up! You brat!”

”Hahahaha~”

”Alright, after everything that’s happened, I’ll say a few words.”

Amid the laughter, Su Zhi stood up, holding his glass... of happy water.

”First, I want to thank Old Ban, Teacher Zhou. I always thought he was a very old-fashioned and strict person who only knew how to stick to the syllabus, with no creativity...”

The others were trying to stifle their laughter, while Zhou Shengfa’s face darkened upon hearing this.

’Is this supposed to be a thank-you speech??’

”But—”

Su Zhi’s tone suddenly shifted.

”Later, I realized that wasn’t the case at all. He was just afraid I would go astray and wanted to pull me back onto a safer path... But after he saw I was firm in my choice, he didn’t hesitate to give me his greatest support.

Su Zhi turned his gaze to Zhou Shengfa. ”Even if you had opposed me back then, I still would have continued down my own path. But without your support, I never could have gotten as far as I have.

”Thank you for your strictness, and thank you for your help!”

With that said, Su Zhi downed his happy water amidst a round of applause.

Zhou Shengfa, a man of his age, couldn’t help but shed a tear.

Liu Junpo pointed out that his wig was crooked, and got a punch for his trouble.

”The second person I want to thank is my sparring partner, Senior Brother Liu Junpiao... I mean, Liu Junpo!”

Su Zhi refilled his glass with happy water and looked at Liu Junpo across the table.

”After I started preparing for the city league, it was my senior who gave his all to provide me with professional advice and revise my crude Skill System.

”Thank you, senior, for everything you’ve done, for helping my way of thinking mature from its childish beginnings!”

Liu Junpo muttered under his breath, ”It’s still pretty childish, actually...”

Su Zhi: ”Damn.”

The two locked eyes for a moment, then burst out laughing and clinked their glasses.

”Finished again? Why are you drinking so much at once?”

Shao Ya, the keeper of the cola, propped her chin on her hand and blinked mischievously. ”Call me ’daddy,’ or you don’t get any.”

The corner of Su Zhi’s mouth tilted up, and he simply raised his empty glass.

”Finally, I also want to thank my deskmate, Shao Ya.

”Thank you for bringing me food when I forgot to eat.

”Thank you for comforting me when I faced injustice.

”Thank you for staying by my side when I was at my lowest.

”On this whole journey... thank you for being there.”

As if he’d hit a nerve, Shao Ya lowered her head and quickly took out the cola.

”Here, here, take it. You’ll say anything just to get a little cola.”

The dinner table was once again filled with a joyous atmosphere.

Amid the laughter, the two deskmates—at school and now at the dinner table—exchanged smiling glances, clinked their glasses, and drank down the light shimmering in their drinks in one gulp.

·

·

Sorry, I was so tired yesterday I accidentally fell asleep, so I only wrote six thousand words. But don’t worry, I’ll write the remaining four thousand later today.

The initial subscription numbers for this book were more or less in line with expectations. It’s like estimating a score of 70-80 on a test and ending up with a 67 or 68. There’s nothing to feel wronged about, but it’s hard not to feel a little disappointed.

I guess you can consider the explosive release schedule after the book went premium as my own form of redemption.