Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

Liu Yuhang: ”...?”

”Everyone, quiet down~!”

Shao Ya shoved aside a few of her troublemaking friends, who were taking advantage of the chaos to get handsy, then walked up to the podium and clapped her hands.

”I just got a message from Mr. Zhou Shengfa. We’re introducing a new student today! She was studying out of province and officially completed her transfer yesterday. As of today, she’s a member of our class.”

At this, Shao Ya paused. She cast a glance—seemingly casual, yet deliberate—at Liu Yuhang, a broad smile playing on her lips.

”She’s a classmate that, while you haven’t met her in person, you all definitely know!”

”OHHH!” The entirety of Class 10 went wild. The hint was so obvious that anyone who’d watched the selection tournament could guess who it was.

Amidst fervent applause, a baby-faced girl skipped her way to the podium, her pure-white summer uniform looking exceptionally bright.

Katie walked over to stand beside Shao Ya. She bowed to the class, flashing a vibrant, energetic smile.

”Hi, everyone! I’m Katie. I’m from Huai City, too. I used to go to Pearl Harbor Seventh Middle School, but starting today, I’m back here at Huai City First Middle School. I look forward to getting to know you all!”

Katie made her introduction in the local Huai City dialect, which instantly made everyone feel a sense of closeness to her.

But she didn’t even need to do that... The moment she stepped onto the podium, the students of Class 10 were already in an uproar.

”It’s Tibao! My Tibao is here too!”

”Four Illusion Gods in one class! Am I dreaming?”

”God Ka, fly free, Mama will always...”

”We don’t need any male mamas! And no, you can’t cross-dress either!!”

Just then, Zhou Shengfa walked into the classroom.

The clamor instantly died down.

Zhou Shengfa smiled amiably. ”It’s fine~ Keep chatting. Don’t let me stop you from discussing your... perverted topics.”

Everyone burst out laughing. The chatter that followed was even louder than before, filling the classroom with a joyous air.

Zhou Shengfa’s gaze swept over three familiar faces he hadn’t seen in a while, a gratified smile spreading across his own.

’It’s only been a short while, and my students have already made another huge leap forward. At this rate, it won’t be long before they surpass me, will it?’

His gaze finally landed on the new student, Katie.

Zhou Shengfa hadn’t expected that this powerful ’foreign aid’ from the team tournament would actually transfer back to Huai City—and into his class, of all places.

On second thought, though, it made sense. After all, when it came to schooling in Huai City, the First Middle School was the only one worth considering. And Principal Yan, learning of her transfer, would certainly be inclined to put her in the same class as her tournament teammates.

’In that case,’ he thought, ’I might as well keep that spirit in mind when assigning her seat.’

Su Zhi and Shao Ya had been deskmates forever and were inseparable, so...

”Katie, why don’t you sit next to Liu Yuhang for now.”

”Okay!”

Liu Yuhang: ”Huh?”

The academic representative stared blankly as the girl sat down beside him. Her eyes narrowed slightly as she lifted her chin defiantly.

”Not happy about it? I can sit somewhere else, you know.”

”No, no...”

”Hmph~” Seeing his flustered state, Katie’s lips curled into a victorious smirk. She popped in her Bluetooth earbuds and turned her head away.

Liu Yuhang shot a desperate, pleading look at Su Zhi and Shao Ya.

’What’s going on? How did she actually end up here?’

Zhou Shengfa said, ”Su Zhi, Shao Ya, come with me to the office. The rest of you, start your morning reading.”

”Okay!”

Liu Yuhang: ”...”

Veins popping on his forehead, Liu Yuhang watched the shameless couple give him a little wave before leaving the classroom.

”Hey, Academic Rep, get up there and lead the reading.”

”Academic Rep, stop looking. It’s never going to work out between you and Brother Shu.”

”Tsk, tsk~”

”For fuck’s sake...” Liu Yuhang heaved a long sigh and walked to the podium.

Katie tilted her head, her eyes twinkling with amusement as she stared at his retreating back.

On her phone’s screen was a voice message from Su Zhi, now playing through her earbuds:

[Katie! It’s Katie!]

[I think she’s a pretty great teammate, really easy to get along with...]

[What’s the point? It’s not like she can hear me...]

Up on the podium, Liu Yuhang focused on leading the reading, trying his best to avoid her gaze.

Those eyes, like pieces of crystal candy, seemed to hold a magical power; even a single second of eye contact sent his heart into a frenzy.

’This is so weird...’

’Why does she keep smiling at me? Am I that amusing...? Wait, could it be that she’s into me, too...?’

’Wait, why did I think ’too’?’

’Snap out of it, Liu Yuhang! This is definitely one of life’s three great illusions!’

·

In Zhou Shengfa’s office, the two deskmates met the principal of Huai City First Middle School, Yan Shouzheng.

Principal Yan heaped praise on the two students for their accomplishments and announced that they would receive a tangible reward: school-level ”Beast Taming Vanguard” certificates and five hundred yuan in cash!

Just kidding.

Huai City First Middle might be poor, but they weren’t *that* pathetic.

A special prize of 150,000 yuan had already been transferred to the accounts of each member of Su Zhi’s team, money that could be used to purchase any Beast Taming-related resources.

First Middle still couldn’t compare to a giant like Shanda University Affiliated School. In previous years, the city’s top-scoring student who got into a ”Gong Jiu” university only received a 200,000-yuan prize. In that light, this was a rather sincere gesture from the school.

’Although I just fleeced the Fish Dragon Race for a fortune, who’s going to complain about having too much money?’ Su Zhi thought.

Yan Shouzheng also wanted Su Zhi to give a speech under the Alliance Flag, but Su Zhi politely declined.

”The provincial selection tournament was just the starting point. The national team tournament is still waiting for us. We’d rather focus our energy on improving our own training.”

Su Zhi said earnestly as he accepted the two red certificates from Yan Shouzheng.

But the two teachers didn’t see it that way.

For Huai City to qualify for the national team tournament once more was, without exaggeration, a historic moment.

The last ones to achieve this feat had been Peng Kai and his team.

In the national team tournament that followed, the team from Shanyou Province was defeated by that year’s champions—the Hengzhong Middle School joint team—and was eliminated in the quarterfinals.

For the other major provinces, reaching the quarterfinals of the team tournament was nothing special. For Shanyou Province, however, it was a legendary achievement.

That was one of the few glorious moments when Shanyou Province had managed to advance past the group stage.

After Peng Kai graduated, Huai City never again reached the finals of the selection tournament, and Shanyou Province itself rarely made it out of the group stage.

When Fang Lihua took charge, he tried to emulate Shanda University Affiliated School by enacting ”Hengzhong-ization” reforms. He blindly copied the policies of Hengzhong Middle School, ignoring the vast differences in school resources, which only poured salt on the wound for the already struggling Huai City First Middle School.

However, this ”Hengzhong-ization” was a nationwide trend, so no one could find any real fault with his methods. In the end, people could only accept the decline of their small city.

After all, not everyone could be like Peng Kai, who had proudly clung to his own ”Dao” and carved a bloody path to success.

And now, nearly a decade later, Su Zhi had brought Huai City back into the public eye.

Yan Shouzheng watched the young man before him, his heart filled with emotion. He saw a reflection of the defiant, untamable Peng Kai from more than ten years ago.

But even Peng Kai, back in the day, had been ecstatic for days after making it to the selection tournament finals.

Yet Su Zhi, despite this incredible achievement, remained as calm as ever, his thoughts already focused on the upcoming national tournament.

On impulse, Yan Shouzheng spoke up. ”You don’t have to be so modest. Your accomplishments are worthy of pride and celebration.”

Su Zhi blinked. ”But don’t you think acting all calm gives me more style?”

Yan Shouzheng: ”...Damn.”

’And here I was feeling so proud of him,’ he thought. ’Turns out the little punk was just humblebragging!’

The two teachers didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but they were both familiar with Su Zhi’s personality. He might be a show-off, but he always prepared for every competition with the utmost seriousness. That was undeniable.

Under his leadership, the other members of the team were becoming more and more ”Su Zhi-fied” by the day, creating a virtuous cycle.

Yan Shouzheng and Zhou Shengfa had long ago reached a tacit understanding: they didn’t need to meddle in the team’s specific arrangements. For Su Zhi, the best plan was no plan.

”The format of the national team tournament is pretty different from our provincial selection tournament,” Zhou Shengfa advised. ”Three out of the five matches are doubles. The competition here in Shanyou Province isn’t fierce enough for it to be an issue, so you can still manage multiple roles, but it’ll be much harder at the national level.”

”When the time comes, make sure you coordinate your rotations with the team from Shanda University Affiliated School to ensure everyone gets enough rest.”

Su Zhi gave a thumbs-up. ”Got it!”

’It’s not a big deal for me,’ Su Zhi thought. ’Even if my precious beasts are dog-tired, a tiny 0.01 boost to their Constitution will have them back in top form.’

’I don’t want to play so dirty, but hey, I’ve got a cheat system...’

Then, Su Zhi asked curiously, ”By the way, you called just the two of us here. It can’t be only about the team tournament, right?”

Yan Shouzheng chuckled. ”Of course not. Take a look at who’s here.”

Su Zhi and Shao Ya looked toward the door, their faces breaking into surprised smiles.

Their eyes fell upon a mane of blood-red hair draped over broad shoulders, and a handsome face filled with a wild, untamed beauty.

”Senior Peng Kai?”

”Tsk, tsk. Wrong answer.” Peng Kai grinned, stepping forward to clap Su Zhi on the shoulder.

”It’s Fellow Daoist Peng Kai!”

·

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