Beast Taming: I'm Really Not a Cultivation Master

Chapter 336: Chapter 306: First Class: Evolutionary Theory

Without a moment’s pause, Instructor Zhou led the five assembled students back to the Ancestral Star.

As they passed through the Dimensional Gate and entered the Adventurer’s Hall, Li Qian spoke up, ”Instructor Zhou, what about Senior Brother Du and the others?”

”They left the day the training was suspended, and the commission ended. They all have their own affairs to attend to; they couldn’t have just stayed here until now,” Instructor Zhou explained casually.

Li Qian nodded upon hearing this. It was what he had expected.

He went on to ask, ”So, about the Adventurer’s Badge you mentioned earlier...”

Li Qian was just trying his luck. ’It’d be best if I could get it early,’ he thought, ’but it’s fine if I can’t. It doesn’t hurt to ask, after all.’

Instructor Zhou looked stunned when he heard this. He stared at Li Qian. ”After what we just went through? Our whole group nearly died back there, and you *still* want to enter a Dimension Plane?”

”This training might have been cut short,” Li Qian said calmly, ”but it also taught us a few things. Some things just have to be done. This time it was the Peacock Monarch. What about next time, or the time after that? Our generation needs to step up and mature.”

”That’s a pretty enlightened perspective.”

Instructor Zhou shot Li Qian an appreciative glance. ”But the time was too short. You haven’t had a chance to prove you can stand on your own two feet.”

”Under these circumstances, I can’t request Adventurer’s Badges for you.”

Hearing this, Li Qian, Ding Ganmao, and Wang Zonghan all looked disappointed.

As for the other two students, their expressions remained unchanged.

Perhaps they were even relieved they wouldn’t have to enter a Dimension Plane so soon.

Instructor Zhou paused and took a long look at Li Qian. He seemed about to say something, but in the end, he remained silent.

The group of six used the Special Teleportation Array in the Adventurer’s Hall and soon returned to the courtyard behind the School Pet Beast Center at Shazhou Beast Taming University.

After returning to Shazhou Beast Taming University, Instructor Zhou dismissed them on the spot.

About five minutes later, Li Qian and Instructor Zhou were walking side by side in a small grove not far from the School Pet Beast Center.

Li Qian spoke up, ”Instructor Zhou, you asked me to stay behind. Was there something you wanted to discuss?”

Instructor Zhou didn’t waste any time and got straight to the point. ”I’m going to put in a special request for an Apprentice Adventurer’s Badge for you.”

”An Apprentice Adventurer’s Badge?” Li Qian was taken aback. This was the first he had ever heard of it.

Noticing Li Qian’s confusion, Instructor Zhou explained, ”The Apprentice Adventurer’s Badge is a sort of provisional badge. The Beastmaster Association typically awards it after a comprehensive review to candidates who don’t pass the Adventurer’s Badge assessment but still show good overall aptitude.”

”So what’s the difference between an Apprentice Adventurer’s Badge and a regular one?” Li Qian pressed.

Instructor Zhou replied, ”It still allows you to enter a Dimension Plane, but you won’t be able to leave the city.”

Li Qian had been excited, but his interest instantly fell by half when he heard about the restriction of not being able to leave the city.

’But then again,’ he thought, ’so what if I can’t leave the city? It’s still better than not being able to enter a Dimension Plane at all.’

’So I did get something out of this training expedition after all, and an unexpected one at that.’

With this in mind, he didn’t hesitate. ”Thank you, Instructor Zhou.”

Instructor Zhou had kept him behind specifically for this matter. With that said, he didn’t linger and departed.

Li Qian wasted no time either, heading back to his dorm in Xianya Garden to rest. After the ordeal of the previous night, he was truly exhausted.

After getting back to his dorm, Li Qian collapsed into bed and fell asleep. He didn’t wake up until nearly five in the afternoon.

”You look wiped. What happened to you in the Dimension Plane?” Li Qian had just woken up and washed up, and was about to head out for dinner when Lu Tianjiao, his next-door neighbor, suddenly poked his head out.

”Shouldn’t you know what I went through in the Dimension Plane?” Li Qian asked, looking confusedly at the head poking out from the next room. He found it hard to believe that this guy would have missed out on something as significant as the training expedition into the Dimension Plane.

As it turned out, his guess was correct. Lu Tianjiao proceeded to explain what he knew. ”The training had just started—not even a full day in—when the incident happened. All the new students were forbidden from leaving the city. Since we couldn’t go out, staying in Yuntian City was pointless, so I just decided to come back early.”

Li Qian casually made something up. ”I’m still pretty unfamiliar with the inside of Dimension Planes, and it was my first time in Yuntian City, so I just spent a little more time there.”

After that brief explanation, he said no more on the matter and changed the subject. ”Anyway, I’m about to go get dinner. You want to come with me?”

”Let’s go. I timed my visit because I was hoping to grab dinner with you,” Lu Tianjiao said with a smile. ”After all, classes start tomorrow. We won’t have much leisure time after that.”

Soon, the two of them headed out to the First Canteen.

This time, they skipped the food court on the basement level and ate in the main dining area on the first floor.

As they ate, they discussed matters related to the Dimension Plane and Yuntian City.

Li Qian learned a few secrets from Lu Tianjiao as well.

The secrets weren’t anything major, and Li Qian figured their instructors would cover the information soon enough. Still, he was happy to learn it all in advance.

After dinner, the two returned to Xianya Garden. They chatted for a few more moments before heading back to their respective rooms.

Li Qian didn’t waste any time. He put on his VR glasses and began to read books on cultivation.

He was well aware of how important knowledge was for a Breeder.

Beyond that, he hadn’t slacked off in contemplating his unfinished task: finding the evolutionary path for the Red Feather Chicken.

He mulled it over whenever he had a spare moment.

But this task wasn’t so simple.

Li Qian had a feeling that if he completed it perfectly, the completion rate might even reach one hundred and twenty percent.

Of course, this also meant the task’s difficulty was terrifyingly high.

But he had plenty of time, so he wasn’t in a hurry.

「The next day」

Li Qian was out the door bright and early.

Today was his first class at Shazhou Beast Taming University, and he needed to be in top mental form.

Li Qian took his classes very seriously.

Just because he had already managed to evolve a few Pet Beasts with Dominator Level Potential didn’t mean he would look down on the instructors who had spent years at the Cultivation College.

’Most of those instructors probably couldn’t match his current achievements at this point.’

’But when it came to theory and accumulated knowledge, they surely had him completely beat.’

’Besides, listening to their lessons could help him draw new conclusions and find more inspiration.’

Arriving in the Cultivation College’s teaching area, Li Qian stopped in front of an academic building. He glanced at the course he had chosen—*Evolutionary Theory*—and walked inside without a second thought.