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¹ "Nodding like a chicken pecking rice" (點頭如小雞啄米) - A common Chinese expression for nodding repeatedly and eagerly in agreement.
The test was a comprehensive exam covering four major sections—History, Geography, Biology, and Materials—all of which, unlike Chen Shu's previous knowledge, were related to beast taming.
For example, History covered the nine hundred years of the Revival Era, including various wars, changes, and reforms.
Geography covered the locations of dimensional space gates around the world, as well as the climate characteristics within these dimensions.
Biology studied the habits and combat characteristics of fierce beasts within the dimensions.
As for Materials, it mainly studied the appearance, characteristics, and value of rare materials found in these dimensional spaces.
High school covered an extremely broad range of knowledge, but it was all foundational. Only at university could you truly specialize. This was similar to his own previous world.
The afternoon passed, and the pleasant dismissal bell rang.
Chen Shu wrote frantically and finally managed to finish all the multiple choice questions.
"If all goes well, my score might actually hit double digits..."
He sighed. The knowledge on this test was basically ancient hieroglyphics to him.
"Alright, hand in your papers and you can go home," Teacher Fang Ke said, standing up.
Unlike regular students who had evening self-study, Beast Taming students instead practiced cultivating their Beast Taming Power by absorbing spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
The so-called Revival Era was actually short for the Spiritual Energy Revival Era.
Around 980 years ago, spiritual power gradually appeared on the planet, leading to the birth of Beast Tamers among humans.
To improve your strength, you could only persistently cultivate Beast Taming Power.
This applied equally whether you were from an ordinary family or a great clan.
Of course, students with backgrounds would use various potions and cultivate in spiritually rich environments to boost their cultivation speed.
Students handed in their papers and left the classroom one by one.
Just as Chen Shu was about to leave, when a voice suddenly called out.
"Chen Shu, stop right there!"
"Hmm?"
Chen Shu turned around to see a male student in a black t-shirt with his arms crossed, staring at him.
"Let me introduce myself. The name's Wang Meng!"
Wang Meng swaggered over slowly, his eyes radiating hostility.
Several other guys closed in, cracking their knuckles and rolling up their sleeves to instantly max out the intimidation factor.
Campus thugs? was Chen Shu's immediate thought as he quickly ran through his escape scenarios. Should I shout for help and then run, or just take off immediately?
"This is Beast Taming Class 5. I hope you won't cause trouble and disrupt everyone's studying, or don't blame me for being impolite."
Wang Meng's face grew fierce as he approached Chen Shu.
"What? Disrupt everyone's studying?"
Chen Shu was instantly dumbfounded.
Warning me not to disrupt studying? Did I wake up in a parallel universe?
They were actually warning him not to disrupt everyone's studying? What kind of bizarre situation was this?
Was the academic awareness of Beast Taming Class students really this high?
"Do you understand?"
Wang Meng frowned slightly and repeated himself.
"I understand perfectly, crystal clear!" Chen Shu nodded like a chicken pecking rice¹, completely obedient.
"Good. I'm the class monitor of Beast Taming Class 5. If any punks from other classes give you trouble, report to me immediately."
Wang Meng nodded with satisfaction, suddenly transforming into the embodiment of justice.
Clearly, maintaining the tough-guy act was exhausting for him.
What had initially seemed like impending violence turned out to be righteous encouragement from the class's resident study god.
Chen Shu shook his head and prepared to go home to cultivate Beast Taming Power.
Evening cultivation time was voluntary—the school wouldn't force anyone to practice.
But regardless of their background, all students would consciously cultivate.
Beast Taming students could have poor academic grades, but their Beast Taming level absolutely couldn't be low—this was the most important criterion for college entrance exams.
Beast Taming Class tuition was tens of thousands of yuan per year, not including various additional fees.
Students from ordinary families cultivated desperately to justify their family's investment and secure a successful future, while those from great clans worked even harder to ensure their family's continued in prosperity and their own inheritance.
Chen Shu rode his shared bike leisurely home.
Chen Shu wolfed down a few bites of dinner and immediately threw himself into cultivating Beast Taming Power.
The cultivation method was common knowledge, but talent was another matter entirely.
"This kid..." Chen Shu's mother shook her head, baffled by her son's sudden enthusiasm.
Chen Shu sat cross-legged in his bedroom, clearing his mind and trying desperately to sense the spiritual energy floating between heaven and earth.
Two long hours crawled by.
He remained in the exact same position, but his mouth had started running on autopilot.
"Spiritual energy please come quickly! Spiritual energy please come quickly..."
Finally, he gave up and flopped backward onto his bed in defeat.
"This cultivation stuff is ridiculously hard!"
Chen Shu groaned. No wonder high-level Beast Tamers enjoyed such high social status.
Not everyone had the perseverance to endure this torture.
"Without any cultivation talent, it looks like I'm completely dependent on the system."
Just a few simple choices had already made him a Level 1 Beast Tamer, which was equivalent to six months of other people's hard practice.
After tasting those sweet benefits, he'd completely lost patience for manual cultivation.
"Mom, I'm going out for a bit."
"What are you going out for?"
"To do some multiple choice questions."
"???"
Chen Shu brushed off his mother's bewilderment and hurried out of the house.
"If I used some Basic Beast Taming Potion during cultivation, my speed would definitely improve. Might as well check it out, maybe I'll get lucky."
Chen Shu rode his bike toward the city center.
Nanjiang City center at night was brightly lit with endless streams of people, no different from the world in Chen Shu's memory.
Although it was just a small city, it still looked incredibly prosperous.
"Beast Taming Department Store."
Chen Shu entered the department store that sold various Beast Tamer items.
Low-Grade Ice Potion: Slightly enhances Contract Spirit's ice attributes. Only works on Level 1-3 spirits. Price: 5,000 yuan!
Low-Grade Flame Potion: ...
Low-Grade Strength Potion: ...
"Good evening, sir! What can I help you find today?" a sales associate asked with a bright smile, recognizing that even a Level 1 Beast Tamer represented unlimited future potential.
Just as Chen Shu was about to speak, three options appeared before his eyes.
[Option 1: Tell them you have no money and are just browsing.]
Completion reward: Slime weight +1%
[Option 2: Say boldly: "I'll take everything!"]
Completion reward: Two bottles of Low-Grade Strength Potion.
Note: Contains certain risks!
[Option 3: Tell them you want to learn potion-making and ask if they have any connections.]
Completion reward: Slime defense +1%
Chen Shu never expected that simply shopping could trigger the choice system.
Any normal person would obviously pick the first option to avoid trouble.
If Option 2 didn't come with that ominous danger warning, he'd definitely grab it immediately.
After all, two bottles of Strength Potion were worth a full ten thousand yuan!
In the end, Chen Shu played it safe and chose the third option.