Just like that, half the day passed.
The bell rang, school was out. As usual, Li Qian immediately prepared to leave.
Just then, however, a clear and somewhat familiar voice called out to him from behind, "Li Qian."
Li Qian turned and saw that the person who had called him was, to his surprise, the class president, Tu Jiaojiao.
At the sight of her, a flicker of confusion appeared in his eyes.
And along with it, a faint trace of awkwardness.
Although Li Qian himself hadn't been involved, it was all a mess his predecessor had left behind. But since he had inherited all of the man's memories, it felt as if he had experienced it all firsthand in a way.
So, every time he saw Tu Jiaojiao, he couldn't help but remember when he'd secretly changed the signature on Fatty An's love letter to his own name and sent it off.
What made the memory even more embarrassing was that Tu Jiaojiao had rejected him without a moment's hesitation.
She'd said she wasn't interested in romance at the moment and was focusing all her energy on her Beast Taming career.
She had even advised him to stop daydreaming and focus on his studies instead.
Even though it hadn't happened in public, it was still pretty humiliating.
That was why Li Qian did his best to never bring it up, pretending the whole affair had never happened.
"Class President, what's up?" After a brief, awkward moment, Li Qian managed to compose himself.
'Those ridiculous things were all my predecessor's doing. They have absolutely nothing to do with me.'
'Okay, maybe that's just me trying to fool myself.'
"You've been rushing off right after school these past few days. Is something wrong?" Tu Jiaojiao asked, a hint of concern in her voice.
Hearing that tone from her, Li Qian was a little stunned.
'What's going on?'
'As far as I know, Tu Jiaojiao is usually stern and aloof with everyone.'
'Why is she suddenly so concerned about me? What's her angle?'
'Is it just part of her duties as class president?'
'I'll just assume that's it.'
"It's nothing. I just have some things to take care of at home, so I have to rush back." Li Qian had no intention of telling her the truth, so he made up a casual excuse.
"We're graduating soon..."
Li Qian's casual lie had no effect; Tu Jiaojiao simply followed her own train of thought. "At a time like this, if you're in any trouble, you don't have to hide it. You can tell me."
Scratching his head, Li Qian offered what he hoped was a brilliant smile. "Thanks for the concern, Class President."
He continued, "But I'm not in any trouble, and I haven't run into any problems."
"I'm really just rushing home because of some family business, but it's nothing serious."
Tu Jiaojiao tilted her head, looking at Li Qian. As if speaking to herself, she said with a sigh, "We've been classmates for three years. If you're really in some kind of trouble, you can tell me. Also... remember not to use Spiritual Power Potions carelessly."
Although Li Qian was still rather baffled, he was starting to get an idea of what Tu Jiaojiao was thinking.
He smiled and gave Tu Jiaojiao a grateful look. "Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."
After a brief pause, he decided to reveal the truth. "I won't be using any Spiritual Power Potions. That's because I've already awakened."
With that, he gave her a wave and quickly strode out of the classroom.
Left standing there, Tu Jiaojiao stared after Li Qian's retreating figure. She was stunned for a second before his words finally registered.
She murmured under her breath, "So, you've awakened too."
In the bike rack area next to the school building, Li Qian hopped back onto his beat-up bicycle.
The bicycle shot off in a flash.
As he reached the main school gate, his bike executed a neat skid, changing direction.
Just as Li Qian was about to pedal straight toward the artificial waterfall, the roar of an engine suddenly thundered in his ears.
Immediately after, a fiery red sports car slowly pulled up beside him.
The window rolled down, revealing a plump face.
It was Fatty An.
"Li Qian, you've been in such a rush lately. What've you been so busy with?" Fatty An asked, jutting his chin.
"I've been busy figuring out how to spend that million you gave me," Li Qian replied honestly.
In a way, he wasn't wrong.
Whether he was training Qizai and Ah Fu or studying cultivation, it was all for the sake of evolution.
And evolution costs money.
"Are you really researching the evolution for that Dominator Level Potential Pet Beast?" Fatty An still sounded unconvinced.
The doubt in his eyes hadn't faded in the slightest.
"Would I lie to you about it?" Li Qian shot him a sidelong glance.
'This guy... it seems he still doesn't quite believe me.'
"So how far have you gotten?" Fatty An's expression grew serious.
"It's almost done. Barring any surprises, I should have some results to show before graduation," Li Qian replied.
He wasn't exaggerating, either.
'Once you awaken, if the Pet Beast your family gets for you doesn't have Dominator Level Potential, you can just wait for one of mine.'
"You sound so serious about it. I'm actually getting a little excited," Fatty An said, the doubt in his eyes giving way to interest.
He knew Li Qian wasn't the type to make empty boasts.
Still, entrusting his very first Pet Beast to Li Qian's project sounded a bit too risky, so he hadn't taken it that seriously.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the great Eldest Young Master An, who still hasn't managed to awaken?" Just as they were speaking, another familiar voice piped up from nearby.
Li Qian followed the sound of the voice and saw a tall, slender figure with a faintly effeminate air.
Li Qian recognized him.
His name was Sun Shouhe, and like Fatty An, his family was in business.
Perhaps because they were both rich kids, Sun Shouhe and Fatty An had always been at odds.
Whenever they ran into each other, a verbal spat was sure to follow.
Since Li Qian and Fatty An were best friends, by extension, Sun Shouhe had it out for him too.
He would get a few passive-aggressive jabs from him every now and then.
This time was no exception. After taking a shot at Fatty An, Sun Shouhe turned his sights on Li Qian. "It's true what they say: birds of a feather flock together. Trash hangs out with trash."
Fatty An looked at Sun Shouhe, completely unfazed, and shot back, "Some people must have their eyes covered in shit."
"My bro awakened days ago, and you're still over here barking like a blind dog."
Fatty An's words were nasty and vicious, but for them, this level of trash talk was just child's play.
Sun Shouhe didn't pay the insults any mind.
What really caught his attention were Fatty An's words.
Li Qian had actually awakened.
And he'd done it without anyone knowing.
After a cold snort, he curled his lip and said with disdain, "So what if he's awakened? He'll still only be able to contract one of the school's trash Pet Beasts. His future is already capped."
Li Qian didn't get angry at his words. Instead, he replied nonchalantly, "'Trash Pet Beasts,' huh? I recorded that. I'll have to let the teachers hear it tomorrow."
Hearing this, Sun Shouhe's already effeminate face instantly turned beet-red.
His family might be rich, but they were nothing compared to the Beast Taming High School.
In the Beast Taming World, if you wanted to have any real achievements as a Beast Master, the Beast Taming High School was an institution you couldn't get around.
Without a diploma from a Beast Taming High School, the Beast Taming Universities wouldn't even consider you.
And for a Beast Master, attending a Beast Taming University versus not attending made a world of difference in their potential achievements.
The Beast Taming Universities possessed the best Beast Master training systems in the entire Federation.
The resources they provided were beyond the reach of any ordinary Beast Master.
As far as Li Qian knew, nearly every famous Beast Master in the entire Dongxia Federation was a graduate of a Beast Taming University.
If a teacher heard what Sun Shouhe just said, he wouldn't be expelled, but a harsh scolding was absolutely guaranteed.