Pet Beast Planning

Chen Wei sold all the Redtail Goldfish he had caught earlier to Boss Lin. Only Little Gold was brought home by Chen Wei, to test the effects of his talent, [Dragon Power].

Through testing, Chen Wei discovered that as long as he used Dragon Power once a day, Little Gold's growth and development would accelerate rapidly. Little Gold had only been twenty centimeters long before; one week later, it had shot up to forty centimeters.

Its size was one thing, but more importantly, Chen Wei discovered through appraisal that Little Gold had gained a water attribute.

The Redtail Goldfish was only a low-tier ordinary pet beast. Though it was an aquatic fish, it had no water attribute and could not even use a Water Bubble skill. Its combat power was practically nonexistent, making it the sort of pet beast no one would choose to contract.

Yet after merely one week of Chen Wei's [Dragon Power] testing, Little Gold had not only doubled in size but also gained a water attribute and learned the Water Bubble skill.

Though it was still a complete weakling in battle, it had to be said that with an elemental ability, Little Gold now possessed the potential to become a mid-tier extraordinary pet beast. Pet beast races without attributes were generally weaklings, and their rank was usually ordinary.

Pet beast racial ranks were divided into nine tiers: low-tier ordinary, mid-tier extraordinary, high-tier transcendent, top-tier elite, exalted ruler, radiant king, epic overlord, legendary emperor, and immortal demigod.

Racial rank was determined by a pet beast's upper limit of strength and was not universally applicable, so pet beast races were further divided into grades. However, pet beasts below the transcendent racial rank were not further subdivided.

Only pet beasts from high-tier transcendent to legendary emperor races had qualities divided into four grades: heaven, earth, mystic, and yellow. Yellow-grade high-tier transcendent races were the lowest, while heaven-grade legendary emperor races were the highest.

A pet beast's actual strength, meanwhile, was divided from Rank 0 to Rank 9. Rank 0 corresponded to the juvenile stage, while Rank 9 corresponded to immortal demigod.

The next morning, the sun shone brightly.

In the classroom of Beastmaster Class 2, Chen Wei sat on his chair, completely absorbed in reading. The cover of the book in his hands read On the Evolutionary Methods of Pet Beasts.

"Have you decided which pet beast you're choosing today?" His old classmate Huang Zhicheng nudged Chen Wei's arm and asked excitedly.

"Didn't you already know? The two of us applied for spots at the Water Mountain Pet Beast Breeding Base together. By the way, why didn't you come fishing when I called you yesterday?" Chen Wei did not even turn his head, his gaze still fixed on the book.

"Couldn't be helped. Star Glory Mall happened to release ten portions of Water of Life yesterday. If I want to contract a Thorn Fish smoothly, I had to go fight for one."

"Say, are you really not planning to change targets? Not a single person in Water Mountain City has successfully contracted that pet beast in recent years!"

"There was Water of Life? Did you get any?" Chen Wei asked with slight surprise, changing the subject.

Beastmaster resources were indispensable in raising pet beasts. Some beastmaster resources were natural treasures formed amid surging source power, while others were carefully manufactured by alchemists using medicinal ingredients. Neither was inherently superior to the other.

Beastmasters classified beastmaster resources from Level 1 to Level 9 according to their effects. Further subdivisions placed their quality into low, mid, high, and supreme grades.

For instance, the magic core of an extraordinary beast represented a Level 2 low-grade resource, while Water of Life was a Level 2 high-grade resource made by alchemists. It had only one effect: it could increase the potential of pet beasts below high-tier transcendent rank, including transcendent-rank pet beasts. Thus, it held a great attraction for pet beasts.

Since a pet beast could only use it once in its lifetime, it was only rated as Level 2 high-grade. However, because it was one of the few potions capable of increasing a pet beast's potential, buyers came in an endless stream.

Water of Life was a rare resource in short supply at the mall, costing one hundred thousand per portion. In terms of value, it was comparable to a Level 3 resource.

"Luckily, I got there early and snagged a portion." Huang Zhicheng spoke smugly.

"So that's what happened. I was wondering why the fishing spot could be missing you. Looks like you've got your pet beast contract in the bag today!"

His deskmate Huang Zhicheng, known simply as Old Huang, looked honest and simple-minded. He was a textbook fishing fanatic and second-generation rich kid, and he had been obsessed with water-type pet beasts since childhood. His greatest dream was to fish up a king-rank exotic beast.

Chen Wei only smiled at that. Never mind whether their small bodies could keep their lives if they encountered a king-rank exotic beast—even if they could survive, an exotic beast of that level was not something a mere fishing rod could reel in.

One had to know that king-rank beastmasters in Water Mountain City were as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns, fewer than could be counted on two hands.

Twelve years ago, four king-rank exotic beasts had led a beast tide in a surprise attack on Water Mountain City. The casualties then had been devastating. Even the original owner of this body's parents had died in that beast tide because they had failed to retreat in time.

Knock, knock, knock. The sound of fingers tapping the blackboard interrupted Chen Wei's memories.

"Quiet down. Listen to me first."

"Those in the class who have chosen to go to the Pet Beast House may head down to the field first. Follow Teacher Li's arrangements and board the buses in an orderly manner. The coaches will depart at exactly eight." A stern-faced middle-aged man spoke in a deep voice.

The moment the homeroom teacher finished speaking, the excited students could no longer suppress their anticipation. Talking and laughing, they unconsciously quickened their pace and filed out of the classroom amid playful noise.

The noisy classroom gradually quieted down. Chen Wei casually swept his gaze over the remaining students still seated inside. Their number was somewhat beyond his expectations—besides himself, there were another twenty-one students, nearly half the class.

"Come with me. I've already told you everything that needs to be said, but I'll say it once more: if you fail to contract more than twice, you must stop trying. The pet beasts at the breeding base may not necessarily suit you better than those at the Pet Beast House. Understood?" Homeroom teacher Zhou Yuande frowned and spoke solemnly.

"Understood," everyone answered loudly. Their homeroom teacher had repeatedly mentioned in class that the backlash from two consecutive contract failures would place a tremendous burden on one's spirit.

Persisting with the contract could cause one's Source Star rank to fall, or even collapse. There were precedents for such things, and few dared to test whether they might be the exception.

After an hour's ride, the coach finally arrived before the gates of the Water Mountain Pet Beast Breeding Base.

After getting off, the morning sunlight pierced through the mist and fell upon Chen Wei. He looked at the towering gates before him. At the entrance stood a man in a police uniform checking the students' identities.

With Old Huang before and behind him, Chen Wei followed Teacher Zhou's lead, lining up for inspection before entering the gates. Not long after they entered, a girl in a long robe with jet-black hair approached from the hall and guided them toward the corridor.

"I am the guide for your pet beast contracts. My name is Qi Yunmeng. There are no restrictions on how you select your initial pet beast hatchling. As long as you do not break the law or harm the pet beast, you may use any method you wish to contract it. However, you only have two chances."

"If you have any questions, you may stay and consult me first. If not, you may use the map to find the pet beast you want. You are limited to the outer areas of the base. Remember, whether your contract succeeds or fails, you must return to the Beastmaster Certification Hall here to confirm it. I'll be in Office No. 2."

Qi Yunmeng pointed to the conspicuous map and the hall not far down the corridor.

Huang Zhicheng studied the map for a while, then walked to Chen Wei's side and patted him on the shoulder. Waggling his right thumb toward the right, he said, "I'll head that way first. That's the icy-lake breeding area for Thorn Fish. The pet beast you want is in the snowy mountain area to the north."

"Alright. We'll meet here after we finish contracting." Chen Wei waved in acknowledgment, then turned and strode away.

After spending some time following the map and signs and taking a vehicle, Chen Wei arrived at the snowy mountain area where ice-type pet beasts were raised.

Initial pet beasts that combined good looks, strength, and high growth potential were few and far between. To settle on his initial pet beast, Chen Wei had consulted a great deal of material over the past year, eventually discovering the rare pet beast known as the [Cold Jade Snake].

The Cold Jade Snake was one of the most beautiful among snake-kind. It was said that even humans who feared snakes would be intoxicated by its charm. It was one of the few dual-element pet beasts that possessed both ice and psychic attributes.