Pure-this pedigree was as pure as it got

Xia Country, the Magic City branch of the Donghuang Beast Taming Alliance.

The First Bureau's Magic City branch.

A young man in a white suit passed through several security checkpoints and entered the high-rise. After taking the elevator to the third floor, he knocked on the door of a room.

"Come in."

Little White Dragon Amid the Waves entered the room. Shortly after getting involved in the "Green Sea City supernatural beast escape incident," he had been summoned by the First Bureau to report on the situation.

The First Bureau's full name was the Public Security Protection Bureau. Its duties were to prevent, stop, and investigate malicious activities involving Beast Tamers and supernatural creatures.

The escape of the supernatural Siberian tiger in Green Sea City fell under the First Bureau's jurisdiction.

"Team Leader Li... Team Leader Zhao, you're here too?"

To Little White Dragon's surprise, more than just a team leader from the First Bureau was waiting for him. His direct superior, the leader of Team Two in the Second Bureau's Newcomer Recruitment Department, was there as well.

"Little Bai."

After Little White Dragon entered, his superior glanced at him and said with a smile, "We're all friends here. Have a seat."

"Thank you, sir," Little White Dragon said, though he remained standing.

"Bai Junjie, right? You were the one who contacted the First Bureau about the Green Sea City incident, weren't you? Thank you," Team Leader Li of the First Bureau said with a smile.

"I was just doing my job. All I did was pass along a message. The newcomer called John Doe was the one who actually resolved the problem."

"How much do you know about this newcomer?" Team Leader Zhao asked.

"Uh, a little..." Little White Dragon looked guiltily at his superior. Lu Ran certainly had potential, but he hadn't managed to recruit him.

Was the boss upset with me? Please, no. Anything but a cut to my bonus...

"Little Bai... This Lu Ran is a talented young man-a genius. You must convince him to join the authorities," Team Leader Zhao of the Second Bureau said gravely.

"Take a look at this file."

Puzzled, Little White Dragon took the file from his superior.

Clearly, despite how little time had passed, they had already thoroughly investigated Lu Ran's background.

Name: Lu Ran.

Gender: Male.

Age: 17...

The first few entries contained information that couldn't have been more basic.

Little White Dragon wasn't particularly surprised that Lu Ran was a student.

The only surprise was the information about his academic performance... That guy John Doe was actually a Top Student?

Brains and brawn?

Soon, Little White Dragon reached the crucial part, and his expression changed.

"Lu Ran is an orphan?"

"Yes. His parents passed away five years ago."

"Look at his family information..."

Little White Dragon read on.

Father: Lu Qiancheng, zoologist. Former professor at Jinling University, later hired by the Natural Life Company as a biological consultant. Made twenty-two overseas expeditions to study wildlife ecology... Published works included...

Mother: Lu Yunxiu, biologist. Former professor at Imperial Capital University, later hired by the Natural Life Company as a biological consultant. Held multiple biopharmaceutical patents...

Paternal grandfather: Lu Hai, village chief of Lujia Village, hunter...

Paternal grandmother: Lu Ying, veterinarian of Lujia Village...

Lujia Village: a village of hunters, where village chiefs were elected primarily based on their hunting skills...

"Holy shit." Little White Dragon was dumbfounded by the staggering rows of family information.

He had known this John Doe... this Lu Ran wasn't ordinary, but that pedigree was pure. As pure as it got!!!

If he couldn't become an outstanding Beast Tamer, who could?

Being a Beast Tamer was practically written into his DNA!

Other Beast Tamers merely had close relationships with animals and pets themselves. With Lu Ran, it seemed as though every generation of his family had worked with animals.

What a beast!

No wonder he had earned a good rating in the Novice Secret Realm even with a husky, and had even subdued a supernatural tiger!

Sadly, the elders in his family had all passed away early. Even his parents had died young, leaving him all alone.

"Now you understand."

"As they say, dragons beget dragons, and phoenixes beget phoenixes... Besides, you've witnessed his talent yourself. The upbringing he received at home must have been far beyond what an ordinary person could offer. It would be a shame to let someone so talented end up in a private Beast Tamer Guild," Team Leader Zhao said, reluctant to let such talent slip away.

"Zhao, we're counting on your Second Bureau for this one. Make sure you bring him in for me, and I'll owe you a big favor! A newcomer who faced a tiger without a trace of fear and even subdued it-he was born to protect our country and its people!" Team Leader Li of the First Bureau looked eagerly at Team Leader Zhao and Little White Dragon.

At that moment... Little White Dragon felt the heavy weight of responsibility on his shoulders.

Even Lu Ran himself probably hadn't imagined that his family background would make the authorities so determined to recruit him...

After Little White Dragon left, Team Leaders Li and Zhao set down the file and resumed chatting over tea.

"Ah, more and more people are becoming Beast Tamers. The alliance is about to undergo a major departmental restructuring. Who knows where we'll be assigned? Hopefully, we can stay in Magic City..."

"That'll be tough. Let's not worry about it. Have some tea."

Green Sea City.

Lu Ran and Fang Lan were discussing the details of the Novice Secret Realms they had experienced.

Lu Ran had entered the Demon Cat Forest, while Fang Lan had entered a different map: the Spider Cave Lu Ran had seen before.

All Lu Ran could say was... entering the Spider Cave secret realm must have felt like coming home for Fang Lan.

"Now I'm wondering if you have to uncover some hidden storyline to get an SSS rating."

"No. Didn't you read the instructions carefully when you first entered the Novice Secret Realm? It grades you based on your 'combat performance'!"

"You probably have to wipe out all the wild monsters in the Novice Secret Realm. That should be enough for an SSS rating."

"How is that even possible...?"

"Why wouldn't it be? The Newbie Trial Secret Realm is just a small section taken from an easy-mode Novice Secret Realm. There are practically no creatures above level five. If someone's starter pet was commander rank, they should have a chance, right?"

While Fang Lan and Lu Ran were deep in their heated discussion, Fang Lan's phone suddenly rang.

Seeing the caller's number, Fang Lan nervously shushed him. "It's Dr. Gu!!!"

"Don't say anything."

With that, Fang Lan answered the call.

"Senior Gu!"

"Fang Lan?"

"Yes, it's me."

The woman on the other end chuckled. "You mentioned that you were interested in the Secret Realm Strategy Team, but after giving it some thought, I don't think it's right for you. You're still a newcomer, after all. Frontline combat is too dangerous for a girl like you."

"What about the research department?" Fang Lan asked.

"At the moment, none of the veterans in the research department are available to mentor newcomers either..."

"Oh..."

"Actually, I still recommend continuing your studies," Gu Qingyi said. "But not at Magic City University. At a new university dedicated specifically to the Beast Tamer profession."

"If everything goes as planned, it should begin accepting applications in another two months. The rapidly growing number of Fourth-Generation Beast Tamers is already enough to support a university."

"Combat and support Beast Tamers from earlier generations, both from the authorities and from major guilds, will teach there. Some veteran professors who have spent the past three years studying supernatural creatures will teach there as well."

"The school will focus solely on imparting knowledge and developing mental resilience. Clearing secret realms won't be an objective during your studies, so it will be extremely safe. After graduation, students can freely choose where to go, whether that's an official agency or a Beast Tamer Guild. You could think of it as a transitional stage. After all, the vast majority of young people can't adapt to the Beast Tamer profession right away."

"My advice is to study there first. From what I understand, you can apply to graduate at any time. Once you have a clearer idea of what suits you, you can make your choice. What do you think?"

A Beast Taming University?

"I'll take your advice, Senior Gu." Fang Lan was surprised. She hadn't expected there to be a dedicated Beast Taming University. It seemed the number of Fourth-Generation Beast Tamers... really would be enormous.

But... didn't that mean my ninth-place score in the provincial college entrance exam... was all for nothing???

"Me, me, me...!!!"

Lu Ran had excellent hearing. Even though Fang Lan hadn't put the call on speaker, he could hear their conversation clearly.

When their conversation reached the crucial point, Lu Ran's eyes lit up.

There was a Beast Taming school too?!

That sounded much more interesting than Magic University.

Forget Magic University.

Forget my final year of high school, too.

Could I get guaranteed admission straight into this place?

A school would certainly offer much more freedom than joining the authorities or a guild.

He could gain important knowledge through the school while privately clearing secret realms solo to level up. It felt like the choice that suited him best.

Most importantly, he was only seventeen. If he plunged straight into spending all his time in secret realms, he was afraid he would develop mental problems. Lu Ran felt that some interaction with people his own age was absolutely necessary.

"Senior..." Catching Lu Ran's hint, Fang Lan said, "I have a younger brother..."

"He was also selected to become a Beast Tamer and passed the Novice Trial."

"But he's only about to start his final year of high school. Could he go straight to this Beast Taming University too?"

After Fang Lan finished, Gu Qingyi considered it briefly on the other end. "That should be fine. But I believe the university will have several campuses, with students assigned according to their talent as Beast Tamers. You two might not end up in the same place."

"With your abilities, passing the assessment to enter a top campus shouldn't be a problem. As for him, I can't say." Although Gu Qingyi thought highly of Fang Lan, she had no intention of pulling too many strings for her.

"Okay, thank you, Senior Gu! We'll take the assessment ourselves," Fang Lan said gratefully.

"No need to thank me. I look forward to seeing you grow as quickly as possible. Every country's progress in clearing Infinite City has been stalled for a long time now. We desperately need the Fourth-Generation Beast Tamers to turn things around," Gu Qingyi said with a slight smile. "Also, if you have time, tune in to the television at eight tonight."

"If everything goes as planned, the authorities should be announcing the existence of Infinite City and the Black Cards."

"Not just in Xia Country, but across the entire world at once... The explosive increase in the number of Black Cards has already gone beyond our control..."

"The age of Beast Taming for everyone is about to begin."