Afternoon.
Su Ping was doing the work he knew best.
Wearing a mask, tweezers in hand and a wooden basket on his back, he continued sorting through the Forest Wolf droppings before him, which looked almost like wood shavings.
Only this time, he was no longer the only one subjected to this torment.
Beside him, Li Shu wore an expression of grief and indignation.
"Ping, is this how you're letting me experience a breeder's work and life?"
Su Ping glanced at him.
"If you don't like it, get lost! There are plenty of junior breeders out there who want to become apprentices."
Li Shu immediately wilted and went back to diligently shoveling poop.
After another glance at him, Su Ping nodded in satisfaction.
Li Shu was a little flighty, but he was reliable when it came to getting things done, and he was friendly.
He made a pretty good helper.
Yes, a helper.
Two days had passed since he had arrived to deliver Su Ping's intermediate breeder certificate.
And over those two days, Su Ping felt as though he had received more phone calls than he had in his entire life.
That was the influence that came with the Breeder Association's endorsement.
Su Ping was beginning to appreciate just how powerful an official organization like this could be.
He had then turned his original phone number into Woodheart's reception line and applied for a new one for himself. Only after sending the new number to his acquaintances did he get a little peace.
Still, while plenty of people called to inquire, very few pursued the matter once they heard the price.
The beast tamers who actually intended to pay for training were mostly those who came to take a look in person.
Li Shu handled reception as well. He received visitors in the morning, then learned basic training from Su Ping in the afternoon, starting with how to get along with Forest Wolves.
As for Su Ping, he had practically begged for mercy, asking Vice President Liu to take down the advertisement. He had also posted his training fees by the entrance, along with a new rule:
For now, only one Forest Wolf would be accepted for training each week. Anyone interested would need to book a place in line.
At last, his world fell completely quiet.
There was no end to how much money one could earn. The point of making money was to train his pet beasts better, and Su Ping knew perfectly well that he could not put the cart before the horse.
Otherwise, he would not have had the time to leisurely shovel Forest Wolf poop here with Li Shu.
As for going back to Yuntian Resort to rent pet beasts, Su Ping had not returned.
After his conversation with Qin Xiaoxue, he had become much more wary of Yuntian Resort.
Besides, just as he had said that day, renting so many pet beasts at once meant he had to constantly watch over things at Yuntian. It was worrying and exhausting.
Although combat did a great deal to improve pet beasts, doing it occasionally was one thing. If they did it every day, the Forest Wolves might be able to take it, but Su Ping could not.
Li Shu glanced at Su Ping, genuine admiration flashing in his eyes.
He might have seemed flighty, but he was no fool.
When he had video-called his father that evening and mentioned Su Ping's intermediate breeder certificate, his father, Li Senlin, had looked as though he had seen a ghost. That reaction said it all.
His father had even swallowed his pride and tried to use Li Shu's connection to see whether he could interview Su Ping. Unfortunately, Su Ping had politely declined.
A friend his own age had single-handedly transformed his father's entire opinion of the company he kept. Just how incredible was that?
Although his own talent was also mediocre, in a society so closely tied to pet beasts, everyone wanted to become a professional beast tamer or enter a profession that let them earn their living entirely through pet beasts.
Besides being something they loved, it also promised a bright future.
So he had thickened his skin and asked to stay here a little longer.
Even learning a little more from Su Ping would be worthwhile.
Su Ping did not actually mind. In fact, he was happy to have Li Shu stay.
The reason was quite simple.
Take right now, for example.
Su Ping was not carrying much Forest Wolf manure on his back, but Li Shu had a thick pile stacked up on his.
At that moment, the two of them stood before something.
It was a little pine tree, only about a meter tall.
Its vibrant green branches and needles swayed gently, as though welcoming its owner's arrival.
This was a Falling Seed Pine.
A Plant Element pet beast with Elite Stage racial potential.
Its main combat skill was Pine Nut Shell, which allowed it to form pine nuts on its branches and fire them out with tremendous power. It was a stationary artillery-type pet beast.
"Do you know why I told you to shovel poop?
"First, getting the scent of Forest Wolf droppings on you can greatly reduce their aggression toward you, or even eliminate their hostility. With me here, it'll make it easier for you to approach the other wild Forest Wolves.
"Second, some plant-type pet beasts absorb Forest Wolf manure extremely well, which speeds up their growth. The Falling Seed Pine is one of them.
"For those benefits alone, if this were anywhere else, forget getting to shovel it for free. Unless you paid me a thousand, you wouldn't even qualify to touch it!"
Li Shu's eyes lit up, and he snapped to attention.
"My fault! I failed to understand your painstaking intentions, godfather. I deserve to die! Don't worry, godfather. From now on, leave all the Forest Wolves' daily poop to me! Whatever Pine Nut can't use up, I'll use myself!"
Watching Li Shu thump his chest in assurance, Su Ping shot him a sidelong look.
Still, he could not be bothered to call out his clowning. Instead, he turned his gaze toward the Falling Seed Pine before him.
He had agreed to let Li Shu stay at Woodheart for a while partly because they got along well, and partly because Li Shu had indirectly done him an enormous favor by bringing Qin Xiaoxue here.
After all, without Qin Xiaoxue, obtaining Woodheart's first batch of startup funds would have been difficult, never mind subsequently meeting Vice President Liu and making that unusual wager.
Beyond those reasons, there was another major one: this Falling Seed Pine.
Within the Myriad Spirits Codex, countless pet beast records were waiting to be lit up and activated.
Although the Falling Seed Pine was not his pet beast, he could activate its record as long as his intimacy with even one reached the required level.
Leveling it up was one matter, but simply activating it would grant him certain corresponding rewards.
Naturally, Su Ping would not pass up the origin rewards from the Myriad Spirits Codex.
Thus, he also wanted to use the time Li Shu spent here to see whether he could grow closer to this Falling Seed Pine, raise their intimacy to the required level, and light up its pet beast record for a reward.
To prepare, Su Ping had even looked up quite a few requirements and reference materials for raising Falling Seed Pines, but he had found little information of any real use.
He had then asked Qin Xiaoxue for some tips on raising Plant Element pet beasts, which finally gave him a little confidence.
Forest Wolf manure was a fertilizer that the vast majority of Plant Element pet beasts needed.
Unfortunately, fertilizer magic potion formulas for these Plant Element pet beasts were exceedingly rare. Even with money, Su Ping would have a hard time acquiring them.
He could only use the most basic method, mixing high-quality soil with the Forest Wolf manure and spreading it around the Falling Seed Pine.
But before Su Ping could properly approach Pine Nut, bond with it, and experience the relatively childlike way Plant Element pet beasts expressed themselves, his phone suddenly chimed.
He took it out, and a message appeared before his eyes:
[Your purchased items have been delivered to your door. Please come outside to receive them promptly. Thank you!]
A gleam of delight appeared in Su Ping's eyes.
The materials he had spent several million on had finally arrived!
Could he finally begin the Woodheart training for the other Forest Wolves and have Xiaoqing consume the poison-type resources?
Before you continue