[Teach the Contract Beast skill [★Claw Edge] to the Contract Beast Purple Cloud?] [Yes][No]
Xu Ran tapped [Yes] without hesitation.
The next moment, the Contract Beast skill section on the panel emptied.
Apparently, each acquired skill could only be taught once.
Xu Ran felt a little disappointed, but not much.
He turned to Purple Cloud. "How do you feel?"
Purple Cloud stared blankly back at her beast tamer.
She felt as though a great deal of unfamiliar experience had suddenly appeared in her head, and she had mastered a new skill without any warning.
"Meow?!" (What happened?!)
"Congratulations, you've learned a new skill." Xu Ran offered no explanation, only a cheerful smile as he opened Purple Cloud's details panel.
[Contracted Contract Beast: Purple Cloud Species name: Lightning-Chasing Cat Attribute: lightning Growth rank: Transcendent Rank (125/500) Species rank: commander species Skills: [★★Electric Spark (stardust level)](1/100) [★★Electric Arc (stardust level)](1/100) [★Bite (stardust level)](1/100) [★Claw Edge (stardust level)](0/100)]
Thanks to their practice just now, Purple Cloud's physique had improved by two points.
More importantly, a new skill had appeared in her skill list.
"Come on, Purple Cloud. Try Claw Edge."
"Meow!" (Okay!)
Although Purple Cloud had no idea that her sudden mastery of a new skill had anything to do with her beast tamer's cheat, she obediently began using it.
The sharp claws tucked inside her paws abruptly extended, each gleaming with a cold, metallic edge.
Whoosh-
Purple Cloud sprang nimbly into the air and slashed with all her might at the large bone they had just used to test Bite's power.
To Xu Ran's astonishment, the bone-which was so hard that even a kitchen knife struggled to cut it-instantly fell into several pieces, their cut surfaces as smooth as mirrors.
"This is a great skill." Xu Ran nodded in satisfaction. "Purple Cloud, now you can help me cook, too."
Purple Cloud: "???"
You're using Claw Edge for that?
"I'm actually a pretty good cook."
"Meow!" (Deal!)
Purple Cloud nodded without hesitation.
Xu Ran grinned. "All right, back to business."
It wasn't closing time yet. He had only shut the door earlier to keep anyone from seeing Purple Cloud awaken.
Something like the Awakening Stone probably didn't exist in the real world.
He understood perfectly well that possessing a treasure could bring trouble even to an innocent man.
After opening the door, Xu Ran propped his chin in his hands and stared outside, utterly bored.
Purple Cloud, now a Supernatural Creature, leaped lightly onto the counter and tucked her front paws beneath her chest, spacing out alongside Xu Ran.
Her form had changed, but her lazy nature hadn't changed one bit.
Qingzhou City's Second Beast-Taming High School.
This was a high school specifically for students of the appropriate age with Beast Tamer talent. Alongside the standard high school curriculum, it also taught relevant Beast Tamer knowledge.
Su Xiaoxiao walked into the classroom for Class 6, Grade 10, where the classmates she had spent more than half a year with were seated.
Their expressions were rather nervous, because every one of them was about to undergo an important assessment.
"Xiaoxiao, did you take leave at noon because you listened to my advice and took your Contract Beast for a grooming session?" As soon as Su Xiaoxiao sat down, her deskmate Lin Yue leaned over and lowered her voice.
"Yes." Su Xiaoxiao pressed her soft pink lips together and nodded slightly.
"Phew! That's good." Lin Yue breathed a sigh of relief. "Where's your Blazing Fox?"
"Same as always." Su Xiaoxiao spread her hands helplessly.
Her Blazing Fox was very aloof and didn't like accompanying her to school, so Su Xiaoxiao had taken her home after her grooming session at the Starfire Foster Shop. She was probably getting her beauty sleep at home now.
Of course, she might also be watching a show.
"I was hoping to see how the grooming turned out beforehand," Lin Yue said regretfully. "I guess I'll have to wait until you summon her for the assessment."
At that, Lin Yue's expression grew more serious. "You absolutely have to take this pet quality assessment seriously. I heard each class gets one spot to represent the school in Qingzhou City's Young Beast Tamers' Pet Beauty Contest. Placing in the contest can earn you bonus points on the college entrance exam!"
"The Appearance Assessment is a comprehensive evaluation of a Contract Beast's temperament, skill proficiency, strength, and appearance. Appearance accounts for a pretty substantial portion of the score."
"Your Blazing Fox is already a beautiful Contract Beast, and she's pretty strong, too. If you keep her in good condition before the assessment, you've got a chance at that spot!"
"A-Yue, thank you." Warmth filled Su Xiaoxiao's heart. She knew her deskmate truly had her best interests at heart.
Lin Yue smiled and was just about to say something when an unfriendly voice came from nearby.
"Really? I don't think Su Xiaoxiao stands a chance."
Hearing that voice, Su Xiaoxiao and Lin Yue both frowned.
Two girls approached them. The girl on the left, who had just spoken, said disdainfully, "Blazing Foxes are a beautiful Contract Beast species, but not all Blazing Foxes are equal. Someone's Blazing Fox... hah! With all those patches of different colors, what beauty is there to speak of?"
"Besides, doesn't someone's Blazing Fox refuse to listen to her Beast Tamer? Can a Contract Beast with that kind of temperament really score well in the temperament evaluation? Hehe."
Su Xiaoxiao's expression darkened.
A normal Blazing Fox had uniformly fiery-red fur, but hers seemed to have undergone a mutation at birth, leaving patches of lighter red on her body.
Those patches didn't actually detract from her Blazing Fox's looks. Instead, they gave her a unique beauty, but Su Xiaoxiao wasn't sure the judges would agree.
And her Blazing Fox was indeed aloof, sometimes barely acknowledging her. That hardly counted as an excellent temperament for a Contract Beast.
Both points could result in deductions in the quality assessment.
Faced with such mockery, Su Xiaoxiao's good mood vanished in an instant.
"Du Ting, what nonsense are you spouting?" Lin Yue's expression was unpleasant. "If Xiaoxiao doesn't stand a chance, do you?"
"Of course I don't stand a chance either." Du Ting shook her head without the slightest concern, then linked arms with the girl beside her. "First place in this assessment will definitely go to our Anxun!"
The girl on the right was tall and slender. Hearing her companion's words, she raised her chin slightly, looking smug. "Su Xiaoxiao, don't even dream of taking first place in this Appearance Assessment!"
"Don't even dream of it! Don't even dream of it!"
As the girl finished speaking, a crested parrot with dazzling, rainbow-colored plumage echoed her in human speech and landed on her shoulder. As the bird spread her wings, each feather stood out in distinct layers.
A transcendent species: the Rainbow Cloud Parrot.
In terms of beauty, she was every bit a match for a Blazing Fox.
Su Xiaoxiao's brows knitted tightly.
This girl, Duan Anxun, was her greatest rival in the upcoming Appearance Assessment.
The two of them also had quite a history of conflict.
On their very first day of high school, Duan Anxun and Su Xiaoxiao had gotten into a dispute over something trivial. Ever since, Duan Anxun had constantly found ways to make trouble for her, leaving her utterly fed up.
She's not here with good intentions.
Before you continue