After looking into Shi Yu's background, the Strategic Investigation and Logistics Support Bureau for National Ruins, also known as the Eleven Bureau, had adopted a hands-off policy toward the newcomer for the time being.
Although Shi Yu had a good talent and a clean background, he was far too weak.
Even Lu Qingyi, the least senior member of the Eleven Bureau, held a doctorate from Ancient Capital University, one of the nine great universities. That said enough about Shi Yu's standing in the organization.
Investigating the historical truth of Icefield City on his own would also serve as a form of training for Shi Yu.
The process would show how his talent for listening to the voice of history performed in practice going forward.
At present, Lu Qingyi was the Eleven Bureau member most invested in Shi Yu's growth. After all, she had already spoken to those big shots: she had found Shi Yu and brought him in, so once he became an official member, he had to be her assistant first. They weren't allowed to snatch him away from her.
I hope you can pass the professional assessment in six months.
After leaving Shi Yu's home again, Lu Qingyi said this silently to herself.
As someone with a certain breadth of vision, she naturally didn't want Shi Yu to wait for the professional assessment after next.
That was the standard for ordinary trainee Beast Tamers in Ping City, such as Chen Kai.
She had now provided a huge sum of startup funds and helped Shi Yu secure a chance to study at the Bamboo Stone Dojo, all so he could catch the next professional assessment.
Only after becoming a professional Beast Tamer would he truly step through the gates of the Beast Tamer world. One step behind meant falling behind at every step; a Beast Tamer had to race against every second in their growth.
"Sigh..."
In the courtyard, Shi Yu watched Lu Qingyi's departing figure and sighed involuntarily.
The rich lady had left again. From here on, they could only rely on their own efforts.
Shi Yu took out his black Eleven Bureau credentials and looked at his handsome photo with a rush of emotion.
The Eleven Bureau was roughly the ancient nation of Dong Huang's ultimate force and trump card for dealing with all kinds of ruins. Its status was extremely high.
In his previous life, archaeology might not have amounted to much, but here, many ruins were connected to guardian deity totems and mythical creatures of all kinds, and held countless secrets.
It could be said that unlocking the secrets of ruins was the most crucial path for Beast Tamers to reach the realm of mythology.
As some of the finest people in archaeology, it was no surprise that the Eleven Bureau had legendary Beast Tamers as bodyguards.
"Sigh."
Shi Yu sighed twice in succession. Though he had unluckily ended up in archaeology again, he had joined such a high-level organization in just a few months. As expected of you, Shi Yu.
Sure enough, even after changing worlds, you were still this outstanding.
"I can enter the vast majority of ruins with this?"
"And when exploring ruins, I can use these credentials to apply to the Beast Tamer Association for bodyguards?"
Shi Yu suddenly felt the credentials were a little hot to handle. Convenient as they were, they were essentially Pandora's box. If he used them, it would definitely mean he was courting death again.
"I'd better put them away for now."
By the time he had put the credentials away, it was noon, and Shi Yu had to prepare food for Eleven and the others again.
"Awoo-"
During the process, Eleven raised his head and roared at the sky in the courtyard, startling the Green Silkworm.
"You scared me, MDZZ." Shi Yu had gotten a fright too.
But thanks to his mental connection with Eleven, he had a rough idea of what had happened.
Eleven's growth level had risen again, reaching awakening level six!
Today was July 25, year 177. He had contracted Eleven on July 4, year 177, and in a little over twenty days, Eleven had risen three levels...
That speed would definitely bring plenty of Beast Tamers to tears.
Normally, even if Eleven could eat a great deal and trained hard, this growth speed was still unscientific.
The main reason he could grow so quickly was the Skill Index's teaching.
Improving a skill's proficiency also spurred a pet beast's own growth. That was why Eleven was growing so fast.
It could also be understood this way... All the physical strength and mental effort Shi Yu expended was converted, through the teaching process, into the nourishment the pet beasts needed to grow.
"At your height, you're almost a meter tall, aren't you?"
Shi Yu walked out carrying an iron basin and looked at Eleven, who was happily waving his arms up and down at him, as he made his estimate.
"Hm?" The little Iron-Eating Beast nodded without understanding.
The little Iron-Eating Beast was now a size bigger than when Shi Yu had first carried him home from the Iron Bamboo Breeding Base. That was normal, though; he was currently in the fastest-growing stage of his life.
"Congratulations. Eat first," Shi Yu said with a smile.
He quickly prepared food for Eleven and the Green Silkworm, then picked up his phone to check the two pet beasts' status.
[Name]: Iron-Eating Beast [Growth level]: Awakening Level Six [Name]: Green Silkworm [Growth level]: Awakening Level Four
One was level six and the other level four, but they couldn't be treated as normal pet beasts of those levels. After all, their skill proficiency far exceeded that of pet beasts at the same level.
If he signed up for the Beast Tamer Association's wilderness practical combat assessment, Shi Yu wondered what kind of result he could achieve with these two little fellows.
That afternoon, Shi Yu went to the Ping City Beast Tamer Association again. This time, he came openly.
Naturally, he was there to register for the wilderness practical combat assessment organized by the Pingcheng District Beast Tamer Association.
"This is ridiculous. Why are there so many people?"
As soon as he arrived, however, Shi Yu felt his scalp go numb.
There was an absurd number of people. It seemed... they were all here to register for the wilderness practical combat training assessment.
The appearance of Secret Realm ruins in Pingcheng District was no longer a secret, and the vast majority of Beast Tamers knew what Secret Realm ruins represented.
Opportunities and wealth!!
This time, the Beast Tamer Association had announced that everything obtained in the Secret Realm would belong to the individuals who found it. That had sent Beast Tamers from poor families, like Shi Yu's former self, into a frenzy.
Taking a gamble was a chance to change their fate.
It looks like the wilderness practical combat assessment organized by the association will weed out a group of Beast Tamers with no potential, then send those with potential into the ruins for further training.
That way, after some time, another group of trainee Beast Tamers qualified to attempt the professional assessment will emerge in Ping City.
In a sense, news of the ruins alone had fully roused the enthusiasm of Ping City's trainee Beast Tamers. Previous wilderness training events had never drawn so many applicants.
Before long, it was finally Shi Yu's turn. There were three locations for Ping City's wilderness practical combat training, and Beast Tamers would be assigned to them according to their circumstances.
The three locations were bound to vary in difficulty. Shi Yu figured that at his level, he definitely wouldn't be assigned to the hardest one.
"Hello, your training assessment location is Tianmang Mountain. The assessment will last three days in total, starting on July 28, three days from now, and ending on the 30th. Please make your own way to the Tianmang Mountain training base before nine in the morning on the 28th. If you're late, you'll be considered to have voluntarily withdrawn, and the registration fee will not be refunded."
The young woman at the front desk said sweetly, "For the specific details, please check in the hall."
"Thank you." Shi Yu turned and left.
The registration fee for one training event was ten thousand yuan, which wasn't expensive at all. It was practically dirt cheap.
After all, the Beast Tamer Association had sent advanced Beast Tamers to eliminate hazards at every training site in advance. Afterward, professional security teams would be responsible for the participants' safety throughout.
To make the training more varied, the Beast Tamer Association would also bring in a large number of pet beasts not native to the area and release them there, broadening the trainee Beast Tamers' horizons.
Besides that, the rare resources at the training sites were always kept plentiful. Participants were free to collect them, and after coming out, they would split the proceeds with the Beast Tamer Association at a set ratio.
So as long as a participating Beast Tamer wasn't too incompetent and had a little ability, they could recoup the registration fee. The more capable ones could even turn a profit.
Shi Yu's goal this time wasn't to make a profit, only to avoid a loss.
Afterward, Shi Yu looked over the precautions for this training event in the registration hall.
There wasn't really anything special to watch out for. It merely reminded participants to bring some necessities themselves.
After taking a quick look, Shi Yu headed home.
There were still three days until the so-called wilderness practical combat training assessment. Shi Yu planned to spend them as usual; there was no need to suddenly train desperately, or it would be bad if that affected their condition when the time came.
His only goal was to train Eleven's practical combat ability so it wouldn't fall behind his growth level, and see whether he could copy some rare skills along the way-not to slaughter his way through everything.
If he wanted to slaughter his way through everything, he wouldn't have rushed to register. With ten million to develop steadily for half a year, he would have everything.
Three days passed in the blink of an eye.
Shi Yu and the others really did spend those three days as usual.
Eleven and the Green Silkworm had their usual training and food.
Shi Yu spent his days meditating and playing on his phone.
The only thing worth mentioning was that Shi Yu used the Skill Index three more times during that period.
He taught Worm Silk twice and Hardening once.
Counting it all up, including the previous session, Eleven had received roughly two more lessons from the Skill Index after reaching the standard for Expert Level Hardening.
The Green Silkworm, meanwhile, had received two more lessons from the Index after reaching Expert Level Worm Silk.
With only two extra lessons, their skill proficiency naturally still couldn't reach Perfect Level. As for the little training they did every day, that naturally wasn't enough either, compared to the enormous experience bar.
After this, Shi Yu found himself pondering a mathematical puzzle.
When a pet beast had no foundation in a skill, and its own training was ignored, one lesson from the Skill Index brought it to Entry Level, two brought it to Proficient Level, and four brought it to Expert Level.
So how many lessons would bring it to Perfect Level?
Eight or sixteen?
This problem was too hard. He couldn't tell... Shi Yu gave up the struggle. He would just wait and test it himself.
That morning, Shi Yu got up early and, rich enough to do as he pleased, took a taxi.
When he arrived at the street below the Tianmang Mountain training base, he found a large number of Beast Tamers gathered at the entrance, most of them around twenty years old.
"Shi Yu!"
Shi Yu had just arrived when he heard someone call his name. He looked around and immediately spotted a fellow with dark circles under his eyes who looked remarkably like an Iron-Eating Beast.
"I knew you'd come too," said Chen Kai, the honors student after school. "I knew you definitely wouldn't miss something like this."
Shi Yu: "..."
Wait, what's with those dark circles? You didn't really go home and start popping supplements like candy, did you???