Under the cloak of night, the airplane landed smoothly.
Passengers made their way toward the outside of the airplane.
Qiao Sang, Tang Yi, and Qu Zhuo joined the crowded throng, leaving the airport.
This time, Qu Zhuo did not call for a taxi; instead, he clasped his hands together in a seal and summoned the Peeping Falcon.
The three of them sat on the Peeping Falcon and flew high into the sky.
Below, the night sparkled, and Pet Beasts carrying people walked or flew past in a steady stream.
Without the wild Pet Beasts causing havoc, Qiao Sang felt the traffic moved much faster.
Suddenly, Tang Yi asked,
"Teacher, I heard that Zhongkong University has an exclusive Secret Realm, is that true?"
An exclusive Secret Realm? Qiao Sang perked up her ears subconsciously.
"It’s true," Qu Zhuo said with a smile, "If you were being assessed on Blue Star, the Secret Realm testing would take place in the Secret Realm under our school’s name."
"A Secret Realm can be exclusive?" Qiao Sang could not help but ask.
Tang Yi looked at Qiao Sang with surprise, seemingly not expecting her to be unaware of this.
Qu Zhuo did not think much of it and explained,
"There are many conditions for owning an exclusive Secret Realm, and our Zhongkong University also expended quite a lot of effort to apply for one. Besides us, some families and some organizations also have Secret Realms exclusive to them."
"Aside from resources, these Secret Realms also harbor some Pet Beasts that are not available on the market. Some family’s Pet Beasts are out of reach for others simply because they were obtained within their family’s exclusive Secret Realm."
Speaking of this, Qu Zhuo suddenly thought of something and turned to Qiao Sang,
"I remember the prize for the champion of this year’s national high school Beast Taming competition includes a pass key to the exclusive 16th Secret Realm."
Wait, the 16th Secret Realm? Why does that sound so familiar... Qiao Sang paused.
The champion’s prize had been not only a gold trophy but also a white cylindrical crystal threaded with a line.
The latter’s purpose had been mentioned by a leader during the award presentation, saying it was a pass key to a certain Secret Realm.
But she had been immersed in the joy of her victory at the time and hadn’t paid much attention to the specifics.
Now that she thought about it, the leader seemed to have been talking about the 16th Secret Realm.
The 16th Secret Realm, why does it feel like I’ve heard about it somewhere else... Qiao Sang fell into contemplation.
Past events played backwards, scene by scene, in her mind.
Suddenly, her memory froze on a particular image.
Qiao Sang’s eyes lit up.
She remembered!
The Mu Zhen Auction!
The Qingfeng Compass! freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Qing Qingni was from the 16th Secret Realm!
Holy shit, not only is this Secret Realm open only once every thirty years, but it’s also exclusive?!
Doesn’t that mean even if she had the Qingfeng Compass and waited two more years for it to open, if she didn’t win the national school Beast Taming competition, her 900 million was spent in vain?!
Qiao Sang mused over this in silence for a long while.
Since it was exclusive, the auction event had still auctioned off the Qingfeng Compass, didn’t they consider the possibility that a clueless "nouveau riche" might mix in... Qiao Sang felt a pang of frustration and asked,
"If the 16th Secret Realm is exclusive, why would the keys be available outside?"
Qu Zhuo patiently explained,
"Exclusive means the Secret Realm has been granted by the state to a user for their sole use. Once a Secret Realm becomes exclusive, however it is used is up to the user. Like our Zhongkong University’s exclusive Secret Realm, many courses are conducted inside, so as long as you are a student of our school, you pretty much have the chance to enter."
"Whereas some families’ exclusive Secret Realms are specifically for their own family members to enter."
"There are also a portion of exclusive Secret Realms that intentionally release a few spots to the public each year in exchange for resources that are typically hard to come by, or for networking."
"The 16th Secret Realm is exclusively owned by the Beast Taming Spirit Mark Center, and it opens only once in thirty years. The resources accumulated inside are quite rich. With less than two years to go until the next opening, I guess the state chose to secure a spot as a reward for the championship with that in mind."
Qiao Sang thought they were quite considerate.
I can’t help but feel you don’t find the Steel Shave Monkey’s move cool because of the move itself, but because it won against Yaobao... Qiao Sang silently remarked, then said out loud:
"Try if you must, but you should pluck fewer feathers. After all, your defense is closely linked to your feathers. If you’re really keen on trying, just pluck one, and after trying, pick it back up. Always use that same feather for practice."
"Ganggang."
After hearing this, Gangbao’s eyes lit up, nodded its head, and thought it was a great idea.
It was a good thing that her Pet Beast had a direction for learning, so Qiao Sang didn’t intend to stop it.
Now that the assessments were over, she needed to get back into her previous study rhythm.
At times like these, it’s convenient when your Pet Beast doesn’t need supervision, and it has its own motivation to become stronger. This means fewer worries for her, and she can focus more on her studies.
With that thought, Qiao Sang abruptly sat up from the bed and went to her desk to open her textbook.
Pull an all-nighter!
Stay up late!
Study!
Meanwhile, outside the pitch-black window.
A pet beast, dark and unnoticeable, resembling a rock sat on a tree, looking at the Chan Chan Stone being fed peppers inside the house, and slowly shed two lines of crystals.
...
The next morning.
Under the Healing Light, Qiao Sang’s dark circles faded away.
After a simple wash-up and breakfast, she put on her school uniform and took Yaobao and the others to the open-air training field they often visited.
Then, she turned to look at Xiao Xunbao.
"Xun Xun!"
Before she could speak, Xiao Xunbao showed an "I understand" expression and vanished on the spot.
Qiao Sang sensed Xiao Xunbao’s position, knowing it had successfully made it to the study place.
You’ve grown up, really saving me a lot of trouble... Qiao Sang felt a pang of relief in her heart and started walking towards the classroom.
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