At this moment, inside the school cafeteria.
"Qian… Qian Yun, you… you okay over there?" His best friend Zhao Lang stared at Qian Yun in alarm.
The table in front of Qian Yun looked like a battlefield that had just been ransacked. Eighteen empty food bowls were stacked to one side, two bowls of braised pork were scraped clean, and ten plates of vegetables were nothing but scattered oil stains.
The cafeteria served all-you-can-eat buffet for fifteen yuan a head — way cheaper than eating out.
"I'm fine," Qian Yun mumbled, his speed shoveling food into his mouth not slowing down one bit.
[Strength +0.1][Strength +0.1][Strength +0.2][Strength +0.1]...
A constant surge of power welled up inside Qian Yun, making him eat even more vigorously.
But to his best friend Zhao Lang beside him…
"Qian Yun, listen to me… All this stuff is just part of life, something everyone goes through. Don't go giving up on yourself!"
He was obviously talking about Qian Yun awakening an F-Rank Beast Spirit yesterday — and getting dumped by his girlfriend.
Qian Yun waved a hand, signaling he didn't care.
An infinitely growable F-Rank Beast Spirit that got stronger just by eating, and could even evolve in rank? He had nothing to worry about.
As for Wu Xin… he wasn't completely unaffected, but it was only because his old routine had been broken, leaving him a little unaccustomed.
The love between them had long since faded. There was no point in staying together anyway.
"We have martial arts class this afternoon. Don't eat so much, or you'll throw up during training!" Zhao Lang warned uneasily.
Qian Yun finally put down his chopsticks, breathed out in satisfaction, and nodded at Zhao Lang.
The school's martial arts classes were outsourced.
The school leaders had hired martial artists from universities — it cost a lot, but it was worth it.
After all, if just one student got into one of the four top martial arts universities, the state would grant a huge subsidy, and the school's reputation would skyrocket.
The martial arts coach for Qian Yun's class was a middle-aged man.
"Kids, my name is Chen Kuo. I'm a Fourth-Rank Beast Spirit Master, currently teaching at Canghai Martial Arts University."
His voice was loud and clear. His gaze swept over the class, carrying the calm of someone long-tempered by battle.
"This month before the college entrance exam, I'll be putting you through special training."
Canghai University! A Fourth-Rank Martial Artist! Exclamations broke out uncontrollably from the students below. To kids who hadn't even crossed the threshold of the First-Rank, he was a figure they could only look up to.
"Today, we'll start with the most basic strength cultivation," Chen Kuo said, hands behind his back, pacing slowly.
"Strength comes from your Beast Spirit. Beast Spirits have different tiers of talent, so cultivation speed naturally varies. The most basic way to get stronger is to temper your body! Train your fists if your punch power is lacking, run if your speed is too low — there are no shortcuts. Of course, training in a specialized chamber will boost efficiency greatly."
Everyone nodded, half-understanding.
"First class: let's get a baseline reading. Test your initial strength values." Chen Kuo pointed at a metallic, glowing pillar-shaped machine at the edge of the training ground.
Naturally, this would be the stage for those with A-Rank Beast Spirits.
Two students in Qian Yun's class had awakened A-Rank talents.
The focus of the whole field fell on the two A-Rank prodigies — Wu Xin (Nine-Tailed Demon Fox) and Wang Li (Demon Snake).
Before his awakening, Wang Li had been practically invisible in class. But ever since he scored A-Rank, he'd become the center of everyone's attention overnight.
He was a completely different person now, walking and talking with an unbridled sense of triumph, like a poor man suddenly rich, dying to broadcast his superiority for all to see.
Qian Yun was chatting and joking with Zhao Lang, waiting for his turn.
Just then, a boy and a girl walked past, acting intimately, and stopped nearby.
The boy was Wang Li. The girl… was his ex-girlfriend Wu Xin.
Wang Li acted as if he'd just noticed Qian Yun. He paused, glanced sideways at him, and let out a soft snort. "Well, well. If it isn't our F-Rank genius, classmate Qian Yun." The mockery in his tone was unmistakeable. He pressed a little closer to Wu Xin on purpose.
Qian Yun looked confused, turning to Zhao Lang. "Who's that? Looks familiar."
Zhao Lang held back a laugh and said loudly on cue: "I think his name's Wang Li. The guy in our class who just awakened an A-Rank Demon Snake yesterday."
"Oh… he's in our class? Never seen him." Qian Yun nodded, his tone as flat as if talking about the weather. He lost interest right away and turned back to Zhao Lang.
What was wrong with these two? Had he not existed for the past three years? Their utter indifference twisted Wang Li's face with rage.
"You!" Wang Li's voice suddenly rose, drawing stares from everyone nearby. "Qian Yun! You useless trash! Can't you still see reality? What matters now is strength, is Beast Spirit! Not your lousy academic scores! An F-Rank garbage like you dares to put on airs in front of me?"
Wu Xin beside Wang Li tugged at his arm and whispered: "Wang Li, forget it. Don't lower yourself to their level."
She dared not meet Qian Yun's eyes.
"Trash! I just tested — my strength value is already 130! What about you? You probably don't even have 30!" Wang Li completely lost his cool, desperate to look impressive in front of his new companion.
Qian Yun stared at Wang Li as if looking at an idiot.
After a moment's thought, he walked straight past the pair.
"Hello, teacher. I'd like to take the test," Qian Yun said to Chen Kuo.
Chen Kuo looked the young man up and down, eyes narrowing slightly.
This was the F-Rank Beast Spirit user his head teacher had mentioned yesterday. To be honest, in all his years as a Beast Spirit Master, he'd never seen an F-Rank. That piqued his curiosity.
"Alright. Hit the center of the tester with all you've got."
Qian Yun nodded. All eyes locked onto him.
How high had his strength value climbed in just one day? Qian Yun could barely remember himself.
Whether those fifteen yuan at the cafeteria had been worth it would be decided right now!
Qian Yun tensed every muscle. The pitch-black goat horns on his head emerged!
Chen Kuo's body jolted slightly at the sight of those horns! He didn't recognize the Beast Spirit, but it gave him a distinct sense of danger!
BOOM!
Qian Yun threw a solid punch into the machine, a heavy dull thud echoing out.
The next second, the numbers on the tester shot upward!
10… 20…
100… 110… 120…
The value kept soaring, finally locking at 135!
Everyone gasped. Even Chen Kuo's pupils trembled in shock!
How was this possible? An F-Rank Beast Spirit… with such a high initial strength value? It even surpassed many children from martial artist families.
Could it be a divine beast…?
A thousand thoughts raced through Chen Kuo's mind, but all he said was two words.
"Not bad!"
"Students, don't give up just because your Beast Spirit has a low rank. Do you know what rank the current principal of Canghai University awakened at?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"B-Rank," Chen Kuo answered with a smile. A rank that wouldn't even get into a martial arts university now!
Qian Yun nodded thoughtfully, then slowly walked back to Zhao Lang, as if that stunning punch had been nothing but a casual strike.
Wang Li and Wu Xin still stood frozen in place, especially Wang Li, the color draining from his face until he looked dazed.
When Qian Yun approached, Wang Li stammered out, his confidence crushed by eighty percent.
"You… you just have a high initial strength value! Your future growth will be slow! Don't get cocky!"
Qian Yun stopped beside Wang Li, frowned in fake confusion, and asked:
"Who are you again?"