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Sitting comfortably in his seat inside the floating transport vehicle after passing the check, Lin Su subconsciously looked around at the other passengers.
Nobody he recognized was there this time; the floating transport vehicle, nearly full, was packed with unfamiliar faces.
“Hello.”
As Lin Su was scanning his surroundings, a female examinee next to him suddenly spoke up, her expression somewhat odd, as she pointed at Qiuqiu resting on Lin Su’s head, “Is that your pet beast?”
“Yes, what about it?” Lin Su nodded slightly. Qiuqiu on his head turned to glance at the female examinee and lazily “meowed.”
This “meow” halted the low murmurs around them; many examinees turned their gazes toward Lin Su, their expressions becoming curious as they looked at Qiuqiu on his head.
“Why did you summon your pet beast in advance?” The female examinee looked around, then lowered her voice, “It lets other examinees know about your pet beast’s information beforehand, which could be disadvantageous for your practical assessment.”
“Oh, you mean this?” Lin Su, realizing what she meant, held Qiuqiu, who was feeling a bit uncomfortable from the many stares, and cuddled him, smiling while responding, “That’s okay.”
As a man determined to win the championship, Lin Su didn’t mind others knowing about his pet beast ahead of time; he simply wanted to give Qiuqiu some fresh air.
After all, there were no regulations against summoning pet beasts from the Beast Taming Space before the practical assessment.
“Okay then.” Seeing that the young man insisted, the female examinee stopped persuading him. Her gaze fell on Qiuqiu in Lin Su’s arms, and after hesitating, she began to speak, “That… never mind, it’s nothing.”
She had something else on her mind, but eventually decided to drop it.
She couldn’t recognize the species of this pet beast.
If it had been another time, she would have taken out her communicator to scan and search immediately. But before boarding, all the examinees’ communicators had been confiscated.
Driven by curiosity, she wanted to ask about the species of the pet beast but thought better of it, considering they were competitors in the practical assessment. It did not seem right to inquire, so she refrained.
This female examinee was clearly thoughtful and considerate, but not all examinees were as considerate as her.
Soon after she finished speaking, a male examinee nearby suddenly asked, “Classmate, what species is your pet beast? Why haven’t I seen it before? Is it an evolved form of a known pet beast?”
The question pierced the silence, and whispers started spreading amongst the crowd. Your next chapter is on
“Have you ever seen this species before?”
“I haven’t, it must be an evolved form, right?”
“Eh? Have you guys noticed this pet beast looks a bit like another one?”
“Are you talking about Xue Henqing? It does resemble it, but it’s probably just a coincidence, right?”
“No, no, you haven’t realized who that guy is? He’s Lin Su!”
“What? Lin Su? Now that you mention it, it does seem like him.”
“…”
Listening to the quiet discussions around him, Lin Su blinked without any intention to hide the truth, simply offering a light smile, “This is an evolved form of Xue Henqing.”
Having received confirmation directly from Lin Su, the vehicle erupted into a buzz after a moment of silence.
Xue Henqing had an evolved form? This was big news!
They hadn’t expected to encounter such a revelation just by participating in an assessment.
Even those who didn’t know who Lin Su was became astonished after a brief introduction by the other examinees.
This was a scientific research heavyweight. It was unexpected to be attending the Mountain City University entrance assessment with him.
The atmosphere around Lin Su became lively as many examinees showed a keen interest in the evolved form of Xue Henqing, asking if its species tier was lower, middle, or high.
Remembering the misunderstanding that had arisen when Qin Nan asked the same question, Lin Su suddenly felt playful.
“Lower.” Lin Su’s expression was sincere, conveying a “believe me, this is really a low-tier ruler species” vibe, “After the assessment, you can look it up in the Species Atlas, and then you’ll know.”
He was already looking forward to seeing their shocked faces when they checked their communicators after the assessment and found out Frost Flower Dream Shadow was a low-tier monarch species.
The other examinees wanted to ask more, but a stern voice cut through, “This is a practical assessment for Mountain City University! Do you think you’re on a field trip? Who allowed you to whisper among yourselves?”
Everyone looked toward the source of the voice; instantly, they quieted down, each closing their mouths.
The invigilator, a tall male teacher who had been standing outside the vehicle, had come in.
While everyone was chatting, the last few empty seats had been filled; the floating transport vehicle was now at full capacity.
Seeing that everyone had finally quieted down and the noise had subsided, the tall male teacher’s stern expression softened slightly, “The transport vehicle hasn’t left yet. Before we depart, I will brief you on the key points of this assessment.”
His words recaptured everyone’s attention back to the practical assessment.
No matter how significant the news about the evolved form of Xue Henqing was, it couldn’t compare to the importance of an entrance assessment that could define their futures.
The male teacher cleared his throat before addressing the group, “First of all, this year’s practical assessment will take place in a designated area between zones 11 and 12, cordoned off by the experts from the Practical Combat Department of Mountain City University. Yes, you heard correctly, the assessment will not be conducted within a safe zone.”
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