章 17: Chapter 17 Midterm Exam (Part 1)
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After receiving the prize money, Chen Xing went to the supermarket to buy ingredients.
As he passed by a shoe store, Chen Xing suddenly remembered that the shoes his mother often wore had already been repaired with glue several times, so he walked into the shoe store and a few minutes later left the store amidst thanks for his patronage.
When he got home, Chen Xing found his mother busily working in the kitchen.
Suddenly, Chen Xing felt that something was amiss, so he turned to take another look.
His father was actually helping in the kitchen?
Uh... ever since she got sick, his mom had never let his dad into the kitchen again.
Liu Yuzhen smiled and said, "Your sister is coming home from the hospital tonight, so I'm cooking her favorite ribs in advance."
Chen Xing looked at his parents and always felt that they were hiding something from him.
"Mom, I bought you a pair of shoes."
Chen Xing put the ingredients he had bought on the table and then handed another box to Liu Yuzhen, "Try them on and see if they fit."
Liu Yuzhen exclaimed, "Why waste the money, these shoes must have cost several hundred, go and return them."
"I've already torn the receipt, can't return them."
Liu Yuzhen was both happy and reluctant, seeing this, Chen Guohai squatted down and helped her put on the new shoes.
"It's a gift from your child, it's the thought that counts."
"Old Chen, do they fit well?"
"They fit, and you look good wearing them."
...
In the evening, Chen Lingya returned home from the hospital.
At the dining table, Chen Guohai announced something to all the family members.
"Your mother and I have discussed it, and we have decided not to treat the illness."
Liu Yuzhen pressed her lips together and did not deny while picking up a chopstick of vegetables.
The atmosphere at the dining table became subdued.
Chen Lingya put down her chopsticks and seriously said, "Dad, the principal from our school has agreed that if my exam results bring honor to the school, he is willing to ask his friend to treat you."
"Your principal?"
"Yes, our dean is an Advanced Beast Tamer."
Upon hearing this, the realization dawned on Liu Yuzhen and Chen Guohai; they also came to know for the first time that Lingya's school principal was such an important figure.
Even though they were not part of the Beast Tamer circle, they knew about the revered status of an Advanced Beast Tamer.
"But…"
"There are no buts, the purpose of me studying hard is to change the fate of our family," said Chen Lingya. "I hope that in ten years, our whole family can go to a cloud-end restaurant for dinner; a family should be together and complete."
The Cloud-End Restaurant is a very famous luxury restaurant in Jincheng, where consumption is high, and reservations need to be made in advance; only people with certain status can reserve a table.
"There are still nine months left until the college entrance examination; you wouldn't want to affect my mood at this critical moment, right?"
Chen Guohai was silent, a spark of hope ignited in Liu Yuzhen's heart; all these years of hardship were for that slight, almost negligible chance of a miracle, or rather, hope.
Now that there was hope, she naturally didn't want to miss it.
Before Chen Guohai could speak, Liu Yuzhen had already agreed for him, "Okay! I'll hold on for another nine months. And you... don't put too much pressure on yourself; no matter what, it's good that we, as a family, have tried."
Chen Xing glanced at his sister; he knew her pressure must not be small either.
She alone was shouldering the burden of the family; the expectations of their parents weighed on her.
Carrying the hopes of her family, she had to perform well in the college entrance examination.
Chen Xing didn't know what sort of results 'bringing glory to the school' entailed, but it surely wouldn't be easy.
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After all, a Transcendence Stage Healing Element Tamer's services are worth at least a hundred million...
Noticing her brother's gaze, Chen Lingya exchanged looks with him and smiled slightly.
At night, Chen Xing borrowed Chi Yu from his sister to train together.
His sister didn't ask about Chen Xing's little secret; she simply lent Chi Yu to him.
Accompanied by Chi Yu and Taotie, he found a secluded spot downstairs for some basic training.
"After training the beast, intimacy level above 80, obtained 1 Skill Point Fragment."
"After feeding the beast, intimacy level above 80, obtained 1 Skill Point Fragment."
"After training the beast, intimacy level above 95, obtained 3 Skill Point Fragments."
"After feeding the beast, intimacy level above 95, obtained 3 Skill Point Fragments."
While completing the day's routine, Chen Xing suddenly discovered a pleasant surprise.
That is, Taotie's intimacy level had somehow risen above 95.
It must be said that beasts raised from a young age have an easier time increasing their intimacy levels.
Moreover, after interacting with a beast with an intimacy level over 95, the obtained Skill Point Fragments actually increased to three.
Feeding and interacting yield 6 fragments per day, which means 12 fragments in two days!
Adding the Skill Point Fragments from Chi Yu, that's 8 fragments possible in a single day.
It turned out that raising intimacy levels was the best way to obtain more Skill Point Fragments in the short term.
Chen Xing suddenly thought of the Pet Caretaker's basic prerequisite skill.
"Affinity Knowledge" - Once learned, it increases the host's affinity, giving a refreshing feeling as if basking in the spring breeze, which makes it easier to establish friendly relations with beasts.
It can improve pet friendliness, and if there are many beasts around, this skill could help to accumulate more Skill Point Fragments more quickly in the early stages.
It turned out that these three prerequisite skills were interconnected, each one useful.
...
Over the weekend, Chen Xing arrived at school.
Wang Qiming had chosen to give up; he had stopped trying to compete with Chen Xing in silence.
He had discovered that Chen Xing's beasts changed every day, especially today—not only was his beast much larger than Wang Qiming's, but it also appeared to be in excellent condition. Wang had suspected that some kind of forbidden drug was used to force growth, but looking at it now, the beast's spirited state didn't resemble the results of drugs; it rather seemed as if it had swallowed a panacea.
When Wang Qiming gave up competing and felt relieved, he actually looked forward to the scene where the big spenders from classes one and two would get crushed by Chen Xing.
Damn, this kid keeps a low profile; he goes straight home after school and isn't seen hanging out on weekends with classmates. He's definitely planning to make a big splash in the monthly exam.
He had no idea which abilities Chen Xing's beast had awakened.
These things remain a secret until they are revealed, especially when everyone is still in competition with one another.
Not to mention Chen Xing, even Wang Qiming kept the abilities his own beast had awakened a secret, without understanding the intelligence on the skills, he still had a chance to turn the tables.
In Wang Qiming's speculations, he thought that Chen Xing's skills would definitely not be poor, after all, his beasts were developing so abnormally. He certainly had the money to buy Skill Orbs. What could those skills be...
Meanwhile, Chen Xing sitting in front was also troubled.
The first skill his beast awakened was a Passive Skill, which meant he couldn't hope to have overwhelming power at the 5-9 Energy Level stages.
He had hoped to get a good ranking in the first monthly exam; Chen Xing had even fantasized about claiming the first place.
But lacking a skill truly made things difficult, like two heroes in a solo clash with one accidentally selecting a passive skill at level one...
No more playing unbeatable at the same level; I'll race to level up quicker than you and let you all feel the dominance of the Salty Bay Crocodile in advance.
There's no other way, since I can't win at the same level, I'll have to rely on a level advantage.
I have to break through to Energy Level 10 to awaken the second skill!
The Salty Bay Crocodile can only awaken one Passive Skill, and since the only passive one has already awakened, the next one is sure to be an active skill.
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