Chen Bin couldn't help but fall into silence.
Only when Li Miao asked again did he rub his temples, his tone distant.
"This star symbol represents a beast companion's potential. One star means limited room for growth, and so on. Ten stars is the highest, indicating the beast companion might reach the potential of a strategic weapon."
"So?"
"So… you'll also receive attention and resources."
Chen Bin genuinely couldn't comprehend how a bronze-tier beast companion could possess such staggering potential. "If nothing goes wrong, your school should have already received this report. It might not be long before they call you."
The moment he finished speaking, Li Miao's phone rang.
Looking down, she saw an unfamiliar landline number.
"See, this must be—"
Before he could finish, he watched as Li Miao outright hung up.
Chen Bin: "…Nice."
Li Miao looked up, confused. "What?"
"I said, your school would call you," Chen Bin replied. "That call you just hung up was probably them."
Now it was Li Miao's turn to fall silent.
Because…
"I thought it was a scam call."
She offered an awkward laugh. "The caller ID was marked as a known scammer—haha…"
Chen Bin: "…"
Just how much resentment did she harbor against her school to label them like that?
This generation of students, honestly… well played.
Fortunately, the call came through again. Once Li Miao answered, she realized it was her homeroom teacher.
She still remembered her high school homeroom teacher from the parallel world.
Rumored to be wealthy, that teacher never wore the same outfit twice to class, often sporting designer brands—not to mention being beautiful enough to be the unattainable crush of many male teachers. But—
She was also brutally strict about academics, to the point of micromanaging. Of the two weekly P.E. classes and one art class, nine times out of ten, she'd hijack them all, staring expressionlessly as the students continued their studies.
So, she'd been nicknamed "Elder Nun" by her students.
Clearly, in this world of beast companions, she remained just as relentless—especially now that she'd seen Li Miao's test results.
"You hung up on me?"
Li Miao's spine went cold. "N-no! I didn't—I didn't mean to, teacher, I thought it was a scam—ahem! I just accidentally pressed the wrong button. Really."
Elder Nun, the unattainable rose in the eyes of male teachers, Jia Yunwan, did not look convinced.
But her call wasn't about being hung up on. It was about the beast companion test.
"I just saw your test results."
Jia Yunwan's voice was flat. "Ten stars. Do you have any idea what that means?"
"Potential?"
Li Miao hesitated. "It means my beast companion might reach saint-tier?"
"No."
Jia Yunwan was merciless. "It means you'll become the center of attention."
"If nothing goes wrong, this report has already leaked. It's not just the school—every major organization outside has likely seen it too."
"Nearly everyone will know your beast companion has the potential to evolve into a saint-tier."
"At that point, both the good and the bad will come for you. Even the school might not be able to protect you."
Li Miao's heart turned to ice. "Teacher… does that mean I'm already on cult watchlists?"
Being on a cult's radar was never good.
Best-case scenario, it was a "gentle" cult—just brainwashing, recruiting, chipping away at you until you became their puppet.
Worst-case? A violent cult—hunting you down, assassinating you, all the way to your death.
"Relax."
Jia Yunwan's calm tone gave Li Miao some reassurance. Though her voice was as emotionless as ever, Li Miao caught a hint of concern.
"As long as you're my student, I'll protect you."
"Even though I intercepted the submitted test report, the one still in the training base—you'd better find a way to destroy it."
Li Miao instinctively looked at Chen Bin.
Chen Bin had clearly heard and nodded.
"Don't worry. I'll take care of it."
"What about… him?"
Li Miao subtly gestured at Chen Yucheng.
"I'll handle him," Chen Bin promised. "We've known each other for years. It'll be fine."
Reassured, Li Miao let out a slow breath.
Meanwhile, Jia Yunwan wasn't done.
"I'll be coming to the training base in a couple of days. I'll take you and your beast companion for an awakening then."
Li Miao blinked.
"But… doesn't the base already have a beast core?"
Jia Yunwan scoffed. "That measly thing? It's only at elite-tier potency. No, wait for me. I'll find you a saint-tier beast core—you'll absorb much more energy that way."
"Uh…"
Li Miao could only throw a helpless look at Chen Bin.
"Pass the phone to your instructor. I'll talk to him."
Jia Yunwan added, "Don't worry. It won't take long—half a month at most. Quick."
Li Miao wordlessly handed the phone over.
Half a month is quick to you?!
Where exactly was Jia Yunwan planning to take her?
She had no idea. So she waited quietly while Chen Bin finished the call, after which the trio destroyed the original test data. Using Chen Yucheng's clearance, they manually edited it to a far less conspicuous five stars, with base stats reduced by 30 to 50 points.
Once that was settled, Li Miao turned to Chen Bin.
"Instructor, do I still need to take Er'ha for awakening?"
"Not anymore. Wait for your homeroom teacher."
Chen Bin gave a lazy shrug. "That woman's no joke—if she says she'll get you a saint-tier core, she'll make it happen. Tch."
"Also, take two days off. Use this to pick up some resources from the commissary—my personal tab."
He handed Li Miao a card. "Don't refuse. Think of it as an early investment. If you make it big later, you can pay me back then."
Li Miao silently pocketed the card.
"I wasn't planning on paying you back."
Chen Bin: "…"
Honestly.
You and that sarcastic, judgmental beast companion of yours are perfect for each other.
Even knowing she was joking, he still felt his temper flare.
"Look at that greedy face."
"Heh, sorry not sorry, instructor! Greed is my pride! Go ahead, try to beat me up~ Pbbt!"
Li Miao planted her hands on her hips. "I'm a future saint-tier beastmaster now!"
"You're getting ahead of yourself."
Chen Bin rolled his eyes before turning his attention to Er'ha.
Maybe… she really could become a saint-tier beastmaster.
His mind flashed back to Er'ha when they'd first arrived at the base, compared to now—the beast was easily three times its original size.
If he had to guess, that ten-star rating wasn't meant for the beast companion.
It was for Li Miao.
After all, not every beastmaster could boost their companion's base stats so dramatically in such a short time.
It had to be related to her innate talent.
Chen Bin had to admit—he was a little jealous.
Because his talent was just understanding all canine-type beast companions.
That was it.