Upon hearing this, Zhou Ran couldn't help but ask, "Do all the students here return to the treasure hunting team or the military after graduation?"
Zhang Tiantian quickly shook his head and said, "It's not that easy. To join the military, you either have to stand out at the academy and get a recommendation letter, or you have to apply to the Beast Military Academy. Otherwise, it's almost impossible to get in."
"The so-called Beast Military Academy is an academy specifically established to cultivate talent for the military. Graduates from there can almost all join the military. However, even if you get in, if your abilities are average, you'll only end up in the city guard unit. Some unlucky ones might be assigned to the outer city. But once you get the chance to join the Special Forces, that's when things get interesting."
"Special Forces? What's that?" Zhou Ran asked.
"That's where the military elite gather. The threshold is extremely high. Either you've achieved great merits or you've been recognized by a military bigwig; otherwise, it's nearly impossible to get in," Zhang Tiantian explained.
Zhou Ran was startled and immediately thought of the Taiheng Medal in his pocket. So that's what he meant. No wonder those people were staring at me like wolves...
"What about the treasure hunting team? It shouldn't be that complicated, right?" Zhou Ran continued to ask.
"Not at all. Did you see those people sitting in the front row? They are the most outstanding treasure hunting teams in the inner city. Unless they recommend you, it's very difficult to get in, and there's a high chance you'll be assigned to an outer city treasure hunting team. In short, if you didn't perform well in this year's grade assessment, it's very difficult to have a bright future." Zhang Tiantian shook his head helplessly, glancing enviously at Feng Ruotong.
Zhou Ran was surprised. He hadn't expected the competition within this so-called strongest beast academy to be so fierce. He couldn't help but recall the invitation from those two elders...
"Isn't that Feng Ruotong?" A magnetic male voice came from behind. Feng Ruotong turned to look and saw four or five people approaching. Leading the group was a man with a black crew cut, deep-set eyes, and an earring in his left ear. The others followed obediently behind him, like bodyguards.
"Sheng Ning?" Feng Ruotong exclaimed in surprise upon seeing him. "Why are you here? Isn't your class on the other side?"
Feng Ruotong was quite nervous, as this man was her upcoming opponent. He was extremely popular in the academy, serving as the class monitor of Class 2, Grade 3. At the age of 19, he had already become a Four-Star Beast Tamer, making him exceptionally powerful among his peers. Combined with his wealthy family background and striking good looks, he had naturally become the object of admiration for many female students in the academy.
Facing such an opponent, Feng Ruotong knew she didn't stand much of a chance, but she couldn't give up either. After all, this was about her future, so she had to give it her all. She couldn't help but glance at Zhou Ran.
"Haha, I just came here to find you."
"Your Snow Woman Beast isn't an ordinary one, is it? I specifically reviewed your match records from the past few days, and if I'm not mistaken, it should be an Ice Heaven Snow Woman Beast." Sheng Ning smiled.
Feng Ruotong was taken aback. After learning from Zhou Ran that the Snow Woman Beast had evolved, she had immediately informed her teacher and deliberately concealed the true form of the Snow Woman Beast. How had he figured it out so quickly?
Zhou Ran, standing nearby, was also slightly startled. This kid seemed to have a keen eye, and his attire suggested he was quite wealthy. Not bad—I should find an opportunity to have a proper chat with him. Ha ha.
"You've figured it out. What's the matter? Are you targeting me?" Feng Ruotong replied.
"No, no, I just want to know who could have cultivated an ordinary Snow Woman Beast into an Ice Heaven Snow Woman Beast. Don't tell me you did it yourself; I don't believe you." Sheng Ning smiled broadly. He had already investigated this girl who had suddenly risen to prominence recently and discovered that she had been frequently visiting the outer city. This piqued Sheng Ning's curiosity. Could there be some kind of master in the outer city?
"None of your business. Our Ruotong's Snow Woman Beast is naturally that powerful. Don't lose too badly later." Feng Ruotong was about to speak when Zhang Tiantian interrupted her, responding without mercy.
"Hahaha, Sheng Ning was just curious and came to ask. What are you so proud of? You're going to lose anyway."
"Exactly. Have you heard of Sheng Ge's Golden Silk Dragon Python? It's an eighth-tier bloodline beast, and it's already reached the upper fifth tier. That's not something your half-baked Ice Heaven Snow Woman Beast can compare to."
"That's a dragon-blooded beast. Don't get scared later, hahaha." Sheng Ning's henchman immediately retorted.
"Upper fifth-tier!" Feng Ruotong looked stunned. Her Ice Heaven Snow Woman Beast was only upper fourth-tier, and the other party was already far ahead of her. Plus, the other party was a four-star beast tamer. Suddenly, she felt utterly hopeless. This was almost an impossible battle to win.
"A beast with a small amount of diluted dragon bloodline is that powerful? I don't think so." " Zhou Ran spoke up at this moment, "Even if it were a true dragon, it wouldn't necessarily lose."
Feng Ruotong's dim eyes suddenly lit up as she asked, "Really?"
After all, her strongest beast was one that Zhou Ran had personally bred, so she placed great trust in his words.
"Who are you?" Sheng Ning suddenly looked at Zhou Ran with astonishment. This person looked completely unfamiliar—was he not from the academy?
"He's the owner of a super-powerful breeding shop with unimaginable strength. You wanted to know who bred the Snow Woman Beast, right? It was him." Zhang Tiantian hurriedly said, raising his eyebrows at Zhou Ran as if to say, "How about that? Did I pull that off nicely?"
Zhou Ran nodded in satisfaction. Well done.
"The owner? The one who bred the Ice Snow Woman Beast?" Sheng Ning looked utterly stunned, unable to believe that this man, who seemed to be around his age, was the owner of a breeding shop—and the one who had bred the Ice Snow Woman Beast. Was he hearing correctly?
"Feng, is this really true?" Sheng Ning asked in astonishment.
After hearing Zhou Ran's words, Feng Ruotong felt her confidence grow. She smiled and nodded at Sheng Ning, saying, "This is Mr. Lin. He's the one who bred my beast for me."
"..."
Sheng Ning was stunned. If Zhang Tiantian had been lying to her, that would have been one thing, but Feng Ruotong had no reason to lie. They were already in the semifinals, and her future was at stake. Who would lie and ruin their own reputation? After all, everyone believed that the Snow Woman Beast was her creation.
In an instant, countless possibilities flashed through Sheng Ning's mind, but she still smiled at Zhou Ran and said, "Mr. Lin is truly talented. How did you manage to breed such a powerful Snow Woman Beast? Where did you learn this skill? Does your shop have any master breeders?"
Zhou Ran replied casually, "There's no master. I'm the only one in the shop."
Sheng Ning didn't find this surprising, as there are indeed reclusive masters who prefer to remain anonymous. She was sure her disciple would keep the secret.
He quickly smiled and said, "Since Mr. Lin doesn't want to say more, that's fine. Do you know where the shop is? I hope to have the opportunity for Mr. Lin to help me cultivate my golden silk python. Of course, I'm willing to pay any amount. Or if Mr. Lin thinks money is trivial, my family has some influence in the inner city. Whatever Mr. Lin wants, I will do my best to obtain it."