Beast Taming Begins with the Inner Circle of Pets

Chapter 16: Improving Strength Begins with Inner-Grain Spirit Pets

When only Lin's mother and Aunt Xu Yuemei remained in the ward, Xu Yuemei tapped Lin Manman's forehead and scolded, "Oh, so you didn't even share this joyous occasion of awakening your profession and forming a contract with a spirit beast with your aunt?"

"Hehe, I've just been so busy these past few days, haven't I?" Lin Manman smiled shyly when she was called upon.

"Stop pretending. Hmph, if I ever find out you have something good going on without telling me again, I'll make you come with me on a date."

Lin Manman strongly disliked Xu Yuemei for being love-struck, easily infatuated, and with a short lifespan in relationships. She had broken up with every boyfriend she'd met with her aunt on several occasions, and she was terrified of running into her aunt's ex-boyfriend on the street.

"Aside from my advancement to level two, there's nothing else I haven't mentioned." Lin Manman touched her nose, deciding to confess as soon as possible.

"What did you say??" Lin's mother and Xu Yuemei exclaimed at the same time.

"Here's what happened..." Lin Manman had no choice but to recount the entire story of how she had helped two homeless and pitiful spirit beasts last night.

"Because of the honey badger's support, I have met the requirements for advancing to the second-level beast tamer."

The honey badger nodded, understanding now. It had been unconscious yesterday, so it only just learned what had happened the previous night. Just as it was marveling at how kind its owner was, it was slapped on the back of the head.

"You didn't react at all when you saw your master being bullied, did you? You and your eldest son should learn from Hongyu. If your master were injured, no one would buy you good food or take you in."

"Huh?" The honey badger scratched the back of its head, feeling aggrieved. How could it possibly let that ordinary person touch its master? It was just that Rainbow Jade was faster than it. Looking up at its wise-looking eldest son, it really wanted to give him a good slap too, but remembering that he had only hatched today, it held back.

Lin's mother and Xu Yuemei found it very amusing to watch her interact with her spirit pet. "So when are you going to participate in the advanced awakening?"

"The day after tomorrow, it happens to be the same day as our school, and our homeroom teacher even waived my travel expenses."

Xu Yuemei gave a thumbs up; she could already picture the expressions on the faces of her teachers and classmates.

Lin's mother was very supportive, feeling more at ease knowing her daughter was traveling with the school's motorcade.

The next morning, although she didn't have to work at the spirit beast shop, Lin Manman still got up very early. After a quick breakfast with her mother, she took her three spirit pets to the training hall, buying them some food along the way.

"Since we'll all be family from now on, we'll definitely share the good times and the bad, and we'll work together to achieve our goals, right?" Before training the three spirit pets, Lin Manman decided to hold a pep talk for them.

"Mom will be taking you to the Level 2 competition of the Junior Professional Tournament in a month. But so far only Honey Badger has reached Level 2. Rainbow Jade and Adai, your strength is a bit weak. Of course, with Rainbow Jade's talent of being able to grasp skills on the very first day of her life, Mom believes that you can both reach Level 2 within a month. Mom has prepared delicious food, and there will be a reward for whoever makes progress first." The Scroll King, who was killed by the Scroll in her previous life, is adept at creating anxiety. Of course, she also provides trust and encouragement, making a big promise to motivate everyone.

Sure enough, the honey badger, who considered himself the strongest, stood ramrod straight, having already accepted his position as the head of the family. Rainbow Jade's pink eyes sparkled with pride at the praise, looking eager to try. Only Ah-Dai remained, his sharp gaze sweeping over this and that, finally settling into a daze with his imposing, handsome bird head.

Oh no, a troublemaker is about to appear. Lin Manman, who had silently added Ah Dai to her watchlist, narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Honey Badger, you are the strongest and oldest, so you are undoubtedly the eldest brother. The responsibility of protecting Mom and your younger siblings is now in your hands. Today, you will practice the Earth Shield skill first, and when you get tired of it, use the Claw skill to break it."

The honey badger nodded, his round, dark eyes showing seriousness. So engrossed in raising his son that he hadn't even noticed his eldest son becoming his younger brother, his seniority being lowered.

"Hongyu, my sweetheart, I was so scared when we encountered that invisible person last time. What if we encounter someone who knows this move during the competition? It would be so dangerous for me. Why don't you practice your talent today and see if you can seal off the surrounding space?"

Rainbow Jade nodded its little head vigorously, its pink eyes almost burning with tiny flames. Its master trusted it so much; it had to work hard to become stronger!

Watching Honey Badger and Rainbow Jade each take a corner and begin training, Lin Manman held Ah-Dai in front of her palm, intending to give it a serious pep talk. "Ah-Dai, you have the best aptitude among your brothers and sisters. You're the only one at the mid-level Gold rank; Rainbow Jade and Honey Badger are only at the Silver rank. But if you don't work hard, your brothers and sisters will surpass you sooner or later. Then people will see you and say that you're clearly a level higher in aptitude than your brothers and sisters, but your strength is inferior. Wouldn't that be incredibly embarrassing?"

Ah-Dai blinked his sharp eyes, and a hint of wisdom finally appeared in his gaze.

By skillfully using comparisons to create a competitive environment and diligently instilling the idea that "if you don't advance, you fall behind," Lin Manman easily controls her three spirit pets.

Lin Manman thus navigated between the three spirit pets, feeding and watering them, showering them with compliments, and occasionally offering a few words of encouragement. It wasn't until she received a message from Qiu Xiangjing in the afternoon that Lin Manman, who had originally planned to train them until closing time, finally called it a day.

Qiu Xiangjing transferred 5.3 million Chinese yuan to her, indicating that the two spirit beasts had been successfully sold. The message also arranged a time that evening, saying he would take her somewhere.

Lin Manman took the exhausted Honey Badger and Ah Dai back to the hospital first, and then took Hong Yu to meet Qiu Xiangjing alone. Lin's mother knew that Qiu Xiangjing was taking her, so she did not stop them.

Hongyu, clinging to Lin Manman, was also exhausted and nestled against her neck to sleep, using her mimicry skill. Fortunately, the day's hard training had paid off; Hongyu's spatial teleportation skill range had increased to 15 meters, and while the Honey Badger's earth shield hadn't increased in range, its casting speed had improved.

But the one who truly improved the most was Ah Dai. It has to be said that his high aptitude really made him learn very quickly. His Storm Manipulation talent improved from only being able to create a three-meter wind vortex to being able to create a ten-meter wind vortex, and the control time also increased from a few minutes to half an hour. He also learned to combine the Wind Blade skill with his talent to create a new skill, Wind Blade Storm.

Upon arriving at the agreed-upon location, Qiu Xiangjing, dressed entirely in black and wearing a very thick black mask, handed Lin Manman a handbag, telling her to find a restroom to change. Lin Manman opened the handbag and saw a black short-sleeved shirt, black trousers, a black mask, and a black baseball cap inside.

Despite her confusion, Lin Manman changed her clothes as Qiu Xiangjing asked, and was then pulled by Qiu Xiangjing onto a very old and worn-out land vehicle.

About an hour later, they arrived at an old and dilapidated area. Qiu Xiangjing parked the land vehicle in a dark alley without streetlights and got out with Lin Manman.

At this point, Qiu Xiangjing introduced to Lin Manman, "This is the main trading area of ​​the Liushui area. It also has another name, which is what many people call the black market."

(End of this chapter)