"Yes." Lin Su suddenly thought of something, his eyes lit up, "The research institute should be able to test it, right?"
"They can, but it's not necessary," Qin Nan spread his hands, "In fact, you have already been tested once; you just didn't know it."
Lin Su: "???"
Tested once?
"Before the initial companion beast allocation, there was a routine physical exam. You remember that, right?"
A thought crossed Lin Su's mind; he certainly remembered.
That physical exam included a special test that required each student to lie inside a machine for two minutes. At the time, the other students were guessing what it was testing.
Could it be...
"It seems you've already recalled," Qin Nan smiled, "That was the device for testing the Ghost Energy Synchronization Rate. The results, for some reason, are not disclosed and are used as a hidden criterion by the Beast Tamer University for admitting students."
Lin Su was astonished, "Since it's a hidden criterion, is it really okay for you to tell me this?"
"It's fine; it's not that secretive," Qin Nan said nonchalantly, waving his hand. "I can access your Ghost Energy Synchronization Rate with my privileges. Want to know it?"
Lin Su: "...How much?"
"Peel me two oranges first."
"Alright."
After Lin Su peeled the oranges and handed them to him, Qin Nan smiled contentedly, "Your Ghost Energy Synchronization Rate is 69%, just a bit shy of 70%. It's a pity."
69%?
Lin Su fell silent.
Qin Nan had previously mentioned her Ghost Energy Synchronization Rate was 82%, so 69% clearly didn't seem very high.
But it wasn't necessarily so.
Lin Su's heart stirred slightly.
The physical exam was before he had traveled through time, and since then, his Beast Taming Space had merged with the divine martial Lin Su's Beast Taming Space.
Although Qin Nan said the Ghost Energy Synchronization Rate wouldn't change, his exceptional circumstances were hard to predict.
In the future, he could secretly test it again.
Perhaps, it was no longer 69%?
Keeping this thought to himself, Lin Su's expression gradually calmed down, "What about the third point?"
"The third point is the Guardian Beast Co-operation Index," Qin Nan said as he tossed another orange segment into his mouth, chewing a few times before continuing leisurely, "It represents the level of understanding between you and one of your companion beasts."
"Beast Taming involves the Beast Tamer fighting alongside the companion beast. In the Cooperative Body, the leading consciousness is the Beast Tamer's, but the energy source is the companion beast. The Ghost Energy Synchronization Rate can determine the strength of the energy possessed by the Cooperative Body, but having energy without being able to utilize it is meaningless; similarly, a sword given to an ordinary person and a sword master will wield completely different combat power."
"The Guardian Beast Co-operation Index arises from this and ranges from 1 to 100. The higher the Guardian Beast Co-operation Index, the greater the combat power that can be exerted from the same energy value," Qin Nan glanced at Lin Su, "compared to the Ghost Energy Synchronization Rate, the Guardian Beast Co-operation Index has three differences."
"First, it can change. As your relationship with your companion beast grows more harmonious and your coordination improves, the Guardian Beast Co-operation Index will also gradually increase."
"Second, each companion beast has a different Guardian Beast Co-operation Index. When you get a second companion beast in the future, the indices of the two companion beasts won't be connected."
"Third, and most importantly," Qin Nan's tone became more serious, "a high or low Ghost Energy Synchronization Rate only affects the level of energy in the Cooperative Body, not the beast taming combat process. But if the Guardian Beast Co-operation Index is below 30, the Cooperative Body will collapse due to unstable energy."
"This is also why, after Beast Taming combat was introduced, all Beast Tamer theories included courses on cultivating a bond with the companion beast."
There was such an indicator?
Only then did Lin Su understand why teachers had emphasized seemingly unimportant issues like the nature of the companion beasts.
If the Beast Tamer's and the companion beast's temperaments were incompatible and their coordination was poor, they might not even be able to engage in beast taming combat.
Luckily, he and Qiuqiu got along very well and their personalities matched, so this was probably not something he needed to worry too much about.
"In Beast Taming combat, that's all the information you can know for now. Only by entering Beast Tamer University will you have the chance to learn more," Qin Nan said as he tossed another orange segment into his mouth, "Besides, knowing it now is useless as the minimum threshold for joining beast taming combat is elite-level Beast Tamers. You kid should just focus on getting stronger."
"Yes!" Lin Su nodded emphatically.
Elite-level Beast Tamer, huh...
His Beast Taming Space had already reached the second level; he only needed Qiuqiu to reach the elite level, and he would naturally become an elite-level Beast Tamer.
However, Lin Su planned to let Qiuqiu accumulate more time at the juvenile stage, ideally evolving to the elite level with racial rank-driven growth, which would be very beneficial for its future development.
Finally understanding what Beast Taming combat was all about, Lin Su soon recalled he had other questions. After pondering for a moment, he looked up at Qin Nan, "Who were the people who attacked us today? The beasts they contracted seem to fall within the Alien Beast Ban. How did they manage that? And..."
"Why, like you, are they also hall-level Beast Tamers but using different combat tactics, and why did they react so strangely upon seeing you?"
"You sure have a lot of questions," Qin Nan laughed, "The oranges are all eaten, help me peel some more. You peel, I'll talk."
"No problem." Lin Su reached for the oranges on the table and began peeling them for Qin Nan.