Last weekend, Chen Xing didn't have to attend classes, but he could still go to school and get a free lunch for his Beast Taming creature at noon.
The school cafeteria didn't close even on weekends, and all students on campus could bring their Beast Taming creatures for a free lunch every day.
Taotie had now reached a length of 52.8 centimeters, having grown 5.6 centimeters since the previous day's 47.2 centimeters. After taking the potion, its growth rate was as much as two days' worth in a single day.
It had now become a standard half-meter class contestant, with its nearly ten-centimeter-long head and its mouth full of sharp little white teeth that were quite lethal. The teeth near the back could already easily bite through a chopstick.
But this size brought its troubles; compared to a few days ago, sticking Taotie into a pocket was becoming a difficult task.
Its legs were short, and short legs meant slow walking, so taking it on a leash to school wouldn't work; Chen Xing had to carry it to and from school every day.
It was manageable now, but in a few months, Chen Xing probably wouldn't be able to carry it anymore. However, he might be able to ride the Salty Bay Crocodile to school.
"Hey, your crocodile seems to be growing pretty fast," Zou Minghan said as he also cradled a crocodile. He was surprised to see that the crocodile in Chen Xing's arms appeared to be a whole size larger than his own.
His deskmate's Beast Taming creature had been about the same size as his own.
But he hadn't paid much attention for a few days, and now at a glance, he saw it had grown a whole size larger than his own.
As all their Beast Taming creatures were of the same species, it was easy to see.
"Did you secretly supplement it too?" Zou Minghan was somewhat shocked. I thought we were all in the same boat, but you actually went and secretly pampered it.
"Kids definitely need to eat more as they grow," Chen Xing didn't deny it.
Wang Qiming, who was nearby, overheard Zou Minghan's words and leaned over to take a look, then silently breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his Beast Taming creature was smaller than his own. He then laughed heartily, "Not bad, your Beast Taming creature looks really lively."
A student who was quite well-informed and liked to play with students from other classes piped up, "I heard that someone in Class 2 has a Beast Taming creature that's reached Energy Level 5 and has started practicing Skills."
Wang Qiming was obviously shocked when he heard this news. His family had spent nearly a hundred thousand on their Beast Taming creature this month, and it was only Energy Level 4. Someone had already reached Energy Level 5? How much did they have to spend to reach that level?
And if they could spend so much, why didn't they go to a private high school instead of attending a public high school and raising a free Beast Taming creature provided by the nation?
Even though the free Beast Taming creatures given out by the country had decent Talents, as the Salty Bay Crocodile could grow up to Energy Level 38 when mature, there were still better options.
But Wang Qiming quickly adjusted his attitude. It wasn't his business if others were wealthy, and envy wasn't useful.
Although he couldn't compare with that kind of freak, when compared to the vast majority of his classmates, his Beast Taming creature was far ahead in progress.
"In a few days, my Beast Taming creature should reach Energy Level 5. Then, we'll see if it can Awaken a better Skill. If it can Awaken a good Skill, it will save a lot of money. If it Awakens a poor Skill, I'll have to find a way to reset it and re-imprint a new Skill," sighed Wang Qiming.
Gao Jianqiang's eyes were filled with envy, "I hear Skills can be really expensive too."
Deng Hongtao chimed in from the side, "Not all of them are expensive. There are cheap Skills, but the cheap ones are generally mediocre."
After Taotie had its lunch, Chen Xing took it to the school's Energy Level testing room. The results showed it was at 2.5 Energy Level. The school's Energy Level testing room could only detect the decimal to one digit. It was said that some professional institutions could even detect to two or even three decimal places.
After returning home, Chen Xing went to the park for Skills training under the supervision of his sister, Chen Lingya.
The empty park was sparsely populated, perhaps because the park authorities knew people often came here for Skill training. Signs were of no use, so they simply left a space near the back by the lake, where only some wild flowers and grass grew freely.
Chen Lingya said, "Just let it release Frost Spikes; I've also been planning to have it practice more recently to increase its Proficiency Level."
Chen Xing immediately commanded Chi Yu, "Chi Yu, release Frost Spike at the open space in front."
Chi Yu glanced at its owner, and seeing Chen Lingya nod, released the Skill towards the open space ahead.
A cluster of icy blue mist rapidly condensed in the air in front of Chi Yu, taking less than half a second to take shape.
A nearly one-meter-long, spear-like crystalline entity hovered in the air, its tip aimed forward, glistening in the sunlight.
After a slight pause, the Frost Spike was propelled at a high speed towards the front as if pushed by an invisible hand.
Thump!
After embedding one-third into the ground, it exploded immediately, scattering countless small ice shards in all directions.
Palm-sized shards of ice were scattered over a five-meter radius.
"This skill is a two-stage damage dealer, with the first stage being insertion and the second stage being a small-scale explosion and spread."
"And it's only a Primary Skill with Proficiency Level up to Expert. Just imagine the power of the other skills."
Chen Lingya explained from the side, "Actually, Chi Yu isn't very adept at casting spells. It's not that kind of spellcasting Beast Tamer. The same skill would be more powerful if used by a spellcasting Beast Tamer."
Since her brother wanted to practice, no matter the motive, the purpose of practicing was to learn something. Otherwise, it would be a waste of time.
Chen Lingya then said to Chi Yu, "The speed at which you release your skills is still a bit slow. It seems you've been a little lazy recently. When we get back, practice the energy loop structure for an extra hour to try to increase the speed of skill convergence to within 0.3 seconds."
"Ao." Chi Yu made a face when he heard this, resembling a large, dejected cat.
Chen Lingya directly ignored Chi Yu's pitiful act and said unsympathetically, "Humph, acting cute won't work on me."
Taotie, standing by the side, watched it all with great interest, especially when Chi Yu released its skill. It seemed to stir the warlike blood within Taotie, whose eyes lit up, and it looked eager to try.
The continuous "Aww aww aww" sounded as if it was saying, "Coach, I want to learn that too."
Chen Xing seemed to feel Taotie's enthusiasm too and crouched down to comfort it, "Don't worry, we'll learn it eventually. Seeing how eager you are, what about practicing for an extra two hours each day?"
Taotie, not grasping the implications, simply nodded excitedly.
Chi Yu looked at Taotie with pity, the naive little creature having no idea what it meant.
After half an hour of training, Chi Yu's energy was nearly depleted, and the training session came to an end.
While training Chi Yu, Chen Lingya also continuously corrected Chen Xing's training techniques.
"Training a Beast Tamer involves more than just making it use skills. While that does increase Proficiency Level, the method is too clumsy and inefficient.
You should observe what else is lacking when it releases skills. For example, if the speed is too slow or the accuracy too low, these need targeted improvement.
Training a Beast Tamer to release skills is also training for yourself. You need to be clear about how much energy the Beast Tamer inside you has, how many times it can use its skills, and you must thoroughly understand every skill's release speed, damage radius, special characteristics, and power."
"In battle, because of environmental factors, their judgment of the situation will certainly not be as detailed as that of an external observer. At such times, you become their second brain, and they become an extension of your body."
"You are human. In battle, you must bring human intelligence, cunning, treachery, and strategizing to their ultimate expression. If it's a battle, you must be willing to use every trick in the book, with victory as the sole objective."
In fact, most of these things his sister was saying could also be found in books, but knowledge gained from books feels shallow.
Many things must be personally experienced to achieve a deeper understanding.
Today, Chen Xing thoroughly indulged in the thrill of commanding a Beast Tamer. It's a pity Taotie is still too small, without any Awakening Skills, and only slightly larger than a roast fish on a dinner table.
It might bully the plants in the park, but right now, it's not even as strong as if he were to punch with his fists.
However, these are necessary experiences. Most novice Beast Tamers have been through this, including Chi Yu, who was once a milky-white kitten with eyes not yet opened. In the blink of an eye, two years have passed, and now it has grown into a big cat that can fit its own head entirely in its mouth.
After collecting today's 6 Skill Point Fragments from Chi Yu and Taotie, Chen Xing now had a total of 21 Skill Point Fragments.
On the way home, Chen Xing mentally activated them.
On the professional tree diagram, the grey skill icon representing "Primary Carnivorous Pet Food Preparation" immediately lit up!
[Primary Carnivorous Pet Food Preparation]You have learned how to make scientifically nutritious pet food that can help your pets grow rapidly and healthily. (Activated)
The same moment, new knowledge about pet food preparation popped into his head.
Stopping in his tracks, Chen Xing carefully distinguished the knowledge and confirmed it seemed to be just the process of making ordinary pet food. There were no magical Spells, no addition of high-tech or toilsome activities, and the raw materials were quite simple, too. Ordinary beast meat would do, only requiring the addition of some carrots, broccoli, seaweed... At least it all sounded scientific, with the sole requirement being that he must personally complete all steps, with no delegation to others.
"Sis, I'm going to the supermarket to buy something."
"What for?"
"Taotie's appetite has grown recently. I'm going to give it some extra meals."
"Don't go feeding it by yourself willy-nilly. It's not a matter of the more you feed, the better. There's a method to it," Chen Lingya cautioned.
"Why are you more naggy than mom? Are you hitting menopause early or what?"
No girl can take "menopause" as a compliment. "Chi Yu, bite him!"