The school had specialized equipment to measure the energy levels of beasts. Chen Xing had taken his beast for a private check two days ago, and the results were disappointing—his little Saltwater Crocodile was only at energy level 1, a complete newbie in the beast world, barely above the newborn level of 0.
The methods to quickly boost energy levels were all laid out in textbooks and taught as early as middle school. Feeding beasts energy-rich, easily absorbable substances could accelerate their growth, and nutrient solutions were undoubtedly the most cost-effective option. However, even the cheapest generic nutrient solutions cost money - 1,000 yuan per bottle.
In the classroom, the most common topics of conversation were the upcoming monthly exam and tips for raising Saltwater Crocodiles. Over the past few days, Chen Xing's social media feeds had been flooded with posts about beasts. Cute photos of beast cubs dominated his friends' timelines.
But this trend wouldn't last long. In a few months, the number of such photos would drop sharply. After all, cubs of any species were adorable, but many of them didn't look so cute once they grew up.
After finishing his classes for the day, Chen Xing headed home early. His sister hadn't returned yet—field training usually lasted three to four days.
He retrieved the black box from his bedroom and opened it to reveal the custom nutrient solution for saltwater crocodiles. As soon as he unscrewed the cap, Taotie, his little crocodile, caught the scent and crawled over eagerly.
"Ao ao!" It stared at him with big, pleading eyes.
"Open your mouth," Chen Xing said, prying Taotie's jaws open with his fingers and pouring the entire solution inside.
"Fed a beast. Intimacy level above 90. Obtained Skill Point Fragments *2."
Chen Xing's hand trembled, nearly spilling the last drops of the solution. His eyes lit up as he noticed two key points: Taotie's intimacy level had increased, and higher intimacy levels yielded more Skill Point Fragments.
The rapid rise in Taotie's intimacy wasn't entirely surprising. When the school had distributed the eggs, they were nearly ready to hatch, and students were given two days off to incubate them at home. The crocodile that hatched wouldn't see its owner as a parent, but it would undoubtedly form a strong bond with the first living being it saw. Combined with the constant companionship over the past two weeks, it made sense that the intimacy level had soared above 90.
If feeding now yielded more Skill Point Fragments, perhaps training would as well?
But Chen Xing soon realized that Taotie, in its current state, wasn't fit for training. After drinking the solution, Taotie acted like it had downed a bottle of cheap liquor, spinning in circles and chasing its own tail. Frustrated, it suddenly leapt into the air, snapping at nothing.
This was the first time Chen Xing had seen a crocodile jump! Its short legs propelled it forward, and it managed to hop a whole ten centimetres.
Chen Xing touched Taotie, feeling its body heat up significantly—almost ten degrees warmer than usual.
That evening, after dinner, Liu Yuzhen was cleaning up in the kitchen when a sudden back pain caused her to drop a bowl. Hearing the shattering sound, Chen Xing rushed out of his room to find his mother hunched over, sweeping up the pieces.
"Mom, go rest. I'll handle the dishes," he said.
"Don't bother. Go study," she replied.
Noticing how thin and worn out his mother looked from overwork, Chen Xing insisted, "I've finished my homework. Sit down for a bit. Washing dishes won't take long."
After dumping the broken pieces into the trash, Liu Yuzhen watched her son take over the dishes, hesitating to say more as the pain in her back flared up. She sat down at the dining table, sighing softly as she watched Chen Xing's back.
Chen Guohai, sitting on the sofa, put down his newspaper and said to his wife, "I'll cook dinner tomorrow."
"The doctor said you can't go into the kitchen. You will faint if you overexert yourself. Don't make things harder," Liu Yuzhen firmly rejected.
Chen Guohai fell silent, picking up the newspaper again, even though he had already read it seven times that day.
After finishing the dishes, Chen Xing swept the floor before returning to his room. Seeing Taotie still dazed on the table, he realized training was out of the question for the day.
At 11:30 PM, Chen Xing woke up to his alarm, shook Taotie awake, and conducted a ten-minute training session. After earning two more Skill Point Fragments, he finally felt satisfied and went back to bed. He now had seven fragments.
Taotie, tucked back under the blanket, stared at the ceiling, utterly confused. Who am I? Where am I? Wasn't I just sleeping?
Outside the window, the silvery moonlight spilt onto the bed. After a moment of staring blankly, Taotie closed its eyes and drifted back to sleep.
The night passed without dreams.
The next day, Chen Xing arrived at school. There were thirteen days left until the first monthly exam.
He took Taotie out of his pocket. Compared to yesterday, Taotie seemed a bit bigger, and Chen Xing could feel the added weight in his hands.
He pulled out a soft measuring tape from his drawer and measured Taotie from tail to snout: 41.2 cm!
Just yesterday, it had been 35.7 cm. Overnight, it had grown 5.5 cm—over half a decimeter. It wasn't his imagination. The solution his sister had given him was incredibly potent. But the more he thought about it, the more he realized how extraordinary that solution must have been. Even Wang Qiming's beast, which had been given custom solutions, hadn't shown such dramatic growth.
In the past few days, Taotie had only grown about 2 cm per day on average. If it could drink that solution every day, it would grow nearly a meter more in a month than a beast without it. But such a solution had to cost at least several thousand yuan per bottle. A month's supply would run into six figures, and a year's worth would easily surpass a million.
Chen Xing suddenly understood the stark difference between spending money and not spending money.
This disparity was already becoming apparent in class. Some of the wealthier students' beasts were noticeably larger. While everyone had the same type of beast and individual talent could sometimes break the norm, those cases were rare.
No one noticed Taotie's growth. In a class full of Saltwater Crocodiles, Taotie's size was still below average, so it didn't draw any attention.
After another day of classes, Chen Xing returned home and fed Taotie, earning two more Skill Point Fragments. With 11 fragments now, the "+" symbol representing Skill Points finally lit up.
Chen Xing focused his thoughts on the "+" symbol, and in an instant, ten fragments disappeared, turning into a single Skill Point.
He now had three career paths to choose from: Beast Trainer, Beast Caretaker, and Beast Nutritionist. It had taken him three days to gather enough fragments for one Skill Point, so the initial choice of profession was crucial.
If this had been a few days ago, Chen Xing might have hesitated. But after seeing the dramatic effects of the nutrient solution on Taotie, he had a newfound appreciation for the importance of nutrition.
Without hesitation, Chen Xing selected the Beast Nutritionist path.
The first skill under Beast Nutritionist - Health Inspection - was now activated!