NOVPUBChapter 161: Chapter 160 “S+ Pet Beast Ton” Title
“Brother Shao! Brother Shao!”
Li Yiming waved the certification in his hand, running towards the waiting area, his face red either from running too fast or from being overly excited.
“Is the result out? Did you sign thentract?” Shao Zifeng casually placed the Ice Dragon orb into his down jacket’s pocket, hiding his slightly shivering right hand behind him, his face wearing a gentle smile.
He didn’t ask about the result because, based on his star rating assessment andmparison with the appraisal institutions, he was very clear about what rating the appraisal office would give.
“A+, this Chinese Brocade Lobster is actually A+ rated, I…” Li Yiming exclaimed with joy, his nostrils flaring rapidly as he breathed heavily, his facevered in glistening sweat beads.
“Slow down,” Shao Zifeng said, seeing Li Yiming in such a state for the first time; usually, his voice was as soft as a mosquito’s.
Li Yiming leaned on his knees, gasping for breath deeply.
Shao Zifeng pursed his lips, thinking the young man’s physical stamina was terribly poor – after he gets married, with that weak body…
Hiss.
The thought was too beautiful, he dare not dwell on it.
Though his mind buzzed with lewd thoughts, on the surface, Shao Zifeng still looked like the friendly boy next door.
After taking a few deep breaths to calm his excitement, Li Yiming handed the appraisal certificate to Shao Zifeng, “Brother Shao, you shouldntract it.”
“You didn’tntract it?” Shao Zifeng was startled and asked with a serious face.
“I…” Li Yiming opened his mouth, truthfully feeling tempted by the appraisal result, nearly rushing to apply for the Contract Room.
As a Combat Training Master, he clearly understood what the various ratings provided by the appraisal office meant; who wouldn’t want to own a high-rated mutant creature as a pet. However, he knew what an A+ rated mutant creature implied, not merely ast of several hundred thousand, but also a future of achievements.
Yet he didn’t do so. The moment he got the result, he came downstairs to find Shao Zifeng. Li Yiming might be poor, but he knew some opportunities should not be grasped greedily.
“Brother Shao, this Chinese Brocade Lobster is too precious, you are more suitable forntracting it than I am… I might waste its potential,” Li Yiming said, looking into Shao Zifeng’s eyes.
Shao Zifeng didn’t respond immediately but regarded Li Yiming’s eyes earnestly.
Facing his gaze, Li Yiming was calm, his eyes clear, without a trace of evasion.
Suddenly, Shao Zifeng smiled, patted Li Yiming’s shoulder, and whispered into his ear, “My pet’s rating is S+, so you gontract it.”
“S… S+?”
Li Yiming’s eyes widened, muttering to himself.
“Go on,” Shao Zifeng turned Li Yiming around and pushed him lightly on the back.
“Oh,” Li Yiming nodded blankly, slowly making his way to the upstairs appraisal room, still not quite rvered from the shock of the S+ rating.
Actually, it’s no wonder Li Yiming was shocked; this era’s limited appraisal techniquesuldn’t always accurately determine all the pets’ qualities. For instance, a high-qualify petuld face being abandoned or even killed if the appraisal office provided a low ratingnclusion.
If it was luckilyntracted, it generally wouldn’t receive much resource for cultivation, ultimately bming a waste pet.
Like Qiuqiu, for example, a five-star genetic evolution candidate, it started with only two pathetic skills and, due to its species’ timid personality, had no desire formbat whatsoever.
If it hadn’t been for Shao Zifeng, such mutant creatures were seen as the scrap of the fighting stock by the Identification Bureau, belonging to those with no cultivation value.
Inntrast, a situation exists where low-aptitude pet creatures are given high-aptitude assessment certificates.
For example, a two-star aptitude mutant creature, because of its initial four skills, shows strongmbat desire in the assessment and can exert its strengths well, resulting in the bureau possibly rating it from A+ to S-.
Thensequence of such assessments is that Combat Training Masters spend massive resources to build up, and even when the pet creature has exhausted its potential and reached only the fourth rank, it might at most be stronger than other fourth rank pet creatures, yet it still cannot defeat higher aptitude fifth-rank mutant creatures.
The scarcity of high-aptitude pet creatures, limitations on the numbers of mutant creature populations, national protection of precious groups, and uncertainties in assessment oumes, all these factors make the Combat Training Masters form a pyramid-like hierarchy.
A large number of lower-rank Combat Training Masters choose tontract moremmon ordinary mutant creatures, but limited by aptitude, might never enter the ranks of the strong in their lifetime. Ofurse, there are also a few lucky ones whose ordinary pet creatures have decent aptitudes and who do not die young, eventually achieving notable success.
Such individuals are in the minority, and as one’s strength increases, the number of higher-rank Combat Training Masters dwindles.
Exactly for this reason, in many people’s eyes, an A-rated mutant creature is akin to a stepping stone opening the door to greater achievements for a Combat Training Master.
Even if one cannot go further, cultivating up to the sixth rank can bensidered a regional powerhouse.
Even General Li Tianwen, who has recently gained significant renown, his Golden Pond Dragon Fish is only at the eighth rank. Ofurse, another factorntributing to its fame is the renown from its pet creature’s ancestral evolution.
Truly, eighth-rank pet creatures are not that rare, it is just that they are scarce relative to the large population base of the Great Xia.
…
Li Yiming, carrying a packed breakfast, followed Shao Zifeng out of the main doors of the Identification Bureau.
Feeling theldness emanating from the Chinese Brocade Lobster perched on his shoulder, he still had a surreal feeling as if in a dream.
“Okay, let’s stop here for today. We’ll meet tomorrow at Qiang’s place,” Shao Zifeng turned to look at Li Yiming, poking the lobster on his shoulder with his finger.
The dispirited Chinese Brocade Lobster was startled and fell off Li Yiming’s shoulder, fortunately landing in the bag of breakfast he was carrying.
Upon hearing Shao Zifeng’s voice, Li Yiming was still somewhat dazed.
He looked up blankly at Shao Zifeng, who had a neat and clean textured split hairdo, was dressed in a light khakilored short down jacket, a black turtleneck sweater, light blue slim jeans, and leather white sneakers.
Combined with Shao Zifeng’s handsome features and tall figure, as well as his cultivated warm man persona, even ordinary handsome men would feel inferior beside him.
But what Li Yiming saw was not just these appearances.
In his eyes, Shao Zifeng stood tall and radiant, as if he always appeared with a background of night skies and seas of fire, and due to the backlighting, his face was unclear. At that moment, an extra shining “S+ Pet Beast Expert” title appeared above his head, increasing his admiration so much that he almost gawked.
Yes, regarding Shao Zifeng claiming he owned an S+ rated pet creature, Li Yiming chose to believe it unditionally without a single doubt in his heart.
“Yiming.”
Shao Zifeng noticed Li Yiming staring blankly at him and waved his hand in front of his eyes.
“Ah.” Li Yiming came back to reality; a flush appeared on his handsome face, and he quickly turned his head away.
Shao Zifeng was unaware that Li Yiming had enhanced him withuntless special effects in his mind.
Seeing his reaction, he felt a bout of speechlessness, wondering why he was blushing again.
