CHAPTER 524: CHAPTER 516: ANYWAY, YOU WON’T DIE FROM THE FALL

Qian Qi wiped his face.

Ah Tu’s gaze, eager for praise, was too intense, so Qian Qi could only reluctantly compliment, "Hmm, you really are a good child who loves the environment."

Ah Tu happily let out an "aooo" sound.

Beside him, Mr. Li and the principal were getting impatient, "Are you planning to upgrade all the students’ Flame Dogs to A-level next?"

They didn’t dare to imagine, if the academy could possess hundreds of A-level Flame Dog Contracted Beasts, what a sensation it would cause.

If every student in the academy had an A-level Contracted Beast...

Qian Qi ruthlessly burst their bubble of delusion, "Just that one fruit alone has an initial market price of thirty million."

Not to mention, transforming all the students’ Flame Dogs into A-levels would require hundreds of Dragon Scales; Epic Level Dragon Scales are one less with each use, and Qian Qi isn’t willing to give them away for free.

Moreover, she currently doesn’t have a suitable project to strike a fair deal with the school and students.

The principal, knowing Qian Qi’s temperament, waved his hand, "No matter, I’ll go to the Seven Great Families for some sponsorship."

Isn’t it just spinning a yarn?

He felt he had mastered the art.

As for evolving all the Flame Dogs to A-level?

The principal didn’t think it was urgent, "To hold a jade ring is to allure its thief; they’re only students, having excessively powerful Contracted Beasts isn’t a good thing."

He sincerely thought of the students’ situation: even if some have contracted B-level Magical Beasts, their own skills were merely at C-level, not a match for those battle-hardened Awakeners outside who’ve been corrupted by society, making them prone to assassination and beast snatching.

Compared to A-level Contracted Beasts, Principal Zheng was more concerned about the survival issues these students would face after graduation.

Qian Qi nodded, agreeing that the principal made a lot of sense. She had the system on her side, so she wasn’t worried, but these students were different, their growth was too one-sided, and their own strength couldn’t keep up. Entering a dog-eat-dog society, simply keeping themselves safe would be lucky enough.

She reluctantly asked the system, "Is there really nothing that can permanently strengthen human Awakened Skills?"

The system replied helplessly: [If there were, I would have given it to you ages ago.]

Aside from spiritual power, human awakening talents become fixed the moment they are activated. To become stronger would require drug enhancements, which only provide temporary effects.

Therefore, if humans in this world want to change the fate of extinction, they can only rely on Guardian Beasts.

The Main God Computer had calculated this long ago.

Once Qian Qi left the school, Principal Zheng immediately contacted the Seven Great Families, demanding thirty billion, claiming to have discovered something that could grant various Magical Beasts Earth Element Skills.

Having just been drained of funds by Qian Qi, the Seven Great Families were stunned: More money?

They felt like their expenses had exceeded the budget this year, but coming from Awakener University, it seemed acceptable. If all the profits went to Qian Qi, that would really give them a heart attack.

After all, it would mean Qian Qi held all the core technology.

And that was the most terrifying aspect.

Not just for the Seven Great Families, but also for Qian Qi.

...

Three days later.

On a dark, windy night, the digging began.

Although there were many Blue Mountain Pythons in A-level dungeons above ground, military forces guarded their dungeon entrances, making raiding those dungeons evidently cumbersome for Qian Qi.

So, the system pointed her to an underground dungeon.

With the White Extreme Rats around, excavating an underground dungeon wasn’t difficult. Qian Qi, carrying an oxygen breathing tank, was surrounded by hundreds of fluffy White Extreme Rats like a tidal wave, driving her towards the dungeon.

The hard soil and rocks turned into fine, soft sand under the onslaught of the White Extreme Rats. The sand couldn’t penetrate the tight formation of the rats’ bodies, instead, it smoothly slipped along the sleek, dense fur, returning to its place as the rats quickly moved on.

Until the White Extreme Rats rushed towards the dungeon entrance lodged within the rock circle.

Upon entering the dungeon, the White Extreme Rats and Qian Qi began to tumble downwards. She flipped over and looked below, discovering numerous giant sinkholes resembling the Moon’s surface. Hidden amongst the holes, Flying Magical Beasts either whizzed by or hovered in the air, watching over this part of the world.

Qian Qi cursed, "System! Why didn’t you say the dungeon entrance was in the sky beforehand!"

The system picked its nose: [You wouldn’t fall to death anyway. Do you still think you’re the same little newbie at D-level?]

Qian Qi thought about it and agreed.

But she quickly realized, "Wait, my White Extreme Rats! They can’t survive a fall!"

The system chuckled: [Don’t underestimate the intelligence of Intelligent Mice.]

Qian Qi turned around to find that the White Extreme Rats, at some point, had extended their claws, grasping each other to form a colossal parachute in mid-air. The dozens of rats at the bottom were adjusting direction slowly, trying to grab onto Qian Qi’s arms and reduce her downward acceleration.

Clearly, the White Extreme Rats had either read relevant literature or watched videos, enabling them to respond agilely to high-altitude dangers.

Qian Qi couldn’t help but marvel, "Seems like their brain capacity is greater than I thought, and their range of interests far broader, even more studious than me."

[It’s not their brain capacity.] The system sighed: [You’ve forgotten? They can establish a Spiritual Sharing Network. Once a White Extreme Rat learns some piece of knowledge, it can share it through the network to be absorbed by other White Extreme Rats. The Spiritual Sharing Network can also issue commands from the network administrator to be received and executed by them.]

The system grumbled: [At least have some care for your Magic Beasts, won’t you?]

Qian Qi couldn’t help but feel embarrassed.

She really had too many Magic Beasts to care for, and just collecting their Evolution Materials and researching Magic Plants kept her very busy. When did she have time to understand the growth levels of all these Magical Beasts?

She tried to justify herself, "Well, I’m just giving them a free-range upbringing, preparing enough Evolution Materials so they start off strong. How they grow from there depends on their own desires."

The system lamented: [And how is this different from having pets???]

Qian Qi was shocked: "Isn’t it just having pets?"

The guard dogs and tabby cats at the orphanage were all free-range, just feed them meals!

The system: [So your reason for wanting to enter the Beast Taming Academy was to have pets?!]

Qian Qi tilted her head: "Not really, it was mainly because they waived tuition fees and offered scholarships, plus there were no employment issues, and having a Contracted Beast is pretty cool~"

[...] So that was the reason?!

It thought she wanted to contract many Magic Beasts for her own protection!

No wonder when the Bone Mother ate the A-level Concentration Fruit, Qian Qi mostly just roared and wasn’t really angry, rarely using Contracted Beasts in battles, often stepping up herself.

It turned out that at her core, it was all about relying on herself first and foremost.