Beast Taming: the More the Better

This place, compared to the previous battle arena and the club center, was in no way inferior; it was even larger!

The area was so vast that Su Ping couldn't even see its boundaries at a glance.

What astonished him even more was that this building, apart from some tall outer walls, seemed to be constructed entirely of metal and steel on the inside.

Stepping inside felt like entering the heart of a cyberpunk-style fortress.

"This is…"

Su Ping blinked, observing the bustling steel world where people constantly came and went.

Just then, a few figures walked towards him. One broad-browed young man said excitedly, "Haha, this time my solo Commander Level lasted one more wave, and I've now broken into the top hundred in the overall rankings! Heh heh! That's an extra two thousand-plus credits in my account! So cool!"

His friend's eyes widened as he exclaimed, "Damn! Broke into the top hundred for solo? Not bad at all, kid!"

The young man chuckled, then glanced at the youngest junior beside him and said, "Heh heh, I'm still far behind Dong Muxuan here. His Void Weaving Spider managed to last over thirteen waves just last week, and he almost defeated that Emperor Level cub. He enrolled less than two years ago, and his main Battle Pet is already ranked in the top twenty. That's truly impressive!"

The junior smiled humbly and replied, "You're giving me too much credit, senior. I've just been lucky…"

"Speaking of which, I heard Miss Qin went to the Linhai Secret Realm again today? No wonder you were out of the tower so quickly, Dong Muxuan. Are you off to meet Miss Qin?"

Upon hearing this, the youngest junior's brows furrowed slightly. He said, "Senior Guo, please don't make such jokes in the future. It's not good if others overhear. I have no relationship with Senior Qin. And Senior Qin doesn't need me to meet her."

"Alright, alright, heh heh..."

The group brushed past Su Ping.

Su Ping was slightly stunned, surprised by both the nature of this steel fortress and the young man he had just encountered.

Then, he muttered under his breath, "Dong Muxuan?"

The junior with the surname Dong turned his head, also surprised, and looked back at Su Ping. He simply smiled and then turned away.

Clearly, in this academy, this young master of the Dong Family was quite the celebrity. Was it expected for a passerby 'student' like himself to recognize him?

Su Ping smiled faintly. He recalled Dong Muyun previously praising this younger brother highly, while expressing nothing but disdain for their worthless eldest brother.

Seeing him now, Su Ping's impression was indeed quite favorable.

Aunt Qin, seemingly not having noticed this exchange, smiled and explained, "This is the Trial Tower! It's a colossal structure, assembled from nearly a hundred Mechanical Cores and numerous other devices. This special, large-scale instrument can simulate a genuine battlefield, indistinguishable from the real thing. Battles here are divided into three Levels: Elite, Commander, and Monarch.

"There are also two battle modes for Pet Beasts: group and solo. Depending on the mode, enemies are randomly generated and attack in waves.

"For any Level or battle mode, there's a very specific school-wide ranking. If you rank high, you'll receive a large sum of credits each time you advance to a new stage.

"Credits can be exchanged for anything in the academy's treasury, including resources, evolution methods, the services of advanced Breeders, Cultivation Skills, and guided evolution. By the way, some of those mechanical blueprints you wanted before can also be exchanged for credits. They're considered the only hard currency within the academy!"

So that's how it is.

Su Ping's eyes lit up.

He looked at the Trial Tower with some excitement.

Within this Trial Tower, one could most clearly assess the strength of their Pet Beasts! And there were absolutely no lasting consequences. This thing might indeed be even more convenient than a battle between Beast Tamers!

I wonder, how would my little Paperman fare in that solo Pet Beast challenge mode?

But then again, if Qian Yi wields a sword, does that count as a solo Pet Beast challenge?

After all, its sword is considered another Pet Beast.

Su Ping fell into deep thought.

Noticing the eagerness in Su Ping's eyes, Aunt Qin chuckled and said, "The Dean predicted you'd be interested in this. Would you like to give it a try? The Dean said that if you can rank within the top hundred in either solo or group Elite Level combat, he will grant you one request!"

"Eh? The top hundred?"

Su Ping's expression was strange.

Even though Lord Sang Sheng was Miss Qin's elder, Su Ping felt somewhat indignant at this moment.

The top hundred? Is this Lord Sang Sheng trying to belittle me? And it's just the top hundred in the Elite Level, anyway.

Evidently, Aunt Qin had misunderstood Su Ping's implication.

But it was understandable; Aunt Qin's prior information indicated that this Young Master Su was a genius Breeder.

However, he had only awakened his Beast Taming Talent half a year ago.

In breeding, Talent indeed often defied logic. But for Beast Taming Level and combat, no matter how good one's Talent was, progress had to be made step by painstaking step.

To be able to advance to the Elite Level within half a year, and even reach a considerably high rank among Elites, was already very impressive.

And in the Magic Capital Advanced Beast-Taming Academy, filled with prodigious talents, breaking into the top hundred of the Elite Level was exceptionally difficult.

Keep in mind, those who had rankings with Elite Level Pet Beasts had often already completed their own advancement; they were merely cultivating their Third Pet Beast.

In such circumstances, Su Ping, a genuine Elite Level Beast Tamer, clearly didn't have much of an advantage.

Thus, entering the top hundred wasn't just somewhat difficult; in Aunt Qin's view, it was practically impossible.

So, meeting Su Ping's gaze, Aunt Qin smiled helplessly and said, "Su Ping, this requirement isn't something you need to complete immediately. As long as you're in Magic Capital, you can come and try anytime in the foreseeable future. The Dean's promise will remain valid.

"In fact, it's valid even up until the Spring Festival, if you remain in Magic Capital that long."

Su Ping raised an eyebrow. "So, the Dean meant that if I can enter the top hundred of the Elite Level, he'll agree to any single request I make?"

Aunt Qin nodded. "That's right, including items of the same Rank as the Stone of Creation Xiao Xue gave you last time! Of course, this request is incredibly difficult, but that's what makes it a challenge, hehe..."

Even Emperor-rank items?

As for whether other students would object—not that they would likely know—Aunt Qin and the Dean apparently hadn't considered it.

Anyone who could enter the top hundred in the Elite Level Trial Tower within six months of awakening would receive the same offer.

Although the Magic Capital Beast Taming Academy teemed with geniuses, with everyone being a prodigy, the ranking battles in the Trial Tower were incredibly fierce!

Simultaneously, the Trial Tower and the various Secret Realms within the academy were among the best ways for the countless students to distinguish their strengths.

However, Su Ping was now visibly excited by the grand prospect Aunt Qin had laid out for him.

And as Su Ping gazed at the so-called Trial Tower, which resembled a mechanical fortress, a peculiar thought surfaced in his mind:

If getting into the top hundred means I can request any resources, what if I rank even higher? Say, top fifty, top twenty, top ten, or even top three? If I then asked that Lord Sang Sheng if I could have one of these things for my Heart of Woods base, would that be possible? Hmm, I could call it the Heart of Machinery, or perhaps the Heart of Gold?