8: Beastmaster Association, Talent Test

"Hello, I need to register as a Beast Tamer."

Lin Chuan found a counter and stepped forward to speak.

"Alright, please scan your identification."

"Beep..."

Immediately afterward, the machine lit up with a red light.

Lin Chuan: "..."

The counter Miss seemed to be encountering this situation for the first time; she froze for a few seconds before turning off the warning device.

"Student Lin Chuan, this is not a place for you to cause trouble. According to the records, your last Awakening test two and a half years ago showed failure."

"I just Awakened recently."

"How is that possible? Aren't you already eighteen?"

"Two months shy, thank you!"

"..."

Seeing Lin Chuan's serious expression, the Miss didn't think he was lying, and for a moment, she didn't know what to do.

Someone whose identification network showed a failed Awakening suddenly ran over saying he had become a Beast Tamer.

They hadn't trained for this kind of situation!

It was like a person who had been declared dead suddenly coming back to life.

"Xiaoyue, what's going on?"

Just then, an elderly man with white hair and beard but robust energy walked over slowly, his hands clasped behind his back.

"President, he failed his Awakening... but now he says he succeeded in his Awakening..."

The Miss was clearly flustered upon seeing the high-ranking leader. Amidst her rambling, she finally managed to explain most of the situation.

"Awakening right before turning 18? Statistically, the probability is almost as slim as that of a peerless Genius Awakening at five or six years old. Interesting."

The old man nodded silently, glanced at Lin Chuan again, and said with a smile, "Student Lin, I am the person in charge here, Qin Yan. Come with me. If this is confirmed to be true, we will register you."

After speaking, he led Lin Chuan to a training room.

"Although your aura has clearly reached the intensity of Black Iron Two Star, we still need you to summon your beast for confirmation. Student Lin won't mind, right?"

"Doesn't matter."

With that, Lin Chuan directly summoned Old Hei.

The floor was clearly made of special material; the weight of several hundred pounds landing directly on the ground made little impact, and the sound wasn't even very loud.

"Hmm... A defense type, is it..." Qin Yan watched the Black-backed Turtle, his eyes flickering, but he didn't show any particular emotion.

"Peak Transcendent Two Star, about to reach Three Star... You said you only Awakened recently? How recently, specifically?"

"Three..." Lin Chuan held up three fingers.

"Three months?" Before Lin Chuan could finish, Qin Yan interrupted him. "Three months, Three Star. That speed is already comparable to the B-Rank talent [Accelerated Growth]. Could it be that this is the talent you Awakened?"

What kind of talent did I Awaken? Lin Chuan complained internally, but he still decided to answer honestly: "Three days. I only Awakened three days ago."

This information could easily be verified by asking at Lin Chuan's previous school, so there was no need to hide it.

"Three days? Three Star?"

Qin Yan stared wide-eyed, and in his excitement, he accidentally pulled out a few strands of his beard.

This piece of information was even more shocking than Lin Chuan Awakening close to age 18!

Could this kind of talent be S or even SS Rank?

He had never heard of an S-Rank accelerated growth talent being able to achieve Three Star in three days—that was too exaggerated.

"Right now, it's still only Two Star..."

As Lin Chuan was correcting him, he noticed steam suddenly pouring out from the top of Old Hei's head, like the spout of a boiling kettle.

Old Hei rolled his eyes, then "huffed" out several breaths of hot air.

It was Three Star.

"..."

"Now it's Three Star."

"Tsk tsk... I have lived most of my life and have never seen anything so bizarre. Truly strange. Did you feed it some sort of treasure before coming here?"

"Do five bowls of egg fried rice count?"

"???"

"Let's test your talent last. I want to see exactly what kind of talent this is."

Saying this, Qin Yan had Lin Chuan stand in front of a machine.

Here it comes.

Lin Chuan's heart tightened. Passing the test depended on this.

As the machine started, both men stared intently at the display screen.

A minute passed, and the display screen showed no reaction.

It neither showed that he had no talent nor displayed a Talent Rank; it was as if the machine hadn't even started.

"Is it broken? Let me try."

With that, Qin Yan stepped forward and started the test himself.

Three seconds later, the screen displayed the result.

"Talent Rank S, Rock/Earth Element."

The test result was quite accurate.

Qin Yan's talent, if placed decades ago when he was a student, would have made him a top-tier Genius. Of course, talent alone wasn't enough to secure the position of branch president. Strength, luck, and means were all indispensable.

"You try again."

Lin Chuan followed the instruction, but there was still no reaction.

"Damn it!"

Qin Yan got angry, stepped forward, and slapped the machine.

"Bang bang... Boom boom..."

The machine shattered instantly.

Lin Chuan: "..."

"Uh, President Qin, how about we try another machine?"

Lin Chuan wiped the non-existent cold sweat from his forehead, grateful that the slap hadn't landed on him.

"Forget it. You truly have a lot of weirdness about you, kid!" Qin Yan stroked his beard again, then said, "No more testing. Just tell me yourself, what is your talent?"

"B-Rank, [Accelerated Growth]."

Lin Chuan said this with a straight face, without batting an eye.

Damn, a B-Rank accelerating this fast? That's freaking speeding!

Qin Yan secretly cursed the boy's shamelessness, but said aloud, "Alright then, I'll have someone update your information."

After speaking, Qin Yan asked Lin Chuan to wait briefly and then left.

"That works?" Lin Chuan looked impassively at the pile of shattered testing machine parts before him, deep in thought...

"Student Lin, your Beast Tamer identity has been registered. Black Iron Rank individuals can receive one Black Iron Rank Spiritual Power Potion and one Soul Power Potion each month. These are yours for this month."

Saying this, Qin Yan handed the box containing the potions to Lin Chuan.

"Thank you, President Qin." Lin Chuan smiled as he accepted the potion box.

Originally, Qin Yan certainly wouldn't need to make a trip personally for such a small matter; his presence here must be for something else.

Sure enough, Qin Yan continued, "Don't be so formal. Just call me Old Qin, and I'll call you Lin Chuan directly, that sounds less awkward. There's also something else I need to discuss with you."

"Old Qin, just say it directly."

"I know you recently dropped out of school. That technical school, well, dropping out doesn't matter much. I wonder, Lin Chuan, what are your next steps?"

"I can only take things one step at a time. Since I missed the chance to attend Beast Taming High School, I'm completely ignorant of proper beast-taming knowledge. Without even a diploma in the future, I guess I'll just have to scrape by."

Lin Chuan sighed and played the pity card.

He wondered if President Qin was looking for a final Disciple, the kind who was qualified to inherit his estate.

"Missing Beast Taming High School is indeed a pity, but most high school students are only Black Iron Rank. High school students who reach Silver Rank are as rare as phoenix feathers and unicorn horns; having even one per district is considered good. As long as you are willing to work hard, you might still have a chance to get into a higher-level beast-taming academy."

"I can still take college entrance exams? I don't even have official student status..."

"Let me be direct. I have an old friend who took over a Beast Taming High School just to keep busy. If they don't achieve good results this year, the school will likely lose its accreditation. If you are willing, I can arrange for you to enter as a transfer student..."

"Does it cost money?" Lin Chuan asked abruptly.

"..." Qin Yan's composure was broken.

"No, it doesn't cost money. Furthermore, I will personally sponsor you with some resources."

"There's such a good thing? Is this some new type of scam? Old Qin, just tell me the conditions directly so I can see if I can meet them."

"..."

What should I do? This kid always gives me the urge to hit him.

"If everything you said is true—Three Star in three days—that kind of talent is enough for me to invest in you. If you had Awakened two years earlier, the top Beast Taming universities in Huaxia would have granted you direct admission without an exam.

Of course, those things are secondary. I only have one requirement: for the remaining half year, you must go all out and strive to achieve a good ranking for the school. This condition isn't harsh, is it? It only benefits you and imposes no restrictions whatsoever."

"Hmm..." Lin Chuan pondered for a moment. It was indeed a win-win situation, and it was no wonder Qin Yan had given him the green light during the talent test.

"Fine, I accept." Lin Chuan had no reason to refuse.

"Good. For the next six months, in addition to the fixed monthly welfare potions, I will personally give you two extra of each type. As for the resource allocation within the school, that will depend on your own ability. Get ready; I will take you there next Monday morning."

"No problem. Thank you very much, Old Qin."

Lin Chuan chuckled.

"Oh right, Old Qin, is that old friend of yours, my future principal, a woman?"

"Get out!"

Qin Yan's old face flushed red, and he immediately kicked Lin Chuan out.