Beast Taming Patrol

"Crack~"

Taking the can of chilled iced coffee handed to her by Lin Su, Qin Nan expertly popped it open and took a big gulp, "glug glug glug." She then let out a satisfied sigh.

Her gaze returned to Qiuqiu, who had sneakily crept behind Lin Su and was timidly peering at her, "So, this new species that you've named the Trickster Clown, has it been with you for a long time, but you only recently became aware of it?"

"That's right," Lin Su nodded gravely, his expression sincere.

Of course, he couldn't reveal Qiuqiu's true origin to Qin Nan. Though the situation had unfolded quite unexpectedly, it just so happened that Lin Su was planning to consult Qin Nan the next day regarding Qiuqiu, so he had already formulated some ideas on how to explain Qiuqiu's origin.

Theoretically, all supernatural beasts originate from the mutations caused by the radiation of Ghost Energy Stones. The majority of the initial species mutated during the catastrophe that occurred two hundred years ago, but a small number are new initial species that emerged after the catastrophe.

Lin Su had no idea how the Trickster Clown species came to mutate and with Qiuqiu already possessing elite-tier strength and such high proficiency in its skills, he couldn't possibly claim that Qiuqiu was a newly mutated beast species; that would be too easy to debunk.

To make everything seem more plausible, he had to obscure Qiuqiu's past.

According to what he told Qin Nan, Qiuqiu had snuck into his shadow a long time ago without him knowing and followed him without revealing itself, and Lin Su had never detected anything unusual until his Beast Taming Space advanced to the third tier, at which point Qiuqiu appeared wanting to form a contract with him.

While it sounded quite fantastical, like something out of a novel, this explanation obscured how Qiuqiu originated, how it acquired such high skill proficiency, and how it gained elite-tier strength, placing all these issues beyond Lin Su's knowledge, leaving no room for criticism.

What you ask, I do not know, so better not ask.

And it wasn't entirely a lie; there was one part of it that was true.

The meeting between Lin Su and Qiuqiu had indeed happened that way.

"Fine," Qin Nan sighed, then quickly realized another issue, "Your Beast Taming Space reached the third tier?"

How long has it been?!

A normal person would need at least a year to advance their Beast Taming Space from the second tier to the third, right?

This guy, on the other hand, already had a second-tier Beast Taming Space two months ago when I first met him, and now it's already reached the third tier.

In the days following the advancement of his Beast Taming Space to the third tier, Lin Su had always summoned Qiuqiu in advance whenever he appeared before Qin Nan, so she had been completely unaware.

"Yes," Lin Su nodded, with an embarrassed smile, "Perhaps I am exceptionally gifted?"

Qin Nan: "…"

Is there such a thing as exceptional talent in meditating in the Beast Taming Space?

"Alright, I'll concede that you're exceptionally gifted." Qin Nan was almost amused by Lin Su's claim, her eyes then turning toward Qiuqiu, who was quietly munching on snacks on the side, "What about Qiuqiu's skills, then?"

Qiuqiu paused mid-chew, looking up from the snack bag with a puzzled expression, cheeks adorned with snack crumbs.

What does this have to do with me?

"What skills?" Lin Su blinked, not understanding what Qin Nan was driving at.

However, he was beginning to have a bad feeling.

"The skill Qiuqiu used during the practical combat assessment, where it touches an enemy with its paw and freezes them," Qin Nan said irritably, "Don't tell me it doesn't exist. I saw everything clearly from the control room. No wonder you applied for the ice-element skill teaching research project. You've already developed it, haven't you?"

Lin Su: "???"

I've been careless!

Artificial supernaturally intelligent machinery was always watching each contestant—that much he knew. After all, they could not record points earned otherwise.

But he hadn't been overly worried about exposing anything, as the machinery had to watch tens of thousands of participants and probably wouldn't pay special attention to the skills Qiuqiu used to defeat its opponent.

He had never anticipated that there would be surveillance during the practical combat assessment.

And isn't Sister Nan a researcher?

What is a researcher doing watching the monitors instead of staying in the lab?

"Sister Nan…" Lin Su cleared his throat, "about that… Qiuqiu has indeed mastered a brand-new teaching skill by chance, but we haven't yet researched the general teaching method for this skill..."

"Cut the crap," Qin Nan rolled her eyes impatiently, her expression growing serious, "You sure have plenty of secrets, kid. Last time it was Qiuqiu's evolution, and now this again."

Lin Su's heart skipped a beat.

Last time Qiuqiu evolved?

Sister Nan knows?!

Where did I slip up?

Wait…

He recalled the plan he devised to help Qiuqiu evolve, and his face shifted slightly.

He had actually forgotten about a crucial aspect!

After aiding Qiuqiu's evolution in Shenwu, he applied for Su Qing's evolutionary research project.

But there was a loophole in Qiuqiu's own evolution resources!

He had overlooked this problem subconsciously. On one hand, Qiuqiu had already evolved, and he thought no one would care about such a minor detail, and on the other, it seemed too wasteful to exchange another 10,000 contribution points for the same level-six resource that Qiuqiu couldn't use.