72: Chapter 72 The New Semester is About to Begin

"Not bad. Two portions of Elemental Nutrient Solution, and it leveled up twice. Those thirty thousand federal currency didn't go to waste."

Looking at his Earth Dog's level fifteen status, there was no heartache in Qin Ding's tone regarding the money spent, only absolute satisfaction.

To him, money was meant to be spent. His Tier 2 Mental Power meant that even if the Earth Dog were level twenty, his own Mental Energy could perfectly withstand the feedback the Earth Dog provided through their Life and Death Contract.

What he needed to do now was to raise the Earth Dog's level at all costs, and then secure the reward offered by the Federation at the start of the school year in one week.

At level fifteen, combined with the Hundred-Refined Body, his Earth Dog's physical strength was equivalent to one hundred and fifty percent of a Sha Jin Wolf of the same level, while the feedback he received was equivalent to thirty percent of a normal level fifteen Sha Jin Wolf's physical strength.

In other words, he was now equivalent to a humanoid spirit beast!

"Awoo."

[Boss, I've leveled up twice. How is your Mental Energy? It hasn't moved for two months.]

Qin Ding paused, his brow furrowing before relaxing.

"It will probably take another two months, right? Around two months after school starts, I should be able to break through to Tier 3 Mental Energy by then."

Thinking about how he reached Tier 1 in a month, Tier 2 in two and a half months, and now expecting Tier 3 in four and a half months, such speed was almost unheard of outside.

Perhaps it was truly like that saying: when God closes a door, He opens a window?

He wasn't good at studying, so his Mental Energy cultivation was fast?

Why overthink the strength he cultivated himself?

Da Hei's eyes sparkled upon hearing his boss's words.

"Awoo."

[Boss, once you reach Tier 3 Mental Energy, won't you be able to raise me to level twenty-one?]

"Easy for you to say, as if I have that much money."

"However... speaking of nutrient solutions, Mu Xue did say this morning that she wanted to help me make some. Is it thirteen thousand federal currency per portion? That would save quite a bit of money."

Qin Ding muttered to himself. Although he didn't mind spending money to upgrade his Earth Dog, he was happy to save some if he could.

However, Elemental Nutrient Solution was different from regular nutrient solution; regular nutrient solution was consumed every other day, while Elemental Nutrient Solution had to be spaced five days apart.

---

[Teacher: Tsk tsk, customized Sha Jin Wolf nutrient solution? Besides wanting to learn the Spirit Fox one, you want to learn this too?]

Bai Muxue stared at the "tsk tsk" on her phone screen and replied with a yes.

This left Teacher Dugu Meng on the other end of the phone stunned.

"Could that Qin Ding really be little Mu Xue's little boyfriend? She couldn't have been deceived, could she? But that doesn't seem right; little Mu Xue isn't a fool..."

Having confirmed the answer at this moment, Teacher Dugu Meng found it hard to imagine that the student who had always been clever, bright, and able to draw inferences in her mind, had found a young man when she herself didn't even have one.

At this moment, Teacher Dugu Meng struggled a little in her heart and sighed helplessly; after all, who else did she have but this one student?

[Teacher: One inner core of the same tier and same attribute... extraction method...]

Bai Muxue carefully looked at the two strings of materials and extraction methods for the customized nutrient solution sent by Teacher Dugu Meng. The raw materials would cost about ten thousand, but if she went through the Breeder Association channels, it would be nine thousand.

Just as Bai Muxue memorized the formula and was about to delete the conversation, another message from Teacher Dugu Meng made Bai Muxue's finger, which was reaching out, freeze in front of the screen.

[Teacher: Customized nutrient solution will increase the purity of the wolf blood and crowd out other bloodlines. You need to be clear about the situation, little Mu Xue~]

"Customized nutrient solution will crowd out Da Hei's bloodlines other than the wolf blood?"

Bai Muxue suddenly hesitated. She didn't like uncertainty. What if Da Hei had a superior bloodline in its body?

This brought to mind the most common and easily understood method of proof: appetite. If a spirit beast's food intake was significantly larger than its peers while it remained healthy, then there was a high probability that it possessed a superior bloodline, requiring more energy intake to keep this bloodline from dissipating.

Da Hei could eat a lot; at least, none of the normal high-tier wolf spirit beasts she knew were this gluttonous.

It was just that there were too many superior bloodlines that could appear in wolves.

[Bai Muxue: Then how can I judge if there are other high-quality bloodlines?]

[Teacher: Your Mental Energy is too low, you can't tell. Ask this question again after you reach Tier 5. Anyway, you can sell it after you make it.]

Although Teacher Dugu Meng said that, her fingers were busy tapping on the screen, sending the required materials and production method for a normal high-tier Metal Elemental Nutrient Solution.

[Teacher: Practice with the normal one first. The customized one is indeed very difficult. You can postpone the Spirit Fox nutrient solution. The production difficulty of mental-type nutrient solutions is comparable to that of space-element ones.]

Huh? This...

Things suddenly became too perfect, making Bai Muxue somewhat vigilant, as if her teacher knew what she wanted to do and what she was worried about.

"Unless... Teacher guessed something and is very certain that her guess is the answer..."

Had Qin Ding already been exposed to Teacher's view?

After hesitating for two seconds, Bai Muxue sent an OK emoji without saying anything, which made Teacher Dugu Meng on the other end of the phone laugh in exasperation.

"Pretending, still pretending. I want to see what this little guy named Qin Ding can achieve in the Tier 3 City assessment."

"One competition zone, one hundred Tier 3 Cities, fifty Tier 2 Cities, ten Tier 1 Cities, millions of peers stuffed into the same spirit realm, hehe..."

The next evening.

Qin Ding, who had been cultivating at home for two days and one night, received a message from Bai Muxue. As soon as he walked out of his room, he saw Bai Muxue opening the door, carrying a foam box packed in a transparent bag.

Looking up at Qin Ding as he came out of his room, Bai Muxue walked to the table after changing her shoes and gently set down the foam box she was carrying. Her voice was soft but carried a hint of self-reproach.

"Two portions of high-tier Metal Elemental Nutrient Solution. The raw materials for one portion cost about four thousand. I failed the first time, so I transferred the extra one thousand to you."

Walking forward, Qin Ding, who had been curious about what it was, froze for a moment, but after realizing what happened, he hurriedly shook his head.

"It doesn't matter even if all three attempts failed; just consider it practice. You'll do better next time."

Seeming to have heard what she wanted to hear, Bai Muxue hummed happily and nodded slightly. "It's been five days since Da Hei drank the second portion, right? Did it level up?"

"Yes, I felt some increase in strength when I woke up today."

Hearing this, Bai Muxue nodded slightly. "Then Da Hei can drink the new Elemental Nutrient Solution tonight. Two portions should be enough for Da Hei to level up again."

It wasn't that Bai Muxue looked down on Da Hei, but that every time a beast tamer entered a new stage, the energy requirements for the first five levels and the last five levels were different. As the tier increased, this gap might widen into segments of four levels, three levels, and so on.

Suddenly, just as Qin Ding was pondering how much nutrient solution Da Hei would need to potentially break through to level twenty-one, his train of thought was interrupted by a sentence from Bai Muxue.

"It's been about two months since you broke through to Tier 2 Mental Power, right? Looking at it this way, won't you be able to break through to Tier 3 Mental Energy next semester?"

Huh? Why are you asking this suddenly?

Although he was a bit puzzled inside, Qin Ding nodded and admitted it without reservation. "Yes, I feel like I should be able to break through to Tier 3 Mental Energy about two months after school starts. Why?"

As expected!

Bai Muxue took a deep breath, her expression serious and earnest, which made Qin Ding also become serious and nervous, while feeling a bit puzzled inside.

What's going on?

"A-Ding, do you want to be recommended for admission? Skip the Tier 3 City assessment and be recommended to the Federal First Beast Taming University, commonly known as the Federal First Martial Academy."

Recommended for admission? The Federal First Martial Academy? Me? Why? Just because of Tier 3 Mental Energy, I don't have to take the exam?

So, this world also has this thing called admission recommendation? I'd never heard of it before... No, perhaps it requires 'connections,' right?

It seems that the teacher behind Mu Xue has great influence.

After running these thoughts through his mind, facing Bai Muxue's serious expression, Qin Ding also shook his head seriously.

"No need, it's unnecessary."

If you couldn't reach Tier 3 Mental Energy to take the re-examination, I wouldn't be at ease, nor could I be at peace.

Qin Ding paused, held back for a few seconds, but still didn't say that sentence in his heart out loud.

"I'll just take the re-examination with you."