8: Chapter 8, Shift Assignment Day, Patrol Officer

The jade rabbit sets in the west, and the golden crow rises in the east.

A little after six in the morning, just as the sun was beginning to rise, Qin Ding, who was cultivating his Mental Energy, suddenly felt an itch on the soles of his feet. His brow furrowed as he immediately opened his eyes.

"You damn dog, what are you doing!?"

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw the Earth Dog he raised acting like a pervert expressing love and attachment, crazily licking his legs.

Seeing Qin Ding wake up and scold it, Da Hei immediately stopped its actions. Its pitch-black dog eyes seemed to glow as it stared straight at Qin Ding, causing his anger to vanish instantly.

It wasn't until the Life Records in his mind opened automatically that Qin Ding realized Da Hei's level had broken through by one. It was just that the feedback from this single level wasn't very obvious, which was also due to his low Mental Energy tier.

At Tier 1, the Life and Death Contract only allowed him to receive ten percent of the beast's feedback.

"A level breakthrough... ten thousand yuan for just one level?"

Having obtained this answer, Qin Ding took a deep breath.

As the saying goes: Inferior aptitude, truly terrifying.

Still, ten thousand federal currency... that was equivalent to what a normal young person could save in two or even three months. Although it hurt his wallet, Qin Ding did not regret it.

Thinking of this, Qin Ding's eyes became resolute, and he raised his leg to nudge Da Hei, who was staring at him expectantly.

advanced cultivation fluid—since he knew one vial could raise the current Da Hei by one level, he would have to buy more.

"advanced cultivation fluid is better than the others; you can only drink a second portion after waiting a day. Don't be in such a hurry."

"Woof!"

[Big brother understands me best! Big brother is the best!]

Hearing this, Qin Ding rolled his eyes, not bothering to say anything more. After washing up and eating a few slices of bread, he jogged toward the school.

As soon as he arrived in the classroom and sat in his seat, he immediately began to close his eyes and rest, though he was actually practicing the Day-Night Cultivation Method to increase his Mental Energy. However, because it was broad daylight and the sunlight was shining on him through the window...

...the faint white halo lighting up on his body was completely invisible.

As luck would have it, this morning was once again filled with Wang Chunfa's classes. Upon entering the classroom and seeing Qin Ding sitting with closed eyes, bathed in sunlight, Wang Chunfa fell silent.

"..."

"Alright, let's begin class. Everyone, take out your language textbooks."

Only this time, the cultivating Qin Ding didn't realize class had ended. Other students leaving for the cafeteria cast strange and enlightened glances his way.

No wonder he kept his eyes closed all morning; so he wasn't sleeping, but cultivating the entire time?

It wasn't until Bai Muxue walked up and observed Qin Ding curiously for a moment that she gently nudged him.

"Qin Ding, wake up."

"Hmm? Class is over?"

Bai Muxue froze for a second before nodding slowly. "Yes, class is over."

"Thanks. Let's go, time to eat."

Time passed quickly, and in the blink of an eye, it was the night of the seventh day.

During these few days, Qin Ding cultivated at school during the day, and as soon as he returned from class and finished eating, he cultivated in his room without stopping for a moment. He wanted to try and see if he could break through to Tier 2 Mental Power in these last few days.

After all, it had been nearly two months since he condensed Tier 1 Mental Energy. With his current speed, it wasn't impossible.

It was worth mentioning that Li Dong hadn't appeared again after that first time. Perhaps he had changed his mind and wanted to defeat Qin Ding fairly during the class monitor selection?

The next morning was the day Wang Chunfa had mentioned—the day to submit the list and reassign classes after one week.

Qin Ding slowly opened his eyes, a look of regret flashing through them.

"Just a little bit short. If I had started cultivating at school earlier, I should have already broken through to Tier 2 Mental Power."

If he broke through to Tier 2 Mental Power, the feedback he received would no longer be ten percent, but twenty percent!

When that time came, one strike of his staff would likely suppress all techniques!

Not to mention the uniqueness of the Life and Death Contract; who was to say Tier 2 Mental Power wouldn't grant new abilities?

"Huh? Why didn't Da Hei run over to me today? Didn't I feed it advanced cultivation fluid last night?"

Without the familiar wake-up service, Qin Ding felt a bit unaccustomed at first, but then, as if understanding something, his movement to get out of bed stiffened.

Da Hei was already Level 9, and he had fed it a vial of advanced cultivation fluid last night... Since it hadn't come over, there was only one possibility: it hadn't broken through to Level 10!

"Is one vial of advanced cultivation fluid no longer enough for Da Hei to break through from Level 9 to Level 10? If so, will the situation be even worse for the breakthrough from Level 10 to Level 11?"

After thinking for a moment, Qin Ding shook his head.

He didn't care.

So what if Da Hei started out poor? Wouldn't it be the same if he became strong now? Besides, a bad start didn't mean a bad end, and it was impossible to predict the final outcome.

Success depends on human effort.

Coming into the living room, Qin Ding immediately spotted Da Hei lying listlessly in its dog bed. He walked over and gently rubbed Da Hei's head.

"Alright, getting stuck at a level is normal. This is just the beginning; we'll experience this often in the future. Relax."

Normal, experience often in the future.

These few words linked together caused the listless and wilted Da Hei to instantly recover quite a bit of its spirit.

"Woof woof?"

[Big brother, you're not lying to me? This situation is normal and common?]

Qin Ding hesitated for a moment. He could only be certain that level caps existed, but he wasn't sure if they existed at the introductory stage. However, thinking about it, they probably did.

"Why would I lie to you? Let's go, to school."

Qin Ding still remembered what Wang Chunfa had said. Today, they were to go to school and bring their beasts with them. As for the purpose...

...it likely had something to do with the class monitor assessment after the Beast Taming Class was divided.

As usual, Qin Ding went to school alone, except this time, a black dog followed beside him. The neighbors walking downstairs only glanced at him before looking away.

Why? It was too common. The Patrol Officers on the streets each led a beast of Level 21 or higher on their rounds. If you couldn't control your own beast...

...it would end up as food in the mouth of a Patrol Officer's beast.

Sure enough, as soon as he led Da Hei out of the residential area and onto the street, Qin Ding immediately felt several sharp gazes piercing toward him like knives.

Particularly on the side of the road directly ahead, a Patrol Officer and his beast were staring coldly at him and Da Hei with unshielded gazes.

[Beast: Wind-Running Mad Dog]

[Aptitude: Good]

[Element: Wind]

[Level: 25 (Elite)]

[Abilities: Gale Dash, Ten-Mile Tracking, Wind Slash, Frenzy]

[Bloodline: Canine (99%), Lupine (1%)]

[Evolution Direction - Lupine: (Requires Lupine bloodline purity to reach 10%)]

[Evolution Direction - Canine: 1-966]

[Aptitude Improvement: ...]

[Description: A common combative dog found in the plains. It has a strong sense of pack cooperation and a certain bloodthirsty, combative nature.]