35: Chapter 35 The Fallen Genius

After deciding to earn money through an additional source of income, Lin Chen fell into deep thought.

First, it had to be a part-time job.

He had to work during the day, so the only time he could utilize was weekday evenings and weekends.

Second, the time commitment could not be too long.

High-intensity work and training already consumed a vast amount of energy, and he needed to set aside necessary rest time.

He was not so destitute that he had to work twenty-four hours a day; there was no need to drain himself until he had no breathing room left.

"It needs to have suitable hours, decent pay, and not be too mentally draining..."

Lin Chen rubbed his temples and shook his head helplessly, muttering to himself, "Where in the world is there such a perfect part-time job?"

Even so, he still had to look.

He opened his phone and clicked into the largest local part-time job recruitment platform in Qinglan City.

Instantly, the screen was filled with a dazzling array of recruitment information.

"Seeking temporary pet beast caregiver, requires patience, resistance to beatings, 200 daily pay..."

"Swift Wind Battle Club recruiting Primary Beastmaster sparring partners. Requirements: Primary Beastmaster, basic battle awareness. Salary negotiable, includes basic energy liquid..."

"Western Suburb Breeding Base urgently needs temporary weekend poop scoopers. Lunch provided, 150 daily wage, preference given to those with strength..."

"Urgent! Our Water Cloud Sparrow has postpartum depression, needs a gentle and loving young lady to keep it company and soothe it. Hourly rate negotiable..."

Lin Chen browsed quickly, but his brows furrowed tighter and tighter.

These part-time jobs all had their flaws and were not very suitable for him at the moment.

Just then, a recruitment posting further down the list caught his eye.

Recruitment: Private Pet Beast Battle Sparring Partner (Evening)

Requirements: 1. Contracted pet beast must be Tier 1 strength. 2. Rich practical combat experience, strong adaptability. 3. Core requirement: Resistant to beatings! No fragile ego! 4. Must be able to accept high-intensity, high-frequency battles.

Compensation: Hourly rate: 500 yuan starting (can increase based on performance). Treatment and energy liquid provided for every battle.

Work hours: Monday to Friday, 7:00-10:00 PM (specific duration negotiable). Location: Yunqi Villas, Heyang District. Contact: Mr. Wang. Note: Serious inquiries only, no dawdlers, those with poor psychological resilience need not apply.

"Resistant to beatings? No fragile ego?"

Lin Chen's gaze lingered on these two bolded requirements, and a strange feeling arose in his heart.

But the next second, his gaze was firmly pinned by "Hourly rate starting at 500 yuan."

Five hundred! Starting price! It even provides treatment and advanced energy liquid! And the work hours fit perfectly with his free time!

He suppressed the excitement in his heart and continued reading.

The work location was Yunqi Villas in the Heyang District. Yunqi Villas was one of the earlier high-end villa areas developed in Qinglan City, with beautiful scenery and high privacy; those who could live there were either wealthy or prestigious.

"No wonder they are so generous..." Lin Chen understood.

It was not uncommon for Beast Tamers from well-off families to spend huge sums of money to hire private sparring partners to hone their techniques and test their training results in preparation for important competitions.

It was just that this Mr. Wang's requirements were exceptionally simple and crude.

And with such good salary conditions, logically, people would be fighting tooth and nail for it; it should have been impossible for him to even see it.

Connecting it to those strange requirements, Lin Chen felt a faint sense of unease.

But after quickly weighing the pros and cons, Lin Chen's eyes narrowed. Do it! Even if there were hidden circumstances, he had to give it a try.

He did not hesitate any longer and directly contacted the recruiter.

The other party replied quickly, and after asking for some simple information, provided a detailed address for the interview and set the time: seven o'clock tonight.

Putting down his phone, Lin Chen let out a soft sigh. Success or failure depended on tonight.

After tentatively determining his part-time job goal, Lin Chen stood up and waved to the Flame Claw Beast not far away.

"This is the new skill you need to learn."

Lin Chen opened his phone and clicked into the [Fiery Charge] video course he had just purchased, his expression serious: "During this time, besides consolidating your existing skills, you have a new goal: learn this skill."

The Flame Claw Beast curiously leaned closer to the screen, carefully watching the video: a fire-type pet condensed high-temperature flames on its body surface, then instantly exploded with speed to perform a short-distance impact. Its eyes lit up instantly. This skill was good!

Lin Chen nodded with a smile: "It will tell you the specific learning steps; what you need to do is very simple: just follow along and learn."

The Flame Claw Beast put its claws on its hips, its face full of confidence. It was a one-in-a-million genius! It did not need to learn at all; it could master this skill through its body's subconscious reactions!

Lin Chen pursed his lips, speechless for a moment. Never mind, let this child immerse itself in the fantasy of being a genius for now.

The full-of-confidence Flame Claw Beast held the phone with its claws, its dark green eyes staring unblinkingly at the screen, watching with extreme focus.

The video instruction was very detailed, with theoretical explanations and slow-motion demonstrations for every step. A moment later, the Flame Claw Beast lifted its head high: "Gagu!" It understood!

Lin Chen laughed: "Then give it a try."

The Flame Claw Beast stood up, tensed its muscles all over, and finally widened its eyes, freezing in place. Right, how did the first step go again?

Theory and practice were ultimately separated by a huge chasm.

The Flame Claw Beast clearly understood the video and could even simulate every step in its mind, but when it actually tried to mobilize the fire energy within its body to precisely replicate the process, it felt exceptionally difficult.

Either the fire-type energy in its body could not keep up, or the control was unstable, unable to evenly cover its body surface, or even if it covered it, it could not coordinate its muscles to explode simultaneously. In short, the brain knew how, but the body did not.

The Flame Claw Beast froze in place, lost in thought. Was it not a one-in-a-million genius? Did it not master the skill in one go last time?

Lin Chen patted the Flame Claw Beast on the shoulder and said earnestly: "Geniuses also encounter bottlenecks." Or rather, geniuses also temporarily fall.

Throughout the afternoon, Lin Chen and the Flame Claw Beast were immersed in the theoretical study and initial attempts of the new skill. Failure after failure, adjustment after adjustment.

Occasionally, a cluster of unstable flames would sprout from the Flame Claw Beast's body, or it would suddenly dash forward a short distance only to lose balance and fall, but its eyes remained focused, without a hint of impatience.

Lin Chen was not in a rush either; he knew that learning a new skill was by no means an overnight success. Unless one possessed a skill learning machine.

By evening, although the Flame Claw Beast still had not successfully performed a standard Fiery Charge, it had basically sorted out the key points and difficulties of learning it.

Lin Chen estimated that with the Flame Claw Beast's comprehension and effort, after another two or three days of targeted practice, it should be able to master this skill preliminarily.

After eating dinner early, Lin Chen set off for the interview location. Yunqi Villas.

Surrounded by green trees, the environment was secluded and quiet, with detached villas of various designs scattered about, spaced widely apart, offering excellent privacy.

The security guards at the entrance wore crisp uniforms and checked visitors strictly. Lin Chen provided the client's name and appointment time; after the guard confirmed it in the internal system, they politely let him through and pointed out the specific direction.

Walking on the smooth and quiet residential paths, the streetlights had already turned on, casting soft light onto the meticulously trimmed lawns and shrubs. The air was filled with the fragrance of plants, and occasionally, luxury vehicles drove by silently.

This place felt like a different world from the environment of Lin Chen's daily life.

"It's so nice, I wonder when I'll be able to live in a place like this." Lin Chen sighed with emotion.

The Songsong Dog, following closely behind him, looked up at Lin Chen, its eyes flickering slightly. Lin Chen liked living in big houses. It remembered that.

Meanwhile, inside a three-story modern-style villa with an independent training ground and backyard.

A teenager wearing a loose trendy T-shirt with flaxen-dyed hair was sitting on an ergonomic chair with his feet propped up, his fingers typing rapidly on the keyboard.

On the computer screen in front of him was a group chat window named [Qinglan City Beast Tamer Talent Reserve Base], where messages were scrolling by rapidly.

Zhou Ming: "@All members, another new sparring partner is coming over. Hope this one can last a few more days. [Pick Nose]"

Zhang Xiaoxiao: "Your previous sparring partner ran away again?"

Zhou Ming: "What do you mean 'ran away again'? It's clearly because their strength was not enough, they were psychologically fragile, and could not handle the pressure."

Zhang Xiaoxiao: "How could an ordinary sparring partner handle your pressure? I feel like you need to increase the pay and find some more professional Beast Tamers."

Zhou Ming: "That makes sense. Could it be that an hourly rate of five hundred is too little? I will ask my parents to add some more."

After chatting for a while, Zhou Ming put down his phone and stretched lazily.

In order to prepare for the upcoming Young Eagle Cup and the more important Freshman Grand Competition, he had put in one hundred percent effort this summer vacation.

In the morning, he did basic physical fitness and skill honing on his own; in the afternoon, he followed a veteran Advanced Beast Tamer hired by his parents at a high cost for professional special training; and in the evening, he tested the results of his day's learning and training through actual combat.

Unfortunately, the hired sparring partners were either lacking in strength and could not last a few rounds in front of his pet beast, completely unable to bring him any pressure; or they could not withstand high-intensity actual combat, had limited energy, and would disappear after a few days.

There was not a single one who could make him enjoy himself. After all, most truly capable young Beast Tamers were proud and arrogant; either they were busy with their own intense training, or they disdained doing a job like sparring.

Beast Tamers who would choose to be sparring partners often had limited strength; this had almost become a vicious cycle.

"I hope this sparring partner can be a bit more resistant to beatings than the previous ones." He thought to himself.