<i>What do you do when a genius junior suddenly starts spouting nonsense with a serious face...</i>


    Before Wang Yao could think of a response that wouldn’t hurt Qiao Sang''s pride, Xu Yajie and Shi Gaofeng, both sporting dark circles under their eyes, walked in.


    Wang Yao immediately called out to them, "What''s up with your eyes? Did a ghost-type pet drain you?"


    "Xun..." Little Treasure sighed, feeling wrongfully used.


    "Stop with the nonsense." Shi Gaofeng yawned as he walked closer.


    "School''s about to start, and I haven’t finished my summer homework. I was upte rushing it. By the way, the workbook for Pet Beasts and Evolution was handed out to the whole grade, right? Have you finished yours? Lend it to me to copy."


    "Aren’t the answers in the back?" Wang Yao asked, confused.


    "Our teacher took away all the answer keys." Xu Yajie replied, his face filled with despair.


    "Your teacher’s doing it for your own good. After all, your ss has the worst grades." Wang Yao said, shrugging.Qiao Sang casually asked, "You guys are in the same ss?"


    "Yeah, both of us are in ss Nine." Shi Gaofeng said, throwing an arm around Xu Yajie’s shoulder.


    "If you’re ced by grade, you’ll probably end up in ss Nine too."


    Before Qiao Sang could respond, Wang Yao shot Shi Gaofeng a re and turned to exin, "Don’t listen to him. He assumes you''re a special recruit. Each year, special recruits are typically ced in ss Nine, so he thinks you’ll be there too."


    Shi Gaofeng froze, then looked at Qiao Sang.


    "Aren’t you a special recruit?"


    <i>She was... </i>Qiao Sang was about to reply, but Wang Yao cut in with a serious look on her face:


    "Qiao Sang seems like a straight-A student; she’s probably here on a guaranteed admission. How could she be a special recruit like you two?"


    <i>Academic underachiever</i> Qiao Sang: ...


    "Don’t look down on special recruits." Shi Gaofeng protested.


    "Though our ss Nine might not excel academically, we neverg in terms of admission rates."


    "Still, it can’tpare to the guaranteed admissions students." Wang Yao said.


    There exists a subtle hierarchy among high school students.


    Guaranteed admissions students look down on special recruits, special recruits look down on regr students, and regr students believe they could outperform special recruits if given the same training time and resources.


    After all, their scores are well above the special recruits’, everyone awakened their brain domain at about the same time, and the only differences are in pets and resources.


    Most special recruitse from wealthy backgrounds, which magnifies the gap that wasn’t as evident in junior high, leading some students to feel unbnced.


    However, if a special recruit brings glory to the school by winningpetitions or getting into a prestigious beast-tamer university, they gain respect.


    After all, only special recruits represent the school inpetitions, so winning among fellow special recruits is no small feat.


    Despite any inner imbnce, everyone understands that talent can''t be bought; true ability is essential.


    A beast tamer might rely on resources to gain an edge initially, butter, it’s about both aptitude and resources.


    Even with wealth, a beast tamercking talent can''t expand their brain domain, limiting them to only one contracted pet in their lifetime.


    A petcking talent consumes vast resources without mastering skills, let alone evolving.


    So, in the early stages of high school, when everyone is a new beast tamer, special recruits face some resistance.


    <i>Of course, none of this applies to Shengshui High School...</i>


    At Shengshui, only brain domain self-awakened geniuses qualify as special recruits. <i>Each city has just a few per year, who would dare not be impressed?</i>


    The guaranteed admission students at Shengshui dare to feel superior...


    <i>After all, they’re also self-awakened geniuses.</i>


    Wang Yao is one of them.


    As a guaranteed admission student whoter became a special recruit through her ability, Wang Yao is convinced that Qiao Sang, who’s a year younger yet more talented, must be a guaranteed admission student.


    "So what if she’s a guaranteed admission student? She’s still at the same school as me." Shi Gaofeng rolled his eyes.


    Wang Yao opened her mouth to retort, but just then, Qiao Sang patted her shoulder.


    "What is it?" Wang Yao asked, turning around.


    Qiao Sang, looking touched, said, "I know I''m smart, but I really am a special recruit."


    Wang Yao: !!!


    Shi Gaofeng nearly burst outughing, unable to contain himself.


    Wang Yao looked incredulous. <i>So, she was actually being outdone by a special recruit who’s a year younger?</i>


    <i>No, wait…</i>


    Suddenly recalling that she and Qiao Sang had never actually fought, Wang Yao remembered that she had two intermediate-level pets, while Qiao Sang, though possessing a me Hound, only had Little Treasure as a beginner-level pet.


    If Qiao Sang were a special recruit, <i>her academic scores probably wouldn’t be as good as Wang Yao’s...</i>


    This thought restored Wang Yao’s confidence.


    As she silently regained her self-assurance, Xu Yajie suddenly remarked, "Qiao Sang, you seem a bit different today."


    Qiao Sang paused, "Different how?"


    "You seem happier today; you haven’t stopped smiling. Did something good happen?" Xu Yajie asked.


    "Now that you mention it, she does seem different than usual." Shi Gaofeng added, also looking over.


    <i>Indeed, a good mood is noticeable… </i>Qiao Sangughed, "Yesterday, while helping someone find their lost pet, Little Treasure learned Shadow Control."


    Wang Yao: ...


    Xu Yajie and Shi Gaofeng fell silent.


    After a moment, Xu Yajie spoke up, "Didn’t know you had a sense of humor, Qiao Sang."


    <i>That sounds familiar...</i>


    Seeing that two people didn’t believe her, Qiao Sang said helplessly, "I’m telling the truth."


    "If that’s true, I’ll wash my hair while standing on my head." Shi Gaofeng chuckled.


    "Count me in; I’ll do a handstand and… well, you know." Xu Yajie joked.


    Shi Gaofeng, hispetitive spirit ignited, added, "If that’s true, I’ll stand on my head and… yeah, and wash my hair with it!"


    Wang Yao looked disgusted.


    "Are you serious?"


    "What’s gross? Not like we’d actually have to do it." Shi Gaofengughed.


    Normally, Qiao Sang might ignore them, <i>but today…</i>


    "Are you both serious?" Qiao Sang raised an eyebrow.


    Shi Gaofeng paused, "Of course. If it’s true, we’ll do it in front of the whole school!"


    He even nudged Xu Yajie.


    "Right?"


    "Yeah." Xu Yajie nodded.


    <i>Well, then, they asked for it. </i>She’d been wondering how to get Shi Gaofeng to withdraw his negative review, now here was her chance…


    Qiao Sang turned to Little Treasure and smiled, "Little Treasure, they don’t believe in you. Show them."


    "Xun~"


    Clearly intrigued by the oaths Shi Gaofeng and Xu Yajie made, Little Treasure cheerfully spun in ce, his eyes turning purple.


    Then his shadow twisted, stretched, and quickly connected with the shadow of the quiet, watching Yabao nearby.


    Yabao blinked, looking down at the connected shadow beneath him.


    The next second, he began spinning like a top on the spot.


    Yabao: ???


    Wang Yao, Xu Yajie, and Shi Gaofeng: !!!