Chapter 690: Except myself (2-in-1)

The next day, Qiao Sang woke up, quickly washed up, and went to the kitchen, where she saw Vice Principal Liu Yao already busy.

“Just five more minutes, it’ll be ready soon,” Liu Yao said while preparing the Energy Pills for Yabao and the others.

Qiao Sang walked over and asked, “Do you need any help?”

“No need,” Liu Yao replied, not looking up from his work. “I just adjusted the Energy Pill formula a few days ago based on Flame Qilu’s current physical condition and made new ones. You wouldn’t know which one belongs to whom.”

It felt so good to have an A-level Breeder around… Qiao Sang sighed inwardly, then suddenly heard a rustle nearby.

She turned her head and saw Xiao Xunbao opening the refrigerator, rummaging for snacks.

“Don’t move,” Qiao Sang said.

“Xiao Xunbao?” Xiao Xunbao turned its head, looking a bit confused.

“We’re having breakfast soon. Don’t eat snacks now,” Qiao Sang said.

“Xiao Xunbao…”

Xiao Xunbao looked at the contents of the refrigerator, then at Qiao Sang, and then pointed towards the living room.

Qiao Sang followed Xiao Xunbao’s gaze and saw another Xiao Xunbao watching a computer screen, seemingly a tear-jerking movie, occasionally wiping its tears with a tissue held in its paw.

Qiao Sang was silent for two seconds, then asked, “It asked you to get snacks?”

“Xiao Xunbao.”

The Xiao Xunbao in front of her nodded.

Qiao Sang thought of something, sensed it in the yu beast codex, paused again, and asked, “Are you a Substitute?”

“Xiao Xunbao.”

The “Xiao Xunbao” nodded.

Can Substitute be used like this…? Qiao Sang looked at the Xiao Xunbao silently wiping its tears not far away with an extremely complicated expression, then withdrew her gaze and said, “Don’t get it snacks. Just tell it we’re having breakfast soon.”

“Xiao Xunbao.”

The “Xiao Xunbao” nodded, closed the refrigerator, and floated back to its main body’s side.

Qiao Sang watched the Substitute.

It went over and said something to Xiao Xunbao. Xiao Xunbao nodded, then pulled out a tissue for the Substitute, and soon both Ghost Ring Kings were teary-eyed, simultaneously wiping their tears while staring at the computer screen.

Qiao Sang: “…”

At the dining table, Qiao Sang enjoyed the breakfast made by the Vice Principal, but her mind was not on the food.

“What are you thinking about?” Liu Yao asked.

Qiao Sang lowered her voice and asked, “Vice Principal, do you think a Substitute that trains to the Profound Level will develop its own consciousness?”

Last night, when she was looking at the yu beast codex, she found that Xiao Xunbao’s Substitute had already trained to the Profound Level, though it hadn’t reached its peak yet.

Liu Yao immediately understood what Qiao Sang was worried about.

He glanced at the Ghost Ring King, who was currently eating, and said, “When a Substitute trains to the Profound Level, it’s impossible for a separate consciousness to be generated. It just means it can stay outside for a longer time, understand the main body’s thoughts, and feel whatever the main body feels.”

“A Profound Level Substitute can act independently. Your Ghost Ring King’s Substitute must have reached the Profound Level. It probably felt lonely playing on the computer by itself, so it used its Substitute to play with it.”

At this Point, he paused and said earnestly, “However, Pets should play less with computers, especially your Ghost Ring King, who is young and still in the golden growth phase.”

Liu Yao had actually wanted to say this earlier. Every time he came back or went to the bathroom at night, he would see the Ghost Ring King and its Substitute playing on the computer.

This was definitely not a good habit.

But Qiao Sang’s Pets had already trained to such a degree, so he didn’t feel it was appropriate to intervene and lecture.

This time, he finally caught an opportunity.

Qiao Sang smiled slightly: “Don’t worry, Xiao Xunbao using its Substitute is equivalent to training. Its Substitute’s proficiency wasn’t that high originally; it only increased recently by playing on the computer with its Substitute.”

Hearing this, Liu Yao looked thoughtful.

Indeed, thinking back, the Ghost Ring King’s Substitute had become noticeably more agile than before. If it were someone unfamiliar, they definitely wouldn’t be able to tell the difference from the main body…

Could it be that as long as the Substitute is used, no matter what it’s doing, it can increase the skill’s proficiency? Liu Yao fell into deep thought for a moment.

The Xiao Xunbao nearby quietly ate its Energy Pill, as if it hadn’t heard the conversation.

“Xiao Xunbao ~ burp ~”

At the same time, in a certain unoccupied room, a Ghost Ring King, without eating anything, was burping while playing on the computer.

… …

After breakfast, Qiao Sang went to her room, half-lay on the bed, took out her phone, and opened a certain second-hand platform.

The investment could not be done with a credit card, so she could only purchase some rare materials and items from physical stores or major websites for resale.

This was not an easy task.

To quickly sell goods and raise money, she could only lower the price, but if the price was too low, others wouldn’t believe it was genuine. If the price was slightly lower than the market, people would think it was second-hand and complain the price was too high.

It was very difficult.

It took Qiao Sang more than half a month to gather the funds to invest in Hugh Lewis’s venture.

Fortunately, En and Wen Xiao had not yet officially started their respective businesses and were easy to talk to, otherwise, the cooperation might have fallen through.

Qiao Sang replied to buyers’ questions.

After some haggling, bargaining, and tireless communication, the transaction was finally successful.

Qiao Sang put down her phone and looked at Steel Treasure, who was training Iron Wall nearby, and said, “Steel Treasure, please pack the Ice Mist Bud. Someone wants it.”

“Steel Guard.”

Steel Treasure put away its Iron Wall, nodded, and then walked out the door.

Qiao Sang looked at Steel Treasure’s retreating figure with satisfaction. Although Steel Treasure didn’t talk much, it observed and understood almost everything.

Just talking about that batch of goods, it knew where they were placed, what they looked like, and even their names, which was truly impressive. At least, before it, she had never seen another Pet like that.

Suddenly, Qiao Sang thought of something and entered the yu beast codex with her consciousness.

The page turned, quickly reaching the one about Steel Treasure.

[Name: Steel Guardian Falcon]

[Attribute: Steel, Flying]

[Level: Intermediate (8466 / 10000) +]

During this time, Steel Treasure trained with Lubao and did not learn Substitute. She thought that if it had more energy inside, training might be easier, so she had been adding some Points to its level periodically.

Steel Treasure had participated in the Pet Arena in the Third District and accumulated a lot of Points, enough to directly evolve it into a High-level Pet.

She had originally intended to let it use its Points to evolve once one of its skills reached the Profound Level.

After all, its next stage was unknown, and she couldn’t be so lucky as to get another dream enlightenment stone.

Unfortunately, Steel Treasure didn’t have Yabao’s Substitute, nor Xiao Xunbao’s Substitute. Because of its feather issues, it still had to sleep on time and couldn’t practice all night like Lubao.

During the day, besides spending two hours on mobile training with Lubao, it also had to practice Iron Wall for her, a fragile Yu Beast Master, as well as practice Air Absorption and Wing Blade, and occasionally take care of five Chan Chan Stones. It was very busy.

Given its current level Points, if it continued training like this every day, it might naturally evolve before any one skill reached the Profound Meaning.

It seems that for the next period, Steel Treasure’s training regimen needs to be reduced, focusing on just one skill…

Thinking of this, Qiao Sang glanced at the proficiency of Iron Wall, Air Absorption, and Wing Blade, then exited the yu beast codex.

Eight minutes later, Steel Treasure pushed the door open.

As soon as it entered, it noticed its Yu Beast Master’s gaze upon it.

“Steel Guard?”

Steel Treasure called out, indicating if there was something.

“It’s like this,” Qiao Sang went straight to the Point. “I’m planning for you to focus on training just one skill from now on.”

“Steel Guard?”

Steel Treasure looked puzzled.

Why?

Qiao Sang patiently explained:

“You’re going to evolve soon, so we need to plan ahead. Having one skill reach the Profound Level will make you stronger in the early stages after evolution than Pets that evolve at the same time, and your potential will also be greater.”

She wasn’t just saying this; it was a conclusion she drew from Yabao and the others’ previous experiences.

“Steel Guard…”

Steel Treasure was stunned by the news.

Was it going to evolve so soon…?

It felt like it hadn’t been that long since it evolved into its Intermediate form…

But since its Yu Beast Master said so, it must be true…

“Steel Guard?”

Steel Treasure looked up at its Yu Beast Master.

So what skill should it focus on training next?

Qiao Sang asked with a smile, “What skill do you want to train?”

“Steel Guard.”

Steel Treasure thought for a moment, then called out, indicating it wanted to train Iron Wall.

Qiao Sang was a bit surprised.

Before the incident in the 19th District, Steel Treasure wasn’t very enthusiastic about training Iron Wall. It preferred skills that could cause damage to targets.

Could it be that it wants to focus on training Iron Wall for my sake…? Qiao Sang’s heart warmed, deeply moved, and she asked softly, “Why do you want to train this skill?”

“Steel Guard.”

Steel Treasure calmly stated its reasoning.

Among the skills it was currently training, Iron Wall was the simplest, so training this skill would allow it to improve its proficiency faster.

Qiao Sang: “…”

She was touched too soon… Qiao Sang controlled her facial expression and said, “Your consideration is correct.”

Actually, she had looked at the skill proficiencies earlier, and the skill she wanted Steel Treasure to train was also Iron Wall.

Its Iron Wall had already reached the late mastery stage, close to perfection, making it the closest skill to the Profound Level among the three.

“Steel Guard.”

At this moment, Steel Treasure showed a serious expression and called out, indicating that besides Iron Wall, it also wanted to continue training Substitute.

Qiao Sang stared at Steel Treasure for a while, not asking why, but nodding: “Okay.”

She could see Steel Treasure’s determination to learn Substitute.

“Steel Guard.”

Steel Treasure, hearing this, subtly curled its mouth into a small smile.

… …

Seven in the evening.

Outdoor training ground.

In the dark night, large chunks of Hail, like translucent stones, fell from the sky.

A purple figure moved rapidly through them, not allowing any Hail to touch it.

At first, Steel Treasure was relaxed, but as time passed, it gradually struggled.

Training Substitute meant reducing the time spent training Iron Wall, and Steel Treasure was aware of this.

But it always felt like it was just a tiny bit away from learning Substitute, so it was unwilling to give up training just like that.

Faster, faster… As long as it learned Substitute quickly, it could spend more time on Iron Wall…

Steel Treasure gritted its teeth, showing a determined expression, and its previously slowing speed accelerated again.

“Bang!”

At this moment, a piece of Hail struck its wing.

Steel Treasure’s body swayed, and its speed suddenly slowed.

The Hail continued to fall, constantly hitting Steel Treasure’s body.

“Steel Guard!”

Steel Treasure was still an Intermediate Pet, and although Hail was classified as High Level due to being a weather-type skill, the Pet performing this skill was Lubao, and Lubao had been training with Steel Treasure during this time, so its proficiency had already increased. With so much Hail continuously hitting Steel Treasure, it simply couldn’t withstand it and couldn’t help but cry out.

Below, Lubao, seeing Steel Treasure falling from high above, instinctively prepared to use Healing Light.

Its internal energy circulated, and the gem on its forehead emitted a blue light.

But just then, Steel Treasure, less than 5 centimeters from the ground, forcefully spread its wings and flew back into the sky.

“Ice Ke…”

Lubao was stunned for a moment, then withdrew Healing Light.

In the high sky.

Dense Hail pelted down frantically, many striking Steel Treasure’s body.

Steel Treasure gritted its teeth, controlling its body.

Faster, faster!

It felt like it was about to learn Substitute!

It sensed it!

“Steel Guard!”

Steel Treasure gritted its teeth, its internal energy suddenly erupted, and its speed instantly reached an extreme.

At the same time, a white light illuminated its body.

Below, Lubao looked up.

It saw a figure like a white Electro-optic Flash darting wildly through the Hail, so fast that its exact outline was indistinguishable.

“Ice Ke…”

… …

Inside the room.

“So, after all these days of training, you didn’t learn Substitute, but instead learned Electro-optic Flash?” Qiao Sang was surprised but also excited after reading the yu beast codex.

“Steel Guard…”

Steel Treasure nodded with a helpless expression.

It had always thought the skill it was about to learn was Substitute, but it turned out to be another skill.

Qiao Sang smiled and said, “Electro-optic Flash is good. This skill is quite useful; it can be used for both offense and evasive movement.”

Electro-optic Flash, an Intermediate-level Normal-type skill, can only be learned by Pets with strong explosive power, good movement speed, and physical strength.

With this move, even among some Electric-type Pets known for their speed at the same level, its speed would not fall behind.

“Steel Guard.”

Steel Treasure, seeing that its Yu Beast Master seemed very happy, felt its previously depressed mood improve significantly. It called out, indicating that it would not continue training Substitute for now.

“Why?” Qiao Sang was a little puzzled.

After all, just this morning, Steel Treasure had seemed determined to train Substitute.

“Steel Guard, Steel Guard.”

Steel Treasure flapped its wings.

It had felt like it was about to learn a new skill during its recent training. It had thought it would be Substitute, but it turned out to be Electro-optic Flash. After learning this move, that feeling was gone.

So, before Iron Wall reached the Profound Level, it wasn’t going to waste time training Substitute. It would wait until it completed the Iron Wall task.

Its goal is so clear… Qiao Sang smiled and said, “Okay, then we’ll train Substitute later.”

“Ice Ke…”

Lubao silently watched the scene from the side.

It always felt that recently, whether it was Yabao, Xiao Xunbao, or Steel Treasure, they were all progressing very quickly, except for itself…

Lubao’s dark blue eyes flickered with gloom.

It walked to the water tank containing the Sacred Essence Water, jumped in, then lay down, closed its eyes, and circulated its energy. (End of Chapter)