Chapter 74: Intuition and Iron Elder
Chapter 74: Intuition and Iron Elder
After sending a reply to Xue Huaiyu, Li Qian didn't ignore the other two admissions teachers but instead sent them a message.
He thanked them for their recognition.
Ai Xiaolian was fine, as she was the last to arrive, and in her heart, she already believed that Li Qian had a strong bias towards Jiangnan Beastmaster University. So, when she received the text message, she wasn't surprised.
Of course, disappointment was inevitable.
As for the other person, Zhou Chubin, upon receiving the text message, he was completely dumbfounded.
At that moment, his only thought was... How did the cooked duck fly away?
This was followed by a strong sense of confusion and bewilderment: Why did the cooked duck fly away?
Since Li Qian didn't choose Jiangnan Beastmaster University, he must have made a choice between Shazhou Beastmaster University and Mizhou Beastmaster University.
Could it be that the allure of a beauty was truly so powerful? Zhou Chubin shook his head, quickly dismissing the thought.
Others might be swayed by beauty, but after interacting with Li Qian these past few days, he was quite certain.
The other party probably wasn't the type to be easily influenced by beauty; he was rational and mature, not like a typical high school student.
It was unlikely that he would abandon his hometown and choose to go far away.
After a moment of thought with his eyes closed, Zhou Chubin quickly narrowed it down to Shazhou Beastmaster University, specifically, to Xue Huaiyu.
Earlier, when he saw the expression Xue Huaiyu had after communicating with Li Qian, a bad premonition had arisen in his heart.
He never expected that this bad premonition would actually come true.
Without further thought, following his instinct and intuition, Zhou Chubin directly dialed a number.
The owner of this number was none other than Xue Huaiyu.
The number had been added just a few days ago.
The call connected quickly, and upon hearing the familiar voice, Zhou Chubin got straight to the point, "Teacher Xue, I'm really curious. What conditions did Shazhou Beastmaster University offer Li Qian that made him choose to go all the way to the Western Regions?"
His words were both a question and a probe, testing whether Li Qian had truly chosen Shazhou Beastmaster University.
After all, feelings were just feelings; without confirmation, they remained mere speculations.
The probing didn't last long, as Xue Huaiyu on the other end of the phone quickly responded, "As expected of Teacher Zhou, you guessed that it was Shazhou Beastmaster University right away."
Hearing this, Zhou Chubin couldn't help but smirk.
Was it that hard to guess?
The one in Mizhou who imitated you, Ai Xiaolian, didn't seem to have much competition.
Having secured Li Qian, Xue Huaiyu was in high spirits.
She smiled and responded, "I can't tell you the specific conditions, but I can say that we were very sincere in recruiting Li Qian. The conditions we offered are equivalent to recruiting a top-tier breeding master!"
"Wow~!"
Hearing Xue Huaiyu's offer, Zhou Chubin couldn't help but gasp in surprise.
For a moment, he didn't know what to say.
They thought the conditions they offered were already quite good.
However, compared to recruiting a top-tier breeding master, there was still a gap.
"No wonder he chose your Shazhou Beastmaster University. Your offer is indeed..."
Zhou Chubin didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was already very clear.
After a brief silence, he continued, "Is it worth it for you to pay such an extravagant price?"
On the other end of the phone, Xue Huaiyu didn't hide anything and replied truthfully, "I don't know either. From the current perspective, it might indeed seem a bit excessive, but we're betting on his future."
"Most importantly, as everyone knows, our Shazhou Beastmaster University's weakness lies in breeding. Paying such a price can be considered buying a horse's bone with a thousand pieces of gold."
"Well said, buying a horse's bone with a thousand pieces of gold. Jiangnan Beastmaster University, in the end, lacks a bit of boldness." After listening to Xue Huaiyu's words, Zhou Chubin's enhancement:
Upon learning of Li Qian's final choice and roughly understanding the price Shazhou Beastmaster University paid, Zhou Chubin didn't continue the conversation with Xue Huaiyu.
Continuing the conversation would be pointless, and after hanging up the phone, he muttered to himself, "Why do I always feel that one day, we might regret it!"
Unfortunately, it was already too late to regret.
The fact that Li Qian had chosen a Beastmaster University was undeniable.
Having received Li Qian's text message and confirmed his destination with Xue Huaiyu, Zhou Chubin didn't linger any longer.
Chu Xiran received a message from Zhou Chubin, but she didn't respond. She glanced at it and put her phone back in her pocket. The content of the message wasn't unexpected for her. In fact, half an hour before receiving the message, Li Qian had already called her to explain his decision. He even apologized, feeling a bit embarrassed, as he ultimately didn't choose Jiangnan Beastmaster University.
Chu Xiran, not bothered by this, clearly stated her position, "I am a graduate of Jiangnan Beastmaster University, that's true, but before that, I was first your teacher."
"As a teacher, I hope you choose the path most suitable for your development. Now, you've made your choice, and it wasn't influenced by me. I'm happy for you."
The two only exchanged a few words before ending the call, as Chu Xiran had more important matters to attend to. At that moment, she was in a private room of a Beastmaster Cafe not far from Lingwater City's Beastmaster High School.
In the private room, besides Chu Xiran, there were also Zhu Bingqing and Bull Vigor. All three had serious expressions on their faces.
Chu Xiran spoke up to explain the current situation, "You should already know about the explosion that happened the night before last. According to what I know, there was another attack yesterday noon, and the attackers were people from the Machinery Drought Sect. Fortunately, the Security Bureau intervened in time, preventing any further chaos."
Zhu Bingqing nodded and added, "I've received confirmed information from my family that the target of the Machinery Drought Sect is very likely the Sealed Land."
Bull Vigor's usual carefree demeanor was gone, and his expression became equally serious. He speculated, "If we continue to let them probe, it won't be long before they discover that the Peach Orchard Villa in the northern suburbs is just a decoy."
"If they shift their target, they will eventually find the real Sealed Land."
Chu Xiran scanned Zhu Bingqing and Bull Vigor, asking, "Do we have any countermeasures?"
Zhu Bingqing shook her head and said with a hint of helplessness, "We're just three small guards stationed here. We can handle minor threats, but for a powerful cult like the Machinery Drought Sect, all we can do is report to the family."
She continued with a complaint, "I don't know what is sealed there that has attracted their covetousness."
"Let's just do our best and leave the rest to fate."
Ignoring Bull Vigor's complaint, Zhu Bingqing shared her thoughts, which were also the task assigned by her family.
This meeting didn't last long. After a cup of coffee, the three left the Beastmaster Cafe and went their separate ways.
Soon after they left, a young man dressed as a waiter, wearing black-framed glasses, emerged from a corner of the cafe. He looked in the direction where the three had left and focused his attention on Bull Vigor, a faint smile curving his lips.
Suddenly, he reached up and touched the top of his glasses, and then, abruptly, he spoke, "Then let's focus our breakthrough on them."
...
The day after Zhou Chubin and Ai Xiaolian left, Xue Huaiyu also departed. Before leaving, she specifically visited the Breeding Facility to convey some matters.
"The official invitation letter from the principal of Shazhou Beastmaster University and the special admissions notice will be delivered to you soon. Once you receive them, you can report to Shazhou Beastmaster University on time..."
Li Qian readily agreed without hesitation, as he had already promised to attend Shazhou Beastmaster University.
On the third day after Xue Huaiyu's departure, an unassuming-looking elderly man arrived at the Breeding Facility. He was small and thin, resembling an old farmer.
This man delivered the official invitation letter from the principal of Shazhou Beastmaster University and the special admission notice to Li Qian.
And he stayed on as well.
Yes, he was the security officer arranged by Shazhou Beastmaster University for Li Qian, a Beastmaster with at least Overlord-level strength.
Honestly speaking, I couldn't tell.
From this perspective, it's true that you can't judge a book by its cover, and the ocean's depths are unfathomable.
But this is good too, the more unremarkable his appearance, the easier it is for people to overlook him, and at a critical moment, he might even be able to catch them off guard.
As for the strength of this old man with no memorable features, Li Qian had no doubts.
After their meeting, he saw a little red snake on the old man's shoulder.
Li Qian stared for a while before realizing what kind of companion beast it was—a pet with Overlord-level potential, the Inferno Viper.
Dual Arcane Poison Attribute! And from the fleeting aura, one could tell that this Inferno Viper's strength was definitely beyond the Overlord-level.
It's likely an Overlord-level beast, but as for which stage of Overlord, that's unknown.
This is just one of the old man's companion beasts, and with his strength as an Overlord-level Beastmaster, he definitely has more than one contracted beast.
From this, one can deduce that the old man's strength is definitely not weak, and he's likely not a newly-entered Overlord-level Beastmaster.
"I wonder what the senior would like to be called?" After realizing the old man's strength, Li Qian's attitude became much more respectful.
"I'm just an ordinary gatekeeper at Shazhou Beastmaster University, you don't need to call me senior. If you're so inclined, just call me Iron Old." The old man spoke calmly.
Hearing this, Li Qian naturally wouldn't dare to address him so directly, so he removed the word "old" and respectfully called him "Iron."
"Iron, I'll trouble you for the next three months." Li Qian dared not be presumptuous, and his tone remained very respectful.
As for Iron's claim of being a gatekeeper, Li Qian just listened casually and didn't take it seriously.
It's unlikely for a Beastmaster with Overlord-level strength to be a gatekeeper, even for the Eight Greats.
With Iron's addition, Li Qian could say that his safety was assured.
Of course, this wasn't his goal; having an Overlord-level Beastmaster to protect him was just a facade.
Ever since the last time when the Machinery Drought Sect caused trouble, and with Lingwater City's recent unrest, Li Qian instinctively felt that something might happen in the city.
The reason he asked Shazhou Beastmaster University to send someone to protect him was to prevent any potential problems.
If something unexpected happens, with Iron there, he might be able to help out at a critical moment.
After all, Lingwater City is where he was born and raised, and if he can lend a hand at a crucial time, he definitely won't hesitate.
Thus, three days passed in a flash, and during these three days, Li Qian's feeling became even stronger.
Because within these three days, the small Lingwater City actually had two explosions, and the explosion sites had shifted from the northern suburbs to the western suburbs.
Although these two explosions were covered up by the officials with various seemingly reasonable excuses.
But Li Qian, who had experienced such incidents before, saw through it at a glance.
This matter was definitely suspicious!
After noticing the strangeness, Li Qian didn't go to report or expose it.
If he could notice the strangeness, then the officials who had more information would definitely know as well.
Perhaps, they already had a plan to deal with it.
Calming down, Li Qian maintained his usual rhythm, studying cultivation knowledge while training Coalhead and the others, and also catching up on Frostfire Formation knowledge under Niu Jinjin's teaching.
By now, regarding this formation, he was almost as proficient as if it were the back of his hand, and there were basically no more issues.
Whether it was control or arrangement, he had reached a certain level of proficiency, and unknowingly, Niu Jinjin's teaching had reached the last day.
But on this very day, something strange happened.
Time had already passed the last day, but Niu Jinjin still hadn't arrived at the cultivation base.
"That's unlikely, this is already the last day, there's no reason to skip work like this."
Li Qian knew that Niu Jinjin seemed unreliable, but in reality, he was quite trustworthy.
Things he promised would definitely be seen through to the end.
Just as Li Qian was pondering, a phone call suddenly came in.
The caller was none other than Teacher Chu Xiran.
As soon as the call connected, Chu Xiran's somewhat anxious voice could be heard, "Student Li Qian, is Niu Jinjin with you?"
(End of Chapter)
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