Beast Taming: the More the Better Chapter 869 - 372: Don’t Lose Heart, You’re Already Amazing!

A colossal 'boom!' reverberated before Qin Xiaoxue.

Accompanying a quake that felt like the earth splitting, Qin Xiaoxue's normally frigid and piercing gaze softened slightly.

Then, with a mere wave of her hand, the already immense form of the Life Ancient Tree swelled further, an verdant luminescence cascading from its being. From the defeated husk of the ferocious beast, a similarly green orb of light was absorbed into the Life Ancient Tree.

This defeated foe was none other than a Monarch Level Great Strength Vajra Ape.

Possessing formidable strength and blazing speed, its power was exceptional for its Monarch Third Rank realm, standing out amongst pet beasts of equivalent cultivation.

Yet, this formidable creature only required a modicum of effort and strategic maneuvering from Qin Xiaoxue's Life Ancient Tree.

The Mystical Blossom Fairy, her most potent trump card, remained entirely uninvolved.

Still, the Great Strength Vajra Ape met its demise with surprising ease.

[Ding...]

The notification chime from her wristband did little to lift Qin Xiaoxue's spirits; instead, a flicker of annoyance crossed her face as she observed the Magic Capital Academy's standings.

Her once secure second-place position had vanished, supplanted by a descent to third.

Indeed, after three full days of rigorous combat evaluations, on this final day of the Provincial Exam, she had been overtaken in the rankings.

The perpetrator? None other than Dong Muxuan, a junior by comparison.

Astonishingly, he had managed to accumulate over five hundred more points than her.

Such a margin was considerable, particularly at this critical juncture of the competition.

The readily accessible resources and vanquished ferocious beasts within the Secret Realm had been largely depleted by the students.

Those remaining primarily consisted of formidable opponents, the seasoned veterans, lying in wait to ambush other Beastmaster students.

Naturally, Miss Qin's own formidable strength was undeniable.

Even when faced with coordinated ambushes by less conspicuous individuals, these attempts were swiftly quashed by her prowess.

But beyond that, encounters had become scarce.

The simple truth was, excluding her enigmatic Mystical Blossom Fairy, neither the Crown Wolf Emperor nor the Life Ancient Tree possessed the necessary speed to pursue fleeing opponents.

This limitation had created a rather awkward situation.

Who amongst the Magic Capital Advanced Academy's elite would dare provoke the renowned Miss Qin willingly?

Save for a handful of impetuous or misguided souls, few would actively seek confrontation.

However, Ye Zhou and Dong Muxuan, wielding the formidable powers of Time and Space Elements respectively, possessed methods perfectly suited for hunting fellow students.

If more academy contestants at the provincial level employed such tactics, their accumulated points would undoubtedly be even more astronomical.

Could the perpetually competitive Miss Qin possibly not feel vexed by this turn of events?

Yet, setting aside the Crown Wolf Emperor, the Mystical Blossom Fairy was a closely guarded secret, reserved by Miss Qin for the ultimate challenge: the final exam in the Imperial Capital. To reveal it prematurely would grant adversaries advance knowledge, a significant strategic disadvantage.

Even more critically, the question lingered whether the Mystical Blossom Fairy, even if unleashed, could truly rival the sheer velocity of those two particular talents.

Nevertheless, Qin Xiaoxue, not one to dwell excessively on minor setbacks, did not allow the matter to consume her entirely.

The ultimate goal, passage into the final exam, required only a top-ten finish in the Provincial Exam.

Quibbling over precise rankings within this preliminary stage held little true significance; the ultimate measure of strength would only manifest in the Imperial Capital, amidst the crucible of the grand arena matches against all gathered contestants.

With this realization, Qin Xiaoxue cast her gaze back towards the rankings displayed on her wristband.

Currently, only a handful of individuals remained within the Secret Realm among those listed on the leaderboard.

It was evident, in Qin Xiaoxue's assessment, that the Provincial Exam's Secret Realm phase was drawing to a close.

Her final ranking appeared to be set.

The discovery of this final Monarch Level Great Strength Vajra Ape was a stroke of luck unlikely to be replicated by others.

Such a hidden prize would have remained elusive without the Mystical Blossom Fairy's unique ability to perceive through the dense foliage of the Myriad Woods.

Now, with the immediate task concluded, Qin Xiaoxue could finally allow her thoughts to drift towards other pressing matters.

Chief among them was her gravest concern: how was Su Ping faring?

Could that individual manage to secure a spot within the top ten?

While Qin Xiaoxue privately surmised it was likely achievable, she knew that he possessed an uncanny knack for producing unexpected results.

Still, a subtle unease persisted within her.

After all, Su Ping was notably young, having only awakened his abilities a mere year prior. Elevating both his cultivation and his primary pet beast to Commander Level represented a significant feat.

The challenge of surpassing competitors who had honed their skills over many years at this stage was undeniably steep.

However...

Qin Xiaoxue's mind flickered back to the peculiar paperman encountered in the Hundred Flowers Secret Realm, a memory that brought a measure of reassurance.

"But, can that particular pet beast replicate its performance within the more demanding environment of the Provincial Exam Secret Realm?"

Though direct and forthright, Qin Xiaoxue was far from naive.

Recalling that paper figurine assailing the Emperor Level Emperor Peony, it felt somewhat unbelievable at the time.

However, dwelling on it now was unproductive. With the current state of affairs, the academy's internal examination seemed to be proceeding without any unforeseen occurrences.

Precisely ten hours remained until the official conclusion of the Provincial Exam's three-day duration!

Ten hours is a considerable amount of time.

Given the relatively modest scale of Magic Capital Academy's examination grounds, the sheer number of contenders would not possibly match that of the Jianghai Provincial Exam.