Beast Taming: the More the Better Chapter 870 - 372: Don’t Lose Heart, You’re Already Amazing! (Part 2)

The intensity is naturally less over there.

Perhaps if I exit now, I could still observe this fellow for a bit longer!

With this thought, Qin Xiaoxue did not hesitate, taking one final glance at the rankings and noticing several participants had already withdrawn. She decisively pressed the exit button.

A beam of light instantly enveloped her as she recalled all her pet beasts into the Beast Taming Space. Concurrently, a spatial vortex materialized.

In the following moment, Qin Xiaoxue's figure vanished.

Replacing her was the former colossal sports stadium at the very center.

"Senior Qin is out! Senior Qin is out!"

"Senior Qin finished third in the end; who would have thought she’d be surpassed by Junior Dong!?"

"That's still quite impressive, who could have predicted Senior Qin would manage to find a Monarch-level ferocious beast in the end? Space-element pet beasts indeed offer an advantage in speed and securing key targets!"

"I have faith in Senior Qin. When the final trial commences in the Imperial Capital, her ranking will undoubtedly climb significantly!"

"..."

Disregarding the chatter erupting from the stadium seats and its surroundings.

Qin Xiaoxue was just about to retrieve her phone to regain signal and immediately check on Su Ping's progress.

As the thought crossed her mind, a voice called out from nearby.

"Miss Qin!"

Qin Xiaoxue looked up, and indeed, it was none other than Ye Zhou. A hint of wariness flickered across her face, but she quickly realized the examination had concluded, and her tense posture relaxed.

"What is it? You're out too?"

Ye Zhou shrugged. "There wasn't much left inside, but we emerged one after another. I've only just gotten out."

"Hmph, you won the provincial exam, but that's only because your pet beast is well-suited for this type of trial. Once we reach the Imperial Capital, the game changes entirely!"

Qin Xiaoxue let out a cold snort. As Sang Sheng's granddaughter, she had spent years at Magic Capital Academy, yet her rankings were consistently overshadowed by this individual; she simply couldn't accept it. Furthermore, for the upcoming journey to the Imperial Capital, Ye Zhou was Qin Xiaoxue's primary perceived rival.

"Haha, Miss Qin must have some trump card up her sleeve, but I won't reveal all my strength just yet! However, it seems now, that move might not necessarily be reserved for Miss Qin..." Ye Zhou remarked with a cunning smile.

What Qin Xiaoxue loathed the most was this fellow's affectation of profound mystery. She responded with a disdainful scoff.

"I'm merely concerned you might face unexpected failure and won't get to see me! But it's true, I heard that the Imperial Capital Academy indeed boasts several exceptionally powerful individuals this time around."

Ye Zhou offered a slight smile but refrained from further comment, instead shifting the topic.

"You've only just exited; you haven't checked on Su Ping's situation yet, have you? You'd best hurry and take a look?"

Qin Xiaoxue faltered.

Then, she observed the young man already turning away, his back receding. Her brows knitted together.

Could it be that something had happened to Su Ping? That couldn't be right; even if he couldn't replicate the strength demonstrated previously, securing a spot within the top ten of the provincial exam should still be achievable, shouldn't it?

With this thought, Qin Xiaoxue couldn't be bothered to linger at the central spatial vortex of the stadium. She promptly reopened her phone, skillfully navigating to the professional exam live broadcast site. Her fingers swiftly entered 'Jianghai Province' and keywords related to Su Ping.

However, upon entering the broadcast room, Qin Xiaoxue's heart sank.

Because at this very moment, the broadcast room was entirely black.

Within the black screen of the broadcast room, a single line of large text was displayed:

'This broadcast has concluded; participant scores have been finalized.'

Concluded!?

Qin Xiaoxue blinked, her snow-white teeth pressing against her lip.

She understood all too well what this signified.

Keep in mind, it was merely noon on the third day; there were still ten hours remaining until the provincial exam officially ended!

The examination venue in Jianghai Province, which served as the hub for all provincial beastmaster participants, accommodated an unimaginably vast number of individuals; how could it possibly conclude this early?

After all, within such large participant pools, decisive scores were invariably added upon the elimination of other participants!

But to withdraw from the exam so prematurely?

Clearly, only one outcome was possible.

Su Ping had been eliminated early!

Considering this possibility, Qin Xiaoxue's brows furrowed even more intensely.

She even felt a pang of anxiety and guilt for a moment.

Had the pressure she exerted on Su Ping resulted in some unforeseen circumstance?

Pondering this, Qin Xiaoxue hastily opened Su Ping's contact list and directly sent him a message:

'Cheer up! Even if you don't make it to the final trial, you're the most talented in my heart! Your accomplishments in breeding have already proven your worth; you're great and don't need to compare yourself with older beastmasters, don't lose heart!'.

After dispatching the message, Qin Xiaoxue felt no sense of relief; instead, she felt an urge to travel directly to Linzhou to personally offer comfort to this young man.

Knowing Su Ping’s inherently proud nature, she figured his early elimination would surely leave him deeply disgruntled.

Yet, before she could decide whether to contact him directly or pay him a visit, Su Ping’s response had already come through.

The message was concise:

’?’

Finding the reply too brief, a second message from Su Ping arrived moments later, with an additional word:

’Huh?’

Qin Xiaoxue's brow furrowed. What could 'Huh?' possibly signify?

Just as she was preparing to elaborate, a familiar voice echoed from nearby, calling out,

“Xiao Xue! Why are you dawdling here? Haha, the three of us sisters all made it into the academy's top ten this time! We can head to the Imperial Capital together!”

Without even looking, Qin Xiaoxue recognized the voice of her roommate, Lu Xiaolu.

However, she wasn’t in the mood for joyous celebration with Lu Xiaolu and Ling Xiaoxiao, who were approaching. Her own brow remained deeply furrowed.

Her two close friends, noticing Qin Xiaoxue’s troubled expression, exchanged glances. Ling Xiaoxiao placed a hand on Qin Xiaoxue's shoulder, offering words of comfort:

“Xiao Xue, calm down. This secret realm exam ranking isn’t the end-all. Let’s see how things play out in the final trial. Don’t get discouraged!”

Only then did Qin Xiaoxue respond,

“It’s not about me. It’s about Su Ping. It seems he didn’t perform well, and I’m trying to figure out how to console him. You two arrived at a good time; help me brainstorm some ideas.”

But after she finished speaking, Qin Xiaoxue, who was eagerly awaiting advice from her close friends, received only blank stares.

She looked up, met by the peculiar gazes and expressions of Ling Xiaoxiao and Lu Xiaolu.

“What are you two looking at me like that for?”

Ling Xiaoxiao appeared slightly taken aback.

“Xiao Xue, have you just emerged and haven’t yet checked Su Ping’s specific results?”

Huh? Qin Xiaoxue stiffened. She then watched as Lu Xiaolu eagerly opened her phone, displaying a video of Su Ping’s earlier performance.

Though the competition had proceeded to its final stages,

And the current results were not yet fully known, the rankings were already becoming apparent.

Finally, Qin Xiaoxue glanced at the final credit rankings for Jianghai Province. Her usually fair cheeks were suddenly flushed with a deep crimson.

Had she perhaps acted too hastily?

This credit score… How had he even achieved this?

She didn’t know, and while she desperately wanted to know, something far more urgent occupied her mind at that moment:

’Aaaaaah, I sent it to the wrong person earlier!’

’Hahaha, no, no, that was Lu using my phone!’

’Hehe, I saw your ranking, first in Jianghai! That’s incredible! Way better than mine!’

’...’

Witnessing the increasingly bizarre stream of messages from Qin Xiaoxue on his phone, Su Ping found himself utterly perplexed, his mind filled with question marks.

What on earth was this girl rambling about?

Just as Su Ping considered calling to clear things up, his phone suddenly rang.

An unknown number appeared on the caller ID.

Su Ping raised an eyebrow but answered the call after a moment's thought.

The instant the call connected, a voice, seemingly deep and resonant, spoke from the other end:

“Hello, is this Breeder Su Ping?”