BXBX NOVEL Chapter 114: 104: Choosing Defensive Skills
Chen Xing thought that old Qiu recommending him for the Qinghai competition might have something to do with it.
Qiu Shangqing said with a smile, “What do you think, your beast taming strength should be sufficient now, right? With your skills, you could even qualify for this year’s college entrance exams.”
A beast with a special evolution could indeed score highly in the college entrance exams.
Chu Nan also chimed in from the side, “That’s right, Brother Chen’s beast taming skills are indeed exceptional. Not just the college entrance exams, even if he participated in this year’s University Cup, he would achieve remarkable results.”
“It’s a pity that winning places is possible, but winning the championship is still a bit difficult.” Qiu Qingqing shook her head, her insight was clearer in this regard.
Chu Nan was initially startled by her words, then laughed in realization. He explained for Chen Xing, “Those who can participate in the University Cup are the outstanding among their peers, not to mention that the champion teams are selected from major colleges nationwide. But Brother Chen is only a freshman now, by the time he’s a senior, his beast will surely have grown enough to compete for the championship.”
His words were heartfelt; he had been astonished to learn that Chen Xing’s beast taming was a rare evolution while still a freshman.
He was also thankful that he hadn’t rashly tried to find fault and cause trouble.
Chen Xing was now considered a budding talent. Something even he could see clearly, he believed old Qiu’s grandfather saw even clearer.
Old Qiu obviously wanted to be the investor, therefore he showed a friendly attitude towards Chen Xing.
“Of course, the tricky part now is that the University Cup is a four-person team competition, and the overall quality of the four competitors’ beasts is key to deciding the outcome.”
“If Brother Chen wants to increase his chances of winning, perhaps he should consider transferring schools. If he could transfer to a strong school like Mingde, chances of winning would definitely increase. I believe that Mingde would certainly welcome Brother Chen’s addition.”
Although Chu Nan had not participated in the University Cup, he was once a student at Mingde.
If Chen Xing was interested, he would be willing to be the bridge for him.
Footsteps from outside grew closer, and soon after, the door was gently opened. A woman dressed elegantly and looking about forty years old walked in. She retained her charm and bore an extraordinary demeanor. She placed her purse on the table, her movements light and composed.
“Auntie!” Qiu Qingqing recognized the unexpected guest immediately, her face showing a surprised expression, “When did you get back? Why didn’t you give us a heads-up?”
The woman gave a slight smile, her eyes and eyebrows exuding warm affection, “I came straight here after getting off the plane, wanting to give you all a surprise.”
She turned to look at Qiu Shangqing, her smile still on her face, but her tone was respectful, “Dad, the business negotiations with the Polaris Federation have concluded. They agreed before we even reached our lowest asking price, this cooperation should go smoothly.”
Qiu Shangqing nodded his head, his expression unfazed. He didn’t seem very concerned about business matters, casually saying, “It’s enough that your younger sibling handles the business affairs; you don’t need to overexert yourself. Spend more time on yourself, take good care of yourself.”
“Understood, Dad,” the woman respectfully responded, then turned to look at Chu Nan, “Chu Nan is here too.”
“Auntie,” Chu Nan followed Qiu Qingqing’s familial ranking and greeted her.
“Mm,” the woman responded, her gaze finally resting on Chen Xing.
“Hello, Auntie. My name is Chen Xing.” Chen Xing immediately introduced himself upon seeing her.
The woman slightly startled, then a kind smile appeared on her face, “So you are Chen Xing, old Xue’s student.” Her words conveyed a slight familiarity with Chen Xing.
At the same time, Qiu Shangqing’s expression subtly changed upon hearing that name, as if displeased. He picked up his teacup, took a sip, and said nothing.
The atmosphere became somewhat delicate in an instant, but the woman seemed unaware and continued chatting with Chen Xing: “Old Xue often speaks of you. He says you’re a very talented student.”
“Thank you for your praise,” Chen Xing humbly replied, “I still have much to learn and improve upon.”
“Are you a local from Shu State?”
“Yes,” Chen Xing nodded.
“I haven’t been to Shu State in many years,” the woman sighed. “If you don’t mind, could you accompany me for a walk by the lake?”
Qiu Shangqing yawned, “Looks like you’ve all finished eating, so this old man will head back now.”
Saying this, Qiu Shangqing stood up and left the banquet hall.
Chen Xing followed the woman to the lakeside.
The woman walked ahead while Chen Xing followed, the midnight breeze feeling quite cold.
The woman walking ahead spoke, “My name is Qiu Xialan. I don’t know if he has ever mentioned my name to you.”
Principal Xue was usually very talkative, but when it came to matters of the heart, he rarely discussed them with Chen Xing.
Chen Xing felt this question was a trap. Unsure of how to answer, he simply kept his head down in silence. “It seems he hasn’t mentioned it,” Qiu Xialan said to herself.
The lakeside breeze gently blew, bringing a hint of chilliness.
Chen Xing followed behind Qiu Xialan, keeping an appropriate distance. They slowly walked along the lakeside path, surrounded by tranquility, accompanied only by the breeze and the sound of the water.
Qiu Xialan seemed lost in her memories as she slowly began, “Shu State holds many beautiful memories for me. Back then, I was young, and I spent many happy times here with old Xue.”
Listening to Qiu Xialan’s stories, Chen Xing couldn’t help but become curious about the past shared by this aunt and the principal.
However, Qiu Xialan did not continue on that topic; instead, she changed tack, asking, “What do you think of old Xue as a person?”
Chen Xing was slightly startled, not expecting Qiu Xialan to ask such a question. After pondering for a moment, he answered, “Principal Xue is a very meticulous and serious person. He has been of great help to me.”
Qiu Xialan lightly laughed upon hearing this, “Yes, that’s exactly the kind of person he is. Sometimes he’s so stern it’s almost frightening, but deep down, he’s filled with tenderness and concern, and he loves helping others.”
She paused, then continued, “Actually, the reason he and I have been apart for so many years isn’t that love faded or there were conflicts. It’s because we were both too young and impetuous, not knowing how to cherish each other until it was too late to regret.”
Listening to Qiu Xialan’s stories, Chen Xing was filled with a myriad of emotions. Unsure of how to comfort this aunt, he could only silently keep her company by her side.
Qiu Xialan seemed to not even need Chen Xing’s response. She just needed a listener to share the feelings deep within her heart, so she continued, “Over the years, I’ve always been keeping track of his news.”
At this point, Qiu Xialan suddenly stopped walking, turned around, and looked at Chen Xing, “Chen Xing, what do you think love is?”
This question caught Chen Xing off guard. He hadn’t expected Qiu Xialan to suddenly ask him such a profound question. After all, he was still single.
But not having been in a relationship didn’t mean he couldn’t offer advice. The internet was full of all sorts of experts, so after thinking for a moment, Chen Xing replied, “Love might be when two people understand and support each other, sharing life’s joys and sorrows together.”
After listening, Qiu Xialan nodded slightly, “You’re right, love does need two people to work hard together and maintain it for the long run. Unfortunately, back then, old Xue and I both didn’t understand this.”
She didn’t know how long they had walked. Qiu Xialan paused her steps and smiled, “Chen Xing, thank you for accompanying me on this walk and for listening to me ramble on about the past.”
“Auntie, don’t mention it. It’s my honor to accompany you on the walk,” Chen Xing respectfully replied.
“Well, it’s getting late. We should head back,” Qiu Xialan said, turning around to walk back, with Chen Xing following closely behind.
As they were about to part ways at the fork in the road, Qiu Xialan suddenly said, “By the way, if Wan Hailong from your new district invites you to join the Apostle organization, you must refuse.”
Chen Xing was startled, watching Qiu Xialan’s back, he quickly caught up, “Sister Lan, can you elaborate?”
Qiu Xialan stopped walking, “I already told you, if you are invited to join the Apostles, just refuse.”
Chen Xing felt a sinking feeling, “What if I have already joined?”
“You’ve already joined?” Qiu Xialan frowned.
Weighing his options, Chen Xing said, “Someone close to me might have joined.”
“Then I can’t help you. He is the head of the Apostle organization in the Shu State region,” Qiu Xialan said, “Do you know what the words ‘Apostle’ imply?”
“A believer of God?”
“Not entirely. More accurately, it refers to a preacher, propagating the values of gods, and you could say they are disciples personally chosen by gods.”
“Of course, now that the Ancient Gods no longer exist, nobody knows where the so-called divine will proclaimed by the Apostle organization actually comes from.”
“However, that’s not the point. The point is that the Apostle organization itself is quite loose, aside from the mysterious Twelve Disciples, it mainly consists of many high-level members forming a senior council, each high-level member having some ‘lower-level members’ they themselves have recruited.”
“Many times, the orders from higher-ups mentioned by high-level members are actually issued by themselves.”
Chen Xing noticed a hint of something from Qiu Xialan’s words.
She seemed to know a lot about the Apostle organization, almost as if she had experienced it personally.
“If you really have joined, then try to become a high-level member as soon as you can. Only by becoming an Advanced Beast Tamer can one become a high-level member, and only high-level members are truly free,” she advised.
…
The next day, Chen Xing returned to Shu State.
When he left, he left Sìxiàng at home.
Because Taotie had evolved, it was inconvenient to bring it along.
He contacted his mentor when he got home and told her the good news about his Beast Taming evolution.
Han Yuning told Chen Xing that an Intermediate Beast Tamer could imprint one Beast Tamer Skill inside their body.
Once imprinted, the Beast Tamer could utilize the magic power of the contracted beast to release skills.
Beast Tamers could imprint a variety of skills, and their functionalities were extremely vast.
These were mainly divided into four major categories: defensive, auxiliary, functional, and offensive.
Generally speaking, the first Beast Tamer skill chosen is always a defensive one since life preservation is crucial and Intermediate Beast Tamers only have one skill slot.
Han Yuning gave Chen Xing three skill choices: Perfect Shield, Damage Transfer, and Fourth Dimension.
Each of these skills had its advantages and disadvantages.
The first skill, Perfect Shield, required active deployment, creating a highly robust shield on the body surface during its duration.
The advantage was its strong defense. The disadvantage was that it required active activation and continuous consumption of magic power.
The second skill, Damage Transfer, was a passive skill that transferred all damage taken by the Beast Tamer within a certain range to a specified beast.
The advantage was that it was a passive skill, ignoring ambushes. The disadvantage was that it did not provide defense on its own, meaning its defensive ability depended on the beast itself and it also had range limitations.
The third skill, Fourth Dimension, was also an active skill, making the user’s body become an observer in a special space, ignoring all damage within range.
The advantage was almost maximum defensive capability, ignoring most damage except from spatial skills.
The disadvantage was that during the skill’s duration, the Beast Tamer could not move and had to stand still, and it was an active skill.
Chen Xing found himself conflicted, ruling out the first skill first.
When comparing the first skill with the third, the third was clearly more cost-effective.
Being unable to move was a minor issue, because if the beast lost, it wouldn’t make a difference whether he could move or not, humans’ short legs couldn’t outrun a beast anyway.
The only regret was that it was an active skill.