Chapter 31: He actually pulled it off

Most students at Shengshui High School were boarders. A few non-boarders used the school's South Gate, while outsiders like Qiao Sang, who were not from the school, were required to use the North Gate.

The North Gate was tightly closed, and the guard in the security booth had not yet started his shift.

Qiao Sang checked the time for the nth time.

8:52 AM.

There were only 28 minutes left until the 9:20 AM assembly for the Shengshui High School special recruitment exam.

Aside from Qiao Sang and Fire-Fang Dog, there wasn't even a passerby at the massive North Gate entrance.

Unable to help herself, Qiao Sang let out a drowsy yawn.

If she had known, she would have lain down for a bit longer instead of coming so early...

8:58 AM.

Eight black dots appeared on the horizon, approaching from a distance before landing at the North Gate, kicking up dust from the ground.

Qiao Sang struggled to open her sleepy eyes.

They were eight Black-Mouthed Sparrows, each about 2 meters in size.

Their beaks and entire bodies were covered in black feathers, and they possessed a pair of beautiful black curly tails, making them very easy to identify.

Six men and two women descended one after another from the backs of the eight Black-Mouthed Sparrows. They all looked to be around her age.

"Hello, that will be a total of 8,000 Alliance Coins," said the man riding one of the Black-Mouthed Sparrows.

"We signed up for the group discount price," a girl with a bob cut and a red headband said urgently.

The man glanced at his companion to ask if there had been such an arrangement.

The companion nodded. "They did sign up for the group discount."

"Then it's 7,222 Alliance Coins," the man said.

"Can you give us a bit more of a discount? We can call you again if we come back later," asked the tallest of the six boys.

"Pay for this trip first," the man replied without answering directly.

Since the matter had come to this, they naturally paid the money first.

Once the payment was complete, the tallest boy asked again, "How much of a discount can we get if we call you later?"

"None," the man replied.

"What?" The tallest boy was stunned.

"No discount," the man repeated.

The group: "..."

...

While this group was chatting and transacting, Qiao Sang had already entered Shengshui High School with Fire-Fang Dog.

At exactly 9:00 AM, the security uncle came out from the school and opened the gate.

She had arrived right on the dot...

Following the route provided on the Shengshui High School official website, Qiao Sang arrived at Venue No. 3.

There were only four teachers on the field, which made it seem like they didn't value this special recruitment competition as much as Hanggang Sixth Beast Taming High School did.

"Teacher, I'm here for the exam," Qiao Sang said as she walked up.

"Identity card," Sun Boyi said succinctly.

Qiao Sang pulled out her identity card and handed it over.

"Qiao Sang, from Wencheng Junior High?" Sun Boyi lowered his head to confirm the information on the card.

"Yes," Qiao Sang replied.

Sun Boyi placed a checkmark next to Qiao Sang's name on a piece of paper. "Go sit over there for now. We'll start once everyone has arrived." Having said that, he returned the identity card.

As Qiao Sang moved to the side, Qin Wen remarked with interest, "That girl actually contracted a Fire-Fang Dog."

"People who undergo spontaneous awakening always think highly of themselves. Is it rare for them to contract a difficult-to-manage pet as their first one? Lu You, who was recommended to our school this time, also contracted a Little Rhinocerous Dragon," Zheng Guoping said dismissively.

Qin Wen rolled her eyes inwardly.

How could those be the same?

The temperament of a Little Rhinocerous Dragon was nowhere near as good as a Fire-Fang Dog's; it was just that because it was a Dragon-type pet, it was too expensive for most people to contract.

One relied on courage to contract a Fire-Fang Dog, while the other relied on "money power" to contract a Little Rhinocerous Dragon. How were they the same?

However, Zheng Guoping was a difficult person to talk to—he would explode at the slightest provocation—so she didn't bother arguing with him.

A few minutes later, the people who had just descended from the Black-Mouthed Sparrows outside the North Gate entered the venue and lined up to verify their identities.

Once the bob-cut girl with the headband finished her verification, she scanned the surroundings before sitting down next to Qiao Sang. She acted as if they were old friends. "You're here for the exam too? Why didn't you come with us?"

She cast a subtle glance at the Fire-Fang Dog beside her.

*A formidable rival.*

Qiao Sang was bewildered. "Why would I come with you? Do I know you?"

The bob-cut girl said in surprise, "Didn't you see the messages in the group?"

Qiao Sang was even more confused. "What group? What messages?"

"The group that all special recruits had to join, linked under the Shengshui High School special recruitment official website," the girl explained. "Didn't we agree in the group to meet at the Oujie Street intersection and come together?"

Qiao Sang fell silent for a moment before saying, "I didn't join..."

The bob-cut girl: "..."

"That's not right. There are nine special recruits in the group. If the remaining person isn't you, then who is it?" the girl asked, puzzled.

Back then, someone in the group had said that masters always make their entrance last, and then one by one, everyone in the group said they would be the last to arrive.

Li Yang, the tallest of the boys, had eventually stepped up and suggested that everyone should just gather together and arrive at the same time when the exam was about to start.

Everyone in the group was a spontaneous awakener.

There were five special recruitment slots at Shengshui High School this time, and they might end up in the same school in the future. It was naturally seen as a good idea to get to know each other and build relationships in advance.

Thus, they all agreed to Li Yang's proposal.

Now, there was only one minute left until 9:20 AM, and including the girl in front of her, there were exactly nine people. Everyone should have been here by now.

Could there be ten people for this special recruitment?

Just as the bob-cut girl was about to say something, a bone-chilling cry suddenly erupted from behind them.

Turning around, they saw a flying-type pet with four legs, a long tail that tapered at the end, a mostly blue body, grey-black wings, and a body covered in thick armor appearing 3 to 4 meters above the ground.

It was a Jiejia Eagle, a high-level pet.

Zheng Guoping frowned as he watched the Jiejia Eagle. Shengshui High School did not allow outside pets to enter. Just as he was about to step forward to stop it, he saw a figure leap down from the eagle's back.

"Dad, you go ahead," the youth who jumped down said with a wave of his hand.

The man riding the Jiejia Eagle nodded, and then the eagle took flight and departed.

"Teacher, I'm not late, am I?" the youth asked as he walked up to the group of teachers.

"Lu Liangye, right? You're the last one. Your timing is quite good; two more seconds and you would have been late," Zheng Guoping said sarcastically.

Lu Liangye smiled without speaking, his eyes unconsciously glancing at the other candidates.

Aside from Qiao Sang, everyone else understood his meaning.

*How about it? Masters always make their entrance last!*

The crowd: "..."

*Dammit! He actually pulled it off!*

After clapping his hands to gather everyone, Sun Boyi said, "Everyone is here, so let's begin the exam."

"You all know the rules, but I will go over them once more."

"Ten people, in pairs. The five winners will rest first. The five losers will compete to determine one winner, who will then join the original five winners, making a total of six people."

"These six people will be divided into three groups. The winners of those groups will take the top three spots. The three losers will compete again to eliminate one, and the final five remaining will earn their special recruitment spots at Shengshui High School."

Understood.

To put it simply, it was a matter of luck.

If you were paired with a powerful opponent right at the start, you could only accept your bad luck.

After all, four of the five people who lost in the first round would be eliminated.

"To ensure fairness, we will decide by drawing lots. There are two of each number from 1 to 5 here. If you draw the same number, you will automatically form a pair," Qin Wen said, holding up a wooden box.

Soon, everyone had drawn their lots.

"We will start with number 1. Who drew number 1?" Qin Wen asked.

"It's me," Lu Liangye said, raising an eyebrow and showing the slip of paper in his hand.

"Who is the other number 1?" Qin Wen continued.

At that moment, a pale hand was raised to the side.

"Me."

It was Qiao Sang.