Chapter 2: Give Him a Beating

Qingcheng Jiayuan.

Building C, 606.

When Qiao Sang returned home with her mother, she was still a bit dazed.

After all, she had been baptized by the teacher’s spit for nearly two hours at school. If the teacher’s stomach hadn’t growled, he probably would have continued his lecture.

Qiao Sang went to the bathroom and washed her face twice.

She looked at herself in the mirror. The face had delicate features, exactly the same as she had in her previous life.

It was just much younger, with a fleshy face and still-lingering baby fat.

"Come out and eat," her mother’s voice came from the living room.

"Coming."

Qiao Sang replied, then silently washed her face one more time.

When she reached the living room, her mother Ye Xiangting’s sharp gaze was already fixed on her. "The food got cold, I just reheated it. Eat quickly."

In fact, the original Qiao Sang’s family had a lot in common with her own. Not only did her parents look the same, but both were single-parent households.

The original owner’s father hadn’t gone missing or died young; it was a simple divorce.

They had divorced when the original owner was three. Her father, Qiao Wangyang, remarried that same year and had a daughter, who was now 14.

That was quite intriguing...

Perhaps feeling guilty toward her mother, he had left both the child and the house to her during the divorce.

Ye Xiangting never remarried, raising Qiao Sang alone while working to make ends meet.

Fortunately, her mother was an E-level Beast Tamer with a Faith-Wren and a Fat House-Dove.

She usually earned money by renting out her services to take people on aerial tours, so they lived a relatively comfortable and easy life.

Life hadn't turned her into a haggard woman, but it had forged her into a strong woman, soft on the outside but tough on the inside.

Qiao Sang understood this deeply.

Her mother had sat through two hours of the teacher’s lecture with her, and yet, upon returning home, she had managed to refrain from beating her.

Too strong!

But this really wasn't her fault. The Beast Taming Codex was stuck in her brain and couldn't be pulled out, and she had never contracted a transcendent creature. If she didn't go to the Beast Taming Center for a check-up, there was no way to prove she had awakened on her own.

Qiao Sang ate her meal, not daring to speak.

Although her mother was a strong woman, there was no guarantee she would stay that way.

"Ask for leave tomorrow. I’ll take you to the Beast Taming Center," her mother said, looking at Qiao Sang.

Qiao Sang paused for a long moment. "What for at the Beast Taming Center?"

"Didn't you say you awakened on your own? We need to get a check-up and a certificate so we can go to the Pet Base to pick out a pet," her mother explained.

Since she had already awakened, the sooner they chose a pet, the better.

Qiao Sang was shocked. "You believe me?"

A flash of amusement crossed her mother’s eyes. "You’re my daughter; how could I not know you? You might be a bit slow, but you wouldn't lie about something like this at a time like this."

Qiao Sang felt a complex mix of emotions; she couldn't quite describe the feeling. In fact, her mother in this world was quite similar to her own, not just in appearance but in personality too.

"Mom, since you believe me, why did you watch me get lectured for two hours without saying a word?"

Her mother smiled, and this time, the smile was chilling. "Self-awakening is one thing, but getting a zero on an exam is another. I haven't even asked you yet—why did you get a zero?"

Qiao Sang: "..."

...

...

The next morning.

At the entrance of the Hanggang Beast Taming Center.

A fat, transcendent creature about three meters long, brown all over with red tail feathers, descended from the sky.

Qiao Sang excitedly climbed down from the Fat House-Dove. It was her first time experiencing such close contact with the sky; it was nothing short of thrilling.

She decided then and there: she would definitely contract a Flying-type pet in the future!

"Fat House-Dove, thank you for your hard work," her mother said, petting it.

"Dove-bi~"

The Fat House-Dove shook its wings and nudged its large head against her mother, rubbing against her like a spoiled pet.

Her mother waved her hand, a faint light shone on the Fat House-Dove, and the next moment, it vanished into thin air.

No matter how many times she saw it, Qiao Sang still found it magical.

These things couldn't be explained by science in her previous life.

Walking into the Hanggang Beast Taming Center, her mother led her straight to service counter 37.

Before the staff member could speak, her mother spoke first: "Hello, we are here for a brain-domain scan." As she said this, she signaled for Qiao Sang to take out her ID card.

Qiao Sang obediently took out her ID card.

The staff member scanned it. "Hello, that will be 500 Alliance Coins."

Modern humans, relying on their beast-taming abilities, had already left Blue Star and developed and occupied three other habitable planets.

The currency used uniformly across the four planets was the Alliance Coin.

After her mother paid, the staff member registered them and handed the ID card back. "Just follow the Clever-Fruit inside."

A green, less-than-one-meter-tall Clever-Fruit appeared behind the staff member.

Its head was round, with a pair of green antennae tipped in yellow, and it wore a staff name tag on its chest.

As a Plant-type pet, the Clever-Fruit had a gentle temperament and was well-loved by everyone, especially girls.

"Clever-li."

It came to Qiao Sang and made a gesture with its three-toed right hand, looking very professional.

As the capital of Zhehai Province, the Hanggang Beast Taming Center was naturally the largest in the province.

Qiao Sang followed the Clever-Fruit for a full ten minutes before reaching the brain-domain testing area.

The Clever-Fruit scanned its name tag on the identity reader outside the door.

"Clever-li."

After the door opened, it called out to Qiao Sang.

Her mother said calmly to Qiao Sang, "Go in."

Her mother looked calm on the surface, but her eyes were filled with expectation. It was clear that although she believed her, she was still nervous until the results were in.

Qiao Sang followed the Clever-Fruit inside.

What met her eyes was a short-haired female researcher in a white coat and a Bubble-Bell floating in the air.

Qiao Sang had just read about Bubble-Bells in a book the day before; she hadn't expected to see a live one so soon.

Bubble-Bells had no gender differences, belonged to the Psychic-type, and were quite rare pets.

In fact, Psychic-type transcendent creatures were generally rare.

There weren't many at the Pet Base either—maybe five or six a year—and they started at a million Alliance Coins, which an average family couldn't afford.

*She’s a rich woman.*

Qiao Sang immediately labeled the short-haired researcher in the white coat.

The researcher was typing away at a computer, looking very busy. She didn't seem surprised to see the Clever-Fruit and Qiao Sang walk in, clearly having received the login information beforehand.

"Go sit over there," she said, pointing to a single sofa nearby.

Qiao Sang went to the spot she indicated and sat down.

It was just an ordinary sofa, nothing special.

"Bubble-Bell," the researcher called out to her partner without looking up.

"Bell."

A blue light suddenly emanated from the Bubble-Bell. Before Qiao Sang could understand what it was doing, a silver helmet connected to a dozen equipment wires floated over from ten meters away and landed on her head.

The sight made Qiao Sang’s eyes light up.

This ability was so convenient—it was a lazy person’s dream tool!

"Don't move."

The researcher still hadn't looked up, but Qiao Sang knew the words were for her.

The silver helmet didn't block Qiao Sang’s vision. She could clearly see the researcher frowning as she looked at the images and data transmitted to her screen.

Qiao Sang tensed up instantly.

Could there be a problem?

The researcher had a stern face; when she wasn't expressing emotion, she looked like a school dean, and even more so now with her face set in a frown.

Especially given her status and what she was doing, it made Qiao Sang’s heart jump into her throat.

"You awakened on your own?" the researcher suddenly asked.

"Yes, Miss. Is there something wrong with me?" Qiao Sang asked nervously.

"No, don't be nervous." The researcher noticed the girl’s unease and forced an unnatural curve onto her stern face, meant to be comforting.

*That’s terrifying...*

Qiao Sang became even more nervous.

"Including you, there are only six children in our city who have awakened on their own this year. You must have very good grades, right?" the researcher asked.

Top students weren't necessarily able to awaken on their own, but those who succeeded in self-awakening were always top students.

Qiao Sang: "..."

*You could say she’s smart or talented, so why bring up grades?*

Qiao Sang knew she was trying to ease her tension, but if you’re not good at chatting, please don't force it...

"I’m basically third in my class," Qiao Sang said, her face not turning red and her heart not skipping a beat.

"Third in the whole school? That’s not bad. Many of the first and second-place students can't awaken." The researcher’s smile was stiff, but her voice was soft.

"I was first in my mock exam this time," Qiao Sang said, no longer nervous.

"After awakening, the brain domain develops by 2%. Those who awaken on their own like you are usually around 5%, so it’s very normal to have a sudden improvement," the researcher explained for Qiao Sang’s first-place result.

Qiao Sang: "..."

About two minutes passed.

The researcher looked up and called out, "Bubble-Bell."

"Bell."

The Bubble-Bell used its telekinesis to return the equipment on Qiao Sang’s head to its original place.

"Congratulations, your self-awakening was very successful. There are no other issues with your brain domain, though your brain-domain fluctuations are a bit high. You should get plenty of rest lately and eat more dried fruits."

The researcher took out a certificate, signed it, stamped it, and stood up to hand it over.

"Thank you."

Qiao Sang took the certificate, the stone in her heart finally dropping.

...

...

"How was it?" As soon as she stepped out, her mother stepped forward, asking nervously.

Qiao Sang sighed and handed her the results.

Her mother’s face turned pale instantly; for a moment, she didn't dare to take it.

"Mom, look at it," Qiao Sang pushed the certificate a little further forward.

Ye Xiangting felt a chill in her heart. She hadn't awakened on her own and had even gotten a zero...

In fact, even without the zero, her daughter’s previous grades wouldn't have gotten her into a Beast Taming High School. The prerequisite for entering such a school was to awaken a Beast Taming Codex via magnetic waves and then meet the score threshold.

The high school entrance exam was out of 650, and last year’s minimum cutoff was 332.

If she had studied hard and still failed, at least she had tried. But her daughter had actually gotten a zero and lied about it...

In an instant, Ye Xiangting questioned her own parenting.

*I should give her a beating.*

*This child needs a beating.*

Seeing her mother take the certificate and look down at it, Qiao Sang couldn't help but straighten her back.

"Smack."

Qiao Sang was stunned.