Intermediate Breeder certification?
Vice President Liu?
Su Ping?
In Jin Sheng's mind, these three concepts had absolutely nothing to do with one another. They were worlds apart.
Just ten minutes ago, Su Ping had been politely asking him about the Junior Breeder certification exam, asking which subjects to focus on and how the assessment process worked.
At that time, Su Ping didn't even seem to have a clear path toward becoming a junior breeder.
And yet—barely ten minutes later—Jin Sheng was witnessing a scene that completely shattered his understanding of reality.
He finally realized who that bald old man was.
Once, when Jin Sheng had attended a training lecture at the Breeders' Association, the person standing on the podium had been this very man.
One of Jianghai Province's few High-Level Beast Tamers, and more importantly, a specialist breeder in wolf-type pet beasts.
Not Forest Wolves specifically.
Wolf-type.
That category included Sand Wolves, Snow Wolves, and many other variants beyond the basic Forest Wolf.
And to be a high-level breeder specialized in wolf-type beasts was far more impressive than being a general high-level breeder.
On top of that, this man was also the Vice President of the Jianghai Province Breeders' Association.
In Jianghai Province, describing him as "a figure of immense authority" would not be an exaggeration.
Back then, Jin Sheng had only been one of hundreds—nearly a thousand—junior breeders listening to his lectures. Those classes weren't even open to everyone; you had to compete for a seat.
Yet now—
This Vice President Liu, a high-level breeder, was standing right here.
Standing in front of Su Ping.
And what had he just said?
He had personally come to deliver an Intermediate Breeder certificate to Su Ping.
On the spot.
This… was this even remotely reasonable?
For a moment, Jin Sheng felt utterly lost.
He couldn't tell whether Su Ping's background was so powerful that it allowed Vice President Liu to blatantly bypass the Association's rules—
Or whether Su Ping had been deliberately playing dumb in front of him this whole time.
Jin Sheng shot a deeply resentful look at Su Ping.
Su Ping instinctively turned around—and immediately saw that complicated, aggrieved expression.
Of course he understood why.
Smiling slightly, Su Ping turned to Vice President Liu and said:
"Elder Liu, this is Breeder Jin Sheng from the Association. Although he's currently a junior breeder, his theoretical foundation is very solid. I've learned quite a lot just chatting with him."
"Oh?"
Vice President Liu shifted his smiling gaze toward the now completely stunned Jin Sheng.
Jin Sheng instantly straightened his posture, his face flushing red with excitement. He bowed deeply, stiff as a board.
"Greetings, Elder Liu! I attended your lecture earlier this year—'On the Obedience of Wolf-Type Beasts and the Wolf-King Guidance Model in Breeding'."
Vice President Liu showed no obvious reaction.
He had taught far too many classes.
The Breeders' Association regularly hosted lectures by on-duty intermediate breeders and vice presidents. Each session drew hundreds, sometimes close to a thousand participants from across Jianghai Province.
There was no way he could remember everyone.
Still, given Su Ping's introduction, the old man put on a thoughtful expression, looked Jin Sheng over, and nodded slowly.
"I see. I do recall you. Not bad."
Just those two words.
Not bad.
In Linzhou City, how many junior breeders could earn such a comment from him?
Jin Sheng felt like he had just been injected with adrenaline. His eyes shone as he replied immediately:
"Yes! I will continue to work hard!"
Vice President Liu withdrew his gaze and turned back to Su Ping, smiling warmly.
"The certificate is delivered. Su Ping, you are now a registered Intermediate Breeder specializing in Forest Wolves under the Jianghai Province Breeders' Association.
"Your breeding base and the Wood-Heart skill cultivation data have also been officially registered.
"Believe me, this works better than any advertisement. When you start making serious money, don't forget to treat this old man to a meal."
He chuckled lightly.
"Of course, I believe in your talent. This isn't your endpoint. Keep going."
Su Ping nodded.
"Thank you for your encouragement and support. I'll do my best."
Vice President Liu was clearly satisfied.
"Good. I still have some matters to attend to, so I won't disturb you youngsters any longer. But the bet you made with Xiao Sun—remember to invite me as a witness when the time comes. I'm very much looking forward to it."
"Of course. I wouldn't dare forget."
After receiving his answer, Vice President Liu turned toward Qin Xiaoxue, who was completely ignoring him, her attention fixed on Su Ping's unrecalled mutated Forest Wolf.
"Miss Qin, I'll take my leave."
Qin Xiaoxue waved her hand impatiently without even looking up.
Vice President Liu didn't mind in the slightest. Smiling, he nodded to Jin Sheng—who looked utterly honored—then turned and left.
Originally, Su Ping had seemed like a brash young man to him.
But this visit showed another side—polite, humble, and composed.
Very good. Very good indeed.
Meanwhile, someone else's mood was far less lighthearted.
Jin Sheng stared at Su Ping as the young man opened the kraft paper envelope in his hands.
Inside were two items.
A certificate bearing Su Ping's photo.
And a blue badge of the Breeders' Association.
Blue.
Compared to Jin Sheng's white badge, it symbolized Intermediate Breeder status.
One of Jin Sheng's lifelong dreams.
And now, that dream was being casually held, examined, and even complained about by this kid—
"Is that it? Just ordinary metal? They couldn't even use some high-grade materials? There's zero sense of ceremony or honor here…"
Jin Sheng nearly lost control and punched him.
He couldn't tell if Su Ping was genuinely complaining—or flexing without realizing it.
But the meaning behind that certificate and badge was far too heavy.
So heavy that Jin Sheng no longer knew what to say to this boy who had just been chatting with him like an equal moments ago.
Earlier, when Jin Sheng and Su Ping were talking about breeding, few others were nearby.
Even Zhou Shuchen had gone back to battling with classmates.
Zhang Guowei hadn't paid them much attention either.
So while many people had seen a bald old man approach Su Ping, few knew what it truly meant.
Except for two people.
The twin brothers who had been waiting for their pet beasts to recover.
Zhang Wen and Zhang Wu.
As Forest Wolf Beast Tamers themselves, they could instinctively sense how powerful Xiao Qing and Xiao Budian were.
When they learned that Su Ping came from the Wood-Heart Forest Wolf Breeding Base next door, they had already planned to visit.
But after hearing Jin Sheng say that Su Ping wasn't even a certified breeder, doubt had crept in.
Now—
Everything had flipped too fast.
They hadn't dared get close enough to hear the conversation in detail, and now they were completely unsure what to think.
Taking the opportunity, Zhang Wen quietly approached Jin Sheng.
"Um… Senior Breeder, may I ask—how good is Su Ping's breeding ability really? My brother and I are looking for a training base to improve our pet beasts, but we haven't decided yet."
That question snapped Jin Sheng back to reality.
He looked at Su Ping, who was now squatting beside Qin Xiaoxue, chatting casually in front of the mutated Forest Wolf.
His gaze grew extremely complicated.
He remembered Vice President Liu's words.
Wood-Heart Forest Wolf skill cultivation.
Now it all made sense.
That was why Su Ping could become an Intermediate Breeder.
And not just any Intermediate Breeder—but one whose certificate was personally delivered by Vice President Liu.
Jin Sheng knew better than anyone what Wood-Heart truly represented.
If he were a breeder capable of cultivating Fire-Heart in Redfang Tigers—
Fire King Corporation would worship him like an ancestor.
Finally, Jin Sheng looked at the anxious yet hopeful Zhang brothers and spoke slowly:
"Su Ping?"
"He might be the best Forest Wolf breeder in Linzhou—perhaps even in all of Jianghai Province."
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ You can read 60 chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/Nishaat