The Breeders' Association.
Compared to the Beast Tamers' Association, the Breeders' Association was located slightly farther from the city center. However, it occupied a much larger area.
In addition to several office buildings, there was also an enormous experimental zone.
That said, the liveliest place without question was still the reception hall at the front.
The sheer size of this hall was astonishing—nearly comparable to the main terminal of an airport.
After all, Linzhou was the provincial capital of Jianghai Province and one of the core cities in the southeastern region.
Breeders of all kinds came here to study and exchange knowledge, while countless Beast Tamers also came to handle official matters or search for suitable breeders to collaborate with.
At the same time, the Breeders' Association was also the largest high-tier pet beast trading and cultivation center.
Many mid- and high-tier breeders held positions here, each with their own dedicated laboratory within the association.
This place represented the heart of pet beast cultivation in Linzhou—one of the city's most important buildings and locations.
Its importance went without saying.
Today was no exception.
Inside the bustling hall, people moved back and forth. Many Beast Tamers stood at the service counters, inquiring about breeders who specialized in certain pet beasts and attempting to make contact. Others, guided by staff, headed toward the numerous cultivation bases in the rear, hoping to find suitable pet beasts.
However, at that moment, a broadcast suddenly rang out across the vast hall.
The content of the announcement was simple.
Yet it caused everyone to subconsciously prick up their ears.
Because the broadcast began with a very distinctive piece of music.
And sure enough, after the music finished, the exclusive announcement followed:
"Congratulations to Breeder Su Ping of the Wood's Heart Base on becoming the nine hundred and thirty-second registered Intermediate Breeder of the Jianghai Province Branch of the Breeders' Association. Intermediate Breeder Su Ping is a specialist in Lin Wolf cultivation…"
As the broadcast echoed through the hall, the massive LED screen in the main reception area lit up, displaying information introducing Wood's Heart.
For a moment, many breeders' eyes filled with envy.
An Intermediate Breeder—how many people dreamed of reaching that level?
But very quickly, another piece of information left many people completely stunned.
Because as the broadcast and visuals continued, more detailed information about this newly promoted Intermediate Breeder was revealed:
"Holy shit? An eighteen-year-old Intermediate Breeder? He just graduated from a foundation academy, didn't he?"
"Is there some kind of shady business going on? I've been attempting the assessment for years and still haven't even passed the Junior Breeder exam. Why does some brat get to pass the Intermediate one?"
"What's impossible about it? Breeders aren't Beast Tamers—you don't need an awakened talent to become one. Didn't you see? His family runs a breeding base. Growing up around it, plus having talent, it's normal. But this cultivated skill…"
"Wood's Heart! Now that's interesting…"
For a time, the entire hall buzzed with discussion.
Almost everyone learned that, in the outskirts of Linzhou, there was now a special pet beast cultivation base—and that it had produced a remarkably young Intermediate Breeder.
Moreover, the cultivated skill was the exceedingly rare Wood's Heart.
Although many people harbored doubts, the endorsement of the Breeders' Association itself was more than enough to spark intense interest in this unknown and mysterious location.
After all, Linzhou was known as the largest origin region of wood-element pet beasts in the Dragon Nation, and the Lin Wolf was one of its representative species.
Just like that, Su Ping's name began circulating in countless conversations.
Meanwhile, the very genius breeder recognized by the Breeders' Association had already returned home after six in the evening, dragging his utterly exhausted body behind him.
After returning the equally worn-out Lin Wolves—some of whom hadn't even fully recovered from their injuries—to the forest, Su Ping collapsed onto the sofa and finally let out a long breath.
Beside him, Qin Xiaoxue shook her head.
"I really don't get you. The rental fee for a single day is so little—was it really worth exhausting yourself like this? Or is your physical condition just terrible? What, are you a weakling?"
Su Ping didn't even have the energy to retort. He merely shot her a glance.
This young miss had no idea.
Ever since they got back, she had been playing with her Little Qing the whole time. Meanwhile, his day as Master Breeder Su had been anything but peaceful.
He had to command and dispatch all the rented Lin Wolves, supervise their battles, tend to injured Lin Wolves, and remain on constant alert in case any of them disobeyed orders.
He hadn't been able to stop for even a moment.
To be honest, this kind of work really wasn't something just anyone could do.
That said, the gains were undeniable.
If nothing else, out of the sixteen Lin Wolves, a full three of them had achieved breakthroughs in their skill levels today!
Thinking of the stunned expressions on those Beast Tamers' faces during the battles, a smile curled onto Su Ping's lips.
That's right—after just one day, three Lin Wolves had improved their skills.
Although they had only advanced from Beginner to Proficient, the most basic level jump, it was still enough to prove one thing:
In real combat, skill progression and breakthroughs happened far faster.
That was precisely the value of practical combat.
However, combining real combat with rental operations was indeed far too exhausting.
So much so that Su Ping didn't even have the energy to supervise the Lin Wolves' nighttime Self-Healing skill training.
Thinking about it carefully, it really did feel like the losses outweighed the gains.
Shaking his head helplessly, Su Ping made up his mind.
This pet beast rental business—either he would wait until he could hire people to oversee it so he wouldn't have to personally handle everything, or he would simply do much less of it in the future.
Back when he chose to rent pet beasts from Uncle Guan instead of letting his own Lin Wolves fight each other, it wasn't just to train them to face different types of pet beasts.
Another major reason was medical support and facilities.
At Yun Tian's place, there were earth-element pet beasts specifically responsible for repairing the battlefield after combat. Otherwise, just handling that alone would have been an overwhelming task.
Now, Su Ping suddenly felt that perhaps he should take the opposite approach.
He could rent some pet beasts specifically to act as sparring partners, along with Beast Tamers who specialized in terrain restoration.
At the very least, it wouldn't leave him this exhausted—so drained that he couldn't spare energy for anything else.
At most, it would just cost some money.
And while Su Ping was poor right now, that didn't mean he'd be poor forever.
Old Liu had spoken with such confidence—surely he could introduce some business his way, right?
If another massive payment like before came in, wouldn't that mean he could try purchasing other types of pet beasts and properly explore the effects and abilities of the Myriad Spirits Codex?
As Su Ping sank into these pleasant fantasies, Qin Xiaoxue suddenly spoke up:
"Let me tell you something. That Manager Guan—during this period, besides renting pet beasts from you, he's got other things going on too, doesn't he?"
"Hm?"
Su Ping raised an eyebrow and looked toward the serious-looking Qin Xiaoxue.
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