They once again arrived at the vast breeding base on the outskirts of Linzhou.
Vice Chairman Liu and Sun Chaoju wore very different expressions.
The former looked merely thoughtful, while the latter's face was pitch-black.
No matter how he thought about it, Sun Chaoju still couldn't believe that right at the very end of the fifteen-day deadline, that kid had actually pulled it off.
After getting out of the car, both of them froze slightly.
Because at this very moment, Qin Xiaoxue was actually standing at the entrance, waiting for them.
And what was more—she was smiling like a blooming flower, her joy and excitement impossible to hide.
When had they ever seen such an expression on Miss Qin's face before?
The two of them were puzzled. Just raising self-healing to Proficient—was that really worth this much excitement?
Still, judging by her current demeanor, it was obvious just how satisfied Qin Xiaoxue was with Su Ping's breeding results.
"Grandpa Liu, Breeder Sun, you're here? Come in quickly—Su Ping is waiting for you."
Good grief.
Vice Chairman Liu stared at Qin Xiaoxue in disbelief. In all the years he had known this girl, this was the first time he had ever heard her call him "Grandpa Liu."
He subconsciously glanced up at the sky.
Did the sun rise from the west today?
Otherwise, how could he be seeing ghosts in broad daylight?
That said, Vice Chairman Liu was also growing increasingly curious about what exactly had happened to make this young miss so happy.
With the silent Sun Chaoju in tow, they walked back into the reception room.
Su Ping, whom they hadn't seen for over ten days, was half-squatting there, holding a comb and carefully grooming the fur on Mutou's neck.
And that once-arrogant, disdainful, massive Forest Wolf from half a month ago—
At this moment, it was lying comfortably on the ground with its eyes half-closed, tongue lolling out, limbs curled upward, belly exposed, allowing Su Ping to handle it however he pleased.
That sight made both Sun Chaoju and Vice Chairman Liu pause in surprise.
Just what kind of magic did this kid possess?
Not only had he turned Miss Qin into someone so agreeable, he had also made a ferocious Forest Wolf behave like a docile house dog.
Rather than a savage beast.
Clearly, for others it might have been one thing—but Sun Chaoju was absolutely the most impatient of them all.
Without hesitation, his eyes focused as he looked straight at Mutou.
Sensing the fluctuation of the Eye of Truth, Mutou glanced at him briefly, then ignored him again, panting heavily with its tongue hanging out.
But that single glance was enough.
Sun Chaoju froze in place.
Only then did Su Ping lift his head, set the comb aside, and sit down with a smile.
"Breeder Sun—are you ready to accept the loss?"
Sun Chaoju opened his mouth.
He really wanted to deny it.
In fact, on the way here, he had already prepared excuses for Su Ping in his mind.
Miss Qin's Forest Wolf naturally had top-tier talent.
The success wasn't because Su Ping was that amazing—it was because Mutou's talent was high enough.
Maybe Mutou's self-healing had already been on the verge of breaking through, and all it needed was a little training for the breakthrough to happen naturally.
He had thought through all these arguments on the way over.
But at this very moment, inside this reception room, he couldn't say a single word of them out loud.
Even the young man in front of him no longer seemed quite so detestable.
Because people rarely feel intense emotions—hatred included—toward those who are far beyond their reach.
At this moment, Sun Chaoju finally understood why his teacher had said those words before.
When facing true geniuses, logic often had no place.
And the Su Ping standing before him now had completely conquered Sun Chaoju.
Facing Su Ping's smiling yet subtly pressing question, Sun Chaoju let out a long breath.
Then, under the astonished gazes of both Su Ping and Qin Xiaoxue, he actually nodded.
"I accept the bet. I lost fairly—and I'm completely convinced. Su Ping, you're the most outstanding young breeder I've ever seen."
Such heartfelt words left Su Ping feeling slightly embarrassed instead.
But Sun Chaoju didn't care.
In truth, aside from Qin Xiaoxue, there wasn't much direct business conflict between the Wolf Den breeding base and Wood Heart. Shuhua City and Linzhou were some distance apart, after all.
There might be some impact, but nothing too drastic.
And now, after seeing Mutou in its current state, Sun Chaoju realized that something like Accelerated Casting might truly not be that important to Su Ping's future—just as his teacher had said.
A person needed breadth of mind.
Their vision had to be long-term.
And this moment was exactly that.
There was no helping it—the word "Proficient" reflected by the Eye of Truth on Mutou's skill panel was simply too dazzling.
Just over ten days.
Not only had self-healing reached Proficient, even the newly cultivated Wood Heart had reached Proficient as well.
This level of breeding ability—this innate control and affinity with Forest Wolves—left Sun Chaoju with no desire to compete at all.
On the way here, his resentment, unwillingness, and lingering frustration had all been erased by that feedback from the Eye of Truth, replaced entirely by awe for the young man before him.
He even directly reached out, placed a flash drive onto the tea table in the reception room, and spoke to the still somewhat stunned Su Ping.
"Everything's on here—the breeding method for Accelerated Casting, the incomplete evolution path for the Myriad Wood Wolf, and all the data I've accumulated during this period of evolution research. I'm giving it all to you.
"If you're worried, you can have Teacher Liu or Chairman Qin verify it first."
Su Ping looked at the flash drive, then at Sun Chaoju.
To be honest, judging from his words alone, it was obvious that Sun Chaoju had paid an enormous price researching the Myriad Wood Wolf's evolution.
And now he was just handing it all over?
Seeing Su Ping's stunned expression, Sun Chaoju instead felt a hint of pride.
Brat, did you really think someone who could become Vice Chairman Liu's disciple and build a breeding base this big was some petty, vindictive nobody?
A shortsighted fool?
A brainless idiot with no foresight?
Thinking that, Sun Chaoju—feeling as though he were bathed in holy light—added after a moment's thought,
"If you need anything for research into the Myriad Wood Wolf's evolution, you can contact me as well. I might not be able to help much, but I can provide some experimental Forest Wolf subjects for attempted evolutions."
Only then did Su Ping truly snap back to his senses. He looked at Breeder Sun in surprise.
Whether the man was trying to invest in him, repair their relationship, or simply bet on Su Ping one day perfecting the Myriad Wood Wolf's evolution—and earning himself a place in the credits—
As long as it wasn't an act,
Then Sun Chaoju had truly changed Su Ping's impression of him and made him willing to interact more.
And thinking about it, it made sense.
Anyone who still carried passion for research and genuine enthusiasm for pet-beast breeding was bound to have something admirable about them.
It was precisely because of people like this that Dragon Country had been able to flourish over the past century—pet-beast evolution and breeding blooming like a hundred flowers—
Further strengthening national power and rising once again to become one of the greatest nations on Blue Star.
And so, facing the gazes of everyone present, Su Ping smiled and nodded.
"Alright."
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