Time, like many things, is subjective.

Sometimes it feels incredibly fast, other times incredibly slow.

For Shi Yu, the fulfilling process of adding points made time fly by.

Adding a point, reading a book, taking a nap – Shi Yu felt like he hadn't done anything, and yet it was already September 4th.

Before dawn, Shi Yu got up. He had to catch a morning flight, and Pingcheng was quite a distance from Bingyuan City Airport, so he had to sacrifice some sleep.

"Haa..." Inside the villa, Shi Yu yawned as he started packing his luggage, his eyes still half-closed with sleepiness.

By the time he finished packing, the express car he had booked was already waiting by the roadside. After getting in, Shi Yu closed his eyes again, catching a little more rest.

"Handsome, handsome, we're here."

After who knows how long, Shi Yu, who had been trying to dispel his sleepiness through meditation, was jolted awake by the driver's call.

He saw that the driver was a simple, honest-looking middle-aged man, and realized he was probably speaking his mind.

"We're here? Thanks for the ride, sir."

Shi Yu smiled and paid the fare, then waved goodbye to the driver as he got out with his luggage.

Speaking of luggage, it was just a small backpack containing some documents he would need later and a bottle of water. The rest was stored inside the relic bead...

Shi Yu glanced at the time: 8:30 AM. Maybe he could grab something to eat?

Looking around, he saw that the airport was already swarming with people. As for food, the most convenient options seemed to be egg pancakes, rou jia mo, roasted sausage, and boiled corn... With time to spare, Shi Yu bought a cup of soy milk and a rou jia mo for a quick bite.

[You guys can take care of yourselves too.] Shi Yu said to Eleven and the Green Silkworm, who were hanging around his neck inside the relic bead.

After that, he headed into the airport. Before boarding, Shi Yu had a question: if planes were mechanical lifeforms, who would passengers ask to use the restroom? Even with detachable internal environments, any mechanic with a bit of a cleanliness obsession probably couldn't be a pilot...

...

Half an hour later, Shi Yu completed the registration process and passed through security smoothly. He had been worried that the relic bead might be considered contraband, but apparently nothing was detected.

Poor security!

What if someone brought a bomb onto the plane inside a spatial item?

Well... maybe it wouldn't be that complicated, considering Beast Tamers were basically walking bombs.

"The flight to Gudu Airport will be boarding soon..." In the waiting area, Shi Yu heard the announcement. He took out his phone and opened the scan function.

[Name]:

The quasi-professional and professional-level battles were indeed starting to focus on talents.

"Good thing I don't have a combat-type talent." Shi Yu thought with a smile as he watched their battle.

After this fight, these two Beast Tamers would probably be weakened for a while. He wondered if they had prepared any supplements.

His Skill Index was much better. He just needed to add points in his daily life, and during battles, he could simply issue commands. He didn't need to exert himself as much as other Beast Tamers, who had to invest a lot of physical and mental energy.

However, on the other hand, Shi Yu might be at a slight disadvantage against Beast Tamers with enhancement-type talents. The outcome would depend on whether the stat boosts from his point additions were comparable to the combat power enhancements from their talents.

"If they're at this level, Eleven should be able to take them on, but it would probably need to go all out like it did against the Ice Dragon, unleashing its full power for a quick one-hit kill..."

Shi Yu quickly assessed the difference in strength between Eleven and the two pets on the field. However, this was because the species levels of those two pets weren't high. They weren't Commander-level species, and their growth levels were only at the beginning of Transcendence. If their attributes were any stronger, Eleven probably wouldn't stand a chance.

Next, Shi Yu continued to wander around.

He noticed that the pets being used in battles here, to show off, were all at least at the Transcendence level.

That was normal, though. The professional assessment was only four months away. If a pet hadn't reached the Transcendence level by now, there was little hope of getting into Gudu University.

At the same time, Shi Yu also noticed that these Transcendence-level pets all had at least one proficient-level skill, and he occasionally saw a couple of simple combination techniques. This made Shi Yu realize that these young Beast Tamers preparing for the professional assessment were indeed something...

It seemed that his opponents four months later wouldn't be the same people he competed with for the Evolution Holy Spring.

Those people, like him, hadn't even reached the standard to participate in the professional assessment yet.

If he took the professional assessment at the Gudu Association, he would likely face a group of Beast Tamers with Tier 2 Beast Spaces and two Transcendence-level pets as standard...

In fact, because the professional assessment was only held once a year, some of the well-connected prodigies who could level up two tiers in a year might even have contracted three pets. As for Commander-level species in their infancy, they probably wouldn't be too rare by then...

"I get it. Even though we're all rookies, it's like the Chunin Exams in *Naruto*. Who would consider someone with two Jinchuriki or a taijutsu monster who can open the Fifth Gate a Genin?"

As everyone knows, Genin are the strongest.

By the same logic, it's possible that there are some hidden monsters in the professional assessment.

No wonder Lu Qingyi said that the professional assessment at the Gudu Association was more challenging and that he should develop quickly with the relic bead...

As far as Shi Yu knew, there was no unified passing standard for the professional assessment each year. Instead, people were promoted based on a certain percentage. Therefore, simply reaching the professional level and having a Transcendence-level pet didn't guarantee that you would pass the assessment.

That was why the professional assessments in large cities were more difficult than in small cities. Passing the professional assessment in a large city meant that you had a better chance of being noticed by top universities and companies.

It was the same in Earth. A Fortune 500 company would never recruit from an ordinary third-tier college, but graduates from Tsinghua and Peking University were highly sought after by various companies. The professional assessment was just as realistic.

This model had actually created a strange phenomenon.

Some people who could have easily passed the professional assessment in a small city stubbornly applied in a large city for several years without passing. These people were likely extremely strong, as there were no age or attempt limits for the professional assessment, and they had obviously accumulated more experience!

It was even possible to encounter an 80-year-old in the professional assessment.

Of course, while it was encouraging for such an elderly person to participate in the professional assessment, it was unlikely that any university or company would be interested... Even if they got first place, they would have no potential, and universities like Gudu University had certain age restrictions for applicants.

Therefore, while strength was important, potential and talent were also important.

"No problem, no problem..."

Although Shi Yu felt a bit of pressure, since he had started later than many others, he still felt that it wasn't a big deal.

He just needed to add points, and there was no need to rush. He wasn't aiming for first place in his cohort, so passing the assessment would be a victory!

...

Shi Yu spent the entire afternoon watching battles, mainly to observe the various forms of Beast Tamer talents. He wouldn't admit that he was looking for beast-eared girls.

Unfortunately, after watching all afternoon, he found that most of these Beast Tamers had enhancement-type talents, and he didn't see a single special combat talent, which was disappointing.

As evening approached, Shi Yu left the battle arena in the North Campus and headed to the ten-star hotel he had booked in advance.

Although he could stay in the relic bead, he thought it was good to enjoy life when he had money.

That night, Shi Yu had a big meal at the hotel, and only returned to his room after he was full and satisfied. He lay on the bed and began meditating with a piece of void stone.

After a day of playing, it was time to work hard...

A moment later, Shi Yu opened his eyes.

"I didn't add any points today, and I feel kind of empty. One piece of void stone doesn't seem to be enough for me anymore. I feel like with my current focus, I could probably use two at the same time!"

"No, three!"

"Wait, I have dozens in stock. Three feels a little lacking. Damn it, if only I could arrange them in a spirit-gathering array like the spiritual stones in xianxia novels!"