"Teachers aren't allowed?"
Jiang Xing remembered that Dr. Xu's puppet steward was a "Pet Beast teacher."
Whenever Dr. Xu updated his videos, or when Jiang Xing went to consult him in person, he would occasionally see that puppet steward teaching other Pet Beasts.
That made Jiang Xing extremely envious.
As a scholar with the potential to become a Doctor, his institute would inevitably continue to expand, adding new zones and secret realms.
Rather than constantly recruiting new assistants, Jiang Xing would much rather hire a teacher and train assistants within his own institute—it would be far more reassuring to use them that way.
"Of course not!"
Other people come to schools to recruit graduates, and you're trying to recruit the school's teachers directly…
Poaching right in front of them, huh?
If every researcher did that—taking turns stripping resources—might as well just shut the school down!
If it had been an ordinary researcher making such a request, Principal Liu would have already seen them out with tea.
But considering that Jiang Xing was Dr. Xu's student and a rising star in research with limitless potential, she showed a bit more patience and explained: "Nanny-type Pet Beasts enjoy caring for, healing, and helping other Pet Beasts. That's their nature."
"Learning related knowledge is simply the process through which they express that nature and activate their potential, so they enjoy it—and can easily achieve results."
"But teachers are different. Pet Beasts that truly possess both 'learning' and 'teaching' aptitude are one in ten thousand—extremely rare."
"To put it simply, it's like the difference between a combat Pet Beast and a Beast Tamer—"
"Every combat Pet Beast learns moves and engages in battle."
"But very few can, like a Beast Tamer, train moves and command battle strategies."
"They generally don't enjoy thinking about those things."
"This school has been around for sixty-three years, yet the number of Pet Beasts that can truly be called teachers is still extremely small."
So that's how it is.
Jiang Xing suddenly understood and nodded in disappointment.
"Sorry, that was presumptuous of me."
Seeing his sincere apology, Principal Liu's slight displeasure faded. She then suggested: "In truth, no matter how outstanding a Pet Beast teacher is, they still can't compare to a Breeder."
"Most of the teachers in our school are actually professional Breeders."
"With your current reputation, if you want to recruit assistants… some top-tier Breeders might also be interested."
Recruit a Breeder?
Jiang Xing immediately dismissed the idea.
There was too much in his institute that couldn't be explained—too many things that bordered on "black technology."
In the short term it might be fine, but if someone stayed there long-term, they would inevitably notice just how abnormal those things were.
Of course, they might not leak anything—but Jiang Xing had no interest in worrying about such trivial matters—
After completing several research projects and seeing the changes around him, he had already fully understood what he wanted.
He wanted to research Friendship, Beauty, various Pokémon-style items… and many more novel and interesting things.
Not for money, nor merely for fame and status.
He wanted to be like Dr. Xu and Dr. Ail—to truly participate in the course of history and become someone who could change the Beast Taming world.
He wanted to open a true new era together with his Pet Beasts!
To prove that he had once existed—and not lived an ordinary, insignificant life!
That was his ambition and his ideal.
Worrying all day about trivial matters was beneath him.
So, compared to human assistants who had their own lives, ideals, and ambitions—
Jiang Xing only wanted Pet Beast assistants—ones he could trust one hundred percent.
"I'm not very good at interacting with people, so let's forget it."
Most scholars who came to Pet Beast schools to recruit assistants were introverted and preferred interacting with Pet Beasts.
Principal Liu had seen many like him and understood.
She shook her head, preparing to take Jiang Xing to select assistants, when her gaze swept past a Honey Attendant by a flowerbed in the distance. Something occurred to her, and she spoke: "Jiang Xing, you're very good at developing the potential of Pet Beasts, aren't you?"
"Uh… you could say that."
Jiang Xing didn't understand her meaning, but he didn't deny it.
Given his current reputation, being overly modest would only seem hypocritical.
Principal Liu continued: "Actually… if you want to take away a Pet Beast teacher, it's not completely impossible."
"How so?" Jiang Xing's eyes lit up.
"Do you know the Honey Attendant?" she asked, looking toward the flowerbed and letting out a soft sigh.
"This is an extremely gentle and considerate Pet Beast—almost like a little fairy from a fairy tale."
"They are one of the main Pet Beasts cultivated by the school, deeply loved and welcomed by the children—outstanding nanny-type Pet Beasts."
"Unfortunately…"
"They are Bug-type Pet Beasts evolved from Honey Larvae."
"So, compared to other Pet Beasts, their lifespans are extremely short—at most, they don't exceed twenty years."
The usual bug-type discrimination segment—
As extraordinary creatures, while Pet Beasts have strengthened physiques, their lifespans are also greatly extended.
Take the Howl Hound for example. The average lifespan of ordinary canines is just over a decade, but Howl Hounds can live forty to fifty years on average…
If they manage to evolve and break through to a higher level, their lifespan can be extended even further.
As for Mythical Pet Beasts, their lifespans are even more astonishing—over the past several hundred years, there hasn't been a single recorded case of a Mythical Pet Beast dying of old age. There aren't even signs of aging.
They truly resemble gods, living long and enduring.
The weakest Bug-type Pet Beasts, however, have lifespans just as short as insects.
The shortest live only a few years, and even the longest don't exceed twenty or thirty years.
In other words, once you contract a Bug-type Pet Beast, within twenty to thirty years, you will inevitably experience the death of one of your Pet Beasts.
Although dying of old age won't shatter the mind, it will still cost you one contract slot.
At present, the known upper limit of contracts—held by a Legendary Beast Tamer—is thirty in total.
But in reality, most Professional Beast Tamers only have eight or nine contract slots. King-Class Beast Tamers have fewer than fifteen, and Champion Beast Tamers around twenty.
Every single contract slot is extremely precious.
This is the core reason why Bug Catchers are generally looked down upon.
So what if they grow quickly? Even if they cheat their way to becoming a Champion, they will still be like mayflies—born in the morning, dead by night, falling at lightning speed.
This is the fate of insects.
"In our school, there is a Honey Attendant named Xiao Xian. She possesses a one-in-ten-thousand aptitude. Not only is she the most outstanding nanny-type Pet Beast, she is also the best Pet Beast teacher, having trained many excellent graduates."
"Even many professional Breeders deeply admire her."
"But… she is still a Honey Attendant."
"In just eighteen years, Xiao Xian's life has already reached its final stage. She has less than two years remaining…"
"All of us feel regret, yet we are powerless."
"Because birth, aging, illness, and death are laws that cannot be transcended."
Principal Liu's eyes glistened with tears, her voice filled with sorrow.
As a Breeder, she had watched this Honey Attendant be born, grow, and age…
She had accompanied it through more than a decade of its short life, long since treating it as her own child—yet she could not change anything.
She could only watch helplessly as it grew older day by day.
Until just now, a sudden thought flashed through her mind—
Evolution could change the very essence of a Pet Beast's life.
If the Honey Attendant could evolve once more, perhaps its lifespan could be extended, allowing it to escape the approaching death!
Of course, this was extremely difficult.
The evolution process of Bug-type Pet Beasts usually follows three stages: [larva] → [pupa] → [adult].
Their growth speed is fast, and their evolution requirements are low.
But they often remain stuck at the third stage, unable to go any further.
The Honey Attendant was already at the third stage, and theoretically, it was very difficult to discover a further evolution form.
However, Principal Liu knew Jiang Xing and was aware of his ability to develop Pet Beast potential. He had even published a completely new theory—the "Friendship Theory"…
What if the Honey Attendant could also undergo a "Friendship Evolution"?
Principal Liu saw a sliver of hope.
"You can take Xiao Xian with you."
"There are no conditions—I only hope you can uncover her potential and help her evolve once more."
An evolution form for the Honey Attendant?
Jiang Xing was not as optimistic as Principal Liu. The Honey Attendant itself was a kind-hearted Pet Beast—its Friendship was easy to raise. If there were a corresponding evolution form, it should have appeared long ago.
Since it hadn't, that meant Friendship was not its evolution condition.
At the very least, not the only condition.
However, Jiang Xing recalled the "cheat tip" given by the system when it issued the Feebas task:
[Milotic is a famously compassionate Pokémon. Beyond its most beautiful appearance, it also possesses a beautiful, healing heart.]
The Ugly Waterfowl was not Feebas, nor was it a medical Pet Beast—it had nothing to do with healing.
Thus, Jiang Xing had only taken inspiration from the cheat tip, deducing that Beauty Evolution required not only meeting certain values, but also matching the corresponding personality of the Pet Beast.
As for what specific personality was required, that depended on the individual Pet Beast.
Blindly copying would not work.
But looking back at the content of that cheat tip, it seemed to align perfectly with kind-hearted Pet Beasts like the Honey Attendant…
They might not have Friendship Evolution, but they were very likely to have Beauty Evolution!
With that idea in mind, Jiang Xing revealed a confident smile.
"Leave it to me!"
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