Qiao Sang looked at Dai Shushu for two seconds, then smiled and said, "Yes, is there anything else?"

Dai Shushu slightly lowered her gaze and shook her head. "No, that's all."

Qiao Sang turned and went back to the classroom.

As soon as she sat down, Fang Sisi leaned over. "What did Dai Shushu say to you? Your face looks terrible."

"Does it really look that bad?" Qiao Sang asked.

"Yeah, you were frowning so much you almost scared me." Fang Sisi teased.

Qiao Sang wished she had a mirror to check her expression.

Fang Sisi continued to press, "What did Dai Shushu want?"

"Nothing important." Qiao Sang replied, picking up her book again.

Fang Sisi wanted to ask more but, seeing that Qiao Sang didn't want to talk about it, she kept quiet.

After the morning classes ended, Qiao Sang packed up her things and went to the office of the third-year teachers.

"Teacher, I need to take a leave," Qiao Sang said, staring at the teacher’s thick hair.

Her homeroom teacher stood up abruptly.

Another female teacher in the office immediately turned her gaze to Qiao Sang.

The homeroom teacher tried to maintain composure.

"Do you know what you're saying? There are only a few days left until the high school entrance exams, and you want to take a leave? I haven't even asked you to write a self-reflection for skipping class last time."

Qiao Sang replied seriously, "Teacher, if you don't grant me leave, I'll just skip class again. I’ll write the reflection later."

The homeroom teacher felt his temple throbbing. "Does your family know you're asking for leave?"

Qiao Sang didn't answer.

The teacher took a deep breath, sat back down, and said earnestly, "If you don't want your mother to come to school again, then go back to class. I admit I was wrong about accusing you last time, but even if you've awakened your beast-taming abilities, you can't neglect your studies. The exams are just a few days away."

Qiao Sang smiled.

"Teacher, you were at school last Friday when my mom came, right?"

The homeroom teacher paused and replied, "Yes, I asked your mom to come in to explain why you were skipping class."

Qiao Sang tilted her head and asked, "Then why was she sent out of the office?"

The homeroom teacher froze, his expression complex, assuming that Qiao Sang’s mother had told her about the incident, and he didn’t know how to respond.

He shared an office with the homeroom teacher of Class Nine.

That day, Dai Shushu and her mother came to the school, coinciding with Qiao Sang's mother’s visit.

Dai Shushu had just been recommended for admission to Shengshui High School, and even the Dean of Students came to congratulate her.

Naturally, the office's attention was focused on Class Nine.

When Qiao Sang's mother explained that her daughter had been so excited about contracting a pet beast after awakening her abilities that she forgot to ask for leave, the teachers were all quite interested.

Everyone in the office turned their attention to her, and after a few questions, all of Qiao Sang's background came out.

Dai Shushu's mother made a few snide remarks, and Qiao Sang's mother started arguing with her.

Dai Shushu cried.

As the school's star student, no one wanted her to feel mistreated, so the Dean asked Qiao Sang’s mother to leave.

The homeroom teacher considered himself a responsible teacher.

He wasn’t skilled at socializing, but he had worked diligently for over 20 years to finally become a homeroom teacher.

However, over time, the initial enthusiasm he once had had faded away, and now he didn't dare to stand up for a student's parent when they were treated unfairly.

Still, he felt he hadn't done anything wrong. He had just been a bystander and saw no need to explain the situation to a child.

The homeroom teacher paused and said, "She wasn’t sent out; she was asked to step outside to cool down."

Qiao Sang smiled. "I understand. But that little ' cooling down put my mom in bed sick. You know our family's situation. I'm the only one who can take care of her."

The teacher’s attitude softened. "How long will you need?"

"Until she recovers," Qiao Sang replied.

The homeroom teacher hesitated and then said, "Make sure to come back as soon as possible. The exams are very close."

Qiao Sang nodded, turned, and left.

As he watched her walk away, the homeroom teacher, still concerned, added, "Study hard at home, too. The exams are coming up soon. Once your mom is a bit better, come back quickly."

Qiao Sang glanced back at him and smiled. "Teacher, your wig is crooked."

The homeroom teacher: "..."

The female teacher: "..."

Hanggong Xiangzhen Beast-Taming Battle Club.

"How much does it cost to hire a beginner sparring partner for a day at your club?"

"Hello! Our sparring partners are charged by the hour. A beginner costs 1,000 alliance credits per hour. If you book for a whole day, we can offer a 2% discount," The receptionist said with a smile.

Beast-taming battle clubs can provide different sparring partners based on the client's needs.

As one of the more popular industries today, these clubs have spread to neighborhoods large and small.

In some publicly listed beast-taming battle clubs, you can even hire an S-level beast tamer as a sparring partner, provided you can afford it. However, there aren't many clubs of that caliber.

Xiangzhen Beast-Taming Battle Club was already the fifth club Qiao Sang had visited.

She had visited so many beast-taming clubs for one reason: She didn't have enough money...

Qiao Sang touched the small amount of money in her pocket, hugged her Fire Fang Dog, and quietly walked out.

Feeling lost, she didn’t know where to go next.

Initially, she had a laid-back attitude toward Shengshui High School. If she could pass the special admission exam, great; if not, she still had Sixth Beast-Taming High School as a backup, so it didn’t seem like a big deal.

But now, she really wanted to get into Shengshui High School.

In 10 days, Shengshui High School's special admission exam would take place.

Given her current level, she wasn’t even sure if she could meet the minimum passing score.

To be admitted, the second through fifth places had to score 50 points higher than the minimum score, and Qiao Sang wasn’t confident.

As such, she could only secure the minimum score advantage by placing first in the special admission exam.

Having made this decision, she realized she needed to accelerate the training of her Fire Fang Dog.

Although the Fire Fang Dog was a fire-type pet beast with strong attack power, it was still a young cub without much battle experience.

The easy win last time was mainly due to the 2-on-1 advantage and the opponent's slow reaction.

If she went into the special admission exam like this, winning first place seemed unlikely.

She only had 10 days left. Staying in school would be a waste of time, so she decided to study on her own while training the Fire Fang Dog.

Thanks to her special ability, she could significantly improve the Fire Fang Dog's combat skills through battles in a short time.

Qiao Sang had a solid plan, but once she stepped out, she felt lost.

There were many pet beast battle competitions and venues, but they all had requirements. Some competitions required a certain level of beast-taming proficiency.

Beast-taming competitions are meant to generate revenue through viewership and ticket sales.

Newbie beast tamers generally have only one low-level pet beast, so their battles are predictable and unexciting.

If the audience isn’t interested, the organizers won’t bother holding the event.

Qiao Sang checked and found that the next competition in Hanggang City, where F-level beast tamers could participate, was on June 30.

The organizers had timed it perfectly. By then, all third-year students would have finished their entrance exams and contracted their pet beasts.

There would be a large group of newly minted beast tamers eager to sign up, not to mention their parents, teachers, and various friends and family members as a built-in audience, ensuring decent viewership.