Beast Taming Begins with the Inner Circle of Pets

Chapter 6 Beginner Professional Competition

The smart bracelet on the table kept flashing, indicating that there were unread messages.

Lin Manman tapped her bracelet and saw a message from her classmate and best friend, Fang Yaqi. She glanced at the time; it was 11:30 AM, meaning school was over at noon.

"Manman, why did you take leave?"

"I heard about your brother's situation. Is it serious? Did the doctor say when he will regain consciousness?"

"Our homeroom teacher mentioned today that we'll be going to the Awakening Temple in three days for the Class Awakening event. Did he tell you about it?"

"I've already paid for your travel expenses. I'll send you the details and important notes later."

Seeing the series of messages, Lin Manman felt a warmth in her heart. The world is a cold place; true character is revealed in times of adversity.

She once basked in the glory of her father and brother, and was quite a well-known figure at school, with good interpersonal relationships.

But after her father went missing, it became clear that some of her friends stopped contacting her. This time, when her brother was injured, Fang Yaqi was the only one who sent a message to check on him.

I first checked the homeroom teacher's message and found that there was indeed a message indicating that I would be leaving in three days. I glanced at it briefly and then went back to reply to Fang Yaqi.

"Give me my travel expenses back. I'm not going to the awakening ceremony. I've already awakened my profession on my own."

Everyone in this world has a free opportunity for career awakening before the age of fifteen.

However, if you awaken your profession before the age of fifteen, you can save this free opportunity for when you level up, since activating an awakening array costs 500,000 Chinese coins.

Unless they are extremely wealthy, most self-aware people will cherish this free opportunity.

"What did you say????" Fang Yaqi replied almost instantly, a string of question marks nearly overflowing the screen.

Before she could reply to the message, a call request popped up. Lin Manman answered without hesitation.

The call had barely connected when a sweet female voice came through urgently. "Are you serious? You really awakened on your own? What's your profession? Oh dear, I have so many questions. Where are you now? Is it convenient for us to meet?"

Lin Manman suddenly remembered that Fang Yaqi's mother worked at the spirit beast shop, and on a whim, she agreed.

"I'll wait for you at our usual hot pot restaurant. You have 30 minutes. If you're on time, it's my treat; if you're late, it's your treat."

Fang Yaqi hung up the phone in a hurry. Lin Manman chuckled. This girl probably didn't want to spend money at a time like this, but she was also afraid that her self-esteem would be hurt.

Will she feel hurt? You're overthinking it. People who are eager to live off their parents have no sense of shame.

Fang Yaqi mentioned a hot pot restaurant that was a 30-minute walk away, but Lin Manman still chose to take the public land vehicle.

Newborn Hongyu was curious about everything, and Lin Manman couldn't bear to throw a snake into her pet space, so she let Hongyu hang around her neck. Then she and Hongyu became the focus of attention on the land vehicle, and were even photographed by someone using their bracelet.

"Sister, your snake is so pretty and cute! Can I touch it?" A six or seven-year-old boy tugged at Lin Manman's trouser leg, his eyes filled with longing as he looked at Hong Yu, who was glancing around.

Lin Manman looked at the little boy at her feet and then at the smiling old woman next to her; the old woman was clearly the little boy's grandmother.

"Of course! 500 RMB for three minutes of unlimited touching." Lin Manman grinned, showing her white teeth, and deftly took out her bracelet to display the payment code to the little boy's grandmother.

The little boy's grandmother's smile froze instantly, replaced by a look of utter disbelief. "Where did this lunatic come from? Are you crazy for money? 500 yuan for just three minutes of touching? Is your snake made of gold?"

"Hey, don't insult my snake. This is a mid-tier silver-level spirit pet, a true battle pet. Can you even touch another person's battle pet for only 500?"

Lin Manman, now the center of attention, calmly held up the Rainbow Jade and introduced it. Although it was only one day old, it was already a mid-level silver-grade battle pet; the minimum price in the spirit pet shop was three million.

Upon hearing Lin Manman's words, a considerable murmur arose from those around her.

"The awakening ceremony for middle school students hasn't started yet, right? So this girl awakened on her own?"

"Oh my, that's incredible!"

"That snake is a battle pet? It seems this little girl has awakened her Beast Taming skills and even has her first spirit pet. Does she come from a wealthy family?"

"Who has a mine to build public land vehicles?"

"Aren't you going to let that rich girl experience life?"

"Hilarious! This rich girl is trying to experience life and then rips off kids?"

Amidst the murmurs of the crowd, the little boy's grandmother dragged him back to his seat, turning her head away from her. Lin Manman, it was time to get off the bus, could only regretfully put away her bracelet and disembark with Hongyu.

After getting off the bus and turning a corner, she saw Fang Yaqi jumping and waving at her from the entrance of the hot pot restaurant.

Fang Yaqi is actually a very sweet-looking girl with short, curly hair that makes her look even more playful and cute. Completely opposite to her appearance is her personality; she's not only impatient but also has a fiery temper, though she's straightforward and doesn't have many ulterior motives.

"Didn't you get enough rest? Your dark circles are so heavy," Fang Yaqi asked with concern. Her puppy-dog eyes, with their droopy corners, looked especially innocent when she looked at people intently.

Lin Manman shrugged. It wasn't that she hadn't rested well; it was that she hadn't rested at all.

"Ah!!!! How come there's a snake?" Lin Manman was wearing white clothes and had fair skin, so the rainbow jade wasn't very noticeable from a distance when it was hanging around her neck.

At that moment, Lin Manman approached, shrugged, and bumped into Hongyu. Hongyu subconsciously looked up.

When Fang Yaqi first saw a snake's head tilted up towards her, she was so frightened that she jumped back three steps on one leg, her round little face turning ashen.

"Look at you, so pathetic. This is my spirit pet, Rainbow Jade. It won't attack anyone without my command." Lin Manman looked at Fang Yaqi's cowardly appearance, her nose almost twitching. She was no longer the snake-phobic person who needed a long mental preparation before making a contract.

Fang Yaqi was stunned for a moment before she reacted. "You've awakened to be a Beast Tamer? And you've already contracted a spirit pet right after awakening?"

To avoid being yelled at for blocking the entrance, Lin Manman pulled Fang Yaqi inside, saying, "Let's go in and eat and chat. I haven't eaten much since last night, I'm starving."

While waiting for the food to be served, Lin Manman gave Fang Yaqi a general overview of herself and her family, but did not mention that she had awakened a talent.

"That was a rollercoaster of emotions for you; you might have been triggered into this moment. Now that you're prepared for the big exam, what are your plans for the future?"

"Let's find a way to make money. I remember your mom works at a spirit pet shop? Do they hire summer workers?" She couldn't rely on a salary, but if she wanted to earn money, she had to start with spirit pets. Working part-time at a spirit pet shop was clearly the most suitable job for her to get involved with spirit pets.

"I haven't asked. I'll send a message to ask." Fang Yaqi said, sending a message to her mother with her bracelet. She looked up at Lin Manman, seemingly wanting to say something but then hesitated.

"Just say what you have to say. This isn't like you."

"Have you ever thought about participating in the Junior Professional Competition? I heard that the top five winners of this year's Junior Professional Competition will not only share a prize of two million Chinese Yuan, but also receive skill books."

Fang Yaqi glanced at the newborn Hongyu, and felt a little embarrassed after speaking. It seemed that it was really a stretch for such a weak spirit pet to compete with other professionals.

Lin Manman paused. So much had happened that day that it filled her mind, and she hadn't really thought about the competition.

(End of this chapter)