Beast Taming: I'm Really Not a Cultivation Master

After replying to Xue Huaiyu, Li Qian didn’t ignore the other two admissions teachers. Instead, he sent them a message.

He thanked them for their high regard.

Ai Xiaolian took it rather well. She had been the last to arrive and already believed Li Qian was heavily leaning toward Jiangnan Beast Taming University. As a result, she wasn’t surprised when she received his message.

Of course, a sense of disappointment was unavoidable.

As for the other person, Zhou Chubin, he was completely dumbfounded when he received the message.

At that moment, his only thought was... ’How did the cooked duck fly away?’

This was followed by profound confusion and bewilderment. ’Why would a cooked duck fly away?’

’Since Li Qian didn’t choose Jiangnan Beast Taming University, he must have chosen between Shazhou Beast Taming University and Mizhou Beast Taming University.’

’Could the charm of a beautiful woman really be that powerful?’

Shaking his head, Zhou Chubin quickly dismissed the thought.

’Others might be swayed by a pretty face, but after interacting with Li Qian for the past few days, I’m fairly certain he’s not that kind of person. He’s rational and mature, not at all like a typical high school student.’

’So it’s unlikely he’d abandon his attachment to his hometown and choose to go so far away.’

Closing his eyes in thought, Zhou Chubin quickly ruled out Mizhou Beast Taming University. His focus landed on Shazhou Beast Taming University—or more precisely, on Xue Huaiyu.

He recalled the expression on Xue Huaiyu’s face after she spoke with Li Qian. A bad feeling had crept up on him even then.

He never thought his premonition would actually come true.

Without hesitating, acting on pure instinct, Zhou Chubin dialed a number.

The number belonged to none other than Xue Huaiyu.

He had just gotten her number in the last few days.

The call connected quickly. As soon as he heard her familiar voice, Zhou Chubin got straight to the point. "Teacher Xue, I’m genuinely curious. What kind of offer did Shazhou Beast Taming University give Li Qian to make him choose to go all the way out to the Western Regions?"

His question was also a test, to see if Li Qian had really chosen Shazhou Beast Taming University.

A gut feeling was just a gut feeling, after all. Until it was confirmed, it remained pure speculation.

He didn’t have to wait long for his answer. On the other end of the line, Xue Huaiyu replied, "As expected of Teacher Zhou. You guessed it was Shazhou Beast Taming University right away."

On his end, Zhou Chubin couldn’t help but let the corner of his mouth twitch.

’Was it really that hard to guess?’

’That Ai Xiaolian from Mizhou is just your imitator; she never looked like much competition.’

Having secured Li Qian, Xue Huaiyu was in high spirits.

She responded with a laugh, "I can’t tell you the specific terms, but I can say that we were dead serious about recruiting Li Qian. The offer we gave him was equivalent to what we’d offer a top-tier Cultivation Master!"

Hearing the terms Xue Huaiyu described, Zhou Chubin couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath.

For a moment, he was at a complete loss for words.

He thought the offer they had made was already quite generous.

But it paled in comparison to an offer made to a top-tier Cultivation Master.

"No wonder he chose Shazhou Beast Taming University. You guys are really..."

Zhou Chubin didn’t finish his sentence, but his meaning was perfectly clear.

After a moment of silence, he continued, "Was paying such an outrageous price worth it?"

On the other end of the line, Xue Huaiyu didn’t hide anything. "Is it worth it?" she said candidly. "I don’t know either. Right now, it might not seem worth it, but we’re betting on his future." 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"Most importantly, everyone knows that Shazhou Beast Taming University’s weakness is in cultivation. You could say paying this price is like buying the bones of a prized horse for a fortune—it shows how serious we are about attracting talent."

"Paying a fortune for old bones... a bold move," Zhou Chubin sighed after hearing her explanation. "Maybe you’re right. In the end, it seems we at Jiangnan Beast Taming University lacked that kind of nerve."

Now that he knew Li Qian’s final choice and had a rough idea of the price Shazhou Beast Taming University had paid, Zhou Chubin didn’t continue the conversation with Xue Huaiyu.

There was no point in talking further. After hanging up, he muttered to himself, "Why do I get the feeling that one day, we’re going to regret this!"

But even if they did, it was already too late.

Li Qian had made his choice. That was an indisputable fact.

After receiving Li Qian’s message and confirming his destination with Xue Huaiyu, Zhou Chubin saw no reason to linger.

He sent a message to Chu Xiran explaining the situation and left Lingshui City immediately.

Around the same time, Ai Xiaolian also departed from Lingshui City.

Chu Xiran received Zhou Chubin’s message but didn’t reply. She glanced at it once before putting the phone back in her pocket.

The message from Zhou Chubin—or more accurately, its contents—did not surprise her.

In fact, half an hour before she received the text, Li Qian had already called her to explain his decision.

Li Qian had even apologized, feeling a bit awkward that he hadn’t chosen Jiangnan Beast Taming University in the end.