A Good Beating

Qingcheng Jiayuan.

Building C, Apartment 606.

When Qiao Sang returned home with her mother, she was still a bit dazed.

After all, she had endured nearly two hours of spit shower at school. If the teacher hadn't clutched their stomach and paused, they probably would have continued their criticism.

Qiao Sang washed her face twice in the bathroom.

She looked at herself in the mirror. Her facial features were delicate, exactly the same as in her previous life.

Just significantly younger, with chubby cheeks and traces of baby fat.

"Come out and eat," her mother's voice came from the living room.

"Coming."

Qiao Sang responded, silently washing her face once again.

She entered the living room, and her mother, Ye Xiangting, gave her a sharp look. "The dishes have gone cold. They were just heated up. Eat quickly."

In fact, there were many similarities between Qiao Sang's current family and the original Qiao Sang's family. Not only did her parents look alike, but they were both single parents.

The original Qiao Sang's father wasn't missing or deceased; they simply divorced.

They separated when the original Qiao Sang was three years old. Qiao Wangyang, her father, remarried that year and had a daughter who was now 14 years old.

It was quite intriguing...

Perhaps feeling guilty towards her mother, the original Qiao Sang left both the child and the house to her during the divorce.

Ye Xiangting never remarried and single-handedly raised Qiao Sang while earning a living.

Fortunately, her mother was a Grade E Beast Tamer, having a faithful Weng and a plump Pigeon in her contract.

She earned money by renting out the ability to fly and play with others, leading a relatively comfortable life.

Her life didn't make her age prematurely, but instead, it turned her into a resilient woman with a soft exterior and strong interior.

Qiao Sang deeply understood this.

Her mother endured two hours of scolding from the teacher for her sake and still managed to restrain herself from beating her when they returned home.

She was so strong!

But it really wasn't her fault. The Beast Taming Code couldn't be extracted from her mind, and she hadn't contracted any supernatural creatures. Unless she went to the Beast Taming Center for an examination, she couldn't prove that she had already awakened independently.

Qiao Sang ate her meal without daring to speak.

Although her mother was a strong woman, there was no guarantee she would remain strong forever.

"Take a day off tomorrow, I'll take you to the Beast Taming Center," her mother looked at Qiao Sang and said.

Qiao Sang was stunned for a moment. "Why go to the Beast Taming Center?"

"You said you have already awakened independently, so let's go for an examination and get a certificate. Then we can go to the Pet Beast Base to choose a pet," her mother explained.

Since she had already awakened, it was better to choose a pet as early as possible.

Qiao Sang was shocked. "You believe me?"

A hint of a smile flashed in her mother's eyes. "You are my child, how could I not know you? Although you're a bit foolish, you wouldn't lie about something like this at such a crucial moment."

Qiao Sang felt complicated inside. She couldn't express her feelings. In fact, the mothers in this world not only looked alike but also had similar personalities.

"Mom, if you believe me, why did you watch me endure two hours of scolding and remain silent?" Qiao Sang asked.

Her mother smiled, a chilling smile. "Independent awakening is one thing, getting a zero on the exam is another. I haven't asked you yet, why did you score zero?"

Qiao Sang: "..."

...

...

The next morning.

At the entrance of Hanggang Beast Taming Center.

A supernatural creature with a plump body, about three meters long, and brown feathers with red tail feathers descended from the sky.

Qiao Sang excitedly got off the plump Pigeon. It was her first time experiencing such a close encounter with the sky. It was simply exhilarating.

She decided that from now on, she must contract a Flying-type pet!

"Plump Pigeon, thank you for your hard work," her mother patted it.

"Jiu bi~"

The Plump Pigeon shook its wings and arched its large head against her mother, rubbing against her like a spoiled child.

With a wave of her mother's hand, a faint light shone on the Plump Pigeon, and the next moment, it disappeared from its original position.

No matter how many times Qiao Sang saw it, she always found it magical.

These things couldn't be explained by science in her previous life.

Entering the Hanggang Beast Taming Center, her mother led her directly to the service counter numbered 37.

Before the staff could say anything, her mother spoke first. "Hello, we are here for a brain domain examination." She motioned for Qiao Sang to take out her information card.

Qiao Sang obediently handed over her information card.

After scanning it, the staff member said, "Hello, that will be 500 Union Coins."

Nowadays, humans, relying on the abilities of beast taming, have ventured beyond Blue Star and have colonized three other habitable planets.

The unified currency on the four planets is the Union Coin.

After her mother paid, the staff completed the registration and returned the information card, saying, "Just follow Qiaoli inside."

A green creature, less than one meter tall, appeared behind the staff member. Qiaoli, with a round head and a pair of green antennae with yellow tips, wore a staff badge on its chest.

As a plant-type pet, Qiaoli had a gentle temperament and was well-liked, especially by girls.

"Qiaoli."

It came in front of Qiao Sang, and with its three rounded fingers, it made a gesture of invitation, displaying a professional demeanor.

Hanggang City, as the capital of Zhehai Province, naturally had the largest Beast Taming Center in the province.

Qiao Sang followed Qiaoli for a full ten minutes before arriving at the area for brain domain testing.

Qiaoli scanned its staff badge on the identity recognizer outside the door.

"Qiaoli."

Once the door opened, it called out to Qiao Sang.

Her mother calmly said to Qiao Sang, "Go in."

Although her mother appeared calm, her eyes revealed expectations. It was evident that while her mother believed in her, she was still nervous until they obtained the results.

Qiao Sang followed Qiaoli inside.

Inside, she saw a short-haired female researcher wearing a white lab coat and a floating Bubbleling.

Qiao Sang had just read about Bubblelings, this kind of supernatural creature, in a book the day before. She didn't expect to see a living one so soon.

Bubblelings had no gender differences and belonged to the psychic power type. They were relatively rare pets.

In fact, supernatural creatures of this psychic power type were quite rare.

Naturally, there were not many in the Pet Beast Base. In a year, there might only be about five or six of them available, starting at a minimum of one million Union Coins. Ordinary families simply couldn't afford them.

The researcher seemed to be a wealthy woman.

Qiao Sang immediately labeled the short-haired female researcher in the white lab coat.

The researcher sat in front of the computer, typing non-stop, appearing busy. She wasn't surprised when Qiaoli and Qiao Sang entered, indicating that she had already received Qiao Sang's registration information in advance.

"Go sit over there," she pointed to a nearby single sofa.

Qiao Sang sat down where she indicated.

It was just an ordinary sofa, nothing particularly special about it.

"Bubbleling," the short-haired female researcher called her partner without looking up.

"Ring."

Suddenly, a blue light emanated from Bubbleling. Before Qiao Sang could understand what it was doing, a silver helmet with several device wires attached floated from a distance of about ten meters and landed on her head.

This scene made Qiao Sang's eyes light up.

This ability was too convenient, it was like a lazy person's artifact!

"Don't move."

The short-haired female researcher still didn't look up, but Qiao Sang knew she was addressing her.

The silver helmet didn't obstruct Qiao Sang's field of vision when she wore it. She clearly saw the short-haired female researcher frown as she reviewed the images and data transmitted by the device.

Qiao Sang instantly became tense.

Could there be a problem?

The short-haired female researcher had a serious expression, and when she had no expression, she resembled the headmaster at school. Moreover, she was currently wearing a stern expression.

Especially with her identity and the current situation, it made Qiao Sang's heart race.

"You awakened independently?" the short-haired female researcher suddenly spoke.

"Yes, sister, is there something wrong with me?" Qiao Sang asked nervously.

"No, don't be nervous." The short-haired female researcher sensed the girl's unease and forced a somewhat unnatural smile on her stern face to reassure her.

It's strangely intimidating...

Qiao Sang became even more nervous.

"This year in our city, including you, there are only six children who have awakened independently. Your academic performance must be excellent, right?" the short-haired female researcher asked.

Being a top student doesn't necessarily guarantee independent awakening, but those who successfully awaken independently are usually top students.

Qiao Sang: "..."

You can say she's intelligent or talented, but why bring up academic performance?

Qiao Sang understood that the researcher was trying to ease her nervousness, but she really didn't want to engage in small talk when she couldn't hold a conversation...

"I'm basically third in the school." Qiao Sang remained calm.

"Being third in the whole school is good. Many first and second-ranked students couldn't awaken." The short-haired female researcher smiled, though it seemed forced, but her voice was gentle.

"I was already first in the recent mock exam." Qiao Sang was no longer nervous.

"After awakening, the brain domain development increases by around 2%. Those who awaken independently like you are usually around 5%. It's normal to experience a sudden improvement." The short-haired female researcher explained the reason for Qiao Sang's first-place performance.

Qiao Sang: "..."

After about two minutes.

The short-haired female researcher looked up and called out, "Bubbleling."

"Ring."

Bubbleling used telekinesis to place the device on Qiao Sang's head back to its original position.

"Congratulations on your successful independent awakening. There are no other issues with your brain domain, but the fluctuations in your brain waves are a bit significant. You should rest well and eat more dried fruits recently."

The short-haired female researcher took out a certificate, signed it, stamped it, and handed it over as she stood up.

"Thank you."

Qiao Sang took the certificate, and the stone in her heart finally completely dropped.

...

...

"How did it go?" Qiao Sang's mother rushed forward anxiously as soon as they left.

Qiao Sang sighed and handed her the result in her hand.

Qiao Sang's mother's face instantly turned pale, and for a moment, she was too afraid to take it and look.

"Mom, take a look." Qiao Sang pushed the certificate a little closer.

Yan Xiangting's heart sank when she saw the result. Her daughter didn't have an independent awakening and even scored zero...

Even if she didn't score zero, her daughter's previous grades wouldn't qualify for a prestigious Beastmaster High School. The prerequisite for attending such a school is to awaken the Beast Compendium through magnetic wave stimulation and then reach the score cutoff.

The maximum score for the entrance exam was 650, and last year's minimum cutoff was 332.

If her daughter had studied hard and failed to pass, at least she would have made an effort. But to score zero and lie...

Yan Xiangting suddenly questioned her own parenting.

Maybe a good beating is necessary.

This child needs a beating.

Qiao Sang saw her mother take the certificate and lower her head to look at it, and her posture involuntarily straightened.

"Slap."

Qiao Sang was stunned.

(End of this chapter)