Chu Sheng also noticed that his body size had undergone an enormous change.
His once-minuscule body, only about 0.4 centimeters long, had now ballooned to 1.5 centimeters! His wings had become broader and more powerful, and his six legs were noticeably thicker, brimming with explosive power.
To humans, he was still just an insignificant little bug.
But in the world of mosquitos, he was now an absolute juggernaut!
'Awesome! Just awesome!'
Chu Sheng excitedly flapped his wings, and the "BUZZ" he produced was even deeper and more powerful.
He now felt so full of power, he was itching to find a target and test just how potent his Level 2 proboscis was!
However...
He slammed headfirst into the inner wall of the plastic box and ricocheted back.
"..."
Only then did Chu Sheng remember that he was still locked up.
'Oh, my Empress!'
'Let me out! I can suck more! I feel like I could raise a ten-centimeter welt with a single bite!!'
Unfortunately, Gu Yuexi couldn't hear his silent pleas. She had already reached the academic affairs building, taken a deep breath, and strode inside.
...
「Academic Affairs Office, Beast Taming Department」
The man in charge of student records and department transfers was a somewhat rigid-looking, middle-aged man with gold-rimmed glasses named Wang Zhiming.
KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK.
The sound of knocking rang out.
"Come in," Wang Zhiming said without looking up.
Gu Yuexi pushed the door open and calmly walked to the desk.
"Hello, Teacher Wang."
Wang Zhiming finally looked up, and a flash of surprise crossed his eyes when he saw it was Gu Yuexi.
He recognized her; she was the school's famous "Flower Vase Beauty."
She was divinely beautiful, but her Martial Arts Talent was a complete mess. A classic case of heaven giving a gift to someone who couldn't use it.
"Ah, it's Gu. Is there something I can help you with?" Wang Zhiming asked, adjusting his glasses, his tone flat.
"Teacher, I'd like to apply for a department transfer," Gu Yuexi said, getting straight to the point.
"A transfer?" Wang Zhiming was taken aback. "From the Martial Arts Department to the Logistics Department? Hmm, given your academic performance, planning ahead for your future isn't a bad choice..."
In his eyes, for a student like Gu Yuexi with no future in the Martial Dao, transferring to study non-combat subjects like logistics or elixir theory was the only viable path.
However, Gu Yuexi shook her head and said, enunciating each word, "No. I want to transfer to the Beast Taming Department."
Her reasoning was simple.
The Martial Dao and Beast Taming were the world's two mainstream Cultivation Systems.
By participating in the upcoming third-year joint exam as a student from either the Martial Arts Department or the Beast Taming Department, winning first place meant not only a five-hundred-thousand-dollar prize but also different special rewards depending on the department.
A Martial Artist would receive an Upper-Grade Weapon as an additional reward.
A Beast Tamer, on the other hand, would receive a King-level Bloodline Demon Beast cub!
A Demon Beast's Bloodline Level was divided into: Low Level, Intermediate, High-Level, King-level, Emperor Level, and Emperor Level.
The level of its Bloodline determined a Demon Beast's ultimate potential!
A Low Level Bloodline could, at its limit, grow into a Third-Grade Demon Beast. The only way to surpass this was through Bloodline evolution. For example, the Big-eared Rabbit Gu Yuexi contracted in her previous life had to evolve three times just to force its way to the Fifth-Grade!
The limit for an Intermediate Bloodline was a Sixth-Grade Demon Beast.
For a High-Level Bloodline, the limit was a Ninth-Grade Demon Beast!
And as for a King-level Bloodline... upon reaching adulthood, it would become a Ninth-Grade Demon Beast!
Its ultimate potential was to grow into a King-level Demon Beast, a realm beyond the Ninth Grade!
That's right. The reason Gu Yuexi wanted to transfer to the Beast Taming Department was to obtain the King-level Demon Beast cub, and then... devour its Essence Blood!
The Essence Blood of a King-level Bloodline was far purer than that of a High-Level Bloodline.
After refining it with the Ten Thousand Beasts Melting Furnace Technique, her strength would increase more, the side effects would be fewer, and the risk of suffering a cultivation deviation would be much smaller!
"What?!"
The pen nearly fell from Wang Zhiming's hand. He stared at Gu Yuexi in disbelief, as if he had just heard the most ridiculous joke imaginable.
"You can't be serious, Gu, can you? The Beast Taming Department? Do you know what the prerequisite is to get into the Beast Taming Department?"
"I do," Gu Yuexi replied, her expression unchanged. "You must successfully form a contract with a beast of your own."
"Then you..." Wang Zhiming's voice was thick with skepticism.
Becoming a Beast Tamer was an even more expensive endeavor than becoming a Martial Artist, if not more so.
Purchasing a Demon Beast cub, gathering cultivation resources, learning the Blood Contract Array... Weren't all of these astronomically expensive?
He knew for a fact that Gu Yuexi came from an ordinary family. Where could she have gotten the money to form a contract with a Demon Beast?
Faced with Wang Zhiming's skepticism, Gu Yuexi said nothing more.
She simply placed her bookbag on the desk in silence, unzipped it, and took out an unremarkable plastic takeout container.
CLACK.
The container was placed in front of Wang Zhiming.
Wang Zhiming frowned and looked down. Inside, a black-and-white mosquito several times larger than an ordinary one lay perfectly still.
Chu Sheng silently stared back at him. "..."
"...What's the meaning of this?" Wang Zhiming was completely baffled.
"This is my Contracted Beast." Gu Yuexi's tone was still calm, but her words were nothing short of a bombshell.
The office fell into a deathly silence.
A good ten seconds passed before Wang Zhiming finally reacted. He took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes, put them back on, and stared intently at the mosquito for a long moment.
"You're saying... this mosquito... is your Contracted Beast?" His voice cracked.
"Yes." Gu Yuexi nodded. With a mental command sent through their Spiritual Link, she ordered Chu Sheng to flap his wings.
BUZZ—!
Chu Sheng resignedly complied, letting out a faint buzz.
Wang Zhiming's eyelid twitched violently.
He could sense that there was indeed a faint but genuine spiritual connection between Gu Yuexi and the mosquito.
This was the unique bond shared between a Beast Tamer and their Contracted Beast!
'So... she was telling the truth!'
'She really contracted a mosquito?!'
'She's lost her mind! This student has absolutely lost her mind!'
Wang Zhiming screamed internally. He'd been a teacher for over twenty years. He'd seen students contract with cats and dogs, pigs and cows, and even one oddball who contracted a cockroach... but at least that was one of those big southern cockroaches!
But contracting a mosquito... this was a damn first in recorded history!
He looked at Gu Yuexi's cold, stunningly beautiful face, and his shock gradually turned to pity and sympathy.
'This poor girl... with no future in the Martial Dao, did something snap and make her lose her mind?'
"Gu..."
Wang Zhiming sighed and said in a solemn, heartfelt tone, "The school's rules are rigid, but people should be flexible. While it's true you have a Contracted Beast and meet the requirements for a transfer..."
"But... have you considered if contracting a mosquito will be of any help to your future? Its Lifespan is only a few days; you'll have to use your own Qi Blood just to forcibly sustain it! Plus, it has no combat ability whatsoever. This..."
"Teacher," Gu Yuexi cut him off. "I just want to know one thing. According to the regulations, can I transfer to the Beast Taming Department and register for the third-year joint exam as a student of said department?"
Her unquestionable gaze and incredibly firm tone made Wang Zhiming swallow the rest of his words.
He was silent for a long moment before finally nodding with a sigh of resignation.
"...You can."
Rules were rules. He couldn't refuse her.
"Thank you, Teacher."
Gu Yuexi took back the container holding Chu Sheng, turned, and left without a moment's hesitation.
Watching her retreating figure, Wang Zhiming heaved another long sigh and shook his head.
"Such a waste. A fine girl like that... really... throwing her future away."