Su Ping looked at the two with a skeptical expression. In his heart, he was actually somewhat apprehensive, understanding the significance of the Heart of Woods skill. The saying 'possessing a treasure invites trouble' could very well be true. Although the Dragon Nation took this matter very seriously, it might still not withstand those who harbored ill intentions. If he weren't truly in need of money, he wouldn't have wanted to stand out this much. However, he had long thought of a way to deal with this, and this skeptical and disdainful look was part of his plan.
"What's so impossible?"
Hearing Su Ping's words and seeing the young man's disdainful look, which seemed to say 'country bumpkin who hasn't seen the world,' Vice President Liu could only force a dry laugh before speaking, "Student Su, did you cultivate this Forest Wolf yourself?"
Su Ping frowned instantly, put on a disdainful look as if unwilling to answer, and directly turned to Qin Xiaoxue. "Who are all these people?"
Qin Xiaoxue had already sensed the progress and changes in Woodhead through the Soul Contract, and at this moment, she completely believed in Su Ping's abilities. This kid was actually a Genius Breeder! However, it seemed that this Genius Breeder was not in a very good mood at the moment.
Qin Xiaoxue frowned and also turned to look at Sun Chaoju and Vice President Liu. These two guys had swindled her out of millions previously and had been constantly questioning her ability to recognize talent! Now that they were here, they started asking all sorts of questions again. In the end, weren't they just incompetent and envious of the capable? No wonder the Breeder Association in Jianghai Province hadn't achieved any significant results over the years, causing Jianghai Province to lose face in this aspect throughout the Dragon Nation. This bunch of good-for-nothings bore undeniable responsibility! Still, since it involved the old man, it wouldn't be good for her to drive them away directly, so she could only snort softly.
However, having witnessed this scene, both Qin Erlong and Vice President Liu were completely convinced. Did this young man truly cultivate it by himself?! Geniuses, after all, tend to have a degree of pride and distinct personalities. The value of a Genius Breeder is, many times, even more crucial than that of a genius Beast Tamer. After all, a genius Beast Tamer might only affect their own combat power, but a Genius Breeder could potentially cultivate many top-tier Pet Beasts and Beast Tamers. The importance was clear to all.
For a moment, even Vice President Liu, who had not been very convinced before, started looking at Su Ping differently. At this moment, there was only one person among those present who still had the same demeanor.
It was none other than Sun Chaoju. His eyes were still bloodshot as he stared at the huge Forest Wolf, Woodhead, trying to figure out how Su Ping had managed it by relying on his own understanding of Forest Wolves, just by observing Woodhead. However, from its external appearance and the feedback from his Eye of Truth, he could not see how. Thus, a thought unconsciously crossed his mind.
In an instant, a flash of white light shone throughout the guest room. Everyone's gaze suddenly fixed on it. The reason was simple: that flash of white light was the glow of summoning a Pet Beast. And what appeared before their eyes was a huge azure python. In its triangular eyes, there was nothing but cold indifference.
Commander-level Pet Beast: Cloud-Patterned Tree Python!
At once, the atmosphere in the guest room turned icy cold. However, the one who felt even colder was not Su Ping, not Qin Xiaoxue, but Sun Chaoju himself. He felt as if needles were pricking all over his body, causing him to shiver involuntarily. Soon after, he saw Qin Erlong and Vice President Liu looking at him with rather unkind expressions.
Indeed, Vice President Liu took good care of him. After all, Sun Chaoju had once worked under him as a researcher, nominally sharing a master-disciple relationship, and had shown his respect with gifts every year. But at this moment, Su Ping's talent had won his approval.
If this truly were a rare Genius Breeder, cultivating him properly could mean that, for the next few decades, he might represent Linzhou City, or even Jianghai Province, at the Breeder Conference. This would be a tremendous benefit. It was widely known that both the Beast Master Association and the Breeder Association allocated resources based on achievements or, one might say, political performance in this field. Therefore, if someone wanted to snuff out a genius over the cultivation method of the Heart of Woods, others aside, Qin Erlong and Vice President Liu would be the first to stand up and strike down such an attempt with thunderous fury! This was why, over the years, the Dragon Nation had seen a continual emergence of talent. This was also why Su Ping dared to use his cultivation abilities to make money, as a replacement for the Heart of Woods Magic Potions, after the situation had eased slightly. The official attitude towards geniuses, unless in exceptional circumstances, never involved suppression.
Sun Chaoju snapped back to reality under the sharp gazes of the two elders and hurriedly, almost subconsciously, explained, "President, Teacher, I just wanted to test if Miss Qin's Pet Beast's life potential and combat capabilities were affected. This was to prevent her from being deceived by this kid and the Pet Beast being left with some irreparable underlying issues. That would be terrible."
The bald Vice President Liu said indifferently, "Breeder Sun, if there were anything wrong, wouldn't I be able to see it? Or are you suggesting that your abilities have surpassed both mine and Old Qin's?"
Sun Chaoju's body stiffened, and he quickly withdrew his Cloud-Patterned Tree Python. Su Ping licked his lips subconsciously. He had no interest in or concern for this person who had jumped out. All his attention at this moment was focused on the title Sun Chaoju had used, specifically the two words: 'President?' In this world, in the current Dragon Nation, only a few individuals could be addressed as 'President'! And any of those individuals represented a level that Su Ping found difficult to interact with at his current stage.
Su Ping glanced at Qin Xiaoxue. He regretted it again. Showing off is detrimental! It's too detrimental! Why did I have to show off before? Why did I reject the conditions promised by that top wealthy lady? However, I need to manage my expression! I've recently presented myself to Qin Xiaoxue as a Breeder who takes great pleasure in Pet Beasts. And in front of these people, I've maintained the proud attitude of a genius. I can't go back to the wealthy lady to renegotiate now.
Though he felt surprise and regret internally, Su Ping's face remained extremely calm, as if he were indifferent to everything that had just happened. Once the situation calmed down, he said faintly, "Are you finished? My job here is done. If you need anything else, you can say so now. If not, you can pay."
Looking at the POS machine Su Ping brought out, Qin Xiaoxue nodded and promptly took out her card, swiping it. The next moment, Su Ping received a notification on his phone:
[Your account has received 5,000,000 yuan. The payment was verified as an operating expense, and tax amounting to 550,000 yuan was deducted, resulting in an actual credit of 4,450,000 yuan. Your current account balance is: 4,451,562 yuan.]
Finally, I have money! Su Ping was thrilled, but soon he hesitated. "Miss Qin, you've overpaid."
Qin Xiaoxue was unconcerned about such a minor detail. "Just call me by my name, or Sister Qin is fine. Typing 350 requires changing the keypad three times; this is more convenient. Besides, you have material costs too! Relax~"
Looking at this reasoning, so financially extravagant it left Su Ping speechless, what else could he say? Meanwhile, Sun Chaoju, who was standing to the side, saw Qin Xiaoxue finally smile and hurriedly tried to make amends for his earlier actions: "Su Xiao is truly formidable. However, Miss Qin, although the cultivation for its skills is complete, I've observed that your Forest Wolf's skill levels seem somewhat low. To be frank, our Wolf Den Pet Beast Breeding Base only includes 'Accelerated Spellcasting' incidentally. Our main service is helping Pet Beasts quickly enhance their Skill Proficiency Levels. To strengthen your Pet Beast's combat capabilities, if Miss Qin isn't in a hurry, you could come to our Wolf Den to enhance its skill levels."
Qin Xiaoxue was indeed taken aback by these words. True, although she had meticulously cultivated her Woodhead, focusing primarily on combat, because it had learned so many skills, its skill levels had improved relatively slowly. This was indeed an aspect Qin Xiaoxue cared about.
Perceiving Qin Xiaoxue's interest, Sun Chaoju quickly continued, "You can rest assured, Miss Qin. I have absolute confidence in this area. Even if I can't guarantee an improvement in its Skill Proficiency Level within these few months, the progress will definitely be much faster! And please don't worry; consider it compensation for last time. This time, it's all free!"
Qin Xiaoxue pondered for a moment, then instead of addressing Sun Chaoju, she turned to Su Ping. "Does your Heart of Woods offer this cultivation service?"
Su Ping smiled and then nodded. As Sun Chaoju's eyes bulged, Su Ping spoke slowly, "We do offer them, but it's not free, and it's actually quite expensive!"
At that, Sun Chaoju, whose complexion had just started to improve slightly, immediately darkened again.