Yi Tian not only broke the record for the highest ranking Stone Monkey but also shattered the record for the fastest breakthrough time.
The worldview that the two teachers had built up over many years began to crumble.
Seeing the two in a daze, Yi Tian couldn't help but say:
"Mr. Liu, can you help me register now?"
Liu Zheng snapped out of it and quickly said, "Yes, yes, of course."
Yi Tian asked again, "Um... I saw the school file saying there are rewards for beasts with early breakthrough times. I wonder when I can receive them?"
"By the way, I should be the first one to come and register, right?"
Yi Tian didn't care about the ranking; he cared about the cold, hard cash reward!
Liu Zheng had a strange expression.
"You are first."
He paused and added, "The rewards might take a day or two. I need to report your beast's species and prepare the corresponding evolution path and materials."
"When the rewards are ready, I will call you to come and collect them."
Yi Tian nodded.
"Okay, thank you, Teacher."
After exchanging a few more pleasantries and seeing his information entered into the system by Liu Zheng, he said goodbye and left.
Watching Yi Tian walk far away, the two teachers excitedly started discussing again.
"Good lord, I'm calling it 'Good Lord'!"
"Just now I almost couldn't hold back a scream. Luckily I thought about not losing composure in front of a student, so I held it in."
"Me too!!!"
Liu Zheng puffed out his chest with some pride.
"As expected of a student taught by me."
The other teacher was speechless.
What does this have to do with you? You aren't even the homeroom teacher, just a subject teacher.
Liu Zheng taught Beast Encyclopedia. He taught six classes simultaneously, and Yi Tian's class was just one of them.
But honestly speaking, he did envy Liu Zheng.
Regardless of Yi Tian's future achievements, the record he created today would be etched in the school history, admired by those who came after.
The other teacher sighed.
"Even now, I still can't quite believe it."
"Thinking about it feels impossible. Old Liu, do you think we're hallucinating?"
Liu Zheng rolled his eyes.
"Hallucinating my ass. Can two people have the same hallucination at the same time?"
Then he speculated, "I do have a guess. Maybe Yi Tian didn't contract a normal Stone Monkey at all. Maybe... it's a Mutated Stone Monkey!"
The other teacher frowned in thought.
"Mutation?"
"It is possible. Otherwise, it doesn't explain why the cultivation speed is so ridiculous."
"Mutated beasts are one in ten thousand, and even mutations are divided into benign and malignant."
"I reckon Yi Tian's Stone Monkey mutated in the direction of increased cultivation speed."
"What a lucky kid."
But Liu Zheng shook his head again.
"It's a pity that the Stone Monkey species has no potential. Even if it evolves into a Stone Monkey King, it can at most break through to Silver."
"Even if the cultivation speed is fast, it only allows the Stone Monkey to master the brewing skill a bit earlier."
The other teacher sighed, sharing the same thought.
"What a pity."
"Right."
Liu Zheng suddenly remembered something.
"I have to call the principal. He ordered that if we encounter the first student to register, we must call him immediately."
Ring ring.
The sound of dialing rang out, and soon a somewhat deep and aged voice answered.
"Hello? This is Zhou Tiangang. Who is this?"
"Hello Principal, this is Liu Zheng, the duty teacher at the Academic Affairs Office today."
"Hmm? Did something happen?"
Zhou Tiangang was puzzled.
Why was the Academic Affairs Office calling him this early in the morning?
"It's like this..."
Then Liu Zheng recounted Yi Tian's story to Zhou Tiangang.
"Hello? Principal, are you still listening? I can't hear you anymore."
After speaking, there was silence on the other end, making one doubt if anyone was still listening.
Hearing Liu Zheng's voice, Zhou Tiangang spoke again.
"Okay, understood."
Then he hung up the phone.
On his face was an equally intense shock.
Yi Tian's speed had truly startled him. Moreover, as the principal, his knowledge was superior to the two teachers.
He thought of more things.
Liu Zheng only thought Da Sheng might have mutated, but Zhou Tiangang thought of another possibility.
"Could it be that Yi Tian is someone with a Special Talent?"
Among the Beast Tamer community, a small portion of people were born with unique talents.
They could aid beast cultivation or directly increase a beast's combat power.
The rarity of such geniuses was no less than that of mutated beasts.
Beast mutation wasn't completely random; there were traces to follow.
The lower the potential of a beast, the harder it was to mutate. Even if it did mutate, it was harder to gain powerful abilities.
A bottom-tier beast like the Stone Monkey had never been heard to mutate.
So Zhou Tiangang leaned more towards it being Yi Tian's own ability.
Thinking about this, his eyes grew hotter.
"If it's true..."
"However, this matter needs confirmation."
Just then, a clear and pleasant female voice interrupted Zhou Tiangang's thoughts.
"Dad, what are you dazing off for?"
"You look quite happy."
Looking towards the source of the voice, it was a woman in her twenties with a proportionate figure, shoulder-length hair, fair skin, and exquisite features.
It was Zhou Tiangang's only daughter, Zhou Qiong.
Zhou Qiong had graduated from the Beast Taming Academy less than two years ago and was now a teacher at Zhou Tiangang's school, teaching the second year.
Zhou Tiangang repeated Yi Tian's story, seeing the same shock on Zhou Qiong's face.
After the shock, Zhou Qiong seemed to think of something and asked a question.
"Dad, are we giving the first-place reward to Yi Tian?"
Zhou Tiangang glared at his daughter.
"Isn't that obvious? The document has been issued. Do you want me, a dignified principal, to go back on my word?"
Zhou Qiong said, "The problem is, the first-place reward was specially prepared by the Song family for Song Qinghang. The items have already been purchased, just waiting for Song Qinghang to collect them."
Zhou Tiangang huffed.
"That was a misjudgment by the Song family. They also approved the reward scheme back then. What does their failure have to do with us?"
"If the items are bought, just return them."
"Besides, a Moon Cat needs at least 2 million Dragon Coins to evolve, while a Stone Monkey only needs 250,000. Calculating it, we actually save money."
Zhou Qiong nodded.
"That makes sense."
Having settled the matter of the reward distribution, the father and daughter discussed Yi Tian himself.
Zhou Qiong shook her head.
"If Yi Tian has a Special Beast Taming Talent like you guessed, Dad, then contracting a Stone Monkey is really a waste."
Zhou Tiangang had a different view.
"Although the Stone Monkey has no potential, as long as he evolves it into a Stone Monkey King and breaks through to Silver, Yi Tian will accept the upgrade feedback. Then he can construct a Beast Space and contract a second beast."
"If the second beast is a combat-type beast with great potential, his future is still very promising."
Zhou Tiangang stroked his beard, narrowing his eyes.
"When Yi Tian comes to collect the reward, have him come directly to my office."