Starting with the Broken-Winged Frost Butterfly: Beast Taming

"Damn it, I messed up again."

On the morning of the eighth day, Shang Yunying walked out of the laboratory with a look of frustration, accompanied only by the little badger with its heater.

"Rongrong, Yinyin, you succeeded?"

In the tent area, Yu Manrong and Qin Yin nodded slightly.

"Yinyin has nurtured a 'naughty lamb,' with one excellent and two good ones; a top ten finish is guaranteed."

"I bred a 'white-capped sea lion,' two were rated 'good,' one was 'passable,' and a top ten finish is a bit uncertain."

Upon hearing this, Shang Yunying sighed, looked around, and asked in confusion, "Where's Zhu Ran? Hasn't he finished his exams yet?"

"He's finished the exam, and someone witnessed him leaving Grandma Tree Ecological Farm," Yu Manrong said.

"Leaving early...the evolution failed?" Shang Yunying exclaimed in surprise.

"I don't know." Qin Yin shook her head. "Chu Yang left the next day. I heard he got two excellent grades and one good grade, and had a chance to be number one."

Ding--

The bell rang, signaling the end of the exam.

The three women left together.

Outside the examination hall.

Zhu Ran and Liang Baizhou stood side by side.

Behind the scenes, a beautifully framed chicken is photographed, with the camera pointed at the entrance of the manor.

"The list is about to be released, everyone make room!"

Two staff members directed two minotaurs to move a huge screen.

"Boom—"

The screen is inserted into the ground, like a small tower, and the text lights up one by one from bottom to top.

"Tenth place, Zhou Zhu."

"Good heavens! Old Zhou actually passed the exam! Three years after three years, how many times he was devastated! Today, his wish has finally come true!"

The moment the first name was announced, the entire audience erupted in uproar.

This is the examination center for advanced trainers located at Chung-Du University, known as the "death group".

Breaking through to make the list is no easy feat.

"We've finally made it through! We've finally made it through..."

The disheveled old man, holding his canine pet, had red eyes and was choked with sobs.

"Seventh place, Qin Yin."

You see your name displayed on the screen.

Qin Yin's tightly pursed lips slowly relaxed, and she exhaled a breath of pent-up air.

"Yinyin, congratulations!"

"Vice squad leader, you've finally got your revenge!"

Most of the students majoring in Species Evolution were present.

This exam was crucial for them; passing it would mean they had one foot in the door of graduation. So, regardless of whether they had registered or not, everyone rushed over to witness the results.

"Senior Qin has one excellent grade and two good grades, yet she can't even make the top five?"

"That's normal, that's normal. There's a senior named Zhou Shuai over there who got three 'good' grades, but he still got rejected. I guess Old Man Zhou is only slightly better than him. That's the most upsetting thing."

Almost all of the third-year students majoring in Species Evolution arrived.

They surrounded a handsome young man in blue, chattering amongst themselves.

"Haha! Brother Chu made the list!"

"The first one in his class to make the list, what a glorious moment!"

"Huh? Why isn't Brother Chu in first place? Who is this Zhu Ran? He actually got three 'excellent' ratings???"

On the screen, the two characters "Zhu Ran" were prominently displayed at the top.

Chu Yang in the second row, although also shimmering with golden light, suddenly appeared somewhat less vibrant in everyone's eyes.

"Huh? This name looks familiar..."

"A little over ten days ago, a mysterious man surnamed Zhu was seen at the south gate violently beating up the Wasteland Ridge Dragon with a rake. Was that him?"

"What the heck? Isn't that that studious senior? He was on a variety show livestream, raising an Ice Butterfly, and I even followed him..."

The entrance to Grandma Tree Ecological Manor was bustling with noise.

Because of the excessive noise, even the pets accompanying their owners couldn't control their emotions and let out roars.

"Awesome, that's fucking awesome."

Grandpa Liang couldn't take it anymore; he'd been holding it in until now, and his face was contorted with toothache.

Who ever takes the top spot on the leaderboard on their first attempt at becoming a senior trainer?

Chu Yang initially had his sights set on this honor as well, but sorry, Master Zhu is still Master Zhu. Junior, you'll have to wait downstairs.

"Zhu Ran... in first place?"

The senior students majoring in Species Evolution, including Wang Xiao, looked at each other in bewilderment.

My brain isn't working properly; I'm a bit confused.

There are too many questions, and we need to sort them out in order.

How did Zhu Ran advance to the second life? Wasn't he a C-level aptitude?

He registered quietly, and even with Professor Tang as one of the examiners, he still managed to get a perfect score?

"The fairy bird bred by Chu Yang is proud, adorable, and charming; how could it possibly lose?"

"Yeah, I'm confused too. Wasn't Brother Chu the first to finish the exam? He came back to class the next day!"

"Go ask the person in question. Look, I happened to see Senior Zhu once. He's over there, yes, that steel giraffe, his best buddy's pet..."

Zhu Ran, who had already turned to leave, was suddenly surrounded by a group of people along with Grandpa Liang.

The steel giraffe mount, its raised feet hovering in mid-air, slowly lowered back down.

"Senior Zhu, could you please reveal your research results? We're incredibly curious!"

"Yes, yes, please satisfy us! Just how cute can we be to earn Professor Tang's full approval..."

A thirst for knowledge shone in each pair of eyes.

Chu Yang himself also came closer. The little yellow bird perched on his shoulder chirped a little tune, its lively little eyes darting back and forth between its owner and Zhu Ran.

"Shizuka, come out and say hello?" Zhu Ran smiled.

He didn't want to get involved in the controversy at all; he just came to confirm that he was on the list.

However, since he's going to be in the limelight sooner or later and become a prominent figure eventually, it's not unreasonable to warm up the atmosphere first.

"Huh?" |ᴥ•́)✧

Inside the down jacket, a little tiger peeked out its head.

It made no attempt to disguise itself; its pink, heart-shaped eyes, like two dazzling jewels, attracted everyone's attention.

Its round, plump ears, wet nose, and pale pink downy fur made the onlookers hold their breath.

"This pet is not listed in the bestiary!"

"Has Senior Zhu cultivated another entirely new species?"

The brief calm was followed by an overwhelming uproar.

Several radio and television reporters had come looking for high-quality news scoops and planned to interview top-ranked newly promoted senior trainers.

They got really excited and started directing their camera chickens to snap away like crazy.

"As you can see, this is the little tiger's original form..."

Zhu Ran adjusted his breathing and began to speak fluently.

He doesn't need to explain how to reverse it or how to cultivate it.

It only provides a general overview of the little tiger's attributes and talent inclinations.

The entire room fell silent.

"Is this why Zhongdu University is so renowned? A senior student overshadowed applicants from all walks of life and with diverse backgrounds..."

"Judging from your words, this seems to be a unique formula. When the little tiger is no longer labeled as an erroneous evolution, its original form is surprisingly eye-catching..."

"The Fairy Bird's loss was not unjust. If it weren't for the Chu Group's backing, Chu Yang wouldn't have been able to obtain such a rare formula. But how could something this rare possibly be used to implicate the Little Tiger..."