The two of them entered the school.

They quickly drew a lot of strange looks.

Whether it was Li Qian or Fatty An, both were celebrities at the school, so it was only normal for them to get stared at.

Fatty An, along with Lu Kuihuan and Sun Shouhe, were known as their class’s three big rich kids, and they were quite "renowned" throughout the school.

It would have been abnormal if no one was paying attention to them.

As for Li Qian, that went without saying. After being specially recruited by Shazhou Beast Taming University and discovering the evolutionary paths from Koi Carp to Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon and from Koi Carp to Frostfire Salamander, he had long been a legendary figure at the school.

With the two of them walking into school like this, they naturally attracted odd glances and hushed whispers.

As they walked side by side, Fatty An said with no small amount of envy, "Qianzi, you’re a real legend at our school now."

Li Qian pursed his lips, his tone laced with resignation. "I’d rather not have this ’legendary’ reputation. Being gawked at like a monkey in a zoo everywhere I go is just too uncomfortable."

Fatty An shook his head, disagreeing. He secretly pointed in a direction not far off and reminded him, "You really don’t appreciate what you have. Look over there. Those girls are total knockouts. I bet if you just crooked your finger, they’d throw themselves at you."

Li Qian followed his finger and saw a few young girls looking their way from time to time.

Li Qian could even hear them saying things like, "That’s him, Li Qian," and, "He’s so handsome."

Hearing this, he felt a secret little thrill.

But the feeling was fleeting, and he quickly suppressed it.

Besides the fact that Li Qian wasn’t interested in that sort of thing right now, the girls themselves were a big reason why.

They were just average-looking. Forget comparing them to Chu Xiran, Gao Yaxin, or Tu Jiaojiao—they were a far cry even from his classmate Li Lanying, who wasn’t particularly stunning at first glance.

Naturally, they couldn’t capture Li Qian’s attention.

He shot Fatty An an exasperated glare. "If you’re so interested, why don’t you try crooking your finger at them?"

Fatty An’s voice deflated. "I’d love to, but it’s no use. Those shallow girls are only here for you."

Li Qian shot back without mercy, "What do you mean, ’shallow’? It just proves their taste is perfectly normal."

Fatty An clutched his chest and feigned a heartbroken cry. "Damn, are we even bros? You don’t have to hit me where it hurts!"

Laughing and joking, the two arrived in front of the third-year classroom building. They didn’t stop, heading straight inside and up.

Before long, they reached the third floor, where their classroom was located.

Along the way, they ran into many classmates from their own class or the one next door.

Some brushed past as if they hadn’t seen them. Li Qian and Fatty An returned the cold shoulder, making no attempt to greet them either.

Besides, there were many classmates they genuinely didn’t know well, people they only shared nodding acquaintances with at best.

Other students took the initiative to greet them, and to these, Li Qian and Fatty An responded in kind.

Sometimes with a smile and a nod, other times with a spoken greeting.

Still chatting and laughing, the two entered the classroom.

The moment they walked in, they drew nearly every eye in the room.

Seeing this, Li Qian felt a bit awkward. He immediately pulled Fatty An over to their seats and sat down.

"Li Qian, I heard you’ve already been specially recruited into a Beast Taming University."

"Li Qian, Li Qian, which Beast Taming University are you going to? Is it one of the Eight Greats?"

"You idiot, with Li Qian’s Talent, of course he’s going to one of the Eight Greats! Do you even need to ask?"

"Li Qian, can you summon your Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon for us to see? Is it really as majestic and imposing as it looks on TV?"

"Li Qian, I heard you’re already an Intermediate Breeder?"

"..."

The students chattered away, bombarding him with all sorts of questions that made Li Qian’s head ache.

Some of the questions and requests were so bizarre he didn’t even know how to respond.

Like the one asking him to summon his Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon for a look...

’What kind of request is that!’

Given Qizai’s size, summoning him inside this classroom would probably cause a disaster.

Faced with this overwhelming flood of questions and requests, Li Qian was at a bit of a loss.

They were his classmates, after all. It would seem too cold and unfriendly if he just said nothing.

So he had no choice but to keep giving vague, perfunctory answers:

"Yes, one of the Eight Greats."

"Which school hasn’t been decided yet."

"It’s not convenient to summon the Cyan-Scaled Flood Dragon."

"Right, right, we’ll look out for each other in the future."

"..."

In a corner, the class president, Tu Jiaojiao, watched the scene, the corners of her mouth lifting into a faint smile.

Standing beside her, Li Lanying wore a half-smiling, half-serious expression.

"AHEM, AHEM, AHEM..."

Just then, a few familiar coughs rescued Li Qian from the chaotic mess of questions and requests.

At the doorway, led by the Pet Beast Knowledge teacher, Mr. Lv Xinmin, all the instructors—including Zhu Bingqing and Chu Xiran—filed into the classroom.

Seeing the disorderly classroom, Mr. Lv Xinmin couldn’t help but speak up to restore order.

The coughing from a moment ago had been him.

Mr. Lv Xinmin had the air of an old-fashioned scholar. He was quite stern on a daily basis and had accumulated considerable authority, so after he spoke, the classroom quickly returned to order and fell silent.

Mr. Lv Xinmin nodded in satisfaction at this and then strode to the lectern.

"AHEM, AHEM, AHEM..."

After clearing his throat, he was the first to speak. "Strictly speaking, all of your courses are over. You’ve already graduated. However, today is very special..."

Mr. Lv Xinmin went on and on, his words a mix of sentimental reflections and encouragement.

Normally, these kinds of words would have made many students, including Li Qian, drowsy with boredom.

But right here, right now, combined with the mood and the setting, it was all inexplicably moving.

Perhaps this was the inevitable melancholy of graduation season.

"...In the future, no matter what path you take—whether you go to one of the Eight Greats or an ordinary Beast Taming University, whether you become an Adventurer or a worker in any other trade—I hope you will remember this: you must stand for what is right, and cultivate both your character and your virtue!"

Hearing this, Li Qian couldn’t help but nod slightly.

The old scholar might have been a bit rigid, a bit inflexible, and his lectures a bit boring, but there was no denying he was truly dedicated to teaching.

After Mr. Lv Xinmin, the next four teachers—Zhu Bingqing, Chu Xiran, Hu Minghua, and Guo Sheng—also came up to the stage to give speeches.

Some of them spoke at length, while others said only a few words.

But without exception, every speech was filled with their life insights or teaching experiences.

If one really listened, they would surely benefit greatly from it for the rest of their lives.

But as for how many people truly took it to heart, and how many would forget it all in a few days, there was no way to know.